Vox pop

Written By: John A - Date published: 2:11 pm, October 21st, 2008 - 81 comments
Categories: activism - Tags: sub prime minister

Spotted in central Wellington:

81 comments on “Vox pop”

Comments are now closed

Tim Ellis 1
21 October 2008 at 2:28 pm
Well. I wonder if that vandalism was just some tagging by apolitical teenagers, or if it was conducted by people with strong anti-National Party motivations?
I don’t think encouraging the publication of vandalising other people’s billboards is appropriate.
Tane 2
21 October 2008 at 2:34 pm
You might want to have a word to your mate Davey over at Kiwiblog then Tim.
Scribe 3
21 October 2008 at 2:39 pm
Desperate times, Tim, call for desperate measures.
You might want to have a word to your mate Davey over at Kiwiblog then Tim.
Oh, the old “he did it, too” line.
Daveski 4
21 October 2008 at 2:42 pm
Tim – LOL – I think it’s called leading with your chin 🙂
Easiest knockout blow of Tane’s boxing career
I try to hang on to the ropes at all times.
Captcha – ex mistake 🙂
Felix 5
21 October 2008 at 2:44 pm
sub-prime minister. heh heh.
“I don’t think encouraging the publication of vandalising other people’s billboards is appropriate.”
I’ll get my people to work on figuring the sentence of other people’s meaning and get back to you.
Tane 6
21 October 2008 at 2:49 pm
Oh, the old “he did it, too’ line.
Na bro, it’s the old “quit your selective moral outrage” line.
Rex Widerstrom 7
21 October 2008 at 3:05 pm
Very clever line, spoiled by the fact that most people (who, we must remember, aren’t political tragics like us) will look and think “bloody vandals”. These are the same people who sit in graffitied bus shelters or walk past it on walls or perhaps have had their own properties defaced.
Eliciting a degree of sympathy for your opponent isn’t smart politics however you try and spin it. And the “they do it to / selective oral outrage” defence doesn’t alter that fact one bit – it just means some of your opponents are as dumb as the clown responsible for this effort.
Felix 8
21 October 2008 at 3:13 pm
Rex I disagree. I think a lot of people love to see politicians ridiculed and don’t see this as vandalism – hell a lot of people see the billboards themselves as a form of vandalism.
Ianmac 9
21 October 2008 at 3:24 pm
The Clip is showing over on the Press site. One quick response was to use the same format for “Helen no tax-cuts. Helen have tax-cuts.”
Hoolian 10
21 October 2008 at 3:24 pm
There would be plenty of moral outrage from Clinton for us to all gorge on if it were Helen Clark, or that Grant Robertson guy.
‘Who’s Roberston?’ I hear you ask.
Meh, probably a no body.
Ianmac 11
21 October 2008 at 3:26 pm
OOps I meant the other post: John-John.
vto 12
21 October 2008 at 3:26 pm
What does it matter. I think most people see any billboard, vandalised or not, as being mostly bullshit and spin.
I saw one today in my town which said something like “kiwisaver, kiwirail, kiwibank – keeping it kiwi, vote labour”. Not sure if it was a labour one or a national one.
Lew 13
21 October 2008 at 3:27 pm
Rex: I agree with you in this particular case, but I disagree in principle.
Well-done defacements (such as redding out the `ey’ on Sue Moroney’s billboards) is the sort of thing which will elicit more chuckling than shaking of heads. The point is that it can be done well – it just usually isn’t.
By the same token, defacement can be both well done and still be a bad idea from the defacer’s perspective. For example, in one photo I saw on KB, under a National `Get them into training, not into trouble’ billboard, someone had tagged (in a pretty good approximation of the billboard graffiti font’ `”HERE COMES TROUBLE.” While well-done, this is just the sort of threat the billboard was supposed to evoke, and it reinforced rather than undermined the board’s message.
Incidentally, I’ve always thought Trace’s cartoons particularly powerful for their propaganda value, and that’s clearly in effect here. Compare to the traditional Nazi image of the Jew – this is a fairly typical example: http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/posters/derjude.jpg Not that Trace’s cartoons are particularly anti-Key – his caricatures of everyone are equally nasty.
L
Matthew Pilott 14
21 October 2008 at 3:33 pm
“I saw one today in my town which said something like “kiwisaver, kiwirail, kiwibank – keeping it kiwi, vote labour’. Not sure if it was a labour one or a national one.”
Really? I thoiught you followed New Zealand politics. Where are you from?
There are some great sites if you want to keep up with politics in NZ – but I admit they’d be hard to find for someone overseas. Try all the party links at the bottom right of this site, or google search for ‘stuff’ or ‘NZHerald’. If you go to the NZ google site you’ll be able to choose pages from NZ only – hope that helps. And it’s great to see people from overseas take an interest in our election!
P.S it was Labour – the National Party will undermine those three things listed at every turn. Maybe I shouldn’t have given that away to you, hope you don’t mind!
vto 15
21 October 2008 at 3:36 pm
ha ha mr pilott it was my weak attempt at a piss-take. maybe i should just get back to work..
insider 16
21 October 2008 at 3:38 pm
I saw a couple of vox pops over the weekend that you guys don’t seem to have caught up on. One showd 51% support for National and another 50% from memory. Surprised they haven’t merited the multicoloured pie charts and insightful analysis given to polls like the last Roy Morgan one
Daveski 17
21 October 2008 at 3:41 pm
Interesting point about KiwiBank given a potential coalition partner for Labour has proposed selling it.
John Stevens 18
21 October 2008 at 3:45 pm
Well at least JK has his real face on billboards unlike the airbrused version of that hag Helen. You can’t be too proud if you have to use a different picture of your leader.
That is mis-representation for you.
[lprent: Hi JS. Welcome to the world of moderation. Why? Because I’m tired of you, you look like a good candidate for my troll project, and I want to add notes to your comments to assist you in coming to terms with the wonderful world of net and the sysops who run them. They get upset when they have to read too much of this trash.]
Tane 19
21 October 2008 at 3:50 pm
A few reasons insider. Those polls don’t say anything they haven’t been saying for months. I also doubt their credibility. I’m also very busy, so very selective over what I spend my time making multi-coloured pie charts for.
Not sure why I should have to put up with people constantly telling me what to write on my own blog though.
[lprent: You don’t. Who should I ban?]
Anita 20
21 October 2008 at 4:08 pm
John Stevens,
Have you looked at the John Key on the billboards and compared it to unscripted TV footage? The airbrushing on the billboards may be more subtle (and presumably expensive) but it’s still airbrushed.
Tane,
How will we survive the lack of multicoloured pie charts after the election? 🙂
Joker 21
21 October 2008 at 4:10 pm
Tane,
Please read the about section.
It is not ‘your blog’ it is a group of like minded communists blah blah blah… want to set the world straight on the evil semitic bid for global domination through the money markets blah blah blah.
[Tane: Um, just because it’s a collective doesn’t mean I don’t have a stake in it.]
[lprent: Yes you do. I think most people have seen the rough end of my writing style (is there any other kind?) in comments and posts. I wouldn’t have these server performance issues without the posters..because..I’d..have to..write..more….posts. ummm…… Is there anyone including me who’d want that?……..]
Tane 22
21 October 2008 at 4:12 pm
Well, there’ll still be polls I imagine… though I guess they’ll be sort of an academic exercise three years out.
randal 23
21 October 2008 at 4:22 pm
Anita, yes they, the gnats, have had to do quite a bit of work on keys loose wig!
insider 24
21 October 2008 at 4:31 pm
Customer focus Tane, customer focus 🙂
And anyway, you said re the RM poll that “The next round of polls should be very interesting” and now we find they are not interesting at all…
Matthew Pilott 25
21 October 2008 at 4:32 pm
Ok vto you can be a kiwi again! just being a smart-arse myself!
John Stevens – I was saying you can tell whether a National supporter has any intelligence based upon whether they mention advertising photos as a trust issue. I think most people would now agree I’m right, thanks for piping up. Now, back under your bridge!
Not sure why I should have to put up with people constantly telling me what to write on my own blog though.
Because they cry so much when you’re mean?
Anita 26
21 October 2008 at 4:35 pm
Tane,
Oooh – poll regression sets, poll accuracy analysis, coloured graphs of coloured polls superimposed on other polls. Colour coded colour coding!
Suddenly December is looking exciting! 🙂
Tane 27
21 October 2008 at 4:36 pm
You’re right, though it’s sounding more like SP territory there. I’m happy to help make it look pretty though…
Phil 28
21 October 2008 at 5:13 pm
Oooh – poll regression sets, poll accuracy analysis, coloured graphs of coloured polls superimposed on other polls. Colour coded colour coding!
That sounds eerily similar to death-by-powerpoint… do you work in middle management?
Daveski 29
21 October 2008 at 5:15 pm
PowerPoint is now de rigour in secondary school, especially social studies.
Perhaps JK has a point about standards 😉
randal 30
21 October 2008 at 5:26 pm
Its not hard to spot the hawkers and barrow boys and the 10 for a dollar with one free guys round here. they all trying to sell everybody something like tighter underpants and socks with built in garters but keys will never fly. hehehehehe!
Anita 31
21 October 2008 at 5:57 pm
Phil,
I was thinking more of double sided tightly bound centimetre thick reports full of tiny tiny graphs and 20 column landscape tables full of 6pt numbers to 4 decimal places 🙂
Then, you see, I could get out my trusty fluorescent highlighter flags and stick several on every page and write cryptic notes in pencil in all the margins.
(I work as a consultant 🙂
Rex Widerstrom 32
21 October 2008 at 9:05 pm
Lew comments:
Well-done defacements (such as redding out the `ey’ on Sue Moroney’s billboards) is the sort of thing which will elicit more chuckling than shaking of heads. The point is that it can be done well – it just usually isn’t.
Oh I agree the truly funny, well-thought-out ones can be good. But I see even fewer of them than you, it seems, as redding out the ‘ey’ is just so obvious. I mean the poor woman would have been getting that since about Standard 1 I guess, like I got T-Rex etc (apologies to the T-Rex, who I haven’t seen around lately because when I do I always do a momentary double-take and think “I didn’t comment on this post!”).
The ones that riff on the theme of the opponent’s signage but start from scratch seem to work best. There was a site around that let people play with “iwi/kiwi” ones that produced a few that would have been worth printing onto corflute. When I last looked at the site that allows you to do the same with the current Nat effort there didn’t seem to be a similar standard (probably because the raw material is so dull) but many were better than this ghastly effort (*Sorry, I can’t recall the URLs of either, though someone else might).
Jeeves 33
21 October 2008 at 9:18 pm
A banker…with a big Jewish nose? Gosh. That’s original.
gomango 34
22 October 2008 at 12:08 am
Its a catchy line but Key at either bankers trust or Merrills had nothing to do with sub-prime mortgages, cdo’s or anything similar. His background is fx and short term interest rates – the reason he did so well at merrill lynch was the way he retooled their loose, proprietary trading culture into a rationally managed customer driven business with less proprietary trading, more flow franchise business. The tarring of “Key is responsible for Merrill Lynch etc blowing up” is kind of ludicrous, that’s one of the largest confusions of cause and effect you’ll ever see. A more relevant argument is how does his time in a management role at an investment bankqualify him for a political career. Personally I think quite well – very few businesses are more political, ruthless, unforgiving, competitive, soul destroying (in terms of hours, family stress etc) – politics is probably the only thing similar. Of course in the good old days (until last year) it was all worth it for the money.
The caricature of Key is a little bit offputting too, as previous posters have pointed out its very classic 1930’s national socialist propoganda – could almost have been lifted directly from a nazi poster. Imagine if a similar racial stereotype of a “dumb hori” was posted – almost all of us would recoil in distaste.
Akldnut 35
22 October 2008 at 7:46 am
gomango The tarring of “Key is responsible for Merrill Lynch etc blowing up’ is kind of ludicrous, that’s one of the largest confusions of cause and effect you’ll ever see.
The tarring of Clarke by Key on numerous occasions (Way too many too quote) as being responsible for all the of the economic woes we are facing (adding in the effects of the current international crisis) is more than kind of ludicrous. Now thats one of the largest confusions of cause and effect you’ll ever see.
Lew 36
22 October 2008 at 9:36 am
Rex: We’re agreed in principle, then. I’ve just picked examples which came immediately to hand.
Thinking a bit more about the Jew caricature of John Key, there’s a bit of dissonance when seen alongside other defacements of National billboards, even leaving aside the absurdity of comparing any part in NZ to the Nazi party, which it must be said is usually the preserve of the wingnuts from Lindsay Perigo’s end of the politican spectrum and the KBR. While the billboard above employs Nazi-inspired iconography to denote Key as The Eternal Jew, other billboards – this one in particular, use Nazi iconography (the swastika and the Hitler moustache) to denote National as Nazis. So if we speculate that the defacements are done by some associated people (and this seems reasonable given some stylistic similarities, though they are on different islands) then we’ve got a group who are deeply confused and deluded, or are being wildly opportunistic in relying on the innate symbolic power of these images to make their point in spite of the dissonance required to reconcile the two.
Either way, following on from Rex’s argument, it seems to me so incompetent as to favour National. A pity, since the `Do you want a sub-Prime Minister’ slogan is a very good one and could have been used much more productively in support of their cause.
L
[lprent: fixed link]
Lew 37
22 October 2008 at 9:40 am
gomango: Imagine if a similar racial stereotype of a “dumb hori’ was posted – almost all of us would recoil in distaste.
… and those who didn’t would be Brash supporters, not Key supporters 🙂
L
gomango 38
22 October 2008 at 9:57 am
Akldnut:
No if you look at both issues dispassionately they are very different. I’m not going to argue either side because I don’t really care, but Helen and Cullen have for 9 years had very real power to influence most macroeconomic factors in NZ – govt expenditure, consumption, taxation etc. Clearly NZ was going to have a period of economic readjustment at some stage – this was clear to anyone interested in 2006. You don’t have inflation at its current levels (and implied levels from 2006), you dont have money supply grow as it has done, you dont have company valuation multiples blow out like they have, you don’t have housing affordability multiples grow like they have, you don’t write off $3 billion of savings in 12 months without building excesses in the system that must be paid for at some time. And the Government of the day does have influence over pretty much all of the above if they want to use it.
Key left ML 8 or so years ago? That was prior to the growth of sub-prime as an asset class, prior to the large scale production of RMBS CDO’s (which is primarily what blew up Merrills and other IB’s and banks), and in any case he ran a customer facing FX business which would have required minimal risk adjusted leverage to run effectively.
The international situation may have exacerbated the current situation but we were always going to have a situation. With hindsight (easy), Labour erred in not having an earlier election – September was a much friendlier environment. Polls are the same now as then, but the economic argument has slipped away from Labour.
Framing the debate in such kneejerk, clearly ideological terms only does one thing. It hardens core support at the extremes of both sides, but turns away centrist support from the claim maker. That’s why the attack advertising is going down like a lead balloon, the perception Helen is playing the man not the ball doesnt fit with the Kiwi sensitivity of fair play. Attack advertising is not working now and it didn’t work for Howard in Australia. Even the Progressive Party thinks it is a miscaculation.
As an observer rather than a participant I see Helen, for whatever reason has surrendered her strongest two attributes – 1) a perception by most voters she was a straightshooter and an honest toiler (the winston debacle was the tipping point here), and 2) her superior policy debating skills – if only she had used them on the big issues (economy, crime, education) rather than issues centrist and right voters see as distractions.
Phil 39
22 October 2008 at 9:59 am
Rex W,
Try this site; http://national.h.ac.nz
gomango 40
22 October 2008 at 10:13 am
Lew
The perception of Brash is funny – I’m sure I’ll get flamed for this, but I think he is either a) misunderstood, or b) he changed dramatically since the early 90’s when I worked in his organisation. I instinctively veer toward the first explanation but I can’t support it with facts………… Eventually I think his Orewa speech will be seen as a manifestation of his core values (fairness, equality) but it didnt acknowledge the complexity of NZ history and society. Right sentiments but maybe 10 or 20 years too early.
My experience of him was first class – true gentleman, strictly fair, scrupulously honest, deep social conscience. From memory (which is a bit grey) he was the biggest supporter of ethnically targetted university scholarships provided by the RBNZ when governor there. On business trips he used to wash his smalls out in the hotel hand basin and exhorted the rest of us to do the same to save on hotel laundry fees. For much of his tenure most travel was economy class rather than business.
Maybe he is a good example of why good people shouldn’t go into politics! I’ll never believe he is personally a racist, or that he personally wanted to profit from being involved in government.
Could he perhaps have racist supporters without being racist himself? I could live with that!
Lew 41
22 October 2008 at 10:21 am
gomango: Indeed, I made no comment on Brash’s actual feelings or views on the matter – only on that of his supporters through the Orewa-Iwi/Kiwi phase of NZ politics.
I disagree about Orewa. The intention might have been fair and just and all that, but the judgement has to rest on the specific implementation, the speech itself and the campaign which followed it, not on the intention he may have had. The implementation of that speech and campaign was anything but fair in a historical sense, and it’s on that basis it must be judged. It must also be made clear that Brash wasn’t the sole origin – or perhaps even the primary origin – of that campaign. But ultimately it’s him who led it, and him who needs to bear the outcomes of it.
L
Ianmac 42
22 October 2008 at 10:26 am
gomango: Probably Don Brash was all that you said. I have no problem with what you say, but he may have been persuaded by the back-room boys to adopt a face; espouse populist ideas, dogwhistle politics etc in order to win. (I think Key is doing so now.) He can’t have it both ways. He can’t be an honourable man with high standards, and at the same time tell porkies for expediency.
gomango 43
22 October 2008 at 10:30 am
Lew – yes as I said I cant argue with you. I usually can’t abide people who ignore facts, argue illogically/emotionally and make statements that cant be supported, but just this once I’m prepared to make an exception for myself………..
travellerev 44
22 October 2008 at 11:19 am
gomango,
You should really inform yourself better before you go off half cocked about John Key.
Here is a short (Ok, not so short but it’s a complex topic) sharp primer on the subprime crisis and John Key’s role in it:
First there is there is the role that Alan Greenspan played in the biggest bubble and bust cycle in history: the period from 1987 until 2006.
This is part III of a series of articles by the eminent German scholar F William Engdahl (don’t worry it is written in English)
Alan Greenspan reintroduced the debt derivatives trade in 1987 (this is when John Key started to work for Bankers Trust) and it was the Bankers Trust who under it’s new CEO became a frontrunner in the development of the Derivatives trade. As I’m sure around about now someone will try and point out that the derivatives trade has been around forever and that is correct but the derivatives trade deriving it’s value from debt products such as mortgages has not because it was forbidden after the first Great depression.
By the way it was also in 1987 that Bankers trust expanded from being a New York bank to being a global bank.
Alan Greenspan allowed bubbles to bubble and bust throughout his tenure and the housing bubble is only the last of them. According to Engdahl this was a preset plan and he makes a good case for it in his five part series but I’ll leave it up to you to make up your own mind.
One thing is for sure everything he describes in these articles has come to pass and the fact that global leaders are now talking about a single global currency seems to indicate that the financial elite is getting their way as described by Engdahl.
During these bubbles it was the debt based derivatives trade which flourished the most and it was in the middle 90ties that commercial banks wanted in on the action which through the Glass Steagall act they were prevented from doing so.
The act was voted into place in 1933 after the investment banker’s ponsy schemes had drawn the Commercial bankers into a massive speculative binge causing the total destruction of the entire American and hence world economy, a period known as “the Great Depression”.
Through lobbying (the cost of which is estimated to have been between $ 100 to $ 200 million dollars) by the Wall street bankers who wanted their hands on the real world assets of the commercial bankers and the commercial bankers who wanted to be able to speculate the Glass Steagall act was unofficially repealed in 1998 and officially in November 1999. This was a massive breakthrough for the Bankers and eagerly awaited.
In other words something John Key as one of only four advisors (from 1999 until march 2001) to the New York Federal Reserve and Alan Greenspan and the Global head of Forex (a massive source of wealth to base derivatives on) and the European head of Bonds and Derivatives was hugely aware of and something he and his banking mates had been planning for and been wanting to take advantage off for a very long time.
How big of a difference the repeal of the Glass Steagall act made can be seen in this beautiful model for fraud.
In This BBC article a chart under the name a “Primed for disaster” makes it clear that in as early as 1998 (with the Glass Steagall act unofficially defunct) the subprime market grew from a couple of billion to more than $ 200 billion worth overnight and there for well in the time that John Key was working on both Wall street and London. the Wall street business for some reason not mentioned in the NZHerald interview. Funny that.
This a part of Greenspan’s testimony for Congress:
The man who played the decisive role in moving Glass-Steagall repeal through Congress was Alan Greenspan. Testifying before the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, February 11, 1999, Greenspan declared, “we support, as we have for many years, major revisions, such as those included in H.R. 10, to the Glass-Steagall Act and the Bank Holding Company Act to remove the legislative barriers against the integration of banking, insurance, and securities activities. There is virtual unanimity among all concerned–private and public alike–that these barriers should be removed. The technologically driven proliferation of new financial products that enable risk unbundling have been increasingly combining the characteristics of banking, insurance, and securities products into single financial instruments.’
And this is what John Key had to say about the internet and the credit-derivatives trade at the time. His job at the time (1999)? Ooh oops<
Managing director of debt (bonds and Derivatives) for Merrill Lynch
Yep, the selfsame products which Merrill Lynch had been peddling as early as 1998 and which caused the bank to collapse last year and which are now causing the Global financial meltdown.
Lastly this is a link to a the Australian program Insight which aired yesterday and which can be watched online here about the role of Greed in the unfolding crisis and it is interesting because someone amongst others points out that the high rewards for speculative trading and the low risk of being connected to the final implosion makes for a very corruptive environment.
When you say; “John Key through his machinations as a banker is partly responsible for our troubles today”
most people respond with, “but John Key left banking in 2001 so how can he be responsible for the subprime crisis?”
Well, it is very simple: in 1998 the Wall street bankers (with the glass Steagal act dismantled they were now allowed to merge with Commercial banks) bought commercial banks and told these banks to give everyone and his dog mortgages.
They would guarantee to buy these mortgages so there was no longer any risk for the commercial banks, the investment banks would slice and dice the mortgages and base derivatives on them and sell these to unsuspecting suckers such as pension funds and finance companies such as the ones which collapsed in NZ last year. Brilliant really.
The only time this kind of trading becomes dangerous (Warren Buffet called the debt derivative trading a financial game of musical chair and the derivatives based on debt products weapons of mass destruction in as early as 2002) is when the real world economy collapses and house prices collapse with it and the derivatives derived from these mortgages start to deleverage as is happening now because that is when people will begin to ask questions.
But at that time most of the bankers responsible for the crisis will have long left the scene of the crime if they are smart and John Key is if anything very, very smart.
In other words the Wall street bankers have had a great run from 1998 until 2007 and John Key and many other bankers are getting away with murder because they have left banking in time and most people unable to see the bigger picture will find it very hard to make the connection between our Smiling Assassin and the Wall street crisis. Especially when he tells his stupid punters that the financial instruments causing the subprime crisis were only developed in 2004 and 2005 and everybody believes him.
However John Key was in charge of Merrill Lynch’s debt department (Also according to his own website by the way) living in both London and New York (with an office and staff in Merril Lynch’s headquarters on Wall street. Funny how that is never mentioned in his VC eh) in 1999 when the Glass Steagall act was repealed and he was one of only four upon invitation only advisors to Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve of New York at the same time the Wall street bankers after having spend between a $100 to $200 million to get their greedy fingers on the loot, are able to go on the biggest most glutonest speculation binge in the entire history of the world.
Merrill Lynch is no more and the other three advisors represented Citigroup, Lehman bros and UBSWahrburg are either bankrupt or teetering on the brink but guys like John Key and all their CEO’s rode into the sunset with muy peqenjo.
$50 million dollars tells me his bosses were very happy with his services.
Mr. Smiling Assassin did what he was told and made a bundle for them and while he was also the global head of the forex department (another great source of wealth to base speculative risky derivatives on) his tenure as Manager of debt right in the first heady days of total banking deregulations was clearly connected to the subprime market.
travellerev 45
22 October 2008 at 11:24 am
gomango,
So true. So you’ll be happily fact checking then through the above comment. Seems you’ve got the wrong end of the stick here, mate.
Hope you don’t get to emotional about it. LOL.
Lew 46
22 October 2008 at 1:53 pm
Ev: Can’t you just link to the same rant every time to spare Lynn the bandwidth?
L
gomango 47
22 October 2008 at 2:44 pm
travellerev
I think you are reading me wrong – I’m not defending John Key in the way you think. My original comment was about whether the skill set needed to prosper in an investment bank was good or bad for being a politician or PM. I still think its a very long bow to blame Key for Merrills demise.
As I recall Key was a member of an FX advisory committee to FRBNY – nothing to do with Glass Steagall. Glass Steagall repeal was at the lobbying of Sandy Weill as Citibank (who I worked for at the time) wanted to take over Smith Barney, and as you point out it was ultimately congress that removed restrictions not the Fed. That was about the only big transaction that occurred as a result of the repeal – from hazy memory Glass Steagall also removed restrictons on bank ownership across state lines which was of most interest to commercial banks. Greenspan can be blamed for a lot of things, but too easy liquidity is easily the biggest problem he left the US and the world.
In any bank I’ve worked in that job title would not include credit derivatives or ABS which are pretty much always seperate business silos and where the systemic damage to the market started from.
To be honest I dont argue with a lot of what you say – but i just think its heroic to draw some of the conspiracy conclusions that you have. The simplest conclusion is usually the most correct.
And heres what I’d describe:
1 Greenspan did a poor job controlling monetary supply and created a large, leverage induced asset price bubble in many asset classes. You can put some blame on Japan too for running negative real rates for so long.
2. Innovation in the financial markets outstripped the abillity of regulators to sensibly regulate markets.
3. Securitisation became a solution to any risk managment problem.
4. Institutional investors palced too much reliance on ratings agency methodology which is pretty good for real corporate entities but terrible for more hiighly corrrelated assets with a short performance record (ie MBS).
5. The business model for investment banks, fund managers, investment managers gave way too much weight to performance related pay for annual performance rather than something more aligned with shareholders and investors.
None of the finance companies in NZ had exposure to offshore securities – their problems were all completely self inflicted by lack of diversification in lending, related party lending, funding profile mismatch and generally crap management.
I’ve worked in inv banking since 96 until mid this year in the CDO space – since 99 – and I can assure you the hey dey for CDOs based on mortgages was 2004, 5 and 6. Prior to that the game was market value CLO’s (backed by US high yield loans) – these blew up in 98 thru 2000 because they used short term funding for long term market vaue assets. Nothing much happened in 2001 thru 2002 then arbitrage CLO’s took off (no mtm on the underlying high yield loan assets, just cashflow tests) and then of course the “free lunch” of abs CDOS from 2003 until the wheels started falling off at end of 2006. And in any case the total issuance of CDO’s isnt anywhere near as big as people assume:
For instance US issuance in billions (US was variously 60% to 95% of global):
MBS backed Loan backed Total
2000 0 15 69
2001 0.5 14 57
2002 9 12 56
2003 12 10 58
2004 17 27 93
2005 23 48 154
2006 35 98 312
2007 68 61 216
those numbers are to august 07 but not much happend after that anyway. And they are public deals so exclude a lot of the bespoke CDS issuance. Compare these numbers to mortgage origination in the US as a whole. Current outstandings are 10.1 trillion, 45% is backed by the GSE’s, 8% is subprime or Alt A so around 800 million. Subprime was not the problem – it was the triggerfor forcing investors and banks everywhere to recognise that they were carrying inappropriate leverage for the types of assets they owned.
At the end of the day greed was the problem – at all links in the chain, every participant was complicit from mortgage borrowers, originators of mortgages, arrangers and distributors of deals, ratings agencies, regulators, institutional investors and ultimately the public. Forget the boring money market fund, invest in this juicy Libor plus fund, rated AAA invests in ABS. You can’t blame one man but you can blame a global system in which EVERYONE drank the kool aid.
As an indication of how regulation failed, there were around 400 billion of outstanding CDS contracts on Lehman at time of default, at its peak balance sheet was prob around 690 billion, yet until the default a) no one knew how much CDS exposure had been written on the name (turned out to be 400 billion, and b) no one knew what the net exposure was – estimates ranged up to 300 billion. Turns out the actual net exposure paid out by protection sellers was around 8 billion. But the level of uncertainty has been a big part of the problem in markets.
Another interesting point to ponder is the scale of losses. I have recently read a piece of research which estimates the additional profits made by banks over the last 10 years – above what would normally be expected relative to the business cycle is 1.2 trillion. Essentially that is the size of the first order correction required to get us back to a “normal” relationship between bank profits, bank assets and the real economy.
travellerev 48
22 October 2008 at 2:53 pm
Lew,
I get the impression Iprent is very capable of telling me off if she is feels it’s justified so quit the manipulation OK. It’s so illogical/emotional and so immature too.
My comment may be long but it’s on target and filled with links to reputable sites supporting my statement. Everything gorango is so religious about except of course this once.
Feel free to ignore my “rants”. Nobody forces you to read them.
travellerev 49
22 October 2008 at 6:10 pm
hi gomango,
Nice come back. I’ve had a couple of drinks and don’t believe in the drunken reaction thing.
So I’m going to have a good read tomorrow and take it all in.
Thank you for being serious about this and being a gentleman in your reaction.
It all looks very interesting and knowledgeable and yes I agree that in the end greed on all levels was the main motor to the coming debacle
randal 50
22 October 2008 at 6:14 pm
hey ev…watcha doing later?
Lew 51
22 October 2008 at 6:17 pm
Hi Ev. I do, once I’ve read one the first time. Not to say they’re irrelevant or that you should stop posting ( I think you think I think this); just that you have your own blog, why not drive more traffic there instead of piggybacking of others’ sites. And yes, I know Lynn doesn’t need me going into bat for him. But I’m not saying you should stop, having been forced to – I’m suggesting you might do so out of courtesy without having to be asked.
L
travellerev 52
22 October 2008 at 6:33 pm
Randal sweety,
I’m a happily married woman and my husband reads these comments too. LOL. But thank you for asking.
Lew,
Get fucked ( you wish probably).
When people show knowledge and integrity in their comments I show my respect with a sober assessment and reaction.
That does not mean I’m not happy to take an asshole like you on when under the influence.
Lew 53
22 October 2008 at 6:36 pm
*sigh*
L
travellerev 54
22 October 2008 at 6:43 pm
Lew,
Judging by that response you must have had a couple already eh?
Lew 55
22 October 2008 at 6:45 pm
Ev: Since you’ve already declared yourself drunk in charge of a keyboard, I didn’t think it was worth responding.
L
Captcha: `more mortgage’. Heh, seems sub-prime is still in recaptcha’s data corpus.
travellerev 56
22 October 2008 at 7:05 pm
no Lew,
To have a couple does not mean you’re irresponsibly drunk.
And Oops you did respond.
Lew 57
22 October 2008 at 7:14 pm
Ev: True, and yes, I did. You have me on two there. For what it’s worth, I’ve had a couple now.
L
jo zinny 58
22 October 2008 at 10:34 pm
gomango, “Turns out the actual net exposure paid out by protection sellers was around 8 billion”.
A figure I have is 6bn and since settled can be the only way of knowing netted for sure can you supply a link please. The notional Lehman 400bn is underway – the canadian temdec for example is going all cash ( one way of explaining a lot of equity quits in recent times ) so it could be yours = mine albeit dated some. ideas welcome.
Tks for the remainder. I’d add that there are aspects as yet unmentioned in relation to this topic. All in good time..
EV, engdahl – you surprised me. Well done!
gomango 59
22 October 2008 at 10:59 pm
Jo Zinny – a story on bloomberg today. Actually it did say 6-8 billion. I dont have a link but i’m sure it will be on bloomberg.com
One reason I think it is actually significantly lower than the estimates which had been as high as 270 billion was that the largest chunk of exposure will have been in synthetic cdo’s and the delta on one name in a 100 name portfolio with a 5% attachment point will be only a few percent until hedging becane imppossible, but the full nominal is probably reported by the bank.
And also any reporting of naked CDS transaction has never necessarily counted net positions. All the longs are added up but if bank A is long 1 billion and short 950 million thats only a net transfer of 50 million nominal.
gomango 60
22 October 2008 at 11:53 pm
Lehman Swap Sellers Probably Paid Up to $8 Billion (Update1)
2008-10-21 23:04:56.360 GMT
(Adds comment from ISDA chief starting in fourth paragraph.)
By Shannon D. Harrington
Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) — Sellers of credit-default protection
on Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. probably paid out between $6
billion and $8 billion to settle bets on the bankrupt company’s
debt, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association said.
More than 350 banks, hedge funds, insurers and others in the
derivatives market had until the end of today in New York to
settle most contracts, which were used to hedge against losses or
speculate on Lehman’s ability to pay its obligations, ISDA said
in a statement.
Some analysts at banks including BNP Paribas had expected a
payout of more than $270 billion, based on an estimated $400
billion in outstanding contracts. The Depository Trust and
Clearing Corp., which runs a central registry for credit-default
swap trades, said last week that there were about $72 billion in
Lehman contracts outstanding.
ISDA Chief Executive Officer Robert Pickel, who earlier this
month said concern that investors may be unable to come up with
the payments was overblown, today said the settlement is a sign
the market is weathering the global financial crisis.
“Today’s settlement demonstrates that the industry
infrastructure for CDS clearly works,” Pickel said in the
statement.
Since the end of August, the market has been dealing with
the bankruptcies of Lehman and Washington Mutual Inc., the
failure of Iceland’s three biggest banks and the U.S. government
seizure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Each triggered a
settlement of credit-default swaps linked to the companies’ debt.
Sellers of default protection on Lehman were required to pay
91.375 cents on the dollar after an Oct. 10 auction that
determined the value of bonds eligible to settle the derivatives.
–Editors: Romaine Bostick, Alan Goldstein.
gomango 61
23 October 2008 at 12:59 am
travellerev
Have just read your response more closely and spent a few surreal minutes surfing your blog. I don’t want to be rude, but I do understand why you don’t get many comments or readers. Funnily enough I don’t disagree with quite a lot of what you say, but I do find the linking together of unconnected facts and the “proximity quoting” to create an impression of causality or association a little bit out there, not to mention lazy. I do like both the SEC theory and the Bush martial law one though, they sound like fun. Re the SEC theory, bear in mind that for every seller of a futures you must have a buyer. Equity markets are much larger than futures outright short open interest and there are plenty of studies to suggest that short selling improves market liquidity. Also that short selling may increase the velocity of down trades but doesn’t really affect the magnitude. Same is true with OTC derivatives, there will always be valid reasons why someone needs to be short (ie hedging another exposure). But that’s a side show.
Now you challenged me to a fact check. Very happy to oblige:
– in the interests of keeping a dialog going I’ll ignore the arrogance and intellectual pygmyism of your first line. You obviously have a passion gfor the topic, and have invested time researching it. Insults just lose your audience. As Margaret Thatcher said “I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.”
– Great effort putting unrelated facts near each other to imply some kind of devious relationship. “Alan Greenspan reintroduced the debt derivatives trade in 1987 (this is when John Key started to work for Bankers Trust) and it was the Bankers Trust who under it’s new CEO became a frontrunner in the development of the Derivatives trade.” What you didnt say was Key started at BT in NZ and demonstrably was only ever running an FX business until he went to Asia n the mid 90’s. Yet you have manged to impy he was in bed with Greenspan, responsible for debt derivatives and something unclear about the BT CEO. Brilliant.
– The complex subprime crisis not that complex. There’s been a stick man cartoon on PowerPoint doing the rounds for the last year about 30 slides. Absolutely brilliant and explains everything perfectly you should source a copy, its really quite funny.
– The role Greenspan played agreed, monetary policy far too loose. Look at what he did after his irrational exuberance speech. Zip.
– Greenspan did not reintroduce the debt derivatives market in 1987. The first currency swap occurred in 1980, the first interest rate swap in 1982, between the IBRD and IBM. ISDA was formed in 1985 and there was plenty of trading going on from then as documentation became standardised.
– Yes BT was big on derivatives so were almost every other bank from Salomon to Goldman to Morgan Stanley etc etc. And despite the Glass Steagall Act so were JP Morgan who had some kind of partial exemption.
– Derivatives trade hasn’t been around for ever but in one shape or form has been for a couple of thousand years. I think Japanese rice futures in the 16th century were the first modern manifestation.
– Derivatives weren’t banned in the 30’s. Banks didn’t use them for 5 decades because a) they weren’t invented in current form, and b) banks didn’t have any desire or need to transfer risk. But futures have been around since the 1860’s when the CBOT was formed.
– Greenspan allowed bubbles to grow and burst. Yes he did. A shame he didn’t prick the current one before he left. If you are into conspiracy theories have you heard the one about Clinton blackmailing Greenspan to run an easy mon policy?
– “everything he describes in these articles has come to pass’. Wow what a surprise given Engdahl wrote this article in January 2008 about events occurring prior to then. Let me amaze you with my amazing predictive powers. I will now tell you what I had for breakfast last Tuesday (2 weetbix, coffee, banana).
– Who is talking about a single global currency? Not banks, this would be like the turkey/Christmas thing.
– Its Ponzi, not Ponsy.
– Sandy Weill forced the repeal of Glass Steagall when Travellers/Salomon Smith Barney bought Citicorp, sorry I meant merged with…… True it did allow banks into the securities business (apart from JPM who were already there) but it was one way traffic not two way.
– John Key was on the FRBNY Foreign Exchange Committee for the dates you mention. This is a committee which advises the Fed on FX markets, how they are functioning and potential risks. Nothing to do with Glass Steagall, mortgages etc. It is not a cabal of bankers dreaming of ways to achieve global domination via chicanery in the markets. Read some of their reports sometime. Very dull.
– Why is Forex “a massive source of wealth to base derivatives on’. Yes it is massively traded, but it’s not a source of wealth, it is a zero sum game between investors and national balance sheets.
– The beautiful model for fraud is more accurately “What happens when the economic interests of various stakeholders in a business aren’t aligned’
– Greenspan wasn’t responsible for the repeal of Glass Steagall nor was he responsible for the congress mandated widening of the GSE’s role in non-conforming mortgages. That was congress mostly democrats, but also republicans. Greenspan was essentially an expert witness. We can argue later about how expert.
– Subprime market didn’t grow to 200 billion overnight, in terms of new issuance per annum it kind of did this (I’m looking at chart so interpolating numbers): 1995 to 1997 about 10 to 30mm, 1998 thru 2001 about 50 to 80 billion per year, 2002 about 100 bln, 2003 about 200 bln, 2004 about 320 bln, 2005 about 420 bln, 2006 about 400 bln, 2007 about 180 bln. ITs a little bit heroic to say all the grwoth happened on Key’s watch.
– The quote you link to about the derivatives trade. Nothing of the sort. What Key says is roughly like “internet based trading platforms will be really useful for banks and FX users. Maybe it will be useful for other instruments too.’ Where’s the conspiracy there?
– Managing director of debt (bonds and Derivatives) for Merrill Lynch. This is naughty the original quote says “John Key, managing director of debt markets at Merrill Lynch’. You have added the ” bonds and derivatives’ in. What it means Key was an MD in debt markets which would have covered everything from FX to Govt bonds, to swaps, to Futures, to ABS, to commercial paper, to Debt Capital markets, to corporate bonds etc etc. Key was always an FX guy through his entire career he may have had other responsibilities but the biggest job he ever had was global head of FX. It also shows you don’t understand the structure of investment banks. I would guess in 1999 there were maybe 600 managing directors at ML. A few years earlier I was a Director at Salomon Brothers (similar sized firm). Didn’t mean I ran the company just meant I was one of 1000 directors working for one of 400 managing directors in a company of 4000 staff. At Citi I was one of probably 4000 directors. Still didn’t run the firm.
– The comment about greed is very true. Despite profiting from it I have always believed there was a misalignment in investment banks between staff who get paid for annual performance and shareholders who invest for the long term.
– I don’t believe John Key ever murdered someone, though if he did, he has got away with it which proves your point he and other bankers are getting away with murder. Well proven.
– Smiling Assassin great name. The nature of investment banks is very simple no job security, high income. Don’t feel bad for anyone JK sacked. The payouts are typically fantastic and you either go straight to another job or make a life change.
– Great run from 98 into 2007 has included Asian crisis, Russian crisis, implosion of yen carry trade in 98, LTCM blow up, numerous other hedge funds ( tiger, amaranth etc), Enron, Worldcom etc, 9/11, etc etc. But in my earlier post I did mention the level of above normal profits the US banks have made over the last 10 years, a lot of which has now been given back.
– You start repeating yourself about here in your post. The cause of this crisis wasn’t Glass Steagall repeal, wasn’t a secret plan by banking insiders etc etc. The root cause is inappropriate levels of leverage caused by a too free availability of liquidity just like every other financial crisis we have ever had and just like every other financial crisis we will have. Blame Greenspan.
I could actually get into greater detail but I’ve wasted way too much time already.
Oh and by the way, the bit about “Everything gorango is so religious about except of course this once.” That comment wasnt in relation to anything we have been discussing here – it was only about the Brash comments – how I couldn’t equate the Orewa Brash with the Brash I used to work for (at a very junior level) back in the early 90’s. And how I cant logically recdoncile the two so therefore I’ll just the discount the version I dont like.
And if you want to read a really great book about investment banks, one that also explains the genesis of mortgage trading in the early 80’s (Louis Ranieri at Salomon) read Liars Poker by Michael Lewis.
travellerev 62
23 October 2008 at 9:46 am
Hi gomango,
Thank you for your reaction. I apologise for my initial snide remark. I’m used to defending myself against trolls and may have over reacted.
My blog is used by a great many visitors as an alternative news source around the globe. Last month I had 13,009 hits. 46% of my readers are from NZ, 32% are from the US, almost 4% are from the UK, some 3% are from Australia and the rest are from as far away as Iran, Guadalupe, Morocco, Thailand and Russia to name a few. Not bad for a little, one person blog.
I don’t invite comments and a lot of comments I do get are not for public reading but to give me info I might not otherwise get.
Typo’s, as much as try to avoid them, are mostly due to the fact that English is my second language. I arrived here three years ago with my Kiwi husband of 21 one years. So please point hem out to me but bear with me too.
I, together with a fair amount of other Kiwi’s, are working together with 911family members, Scientists, Fire fighters, Pilots and Air traffic controllers , Architects and Engineers, ,a href=’http://www.v911t.org/SergeantLauroChavez.php’>US Veterans, <a href=’http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6529813972926262623Journalists and Film makers’> and thousands of other good American patriots to force the US Government into making funds available for a new and independent investigation into the events of 911. Not because we theorise about what might have happened because we don’t know but because the official “Conspiracy theory” can not have happened.
I know many of the above professionals personally and I can assure you most of them were good solid Republican voters untill they started to research 911 and all of them are sane and intelligent people but like me they have problems with the official story.
Now back to John Key. In order to understand where I’m coming from and why I think that the financial crisis has a sinister undertone you might want to watch Money Masters and Money as debt and this lecture by G. E. Griffin.
I have met G. E. Giffin and had a chance to talk with him and to ask him what he thought about John Key running for Prime Minister. His answers were fairly blunt; when asked him what to expect if John Key became PM, he said, “expect him to sell your country to his banking and mining mates and he will throw in his mother with the deal.” (I know she is dead but you get his drift) .
Second I asked him is it possible he was groomed by the FRNY and he said,”It has happened before.”
Judging by the fact that John Key needs constant PR and is protected by his minders from unprepared (read uncensored) questions from the public and only performs well in staged events I have drawn my conclusions but feel free to differ in your opinion.
I assume that 99.9% of investment bankers are just your average respectable traders with the occasional greedy asshole hell bent on making loads of money but otherwise still a nice guy to hang with. The “bad apple” if you will so when I’m talking about the 0.1% I’m talking about those I consider to be seriously nasty characters and I in no way condemn the entire investment banking world.
There is a lot of information in your comments and I’ve read it all but for the sake of brevity I hope you don’t mind if I keep my response to Alan Greenspan and John Key.
With regards to Alan Greenspan’s role the above links explain in great detail how I feel about the Federal Reserve of New York. I don’t believe in sloppiness on the part of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve of NY and the bankers in London are the financial elite and have more power than any government on this planet. They after all “print the money”.
I think they are an evil cabal (based on the above links) and they didn’t get there by sloppiness. They are the richest most powerful individuals and they have been for the last three hundred years. You do not get there by being sloppy. you get there by being highly intelligent, untroubled by the damage you cause to the planet and other people and generally totally ruthless. A combination of talents which I would term evil.
This the 1% elite who owns 70% of all the real world wealth in the US. These are not people interested in a peaceful state were equality between people is encouraged. These are people who quit frankly don’t give a flying fuck about anybody but themselves and their own little tribe.
This is a very small group of people who are masters at manipulation and one thing they know how to manipulate very well is greed and the other is fear.
Alan Greenspan only testified in favour of the repeal of the Glass Steagal act. And the repeal of the Glass Steagall act was only the last of the systematic deregulation of the financial market. Alan Greenspan did not “rule” Wall street.
His Wall street masters ruled him.
Bankers Trust as many other banks traded in derivatives but Bankers Trust unlike others got caught with its bankers greedy hands in the derivatives cookie jar and the bank collapsed as a result.
The judge in the corruption case stated that the Bankers Trust bank had a pervasive culture of corruption and deception.
John Key lying about the Andrew Krieger and/or H-fee time line are oh, mere examples of acting corrupt and deceptive.
He did not say in ’93 when the bank he worked for got sued for fraudulent derivative trade by one of the biggest corporations (Proctor & Gamble),”right I’m out of here, I can’t be having with corruption”.
He <a href=’http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10522310&pnum=13said in 1995 “It all went to shit at BT and I said, right I’m out of here.” 1995 was when all the dirty linen came out and the BT collapsed.
He was head hunted by Merrill Lynch. For what skills? Oh oops, the very same skills that caused the BT collapse. According to his own website he was the European head of Bonds and Derivatives as well as the Global head of Forex for Merrill Lynch.
You see I don’t make this up, this is from the horses mouth and I put it to you that you don’t acquire these skills overnight. The Bond and Derivatives market is bloody complex so you have to conclude that JK was involded in the B&D trade during his tenure at BT.
That he worked in B&D for ML is confirmed in the same NZ Herald interview. JK tells us himself that he ran the ML department were all these new products were developed.
But then in the next paragraph he states that the products causing the subprime were only developed in 2004-2005. What you reckon, is JK perhaps a tad worried that he might be associated with the coming collapse of our financial system?
Yes, the pinnacle of the subprime and housing bubble was from 2002 until say 2006 caused by the availability of cheap money and financial tools developed in the late nineties and in 1998 the subprime mortgage market was stimulated by the US government who basically told Fanny may and Freddy mac to give every man and his dog a mortgage.
According to G. Kelly Martin, JK’s boss, JK was their most senior sales person during his tenure at ML. So he ran their Forex dep. (think LTCM involvement, also not something you would want your electorate to know about, being involved in the biggest Hedge fund collapse of the 90ties and the collapse of Russia) and their Bonds and Derivatives department developing all these groovy new financial products and selling them to Pension funds and other suckers worldwide as ML’s most senior salesperson knowledgeable in a great variety of financial products.
On top of that, his PR firm have very much a history of serving the very class John Key belongs too (for want of a better term, the “Rich Prick” class and no I don’t condemn wealth as such) and the fact that the chairman of their board is none other than Robert Champion de Crespigny AC who also sits on the board of CIS (Centre for International Studies) a neoliberal think thank in Sidney together with, wait for it, Ruth “Ruthanasia” Richardson and an elite assortment of mining tycoons and banking giants.
All this helps me not finding G Edward Griffins’s prediction that John Key will sell of this most beautiful countries assets and resources and the population be damned, all that far fetched.
I did not set out to disgrace JK, all I did was try to learn about the politics in this beautiful country (I honestly feel that I have died and gone to heaven it is so beautiful and peaceful were I live) that has given me and my husband a new lease on live and basically be a civic minded person and this is what I found and from were I stand it ain’t looking purdy.
Thanks for the book tip, as you may have guessed I love reading.
And moderators, I’m sorry again for the length but could not find a way to write it more succinct. There is just a lot to tell.
travellerev 63
23 October 2008 at 9:47 am
Ah, caught in purgatory again. help, HELP!
randal 64
23 October 2008 at 10:00 am
dont worry Ev. Phil O’Reilly from Business New Zealand on radionz this morning said he was concerned about the the short term kneejerks of the National Party on the long term prospects of the economy so it looks like they dont have all that much support from their supposed base.
travellerev 65
23 October 2008 at 10:14 am
Awesome,
I wouldn’t trust an investment banker who made his money thinking as short term as it gets with my long term business plans either. LOL.
Captcha: landlords rescue. LOL
travellerev 66
23 October 2008 at 10:16 am
oh oops,
US Veterans, Journalists
travellerev 67
23 October 2008 at 10:40 am
gomango,
Just to set something straight. I don’t accuse John Key of single-handedly bringing
Merril Lynch down. All I try to point out is the inconsistencies in JK’s narrative in were he was during all the major scandals his banks have been involved in.
And to point out that rather than a small cog in a big machine he was a big cog very close to where the the financial collapse is coming from in the right time to set in motion to what is now becoming a nightmare for the entire global economy.
jo zinny 68
23 October 2008 at 11:39 am
ev, how’s it looking in there.. hot sweaty or dry baking ..? 🙂
This aint rescue.. I already had the J-word advisory from lprent.. figures.. but you can take courage from your obvious interest in the subject and there’s one helluvah lot to take an interest in.. plus I admire your sense of humor.. and what that enables your posts achieve.
Coming to Mr. Gekko.. you’ll maybe recall how the young fellow takes him to lunch and bye and bye receives the putdown all BSDs issue from their special reserve cachet: “so long as you aint number 14 in the team (tagging me)”.
Simulating if you will what gomango is saying with respect to market player teams and groups.. along wall street.
gomango, Mrs Thatcher.. i doubt folks today can admire her “politics”. As with all rising political stars the attitude hardens as they go on up. To become flagpoles rather than flags for all the dims and dumbs following, few of whom realise how she in turn – (monetary policy-wise) – had been following the talented Mike Joseph, sadly deceased too early. In those times, of course, Reagan, Pinochet and our own kiwi caricature, tho hardly as I said for the politics.
short-selling = greater liquidity would surely have been ‘proven’ in times of reasonable liquidity levels. And so professed of value during illiquity. Without actual proof it was bald hit-and-miss assertion. naked short-selling OTOH was taking libs.. a tad too far.. wouldn’t you say!
Which outfits were pushing CDOs in your time there.. and re “root causes” i think we all need go back some on pre-leverage. Greed has to have more than opportunity.. it must make it for one.. who IYO were the guys behind G-Steagall repeal? Asking not, you understand, from a now and/or likely interpretive (of beneficiaries) pov, but in terms of street talk prior.
brash.. I’m inclined agree with you re Don’s personality. Orewa.. I have a tenuous meme which keeps on suggesting that he was maybe following a speechwriter.. hooten(?) has laid claim to some of his though I’m far from sure about that one. So i guess given time and opp one could check the actual speech iteration with any officially authorised transcript..
time to go.. lprent’s bandwidth.. et cetera..
gomango 69
23 October 2008 at 2:15 pm
I cant do this any more – please,please put your ideology to the side and just talk facts. And when you finish with the facts speculate on what is most likely. Yor’re still trying to connect unrealted issues by putting them into close proximity.
One last fact check before I go and do something productive in the garden.
– sane and intelligent. Ummm – I’ll take your word at face value at least for awhile : )
– the maggie thatcher quote was just a reminder that unless people argue on facts and reasoned, supportable opinion theres no point. You’ve lost the audience.
– Banking and mining mates? I don’t see why people on the fringe left have a pathological knee jerk reaction to whoever is leader of NP. Nor do I see why those on the right have the same reaction to Helen. In both cases some of what people say is true, but most is exaggerated, not supported by facts. From both sides.
– the new world order/illuminati/freemasons/eye on the pyramid us bank notes/international jewish conspiracy are clearly ludicrous. I guess belief in these is harmless enough but seriously….. do you really believe this? I mean Key is Jewish, his mother was Austrian, Austria is next door to Switzerland which is where the illuminati hide their money, so maybe Key is part of the global Jewish conspiracy to dominate world finance. And sell NZ assets to his mining mates. They would be Sleepy, Dozy, Grumpy and the other 4.
– yes his title does say that, but his most senior job was global head of FX. In any case the other isnt it a bad thing. Do you know what beoing heada of a business really means? Budgetting. Planning headcount. Managing the egos of a bunch of highly strung, needy, pushy staff trying to outdo each other. Ensuring everyone follows the compliance rules. Ensuring risk management is done correctly. Schmoozing clients. Travelling 4 days out of 5. Reporting to regulators. I betcha John Key would not have traded significantly in his last 3 years at ML. He became a manager.
– I know a fact at BT Key was primarily an FX trader in the early days, a manager of FX and wider business in his later days. But in any case theres nothing wrong with knowing about bonds and derivatives. They are not some spooky secret weapon that bankers can program to blow up clients and enrich themseleves. Sometimes that is the effect but the main problem is (repeat again and again) “inapproriate use of leverage”. And maybe the investor not understanding what they bought (Think Orange county).
– He will be associated with “the coming collapse” (which by the way wont happen only in the same way I will. Or in the way you would be implicated if you’d worked at (say) the local pet shop 4 years ago, but all their stock dies tomorrow.
– FNMA and FHLMC weren’t told to give everyone easy mortgages. A democrat controlled congress widened the critieria in which mortgages became conforming (and this eligible for the sovereign guarantee) for a good reason – widening home ownership amongst the poorer and minorities, but the laq of unintended consequences kicked in pretty quickly. They also created programs to make non-conforming mortgages eligible for special treatment. Tha was the real problem. Greed then took over as originators (this is the US equivalent of Mike Pero etc) realised they could get paid a grand or two every time they signed up someone for a mortgage which the smaller regional banks would then sell to securitisiation businesses who would then place the MBS created from these mortgages with institutional investors.
– things go shit in every business often. In banking it is almost always a very small group of people who do it. Think Barings. The Salomon Bidding Scandal. Grubman etc dodgy internet research. The Citigroup manipulation of Euro Govt futures a few years back. Zilllions of other examples. A small group of people got greedy, lax oversight, weak management or poor systems enabled them to think they’d get away with it. They get caught, fired, fined, sometimes go to jail. Management above them usually gets fired too. Firm cops a whacking great fine. I’ve worked at firms where things like this have happened (Salomon, Citibank). Honestly, resigning never crossed my mind. Why should I resign because some twat with nothing to do with me does something illegal. I tell you what everyone who has worked more than a couple of years does. They make a mental note” watch out for that potentially awkward situation that could eventually lead you to a bad place.” The first step by most of these bad eggs would not have been illegal but it probably was in grey area between ethical black and ethical white. And then relativism takes over “it was only a little breach”. “It wasn’t that dishonest”. Soon you’re in jail.
– LTCM was one of my clients when I worked in London. I can tell you exactly why they failed. They had a leverage position of somewhere between 150 and 200 times. The stochastic models they used made certain assumptions about the statistical distribution of price moves in the assets they were long and short. Several things happened, amongst them: their distribution assumptions were wrong and what were allegedly statistically impossible moves went against them. One large trade they had on – long govt guaranteed danish mortgage bonds, short IR swaps and futuures. As this moved against them they had to unwind the position. As they unwound the position, other market particiapents backed away. Market moved more. Vicisous cycle, large price moves no liquidity. Margin call. Havent got the money. you should also read “When Genius Failed. by Roger Lowenstein. Also good reading is The Black Swan by Nassim Talib. Get through some of this reading as opposed to the conspiracy websites and your arguments will become way more coherent.
– better example for FX and hedge Funds is Tiger in 98 dropping 3 or 4 billion on a 20% dollar/yen move in one day. But that had nothing to do with John Key – even though I would imagine Tiger were one of Merrills largest FX clients and Key would have known them well – it was a risky trade that went wrong, and there wasnt enough market liquifdity to unwind in a hurry.
– Edward Griffin – where do you start……… John Birch society. Thats probably enough. I question why he would have an opinion on Key except one that springs from the fact that “he’s a rich banker”. I can understand a person who sees a conspiracy in one area – it may well be true (think Erin Brockovich) but where you can find conspiracies in multiple areas – cmon….. Fed, Cancer, Noahs Ark, 911, communists under the bed, etc. Really cmon. “It’s not an ark, it’s a rock.”
Look a more interesting challenge for you would be to indicate some deepset character flaws in Key – does he eat children? if so how many? How many puppies has he strangled. Does he sleep with transvestites? And for balance the same applies to Helen Clark – so far all we have to go on is Ian Wishart.
I would bet an awful lot of money with you that neither Key nor Clark (nor anyone else in NZ politics – one or two of the nuttier greens excepted), neither Key nor Clarke have secret plans to do anything for ulterior selfish motives. You may not agree with what they do or how they want to do it but I think I am safe in saying that both firmly believe they are doing something positive for NZ society as a whole.
Key doesnt have to do this political thing – he could play golf 5 days a week, have nice holidays whenever he wants and run some interesting businesses for fun.
– I try not to use Wikipedia to find facts to suit an argument but I will just once. This next paragraph is lifted from their conspiracy theory page. Please go thru these tests when you write something (after you have removed anything that is innuendo or a proximity association). Your theories will become much more robust if you can weave your way thru these 5 tests. In fact if you tidy up your narrative on Key, delete bad facts, heroic assumptions and innuendo by association it would be much stronger. If you can prove your narrative on a piece of paper with lines and explanations between the different fact boxes (thats point 2 below) I’d be impressed.
* Occam’s razor – does the alternative story explain more of the evidence than the mainstream story, or is it just a more complicated and therefore less useful explanation of the same evidence?
* Logic – Do the proofs offered follow the rules of logic, or do they employ Fallacies of logic?
* Methodology – are the proofs offered for the argument well constructed, i.e., using sound methodology? Is there any clear standard to determine what evidence would prove or disprove the theory?
* Whistleblowers – how many people ? and what kind ? have to be loyal conspirators?
* Falsifiability – Is it possible to demonstrate that specific claims of the theory are false, or are they “unfalsifiable”?
One last question – interested in your comment about global leaders calling for a global currency. Can you link to this pls?
Lew 70
23 October 2008 at 2:23 pm
gomango: May you succeed where so many others have failed!
L
gomango 71
23 October 2008 at 2:27 pm
travellerev – i have a longer note caught in moderation, but forgot to comment on two points.
The h-fee issue – if you’ve read the facts on this you’ll know it it is factually impossible for Key to be involved in this beyond what has aready been reported and confirmed by Charles Sturt.
Re Andy Krieger – I don’t know hwhat your link links to, but heres an interesting anecdote. Krieger’s FX trading (from BT in Ny or boston?) in the NZD was causing such volatility the RBNZ got very nervous about the effect it was haveing on market liquidity and the maintenance of an orderly market (one of the RBNZ’s primary functions). The deputy governor phoned BT managment and asked them to stop this from happening. And guess what. It worked!
travellerev 72
23 October 2008 at 4:10 pm
gomano,
Yes, I agree there is no way you can connect John Key to the H-fee scandal.
I wasn’t trying to either.
What I was trying to point out that John Key tells us he left well before the H-fee plan was hedged in one interview whereas he tells us he was still working for Elders when Andrew Krieger raided the NZ dollar. In fact the NZ herald states twice that “the records will show” that John Key could not have worked with Andrew Krieger during the raid. i would love to see those records, wouldn’t you?
Since Andrew Krieger left the Bankers Trust in February 1988 and this is an article from the NY Times archive attesting to the date and here is an interview with Andrew Krieger and what he did in the time between the Bankers trust days and 1990 (In another it even says it was by the end of 1987) because he was miffed that he only got less than a paltry 1% of the $ 338 million he made for Bankers Trust in that raid (I’d be miffed too) and only had a three month stint with Soros he can’t have been working with John Key in 1988 because one of the causes in his buy out contract was a three month grace period. That is an inconsistency in the John Key narrative, no?
Yet John Key and his then boss gush over John Key’s relationship with Krieger and the many millions of dollars of trade John Key had to do for him.
So my question is why the clear inconsistencies and show us those records. I know that currency trade is done by all banks and have no opinion about it. People buy and sell currencies every day. So what is the big deal?
But when a politician vying for the highest office of the land goes all shifty on something like this I want to know about it. Don’t you?
By the way at the time Andrew Krieger at 32 was the global head of forex for Bankers trust, living in New York and dealing with John Key from New York (according to JK and his boss). So even in this lofty managerial position he was still very much on hands. What I find telling is the fact that JK and his boss remembers that AK called JK for the first time and asked him all about the NZ currency. Why would he do that if he had raided the currency already. He would know all the ins and outs already wouldn’t he, having almost destroyed the NZ dollar once before.
One world currency links are here, here to name a few.
About the Jewish conspiracy thing. Banking is not and never was limited to the Jewish community, one of America’s biggest banking families is the Bush family for example. W’s grand daddy made the bulk of his loot by financing Hitler and he made tons of money of the steel industry and the slave labour provided by the prisoners of Auschwitz
Informing yourself with the video links I gave you would be a good first step to get a different perspective on the banking world.
Don’t infantilize this debate by bringing in hateful and narrow minded “conspiracy theories” just because I experience the events from a different perspective based on my own research and that of the documenters of well researched and well supported video’s. I didn’t get here overnight but after three years of reading and watching everything I could find on the subject and being of European descent and having grown up in the aftermath of the second WWII with a great many of my parents friends being of Jewish descent and barely having the survived the Holocaust and many still deeply grieving the loss of the their friends and family I found that thankfully those who want to blame “the Jews” to be only a very small and fringe group of those of us wanting to ask questions.
I reject fully and forcefully the stigmatisation of one religious group or the other (such as for most people it is easier to believe that 19 hateful Muslims did 911 lead by a loony Mullah in a cave because they hate our freedoms, even when it is scientifically impossible for them to have been able to have perpetrated this heinous act, than it is to keep an open mind and ask questions such as: Why did a third building build to withstand a nuclear blast, not hit by a plane, collapse in 6.5 seconds into a pyrochlastic flow into it’s own foot print after only small office fires had been roaming around in the building. It was not sufficiently damaged for this to happen so why did it happen. You should go to the fire fighters website and see what they have to say about it.) and will not under any condition allow myself to be dragged into discussions about any group or religion based on hateful and narrow minded prejudices, but neither will I walk away from discussing issues like Israel’s behaviour towards the Palestinians for example.
So whether JK is Jewish or not is neither here nor there (Some of my secular Jewish friends say that Judaism is a religion and not a race. An interesting observation) but if after his election JK will start to make policies which will greatly benefit Israel while being detrimental to the Palestinian/Israeli peace process I will raise my voice.
I heard about the Anecdote.
About the Conspiracy theory thing.
If you tell someone that you think that John Key met Sir Aschcroft in secret to discuss who was going to buy what after the election you would be theorising.
If you state that JK and LA met in secret and JK only came clean when confronted than it is save to say they were conspiring. Two powerful men meeting secretly meets the definition of a conspiracy. What we don’t know is about what. Or whether it’s a good or a bad conspiracy.
If powerful people like JK lie it is our civic duty to ask questions. To be ridiculed as a conspiracy theorist because you ask questions is annoying but sticks and stones and such.
If by asking questions I can stop the people of this country from making a terrible mistake than that will be worth it.
And quit frankly only assholes like Lew and d4j and HS still go there. There’s a lot of people here who might not agree with me on 911 but no longer call me a CT any more with regards to JK and the pending global financial collapse.
travellerev 73
23 October 2008 at 5:24 pm
Yo Zin,
Thanks a bunch. LOL.
I reckon at this moment in time there is a lot of cold sweat on most of the cogs brows causing the machine to rust from the inside out. LOL.
I wouldn’t be surprised if JK bought his condo in Hawaii just in case things go pear shaped. He must have seen this coming from a mile away. Gngngngngnah.
Any chance you telling me how to do the smiley thing? Cause Iprent hasn’t found the time yet to put it on her FAQ sheet. (That’s because we giver her to much to read, poor thing)
travellerev 74
23 October 2008 at 5:45 pm
gomango,
Interesting testing tools your conspiracy testing tools. Thanks for that.
So far we have no idea what the hell really happened and theorising does not get you anywhere but it will be interesting to apply these tools to the official “conspiracy theory” because that is the only theory offered so far.
jo zinny 75
23 October 2008 at 8:16 pm
EV, smiley..? like you I went to FAQ.. no luck.. but since I’d asked it occurred to me how the smiley.gif code could only be available from either a certain date or bcos my end-their end was compatible..
suggest you follow me doing the following after the big dash â€” colon halfdash round close bracket. Ignore the spaces, tap those keys(3) and voila 🙂 !
the halfdash is important, no dash (some folks still try for that way but the gif file canna recognise this..
a buddy I know has suggested you grab a free online journal or something and like archive in maybe a couple of longish posts what stands for your thesis in the above, then instead of it getting in the way of regular flow link to it..
Blogos savvy folks do prefer this kind if thing.. just a thort..
gomango 76
24 October 2008 at 1:06 am
travellerev
I should know better but here goes again.
I’ve raised around 20 points where something you’ve claimed in your essay is either provably untrue or exagerated. And yet your opinion hasn’t changed one iota – you just move on, ignore the points that no longer fit your theory, but still then charge on the with the same theory. Have you ever written critically at school, university or in the workplace? If you need to use faith as your main logical platform
A case in point – very simple to underestand. You refer to “the fact that global leaders are now talking about a single global currency”
What? Where? When? You provide links – thank you.
But have you actually read the stories you linked to? Where is any reference to global leaders talking about a single global currency? In the first brown never refers to currency, even obliquely. In the second, Nowotny talks about a more balanced mix of currencies in global finance – USD, EUR and JPY with USD being less dominant than it is now. And Sarkozy thinks a return to Bretton Woods style agreements (which doesnt imply one global currency as you had to worry about relativity to gold, and countries still had the ability to re or devalue their currency in 10% chunks to cope with adjustment pressures despite the peg) would be good, a point central banker Nowotny disagrees with in the same story. If you read more widely what Sarkozy was proposing, it is actually “stricter regulation on financial institutions, curb bonus packages for bankers, overhaul international accounting rules and reshape policies on foreign exchange rates.” And “the “role and functioning” of the International Monetary Fund should be “rethought.” At the Nov 15 conference I bet you anything you like there will not be a call or a discussion or even a passing reference in the official communique about a “single global currency”.
So where is the “the fact that global leaders are now talking about a single global currency.” It doesnt exist!
There are at least a dozen other facts you have stated which can be deconstructed in exactly the same manner. I’d really like you to rewrite your essay more autoritatively. Prove the facts, provide references, get rid of loose associations and the taints by association. I think you could still tell a good story that people without an anti-Key ideological angle to start with could read and follow without giving up half way thru. Facts and numbers, that what you need.
And back on to Andy Krieger – he was never “global head of forex for Bankers trust”. He started work at Salomon in 1984, went to BT in 1986, went to Soros in 1988 for about 3 months and then started his own firm in 1988. At BT he was only ever a vice president – they are below the directors who are below managing directors but VP’s are above associates (they are new graduates). I have heard him describe himself as global head of fx options trading – at BT I would guess that means he had maybe 6 people at most reporting to him? And it sounds very much like the self granted title your boss agrees you can have to keep you happy in lieu of a bigger bonus. I was once grandly titled Regional Head of Structured Products for Asia. I had precisely zero people reporting to me!
And if you actually read the stories you link to you’ll see Key never claimed he dealt with Krieger while Krieger was at BT. It just says he dealt with Krieger. Maybe while Krieger was working at Quantum or when Krieger set up his own hedge fund. Maybe? Remember – Occams Razor. The absence of evidence of a cover up is not firm evidence that a successful cover up occurred!
And you really should read Liars Pokers – you’ll understand the culture and workings of investment banks so much better.
travellerev 77
24 October 2008 at 3:34 am
gomango,
I only pick one issue to pinpoint an inconsistency because this is not my blog and I don’t want to come back on every issue because of bandwidth. I’m not avoiding issues.
In this interview Bankers trust JK and AK are indelibly connected. A JK narrative inconsistency.
I apologise. I read so much sometimes I don’ get the most appropriate links.
You give a lot of what seems to be your opinion but no links to verify. The BBC link to the subprime timeline gives the graph which shows clearly that the subprime mortgage sales gathered steam in 1998.
I give you a lot of links have you checked all of them? Especially the fire fighters on the destruction of evidence?
In the link to the NY times interview with AK he clearly states that he left trading altogether after his stint with Soros until his return in 1990 in the mean time he did advisory work.
And I will read your book, which is probably about the 99,9% of honest but some of them greedy traders.
I agree with the Occams Razor rule but when powerful people actively sabotage an independent investigation into a crime against their own people and the investigation that occurred leaves everybody except those powerful men dissatisfied you are obliged to keep on asking questions no?
Interesting observation about titles and bonusses and the need to make yourself seem bigger than you are. I have never had a tittle other than sous chef (I love food endeavour to make my own cheese etc) aeons ago.
LOL.
About the global currency. We’ll see what happens eh? So far I’ve been right about the financial collapse and I’m fairly confident that it’s going to get a whole lot worse and that eventually they will come up with a global currency).
In the mean time our local Transition town project is considering our own local currency. Fiat and based on trust (always risky) and local produce (equally risky but who’d you rather trust; your local organic food growers or JK and his international banking mates?)
gomango 78
24 October 2008 at 10:00 am
This is definitely my last post on this – it’s impossible to have a rewarding conversation with someone who keeps changing where the goalposts are.
In two posts you have gone from “global leaders are talking about one world currency” to “About the global currency. We’ll see what happens eh? So far I’ve been right about the financial collapse and I’m fairly confident that it’s going to get a whole lot worse and that eventually they will come up with a global currency).”
And there are at least another dozen incidences of that in your narrative. You are not exactly covering yourself in factual glory.
And study or at least read some mainstream economics texts about how monetary policy and exchange rate mechanisms – you’ll see we dont have global pegs for a reason.
I’m not interested in the 9/11 conspiracy. Far more interesting is the wider story of the neocon influence on US policy. But thats not as interesting in the CIA planting bombs in the Deutsche Bank tower.
I stand by the gist of what I am saying: No one outside your own world of like minded conspiracy theorists will take you seriously if you ignore some facts, make up other facts, assert relationships between unrelated events, continuously read between the lines for the hidden agenda which must be there – time and time again you assert proof of a conspiracy because the lack of evidence pointing toward a conspiracy is proof that a conspiracy was successful so therefore the conspiracy must exist. It makes my head spin. Do you have any idea how many people must be complicit in order for some of these things to be true? (Thats the fourth test you get to.)
Enrol in a university course that will teach you the art of critical writing and discipline. If you approach every issue from an entrenched ideological position you wont see half the things worth seeing. The best journalists provide a survey of all relevant facts before drawing conclusions. Thats why both Nicky Hagar and Ian Wishart are crap at reaching the mainstream (despite both having put together great stories from time to time) do and only have resonance within their own political axis. Everyone else discounts them because they are “politically motivated.”
They both are guilty of ignoring obvious facts :
“And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?”
And which one of your local organic food growers is growing electricity? Petrol? Cotton fabric? Computers? Internet connectivity? Medical services? Shoes? Coffee? Tea? Dentistry services? Toiletries? Paper? Telephones? Cars? Insurance?
Pop into vodafone with a bag of carrots and some home brewed beer next time you need to pay your phone bill! I guess a cabbage backed currency has one advantage over a gold standard – you can always eat your currency peg if you get hungry…….
jo zinny 79
24 October 2008 at 12:00 pm
gomango, “I guess a cabbage backed currency has one advantage over a gold standard – you can always eat your currency peg if you get hungry .”
Excuse me my fun – the retort â€” though starve thou shalt reliably do if thine diet is solely money!
EV, I guess your keyboard is not capatible with the standard server/system.. LOL it is..
travellerev 80
24 October 2008 at 1:07 pm
gomano,
My own little world?
Two years ago 70 million adult Americans thought that they had been lied too and they want a new investigation.
84% of the Russian population don’t believe the official conspiracy theory.
And in Europe considerable segments of the population don’t believe the official story and that segment is growing. So I don’t feel very alone or locked up in my small conspiracy world.
The only western country still very much naive on the subject is New Zealand.
Happy to send its soldiers into Afghanistan because they feel that the Americans are still the good guys and we are only over there to “help”.
In many European countries (Norway, England, Italy, France), Japan and the US leading politicians are asking questions and are on record as sceptics of the official conspiracy theory.
The events of 911 may not be of interest to you but to 70.000 first responders and New Yorkers who are dying of the dust of the building they breathed in the attacks are still very much ongoing. Especially since their government won’t help these heroes in their struggles with medical support or money.
To the Iraqis who had nothing whatsoever to with the events of 911 the attacks are still very much going on while their country has been destroyed their lives shattered by the US army.
And to the Afghans civilians who had nothing whatsoever to do with the events of 911 the attacks are still very much going on with their country being destroyed and their lives shattered. Some of them are actually inviting the Taliban back because they feel saver under their rule.
To the family members who lost loved ones on that day and who are still looking for answers and whose attempts to find out what really happened on that day are being sabotaged at every corner by their government the attacks are still very much going on.
For the soldiers families who lost their sons and daughters are dying or who come home maimed or fucked up from the wars which were started as a result of these attacks, the attacks are still very much ongoing.
For the thousands of illegally detained “terror” suspects (amongst which children as young as 12 who have been tortured and isolated from their families for many, many years the attacks are still very much ongoing.
So perhaps this is not about you and me but about setting the record straight and allowing all these people to get some justice and closure because 7 years after these events and with every basic human right eroded in the US perhaps going back to that crucial day might not be such a bad idea. It was that day after all that made it all possible.
I really enjoyed Nicky Hager’s books and found them well researched and supported by documentation actually.
Did I say I was against money? I have to pay my rent, electricity (almost of the grid though) etc. and thank god my husband has a job he really likes but it’s amazing how you have no problem with inflation and rising prices when bartering for food. So we cover both ways of generating wealth.
Actually it was WTC 7, biggest CIA head outside of the one Virginia, Giuliani’s super bunker and twice reinforced in order to withstand a nuclear blast It also contained the dossiers of the Enron case and a great many fraud cases of Wall street bankers.
No steel framed skyscraper has collapsed due to office fires before or after 911 yet WTC 7 collapses in 6.5 seconds into a fine powder into it’s own footprint.
You know what that means? We don’t have to hire expensive firms to do controlled demolitions anymore. All we have to do is set the building on fire and let it burn four about six hours and poof dust cloud. Problem sorted.
To get back to JK you don’t enter into that one any more. In the Sunday Star Times
John Key and his boss both state that Andrew Krieger called John Key from his Bankers Trust office in New York. Conclusion; something does not add up. Either he was working with AK while AK was raiding this countries currency or he lies about the timeline.
I really would like to see those records that prove that John Key did not work with AK in 1987.
travellerev 81
24 October 2008 at 1:14 pm
bugger did the linking wrong

Comments are now closed

Articles RSS

Comments
Opinions

New rebuttal to the myth ‘Holistic Management can reverse Climate Change’
This is the new Basic rebuttal to the myth 'Holistic Management can reverse Climate Change'. There's also an Advanced rebuttal. The Myth: Holistic Management can reverse Climate Change “Holistic management as a planned grazing strategy is able to reverse desertification and ...
Skeptical Science
1 hour ago

Genuine inclusiveness demands more free speech not less
by Daphna Whitmore Not a single person has spoken in favour of the gunman who carried out the horrific massacre in Christchurch, yet there is talk of cracking down on free speech, and mostly it is coming from the ...
RedlineBy Daphna
10 hours ago

The Aftermath
I was expecting to spend today blogging about climate change, building on the enormous message of hope sent by the school strike on Friday. Instead, like everyone else, I'm struggling to deal with the aftermath of a horrific act of ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
16 hours ago

Hard News: These things we must now change
Wajahat Khan becomes a New Zealand citizen tomorrow. On Saturday, before leading the opening prayer at the vigil in Aotea Square, he told the thousands who had gathered there how happy and proud he was at the prospect.The fact that ...
Public Address
16 hours ago

Consider carefully how to end such attacks as the Christchurch massacre
James Robb on The Christchurch atrocity and the need for a class political response Today we mourn with our Muslim brothers and sisters all those killed and injured in the Christchurch terror attack, and send our solidarity and condolences to ...
RedlineBy Daphna
16 hours ago

2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #11
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... El Niño/La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Reports of Note... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... ...
Skeptical Science
17 hours ago

Rail Across the Waitematā: some thoughts
The North Shore Line, The Northern Line, Te Raki Tereina… NZTA in a recently released report showed that there is some urgency in starting work to replace the Northern Busway with a higher capacity rail system on a new crossing. ...
Transport BlogBy Patrick Reynolds
21 hours ago

Kinds of Protests
On the Ides of March 2019, thousands of New Zealand school students – and hundreds of thousands of the world’s – marched to say that not enough was being done to stop global warming.read more ...
PunditBy Brian Easton
1 day ago

What Happened Here?
Our Darkest Day: New Zealand has been horribly scarred by a fanatical follower of the international white supremacist movement. He hid among us in plain sight, masking his murderous intentions from his Dunedin neighbours, the Police, the SIS and the ...
Bowalley Road
1 day ago

Christchurch Shooting Victims’ Fund
A Give a Little Fund was set up on 15 March 2019 and in just two days over $3 million has been donated. Donations can be made here. There has been an outpouring of demonstrations taking place around the country ...
RedlineBy Daphna
2 days ago

2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Mar 10 through Sat, Mar 16, 2019 Editor's Pick Students globally protest warming, pleading for their future Students attend a ...
Skeptical Science
2 days ago

he Christchurch Slaughter
The immediate response of most Kiwis to the Christchurch slaughter will have been shock and incredulity. But as the full dimensions and implications of the outrage become clearer, we need to reach a longer-term understanding. Yes, it is unthinkable that ...
Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
2 days ago

If Brenton Tarrant is a terrorist, why hasn’t he been charged as one?
The killing of forty-nine people in Christchurch was an act of terror, allegedly committed by at least one individual motivated by white-supremacist ideology. We know this, as our Prime Minister already has publicly called this evil by its true name. read ...
PunditBy Andrew Geddis
2 days ago

Legal Beagle: Terrorism Offences and Murder Sentencing: An Explainer
I wrote some explainers on this site about New Zealand’s Terrorism Suppression Act following the Uruwera Raids. I won't link to them as they are somewhat out of date. While still largely accurate for their descriptions of the offences of ...
Public Address
3 days ago

After the terror, fear must not win
As we wake up the day after 49 people were murdered at two mosques in Christchurch, it's to a flurry of comments about how New Zealand will never be the same, has lost its innocence and is no longer beyond ...
PunditBy Tim Watkin
3 days ago

Flashback Saturday: Light rail to the sea
Every weekend we dig into the archives. This post by Matt was originally published in June 2016. Takapuna is considered one of Auckland’s key metropolitan centres – which the Auckland Plan describes as: Metropolitan centres, such as Takapuna and Manukau, will ...
Transport BlogBy Greater Auckland
3 days ago

Terrorism in Christchurch – some thoughts
A peaceful, tranquil place to sit and contemplate in the Hagley Park/Botanical Gardens area of Christchurch. It is obscene that this terrorist act occurred only ...
Open ParachuteBy Ken
3 days ago

The massacre in Christchurch: individual terrorism was nurtured by state terrorism
The massacre of at least 49 people – in and just outside two mosques in Christchurch- this afternoon (Friday, March 15) is a horror that has shocked much of the country. People are saying ‘not here’. Ok, that’s understandable. However we ...
RedlineBy daphna
3 days ago

On the night of the shootings: A prayer for Christchurch
As we reel from the shocking events at the Al Noor mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre, we can only ache for and mourn the victims of these terrible murders in Christchurch.read more ...
PunditBy Liam Hehir
3 days ago

Why we have a beef with the new anti-rustling laws, and perhaps you should too (1 of 2)
By Simon Connell and Colin Gavaghan, Otago Faculty of LawCattle rustling. To many of us city slicker types, it sounds like a throwback to a by-gone time. Maybe old Western films on a Saturday morning. read more ...
PunditBy Simon Connell
3 days ago

Why we have a beef with the new anti-rustling laws, and perhaps you should too (2 of 2)
Colin Gavaghan and Simon Connell, Otago Law Facultyread more ...
PunditBy Colin Gavaghan
3 days ago

Hard News: Exporting panic and greed: the meth-testing industry crossing the Tasman
After the report of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor put to rest the disastrous and costly moral panic around supposed "methamphetamine contamination" nearly a year ago, the industry that had grown around unfounded claims about meth residues and health ...
Public Address
4 days ago

Minister, explain how people and quality jobs fit in your vision
Michael Gilchrist looks into the proposed new Industry Skills Bodies and highlights why tertiary staff must be able to decide how courses are delivered. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

One week until sector comes together to discuss future
Next week, staff, students, business, industry trainers, sector leaders and policy makers will come together at forum to discuss the future of tertiary education. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

Restore post-grad allowances urgently
NZUSA has launched a campaign calling on Education Minister, Chris Hipkins to fulfil an election promise and restore postgraduate student allowances. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

New report shows some progress on pay equity
Massey University, the Tertiary Education Union, and Women@Massey hosted a morning tea on 8 March to celebrate International Women’s Day and launch the updated report on pay and employment equity at the University. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

Living Wage at Vic campaign relaunch
Entering its fourth year, the Living Wage for Vic campaign has been relaunched at the Victoria University of Wellington. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

Let’s make the sector work better for women
Dr. Sarah Proctor-Thomson reflects on International Women’s Day and what it’s like for women working in the sector. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

The future of work is in our hands
Sharn Riggs, national secretary of the Tertiary Education Union, considers what the government’s proposed reform of vocational education means for work and emphasises the need for high-quality permanent jobs. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

Minister agrees with TEU to keep jobs in regions
Education Minister Chris Hipkins has agreed to one of the Tertiary Education Union’s key demands for the reform of vocational education. ...
Tertiary Education UnionBy TEU
4 days ago

New Zealand’s Current Foreign Policy: An Absence Of Realism.
What Are You trying To Say? The contrast between Helen Clark’s stewardship of New Zealand foreign policy and Jacinda Ardern’s is stark. Ardern’s generation, raised in the shadow of Rogernomics, has never evinced the same strong interest in international issues ...
Bowalley Road
4 days ago

Inspired to radicalism
by Don Franks 15 March 2019 Around the corner their numbers burst , hundred upon hundred. Waves of excitement and energy melded into an almost scary ...
RedlineBy daphna
4 days ago

Listening To Kate Raworth On “Nine To Noon”.
Purposeful Renegade: As an economics student, not only was Kate Raworth (above) never told the ultimate purpose of economics, but also, she told Kathryn Ryan on RNZ's Nine To Noon, she and her fellow students were never encouraged to ask.KATE ...
Bowalley Road
4 days ago

New research, March 4-10, 2019
A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. This post has separate sections for: Climate Change, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Mitigation, and Other Papers. Climate change Estimates of Decadal Climate Predictability from an Interactive Ensemble Model ...
Skeptical Science
4 days ago

Striking for a future
Thousands of schoolkids around New Zealand have walked out of class today in a school strike for the climate. They're part of a global movement, sparked by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, which is sacrificing a day of education to demand ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
4 days ago

Acting Like Adults
Today, children are striking, and demanding of us, “If you won’t act like adults, we will.” Their letter says poignantly: Soon we will inherit the consequences of this inaction, and we are scared. Will we have a planet worth passing ...
Transport BlogBy Heidi O'Callahan
4 days ago

No justice for Bloody Sunday
On 30 January 1972, British soldiers shot 28 unarmed civilians in Derry in Northern Ireland, killing thirteen people. The usual official whitewash followed, and the leader of the murderers was awarded an OBE for his services. But a second inquiry ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
4 days ago

Intolerance in the name of ‘inclusiveness’
We reprint here an article by Lesbian Rights NZ 14 March 2019 Our lesbian group has been banned ...
RedlineBy daphna
4 days ago

The Hollow Giant.
Towards the end of the Soviet Union, intelligence analysts in the US began to focus more on its social geography and less on its military capabilities (which if formidable were not keeping pace with US technological advancements). This came about ...
KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
4 days ago

How MBIE spies on people
Back in January, we learned that MBIE staff were being trained in using fake social media profiles to spy on people. This raised a number of issues around surveillance, freedom of expression, unreasonable searches and human rights, and so I ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
4 days ago

By Other Means.
Without Power: The Venezuelan Government is under no illusions concerning those responsible for the energy blackout currently afflicting its citizens. President Nicolas Maduro has declared his country to be the victim of a cyber-attack initiated and overseen by the US ...
Bowalley Road
5 days ago

If in doubt, complain
Today Stuff launched Redacted, a series of articles on the Official Information Act and how it is abused, to raise awareness about the government's public consultation. Today's big piece is about how public servants circumvent and manipulate the Act to ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Juking the stats
The State Services Commission released its six-monthly OIA statistics yesterday, reporting basic information on volume and timeliness (but nothing on outcome or quality of response). But while the official press release crows about improved timeliness, there's a twist:As signalled late ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
5 days ago

Our next rail network should be different from our current one
Over the coming decades Auckland’s budding rapid transit network is expected to grow significantly, approximately tripling in size from what it is today. While a decent proportion of will be new and extended busways, new rail lines will also be ...
Transport BlogBy Matt L
5 days ago

Up in the Clouds
Still winter nights without rain clouds are usually followed by a frost. The clouds reflect back the heat coming off the earth maintaining higher ambient temperatures, thereby reducing the risk of frost.read more ...
PunditBy Brian Easton
5 days ago

Growing the conservation estate
A decade ago, the public fought a battle with Meridian Energy over the Mokihinui hydro scheme - a plan to build a dam on conservation land, flooding a scenic river gorge. Now the area has been protected forever by addign ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

Cullen’s Tax Working Group: Politics of Envy, Nothing More
Tax Working Group head, Michael Cullen, asserts that the capital gains tax (CGT) is best described as a “tax on capital income”. Since when have capital gains been income? Show me any country’s national income accounts that include them in ...
Gareth’s WorldBy Gareth Morgan
6 days ago

Trade Should Be Between Equals
A couple of developments in the past week or so have cast a fresh light on a familiar question – should we be worried about the possibility that agents of foreign governments can buy influence in our politics and government? ...
Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
6 days ago

A British-style whitewash
Last year, the government announced that they would hold an inquiry into Operation Burnham, the SAS operation in which six Afghan civilians were killed, including a child. But now, it looks as if the "inquiry" is instead becoming a British-style ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

The latest Brexit clusterfuckery
So, having rejected Theresa May's shit Brexit deal, UK MP's were told to vote until they got it right - and rejected it again. Which means that the UK is now just 16 days from Brexit and has no plan ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

Wallace Broecker: Scientists memorialize a titan of climate science
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bud Ward Wally Broecker, photographed around 2010 (Credit: Bruce Gilbert, via Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) The climate science community has lost one of the real titans of its field. Geochemist Wallace Broecker – ...
Skeptical Science
6 days ago

Simon Bridges: “No ifs, no buts, no caveats, I will repeal this CGT”
. . A recent bold statement from current National Party leader, Simon Bridges, declared his intentions should a capital gains tax (CGT) be enacted; . . “…No ifs, no buts, no caveats, I will repeal this CGT as Prime Minister ...
Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
6 days ago

The Health of the Public Debate
In a Westminster-style, parliamentary democracy such as ours – and one that, despite MMP, remains essentially a two-party contest – it is inevitable that many of us will choose a side and then see nothing but good in our preferred ...
Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
6 days ago

Reducing Road Fatalities Is Not the Same as Reducing Road Crashes
This is a guest post by Glenn Koorey from ViaStrada. Do you know how many fatal or injury road crashes there were in 2018? No, neither did I, until I looked it up. Turns out there were 11,433 injury crashes, ...
Transport BlogBy Guest Post
6 days ago

Simon Bridges, National and the Serious Fraud Office – what does it all mean?
On its face, today's news that the Police have referred Jami-Lee Ross' now-five-month old allegations about Simon Bridges, the National Party and $100,000 in donations to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) looks like a very big deal.read more ...
PunditBy Andrew Geddis
6 days ago

Separating sex and gender
by Daphna Whitmore The public have an opportunity to make submissions on gender identity being included in the Human Rights Act. The campaigning group Speak Up For Women are encouraging people to submit. The Ministry of Justice have opened ...
RedlineBy daphna
6 days ago

The temperature evolution after 2016 suggests hotter future
Heat has been accumulating to the Earth's climate system quite steadily for decades. This has not prevented the apparent slowdown of warming seen in global mean surface temperature (GMST) since 1998 to become one of the pet claims for climate ...
Skeptical Science
6 days ago

Health sector network inquiry
The Health Sector Workers Network is an independent organisation that strive to build connections across the divides that exist within the health sector, foster workers’ solidarity and democratisation of the sector. They are conducting an inquiry into people’s experiences as health ...
RedlineBy daphna
7 days ago

Climate change: Time for divestment
We are facing a climate crisis. If greenhouse gas emissions continue, the earth will become uninhabitable. Even if we're lucky, things are going to get very, very bad, with famine, plague, mass-migration and war. And currently, the new Zealand Superannuation ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
7 days ago

Not a good look
Thanks to the dodgy dealings exposed by former MP Jami-Lee Ross, the National Party appears to have become the first New Zealand political party to be investigated by the Serious Fraud Office: Police have referred Jami-Lee Ross' complaint about National's ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
7 days ago

Why Isn’t JA Channelling AOC?
Red Star Rising: A very similar set of perceptions fuelled the rise of both Jacinda Ardern and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In the case of "AOC", the twenty-something, student-loan-burdened, former-waitress from Brooklyn, who proudly proclaims herself to be a “democratic-socialist”, has come ...
Bowalley Road
7 days ago

Why is the Waitemata Harbour road crossing such a useless project?
Since our post on Wednesday about NZTA’s briefing to Minister of Transport Phil Twyford on the Additional Waitemata Harbour Crossing project, most media outlets have covered the report and started exploring the issue. Quite a lot of them have picked ...
Transport BlogBy Matt L
7 days ago

Local government role and autonomy
This paper is prompted by To enshrine and define local government once and for all, a Briefing Paper by Christine Rose, which presents a useful analysis of central-local government responsibilities. Localism – empowering local government and communities to make more ...
Briefing PapersBy David Shand
7 days ago

New Fisk
Trump is trying to pay his way to an annihilation of Palestinian statehood, and an erasure of Israel’s crimes ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

Cimate change: Locked in
If we are to avoid the earth becoming unihabitable, we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to virtually nothing by 2050. Which means eliminating coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels from our economy. But as Stuff highlights, a ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

Taxing water
Two thousand people marched in Christchurch over the weekend to protest against a local water bottling plant threatening their water supply. And the government seems to be getting the message, suggesting that they may move to tax bottled water by ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

The solution is obvious
Another day, another employer whining about a "labour shortage". This time its rest homes:Resthomes say they are exhausted by the constant struggle to find nurses to replace those they lose to better paid jobs in public hospitals. [...] Aged Care ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

“Disinformation” and the mainstream media
In the political realm, all sides are guilty of promoting disinformation. It really is a “reader beware” situation in that the intelligent consumer of news should assess information critically and sensibly. Not trusting in news reports simply because they ...
Open ParachuteBy Ken
1 week ago

2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #10
Story of the Week... Editorial of the Week... Toon of the Week... John Cook in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Rain Is ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

AT praying for rain for rideshare to work
In recent years the transport industry has been abuzz with next new thing promised to revolutionise transport and finally solve longstanding issues. Often these try to blur the lines between private and public transport and are really nothing more than ...
Transport BlogBy Matt L
1 week ago

2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #10
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Mar 3 through Sat, Mar 9, 2019 Editor's Pick Adults won’t take climate change seriously. So we, the youth, are forced ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

New research, February 25 – March 3, 2019
A selection of new climate related research articles is shown below. This post has separate sections for: Climate Change, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Mitigation, and Other Papers. Climate change mitigation Climate Policy Institutional and environmental effectiveness: Will the Paris ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

Flashback Saturday – City size, variety, and consumer surplus
Every weekend we dig into the archives. This post by Peter was originally published in June 2016. In the 1990s, in the early years of the information technology revolution, economist Robert Solow famously commented that “you can see the computer ...
Transport BlogBy Greater Auckland
1 week ago

No freedom of speech in Indonesia
Robertus Robet is an Indonesian human rights activist. On wednesday he was arrested and faces two years in prison for "hate speech" for singing a protest song:Robet was arrested in relation to a song delivered at an event called Kamisan, ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

Why we need to tax landlords
How unfair is our current tax system, which exempts capital income? This unfair:According to our model, a $600,000 investment property with a $200,000 deposit would pay around 12.1 per cent in taxes and rates over 25 years. If we only ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 weeks ago

Older posts

Membership: Australia and New Zealand Electronic Invoicing Board
The Governments of Australia and New Zealand have announced the membership of the Australia and New Zealand Electronic Invoicing Board (ANZEIB) today. This is an important step towards implementing e-Invoicing across both countries to help businesses save time and money ...
Labour
5 days ago

An end to unnecessary secondary tax
Workers who are paying too much tax because of incorrect secondary tax codes are in line for relief with the passage of legislation through Parliament late last night. The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2018-19, Modernising Tax Administration, and Remedial Matters) ...
Labour
6 days ago

Chatham Islands pāua plan approved
Efforts to reverse the decline in the Chatham Islands pāua fishery are the focus of a new plan jointly agreed between government, the local community and industry. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash says the plan was developed by the PauaMAC4 Industry ...
Labour
2 weeks ago

Bill introduced for synthetics crackdown
The Police will get stronger powers of search and seizure to crackdown on synthetic drugs under new legislation, which makes the two main synthetics (5F-ADB and AMB-FUBINACA) Class A drugs. The Government has today introduced the Misuse of Drugs Amendment ...
Labour
2 weeks ago

Blasphemous libel law repealed
The archaic blasphemous libel offence will be repealed following the passing of the Crimes Amendment Bill today, says Justice Minister Andrew Little. ...
Labour
2 weeks ago

Coalition Government lassos livestock rustling
New rules to crack down on livestock rustling will come into force following the passing of the Crimes Amendment Bill says Justice Minister Andrew Little. ...
Labour
2 weeks ago

Medieval law axed
The ‘year and a day rule’ rule will be repealed following the passing of the Crimes Amendment Bill, says Justice Minister Andrew Little. ...
Labour
2 weeks ago

Further steps to combat tax evasion
Further steps to combat tax evasion Revenue Minister Stuart Nash has announced New Zealand is expanding its global ability to combat tax evasion by joining forces with authorities in 30 countries and jurisdictions. Cabinet has agreed to add another ...
Labour
2 weeks ago

Solidarity for NZ
Solidarity for NZ: Trade unions around the world send messages The Public Service Association (PSA) has collated messages it has received from trade unions around the world, sending their condolences and solidarity in response to the Christchurch ...
Scoop politics
8 hours ago

Pacific Peoples’ Rally Postponed
Due to the tragic acts of violence against the Muslim community in Christchurch last Friday, the “Pacific People Say NO to the End Of Life Choice Bill” at Parliament scheduled for tomorrow Tuesday 19 March has been postponed. ...
Scoop politics
8 hours ago

NZSIS welcomes inquiry into the Christchurch attack
The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) welcomes the inquiry into the Christchurch terrorist attacks. “The Christchurch terrorist attacks are a horrific demonstration of violent extremism which has no place in New Zealand. NZSIS offers ...
Scoop politics
10 hours ago

GCSB statement on the Christchurch terrorist attacks
“The attacks on Friday were an abhorrent challenge to everything that New Zealand holds dear. GCSB’s thoughts are with the families, friends and communities of the victims at this time,” said Andrew Hampton, Director-General of GCSB. ...
Scoop politics
10 hours ago

Mountain Safety Council support government call for reform
CEO of the Mountain Safety Counci l Mike Daisley says the Mountain Safety Council (MSC) joins a groundswell of organisations expressing solidarity with the Muslim community of New Zealand. ...
Scoop politics
11 hours ago

IDEA Services care workers to strike 1 April
Three thousand care and support workers employed by IDEA Services, the operational arm of IHC, have voted to strike on 1 April. ...
Scoop politics
12 hours ago

Statement on the Christchurch massacre – Baha’i Community
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of New Zealand, in condemning the recent massacre of innocent Muslims, calls on the people of Aotearoa to examine the destructive social forces that led to Friday's tragedy. “We extend our heartfelt ...
Scoop politics
13 hours ago

Christchurch Mosque Attacks
On behalf of all Grey Power Members and Associations I would like to extend our condolences and deepest sympathy’s to the victims and their families of the horrendous attacks that occurred in Christchurch this week. As New Zealanders we stand ...
Scoop politics
13 hours ago

They are us
Even three days after the Christchurch massacre, we are still looking for words to describe how we feel. Shock, disbelief and anger are on our minds. In our hearts, there is only bottomless sadness. ...
Scoop politics
14 hours ago

Statement from the Zionist Federation of New Zealand
The Zionist Federation of New Zealand condemns in the strongest possible terms the despicable and cowardly terrorist attack on the Muslim community of Christchurch who were gathering for Friday prayers. ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Huge public support for ban on semi automatic weapons
Thousands of New Zealanders are supporting the call for an urgent ban on semi-automatic weapons in response to the tragic events of Friday. ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Marketing Industry Responds to Christchurch Tragedy
Events in Christchurch have shocked all of New Zealand and as a nation we are struggling to come to terms with what happened on Friday. ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Priority visa processing for shootin victims’ families
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) will prioritise processing for the families of the people killed or injured in the mass shootings in Christchurch on Friday. ...
Scoop politics
16 hours ago

Communist League statement on rightist massacre
The Communist League condemns, in the strongest way, the rightist shooting massacre at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch that has left 50 dead and 50 injured. The shooting took place as hundreds of worshipers had gathered to ...
Scoop politics
1 day ago

The Dangers of Values: The Christchurch Massacre
The argument that the Christchurch shooter, suspect Brenton Tarrant, or the views of Australia’s Senator Fraser Anning, seemingly holding a lone torch, are somehow not representative of the broader whole, be it Australia or New Zealand, is a self-deflecting ...
Scoop politics
1 day ago

Maori Council calls for reform in wake of Christchurch
“There are more than 1.5 million guns owned by New Zealanders or roughly one for every three New Zealanders. We also know through research and evidence that there are many guns in circulation that are not registered and let’s face ...
Scoop politics
1 day ago

Kia Kaha Migrants and refugees in Aotearoa
Union Network of Migrants(UNEMIG) and Indian Workers Association(IWA) strongly condemns the brutal and unprecedented terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand on innocent Muslims brothers, sisters and their children which resulted in 50 dead and many seriously ...
Scoop politics
1 day ago

It’s time for caring, peace and unity
FIRST Union is rallying around those affected by the terrorist attack in Christchurch, and calling on employers to be mindful of the mental wellbeing of staff. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Nation-wide teacher meetings postponed as mark of respect
Nation-wide teacher meetings postponed as mark of respect for children, men and women killed in terrorist attacks 17 March 2019 ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Terror Attacks Condemned by Superdiversity Institute Chair
The Chair of the Superdiversity Institute for Law Policy and Business, New Zealand Asian Leaders, SUPERdiverse Women and Managing Partner of Chen Palmer Partners, Mai Chen said that New Zealand should not be surprised at what has happened in Christchurch. ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Media statement from ChangeMakers Resettlement Forum
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved in the tragic events in Christchurch yesterday. To all of our refugee background communities: you are welcome here, you belong here, and you are New Zealanders. We stand together as ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Press Statement On Terror Acts in New Zealand
Press Statement On Terror Acts in New Zealand The Federation of Indian Muslims (FIM) is deeply saddened on the recent mosque shooting incidents which happened on 15 March 2019 at Christchurch, New Zealand. FIM condemns the heinous attacks on the ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

Refugees call for all religions and ethnicities
Refugees call for all religions and ethnicities in NZ to come together in support of each other ...
Scoop politics
2 days ago

ADC Statement On White Supremacist Terror Attacks
We at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) are shocked over the news coming out of New Zealand. Our hearts are shattered for those who lost family members and loved ones in this tragedy. We stand with the Muslim Community of ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Prayers and Acknowledgement
New Conservative extends its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the families of those shot today in Christchurch. Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern is correct in stating that it is a dark day for New Zealand, and all New Zealanders should be ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Trade Union Supports Student’s Climate Strikes
Thousands of youth around Aotearoa will be joining the collective actions of other young people from almost 100 other countries around the world in walking out of school to strike for climate justice. ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Palestine condemns the terrorist attack on NZ mosques
"On behalf of the Palestinian leadership and people, I extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the horrific terrorist attack against innocent worshipers in two New Zealand mosques this Friday. Our thoughts ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Victim Support launches Official Fund
Victim Support launches Official Fund for support of Christchurch Shooting Victims Victim Support has launched an official fund to raise funds for victims of today’s shootings in Christchurch, and is encouraging anyone affected by the incidents to ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

LGNZ extends condolences to those in Christchurch
LGNZ President Dave Cull has expressed his condolences to those affected by the terrible acts in Christchurch. ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Sharing shooting video likely illegal
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) advises that people who share the video of the shooting today in Christchurch are likely to be committing an offence. A DIA spokesperson says that the video is likely to be objectionable content under ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Embassy of Israel on terror attacks
Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the terror attack in Christchurch. A tragic and sad day for New Zealand. Our hearts go out to all of those affected by this horrible event. ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

The Wellington Jewish Congregations on the Mosque Attacks
"The Wellington Jewish Community extends its deepest condolences to the victims of the mass shooting at two Christchurch mosques", said Chair of Temple Sinai, Matthew Smith and Chair of the Wellington Jewish Community Centre, Marlene Levine. ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Police Association supports PM’s call for gun law change
Police Association President Chris Cahill has welcomed the Prime Minister’s early commitment to changing New Zealand’s gun laws. ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Police Association fully supports call for gun law changes
Police Association President Chris Cahill has welcomed the Prime Minister’s early commitment to changing New Zealand’s gun laws. ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Finding Compassion in a Dark Day
New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists (NZAP) acknowledge the shock and grief of the Moslem communities of Aotearoa and affected communities of Christchurch. Particularly we wish to acknowledge the suffering of the families of the forty New Zealand citizens ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

New Zealand Flag half-masting directive – Friday 15 March 20
Notification for the New Zealand Flag to be flown at half mast with immediate effect Tēnā koutou katoa At the request of the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand Flag is to be flown at half-mast ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt on the events in Chch
The Human Rights Commission issue the following statement in response to the unprecedented violent attacks at the Masjid Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch from Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Paul Hunt; “The reports we are hearing from Christchurch ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Support for call for discussion about a ‘Rainbow Ministry’
The PSA’s Out@PSA network supports the call made at the opening of this year’s Wellington Pride Festival by Greens MP Jan Logie that it would be worthwhile to explore having a ministry-level government agency for LGBTI+ New Zealanders. ...
Scoop politics
3 days ago

Review confirms no quick fix for NZ’s fleeing driver dilemma
The IPCA/Police thematic review, Fleeing Drivers in New Zealand, is welcomed by the Police Association for its in-depth analysis and presentation of the complexities of a burgeoning issue. ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Aged Care Commissioner Needed Now
The unacceptable standard of care currently existing in the Aged Care Sector as described at the Etu meeting in Wellington Thursday 14/3/19 highlights the urgent need for the Government to fulfill its pre Election promise to establish an Aged Care ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Lincoln on board for climate change strike
Environmental sustainability is a particularly hot topic at Lincoln University today, as students and staff take part in the School Strike 4 Climate. ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Insurance consumers should welcome FENZ review
The Government’s announcement today to review how to fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) will be welcome news for those who buy insurance. ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Police pursuit report “a cop-out”
Multiple people will die until police pursuits are restricted, says the car review website dogandlemon.com . ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Fleeing driver management review
Police Commissioner Mike Bush has today welcomed the release of a joint review into Police’s management of fleeing drivers. ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Commissioner calls for 1 year police pursuit pilot for youth
Children’s Commissioner calls for 1 year police pursuit pilot for children and young people ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Time to have a brutal conversation about Maori kids in care
The Executive Director of the New Zealand Maori Council has called on Maori families, communities and organisations to have honest and open conversations about what is happening when it comes to children in State care and the shocking rates of ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

ALRANZ Welcomes New Poll Results
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa welcomes the results of the Newshub/Reid Research poll showing 69.9% of New Zealanders support the decriminalisation of abortion. ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Dunne Speaks
It is often said that no government can legislate for commonsense. And it is also often said that the first thing every new Minister should do upon appointment is read and comprehend the provisions of the Cabinet Manual. Both statements ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Oxfam supports young people in School Strike 4 Climate
Oxfam New Zealand is standing in solidarity with young people taking action against climate change in the School Strike 4 Climate. ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Students on strike are fighting for all of us
The Wellington Local Affiliates Council of the New Zealand trade union movement offers its full support to school students walking out of class on Friday 15 March. ...
Scoop politics
4 days ago

Older posts

NZ ‘chose us to come here … to die here’, says grieving Syrian mother
Zaed Mustafa’s father and brother were killed during the Christchurch terror attacks. Image: Diego Opatowski/RNZ By Katy Gosset of RNZ A Syrian-born woman whose husband and son were killed in Friday’s terror attacks says her family was told New ...
Evening ReportBy Pacific Media Centre
6 hours ago

Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – March 18 2019
Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – March 18 2019 Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. The Beehive and Parliament Buildings.Today’s content Christchurch mosque shootings Herald: Christchurch ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
7 hours ago

Life, liberty and the pursuit of hate
The political discourse in the United States is in dangerous territory, says Patrick Carvalho of the New Zealand Initiative. ...
Newsroom
7 hours ago

With Grand Finale, audiences bear witness to a world on the edge
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Peterson, Associate Professor, Flinders University Review: Grand Finale, Adelaide Festival March 15 When we take our seats in Adelaide’s Festival Theatre the air is already thick with haze. Its density suggests ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
7 hours ago

Pandanomics is a grey area, but to us the value of giant pandas is black and white
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jillian Ryan, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, CSIRO Wang Wang and Funi came to Australia from China a decade ago. Their relationship is best described as complicated. Despite considerable medical assistance, they have never ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
8 hours ago

Social media creates a spectacle society that makes it easier for terrorists to achieve notoriety
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stuart M Bender, Early Career Research Fellow (Digital aesthetics of violence), Curtin University The shocking mass-shooting in Christchurch on Friday is notable for using livestreaming video technology to broadcast horrific first-person footage ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
8 hours ago

Why you shouldn’t bury your pet in the backyard
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Allavena, Associate Professor, The University of Queensland Companion animals are part of our families, but inevitably the time comes for us to say goodbye to them due to old age or ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
8 hours ago

Shares at record
New Zealand shares rose to a record in quiet trading as investors digested the latest round of index re-weightings and wait on upcoming earnings. Kathmandu Holdings led the market higher. ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

Gun City owner defends sale of murder weapons as Ardern pledges reforms
As New Zealand grapples with the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shooting anger is growing over the ‘gaps, omissions and errors’ in our gun laws.In a day of extraordinary contrasts on Monday, the prime minister this afternoon said gun law reform ...
The SpinoffBy Maria Slade
9 hours ago

Gun City owner in gun debate spotlight
Gun City owner David Tipple's response to the attacks offered little to suggest the gun lobby’s fervent opposition to tighter restrictions will change. ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

Fiji community shaken with loss of three in Christchurch mosque attacks
“You are in our prayers” … spontaneous messages pasted on the wall of the AUT Masjid at Auckland University of Technology today. Image: David Robie/PMC By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific New Zealand’s Fijian community is reeling after three ...
Evening ReportBy Pacific Media Centre
9 hours ago

Practical steps to protect ourselves from the scourge of hate
After the vigils, the flowers, the messages, and the grief, what happens next? Donna Miles-Mojab, an Iranian New Zealander based in Christchurch, has a list of simple yet practical steps all New Zealanders can take.Let’s all stand “shoulder to shoulder” and circle ...
The SpinoffBy Donna Miles-Mojab
10 hours ago

PM on gun law reforms: ‘We are absolutely united’
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says details of reforms to NZ's gun laws will be announced within 10 days of Friday's Christchurch mosque attacks. ...
Radio NZ – political
10 hours ago

‘I keep walking’: Eight poems
Poems by Louise Wallace, James Brown, Tofig Dankalay, Gregory Kan, Tusiata Avia, Qalina, Airini Beautrais, Selina Tusitala MarshAhakoa he iti he pounamu | Although it is small it is greenstoneLouise WallaceI choose pounamu / it is a river stone / ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
10 hours ago

LIVE: PM on gun law reforms: ‘We are absolutely united’
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is holding a post-cabinet media conference and says details of reforms to NZ's gun laws will be announced within 10 days of Friday's Christchurch mosque attacks. Watch it LIVE here. ...
Radio NZ – political
10 hours ago

LIVE: PM’s post-Cabinet media briefing: ‘The time to act is now’
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is holding a post-cabinet media conference and says reforms will be announced in the next 10 days, after Friday's Christchurch mosque attacks. Watch it LIVE here. ...
Radio NZ – political
10 hours ago

Electricity switching at four-year low amid high wholesale prices
Switching in the retail electricity market is at a four-year low amid sustained high wholesale prices. ...
Newsroom
11 hours ago

In Australia, the terrorist’s homeland, anti-Muslim hatred is rife
Australian media helped feed the anti-Muslim prejudice that led to the Christchurch attacks, writes Australian journalism lecturer Dr Nasya Bahfen, a practising Muslim of Indonesian heritage.Despite not personally knowing anyone who was gunned down at Friday prayers in Christchurch, I did ...
The SpinoffBy Naysa Bahfen
11 hours ago

NSW election likely to be close, and Mark Latham will win an upper house seat
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne The New South Wales election will be held on March 23. Last week, a Newspoll had a 50-50 tie, while ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
11 hours ago

Violence does not exist in a vacuum. Politicians and pundits must stop fuelling Islamophobia
The words of the Christchurch gunman were vile, vicious and unhinged. What they were not was shocking. In fact, they were ordinary, recycled lines from the political mainstream, writes Mehdi Hasan in this post originally published at the ...
The SpinoffBy Mehdi Hasan
12 hours ago

S&P lowers Asset Finance’s credit rating to “B-“
International ratings agency Standard & Poor’s Corp says it has lowered Asset Finance’s credit rating to "B-" following its changing ownership. ...
Newsroom
12 hours ago

Dear Mr Zuckerberg: Please stop livestreaming
Bernard Hickey argues in a letter to Mark Zuckerberg that he should shut down Facebook's livestreaming tool, at least for un-approved users, and consider visiting New Zealand to talk to the families of those murdered live on his service. ...
Newsroom
12 hours ago

In photos: Tributes to the Christchurch victims from NZ and around the world
In the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attacks, there’s been an outpouring of support from all over New Zealand and around the world. Here, a selection of the best images. NEW ZEALANDChristchurch Tribute to Tariq Omar, 24, was one of the ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
13 hours ago

Four lessons we must take away from the Christchurch terror attack
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joe Burton, Senior Lecturer, New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science, University of Waikato In the aftermath of the tragic loss of life in Christchurch on Friday, the focus needs to ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
13 hours ago

We didn’t watch white supremacists closely enough
The big tech companies rely too much on ineffective AI to stamp out hate speech, and don't watch white supremacists closely enough. ...
Newsroom
13 hours ago

Visions of hope: Wellington rallies together
Wellingtonians gathered at the Basin Reserve last night to mourn the loss of 50 lives, grieve together, and stand against terrorism, Islamophobia and white supremacy, reports Emily WritesMany wore white. Many cried. There were many tamariki there, in the sunshine, sitting quietly on ...
The SpinoffBy Emily Writes
15 hours ago

Trade Me halts sales of semi-automatic firearms
Trade Me Group has halted the sale of semi-automatic firearms through its online marketplace as public sentiment on private gun ownership turns in the wake of last Friday's mass shooting in Christchurch. ...
Newsroom
15 hours ago

Chch terror day 4: Trade Me stops selling semi-autos
Trade Me halts sale of semi-automatic weapons while Cabinet considers gun laws, Australian police raid home of Tarrant's sister. ...
Newsroom
15 hours ago

Christchurch attacks a stark warning of toxic politics that enables hate
ANALYSIS: By Professor Greg Barton When lives are tragically cut short, it is generally easier to explain the “how” than the “why”. This dark reality is all the more felt when tragedy comes at the hands of murderous intent. Explaining ...
Evening ReportBy Pacific Media Centre
15 hours ago

Keith Locke: How to combat Islamophobia, white supremacy
“Heartwarming to be part of such a big and diverse crowd in Auckland’s Aotea Square on Saturday standing in solidarity with the Islamic community after the terrible massacre in Christchurch.” Image: David Robie/PMC OPINION: By Keith Locke It was ...
Evening ReportBy Pacific Media Centre
15 hours ago

Service sector expansion slows in February
Activity in New Zealand's services sector eased in February to below the long-term average, weighed down by a fall in activity and sales. ...
Newsroom
16 hours ago

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern opens book of condolences: ‘They are us’
Jacinda Ardern has opened an official book of condolences for the victims of the Christchurch attacks with the words "they are us". ...
Radio NZ – political
16 hours ago

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s focus on strengthening current gun laws after Christchurch ter...
Today New Zealanders will have a clearer picture of how the coalition government plans to change the gun laws, including a possible ban on semi-automatic weapons. ...
Radio NZ – political
17 hours ago

Synlait and Fonterra to report diverging earnings
Two dairy companies will report first-half results this week but they will be like “canned success versus udder confusion,” as Craigs Investment Partners analyst Adrian Allbon puts it in his results preview. ...
Newsroom
17 hours ago

Metroglass downgrades profit again
Metro Performance Glass has cut its profit guidance yet again and now expects annual operating profit will be about 12 percent lower than the last time it downgraded in November. ...
Newsroom
17 hours ago

Christchurch terror attacks: National Party leader Simon Bridges says gun control laws need changing
National leader Simon Bridges has refused to discuss specific changes to gun control laws but says there are likely loopholes "that can be fixed quite readily and quickly". ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

Christchurch terror attacks: PM Jacinda Ardern confirms gun laws will change, to be discussed in Cab...
The Prime Minister has confirmed this morning there will be changes to New Zealand's gun laws following the massacre at Christchurch mosques on Friday. ...
Radio NZ – political
19 hours ago

NZ 4Q GDP growth likely muted
New Zealand's economy likely saw muted growth in the fourth quarter, weighed down by soft services activity. ...
Newsroom
19 hours ago

Women can build positive body image by controlling what they view on social media
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Cohen, Clinical Psychologist and PhD Candidate, University of Technology Sydney Social media use is often described as being problematic for mental health and body image. But is all social media use ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Two million Aussies delay or don’t go to the dentist – here’s how we can fix that
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute Dental care in Australia is a policy anomaly; for some reason, the mouth is treated very differently to other parts of the body. About 58% ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Curious Kids: why bats sleep upside down, and other stories of animal adaptation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Edwards, Post Doctoral Researcher, La Trobe University Curious Kids is a series for children. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au You might ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

‘Give us a sniff, love’: giving marsupials scents from suitors helps breeding programs
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marissa Parrott, Reproductive Biologist, Wildlife Conservation & Science, Zoos Victoria, and Honorary Research Associate, BioSciences, University of Melbourne Smell is a vital part of sexual attraction for all kinds of animals (including ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

New TAFE program for Aboriginal health-care students sees a near perfect completion rate
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Gwynne, Associate Professor and Research Director, Poche Centre for Indigenous Health Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney A customised scholarship program developed for Aboriginal TAFE students has led to ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Youth homelessness efforts get a lowly 2 stars from national report card
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David MacKenzie, Associate Professor, Department of Social Science, Swinburne University of Technology A National Report Card on Youth Homelessness in Australia says government action over the past decade would earn no more ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

Ultra low wage growth isn’t accidental. It is the intended outcome of government policies
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland This is the first in a three-part mini-symposium on Wages, Unemployment and Underemployment presented by The Conversation and the Academy of the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

We need a new definition of pornography – with consent at the centre
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Ashton, PhD Candidate, Monash University We all think we know what pornography is, whether we oppose it, use it, or tolerate it. But are we all conjuring up the same images? ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
19 hours ago

This has been us. We need to change it
Public policy analyst Jess Berentson Shaw challenges the view that the killings in Christchurch 'were not us'. ...
Newsroom
20 hours ago

The Bulletin: Questions emerge after weekend of mourning
Welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Vigils held around country to mourn the victims of Christchurch mosque attacks, Muslim community speaks out about years of Islamophobia, and gun laws look set to change. The terrorist attack against two Christchurch mosques ...
The SpinoffBy Alex Braae
21 hours ago

Mosque terror attacks: African NZ group condemns nine-month race relations vacancy
‘We need someone asking what is being done about racist hatred’, says head of African Communities Forum.An African community group is redoubling demands for the urgent appointment of a Race Relations Commissioner following the terrorist attack in Christchurch that has ...
The SpinoffBy Alex Casey
21 hours ago

This is us
The terrorist attacks that tore through the Muslim community in Christchurch also exposed ugly truths about New Zealand. By Toby Morris ...
The SpinoffBy Toby Morris
22 hours ago