Walls and Bridges

Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, February 16th, 2019 - 54 comments
Categories: Donald Trump, International, Jeremy Corbyn, Simon Bridges, uk politics, uncategorized, us politics, winston peters, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags: , ,

It’s been a funny old week.

In the States, Trump has caved to the Democrats and signed the government finance bill that was he never, ever going to sign if he didn’t get his wall.

He doesn’t get his wall.

In the UK, Theresa May is apparently now resigned to a No Deal Brexit, following yet another humiliating loss in Parliament. Her only consolation is that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn still looks lamer than she does.

And here in NZ, National leader Simon Bridges has gone into hiding, battered by the polls, buggered by a bizarre advert and literally reduced to a joke when Winston Peters used him as subject material for his stand up comic routine.

Trump, May and Bridges have a lot in common.

No future.

Trump has declared a ‘National Emergency’ to try and build his pointless wall and even he acknowledges that the process will be bogged down in the courts for years to come. As a distraction, he’s now reduced to delivering speeches in the form of a kindergarten sing song:

 

The best line on Trump’s cave in comes from former supporter Ann Coulter:

“The only national emergency is that our president is an idiot.” 

 Oh, well. As I write this Trump is playing a round of emergency golf.

In the UK, Theresa May has lost another Parliamentary vote when hard Brexiteers in her own party abstained, refusing to support a motion endorsing the government’s negotiating strategy.

Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, is facing increased criticism from within UK Labour because of his refusal to get off the fence on Brexit. The party, and the country, are left bewildered at his failure to show leadership.

The polls say Corbyn is hobbling Labour at a time when they should be sprinting away.

There are now advanced moves to set up a new centre party, mirroring the desperate situation Labour found itself in back in the early eighties, when breakaway MP’s formed the SDP  after Labour leader Michael Foot proved himself equally ineffective in galvanising opposition to a divisive female Tory leader.

Simon Bridges’ week started with a NewsHub poll that suggests he’s made no headway with the voting public at all, (or even his own caucus), moved on to a first sitting of Parliament for the year where he was the butt of cruel jokes, and finished with a bizarre online ad apparently designed to wipe out any support the Tories still have among women.

But hey, the ad was funny, doncha know? It’s not Simon’s fault no one laughed.

Oh, well, that’s this week done.

Next week will be much quieter.

Maybe.

 

 

54 comments on “Walls and Bridges ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Jess NZ 1
    16 February 2019 at 12:52 pm

    Trump has gone golfing despite being told about yet another mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois, and refusing to answer while boarding the plane.

    He’s tweeted his presidential response: “Great job by law enforcement in Aurora, Illinois. Heartfelt condolences to all of the victims and their families. America is with you!”

    If anyone is wondering why gun violence isn’t considered a national emergency in the US, you’re not the only one. Apparently there have been 38 mass shootings in 46 days this year.

    5 died today.

  2. RedLogix 2
    16 February 2019 at 1:19 pm

    A lamentable time; our political leaders are so confused and divided they can no longer act, or even know, what is in their best interests.

    Politics is the art of a conversation, between the naturally conservative and progressive parts of society. But we’ve stopped listening and shout slogans instead.

    We live in a globalised world where all our big problems are global in nature, but we’re too frightened to contemplate a political solution at the same scale.

    We know that the planet we depend on for life is being crushed and is dying before our eyes, yet it takes school children to point out that us emperors are wearing no clothes.

    As races, cultures, religions and gender we all share far more in common than not; yet our ancient fear of differences causes us to magnify them beyond all reason.

    Trust is the foundation of all things; yet we act as if it was not.

  3. marty mars 3
    16 February 2019 at 1:28 pm

    “Trump, May and Bridges have a lot in common.

    No future.”

    Yep and sadly they will drag as many into their no future as they can.

    Look to the light not the shadows.

  4. DJ Ward 4
    16 February 2019 at 1:54 pm

    “In the States, Trump has caved to the Democrats and signed the government finance bill that was he never, ever going to sign if he didn’t get his wall.

    He doesn’t get his wall.”

    That’s wrong. He gets 55 miles of wall how he wants it.
    The courts struck down the butifly case, so the Dems put it in the negotiated agreement just makes the Dems look silly.

    It’s Pelosi who said they would give him nothing. She is the fool.

    This is making the Dems look stupid. It exposes the vast devide the Dems actually have with the majority of the population. There are many for open boarders. Obama spent $800 million on the northern boarder, his calling the southern boarder an emergency to get wall funding etc etc.

    Trump has actually played this pretty well. Shows his base he is fighting to secure the boarder. Expose Dem voting blocking his moves. Shows the Dems ignoring the experts advice. Exposing promises to negotiate when they won’t. Eventually getting a deal that funds the wall building long enough to free up Emergency Funding.

    So no loss for Trump.

    This is on the backburner until next budget.

    I can say the Republicans are proving themselves useless.

    Even more useless and dumb is The Dems new superstar intelect who just cost her constituents 25,000 jobs at around $150,000 a pop. I wonder if the 96% of people in her electorate that had nothing to do with her getting the nomination are happy.

    • Jess NZ 4.1
      16 February 2019 at 4:54 pm

      Nope. I know you feel required to slant things against the left, but this is pretty out there and presumably comes from right-wing analysis.

      “According to a congressional Democratic aide, the deal explicitly prohibits the use of this money on a concrete wall, and only authorizes funds for ‘existing technologies,’ like the current fencing along the southern border.”
      …
      ‘One reason they’re mad is that, even though the bill provides some funding for border barriers (not a concrete wall), it gives local communities input over this construction — essentially allowing them to veto anything they don’t like. And since border communities generally vote Democratic and largely hate the idea of a wall, they may oppose much of this construction altogether. So it’s not even clear if all or most of the 55 miles of new border barriers will, in fact, be permitted.’

      And he’s the one ignoring expert advice about what works on the border.

      https://www.alternet.org/2019/02/how-democrats-brilliantly-outplayed-trump-on-the-border-negotiations-and-got-an-even-better-deal-than-it-seems/

      And as for ‘costing jobs’ – does anybody here really still believe the line that ‘jobs’ in and of themselves are always a net plus when a big company moves into your
      patch? Amazon jobs have been in the HR firing line for a LOOOONG time – got jobs? Got stressed, underpaid, and suicidal employees? Just what NY needs!

      Does everyone really have to bend over for big business? I think I’m on the Standard, right? 🙂

      https://www.newsweek.com/amazon-jeff-bezos-foxconn-china-labor-echo-968691
      https://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/11/29/amazon-employee-email-note/

      • Rangimarie 4.1.1
        18 February 2019 at 9:08 am

        It’s not slant against the left. It’s fact. He’s getting at least part of his wall. Calling it . national emergency and all.

        Not everything is about left and right

        • Jess NZ 4.1.1.1
          18 February 2019 at 7:17 pm

          The national emergency may or may not get him part of his concrete wall – still a few ‘barriers’ in the way 🙂

          ‘In theory it could. Following the declaration of a national emergency, military officials are empowered to divert funding and resources “essential to the national defense” including the “use of the armed forces”.

          ‘So Trump could order the military to move money and troops around to address the emergency – in this case, Trump imagines, by building a wall.

          ‘But many analysts believe that the emergency declaration will not produce a wall, owing to the aforementioned anticipated challenges in the courts and Congress. Or it will fail due to public outcry or perhaps to a breakdown in compliance somewhere in the chain of command, either on the part of military officials or Trump’s own legal team.’

          https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/14/trump-national-emergency-explainer-border-wall

    • Jenny - How to get there? 4.2
      17 February 2019 at 12:41 am

      Was it like this when Hitler took full constitutional power?

      Were the commentators so blasé?

      Probably

      Hitler hoped to abolish democracy in a more or less legal fashion, by passing the Enabling Act. The Enabling Act was a special law that gave the Chancellor the power to pass laws by decree, without the involvement of the Reichstag. These special powers would remain in effect for four years, after which time they were eligible to be renewed. Under the Weimar Constitution, the President could rule by decree in times of emergency using Article 48.[8] The unprecedented element of the Enabling Act was that the Chancellor possessed the powers. An Enabling Act was only supposed to be passed in times of extreme emergency and had only been used once, in 1923–24 when the government used an Enabling Act to end hyperinflation (see hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic).

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_fire

      “I don’t believe a national emergency declaration is the solution,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who warned of taking the country down a “rabbit hole” with future presidents seizing unchecked executive power.

      “No crisis justifies violating the Constitution,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

      Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said, “Declaring a national emergency is unnecessary, unwise and inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution.”

      It’s an outcome Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his leadership warned Trump against. For days, they publicly urged him not to declare an emergency. But with Trump’s signature Friday on the action, the Republican leaders are largely falling in line behind Trump.

      As Democrats are quick to call for oversight and investigation, they are also almost certain to seek a vote of disapproval that will force Republicans to stand with the president — or against him.

      House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., says his committee will investigate the “serious constitutional and statutory issues” raised by the declaration and will ask White House officials to appear for testimony.

      Nadler said Trump’s decision shows “reckless disregard for the separation of powers and your own responsibilities under our constitutional system.”

      The ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, said that while he supports Trump’s commitment to securing the border, “a national emergency is a serious act with deep implications, and it’s disappointing that partisan politics have brought us to this point.”

      Congress has specific ability under the National Emergencies Act to halt the president by a simple majority vote of disapproval in both chambers. That makes the outcome uncertain, especially in the Senate where Republicans now hold a narrow 53-47 majority.

      Trump would almost certainly threaten to veto such a resolution, if it passed, and Congress would then be faced with the difficult task of mounting the votes to override…..

      …..Trump’s decision creates an “important moment for constitutional democracy,” said Chris Edelson, assistant professor of government at American University and author of a book on presidential power.

      “Congress has the tools available to stop this if it chooses to act,” Edelson said. “All eyes should be on Republicans in Congress, some of whom are clearly troubled by this action, including the precedent it could set.”

      Top Trump allies are splintering. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, once resistant to an emergency declaration, told Fox News he’s all for it. “We would be idiots as Republicans not to support Donald Trump to try to build this wall anyway he can,” Graham said.

      Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., may be tougher to sway. “I, too, want stronger border security, including a wall in some areas. But how we do things matters,” Paul said in a statement.

      “Extraconstitutional executive actions are wrong, no matter which party does them,” added Paul, who regularly criticized former President Barack Obama for what Paul and other Republicans termed executive overreach.

      On and off Capitol Hill, many Republicans criticized Obama for what they saw as executive overreach, particularly on immigration issues. Some of Obama’s actions, including those to shield young immigrants from deportation, continue to play out in the courts.

      While some GOP voices this week urged Trump on, others encouraged restraint.

      “We’ll regret this,” said a headline in the conservative National Review. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Friday that Trump’s decision will “create a dangerous precedent that erodes the very system of government that has served us so well for over 200 years.”

      Rubio and others have asked what would happen if a future president tried to use the same emergency authority for their priorities — for example, to impose gun control or fight climate change……

      …..Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., another Trump ally who chairs the conservative Freedom Caucus, said there’s “wide support” in the party for Trump’s action. “There’s certainly a big push to make sure that we limit executive power,” he said, but the laws are in place and “we support it.”

      Democrats are already gearing up to do battle. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York tweeted Friday that Democrats “aren’t going to let the President declare a fake national emergency without a fight.”

      Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was introducing a resolution to terminate the declaration, which he called “an end run around the Constitution.” The joint resolution, he said, “will allow Congress an opportunity to reclaim its authority.”

      Among those signing the letter, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said it’s a “dangerous precedent for the president to be forced to declare a national emergency” over funding.

      The White House said it would be looking at “lower priority” projects. A senior administration official granted anonymity to brief reporters on a conference call Friday said officials will look to shift money from projects that are “to fix or repair a particular facility that might be able to wait a couple of months into next year.”

      https://wtop.com/national/2019/02/trumps-national-emergency-sparks-new-gop-divide-in-congress/

    • Craig H 4.3
      17 February 2019 at 4:03 pm

      https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2018/12/politics/border-wall-cnnphotos/ is a good summary of the current border situation in my opinion, although obviously not everyone will agree with them.

      According to that article, there is currently around 700mi of fences/wall/barriers along the 1933mi US-Mexican border. I would have thought that while another 55 miles is better than nothing for the base, it’s hardly going to make a big difference given how much they already have. Essentially, this looks like a case of diminishing returns.

  5. greywarshark 5
    16 February 2019 at 3:00 pm

    I am trying to reach thinking lefties. If there are any of the ts community who want to help me by giving me their opinions please would you. I’ve tried on Open Mike but I have to go to each post I think, begging for crumbs.

    Who in the Labour-Greens-NZF is practically interested in advancing NZ by applying green solutions to farming and the environment to advance our enterprises and our land resources so we bring new ways to protect against climate extremes?

    I see Eugenie Sage has just stopped land tenure rorts on high country.
    Now what about day to day practical things with vision, on low-country, farming and horticulture relating to water – irrigation and droughts, fire prevention. Who are the stand out MPs in thinking plus doing here? What has he achieved as example?

    Damien O’Connor? Min of Agriculture
    David Parker? Min of Economic Development and Min. of Environment and Min of
    Trade as well. He should be good value but is he a talk person mainly.
    James Shaw? Min of Climate Change – He is new to executive status.
    ? Anyone else.

    I’d like to know you views soon so would appreciate a quick setting down of them.

    • Ed1 5.1
      17 February 2019 at 12:41 pm

      I suspect I don’t have the answers you are looking for, but I am also confused as to your question, and so have some questions of my own. You ask “Who in the Labour-Greens-NZF is practically interested in advancing NZ by applying green solutions to farming and the environment to advance our enterprises and our land resources so we bring new ways to protect against climate extremes?”

      I suspect most if not all are interested in seeing green solutions applied, and our enterprises advanced, and land resources advanced – but few of them interested in doing it themselves – they are politicians not farmers. How “green solutions” are implemented will vary considerably around the country. What the politicians will be doing is seeking good scientific advice as to what policies should be put in pl;ace – and after 9 years of steering the public servants away from such questions it is not surprising that this takes a little bit of time. Those policies have to deal with climate change, international commitments, local issues (for example water has different problems in different parts of New Zealand), requirements for Local authorities, impact on other priorities. They will also be interested in how new requirements and opportunities are communicated, and this may go more to where your question leads. We used to have Ag advisers, and they used to travel around giving latest research and advice to farmers – they may still exist, but it depends what you are really looking for. The politicians doing the thinking may be quite a number of people, but understandably they will talk largely among themselves before talking publicly about specific detail of proposals.

      I suggest you talk to your nearest Labour or Green MP – or even NZ First – they all talk to each other. National appear to want to be seen as acknowledging a problem – albeit one that can be deferred for quite a long time. They may be more interested in ways of avoiding tax on capital gains – where their solution is to remove it (yes we do tax some of those gains currently). For farming that could mean a sharp increase in market values of farms, but also if there had been a change of government, greater purchasing by foreign companies, who may be less interested in Green solutions and more in explolting a low wage economy . . .

      Best wishes – I am sure if you have thoughts yourself your local Green or Labour organisations would welcome discussion.

    • Ad 5.2
      17 February 2019 at 2:09 pm

      You need to have a good read of the submitters to the Carbon Zero bill.

      They are all on the Parliamentary website.

      PLenty of thinkers and groups of thinkers of the kind you are seeking.

  6. gsays 6
    16 February 2019 at 4:10 pm

    Heh, the observation that we get the government we deserve rings true.

    Once again, at the risk of seeming fanboy, Prime Minister Ardern and her government may just be forging a new way in politics. My best example is Labour’s silence during the JLR/Bridges/Bennett fiasco.

  8. Ad 8
    16 February 2019 at 7:56 pm

    nice work TRP

    needed doing

  9. mickysavage 9
    16 February 2019 at 8:19 pm

    Ha you left out the fuster cluck that is Australia.

    The right wing parties in the western world are all in a mess.

    It is as if circumstances and the world’s challenges are such that their lack of ability to lead is being cruelly exposed.

  10. Jackel 10
    16 February 2019 at 9:03 pm

    I have to admit I don’t see a wall, brexit and sizzling sausages as anywhere near possible solutions to the world’s real problems.

  11. Adrian Thornton 11
    17 February 2019 at 8:28 am

    ” Her only consolation is that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn still looks lamer than she does.”

    A line that could only come from the centre of The Standard…or maybe The Guardian,,yuk.

    • RedLogix 11.1
      17 February 2019 at 9:37 am

      With the Conservatives in utter disarray Labour should be cleaning their clock; yet they languish behind in all the polls. This is no accident.

      https://news.yahoo.com/brexit-news-latest-theresa-may-071500808.html

      Corbyn has sat on the fence too long. At first it was a reasonably principled position, respect the outcome of the referendum, give the govt a shot at negotiating an exit.

      Some months back it was clear to everyone that Brexit was going to be a shambles and nothing like what was sold to the country before the referendum. And many people had now changed their minds on it.

      All he had to do was come down off the fence in favour of Remain, or at the least a second referendum, and Labour would not be in the humiliating position it is now. But he’s let his personal feelings on Brexit get in the way of making a decision in the interests of his nation.

      • Ad 11.1.1
        17 February 2019 at 9:41 am

        Corbyn will need much more than that now.

        He will need to show that he really is a Prime Minister in waiting by revealing a detailed, safe, and coherent plan for a post-Brexit Britain.

        • RedLogix 11.1.1.1
          17 February 2019 at 9:49 am

          Sadly I have to agree; it’s too late to undo the damage now and Remain is probably no longer an option.

          Yet I’m 95% certain a second referendum would yield a decent majority for it now.

          • Anne 11.1.1.1.1
            17 February 2019 at 10:55 am

            …I’m 95% certain a second referendum would yield a decent majority for it now.

            I think that is beyond question. So many have admitted they would change their vote to ‘Remain’ if they were given another opportunity. It was beyond stupid to put it to a referendum in the first place.

            In the beginning I welcomed Corbyn’s leadership of the British Labour Party with enthusiasm, but his seeming failure to take a proper stand over Brexit is disappointing and perplexing. Is he being hampered by members of his parliamentary caucus? Or is he just refusing to consider any compromise positions?

            Politics is always the art of compromise and if Corbyn is not prepared to accept that reality then he should step down as leader.

            • RedLogix 11.1.1.1.1.1
              17 February 2019 at 11:23 am

              Agree completely; Corbyn has made the mistake of thinking all he had to do was watch and wait for the Conservatives to self-destruct. There is a time for that, but this is proof that by itself this is a weak strategy.

              • KJT …
                18 February 2019 at 9:28 am

                Maybe, unlike some people here, Corbyn respects the result of a democratic referendum.

                And the propaganda and bullshit from both sides probably cancelled out.

                Don’t forget, there a plenty of good reasons, even left wing ones, for leaving the bankers Neo-liberal paradise, that is the EU.

                Hell. The UK may have to start producing things again, instead of money laundering.

          • Ad 11.1.1.1.2
            17 February 2019 at 10:55 am

            The creepy thing is that there’s simply nothing political anyone can do now except wait for the first day of Brexit and await the impact.

            With simultaneous manufactured crises in previous lighthouses of democratic leadership so close to hand, the impact will not just be on the conservative end of politics; the commentary is going to go to whether referenda-style direct democracy is useful at all when the popular will of the people is so destructive, so meaninglessly brutal in its impacts.

            I can easily see a much stronger tendency to authoritarianism arising in reaction to these failures of democracy, on the left and the right, on the corproratised politics and the green.

          • Gabby 11.1.1.1.3
            17 February 2019 at 1:45 pm

            The mistake has been to call it a second referendum, rather than casting it as a ratification of negotiated term. No terms, no Brexit. No ratification, no Brexit.

      • Craig H 11.1.2
        17 February 2019 at 4:06 pm

        I think there’s a real constituency in the UKLP for Brexit (as well as Remain), and Corbyn is worried that coming out for Remain or at least another referendum would have badly damaged the party either through internal ruptures, or getting destroyed by the media.

      • Macro 11.1.3
        17 February 2019 at 8:27 pm

        Regretfully the Labour Party is as much divided on Brexit as are the Tories – it’s not a simple split along party lines with the possible exceptions of the lib dems, snp, and greens. Corbyn is aware that many of the English Labour in the North are very much Brexiters and he is being told by those MPs who fear the loss of their constituencies to hold firm on Brexit. It really is a buggers muddle and yes the only sane solution is to back off or call for another referendum now that the reality of what the country choose is upon them. It’s almost too late even for that though. They definitely need to call for an extension to Article 50 to sort this mess out. In the meantime the cost to the country is in the order of 800 million quid a week!

    • te reo putake 11.2
      17 February 2019 at 10:58 am

      Thanks for the shout out, Adrian, much appreciated. Being compared to professional writers, particularly those on a genuinely left wing msm outlet like the Guardian is very encouraging to a mere drudge like myself. Your endorsement really means a lot to me, so thanks once again.

      • veutoviper 11.2.1
        17 February 2019 at 11:40 am

        Well done! LOL.

      • Adrian Thornton 11.2.2
        17 February 2019 at 2:42 pm

        @TRP…My pleasure, I was pretty sure you would like being compared to the gate keeper establishment watchdogs.

        • The Al1en 11.2.2.1
          17 February 2019 at 6:17 pm

          Rather that than the locked in naughty little Shih Tzu, yapping at the people who tune out it’s noise, as they walk on past out in the real world.

      • KJT 11.2.3
        18 February 2019 at 9:31 am

        The Guardian is an establishment newspaper, which limits thought to the “approved left”.

        I wouldn’t consider that a compliment.

        • te reo putake 11.2.3.1
          18 February 2019 at 10:07 am

          Actually, it is a compliment. The Guardian and the Mirror are the only widely read national papers with a left lean. I’m also keen on the Morning Star, however it doesn’t have the readership base the other two enjoy.

          No media outlet is beyond criticism. But the attacks on the Guardian from the left mainly come from idealogical purists who imagine that the paper should be something it is not and will never be.

          The grumble du jour is that the Guardian isn’t sufficiently worshipful of Jeremy Corbyn. For some reason, a left wing paper taking the view that a Labour leader who is personally conflicted on the biggest political issue of a generation and is not doing his job well, seems to upset some folk.

          Tough.

          Corbyn seems determined to go down in history as a glorious martyr who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. That might be fine with the puritans, but it does working people in the UK no favours.

          • Ad 11.2.3.1.1
            18 February 2019 at 10:12 am

            “…snatched defeat twice from the jaws of victory…”

            FIFY

          • Adrian Thornton 11.2.3.1.2
            18 February 2019 at 1:55 pm

            “idealogical purists” pah…if because some of us put lines in the sand and actually stick by them, and expect our political leaders do so too, then makes us purists, then I wear that badge with honor.

            You are wrong, completely wrong, the Guardian has shown itself to be overtly hostile to Corbyn (and Sanders to for that matter) that is just a plain and simple fact.

            The statement “The grumble du jour is that the Guardian isn’t sufficiently worshipful of Jeremy Corbyn.” is quite bizarre…no not quite bizarre, it shows that either you are very comfortable with the Guardians overtly anti Corbyn (and sanders) negative bias, or you are to dim to see it…and I know you are not dim.

            http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/pdf/JeremyCorbyn/Cobyn-Report-FINAL.pdf

            “Yes, Jeremy Corbyn has suffered a bad press, but where’s the harm?”
            https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/jul/19/yes-jeremy-corbyn-has-suffered-a-bad-press-but-wheres-the-harm

            But as I said earlier, you seem quite at ease defending the status quo centre left liberal orthodoxy…so I guess you wouldn’t see the harm in the Guardian bias to an actual Socialist project either.

          • KJT 11.2.3.1.3
            18 February 2019 at 4:53 pm

            What bullshit.

            Corbyn, like anyone to the left of the establishments, “allowable socialism” has been damned with faint praise by the “chardonnay socialists”.
            I.e. Left wing socialism is fine, so long as I don’t have to give up any of my comfortable upper middle class privilege.

            “We will carry on making the noises, but any serious attempt at removing poverty, reducing inequality and returning to a just and functioning society is to be condemned as, “unrealistic”.

            The same thing has happened to Saunders, is beginning to happen to Cortez, and happens to anyone who sticks their head above the “allowable” parapet, in New Zealand.

  12. Adrian Thornton 12
    17 February 2019 at 6:22 pm

    What a fucking ridiculous comment, I think you must have got confused and have forgotten where you are…this isn’t the youtube comments section, but maybe head back there, it suits you better..

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    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

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