What If Trump Wins Again?
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- Date published:
9:25 am, January 14th, 2024 - 65 comments
Categories: China, Donald Trump, Economy, Free Trade, global warming, International, trade, us politics, war -
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One of New Zealand’s best strategic analysts, Dr David Skilling, recently set out the risks we need to prepare for should Donald Trump win the U.S. Presidency again.
As he sets out the obvious reduced United States willingness to provide security guarantees to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, Dr Skilling also sets out that AUKUS may be renegotiated as Mr Trump seeks to show he is a better negotiator. The North Korean leader will be emboldened to attack Korea. In Europe, a rapidly withdrawing United States military presence would likely force a settlement in Ukraine favouring Russia. Xi and Putin will be delighted.
“In other words, a second Trump Presidency would lead to a substantial reconfiguration of the global economic and geopolitical system – accelerating some dynamics (global economic fragmentation) and reversing others (a coherent Western alliance). These are not implausible events, but simply assume a more disciplined implementation of actions and statements in the first Trump Administration.” – Dr David Skilling, January 12 2024, Substack
A Trump administration withdrawing from NATO would not be easy to achieve. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and Republican Senator Marco Rubio introduced legislation passed the Senate, designed to block any U.S. president from withdrawing from NATO without two-thirds Senate approval or an act of Congress. Kaine told me he feels “confident that the courts would uphold us on that and would not allow a president to unilaterally withdraw,” but there would certainly be a struggle. A public-relations crisis would unfold too. A wide range of people—former supreme allied commanders, former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former presidents, foreign heads of state—will surely rally to make the case for NATO, and very loudly.
For us this signals that just as the European reliance on United States military bases and expenditure has sustained European security for over 80 years and would require continued sustained military expenditure from the EU to ward off Russia, so it is with New Zealand, Japan and Australia. An Australia less protected by the United States would need New Zealand to step up and spend more on its defence capability so that we in turn can protect our own sea lanes for trade (and those of our Pacific neighbours).
Other Trump policy positions would be easier to achieve. Bloomberg analysed truckloads of speeches and videos to distil his policy positions into some clarity.
In international trade, Trump has floated the idea of encircling the whole of U.S. industry with a 10% tariff, which would bring a fresh wave of disruptions to supply chains. If we can recall the impact to New Zealand of massive supply chain disruption across most of our manufacturing and construction base, under Trump prepare for it again.
Trump and Biden have been in lock step when it comes to a hawkish position on trade with China. The question is whether under Trump it will get to the point where New Zealand’s economy is damaged by providing ingredient or component parts for products and services with China, when U.S. trade with China is seriously curtailed with anti-trade legislation even more than it is now.
Sweeping executive orders to restrict immigration look likely if Trump regains the Oval Office, along with an order to end automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants born in the US, though that will likely face legal challenges. “They want to feast off the sweat and savings of the American taxpayer,” Trump said at a rally in November 2023. “We’re not going to let it happen. I will end it all immediately.” Any Kiwi thinking they will still be able to emigrate to the United States should consider their plans carefully.
Trump would spurn Biden’s climate policies via measures that include rescinding energy regulations such as fuel economy and emissions standards. He’d also pull back out of the Paris climate accord, a move he made while in office last time. So the idea of sustaining COP accords would get very hard.
“When I am back in the White House, I will bring back a pro-American energy policy at long last,” Trump said in a video message released in November. If re-elected, he’s promised to remove all obstacles to massively ramping up drilling in the US for oil and natural gas. Another priority: doing away with incentives towards electric vehicles and clean energy.
Dr Skilling and Bloomberg are reminding us that New Zealand’s network of an international rules based trade-focused order that enables the free flow of capital and labour and goods will under Trump quickly crack. This a set of risks that New Zealand businesses should as much as they can prepare for. Sustaining disputes by law rather than by might may also be at risk.
New Zealand has gained prosperity over 40 years within a free flow of trade under peacetime supported by minor attacks to shipping and planes, low international trade costs such as tariffs, and confidence that international trade disputes will be settled by law rather than by might is at risk: all of that required a United States President prepared to support that.
New Zealand itself is remarkably crisis match-fit having gone through serious crises about one every two years for the past two decades. So a Trump II Presidency doesn’t necessarily mean we enter some kind of polycrisis doom loop. It means that business and the New Zealand government must broaden its trade base away from the United States and China far faster than they ever have, accelerate our energy independence into electricity, confirm a broad set of materials supply lines, and prepare to secure our own sea lanes with stronger military capacity than we have now.
Preparing for the worst should be our default position in our trade, our savings, our immigration plans, our defence commitment, and in our relationships other than with the United States.
So New Zealand, prepare.
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- Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freezeCuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...1 week ago
- Fast-track submissions period must be extendedThe Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...1 week ago
- Release: Progress on climate will be undone by GovtNew Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect themNews that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunchesMore essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...2 weeks ago
- Oranga Tamariki cuts commit tamariki to state abuseTe Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals billThe Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...2 weeks ago
- Government throws coal on the climate crisis fireThe Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project insteadCancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Cost of living in Auckland still not a priorityA laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori to visit Queensland to strengthen ties with Māori in AustraliaTe Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...2 weeks ago
- Greens look to fast-track submissions on harmful lawThe Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt should stop making people’s lives harder and build more homesThe National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Melissa Lee missing in action on mediaThe action Melissa Lee promised to protect democracy and the media sector is missing, Media and Communications spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...3 weeks ago
- Landlord Government leaves little hope for rentersThe Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. ...3 weeks ago
- Opportunity to build a more sustainable economyGreen Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...3 weeks ago
- Significant step forward in fixing cruel and unjust pastA significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...3 weeks ago
- Missed opportunity but NZ will surely one day recognise the right to a sustainable environmentNew Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Don’t cut our lunches – clear message sent to GovernmentTens of thousands of people are demanding the Government commits to fully funding free and healthy school lunches. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Govt makes U-turn on Suicide Prevention OfficeLabour welcomes the Government’s U-turn on the closure of the Suicide Prevention Office, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...3 weeks ago
- Pharmac Chair appointed
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...18 hours ago - Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum DisorderHundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...2 days ago
- New sports complex opens in KaikoheRegional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...2 days ago
- Diplomacy needed more than everForeign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...2 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery BelgiumAmbassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...3 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk BairDistinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...3 days ago
- Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, TürkiyeMai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...4 days ago
- PM announces changes to portfoliosPaul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...5 days ago
- New catch limits for unique fishery areasRecreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...5 days ago
- Minister welcomes hydrogen milestoneEnergy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...5 days ago
- Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment BillThe coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...6 days ago
- Overseas decommissioning models consideredOverseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...6 days ago
- Release of North Island Severe Weather Event InquiryEmergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...6 days ago
- Justice Minister to attend Human Rights CouncilJustice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...6 days ago
- Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facilityAssociate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...7 days ago
- Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...7 days ago
- Government to introduce revised Three Strikes lawThe Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...7 days ago
- New diplomatic appointmentsForeign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...7 days ago
- Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and SomaliaNew Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...7 days ago
- Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho CollectiveMinister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...1 week ago
- Supporting better financial outcomes for KiwisThe Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...1 week ago
- Trade relationship with China remains strong“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...1 week ago
- PM’s South East Asia mission does the businessPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...1 week ago
- $41m to support clean energy in South East AsiaNew Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...1 week ago
- Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder listThe Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...1 week ago
- Judicial appointments announcedAttorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...1 week ago
- Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in SingaporeEducation Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...1 week ago
- Value of stopbank project proven during cycloneA stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...1 week ago
- Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visitForeign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...1 week ago
- Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac DayScience, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...1 week ago
- Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the PhilippinesPrime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...1 week ago
- Government commits $20m to Westport flood protectionThe Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...1 week ago
- Taupō takes pole positionThe Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...1 week ago
- Cost of living support for low-income homeownersLocal Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...2 weeks ago
- Government backing mussel spat projectThe Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...2 weeks ago
- Government focused on getting people into workBenefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...2 weeks ago
- Clean energy key driver to reducing emissionsThe Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...2 weeks ago
- Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forwardThe Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...2 weeks ago
- Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic PartnershipPrime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...2 weeks ago
- Government consults on extending coastal permits for portsRMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...2 weeks ago
- Palestine protesters stage Gaza ‘die-in’ as leaders call for step up in boycotts
Asia Pacific Report A score of Palestine solidarity protesters draped themselves in white shrouds with mock blood in a sombre “die-in” demonstration at Te Komitanga Square — the heart of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city — today as speakers urged people to take a stronger boycott against Israeli products. The ...2 hours ago - Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tackling violence against women will be the sole agenda item for a national cabinet meeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened for Wednesday. The meeting, held remotely, follows thousands of Australians attending rallies across ...3 hours ago
- Biden hails ‘press freedom, democracy’ but ignores Gaza media death toll of 142The protest outside the White House correspondents’ dinner hotel. Image: Anatolu video screenshot APR More than two dozen Palestinian journalists had called for a boycott of the dinner, writing an open letter urging their American colleagues not to attend. “You have a unique responsibility to speak truth to power and ...7 hours ago
- Fast-track Approvals Bill Presents A Serious Risk To New Zealand Exporters
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...10 hours ago - 'Immigration changes necessary' – Stanford
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says work has started on a broader accredited employer work visa review. ...11 hours ago - Green co-leader James Shaw came 'very close' to resigning as minister under Labour govtThe former minister reveals he "ended up storming out" of a Cabinet meeting over disagreements on climate change and biodiversity. ...13 hours ago
- NZCTU Welcomes Corporate Manslaughter Bill IntroductionNZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...13 hours ago
- US election forecaster with near-perfect track record not ready call 2024 just yetA historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...14 hours ago
- US election forecaster with near-perfect track record not ready to call 2024 just yetA historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...14 hours ago
- Fish and quiz: The many uses of written parliamentary questionsMinisters have to answer thousands of written questions each year - but how are they used, and for what end? ...15 hours ago
- Former Deputy PM Paula Bennett appointed Pharmac board chairThe former National MP "brings a wealth of experience" to the role, David Seymour says. ...17 hours ago
- Inside the home of New Zealand’s greatest crime writer
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own. Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...18 hours ago - ‘Apologies to Dvořák’: How a serenade for strings cemented one of New Zealand TV’s strongest...Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...19 hours ago
- An Ode to .. King Luxon
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...20 hours ago - In the studio with artist power couple Claudia Kogachi and Josephine JelicichThe pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like. ‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...22 hours ago
- An ode to the muesli bar, a national treasureThank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...22 hours ago
- Government urged to hit the gas on revamp of road user chargesInfrastructure New Zealand is pushing for new road user charges to be brought in quicker to help relieve pressure on strained transport funding. ...1 day ago
- US student Palestine protests against Israel’s war on Gaza inspire global actionAsia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...1 day ago
- Former Te Whatu Ora chairperson Rob Campbell criticises Health NZ's 'savings' directi...Rob Campbell said it shows "poor management" and is "frankly irresponsible". ...2 days ago
- ‘To lead is to serve’ – Governor-General to call PM election in Solomon IslandsRNZ Pacific The race to form the next government of Solomon Islands could be a tight one, with no single party emerging from the election with enough seats to govern. Caretaker prime minister Manasseh Sogavare’s Our Party did the best, securing 15 out of the 50 seats in the House. ...2 days ago
- Bryce Edwards – FastTrackWatch: The Case for the Government’s Fast Track BillAnalysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz) New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...2 days ago
- NZ and Türkiye pledge cooperation during natural disastersThe two countries have "a long history of coming to each other's aid", including after the 2023 Turkish earthquakes, Winston Peters says. ...2 days ago
- Waste not, want not: New series Food Waste Kitchen turns food trash into treasureTara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...2 days ago
- Vaping regulations fight 'immeasurably harder' under coalition – campaignerFocus on Politics - Successive governments have claimed crack downs on youth vaping, but the bending and breaking of rules seems pervasive. ...2 days ago
- Dog of the month: Scout, who is so independent she could be a catScout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...2 days ago
- ‘I don’t know if we were brave or stupid’: Megan Alatini on changing reality TVMegan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...2 days ago
- Behind the counter: Wellington shopkeepersA new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...2 days ago
- Iranian Solidarity Group New Zealand Condemns Toomaj Salehi's Death Sentence And The New Aggres...Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...2 days ago
- Short story: Calf Creek, by Anna ScaifeMy cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...2 days ago
- Newsroom welcomes the Secret DiaryNewsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...2 days ago
- I saw ‘The Sign’, and it opened up my eyes: All the fuss around Bluey, explainedTara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...2 days ago
- Jessica Tater has ambition without bordersWorking as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...2 days ago
- The island where people’s stories are paramountThere’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...2 days ago
- Australian author leads silence protest over ‘blood debt’ owed to PapuansAsia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...2 days ago
- Israel delays Gaza Freedom Flotilla departure with bureaucratic ‘block’Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...2 days ago
- Have New Zealanders really been ‘misled’ about AUKUS, or is involvement now a foregone conclusio...ANALYSIS: By Marco de Jong, Auckland University of Technology and Robert G. Patman, University of Otago When former prime minister Helen Clark spoke out against New Zealand potentially compromising its independent foreign policy by joining pillar two of the AUKUS security pact, Foreign Minister Winston Peters responded bluntly: On ...2 days ago
- Palestine protesters challenge TVNZ over Israeli ambassador’s ‘propaganda’Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...2 days ago
- Lynley Hood Opinion – Senator Fulbright must be spinning in his grave2 days ago
- Fast-track bill could affect NZ's reputation – Transparency InternationalThe ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...2 days ago
- We’re all feeling the collective grief and trauma of violence against women – but this is the pr...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...2 days ago
- Species living closely together in symbiosis is far older and way more common than you might thinkSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis. AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...2 days ago
- What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...2 days ago
- Jobseekers get about $345 less than pensioners each fortnight. This gap is hurting, and is set to wi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...2 days ago
- Does fighting inflation always lead to recession? What NZ data tellsHere is what 60 years of New Zealand data shows us. ...2 days ago
- The government's 20 trips abroad in AprilThe government appears committed to overseas visits with 14 ministers and MPs in 18 countries this month. ...2 days ago
- Government unveils fetal alcohol guidelines, plan for diagnosis trainingThe government is promising to step up the response to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, promising to boost diagnoses and raise awareness. ...2 days ago
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Trump would demand NZ and Australia become dictatorial fascist states just like what Putin is doing to former soviet controlled countries and dependencies like Cuba , Venezuela, Hungary 'Assad Syria the Yemen, Iran, North Korea and it's close ally China.
We would have someone like the Reversnd Brian Tamaski installed another Malignant Narcissistic fwit.
Donate to the democrats influence any US voter the only chance we have.
Democracies are in the worst danger since Hitler came to power.
Many New Zealanders support Trump.
They believe he’s the voice of reason.
I enjoy watching the ‘out in the field’ interviews at Trump rallies. When questioned about why and how Trump is so great, how he is the ‘voice of reason,’ his supporters are quite entertaining.
They all know how wonderful he is, how brilliant, and how he has done all these amazing things for America. When it gets down to “What do you mean” and “Explain that,” they’re not so good. The “But that happened under Obama,” only sometimes flummoxes them.
In that sense, here and in the US he is seen as the voice of reason whatever that voice is saying. And in that sense it is a cult. Whatever he says is gospel.
Trouble is, Robert, look at the alternative to Trump. Is Biden, or Schumer, or any of the other "Democratic" Party leaders either reasonable or moral?
Biden is more moral and more reasonable than Trump. By a long measure.
The US doesn't get third party choices because their system is FPP.
Biden is more moral and more reasonable than Trump. By a long measure.
In what way could Trump's conduct possibly be worse than Biden's conduct during this genocidal rampage in Gaza?
As terrible as Trump is, how is Biden in any way better, leave alone "by a long measure"?
🙄
Now I agree that Biden needs to stop the export of war material to Israel immediately, but if you were to actually open your eyes to what Biden has attempted to do within the US for ordinary citizens – but largely thwarted by a republican dominated house/senate you would see that he is vastly different to that buffoon Trump.
Quite right, Macro, Biden and the Democrats at least have a notional commitment to the public good—in the United States if nowhere else—while the Repugs, both the Trump Repugs and the Never-Trump Repugs, are a purely destructive organization. Noam Chomsky several years ago said the Republican Party is the most dangerous organization in the world today.
My problem with Biden and every single one of his political colleagues and advisers is the point you mentioned first: his failure to "stop the export of war material to Israel immediately."
There you go, it wasn't that hard.
Note, Ad, that the Democratic Party's commitment to workers is notional only. They're still dominated by the likes of Charles Schumer, who came up with the brilliant notion in 2016 that Hillary Clinton didn't need working people's votes, and should target donations from Wall Street instead.
Very bad move.
Note, Ad, that the Democratic Party's commitment to workers is notional only.
I believe he is recognizing that in order to maintain USA's economic dominance he has to reestablish its manufacturing base, which, decades ago was handed over to China and other low wage countries. That's probably the reason for his apparent favouring of the workers.
Biden favouring the workers by telling them to go back to work 😂😂😂
given you are posting with a pseudonym, if your email address is genuine, I suggest next time you comment you use a fake one (which is fine to do on The Standard).
"Biden is moral and reasonable than Trump"….this is actually said without the slightest flinch, about the primary enabeler of the most violent, brutal, disgusting genocide….and not after the fact, while it is still actually happening…how many children, men and woman do you think will die today Ad? …because of Biden and the Democrats..and not Trump.
Here is your morality in full display….
‘Not seen since Vietnam’: Israel dropped hundreds of 2,000-pound bombs on Gaza, analysis shows
https://edition.cnn.com/gaza-israel-big-bombs/index.html
…these are just a small part of the munitions rushed to Israel. by Biden… and you still offer this moralless cover for a party of murders..I mean this seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you liberal's?….the way you people torture and flay the skin off logic, right out in the open, to somehow make the sick fantasy that a moral Western democratic world even exists in your own heads, even in the face of what everyone in the world can see and read in broad daylight is astounding, and shocks the senses…..
Trump the Republician Party, Biden and the Democratic Party are both one in the same as far as Geo-Politics go….the scourge of the entire planet, there will never be peace while these bloodless goons remain the hegemony…..
When one reads your comments and cuts away all the froth…what you are left with is defending a ongoing genocide, defending the violent, undemocratic iron fist of Western hegemony, because it is supposedly good for world trade and most especially for people like you and your class.
Trump and Biden agreed on leaving the women of Afghanistan to their fate.
They are both messing with the WTO, one as an isolationist, the other as pro American worker.
They have a similar at arms length with China approach, with an American industrial revival aspect.
But Biden actually ended the bombing of Yemen of SA and facilitated a truce within Yemen (to enable aid and deal with a famine). This lead to China brokering Iran and SA talks.
One takes GW seriously, the other not so.
Biden's diplomacy as per Israel in Gaza is most likely firmer than Trump's would have been (who was the most pro Israeli POTUS in history).
Trump is less likely to support aid to Ukraine and thus expect the EU to carry the burden or take in Ukrainian refugees. If the GOP blocks supply in the House, the difference is insignificant.
Neither has a policy to manage the South Korea, Taiwan and South China Sea issues of our region – thus the regional arms build-up.
Maybe Trumpian US military support withdrawal has any bearing on Gaza – but I doubt it – and indeed so does Netanyahu as of yesterday's statement.
How might one measure the use of the US as a military threat? On balance how many regional wars across the world one would expect to occur as a result of that?
Regions at risk of civil and then international war in a major US withdrawal would be:
– Strait of Hormuz, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, and its primary oil access for the whole of Asia and Oceania
– Taiwan, Japan, China
– South Korea, North Korea, China
– Iraq, Turkey, Syria
– Golan Heights, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt
– Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova,
– Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia
One might ask how much worse it can get.
The answer is: very very very much worse.
You are quite mad.
It's not just me thinking like this.
https://www.politico.eu/article/can-europe-survive-trump-ii/
“It’s a form of sleepwalking,” said Ulrich Speck, a foreign policy analyst based in Berlin. “We have [French President Emmanuel] Macron’s form of sleepwalking, which dreams of autonomy and sovereignty. We have German sleepwalking, which is denial. And then we have British sleepwalking, which is detachment.”
And we have Oceania sleepwalking, which is Chinese cash helps us sleep.
US Imperialism remains the lead enforcer and enabler for Capital and international Finance Capital. There is no good spin that can be put on that.
You call it spin when it's the measure of how the world already rotates.
Ulrich Speck. He sounds like he could be related to Richard Speck.
"It's not just me thinking like this"…..this is the best your thinking partner can offer on Gaza…
"Many are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Haven't seen any calls on Hamas to surrender."
Maybe you need to find yourself a slightly smarter 'thinking' buddy there pal.
It's interesting that you both use sleepwalking as your analogy…..you obviously don't or more likely can't see yourself, that to still regard western hegemony as the higher form of world rule at this point in history, could only be maintained by remaining every day in some sort of strange daydream state of unreality yourself.
Thanks for that, Adrian. My hunch was correct, it seems: Herr Speck might well be an incarnation of Richard Speck.
What double speak.
What on-going genocide?
It uses a pretence of a class basis for rejecting collective security (as per Ukraine) when led by a coalition of democratic nations.
But no problem with the Vietnam level bombing on urban centres of Syria by the Russians in favour of a one party rule continuance in an internal civil war.
World trade is practiced by parties who want it.
Biden may be more moral than Trump. And yes a Trump administration will be worse than a Biden administration. But genocide can not be forgiven. And Biden and the Democrats will be punished for it.
The question for this country's politicians, 5 Eyes military and intelligence leaders, will be will we continue blindly following behind the dystopian neo-fascist Trump administration as we have blindly followed behind every other US administration since the end of the British Empire as the world hegemon?
Or will we; Instead of kowtowing and forelock tugging to the biggest bullies on the planet, chart a more independent foreign policy?
https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2023/02/09/maori-party-adopts-swiss-neutrality-policy/
confidence that international trade disputes will be settled by law rather than by might is at risk: all of that required a United States President prepared to support that.
A U.S. President prepared to support international law? If that were ever the case, then we would not have had the six decade long illegal blockade of Cuba, nor the undermining and destruction of democratic governments from Haiti to Brazil.
Neither would the U.S. have spent the last seventy years funding Nazi groups like the Azov Brigade in Ukraine and honouring the memory of collaborators like Stepan Bandera, and genocidal regimes in Saudi Arabia and Israel.
A U.S. President prepared to support international law? Which one was that again?
The one that has propped up the UN and all its components institutions with massive funding and diplomatic support for 7 decades.
Also the one that enabled GATT from which our dairy experts flourished.
Also until Trump supported international trade dispute resolution, which we have done very well from.
If you're grumpy about Brazil, Brazil are doing fine.
You'll only notice US absence if Trump gets in unrestrained. Cuba will be but a wry smile.
If you're grumpy about Brazil, Brazil are doing fine.
No thanks to the United States.
Brazil exports US$75.7 billion per year to the US and its going up fast. No trade isdue except upside.
The only issue in the last decade was dealng with the Trumpist Bolsonaro. But sure you're likely to get more autocratic in Brazil and elsewhere if Trump gets in.
The Washington regime was relentless in its rhetorical and diplomatic onslaught against the democratic governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and of Dilma Rousseff. Washington was unwavering in its support of the Temer coup regime which ushered Bolsonaro's horrific reign.
Dilma Rousseff was even in South America's standards one of the most corrupt politicians we've yet seen, and was appropriately chucked out for being essentially bought and sold by Petrobras. That didn't need any help from the US.
US-Brazil relations have been excellent since 1995 and has been a strong ally since 2019. Clinton loved Cardoso. Bush 1 loved Cardoso. Bush 1 was annoyed by Lula, but Bush 2 loved him. Obama adored Lula. Trump loved Bolsonaro. Biden loves Lula.
No shortage of love for several decades, with appropriate ups and downs for an independent country with its more neutral international relations particularly as a BRICS member.
Your broadside against the democratically elected Dilma Rousseff and your rehearsal of those entirely specious right wing talking points could have come straight from a Bolsonaro, or a Temer, speech.
US-Brazil relations have been excellent since 1995….
U.S. government relationships with Brazilian governments were strong after the U.S, military dictatorship it helped to install in 1964. The U.S. political establishment was startled and affronted by the election of Lula in 2003, just as they were by the elections of democratic governments around the same time in Bolivia, Venezuela, and Ecuador.
You claim that Obama "adored Lula." Lula himself did not agree. Even the dependably servile to power Grauniad had to admit that….
You've gone in 3 paragraphs from "the undermining and destruction of democratic governments from Haiti to Brazil" …
… to "Lula himself did not agree" about liking Obama as much as Obama liked him. It just turns you into a trite schoolyard US-hate-reflex. Please.
Rousseff was part of the largest corruption case in South America. She stank. She went down for it. Lula himself was sent to jail for corruption, and after several years in jail his case was only quashed not because of lack of evidence but because the convicting court lacked the correct jurisdiction. There's whole books on it; not just the "Car Wash" scandal but also the corruption of office itself.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35810578
Don't ever try and make out that South American politicians are somehow more innocent than US politicians. They ain't. Even if they are left leaning.
Now you can check out which trade institution the US didn't essentially create, which have in total stabilised world trade to the direct benefit of New Zealand:
The entire political economy of world trade is predicated on US structural funding and presence.
In trying to bolster your charge against Dilma Roussef, you have not made a wise choice by quoting the notoriously biased British state media organ. Its coverage of Dilma Roussef was, and is, about as fair and ethical as its treatment of Jeremy Corbyn and Julian Assange.
Don't ever try and make out that South American politicians are somehow more innocent than US politicians. They ain't.
That is quite correct, in the case of the South American politicians that the US armed and diplomatically and militarily supported—Trujillo, Pinochet, Galtieri, and the democracy-hating lunatics in the Venezuelan extreme right.
Even if they are left leaning.
No, the left leaning politicians are all democratically elected. They got there because they were popular, unlike the monsters foisted on them by Washington.
The term for Rouseff's crimes are called "fiscal pedalling". The sources are numerous if you don't like the BBC. She was Chairwomen of Petrobras from 2003 to 2010. Some of those years at the same time as running Lula's office.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Dilma_Rousseff#:~:text=In%202011%20and%202014%2C%20Rousseff's,an%20example%20of%20fiscal%20pedaling.
Maybe you prefer The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/aug/31/dilma-rousseff-impeachment-brazil-what-you-need-to-know
Or Al Jazeera.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/9/6/rousseff-lula-charged-in-petrobras-corruption-probe
Or Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN1BH00T/
Failing that read the books. There's multiple of them to go into the detail. Or the case notes themselves. Really not that hard.
And disabuse yourself of the idea that the left are less corrupt than the right. They just have better policies on average.
… if you don't like the BBC
It's not that I don't like the BBC. I loved Dad's Army and all those Dennis Potter dramas, and Pennies From Heaven, and The Glittering Prizes. The Beeb used to do some brilliant documentaries as well: an outstanding one I remember was Alan Yentob's thoughtful and exhilarating series on modern architecture.
The part of the BBC I don't like is their thoroughly discredited political wing. They bowed to Thatcher's demand in the 1980s to silence Sinn Fein spokespeople and have actors speaking their words instead. Their disgracefully biased coverage of the latest Israeli onslaught in Gaza is just the latest example of its craven submission to power. The great Tony Benn, one of the few British politicians with integrity, called them on their cowardice in 2009…
"The one that has propped up the UN and all its components institutions with massive funding and diplomatic support for 7 decades."
The one that will soon be rewarded for this massive funding investment, when the UN International Court of Justice delivers a grotesque judgement in favour of Israel continuing its genocidal war against the civilian population of Gaza.
The three headed hydra confabulation has no contingency fund to respond to emergency (climate change related) events
Auckland Super City – floods this year (what do comms do and when)?
Wellington Trains on too good a summers day?
What Cook Strait bridge (floods in the north could na get SI vegetables across the bridge)?
We’ve survived stuff because we do not plan to prevent …consequences of heavy trucks on roads, allow low bid bus contracts and wonder why we do not have enough bus drivers,
Western Auckland had been preparing for flooding for three decades and still got smashed: Project Twin Streams had stabilised and increased floodplain capacity but nowhere near enough. East Coast got smashed for nearly a year and would have been the case no matter what they'd done.
Then again it is already a known about how much there was to work on.
Link, after link, after link.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2023/05/23/aucklands-anti-flooding-plan-now-on-steroids/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/300891625/auckland-council-in-talks-on-moving-floodprone-roads-to-safer-ground
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-floods-tens-of-thousands-of-homes-across-auckland-prone-to-floods-water-and-wastewater-constraints-and-coastal-erosion/WI735MJYGVA6VBLQBPDO2YDVLI/
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/17-02-2023/why-do-we-still-build-homes-on-flood-plains
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2023/01/31/smarter-design-to-mitigate-auckland-floods.html
https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/media/je3potln/auckland-flood-response-review_january-27-29-2023.pdf
There sure is plenty to do in Auckland, agreed.
He will cite the winter under Joe Biden, as reason to isolate the US from global warming action, saying America is the land of exceptionalism.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/14/ferocious-us-winter-weather-could-see-low-temperature-records-set/
These sort of events you would think would change people's minds but it seems to do the opposite.
People turn inwards and don't work as a community to fix the problems but rather go I am OK Jack forget about the rest.
So that feeds into Authoritarianism.
U.S. carbon emissions shrank in 2023 for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, U.S. greenhouse gas pollution from energy and industrial activities fell by 1.9% despite the economy growing by about 2.4%. To put that into perspective: in 2023, the U.S. emitted as much carbon as it did in 1991, when the economy was about a quarter of its current size.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/good-news-bad-news-us-emissions-shrank-last-year-slowly-rcna132932
Had Biden got the support for his Build Back Better plan in the early years of this current administration, there would have been even more progress made on the climate front.
Blame Manchin for that
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4302952-five-times-joe-manchin-changed-climate-policy-senate/
I'm in the middle of a book on how far we have come in such a short space of time to address climate change. I'll do a review of its optimistic tone once I'm done but it's a useful corrective to the usual doom lop.
There's no what if's, Trump WILL win this year. Trump wont just win, he'll win the popular vote this time if Bidens on the ticket the democrats are going to be obliterated
Biden is lowest polling first term president in history.
Trump beats Biden with voters 30, independents, Latinos and Bidens lead with black voters is dissolving
Bidens age is one of the top 3 concerns of all voters.
Americans of all ethnicities and ages don't wanna fund Ukraine or Israel's military or pay for illegal immigrants and refugees while their services get cut in funding, they keep saying this and Democrats just cold heartedly screw over their voters
The economy is really bad for ordinary people and that's all that matters.
The dems are gonna lose all three houses.
Best President the Yanks never had was “Boynie” Sanders thanks to the DNC and collusion on the campaign trail in the Democratic primaries and Candidates like Mayor Pete and Elizabeth Warren with their staged withdrawals that helped elevate Joe from initial also ran.
AOC just qualifies by age to stand but the DNC would not go there! And Alexandria was badly shaken by Jan 6, narrowly escaping death in her office. Biden is a major impediment for the Democrats and voters.
Trump should be in a cell not the White House, and would only win by default.
" thanks to the DNC and collusion on the campaign trail in the Democratic primaries"
Laughable nonsense very similar to Trumps denialism that he lost the election. Other candidates withdraw from the primaries all the time, always about no money coming in. Winnowing down to last 2 or 3 is how its supposed to work
Warren pulled out because she lost in her home state – to Biden
Look at the votes cast in the primaries , which the DNC cant 'manipulate' LOL
Clinton 16.9 mill
Sanders 13.2 mill
But no doubt any evidence to the contrary to you is proof of the opposite conspiracy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2016_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries
Unemployment is low and wage growth is strongest at the low end, thus less wage inequality. Inflation is going down, without a recession.
The GOP is using the term Bidenomics as a negative, leading many to presume a recession, high unemployment and inflation is getting worse – and yet none of that is true.
It's nearly a year to go until the election, and any polling is entirely based on a theoretical Trump vs a theoretical Biden as neither is their party's nominee yet.
It'd be wise to take those numbers with a large dose of salt.
Yes, Biden has some problems. Some of them related to perceptions around his age. Others around the average voters' feelings about the economy.
But people also said his primary campaign was doomed, and now he's president. A lot can happen in 10ish months.
Turnout is king–a huge non vote, FPP/skewed electoral Collage, and voter suppression/gerrymandering are three complicating factors in US Elections.
According to various polls on women's health, minimum wage rise, union & gay rights etc. MAGA supporters are in the minority now, but, they do tend to vote like Natzos and boomers here.
It is way too soon to pick. Trump could yet get an orange jumpsuit, or Joe Biden drop out etc.
Yes.
Turnout was high in 2020 – easier mail voting. Woman sometimes have issues with voting on a working day – family, work and queues. About half the states have the vote on a working day.
Gerrymandering allows the GOP to get a House majority on a minority of the vote.
Biden's burned off almost all support from young people, and indeed any older person with a conscience.
America is a country of immigrants, with the exception of the locals that were already there when the now established immigrants recently arrived. Americans aren't "paying for illegal immigrants" because the border is not an open free for all. This is a tired trope. No social security number = no medicaid, no welfare, and no federal benefits. So what exactly are Americans paying for with this mythical boogeyman? Visa-mandated labour goes through the appropriately regulated channels and is not illegal. Have you had your place at Harvard triaged for an illegal immigrant, or your application to investment via a hedge fund 86'd by a refugee family because of affirmative action? Come on…
There's still some hope he won't.
New poll shows Nikki Haley could beat Biden by more than Trump (msn.com)
And now this very weird reason – an ad hominem attack to which Trump might be especially susceptible.
Will Americans Vote for a Man Who Is Now Widely Reported to Exude a Rancid Odor?
I remember reading about the conservative tendency to be more easily disgusted – be strange if it came back to bite Trump.
I knew there was a certain 'stench' around Trump, but that is all too weird.
Remember that dread feeling you had in November 2016? Get ready to feel that way all over again this November…
Dread? Not really. Despite my feelings about Trump, I had a sense of relief that the US dodged having Hillary Clinton as President.
It was the classic choice between two evils. Or perhaps it was Demonstably Evil versus Insane Clown.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/matt-taibbi/insane-clown-president/
Yep. There are some quality people in the US political scene, but apparently none of them mad or corrupt enough to be elected president.
https://youtu.be/H3zN4-n8ZWg?si=UtJ_MKIfhTpLxZW8
BTW Ad…here is the type of person you seem to be happy to align yourself with in the defense of NATO….but then again brutal illegal sanctions in service of Western interests never seem to bother the Liberal Imperialist class conscious….as it turns out, nothing much does.
Countries dropping dollar neutralizes US sanctions, complains neocon Marco Rubio
"China and Brazil signed an agreement to de-dollarize their trade and use local currencies. US politicians like neoconservative Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio are furious, because it means they can no longer destroy countries' economies with illegal unilateral sanctions"
Rubio is a truly repellent individual, as well as profoundly ignorant. Look at the contemptuous way he behaves when confronted by Jewish peace activists…