What “terrorism” means

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, May 28th, 2013 - 100 comments
Categories: racism - Tags:

From Vice magazine:

VICE: What do you think about the media reaction to the Woolwich murder?
Glen Greenwald: Media outlets reacted pretty uniformly to the attack. They reacted the way that media outlets typically do to these kinds of incidents, which is by simply stating that it was a terrorist attack and channeling outrage about the unprecedented, barbaric act that everyone saw take place.

Do you think it was a “terrorist” attack?
What the word terrorism typically means in reality, functionally, when it’s most commonly used by our media, is that the perpetrators are Muslim, and that they are driven by either religious or political motivations. I think that when it became clear that the perpetrators were Muslim (they said “Allah Akbar” during the attack), then media outlets instantly said that this was an act of terror, and politicians sort of did at the same time. The premise here is that if the violence is perpetrated by Muslims against the West, for a political cause, then by definition it’s terrorism, but not the other way around. It’s very typical to call this a terrorist attack without including all sorts of acts of violence that the US and UK has routinely engaged in over the last decade.

For example, the murder of a Muslim man by white supremacists this month. That wasn’t labeled “terrorism” by the press.
Right, even though hate crimes have very clearly ascertainable, political goals—they are designed to terrorize communities, to express all sorts of political sentiments—and yet very rarely do they get called terrorism. Even when you look at what Anders Behring Breivik did in Norway, it was a day-long frenzy by the western media insinuating that this was done by Islamic terrorists, and then as soon it was discovered that the person responsible wasn’t Muslim, the word terrorism kind of disappeared. This is even though he had an overt, political agenda that he was seeking to advance by violence and terror. I think that the word terrorism has almost exclusively become reserved for violence by Muslims.

In a similar vein, there has never been an “Operation 8” style event run by the New Zealand State against any of the white supremacist groups in new Zealand.

Indeed could you imagine armed police dragging the good white folk of Amberly out of their beds, and locking the town down, because Kyle Chapman and co had set up shop in the neighbourhood?

100 comments on “What “terrorism” means ”

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  1. Ennui 1
    28 May 2013 at 8:16 am

    The major terrorists “own” the media, run the “empire”, occupy other countries….the “minor” terrorists respond in kind as far as their lack of real firepower allows. Both want control of our minds, our reactions , our response. Fear is the enemy. They both frighten me, but to defeat fear we must confront both.

    • aerobubble 1.1
      28 May 2013 at 2:15 pm

      How does an attack on a soldier amount to creating fear among the people, especially when a women is seen talking rationally with him. Certainly there are political elements to this attack, religious too, but I don’t get the terrorism angle, I’m not a soldier. Arguably how is this any different from anyone who attacks a soldier in a time of war, we are at war you know, he obviously has sympathies for the enemy and so should tried under military law. Not terrorism in my view.
      Giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

      • One Anonymous Knucklehead 1.1.1
        28 May 2013 at 2:22 pm

        Combatants not in uniform…

      • tracey 1.1.2
        28 May 2013 at 2:25 pm

        “we are at war you know”

        No, I didn’t know. Black Englishmen formerly of Nigeria? Have we sent troops? or do you mean “Al Queda”, that catchall that means just about anything nowadays so long as a “muslim” is involved.

        March 2013

        “The United Kingdom’s military says its warplanes recently spotted in Nigeria’s capital city were there to move soldiers to aid the French intervention in Mali — not to rescue kidnapped foreign hostages.

        Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/10/british-military-warplanes-spotted-in-nigeria-moved-soldiers-for-mali-not-for/#ixzz2UYAgNyGk”

        “Although Libya has more reserves, there were 37.2 billion barrels (5.91×109 m3) of proven oil reserves in Nigeria as of 2011, ranking the country as the largest oil producer in Africa and the 11th largest in the world, averaging 2.28 million barrels per day (362×103 m3/d) in 2006. At current rates this would be 45 years of supply if no new oil was found.”

        Anyone remember Rwanda? The 800,000 raped or murdered in 100 days? Don’;t recall military from the west going in, don’t recall the condemnation. Do recall Rwanda has no oil.

      • Ennui 1.1.3
        28 May 2013 at 3:18 pm

        When you go around running people down and then trying to decapitate them you are every bit the terrorist a man “piloting” a drone attack is. The drone man takes a tea break at Maccers, the terrorist in London took time out to talk to a passerby…..they are both still terrorists.

        Terrorism includes as a definition randomly killing people you don’t know for some motive you perceive them to be in breach of: they don’t get a chance to state their case. They die, which is very coercive and creates fear.

        • Colonial Viper 1.1.3.1
          28 May 2013 at 3:41 pm

          War is fearful, it always has been, it always will be. It’s war, not a tea party.

      • Psycho Milt 1.1.4
        28 May 2013 at 3:56 pm

        …we are at war you know…

        We are? Who are we at war with?

        Arguably how is this any different from anyone who attacks a soldier in a time of war…

        Depends on the circumstances. There’s killing a soldier of a country that’s at war with yours, and there’s killing some random soldier of your own country on the basis of some perceived offence by your own country’s army. The first is an act of war, the second makes you either a nut case involved in a hate crime, or if there’s some political aim behind the murder, a terrorist. The political motive seems pretty clear in this case, so yes terrorism.

  2. Psycho Milt 2
    28 May 2013 at 8:24 am

    I do find it difficult to imagine NZ’s security agencies taking Chapman and his mates seriously. Their mistake with Operation 8 was based on cultural/ethnic ignorance rather than racism, ie their ignorance of the concepts involved led them to believe that Tame Iti and the various Whitey ‘activists’ they rounded up might be in some sense less comically incompetent idiots than Chapman’s group.

    As for Greenwald, he has the smarts to be able to redefine terrorism such that military action by western democracies meets the criteria as well as actual terrorists do – which just goes to show intelligence doesn’t equate to wisdom. As an intellectual exercise it might have a certain somewhat contemptible something, but as commentary it’s rubbish.

    • kiwicommie 2.1
      31 May 2013 at 3:55 am

      Anti-terror laws and now cyber-security laws are mostly based on paranoid fears, and just result in racism and discrimination against minority groups i.e. Unfair targeting of people of Arabic descent, rampant islamophobia amongst police and politicians, or attacks on a disfranchised minority group (like Tuhoe). There is no need for such laws, the sooner they are repealed the more safe everyone will be.

  3. muzza 3
    28 May 2013 at 8:52 am

    The apparatus employed by the machine, is the real terrorism – Financial, warfare, oil cartels, the peddlers of misery against all levels of humanity.

    Yet these same people, employ politicians end so forth which is supposed to placate the herd, while believing they have some say in their daily lives!

    Watching/listening the attempts to re-programme the minds of the herd, using such simple techniques as repetitive lies, must be called for what it is, well done Zet!

  4. Ugly Truth 4
    28 May 2013 at 8:57 am

    What Woolwich murder?

    A man’s body contains about five or six liters of blood. Just ask anyone who has worked in trauma response how much blood there would be on the ground if a man got his head hacked off. Your heart beats for as long as it has oxygen, it doesn’t need signals from the brain to work.

    Same as the Boston bombing. Jeff Bauman #1 supposedly gets his legs blown off but there is no blood on him or the people immediately around him soon afterwards. Jeff Bauman #2 seems to recover well, but strangely the shape of his ear is different to that of Jeff Bauman #1.

  5. vto 5
    28 May 2013 at 9:04 am

    The Woolwich act was surely not murder but an act of war.

    England is at war with these people. England attacks them and they respond by attacking a soldier.

    wtf the problem?

    • Ugly Truth 5.1
      28 May 2013 at 9:20 am

      The problem is that people do not acknowledge the role of the CIA in promoting terrorism.

      ‘The policy of guiding the evolution of Islam and of helping them against our adversaries worked marvelously well in Afghanistan against the Red Army. The same doctrines can still be used to destabilize what remains of Russian power, and especially to counter the Chinese influence in Central Asia.’ ~ Graham Fuller, ex father in law of Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s “Uncle Ruslan”.

      http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/boston_terror_cias_graham_fuller_and_natocia_operation_gladio_b_caucasus_and_central_asia/

      • One Anonymous Knucklehead 5.1.1
        28 May 2013 at 9:27 am

        Are Chomsky, Herman, Selden not “people”?

        Did William Odom, Ronald Reagan’s NSA director not say this?

        As many critics have pointed, out, terrorism is not an enemy. It is a tactic. Because the United States itself has a long record of supporting terrorists and using terrorist tactics, the slogans of today’s war on terrorism merely makes the United States look hypocritical to the rest of the world.

        Or are your perceptions leading you astray again?

        • Ugly Truth 5.1.1.1
          28 May 2013 at 9:30 am

          OK, _most_ people don’t acknowledge it.

          • One Anonymous Knucklehead 5.1.1.1.1
            28 May 2013 at 9:35 am

            Wrong again. 53% counts as “most”.

            • Ugly Truth 5.1.1.1.1.1
              28 May 2013 at 9:47 am

              Straw man. “U.S. policies” isn’t the same as the specific policy of the radicalization of Islamists.

              From the pdf:

              In its WorldViews survey conducted in May 2002, the Chicago Council on Foreign
              Relations (CCFR) and German Marshall Fund (GMF) found that majorities of citizens of six European countries believed that U.S. foreign policy “contributed to” the September 11 terrorist attack.

              • One Anonymous Knucklehead …
                28 May 2013 at 9:53 am

                Yes! Because the CIA has nothing to do with “foreign policy”, does it?

                It isn’t charged with:

                …three principal activities: gathering information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals; analyzing that information, along with intelligence gathered by other U.S. intelligence agencies, in order to provide national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers; and, upon the request of the President of the United States, carrying out or overseeing covert activities and some tactical operations by its own employees, by members of the U.S. military, or by other partners.

                So of course you must be absolutely right.

                • Ugly Truth …
                  28 May 2013 at 10:24 am

                  “Because the CIA has nothing to do with “foreign policy”, does it?”

                  Of course it does. But the fact that Wikipedia doesn’t explicity mention the CIA’s radicalization of Islamists doesn’t mean that it doesn’t actually happen.

                  • One Anonymous Knucklehead …
                    28 May 2013 at 10:28 am

                    The fact that I haven’t challenged the assertion doesn’t mean that it doesn’t actually happen, either, but it does seem to indicate some sort of cognitive problem.

                    • Ugly Truth …
                      28 May 2013 at 10:39 am

                      I expect that self diagnosis probably isn’t much fun, but would you like to hazard a guess as to the nature of your difficulties?

                    • One Anonymous Knucklehead …
                      28 May 2013 at 10:52 am

                      Yep. You keep making wild leaps of faith where logic belongs, and in this particular case, it led to a false belief that I questioned your assertion that the CIA gave philosophical aid.

                    • Ugly Truth …
                      28 May 2013 at 11:07 am

                      “it led to a false belief that I questioned your assertion that the CIA gave philosophical aid.”

                      I didn’t assert that the CIA gave philosophical aid. Radicalization isn’t aid, it is manipulation.

                      Please continue to expand on your cognitive difficulties.

                    • One Anonymous Knucklehead …
                      28 May 2013 at 11:10 am

                      “Philosophical aid” is a euphemism for “radicalisation”, but speaking of cognitive difficulties, I didn’t question that either.

                    • Ugly Truth …
                      28 May 2013 at 11:21 am

                      “but speaking of cognitive difficulties, I didn’t question that either.”

                      Did I imply that you did?

    • Psycho Milt 5.2
      28 May 2013 at 9:32 am

      England is at war with these people.

      With which people? The murderers are black Englishman of Nigerian ancestry – haven’t noticed war being declared against that rather small group. I guess you could say that the UK (England doesn’t get to go to war with anyone as a separate country and hasn’t for a couple of hundred years) does consider itself to be at war with Muslim terrorists, but that kind of wrecks the argument that these guys weren’t terrorists.

      • vto 5.2.1
        28 May 2013 at 9:39 am

        “With which people? ” Good question, and one for UK to answer.

        My point was more around the definition of “terrorist” usually meaning people who attack civilians. This was not an attack on a civilian – it was an attack on a soldier. So, wtf the problem?

        It was not an act of murder it was an act of war. He was a solider and had even served in those countries where the UK is at war.

        • Psycho Milt 5.2.1.1
          28 May 2013 at 10:50 am

          Good question, and one for UK to answer.

          No, it’s one for you to answer. You say the UK is at war with “these people” without saying who you mean by “these people.” It’s not at all clear which people you’re referring to, and I’m asking for clarification – who exactly are “these people” the UK is at war with, which apparently includes these two murderers?

          It was not an act of murder it was an act of war.

          Well, a war crime perhaps, if we were to somehow believe that the UK is at war with black Englishmen, which I doubt very many people do. Still, if you were able to define “these people” the UK is at war with in such a way that it includes the two murderers, it would be possible to make a case for them being irregulars engaged in guerrilla warfare. That would be awesome from the right-wingers’ pov, because it would mean they could lobby the govt to summarily execute them.

          • vto 5.2.1.1.1
            28 May 2013 at 11:10 am

            Well, hmmm, the UK is at war in various middle east, african, asian and other countries (by way of association with the US). The acts of war that the UK commits appear to be aimed at people of more hardline Islam extraction such as Al Queda and the like, not countries. As such, they are at war with people of more hardline Islam extraction, amongst more no doubt.

            The person who did this spoke about his people being attacked by UK forces. He identified as one of “these people”, I guess by dint of being islam, being more hardline, being from one of the countries being subjected to this war by the UK, and no doubt by family and other ancestral links. I suspect.

            But this is going off on a tangent and perhaps a more credible way to look at it is … if there is no “these people” then who the fuck are the English people killing? As I said, it is a question for the English. Do the English expect that they can go off doing their shit and then sit back and say nyah nyah nyah we aren’t actually at war with “anyone” so anyone who attacks us is a “terrorist” or whatever.

            Bottom line, in one view – that soldier was at war with people. He got attacked as a soldier because of it. This is war.

            So, wtf is the problem?

            • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1.1.1
              28 May 2013 at 11:15 am

              Apparently the much hyped global war on terror includes fighting and enemy combatants “over there”, it’s not supposed to happen “over here”.

              Also when we kill their villagers, we are simply prosecuting a global war on terror, when they kill us, they are murderers, terrorists and mad men.

              Hmmmmmm.

              • vto …
                28 May 2013 at 11:30 am

                Yep, that’s it.

                Quite frankly the outpouring over this Woolwich act exposes the hypocrisy and evil detachment that the west has created in this. The outpouring has no more credibility than the dozens or more killed every day in the countries where England is at war – in fact it has less credibility due to the victim being an active soldier.

                If English soldiers do not want to be killed then the English should not go to war.

                Unless I am missing something??????????

                There are a few English commentators around here – their view would be interesting…

            • Psycho Milt 5.2.1.1.1.2
              28 May 2013 at 12:50 pm

              As such, they are at war with people of more hardline Islam extraction, amongst more no doubt.

              If so, they’re doing a piss-poor job of it, because Britain is full of murderous Islamists it could be killing or imprisoning, and yet it isn’t. That’s because it’s actually at war with some quite specific groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, not with itself. If you could make a case that the UK is at war with hardline Islamists, that would again be awesome from a right-winger’s pov but decidedly shitty from a left-wing one.

              There’s room for debate about whether this is terrorism or an ordinary old hate crime, but “act of war” it ain’t, unless you buy into that “war of civilisations” bullshit.

              • vto …
                28 May 2013 at 12:58 pm

                Why is it either terrorism or a hate crime and not an act of war? What constitutes an act of war that leads you to that odd conclusion?

                • Psycho Milt …
                  28 May 2013 at 2:21 pm

                  What makes it not an act of war is that the world’s Muslims aren’t at war with Britain and Britain isn’t at war with the world’s Muslims. There may be some twats on both sides who’d like a war, but so far reason has prevailed.

              • Colonial Viper …
                28 May 2013 at 1:11 pm

                There’s room for debate about whether this is terrorism or an ordinary old hate crime, but “act of war” it ain’t, unless you buy into that “war of civilisations” bullshit.

                Uh…how many Muslim/Arab countries have the US/UK attacked since 2000?

                How many NON Muslim/Arab countries have the US/UK attacked since 2000?

                Obvious track record is obvious.

                • Psycho Milt …
                  28 May 2013 at 2:25 pm

                  OK, so you do buy into that “war of civilisations” bullshit. Does that translate into support for the EDL wanting to get the Muslim “fifth column” out of the UK? Or into supporting a Muslim victory? Or is it just that you’re unaware of the implications of what you write?

        • tracey 5.2.1.2
          28 May 2013 at 1:16 pm

          He wasn’t in uniform was he? Are you really saying because someone is in a soldier’s uniform it is by definition an act of war?

          So when those soldiers int he US went doo-lally and shot their wives was that an act of war or murder?

          It was murder, which should be enough to satisfy anyone. The morbid over interest in the suffering of this guy and his family bewilders me.

  6. BLiP 6
    28 May 2013 at 9:20 am

    ‘

    I’ll just leave this here, its nearly ten years old by remarkably prescient and still valid today:

    http://youtu.be/CdFmN24Upeg

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 6.1
      28 May 2013 at 10:20 am

      +1 PoN is required viewing.

    • Colonial Viper 6.2
      28 May 2013 at 12:32 pm

      Holy frak. Thanks BLiP. Much recommended doco, everyone. Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Cheney,…some of these freakin names have been circulating the halls of power for a long time.

      • One Anonymous Knucklehead 6.2.1
        28 May 2013 at 4:09 pm

        The other two parts of this documentary are worth seeking out too. The absurd similarities between the protagonists on both sides are quite telling.

        • Colonial Viper 6.2.1.1
          28 May 2013 at 4:37 pm

          Basically they needed each other, like some kind of dysfunctional relationship.

          Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don’t do it!” He said, “Nobody loves me.” I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”

          He said, “Yes.” I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?” He said, “A Christian.” I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?” He said, “Protestant.” I said, “Me, too! What franchise?” He said, “Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?” He said, “Northern Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”

          He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.” I said, “Me, too!”

          “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.”

          I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him over.

        • Colonial Viper 6.2.1.2
          28 May 2013 at 4:56 pm

          Toxic memes being passed on in society

          This is worth watching too

  7. Brett Dale 7
    28 May 2013 at 10:25 am

    The terrorists who were white that did the boston bombing massacre were rightly called terrorists.

  8. Bill 8
    28 May 2013 at 10:39 am

    Woolwich. An off-duty soldier is targetted by two individuals and murdered/killed. Terrorism is the indiscriminate targetting of civilians. But civilians were engaged in conversation by the two guys in Woolwich – not threatened or targetted.

    BBC/Woolwich. BBC offered up a lame apology after the event for describing the two guys as being of ‘Muslim appearance’. (The link is to the ‘toady’ Daily Mail – you’ve been warned) Question: What the fuck is a Muslim/Jewish/Christian ‘appearance’? And why would any other than the most deeply indoctinated use such a term?

    Security services/ Woolwich. Anti terrorism legislation used to ‘pick up’ associates of the two guys – ten so far and one following a BBC studio interview. So now if you commit a crime and I know you, I’m up for grabs?

    Boston. FBI shoot an associate of those two guys dead during questioning. Claimed he attacked them with a knife during the interview. Possible: But an army of doubt marches across my mind on that one.

    Where else? What else?

    Well, what about the kid in the states who wrote some rap lyrics, posted them on facebook, and has been held for a month and faces up to 20 years on terrorism charges?

    And, I suspect, it goes on and on and on…..

    Here’s another. An 82 year old nun and two pacifists aged 57 and 63 (members of Transform Now Plowshares) in jail and awaiting a sentence to be handed down in September of up to 30 odd years on terrorism charges after trespassing.

    And that’s before we widen the focus to include the ‘softer oppression’; the likes of the now 30% of people living in the UK who are too poor to participate in society. And, of course, growing numbers of them will not be able to access health care (probably most noticably dental), tertiary education (unservicable fees and loans), decent housing (bedroom tax leading to ghettoisation and homelessness/suicide)…

    The post asks: What terrorism means? Well, all it means – increasingly and increasingly obviously – is that Social Democratic governments use a term as a fig leaf to mask an inexorable drift towards more exclusive and despotic modes of governance.

    • Ugly Truth 8.1
      28 May 2013 at 11:18 am

      “Where else? What else?”

      Boston, an early suspect ended up dead in a river.
      Boston, according to infowars the two FBI agents who died in a helicopter incident were involved in the Tsaernev case.

      http://kaperville.com/original-suspect-in-boston-bombing-found-dead-in-a-river/
      http://www.prisonplanet.com/2-fbi-agents-involved-in-dzhokhar-tsarnaevs-arrest-fall-out-of-helicopter-and-die.html

      Woolwich, a friend of Michael Adebolajo said that MI5 asked Adebolajo if he wanted to work for them about six months ago.

      • Colonial Viper 8.1.1
        28 May 2013 at 12:36 pm

        That person also said in the TV interview that MI5 had been harrassing Adebolajo for an extended time, and it turns out that Adebolajo complained to his lawyer last year that MI5 had been actively harrassing him.

        The doco above that BLiP links to is very interesting. Interrogation and torture by western trained security forces was pivotal in the radicalisation of some people who were fundamental to the Islamic Jihad movement.

      • tracey 8.1.2
        28 May 2013 at 12:59 pm

        We need to read all accounts with caution be they the authorities or the friend of a murderer. In my experience few things are black and white. What “appears” (for ugly truth) straightforward is a young man was brutally attacked in Woolich. Beyond that (and in ugly’s case including that) we need to be cautious about what is the “truth”.

        Propaganda didn’t die with the cold war and was never only coming from eastern Europe. We are propagandised every day in a myriad of ways by the media, politicians, companies and so on.

  9. tracey 9
    28 May 2013 at 12:54 pm

    I understand a live grenade 9with pin in) was thrown at or in a mosque the night of the murder. That was not described as terrorism? Why can’t we call it murder until we know more? It’s like murder is “bad” enough enough, people have to be the victim of terrorist acts. It’s politics, pure and simple.

    As for england being at war with these people vto, do you mean ex-pat nigerians living in England, People who convert to Islam? be specific or do you mean “the war on terror” (TWOT) – that amorphous phrase used as a political catchall?

    it’s awful this young man was murdered. Just as it’s awful when anyone is murdered. We really need to stop grading deaths;

    this one was really important, makes the news and the Pm speaks;
    this one is awful but doesn’t need widespread highlighting

  10. tracey 10
    28 May 2013 at 1:20 pm

    So being killed by a “terrorist” is worse than being killed by a “husband”, stranger? Not to the dead person. What a strange differentiation.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 10.1
      28 May 2013 at 1:28 pm

      The differentiation is in the motive.

      • Colonial Viper 10.1.1
        28 May 2013 at 1:32 pm

        Raising of fear, us giving our power to the authorities and politicians, the civilised peace loving “us” versus the barbarian hateful “them”

        • tracey 10.1.1.1
          28 May 2013 at 1:54 pm

          yup, strange indeed. Even stranger we fall for it.

          So many are so excited cos they HATED the end of the “reds under the bed” era.

        • tracey 10.1.1.2
          28 May 2013 at 1:54 pm

          yup, strange indeed. Even stranger we fall for it.

          So many are so excited cos they HATED the end of the “reds under the bed” era.

        • Ugly Truth 10.1.1.3
          30 May 2013 at 10:12 pm

          Cicero described Roman humans as homo humanus, the others as barbaric. Rome never died, its power base shifted to religious institutions and it’s legacy evolved into the civil law.

      • tracey 10.1.2
        28 May 2013 at 1:52 pm

        I know why there is a differentiation but it is largely political and vacuous, imo. Is an assassination no longer an assassination or a “terrorist act”?

        What WILL we use the word assassination for?

        If Jonestown happened today would it be terrorism because of a misguided religious motive? It seems to me we could really piss off the so-called terrorists if we just called them murderers.

        • One Anonymous Knucklehead 10.1.2.1
          28 May 2013 at 2:02 pm

          Not sure that holds. Repellent as it may be, terrorism, or political murder if you prefer, has a ghoulish logic which holds, for example, that the more senseless, innocent and defenceless the target, the higher its value.

          “Show them we mean business”.

  11. tracey 11
    28 May 2013 at 1:55 pm

    “Two men have been arrested for attacking mosques in south-east England as the backlash against the butchering of a British soldier in Woolwich begins.

    In Gillingham, Kent, a man ran into the local mosque and started smashing windows and bookcases. Meanwhile in Braintree, Essex, it is alleged that a man attacked the Islamic place of worship with a knife and explosive device.

    Both the attackers have now been arrested by police.

    In Gillingham, one witness told Kent Online they saw a man enter the mosque and start smashing glass, specifically targeting cabinets containing copies of the Qu’ran.”

    One yelled “where is your Allah now?”

    No mention of terrorists though.

  12. Matthew Whitehead 12
    28 May 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Terrorism, says the media, is political violence committed by The Other. That can be white muslims, or queer people, or women, or vegans, or environmentalists, or basically anyone that scares the more regressive elements of our society.

    If you’re white and right-wing, however, then you’re not a terrorist, you’re just crazy.

  13. Don't worry be happy 13
    31 May 2013 at 1:25 am

    Like everyone I was stunned and shocked watching the footage of the aftermath of the Woolich attack but (having it suddenly dawn on me) have a question for anyone’s input…

    Was that footage taken by a professional camera crew?

    It’s just that I thought that the voice over implied that it was taken by on lookers on their phones.

    If that is true then the person(s) who took the footage I watched was way in control…the camera didn’t shake, or pan wildly to other scenes developing, it focused relentlessly on a guy quite close covered in blood and holding weapons and it didn’t waver. There were no exclamations, no sharp intake of breath, prayer, not even a ‘Shit’ or an OMG…nothing expressed by whoever took that footage.Weird I thought to myself….

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 13.1
      31 May 2013 at 7:12 am

      Tired of the “official explanation”? Decide what really happened, then make your own case with Google Forensics™.

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    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    23 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    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
    19 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
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

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  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

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  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

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  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

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