Words of Outrage or Outrageous Action?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 24th, 2020 - 30 comments
Categories: activism, articles, boycott, campaigning, crosby textor, internet, journalism, Media, newspapers, radio, surveillance, tv - Tags: , ,

Another moron said something outrageous again and gets away with it (almost) scot-free. I’m seething with anger and I need want to do something about it, about my anger that is. I go on-line and vent my spleen. It makes me feel better. Others join in and agree with me, which makes me feel good. Some disagree with us, which makes me feel exhilarated because I can take out all my frustrations on them. Life is good.

It changes nothing.

I know a little bit about how it works. Shock-jocks do it all the time. Politicians and political strategists do it too, very effectively, with powerful metaphors such as dead cat or shock therapy. It works because it is a zero-sum game, i.e. the 24-hour news cycle is fiercely competitive and we have short attention spans and little precious time. The longer I stay on a site, the better – the longer I spend in a supermarket filling my trolley with their ‘specials’, the better because I won’t be spending my money (soon to be theirs) elsewhere at the same time unless I do on-line shopping whilst being in the supermarket doing the groceries, but whoever does that?

My opinion can be as fickle and fleeting as my attention. I would hate being a shock-jock knowing that nothing I say has any real meaning or sustainability, i.e. the unbearable emptiness and hopelessness of communicating meaningless virtual BS. However, I dislike them enough to want to rage against them, in vain, so that I can convince myself that my own existence is more meaningful, in vain.

A favourite pass time is pulling highly visible and successful people down from their high horses. Tall-poppy syndrome is in many of us, I believe, and who doesn’t know the feeling of Schadenfreude? When people are not actually on a high horse, some like to put them there anyway so they can pull them down with a thud, similar to erecting a strawman and setting fire to it. In this post-modern world, it is all about feelz.

We tend to be too quick to judge and in the public eye people can go from hero to zero in 2 seconds flat. Take our revered PM, who was nominated for a Nobel Prize and lauded for the country’s effective handling of the pandemic, for which she was rewarded in the Election with an absolute majority, under MMP! The new Government was sworn in on 6 November, less than seven weeks ago, but already people call her ‘Blair in high heels’, which sounds to me a little inaccurate, unfair, premature, impatient, and puerile – stuff one would expect from certain shock-jocks.

Another recent example of supersonically fast judgement and execution was the criticism faced by scientist extraordinaire Dr John Ioannidis. He dared to speak up, as scientist and from a scientist’s point of view, and he copped criticism and worse for that. How much of that was justified or warranted, from a science point of view, is beyond the scope of this post but suffice to say, he got a short and sharp trial by public opinion and media.

But I digress, as usual.

I think an effective way of dealing with people or ideas that we dislike or disapprove of is to ignore them. Don’t give them oxygen by repeating and spreading their words, e.g. by linking. Don’t give them your time and attention, make the as irrelevant as possible and send them to oblivion. Give them the tree-in-the-silent-forest treatment.

By raging against our antagonists we amplify their voice, we extend their reach, we do their bidding, for free. I have a habit when I click on a headline and find that the piece is written by somebody who I often don’t find worthy of my time, based on past experiences, to straightaway go back to the previous page in my browser. To really show my disapproval, I could immediately exit the site altogether. Sites that rely on advertising make extensive use of analytics tools to monitor statistics such as page views, bounce rate, and exit rate, for example. Imagine if many readers would exit the site when they land on moron X’s article and keep this up for some time.

Our on-line behaviour is constantly monitored, something that now also seems to happen in real-life such as in some shops with facial recognition technology, our on-line behaviour has a carbon footprint, which we can make smaller or larger, so why not try use it to influence on-line content?

Go and make a cup of tea or coffee, talk to other members of your household if you have any – I mean, actually talk to them – water the plants, check the mail in the mail-box, while there still is snail mail and NZ Post, and talk to your neighbours, kick the cat (I don’t mean that!) or do a few stretches and breathing exercises. During the time that you spend off-line, short or long, you are not rewarding moron X and his employers with your time and attention and this will be registered in the site stats; remember that it is a zero-sum game, life is too short and precious.

Would it work? An action too outrageous? I have no idea, but what do I have to lose? The plants need watering and will love it, the cat won’t 😉

Merry Christmas to you all.

30 comments on “Words of Outrage or Outrageous Action? ”

  1. I Feel Love 1

    Myself and some friends of mine have started to write and send each other letters instead of emailing and or texting. Of course we still text if we need to, but personally I got rid of Messenger, I quit FB ages ago, I leave phone at home as often as I can. Don't get me wrong, I love the technology, and use it often, but I see it sucking people's lives too.

  2. left_forward 2

    Thanks incognito, I really appreciate your thoughtful OP. It synchronises with what was on my mind this morning. I am often tempted to reply in these ‘anger release’ kind of ways… I am learning to breathe and in the end forgive. Finding peace and goodwill is an active thing to do – it is often more important than what otherwise would be reacted to.

  3. Pat 3

    And a happy new year

  4. Stuart Munro 4

    Well of course if anger is an internal matter, Thich Nhat Hanh has a book for that.

    But the commentary process, except under transformational leadership, is exception based. Rather than building an aspirational future for people (which is left to the market, considered ineffable under the neoliberal paradigm), the state develops inertia, and responds instead to pressure of public dissatisfaction.

    We have had indeed some very shoddy media practices from time to time, but the issues that outrage public sensibilities nevertheless indicate areas for government action.

    It is not coincidental that Stuff's first prediction for 2021 is that

    Facing serious pressure on housing prices, Labour will extend the Bright Line Test, arguing this doesn’t qualify as a new tax – just a new way to crack down on people avoiding paying their fair share.

    However determined the government may be to stick to their failed model, the precipitous decline in living standards for the lower third of New Zealanders is nothing to celebrate – and outcomes are well short of expectations for the soon to be half of New Zealanders, who, unless government does something, will never enjoy the basic freedom of owning their own home.

    The economic outlook for us is bleak, but it goes well beyond economics. One cannot plant a forest garden on one's landlord's property, or a pottery kiln or a shed for whatever hobby beguiles one's creative impulses. Life is constrained into ever smaller and tighter circles, as one is obliged to wait for the rogues who ravaged the economic logic of our country to repair it. So dreams are put on hold. And that creates simmering discontent.

    What happens to a dream deferred?

    Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

    Or fester like a sore — And then run?

    Does it stink like rotten meat?

    Or crust and sugar over — like a syrupy sweet?

    Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

    Or does it explode?

    ~ Langston Hughes

    • SPC 4.1

      For mine the description of the government as Blairlite, is accurate, fair, timely and astute. Something to be expected from those aware of history and the consequence of incrementalism in management of an inequality crisis. Imagine if we had tried that approach in managing the pandemic?

      Of course the middle class appreciated the action to protect it, and it was thus without electoral cost. But that support is only retained if there is continuing government for the middle class – and thus inequality grows.

      Governing for the middle class was also the Rogernomics path and we know the consequence of that.

  5. Gabby 5

    I am also very good at giving advice that I don't follow.

  6. RedLogix 6

    The question of 'what to do about things that offend/outrage me' is linked to this post:

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/02/21/littles-hate-speech-laws-will-destroy-this-government/

    • Lucy 6.1

      Had trouble reading Chris Trotter's piece – ever since he lined up with Don Brash I find that I have a level of contempt. If you consort with liars and rouges then you lose the argument before you open your mouth. There were lots of comments and again got bored scrolling through the Daily Blog tends to have many comments – especially on free speech that remind me of incel rantings. "Everyone is mean to us and we can't do and say whatever we want". They need to grow up and see that a society has rules that tend to protect the vulnerable

      • RedLogix 6.1.1

        Rules are all very well, but the short answer is that the cost of implementing a 'MinTruth' is far, far greater than any harm caused by few otherwise marginal idiots on the sidelines.

        From Trotter's piece:

        And this, sadly, is the problem which the advocates of hate speech legislation all fail to appreciate. That people cannot be forced into abandoning their erroneous, hurtful and/or dangerous opinions. They can only be argued out of them.

        • barry 6.1.1.1

          The problem is not those that would utter hate speech, they are largely a lost cause. It is the people that hear it, and are radicalised by it. It is not to sweep it under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist, but recognise that it is harmful and discourage its dissemination.

          The vast majority of those claiming their right to spew vile hatred as "free speech" are the first to shout down (and worse) muslims and progressives that they disagree with.

          The Christchurch killer learned his twisted world view from listening to others. If we can stop the "others" then the next of "him" might not get radicalised. He is one of those "otherwise marginalised idiots" on the sidelines, and has inflicted considerable harm on a lot of people.

  7. Anne 7

    There's one kind of rage I will never overcome… nor do I want to. That is the rage one feels when injustices have occurred – injustices to individuals and injustices to groups.

    The abuse meted out to children in orphanages and other institutions which we are now hearing about is a case in point. The fact it went on for decades and those children [ex children] were never listened to is beyond "outrageous".

    NZers need to hang their heads in shame! And that includes me.

  8. Robert Guyton 8

    One approach is to jump in, boots and all then regret it afterwards, all the while bathing in the warm glow of familiarity; that is, doing stupid sh*t can feel good if you've always done it! It's akin to being a fly deep in the throat of a pitcher plant; sure, it's a hard climb out but for the moment, it smells so sweet!

  9. SPC 9

    In an editorial on STAT published March 17, 2020, Ioannidis called the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic a "once-in-a-century evidence fiasco" and wrote that lockdowns were likely an overreaction to unreliable data.

    In March 2020, Ioannidis tried to organize a meeting at the White House where he and colleagues would caution President Donald Trump against "shutting down the country for [a] very long time and jeopardizing so many lives in doing this," according to a proposal he submitted. The meeting did not come to pass, but on March 28, after Trump said he wanted the country reopened by Easter, Ioannidis wrote to his colleagues, "I think our ideas have inflitrated [sic] the White House regardless".

    Ioannidis widely promoted a study of which he had been co-author,

    It asserted that Santa Clara County's number of infections was more than 50 times higher than the official count, putting the virus’s fatality rate as low as 0.1% to 0.2%. Ioannidis concluded from the study that the coronavirus is "not the apocalyptic problem we thought". The message found favor with right-wing media outlets, but the paper dismayed epidemiologists who said its testing was inaccurate and its methods were sloppy.

    Writing for Wired (magazine), David H. Freedman said that the Santa Clara study compromised Ioannidis' previously excellent reputation and meant that future generations of scientists may remember him as "the fringe scientist who pumped up a bad study that supported a crazy right-wing conspiracy theory in the middle of a massive health crisis." On May 11, the study's authors revised the study with new figures.

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

    How many dead Americans does it take to demonstrate that criticism of this academic was warranted?

    Where would we be if we took his counsel seriously back on March 17?

    • RedLogix 9.1

      How many dead Americans does it take to demonstrate that criticism of this academic was warranted?

      Ioannidis was making the case that COVID is not another 1918 Flu, or Black Death. It's IFR rate is about 5 – 10 times worse than seasonal influenza, but it's a number that's very hard to pin down during the event. It's only afterward when all the data can be consistently accumulated and properly validated that a hard, finally agreed upon number will be available.

      The point of the OP is that science demands scrutiny. If we silence all voices who we disagree with, even ones that turn out to be incorrect, then the science process fails.

      The other aspect I deeply deplore is the mindless politicisation of the science. It was a disaster for climate science, and the same has proven true for COVID.

      Right now I'm still deeply troubled by many aspects of this disease event, far too much contradictory information, selective reporting and blatant agendas at work. There are still many unclear aspects to this disease that beg for deeper unbiased, honest investigation, but are being shouted down or labelled 'misinformation' if they deviate from the official ‘politically approved ‘narrative.

      Even something as simple as the obvious role that Vitamin D plays, is still not getting the traction it should be.

      • SPC 9.1.1

        He was arguing against lockdowns and he was wrong. End of.

        He even boasted that Trump was doing what he recommended, we all know the result and how lucky we are that no one in our government took him seriously.

        What politicisation of the science, right wing denialism? Let the carbon burn and let it spread, as alternative and equally credible scientific thinking?

        Politically approved, you mean the Telegraph Tory crusade for freedom from lockdown until the human crisis of their winter finally silences them?

        Yes Vitamin D supplements as well as getting sleep, exercise and good diet are all good for the immune system – Vitamin D especially for those older and or non white. And a healthier immune system will reduce the risk of serious health consequences from infection. And its now known that use of aspirin will reduce the risk of clotting and do the same. Also zinc is good for the cell health and supplements can be useful for older people. And these are all fairly cheap.

        The problem is the inference made by the freedom from government right that we should wait for herd immunity (with or without vaccines) and people take personal responsibility for surviving infection (the public health policy equivalent of Randian philosophy).

        • RedLogix 9.1.1.1

          He was arguing against lockdowns and he was wrong. End of.

          But that does not mean he should not have gotten the opportunity to make his case. Being 'wrong' in hindsight is not cause for abuse or silencing.

          Yes Vitamin D supplements as well as getting sleep, exercise and good diet are all good for the immune system – Vitamin D especially for those older and or non white. And a healthier immune system will reduce the risk of serious health consequences from infection.

          This 'second wave' in North America and Europe (and those are the nations where it's largely confined) are almost certainly because we've failed dismally to listen to the people who are telling us this. Why the fuck have govts everywhere completely failed to implement this incredibly low cost and low risk opportunity to reduce the death toll? Or is it more important to ensure maximum profits for the vaccine manufacturers?

          And why is it that poorer nations in the global south are actually doing relatively well at the moment? For example Argentina shows no sign of a second wave whatsoever, even when there is no containment as NZ has achieved.

          • SPC 9.1.1.1.1

            Winter has come for those in the north. The second wave has nothing to do with whether people have been taking Vitamin D supplements or not, or receive them when infected with hospitalisation (they should test levels and give boosters to those with low levels when hospitalised of course).

            It's summer in the south at the moment. The flu season thing applies. When warmer there is more ventilation – this reduces spread and of course sunlight kills the virus.

            • RedLogix 9.1.1.1.1.1

              Other factors around summer do count, like people tend to be outdoors more often, which experience now shows is a relatively low risk environment … but ultimately sunlight of course a major source of Vitamin D for the human body. But again, this obvious connection is now being deprecated as a 'fringe theory' and willfully ignored by medical authorities. And it's not the only one.

              Not all non-official ideas will of course be true, probably most will not be, but right now everything but the magical bloody vaccines is being ignored and censored as 'misinformation'.

              • Drowsy M. Kram

                But again, this obvious connection is now being deprecated as a 'fringe theory' and willfully ignored by medical authorities.

                Not all non-official ideas will of course be true, probably most will not be, but right now everything but the magical bloody vaccines is being ignored and censored as ‘misinformation’.

                That's a really interesting opinion. Is there evidence to back it up? Seems to me that medical authorities are for the most part doing their bit to promote the benefits of vitamin D supplements – heck, even the esteemed Dr Fauci has not tried to conceal that he takes a vitamin D supplement.

                "There is good evidence that if you have a low vitamin D level, that you have more of a propensity to get infected when there are infections around," he said last fall. "Those data are pretty good data." Fauci has said he takes vitamin D and vitamin C supplements.

                However: "If you really want to keep your immune system working optimally, there are things that you do that are normal things: get a reasonable amount of sleep, get a good diet, try to avoid or alleviate severe stress, which we know can sometimes impact the immune system," said Fauci. "That is much more healthy living than giving yourself supplements of anything."

                And do everything you can to prevent getting – and spreading – COVID-19 in the first place: Wear a face mask, get tested if you think you have coronavirus, avoid crowds (and bars, and house parties), practice social distancing, only run essential errands, wash your hands regularly, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
                https://www.eatthis.com/vitamins-may-prevent-covid/
                [22 Dec. 2020]

                I take a multivitamin tablet once a day – probably unnecessary but it's a peace of mind thing. As for vitamin D supplements:

                There is not enough evidence that vitamin D supplements protect people against Covid-19, an expert panel says.

                Made up of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, it said more research was needed.

                But everyone is still advised to take a daily supplement this winter to keep bones and muscles healthy.
                https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55333063 [18 Dec. 2020]

                Covid: Free Vitamin D pills for 2.5 million vulnerable in England
                https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55108613 [28 Nov. 2020]

                Vitamin D is is great for all sorts of things, but it's simply not as good as universal masks at preventing the (still increasing) spread of COVID-19 (21,667,626 "Currently Infected Patients"), and it's not as good a an effective vaccine when it comes to decreasing the severity of COVID-19 symptoms.

                I (still) think it makes sense to at least consider the consensus opinion of scientists and medical health experts; but what do I know?

                • RedLogix

                  Seems to me that medical authorities are for the most part doing their bit to promote the benefits of vitamin D supplements

                  I hadn't noticed.

                  This virus is going to be around for a good few years yet, and decent vaccine coverage is still likely to be later next year. This means that for most people there remains a good chance you will catch it. Quarantine isn't a magical, impermeable force field and even if one highly contagious variant gets loose in NZ it could be all on again.

                  So in the meantime a simple, cheap low risk vitamin, while it won't stop you catching it, is very likely to reduce the chance of a severe illness as a result. What exactly are you objecting to here?

                  • Drowsy M. Kram

                    Why is it that you hadn't (want to?) noticed, do you think?

                    There is not enough evidence that vitamin D supplements protect people against Covid-19, an expert panel says.

                    Made up of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, it said more research was needed.

                    But everyone is still advised to take a daily supplement this winter to keep bones and muscles healthy.
                    https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55333063
                    [18 Dec. 2020]

                    Covid: Free Vitamin D pills for 2.5 million vulnerable in England
                    https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55108613
                    [28 Nov. 2020]

                    Can Diet Influence the COVID-19 Mortality Rate?
                    https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/512841

                    We know what works to minimise the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases – it's not rocket science, or brain surgery – and yet, sadly, the spread of COVID-19 remains stubbornly out of control in many countries inhabited by the "golden billion".

                    And, amazingly, there are a couple of apparently effective COVID-19 vaccines already being distributed to some of the most vulnerable citizens in those same countries. Over the next six months these vaccines should make a real difference to the chances of developing lethal symptoms from a COVID infection, and once immunisation rates are high enough the vaccines could have a real impact on the spread of coronavirus too.

                    But we're not out of the COVID woods yet, either here in NZ, or anywhere else. Stay the course – Stamp is out, keep is out.

                    We don't know how lucky we are – Merry Xmas smiley

                    • Dick Michaels

                      You're giving a totally wrong impression of the coverage of vit D. To anyone who has been following this from the start, the media has hyped up a vaccine from day 1 as being the only focus and solution. I have not seen one news item in 2020 that discussed vitamins for covid.

      • Andre 9.1.2

        Ioannidis copped extra swipes of the blowtorch because his study trying to determine the true rate of infection in the community was full of the junk science errors that he made his reputation shredding other people's work for having. Crap such as self-selected non-random sampling, not properly considering the effects of false positives were just the most egregious of these errors.

        What's worse, even at the time he was using the results of his study to try to poo-poo those arguing for stringent public health responses, the evidence already existed that his headline conclusion was false. At the time Ioannidis was asserting the infection fatality rate was likely 0.1% or less, New York City already had a population fatality rate above 0.1% (New York City population fatality rate from COVID is now just under 0.3%, and the way cases took off again in November suggest they were nowhere near herd immunity)

        When it comes to vitamin D, at this point all we have is a correlation between low vitamin D levels and higher likelihood of poor COVID outcomes. There have been clinical trials looking at administering vitamin D to infected people, most of which are ongoing. But the few that I've seen that have completed suggest there is no benefit to giving COVID patients vitamin D after they're in hospital. Haven't seen any results from trials of giving people vitamin D before covid exposure, but it's unlikely to cause harm.

        However, an opinion I've received third hand from a pulmonary intensive care doctor totally stretched to the absolute max in the US is that for covid patients, vitamin D levels are merely a marker of general health and lifestyle factors that correlate with covid outcomes, and that the vitamin D level itself isn't an important factor.

        • RedLogix 9.1.2.1

          Low cost, low risk … just damn well do it and see if it helps.

          • Andre 9.1.2.1.1

            And maybe give people a false sense of security that they're protected by something that might in fact be doing nothing. But because of that false sense of protection, maybe they don't bother with whatever other preventive actions they might have otherwise taken.

  10. barry 10

    It is all very well to say that we should just ignore them and go an make a cup of tea, and in most cases we would be happier for it. Certainly adding to the noise doesn't help.

    However it is not true to say that the shock jocks and people like Ioannidis (or Billy TK) have no effect. People are influenced by them and they cost us big time. An obvious example is the Auckland August cluster. Some people involved didn't follow the health guidelines (because they were under bad influences) and the cluster grew and persisted resulting in 3 deaths and billions of dollars in cost to the economy.

    So it would be good to have the news media (including Twitter & Facebook, and talkback radio) stopping the propagation of lies, misinformation and disinformation. I know there are problems determining truth, but some of the lies are pretty obvious.

  11. Brendan 11

    Nat voter here.

    Agree Agree Agree, sometimes saying nothing is the best option.

    A mate of mine's sports team got sponsorship from a brothel.

    There was outrage in the media.

    After everything blew over, the manager threw a party and invited the team – one of the guys actually went along.

    He had just gotten $20K of free publicity.

    Or may I quote Mr Slater, who remarked that you don't wrestle with pigs, because you get dirty and the pig enjoys it.

  12. Adrian Thornton 12

    " The new Government was sworn in on 6 November, less than seven weeks ago, but already people call her ‘Blair in high heels’, which sounds to me a little inaccurate, unfair, premature, impatient, and puerile "

    Really?…

    Government kills off capital gains tax, won't happen on Jacinda Ardern's watch

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/government-kills-off-capital-gains-tax-wont-happen-on-jacinda-arderns-watch/PRAJYZ2BSONYAFTJI4HJ6JUS5A/

    Jacinda Ardern says 'sustained moderation' remains the Government's goal when it comes to house prices, as people 'expect' the value of their most valuable asset to keep rising

    https://www.interest.co.nz/property/108301/pm-jacinda-ardern-says-sustained-moderation-remains-governments-goal-when-it-comes

    6,000 Homeless In Motels A National Disgrace

    "It is a national disgrace that 6,000 Kiwis are being accommodated in motels, and a further 7,000 were in transitional housing, camping grounds, boarding houses, and other temporary accommodation.

    Another 31,000 are staying with others in a severely crowded dwelling.

    Even middle income earners are finding it difficult to afford an accessible and decent home with often 60 to 80 percent of household income going on paying the rent."

    Meanwhile…….

    Government surplus becomes largest in NZ history

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/government-surplus-becomes-largest-in-nz-history/NMCXTS4XI2RIEYPN7IZ4WWQ5WE/

    Living wage guarantee for RSE workers in border exemption

    But not for local orchard and farm workers!!!!!!! …under Ardern/Labour in New Zealand 2010…WTF.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/431752/living-wage-guarantee-for-rse-workers-in-border-exemption

    The truth about inequality in New Zealand

    "The wealthiest 20 per cent of households in New Zealand hold 70 per cent of the wealth, while the top 10 per cent hold half the wealth. At the other end of the household wealth spectrum, the bottom 40 per cent of households account for just 3 per cent of total wealth.

    …shows a steady increase in income inequality beginning in the 1980s and continuing into the early-2000s."

    And this is exactly the same neoliberal ideology that Ardern and Labour are inflicting on the country today,and will again tomorrow and for as long as they govern, just like every other neoliberal Labour and National government has done since 1984…so why the fuck wouldn't you be angry?

    I mean seriously Incognito, why would you write this piece? People should and have the right to feel rage and anger at what they feel has happened and is happening to our country, our towns and communities, fellow citizens and the planet, expressing that opinion in what ever form it takes is one of the things this forum is here for. Most people know (many only instinctively I think) that much of this damage has been brought about by the pursuance of a political concept that has lust for endless growth at any cost which is destroying and devouring our future and that of our children …so I say, so what if we get angry and rage on the internet here and there…personally I think there isn't enough rage by half….sure most of it is ineffectual at the moment…who cares? Let us rage, at least citizens are displaying some emotion and passion about something that isn’t fucking rugby or some other sport, which apparently in NZ is the only thing that you are allowed to yell about it….none of us can know who’s rage and anger could turn into the spark that ignites the flame of change that will come at some point…lets just hope it is the progressive Left change so desperately needed.

    Turn Labour Left!

  13. Adrian Thornton 13

    But seeming its Christmas eve and all, let’s keep it positive for the kids and pets..so here is a little something for all you Labour supporters out there (just to prove good things happen under Liberalism too!), yep a little something that has been spawned out of the destroyed Southern States of the great USA during this disastrous neoliberal hegemonic epoch (but we won’t yell about it)…and very much like what liberalism has done to us, this tune rolls over you like some sort of unstoppable lahar, a force of nature if you will….I give you Weedeater…you can thank Milton Friedman for this creation …happy Christmas one and all!!!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNzzb9fK6cA&list=RDwZDwDzuQwb0&index=2

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    The Detail this morning highlights the police's asset forfeiture case against convicted business criminal Ron Salter, who stands to have his business confiscated for systemic violations of health and safety law. Business are crying foul - but not for the reason you'd think. Instead of opposing the post-conviction punishment and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    8 hours ago
  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    8 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    9 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    10 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    13 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    16 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    18 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    14 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
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