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5:30 pm, August 3rd, 2026 - 29 comments
Categories: Daily review -
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Daily review is also your post.
This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Are flatfish prone to lying?
They got shifty eyes.
Ha! Shifty eyes – that's excellent!
I was going to say, "talk out of the side of their mouths", but shifty eyes is unbeatable!
When they’re not lying, they’re floundering.
Can't come up with anything better, despite all my sole-searching.
Though Luxon is always going on about bottom feeders…
And Seymour's famously a yellow belly.
Luxon is so relaxed, he’s gone sideways like a flatfish.
Do you think he does that on porpoise.
Holy mackerel, mikesh – you're casting your net wide!
After Luxon's apology today and the unemployment numbers out Wednesday, Luxon will surely be dragging his team down to 23%.
He's ballast.
Was it J Key his mentor, who said "Explaining is losing?" I for one hope JK is right!!
Maybe the new Act leader has a solution for the big ones in the current govt………
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/361014664/paul-henry-says-there-are-lot-little-shits-classrooms
The Coalition is continuing with its sinking-lid approach on the science sector.
https://www.psa.org.nz/news-media/more-than-400-science-workers-will-strike-tomorrow-govts-new-science-institute-attempting-to-revert-to-inequitable-performance-pay
The Coalition offers less than peanuts to highly trained & qualified staff who do important jobs, mostly behind the scenes. These conscientious professionals can do with less stress, which will affect their performance. In any case, performance-based pay is a zero-sum calculation that puts an artificial ceiling on any incentive to do better and/or to put effort into professional development.
Still, one could a be a lot worse off when working in the arts sector.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/pop-culture/02-08-2026/has-the-arts-sector-ever-done-it-this-hard
Martyn the bombastic Bradbury has his day in court in an election year.
Background
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/why-i-am-willing-to-go-to-prison-tomorrow-for-free-speech/
https://thestandard.nz/open-mike-03-08-2026/#comment-2068732
SLAPP
This has been a serious free speech issue for over a decade.
It is a tactic used by the powerful to censor others.
Yet it seems that our Free Speech Union has no interest in the matter, this is a tell as to how close it is to the Taxpayers Union.
https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-slapp-suit-legal-experts-explain-how-these-lawsuits-suppress-free-speech-251098
https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-slapp-suit-legal-experts-explain-how-these-lawsuits-suppress-free-speech-251098
https://theconversation.com/topics/slapp-3354
The court case event
The weeks delay appears to be punishment for alerting the wider society to the court case and the issue it involved.
What anything meant was not specified – does he want a show of fearful compliance – elimination of the post alerting the public to the court case?
The judges own decision to delay added to the risk to the complaint being identified before the matter is resolved (if the offending posts were referenced – given wayback machine).
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/361055957/free-speech-union-says-hdca-remains-bad-law-blogger-faces-court-test
FSU on twitter yesterday, 3.23pm
https://x.com/NZFreeSpeech/status/2084117950538371380
There is a difference between HDCA (here the complainant has taken offence and seeks an apology) and SLAPP (resort of the established to litigate exposure).
I was responding to your comment,
Also of note is the animosity between FSU and BB
As far as I know, the FSU has made no statement on the SLAPP issue.
I'm not talking about SLAPP. I'm referring to the idea that the FSU hadn't had no interest in the matter.
I know, but if you had not noticed my post was about SLAPP, and the FSU have not shown any interest in the threat posed by the corporate establishment to free speech by litigation.
Including to Greenpeace.
https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-slapp-suit-legal-experts-explain-how-these-lawsuits-suppress-free-speech-251098
Note that Franks did not refer to SLAPP's, merely saying that litigation was legal, given corporations are now able to use law brought in by this government since HDCA (and there are alternatives to HDCA for individuals).
I took the FSU saying 'we don't like the law, but don't be afraid to use it' as being about the relationship between FSU and Bradbury, but I am completely guessing.
More seriously, they did say they want the law changed.
No – they oppose the HDCA legislation and want it changed but they have no problem with it being litigated while it exists.
Such litigation, SLAPPS, does not just relate to the HDCA legislation but other legislation that can be litigated – including that designed to protect corporate interests passed in the last term.
I know. I'm not talking about SLAPP. I'm talking about the idea that FSU were unsupportive of BB or not interested in the issue. I said that already.
What did Bradbury do wrong ???
It is alleged in a complaint that 4 of his blog posts breached the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA) and were “personal attacks”.
https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-slapp-suit-legal-experts-explain-how-these-lawsuits-suppress-free-speech-251098
We don't know. Someone sent a legal letter saying take down these 4 posts and apologise, and probably referenced the Harmful Digital Communications Act. He’s not allowed to say who sent the letter, nor the exact details eg which posts.
He was in court today and the judge has deferred for two weeks.