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5:30 pm, July 29th, 2026 - 12 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 …
There was much consternation among golf playing boomers that a fat white guy winning the British Open didn't get top billing during TVNZ's sport coverage on the day of the FIFA World Cup Final.
But on this day Zoe Hobbs won a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal and the NZ Herald prefers, as usual, to run stories about brown people committing crime. Catnip for Herald readers I suppose, but do they have their priorities wrong?
I'm not sure if this has been posted on here but Hipkins and Labour once again refuse to meaningfully take on the inequity in our tax system by sticking to the 'narrow' CGT and rule out considering the Greens or TOPs policy proposals:
https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/07/28/hipkins-no-way-labour-will-support-opportunitys-tax-policy/
What this means is, once again, those voters who want more bold left wing policies must vote for the Greens to drag Labour left. A party vote for Labour will be taken as approval of their current approach.
Perhaps our right-wing troll farms, the FSU and TPU, might like to comment on this, the public service boss cancelling the political thoughts of their members and members' representatives.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/830007/public-service-boss-tells-union-to-pull-change-the-government-postcards-from-workplaces
After all we have had it described to us by the FSU and their boss Simeoan Brown, that political expression by publicly paid individuals is completely fine. As for adjacent organisations supporting such individuals, that is better than fine, it is to be encouraged.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_farm
what's your evidence that FSU are using sockpuppets, bots or fake accounts to create the appearance of independent public opinion?
This ruling of the NZ Media Council to Ani O'Brien's complaints against the Spinoff and Politik in their description of her actions in the Jade Paul-Chris Hipkins media frenzy came out in June.
'In part of the story analysing the coverage, a subheading – The oxygen from the right – went on to talk about how the story had drawn attention partly because of how it had been amplified…Ms O’Brien said the implication that she was “amplifying” or “pushing” the story was simply not true.'
The NZMC says 'On balance, the Media Council believes that The Spinoff’s article was not unfair, nor untrue, and that Ms O’Brien was giving oxygen to the story. This was not a chat with a friend, but comments made to a large online audience and retweets, capturing a larger audience.'
https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/rulings/ani-obrien-against-the-spinoff-and-politik/
O'Brien's actions may not fit the exact definition of trolling viz wiki, but it's certainly troll-adjacent. Use the term 'whale-oiling', perhaps.
Is O'Brien a sockpuppet, bot or fake account? No. Then troll farm doesn't apply. By all means name what she actually does, that is important. But unless there is evidence that the FSU (or apparently now AO) is using those techniques, the term doesn't apply.
If the left wants to be taken seriously, it needs to act in a serious way. I love some good hyperbole myself in certain circumstances, but what MB is doing is actually misleading. MB didn’t say FSU were trolling, MB used the term troll farm, which has a specific meaning.
We have enough shit from the right on that score, no need for the left to follow suit. We're mean to be the ethical grownups in the room.
You know she's on the FSU council right?
Fact that Roche was appointed by the present government (and bears one of the titles resurrected by a man who coveted one for himself) tells us all we need to know about where he's coming from.
Does your slur hold for Sir Trevor Mallard and Sir Michael Cullen as well?
It does a bit. I don't see why we continue to retain these antiquated leftovers from imperial times, and no-one calling themselves a true progressive should take one. So good on the late James Brendan for sticking with his republican instincts and declining. And IMHO – heresy! – even the sainted Jacinda's was offered and accepted too readily.
FSU – Fucks Sakes Union? We need to see through the glass clearly at this end stage of our civilisation and not have to clear our way through a curtain of Capital Letters.
Hipkins has hordes, hates horse, horrors!
Gordon tut-tuts at Labour somewhat after that. Feeble excuses, etc. Too soon to write them off though. Could be McAnulty has some kind of whiz-bang scheme planned.