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6:00 am, August 1st, 2025 - 50 comments
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Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Today's Posts (updated through the day):
There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with being rich.
But being rich and using your wealth to influence and corrupt politics and politicians to get what will make your even richer (and by inference impoverish others) is not right.
According to Thom Hartmann, Zelenskyy instituted an anti-oligarch regime in the Ukraine – and it’s something I think we should follow in New Zealand.
The definition of an oligarch in the Ukraine from about 2.30 minutes. Just over 9 minutes long.
The site won't allow me to add the link!
Another try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNNJJXflyC0
Wow – worked this time.
Then again
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/03/revealed-anti-oligarch-ukrainian-president-offshore-connections-volodymyr-zelenskiy
Adam Smith believed individual freedoms, including property ownership and competitive economic activity, could produce positive societal outcomes.
His equivalent insight was that in practice, without appropriate morality, those same things were likely to be twisted by those with wealth to their own benefit. The proponents of the market would undermine the market.
I mostly have no problem with people being rich (given I get less than the minimum wage, everyone is rich).
2 caveats- the wealth isn't a result of harming or exploiting anyone, or theft, or tax evasion. And that some of that wealth goes back into society, ie the wealth hasn't gone to their heads and all they're interested in doing is accumulating more than they'll ever need.
I agree. There are compelling arguments against individuals accruing limitless wealth.
https://jacobin.com/2025/07/billionaires-wealth-inequality-zohran-mamdani
Project 10: How the government kept the pay equity law change secret https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/568685/project-10-how-the-government-kept-the-pay-equity-law-change-secret
Meanwhile, closer to home…
Independent report just released on the Impacts of GHG Emissions on the US Climate.
The researchers report no increased frequency of extreme weather events and no sea level rise beyond the historical average rate to date.
Does any qualified body do this research for NZ?
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-07/DOE_Critical_Review_of_Impacts_of_GHG_Emissions_on_the_US_Climate_July_2025.pdf
"Independent" ?! You are having a laugh..surely? As apart from Energy Secretary Chris Fracking Wright's
oily thumbprint of approval, I also see the usual Climate Denier Expert suspects wheeled out. From your Independent link…
And indeed, NZ under its present RW, Climate Denying govt NACT1,(a major component of which is large lump NZFist's Shame Jones aka NZ's wannabe Trump) are trying to institute similar Independent Climate Denier lies here.
Almost a RW war on Science..well no almost , It fucking is !
Some of the ‘critical’ review’s five authors appear to be very devout in their beliefs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christy#Views
https://www.desmog.com/judith-curry/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_E._Koonin#Views_on_climate_change
https://ossfoundation.org/projects/environment/global-warming/myths/ross-mckitrick/
https://www.desmog.com/ross-mckitrick/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Spencer_(meteorologist)#Climate_change
Aye, thanks DMK…I was going to link them ( I have for years battled Deniers who like them as their Go-To Independent Climate Experts) but, cheers as.
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/scientific-consensus/
)
Yes, the NZ First Research Institute for Fossil Exploration and Smoking.
Wrecking our environment and society will continue – make next year the CoC’s last.
This is what NAct MPs valuing Kiwi workers looks like:
https://norightturn.blogspot.com/2025/07/more-misogyny-from-national.html
This is what CoC 'transparency' looks like:
This is what 100% pure NZ looks like:
Rage against the machine, plus NatGPT mode:
Passion is a great motivator but it's a bit like wildfire. Stay in the arena too long and it may encircle you, so best to make judicious use of time out to recuperate. I see the Spinoff commentariat are solid behind her though. Homelessness is a product of neoliberalism, so as long as Labour remains in collusion with National there's no reason to expect change. Jobs are the traditional remedy, and everyone seems slow to realise that neoliberalism is replacing people with tech by design, to reduce jobs.
Nice try blaming the rise in homelessness on Labour.
The coalition's position is to palm off homelessness, addiction, and mental health problems back to already vulnerable families and the community at the same time as removing police and mental health support from the same.
Then they misinform, distract, and gaslight the country.
It's beyond evil, but Labour, eh.
Relativity between them depends on whether difference is more evident than collusion. Labour doesn't want to spend the money on homeless shelters just as much as National, right? I agree they do sanctimony better but so what? I get that they think homeless people will trash them due to mass experience with council flats through the decades of 20th century, so deem it a waste of money.
Labour did spend money on homeless shelters, they were called emergency motels. Not a permanent solution but don't pretend they didn't do it.
Yeah, fair enough. I agree it was an attempt at practical socialism (even if nobody in Labour was honest enough to tell the media that).
Why would he – the obstacles 'everyday Kiwis' face aren't Luxon's 'area'. Once devil-may-care Lux has his (en)title(ments) sorted, he'll be outta there – back to business.
"In and out of cars all the time" – whackin' Legend!
Since early this week I have not been able to enjoy various contributions which I would scroll down to read on the right hand side of Open Mike. These contributions have disappeared and I would really like to get them back but am at a loss on how to do that. Can a clever someone help please? Many thanks.
Weren't , but now back, with a slightly different look. For me anyway…
A good starter..
https://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2025/07/sean-plunket-arsehole-of-week.html
I think you might be referring to this: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29-07-25/#comment-2039960.
I don’t know if/when we might get full functionality back.
The government has chosen to take action against gangs by "banning the display of patches" in public places. This is a public order policy, rather than an action against crime.
If it was taking action against crime … it would have banned "foreign based gangs" as criminal organisations. And thus made association with them a crime here.
Instead there is a proliferation of connections between foreign gangs and local ones. And an increased inflow of drugs.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nzs-dangerous-underworld-gangs-drugs-and-a-lot-of-money-the-front-page/5HZQI32KGNFR5OC4AID7WBB6DA/
Reckless.
After destroying NZ's relationship with the Cook Islands, Winston Peters has now allowed a MAGA official to set up a defect spy office in Wellington and provided a platform for him to goad and trash-talk our largest trading partner.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/568635/china-hits-back-at-fbi-director-s-groundless-assertions-in-wellington
And for that our exporters now face 15% tariffs to our third largest trading partner.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/568698/new-zealand-hit-with-15-percent-trump-trade-tariff
Worst Foreign Minister ever.
We would be naive to think there were not CIA officials in the US embassy in this country. Nor, FBI linked personnel as well. That's pretty normal for embassies in general around the world. This story is performative to the AUKUS relationship, and a signal to China as the FBI head noted in his speech. Politics, not crime.
It's indicative of capacity building (international crime, threats to modern infrastructure and enhancement of "governance").
The carving out of a regional time capacity here, separate from Oz, indicates an interest in the Pacific (such as money flows, fishing fleets) and also wanting a closer connection to our local domestic agencies.
It's related to the convergence between surveillance data in matters of both security and crime that Palantir represents (GSCB/NSA SIS/CIA and Crown police/FBI), the all seeing eye and predicative algorithms – pattern analysis. And from there to the concept of AUKUS Pillar 2 (they need a proper name because it has nothing to do with a sub deal between Oz, UK and USA).
It is part of the American effort at an imperial binding (in part by fear of consequences – threat of tariff punishment)(and part by offering being part of the team).
Pablo on the case.
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/2025/08/kash-patel-comes-to-town/
[I’ve removed the extraneous comment link – Incognito]
Bomber triangulates.
Money management east to west, drugs west to east, importing 501's to manage the Enzed/Pacific part in the blockchain.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2025/08/01/fbi-base-in-wellington-admission-nz-too-incompetent-to-trust/
Stuff seems to have some weird idea that the exporters pay the Trump Tax. Tariffs are paid by the importer. Paid in the USA in USA dollars. To the USA Treasury. Passed on (mostly) to USA customers.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/360777940/nz-exporters-slapped-15-us-tariff
The impact on the exporting nation is that if the importer cannot pass on the cost of the tariff via an increased price paid by the American consumer, they will then pay less to the exporter.
They have very low beef herd numbers in the US at the moment so I reckon were good for a few years of good times yet on the beef front
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/us-cattle-population-drops-to-50-year-low
My antennae tells me this FBI announcement is US bully boy politicking. We’ve been down that road before.
As for the new tarrifs. How long will it last before it gets changed again?
Insane stuff! Peters is all bark and no bite.
Our gangs are now operating on such a transnational scale and across all parts of the South Pacific islands that it is no surprise that the FBI would want to set up here.
The growth of transnational gangs here under both National and Labour into over 10,000 members is well worth the notice of the FBI to set up shop here and coordinate and assist.
It's sure a real pity it had to happen, but our NZPolice and Customs are clearly failing on our own.
FBI to set up shop here and coordinate and assist
Because American assistance has helped south America and the Middle East?!!
We are losing both the meth and the gang war, no shame in getting massively funded help.
Build a better society where everyone has enough, and shot meth dealers,
So now that the United States has imposed a 15% tariff on New Zealand goods, compared to the 10% tariff for Australian goods, the Minister for Trade is right now seeking urgent advice from Treasury about what kind of economic impact this will have on New Zealand.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/568698/nz-hit-with-15-percent-trump-trade-tariff-trade-minister-says-he-will-push-back
I am very, very surprised that Treasury and MBIE didn't already have advice ready to go for August 1 given that that this was a very well forecast deadline and it was very clear deals were being set according to trade deficits.
Finally this Prime Minister has a crisis of the scale that Ardern dealt with at least every year of her role.
What exactly has Luxon got in him to really lead New Zealand through a big economic shock?
It's because we have a trade surplus and Oz has a trade deficit.
McClay is apparently going to tell them we may not have a surplus in those years when we buy big on transport planes (Air NZ and government).
New Zealand could easily leverage, not supporting a Palestinian state, to get the tariff back to 10%.
France, UK and Canada have paved the way here.
Whether we should is another matter.
40 members of the House of Lords, say recognition of a state is based on criteria being met, namely, defined territory, a permanent population, an effective government & the capacity to enter into relations with other states as set out in the Montevideo Convention .. now part of customary law.
They state it would be "unwise to depart from it (customary law) at a time when international law is seen as fragile or, indeed, at any time." Thus claiming that by occupying territory awarded for a Palestinian state, Israel can veto it, at least while protected by the USA in the UNSC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c2lkp8rlenxt?post=asset%3A434fb073-81de-481b-b14f-74b50acb010a#post
Thus they assert the supremacy of power, those above the law can use it to deny justice to others.
We can note the unfairness in this.
Then act, by advocating for a new Road Map to manage that problem.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/568669/what-would-new-zealand-recognising-palestinian-statehood-mean
The desired outcome, 10% tariffs and constructive action in Gaza and the West Bank (and a new government in Israel – the ethnarch must go).
Once this whole bully the world into a post WTO regime of bi-lateral trade arrangements with the USA (which include tariffs as fines by Trump for disagreeing with him).
Then it would be time to form an International Trade Organisation.
A trade organisation that is a reboot of the WTO, sans USA (just as WHO and UNESCO survive without the USA, why should not a world trade organisation)?
A core principle of the WTO is most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment, meaning countries generally cannot discriminate between their trading partners. Trump's USA is in breach.
Of course the members of the ITO would need to organise a new administrative arrangement for the disputes process (with the end of the "special nations" involvement as per WTO).
The rest of the world still has common cause, trade with each other by a rules based process.
The world is moving toward finding a (new roadmap) pathway.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360778181/hamas-could-be-forced-exile-arab-states
According to media reports:
* an Auckland cafe business owed IRD $640,000 when it went under, and
* a Timaru building company in liquidation owes IRD $900,000 plus: .
How did the debts build up to that level? What are the tax inspectors doing?
My company got hounded for a $50 late filing payment last year even though we had shown my accountant had filed my tax return on time, I proved this 3 times then just paid the $50 to make them go away. Maybe I should just not worry about my GST for a few years then go broke
And that's just one creditor. Goodness knows how much they owe all-up.
A huge portion of that will be penalties. IRD's not to unlike a loan shark when it comes tax deby.
While those amounts are not small beans by any stretch..they kinda pale when this particular scumbag flips property and owes (is paywalled but there is plenty of info about previous Rickhil prolific Prakash's flipping) …
IRD apparently can now see the Money ?
Oops.