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6:00 am, August 2nd, 2025 - 66 comments
Categories: open mike -
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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):
Old fast track, new fast track
Was it Luxon’s idea to cancel pay equity claims under urgency?
New Post up:
Old fast track, new fast track
New Post up:
Was it Luxon’s idea to cancel pay equity claims under urgency?
Hipkins signals left/right consensus on the fast track principle:
So he's invoking the sanctity of commercial contracts as a moral principle that trumps state power. A good way to front with loyalty to the control system, a true soldier of neolib authenticity, the ideal role model for sheeple. Don't spook them!
Post up now,
https://thestandard.org.nz/old-fast-track-new-fast-track/
Can we put you (weka) as one against?
against what?
That's quite an imagination you have there, I read it as politician shows the mature level headed way forward as opposed to idiots that get elected and petulantly tear down everything that was done previously there by crashing the economy.
The economy continues to flat-line, so any crashing of it will come from Trump's tarriff warfare I expect. Labour supporters will be thrilled that Hipkins is so keen to support National, as you imply, but any genuine left alternative will require a real leader to emerge and front it. Chloe's hunt for homeless voters won't work.
"Chloe's hunt for homeless voters won't work." I believe you mischaracterise why Chloe Swarbrick advocates for the homeless.
Is she hunting for votes among our 5000 homeless?
Or, is she pointing out to all of New Zealand that we all are diminished by living in a society where some 5000 are so disadvantaged that they do not even have a roof over their heads?
https://thestandard.org.nz/what-i-would-like-from-the-labour-party-conference/#comment-1200703
We should do a little poll on it here.
Can we take it you (bwaghorn) are a supporter of this? Tweaking but not repealing the fast track legislation.
And we can put me down for one against.
Sounds like Bearded Git is another against.
if you quote you have to link.
Also, there's a post for discussing this.
https://thestandard.org.nz/old-fast-track-new-fast-track/#comment-2040339
That's where the quote came from.
Didn't want to distract your post by running a poll. Perhaps you could do another as a post poll?
I'm against morons petulantly undoing the last governments work , I'm sure there's parts of fast tracking that will be positive, of course if you stop people that donate to political parties from being eligible to fast tracking that'd be a start.
Maybe this fast track malarky can be a blessing in disguise. Because if it can work for the compressed dinosaur industries then it can work for more progressive initiatives.
Solar farms/installs. The pumped hydro scheme. Upgrade of the wharves for future proofing and earthquake risk.
A great environment for MoW 2.0 to come into existence.
Can we put you (gsays) down as another one for tweaking?
Metaphorically, it's not the first time someone has wanted to put me down
.
Well, if politics is the art of compromise… then use their tactics against them.
Use their short-sighted, knee jerk bullshit to achieve infrastructure that will last generations.
If there is a change of government, I would hate for there to be a lot of faffing, consulting, polls taken and navels gazed at before a touch of tinkering took place.
Act has shown us what the tail can achieve, hopefully The Greens and TPM take heed.
Lol.
There is a time for compromising. But when legislation is largely opposed (which I think fast tracking is) there is no need to compromise.
I suspect that is largely because National mostly also support Act's desires. Whereas, Labour aren't as supportive of the wishes of the Greens and the MP.
Which is frustrating as a frustrating thing.
A kinda weakness or characteristic of the left. We don't like the right but will not tolerate those to the left of us.
A rhetorical question- Who in Labour disagree with the notion 'What's good for Maori is good for all'?
Didn't Labour also have a fast-track plan when last in power?
Nevertheless, don't see this sitting too well with the left block.
This announcement should help to give the MP the win in the upcoming byelection
Yes, sort of.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/resource-management-reform-report-back-makes-useful-changes
Thanks.
Bread and circuses update.
The NPC season has started with a thrilling match between Auckland and Waikato. The second half in particular where (spoiler alert) Waikato came back from 19 points down with 20 minutes left to clinch an unlikely win.
Closer to home Manawatu showed what a mix of experience and youth, when connected can achieve. They prevailed over the visitors, North Harbour 38-25.
In a bitter southerly in front of a sparse stand, Brayden Iose shone in his 50th game for the 'Tu alongside former Warrior and All Black Ngani Laumape and dimmunitive halfback Viljoen.
This season looks brighter than it has for many years for a team that is scattered with local talent.
On that note the two main High Schools in the area have their First XVs in action today.
PNBHS host Rotorua Boys High School in the final of their Super 8 competition. The first time since 2005 PNBHS has been in the final.
Meanwhile over in Filly, Feilding Ag First XV host Lindisfarne College in the semi-finals of the Central North Island Schools competition.
Both games kick off around midday.
PNBHS won their Super 8 final, for the first time since the competition started 1996, beating Rotorua BHS 25-24 with a penalty on the final hooter.
FAHS are into their Central North Island final @St Peters Cambridge after beating Lindisfarne 29-20.
Some good news
I like what Bryce Edwards is up too.
https://theplatform.kiwi/podcasts/episode/bryce-edwards-on-why-the-integrity-institute-funds-newsroom
https://theintegrityinstitute.org.nz/
But Cameron Slater isn't too happy about it.
https://theplatform.kiwi/podcasts/episode/cam-slater-on-bryce-edwards-the-integrity-institute-funding-newsroom
And Sean Plunket wants in on the funding.
What is the good news??
What Bryce Edwards is up too
Shining light on funding and influence and working to create better ways of operating to ensure our democracy is not undermined by those in power or with influence.
I see, thanks for the belated clarification.
This was discussed here recently: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29-07-25/#comment-2039967.
And what is that exactly? Explain yourself otherwise it looks like you’re spam-dumping links here with nothing to say and nothing useful to add, which is not the kaupapa of TS, as you know. We prefer reasoned commentary that can be debated here.
IMO, the mainstream media is badly letting us down. Thus, initiatives like this are long overdue.
The fourth estate plays a vital role in democracies and we need more in-depth investigations.
Especially when our system allows political donations.
It is rumored there is a lot of favours, payoffs and backroom deals taking place in this country. And it's about time the fourth estate did a better job at looking into these.
And not just local lobby groups. There has been speculation about the Chinese. The WEF. The Atlas Network and other outsiders using influence here.
And I think the more eyes on this the better.
Not all eyes are the same and neither are all PoVs. I like what Newsroom is doing.
What do you know about The Integrity Institute?
I sometimes think there is so much going on these days both within NZ and overseas, that the media doesn't know where to start so they choose not to start at all. Yes, we are poorly served these days, although there are some damn good journos who do try.
Scandanavian countries (unsuprisingly) and Ireland are well-served by their media. I was a bit surprised to see RSF had downgraded NZ's "Press freedom situation" from good to satisfactory in 2022.
Keep 'em honest – as much as is possible in these $$$-mesmerised times.
My, NZ, how few journos you have! All the better to buy most of them…
Talking of piss poor media reporting, Pablo has written a superb post exposing the new Wellington FBI Office as being nothing but a Clown show largely for the benefit of "the Oval Office".
Excerpt:
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/
What an embarrassment and the journos reporting on it fell for it hook, line and sinker.
PFFFT! Another bunch of 'worthies' advocating a CGT – tell it to someone who cares.
A CGT, land tax, GST changes and compulsory KiwiSaver.
But no wealth tax.
Wouldn't an estate tax be easier to administer?
Don't know – you could ask your accountant
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/ird-report-shows-wealthy-nzers-pay-much-lower-tax-rates-other-earners
Imho, NZ society needs a CGT, an estate tax and a wealth tax, but we don’t always get what we want. I like the Green Party's tax calculator – anyone can try it here.
And sure, anyone can also critique a wealth tax as being unfair, or difficult to administer, or, or – always err on the side of the wealthy eh.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/16-08-2022/the-side-eyes-two-new-zealands-the-table
I was thinking more along the lines of exemptions for the poor.
And gains being realized
The poor won’t be paying CGT, Land Tax, or a Wealth tax, at least not personally and directly.
Tax is not only about redistribution, e.g., through progressive income tax brackets, but can also be applied to the rentier economy and unearned incomes. This could apply to cash-poor but asset-rich. When you talk about ‘poor’ you may want to define it, so that we can actually have a useful conversation.
Re the Rockstar Economy, it could be I'm Sorted Two Step.
Akin to The Raconteurs Rich Kid Blues.
Edit, in looking up the clip I discovered it is a cover of Terry Reid's original.
TBF, Jack White and crew stick pretty close to the original. I must check out more of Terry Reid. I like his sound.
Famous for turning down offers to front Led Zep & Deep Purple. Clearly an afficionado of the fine art of making clever career moves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Reid
His albums River & Seed of Memory are worth a listen.
Chur, will give them a go.
Another win for sex realists and materialists.
The English Blackball Pool Federation has won in court against a trans-identified player who wanted to keep competing against women after the EBPF made women's competition female only again.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/transgender-pool-player-ban-harriet-haynes-b2800323.html
Costs were awarded to EPBF.
Noting that the Independent's positioning that this is banning trans players is wrong. Hayes can compete in the men's competition. Trans men can compete in the women's competition.
This is also important, because after the UK SC ruling that for the purposes of the Equality Act sex means biological sex, the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission is preparing new guidance. The idea that excluding trans-identified males from female spaces is discrimination on the grounds of gender reassignment has been rejected by the court. Protection on the characteristic of gender reassignment still exists, it just doesn't trump women's rights or the sex characteristic.
Every week in the UK there are wins like this. It comes at a cost. Thread here on the outcome and the impacts on the people involved,
https://x.com/QcWynter/status/1951254049719771510
I think the UK laws have it right. Women have a right to sex based provisions when it is proportionate to do so.
Trans IDed people should not be discriminated against (eg in employment, housing, income, access to health care, etc)
I’ve often wondered how did we ever get to this point, it is puritanical madness. However I had an epiphany the other day, my nephew recently come out as gay (I knew this several years ago, before his parents knew). My sister in law has now become one of the most lgbtixyz friendly people to have ever lived. There is a lot of over compensating, people who were indifferent, unaware or ignorant of the lgbtixyz community previously, are now demonstrating how good of an ally they are. I had gay friends as a teenager, and I was gay, for about 30 minutes at a drunken student party. I quickly came to the conclusion that I’m pretty much straight and preferred getting freaky with girls, and drinking with the boys.
Please do not confuse same sex attracted people with the rest of the "Alphabet Swamp". Gay men, Lesbian women and Bi-sexual people are same sex attracted. The rest of the swamp are straight. There is no LGBTAI +++++ "community". We have been invaded, our good name tarnished, our flag stolen, and our history re-written to serve fetishists and exhibitionists.
There's an article today in The Australian about the discrimination and harassment lesbians face as a result of the Aussie laws that favour trans IDed people over same-sex attracted people. Archive version here.
That article says the judge relied on the Supreme Court FWS ruling, and not science. Emma Hilton, developmental biologists with a special focus on sport, says on X/twitter she was an expert witness for the rule to exclude trans IDed males.
She outlines some of the scientific reasons in her X timeline. Emma says she watched 300 pool games in doing her research.
She also explains some other key things in the judgement. This is the first of 5 points she makes.
Interesting that the banning of transgender women from pool doesn't rest on safety grounds or even physical fairness grounds*, which only leaves depth and history of participation, ie (I assume) men have greater participation and experience in pool and therefore a transgender woman bringing that experience to a ladies comp is somehow unfair.
*I do accept some physiological characteristics enjoyed by some transgender women might create an advantage in pool, height and arm length perhaps, but do you also ban women over a certain height?
Objectively, it looks again like conservative transphobia at work.
no need to ban for height, we just have a category for women because of fairness. Afaik pool does have disparities between female and male players, which is why the EPBF reinstated the female category. Read Karolyn's comment, it's explained there including links to the scientist who gave evidence (power of opening shot is another physical difference)
I find the incessant breaking down of women into body parts hugely problematic, especially in this context where its being used as a political tool, and then it ties into the objectification of women’s bodies generally.
Puberty doesn't just make men grow taller than women, it makes significant changes to a whole range of anatomy and physiology. Read some of the links we drop, because there is a lot of discussion about this from scientists, researchers, sports people, and sports journalists. It’s actually pretty interesting. Where you say 'perhaps', there is already a large body of evidence that removes that doubt.
This bar graph is a good illumination of the political tribes in Britain: https://www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2025/07/30/apologies-if-this-polling-triggers-brexiteers/
It seems to be a follow-up on an earlier poll in which most respondents felt the UK is on the wrong track. So their framing explores the dimensions of that majority view. Whereas Brexit did it for the largest sub-group the 2 rightist tribes have a totally different skew in which Blair did it. Peculiar!
Also, the UK Greens are now in leadership campaign mode: https://leftfootforward.org/2025/08/voting-is-now-open-in-the-green-party-leadership-election-who-will-win/
So you add these 3 people together and get 2 candidates; journo logic.
So the leftist view is that current political culture is bitter criticising plus vicious outriders in the Greens leadership race. Well I never. As my grandparents used to say in the mid-20th century. I know, the Brit Greens will defend their ethos by saying it's social darwinism at its finest! They may add that outriders are real cool and everyone ought to use them. The reporter, in the best traditions of contemporary journalism, delicately side-steps the challenging task of explaining what all the fuss is about…
I don't know about "journo logic" but when I read the following bit in the story I became thoroughly confused.
"In a slightly complicated set of rules, the party could end up with a single deputy leader or it could end up with two. If Polanski is elected as a sole leader, there will be two deputies who must be of different genders. If Chowns and Ramsay are elected, there will instead be a single deputy."
Say what? how are they going to decide whether they are getting one (or two), leaders.
Can somebody say he/she is standing to be the sole leader and a couple stand with the intention of sharing the job?
The media have gone quiet over the big story of the week: the surreptitious visit of the FBI Director, Kash Patel who opened an FBI bureau. The main Opposition Labour Party was not informed of this in advance.
We have been told by the Govt, that the primary aim of the exercise is to work with our FBI partners to fight “transactional crime syndicates“. Granted they are serious, and the more agencies across the globe who work together to destroy them the better.
Just one problem: Kash Patel gave away the primary reason for setting up the bureau. It is to help counter the effects of China in the region. That translates to me as an admission that Trump’s US believes its position as the No.1 super power is under threat from China. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Will it make any difference?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360776778/fbi-opening-base-wellington-after-director-kash-patel-makes-secret-visit-capital
So now we have Trump’s band of crooks with a large foot in the door. How long will it be before we lose our sovereignty and become subservient to a fascist state where anybody who holds views contrary to the new ‘Fuhrer’ could find themselves in prison for sedition or something worse. We’ve seen it all before in the 1930s and 40s.
About Kash Patel from Wikipedia:
“He founded The Kash Foundation, a charity to help participants in the January 6 United States Capitol attack pay legal costs. Patel has promoted several conspiracy theories about the deep state, false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, QAnon, COVID-19 vaccines, and the January 6 Capitol attack”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kash_Patel
It could also be about fighting transnational organised crime, which costs us all.
Conspiracy theories are much more fun, until you get dragged into a wormhole and start believing crazy stuff.
It’s the weekend, I’m about roll a joint of the best electric puha that can be legally prescribed by my good friend Dr Feelgood. I could pass on his contact details if you like 😉
You dunned not read the post proper did you.
Ignore what history has taught us at your peril. Its the likes of the blind, the deaf and the stupid [looking at CoC politicians in particular]. That is why we are doomed to repeat them.
Oh, I meant that the FBI Office in Wellington is about fighting transnational crime, not the conspiracy stuff. You can spend too much time reading between the lines, that you forgot to actually read the lines.
I too believe that we should be aware of the lessons from history. Which has taught us to be wary of stupid people (of any political persuasion) in large numbers.
When I heard the spin about FBI setting up shop in Wellys (transnational crime), my first thought was the modern slave crimes we are good at here in Aotearoa. Nevermind it's less nocuous colleague migrant expolitation.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/568468/new-zealand-authorities-investigating-over-40-trafficking-offences
But we both know the FBI presence here ain't about what they say it is.
Passport debate? What debate? Nice one from Daniel Vernon @yeehawtheboys
Just following orders.
/
ISTANBUL
A Palestinian lawyer has exposed shocking testimonies of sexual torture, rape, and systematic abuse of Gaza detainees in Israeli prisons, warning that Israel is using such practices to intimidate Palestinians and defy international law.
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Khaled Mahajna, a lawyer with the Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, said one of the most disturbing cases involved an Israeli female jailer who stripped a
Palestinian prisoner in his 30s in a prison courtyard and raped him while mocking him, despite his hands being shackled.
“She stripped him of his clothes in the courtyard of one of the detention camps and raped him. She continued for several minutes using methods and tools that cannot be described, acts that surpassed brutality and reached pure sadism,” Mahajna said, adding that the episode was worse than the infamous Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq in 2004 during the US invasion.
[…]
Sexual violence
According to Mahajna, the abuse is not about extracting information but about collective punishment.
“Even the youngest jailer has a green light from the government to do whatever he wants to Gaza detainees, not to interrogate them but purely to torture and humiliate. This path is particularly focused on sexual abuse,” he said.
He cited testimonies of female prisoners from Gaza describing rape, sexual assault, and coercion, as well as cases of men subjected to sexual torture.
“One elderly prisoner from Gaza was tied, stripped, and assaulted with a stick inserted into his body. They filmed it and shared it among themselves for pride,” he recalled.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/-worse-than-abu-ghraib-palestinian-lawyer-details-sexual-torture-of-gaza-prisoners-in-israeli-jails/3645399