Open mike 15/12/2020

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 95 comments
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95 comments on “Open mike 15/12/2020”

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    1. 1.1

      Immediate large scale State house building and a complete restoration and revamp of our public health system. Obliterate the neoliberal elements in both.

      2. 1.1.2

        Obliterate the neoliberal elements in both.

        What kind of society allows, nay, encourages profiteering from illness and disability?

        When folks are living in cars, garages, or in mouldy homes while thousands are on the list for state housing, how come The Kindness can't deploy an iron fist and operate a state run non profit building and infrastructure team? It could be run by a brand new Ministry…perhaps "Ministry of Works"?

        Unfortunately change requires true commitment from Government and this Current Mob simply aren't there for those in need.

    2. 1.2

      The People's Democratic Republic of New Zealand. A full market state socialist system in which the commanding heights of the economy are controlled by the State.

      There.

      2. 1.2.2

        Liking the sound of that…"The People's Democratic Republic of New Zealand"..yeah it's got a nice ring to it.

          1. 1.2.2.1.1

            Indeed. We must free ourselves from outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the social and economical differences in our society .

    3. 1.3

      Free nurseries for riparian planting trees and native trees.

      Return universities to fully publicly funded model and rebuild their eroded reputations. International students admitted on merit, or as aid to Pacific neighbours. Develop reciprocal agreements with any high standard free universities for exchange students.

      Restore rail and coastal shipping – saves carbon and roading costs.

      Mass produce decent relocatable tiny homes for fruit/horticultural areas for pickers to live rent free during seasonal work – Queenstown should provide a few to workers too.

      Remedial oxygenators (solar pump & fountain or jets) for all degraded rivers so the microfauna can process excess nitrates and organic matter.

      Free return to workforce training for former National MPs and criminals.

      Proper pest control programs using frequently checked traps or bait stations – no more aerial 1080.

      Grant for all households eschewing fossil fueled vehicles and mowers.

      Fishery restoration project replants the kina barrens and reseeds scallops in all the heavily fished areas, restores grasses and small wetlands for inanga, supports snapper recruitment and other key species.

      Startup capital available for recirculating aquaculture or aquaponics and half a dozen preferred species imported and bred to stock startups. (Macquaria ambigua, Lates calcarifer, Huso huso, etc. ) (also Helix pomatia – not a fish but suitable for culture).

      Transition planning for hotter and drier climate – crops and animals and varieties developed and stocked to anticipate what's coming.

      Volunteer firefighting reserve of a couple of thousand trained to help in Oz or Pacific cyclone aftermath.

      Improved waste program with proper incineration of non-recyclables to reduce need for landfills.

      1. 1.3.1

        yes..!..to eschewing mowing bloody lawns..

        the two most effective moves an individual can make/do..

        ..is to stop eating animals and their bye-products ..

        ..and stop insisting on number one cuts for bloody lawns…!

        ..the lawnmower is weight for weight one of the dirtiest pieces of machinery on the planet..

      2. 1.3.2

        "Proper pest control programs using frequently checked traps or bait stations – no more aerial 1080."

        EnviroMate100TM is leading the way with this …… but the guys at the top are fixated on aerial 1080 at the moment.

    4. 1.4

      If money were no object…start a serious main stream left media organization, because a we have seen quite clearly in the UK and the USA without one the Left will never get back into power it is as simple a that.

      1. 1.4.1

        This left/right binary projection in media IMO is an issue in itself

        Truth, facts and proper 4th estate practices insulated by editorial management doesn't have an agenda. We need to go back to that which is a sea change for celebrity commercially focused TVNZ, less so for RNZ but work required there also.

        Look across the ditch as ABC Chair Ita Buttrose is serving it back to the comm's minister and the liberals over political interference.

        1. 1.6.1.1

          Most immigration and especially this one:

          ex NZ Herald "An official agency has floated the possibility of letting 500 overseas students into New Zealand every month from January."

          Politicians really tricked NZ,ers with quietly allowing students after completing their courses . to then flow on to get work then residency in NZ , then bring in their immediate families, whether their English standard was up to the mark or not ……. Most NZers had no idea that this was going on and is still going on. You really don,t need to wonder about how Auckland got in such an infrastructure mess.

    7. 1.7

      So if I was partitioning the government on policy it would be to implement a job guarantee paying the living wage. But thats obviously affordable so…

      Lets nationalise home ownership. The government will buy every residential property in the country (for about the RV). At the same time they will perpetually rent them back to present occupants at rates normalized against a reasonable fraction of incomes across the country. They will also pay councils the equivalent of rates. At the same time they will eliminate residential property titles as privately owned assets. Voila housing crisis permanently fixed.

      1. 1.7.1

        The government may well end up buying a significant number of private residences….I doubt however all….and yes they have the capacity to solve the housing crisis should they so choose…permanently? thats an unknown.

        1. 1.7.1.1

          The housing crisis would be permanently fixed, as in housing now costs a well regulated fraction of incomes.

          On the other hand its clearly a pretty dodgy idea. I don't know how your going to get people either swapping dwellings or contributing to housing improvements under such a system. I also expect some odd injustices to be inflicted by the transition as some rent and some owners have high equity. You would also expect some pretty screwy changes in other prices, and a few professions would disappear.

          1. 1.7.1.1.1

            Dont know you could say permanently….its a political decision and they can change.

            There would be substantial pushback to total nationalisation….limited however may be acceptable…and I dont think many would lament the loss of real estate agencies or property managers, but i may be wrong.

    1. 2.1

      This cannot go ahead due to demand and people will be at risk of delaying medical treatment. People require transport to get to Middlemore.

      Clinical safety could have been worked through and funding made available through the Ministry of Health.

    2. 2.2

      this is the most important line in the whole article.

      East and south Auckland’s only private 24-hour medical clinic is scrapping its overnight service after more than 20 years due to fears for staff and patient safety.

      next

      the service initially got off the ground with no district health board or external funding, but in 2014 Counties Manukau Health agreed to help support the service as part of a regional initiative, Armstrong said.

      The closure means those in south and east Auckland will only be able to seek after-hours medical care at Middlemore Hospital.
      However, the DHB “reversed course” in 2018, and East Care continued to run the overnight clinic “as long as it reasonably could”.

      “We took the attitude that our patients need us, so we had to keep sucking it up,” Armstrong said.

      It is a private clinic that can open and do what it wants in order to achieve safety for patients and staff.

      The issue you have with Middlemore not being equipped and staffed to pick up the slack is the governments inactions, and obvious lack of public medical care in Auckland – all of the previous and the current ones – that for reasons unknown still believe in the Market please fix it Fairy.

      If only we had a government that had a such a mandate that they could actually get shit done, but sadly the government is Labour led and getting more hospital capacity or funding for more staff will eat into that all important surplus that the Leader of the government needs on her CV for her next job somewhere else.

        1. 2.2.2.1

          If only we had a caring, kinder, gentler and 'social' Government with 50% plus of the vote and a single majority. If only.

          oh well……..

          1. 2.2.2.1.1

            it really is fucking up my head that we have that 'left' govt…

            ..who seem to be doing s.f.a. to fix what ails us..

            if not them..?..fucken who..?

            1. 2.2.2.1.1.1

              @Philllp ure.."it really is fucking up my head that we have that 'left' govt…" no we have a free market liberal…sometimes referred to as centrist…recently being labelled correctly as the 'extreme centre'….the Left are nowhere in sight that I can see in NZ..David Graeber on the Extreme 'Centre'

              1. 2.2.2.1.1.1.1

                yeah..my problem there is that i believed those promises made by j.ardern back in 2016..

                and tho’ it is now year four of her rule..and fuck all has been done..I am still deluding myself that she wasn't just bullshitting..

                1. 2.2.2.1.1.1.1.1

                  Yeah, I don't think you are alone there pal, sounds a lot like what many Americans feel about Obama now…disappointment and frustration…which is of course fully justified.

                  The '84 Labour govt cured me of any political illusions I had and turned me into the cynical bastard I am today..which is just as well as nothing has really come along in NZ politics to make me feel all that positive about it..except a few glimmers here and there I suppose..Helen Kelly and Sue Bradford being high among those glimmers of hope.

      3. 2.2.3

        I'd focus on the clusterf*k that is the DHB structures and all the NGO's fiefdoms and clubs across the health system that do sfa toward improving clinical effectiveness.

        Pretty clear from reading it they're disadvantaged by DHB funding.

        Treetop is correct that it should have been worked through and funding made available through the Ministry of Health but that's not how it works, DHB's appear to do as they please.

  3. 3

    This US electoral college vote is taking an eternity.

    Wonder what Trump and his supporters will do today. Something with guns probably.

    1. 3.1

      Patience. It's not yet 11:00 am in California, the Electors probably aren't even out of bed yet.

      We just need Kellyalien to tell all the MAGAmorons that the Electoral College vote wasn't a loss for their yam Voldedolt, it was an "alternative win" that they can celebrate.

    2. 3.2

      It would be nice for the farce to be over and the Trump camp to concede. A break could then be made instead of pursuing something which cannot be reversed.

      1. 3.6.1

        GARCIA-NAVARRO: What are the national security implications of the ideologies we saw swirling around yesterday at this big public rally?

        ALLAM: Well, for many years now, according to the FBI, the violent far-right has been the deadliest and most active domestic terrorism threat. But these ideologies and groups were mainly confined to the fringe. Now we see the leader of the Proud Boys getting a tour of the White House. Later the same day, I saw his members corner and beat two young Black men. The member – Proud Boys were filmed ripping a Black Lives Matter banner off a historic Black church in D.C. As you noted, there were stabbings and arrests. So, yeah, the mainstreaming of extremist groups is a hallmark of the Trump era. And analysts say it's going to be a heavy lift for the Biden administration to reverse that and to prevent political violence from snowballing.

        https://www.npr.org/2020/12/13/945989928/protests-grow-violent-after-trump-supporters-gather-again-in-d-c

      1. 4.1.1

        In Leaked Audio, Biden SHOCKINGLY Similar To Trump

        Briahna Joy Gray & Katie Halper do an impromptu stream to talk about the leaked video of Biden talking to Civil Rights leaders in the condescending, entitled, indignant, offensive, self-righteous, self-aggrandizing and incoherent way, we've all seen from him before.

        I found this unsurprising but still very discouraging.

      1. 4.2.1

        Some people…like yourself there Andre, are just so pleased to accept the crumbs and/or happily lay down and be gently sprinkled on as the powers that be trickle down something on to you, it's embarrassing to watch….

        1. 4.2.1.1

          My goodness your posting is a repetitive bore. How many Biden fans are here? It's as painful as those vague and earnest twats who approach me at parties to inform me climate change is real.

          Here's a challenge, find something positive to think about, every day. Rant for the rest of it if you must but just try get a grip.

          1. 4.2.1.1.1

            Well if I am a twat and a bore for ranting about liberalism, an ideology that Biden is the figurehead of and Ardern governs with in New Zealand then so be it.

            I guess it's everyday when I ride or drive to work and see all the fellow citizens living in their vehicles, see all the motels booked out with fellow citizens and their children who also have no home…talk to my own children who are keep poor from paying outrageous rents and crippling student debts…or after spending quite a period of time in the local hospital last year and seeing that is crumbling and unkept like some late period Soviet satellite state…then hear just yesterday that there are 151 Landrover Discoverys on back order around here, I guess it is that sort of repetitive shit that keeps me repetitive, if that's boring to you.. well sorry but I guess then I just don't give a fuck what you think….but hey you just get on with your life, and don't read my posts…I am sure you are all good, cosy, warm and secure.

            BTW, maybe it is you who should get a grip, maybe it is because good people like you are not seething with righteous outrage and indignation at the moral and ethical black hole that we have allowed to become normalized in this country, maybe that is a big part of the problem….not me ranting..but you not ranting.

            3. 4.2.1.1.1.3

              Actually, I called out your posts, not you. I'm sure you have more to say than fuck you to everyone who isn't as permanently outraged as you, martyr that you are, are.

              1. 4.2.1.1.1.3.1

                My post are me, they usually express exactly what I believe to be true or right with the information I have, though I can sometimes be convinced otherwise by a sound argument (but not about liberal capitalism) which is why I have no problem using my real name.

                1. 4.2.1.1.1.3.1.1

                  Fair enough. It is merely my opinion you'd have more to offer, and more engagement, with more balance. I've been wrong before, and I've spoken out of turn plenty.

                  And I bet I sound repetitive at times too.

                  Have a great day, and if you must, stick it to em.

    1. 5.1

      good on anz for doing that…

      ..all lefties should switch to anz…

      ..and tell them why you are doing it..

      ..show them some love…

      and how fucked is this govt…?

      ..banksters having to do their job for them..

      ..bah..!

      1. 5.1.1

        Phillip, please! Lefties switch to ANZ…

        How about holding the door open for them and the other three, so it doesn't hit their backside on the way out?

        Switch to Kiwibank or one of the other NZ owned Building Societies.

        1. 5.1.1.1

          don't tell them I said so..

          ..but I would nationalise the whole bloody lot of them…

          ..and reconfigure them to work in the interests of this country..and it's people ..

          ..and providing financial support for housing for all..

          ..would be high on the list of to-do's..

          ..we used to do it before..where young people could capitalise on the child support for their deposit…

          ..we need to get back there again..(as just one example..)

      3. 5.1.3

        I'm so confused.

        It was only a year or two ago that lefties were supposed to boycott ANZ because of the outrageous pay packets of their head honchos and the atrocious way they treated their frontline staff. And the featherbed they installed for Slur John, of course.

        But now they're heroes?

        1. 5.1.3.1

          Snort, hardly. It's bloody interesting to see the captains of capitalism saying it's time to drop house prices though. Also bloody interesting that Labour are leaving it up to them to sort out the housing crisis.

        2. 5.1.3.2

          no..they are not 'heros'…

          any good they do is involuntary…as they are acting out of self-interest..

          as the biggest lender in that area they are most exposed of all the banks to a chaotic market ending in a crash ..

          .they can see that they have to act…

          'cos the gummint sure isn't gonna do the job..are they..?

    2. 5.2

      Yeah, good job. Even better than I expected (since ASB and …was it BNZ? increased their deposit requirement to 30% a couple of weeks back).
      The action is driven out of self interest, but whatever works.

    3. 5.3

      It needs to be 80% IMO so it washes through and rebalances the market.

      Banks are probably doing this as a hedge for a hot market, reducing their exposure, rather than helping first home buyers.

      1. 5.3.1

        understandable…it doesn't take a genius to work out that what is happening now is utter madness..

        ..that if left to continue..will blow up/back on those banks .i.e..a crash..

        (the government is just helplessly flapping it's hands ..

        ..a study in ineffectuality..)

        ..so they decided to damp it down..

        ..to save their own skins..

        (and I agree re 80%..)

        1. 6.1.2.1

          I think that is more jones..

          and the vile pond-scum chorus in his comments thread…

          more 'hateful ignorance' there than you can poke a stick at…

  8. 8

    Very interesting to see transport officials have delivered a scathing rebuke to current government transport policies to reduce emissions:

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300184111/government-policy-not-enough-to-curb-rising-transport-emissions-officials-say

    Officials said that current policies would “stem some growth in transport emissions”.

    “However, stopping the growth, and starting decarbonisation, is likely to depend on placing a higher priority on investment, policies and innovation that allow New Zealanders to make sustainable transport choices,”

  9. 9

    Very interesting to see the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet pop our smug reverie about meeting our child poverty targets, highlighting that rates of children in material hardship should be expected to rise strongly, and then Jacinda Arden had to plead ignorance:

    “Its very hard for us to tell the impact we are having on the ground,” Ardern told stuff.

    “I want to know if we are going into the right direction … we don't know that yet.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123709248/jacinda-ardern-warned-child-poverty-will-rise-due-to-covid19-in-government-briefing

    This government sure could do with more pressure to do something about material hardship:

    ‘material hardship’ or ‘material deprivation’ is expected to worsen. According to Stats NZ, “material deprivation refers to a person or family lacking essential consumption items because they cannot afford them.”

      2. 9.1.2

        "We can choose not to let Covid-19 drive more children into poverty"….well I would really loved to be proved wrong, but as usual Labour and Ardern are going to do sweet FA on this one..I mean how can they stop children (and their parents I presume) being driven into poverty when they have no intention of bringing house values and therefore rents down?…in fact Adren thinks they should keep rising.."in moderation" FFS!!!

        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

          1. 9.1.2.1.1

            Maybe they will, I guess that when even banks ( whose sole job is to create debt) are starting to freak out about the debt to income ratio's these idiots might actually be moved to act…would have been nice to see them act because some more deeply held altruistic motive….ha just kidding…it's all talk with these guys when it comes to fighting inequality as they have proved time and again by their own policies and actions.

  10. 10

    'the panel'…on rnz…is boredom on a stick..

    the host is the issue…not the format..

    he is pretty much anti-intellectual..

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