Open mike 17/09/2023

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 39 comments
Categories: open mike


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39 comments on “Open mike 17/09/2023”

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  2. 2

    Another ticket clipping organisation with no responsibility or accountability run by an ex-MP/PM.

    Fingers in pies.

    Angus Burney called Manawanui’s response and handling of the situation “negligent”, with a lack of “adequate oversight” or accountability. She was “dismayed” by its response to concerns.

    She said the individual funding system which the family drew on to employ Utting “allows for that abuse” to occur, and said in her opinion it was “beyond belief” Utting was still a carer.

    In particular, a lawyer who worked with the family has singled out a disability social enterprise, Manawanui, which acts as a funding conduit between Whaikaha/the Ministry for Disabled People and disabled people receiving individualised support. Manawanui is owned and chaired by former prime minister, Sir Bill English.

    Manawanui’s Marshall and English said in a joint statement that while the individualised funding structure was “nothing short of transformational for many disabled people”, they were “genuinely concerned at the experience” of the Wairarapa family and were open to hearing from them.

    But they said it was the role of the disabled person or their family to ensure that the carers they employed were “performing their roles appropriately”, and that Manawanui wasn’t an “employer”, rather a “facilitator.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/300915160/former-all-whites-goalkeeper-michael-utting-faces-fresh-allegations

    Reminds me of the Shipley CV vetting saga with Momentum.

    New Zealand's spy agency is expected to be drawn into the embarrassing saga of a top defence official who has quit after allegations he falsified his CV.

    Former National Party president Michelle Boag is a senior executive at Momentum in the public relations field, and former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley is on the Momentum Consulting Group board.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/spy-agency-faces-flak-over-cv-saga/CPOVG5LLE3HPFUOVRLJS3Y2OFE/

  3. 3

    Turnout decides elections.

    Triple the vote is a volunteer project that has proven to work in recent international elections:

    It’s simple; have a conversation with three friends and ask them to vote. Then follow it up once ballot boxes open.

    Behavioural science shows that it works because people listen to people they trust.

    If thousands of people triple their vote, then we triple our collective power this election!

    …

    We all have people in our lives who want to see a better world, but think voting is pointless, or they are just too busy to make it a priority.

    Yet, these are the people who will decide our future.

    Your task is to think of three people who:

    • Care about people and planet
    • Are unlikely to vote
    • Or undecided on who to vote for

    Reach out and tell them about why this election matters to you, and ask them to make a plan to vote. You know your friends and family best, so follow your instincts.

    https://triplethevote.nz/

    Do not let apathy or despair prevent action; the election result is not a fait accompli. Agitate, educate, organise, for the people, the planet and the future!

    1. 3.1

      Take heart, troops!

      This is not scientific, except in the sense that a computer matches customers with my car.

      I drive uber 2 nights a week, and ask all my passengers if they intend to vote.

      About 90% of the time this leads to further discussion, when I urge them, particularly young voters, to exercise their democratic duty. If they’re not sure, and many aren’t, I tell them about 'vote compass.'

      But, during these discussions, well over 60% are receptive to the Greens, and are very conscious of climate change.

      Labour, not so much, but I couldn’t print some of the things I’ve heard Luxon called. And Act is something of a joke to many young people.

      This election is not lost by a long long way, if this very random selection is anything to go by.

    2. 3.2

      I have to say Arkie, this strategy cuts both ways. I am talking to my left wing friends who say they can’t/won’t vote for Labour and Greens and encouraging them to vote to remove this Govt. There are quite large numbers of these people, many of them women, who want women only spaces and don’t want children from 5years old being told that their sex is assigned at birth and there are 20 plus different genders.

      if only labour had have treated these women respectfully and tried to come up with solutions to accommodate trans people while keeping women’s spaces for women

  4. 4

    Russell Brand should be in prison, and I say that as someone who isn't a fan of prisons.

    He's a serial predator, with a slew of denial tech at his finger tips. There's nowhere else for society to go in the face of such denial, and he will damage women in the process.

    Left and liberal men need to pay attention here, because being on the 'right side' doesn't make one immune to being a violent fuckwit. A big part of this story is how many people knew what was going on and did nothing. Not a unique story that.

    This is an in depth, long investigation by multiple journalists and with many, many sources.

    Russell Brand accused of rape, sexual assaults and abuse

    Four women, including one who was just 16, make allegations after an investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russell-brand-rape-sexual-assault-abuse-allegations-investigation-v5hxdlmb6

    Paywall free version,

    https://archive.ph/NwmVQ

    1. 4.1

      Lets not have another Assange, and let the courts decide.

      And if he is found guilty, then by all means crucify him.

      BUT don't be led by the nose by the Tory press. Who have a track record of lying and manipulation to get what they want.

        1. 4.1.1.1

          Channel 4 is hardly the Tory press.

          Please, really.

          And your link was to the times. Who are very much part of the Tory establishment.

            1. 4.1.1.2.1.1

              Investigative journalism by professional journalists can be driven by other things apart from the 'truth'.

              In a similar vein, Stuff's issues with Dom 'Who cares' Harvey and the missing podcast. I can't help but hear the sound of an axe being ground when reading this article.

              https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/300970119/why-wont-anybody-talk-about-the-deleted-duncan-garner-and-dominic-harvey-podcast

              Edit; similar to others sentiments, I’m not gonna leap to judge based on what has been presented so far.

                1. 4.1.1.2.1.1.1.1

                  I'd like you to watch this weka, friendlyjordies CANCELS THE MEDIA.

                  Might help you understand why people are reacting to your post they way they are.

    2. 4.2

      I'll be biding my time on this one .

      It wouldn't be the first time a troublesome journalist has been accused of serious sexual misconduct that later turned out to be not quite what it appeared .And I say this as someone who has been the recipient of violent sexual assault.Not a lot of fun with enduring psychological damage.

      This is going to take a while to play out .I'm not a fan of town square hangings before due legal process, but if he's guilty, fine , throw away the keys.

      1. 4.2.1

        I understand the sentiment, but no-one is talking about town square hangings and the reason we are in this situation is because so few rapists end up in court and few of them get convicted. Brand's downfall or women getting to speak out about rape, not really a contest in my view.

        btw, it's not serious sexual misconduct. I'm making the distinction because one of Brand's denial tools is he's a womaniser and a bad boy but it's always consensual. In other words, he frames it as sex. It's not, it's rape and sexual assault. I think he's lying, and the language he will use needs to be named for what it is.

        The comparisons with Assange are frankly weird, given the nature of the allegations in both situations.

    3. 4.3

      Ok Weka

      You think he's lying

      Nothing would suit me more than a lying rapist bastard goes down

      But I simply don't know and would rather wait it out until all the evidence comes

      I still believe in presumed innocence before a guilty verdict.

      I've never felt comfortable with trials being conducted via popular vote

    4. 4.4

      Russell Brand is a pretentious pseudo-intellectual liberal joker who is as mad as a cut snake. He isn't as half as clever as he thinks he is and frankly I'd wish he'd go and join Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate in the corner where toxic people I never want to hear about again should go.

      I guess in this era of retroactive boundaries, purient puritanism and all sorts looking for the main chance it was probably inevitable his past life, characterised as it was by an untrammelled egotism, great wealth and massive poly drug abuse, would catch up with him.

      However, only a half wit would say something as dumb as "Russell Brand should be in prison" on the basis of newspaper reports, however salacious they are in the details of the alleged crimes.

      The BBC notes:

      "the Metropolitan Police said it was "aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault" but had not received any reports.

      "If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact police."

      The Sunday Times said all the women felt ready to speak only after being approached by reporters. The newspaper said several felt compelled to do so given Brand's newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer…"

      Brand himself contends all relationships were consensual, and cetainly proving rape 17 years after the events described as allegedly having taken place is fraught with difficulty. Most of the other heresay accusations (Dani Minogue called him a "vile predator") of harassment, bullying and emotional abuse may make us assume that Brand is a deeply unpleasant person, but as far I am aware just being a deeply unpleasant person is not yet a subject to the strictures of the crimes act – if it were, a significant percentage of men under 30 would be in the slammer.

      So how about we save the ridiculous accusation-equals-guilty lynch mob mentality until such time as we have more evidence and, heaven forfend, the police lay charges?

      1. 5.1.1

        But but..Nats offer Tax cuts ! Real ice cream..and movies!

        As a friend said to bring back real icecream the Nats would have to bring her mother back to life, and for all their self vaunted 'can do' and experience she did not think they were capable of that. wink

      2. 5.1.2

        It's from the TDB, and it’s tricky because QE does not add to the debt until Treasury borrows to pay for it (accounting huh) – about $5B pa. It will grow the debt cost in future budgets etc (a few hundred million for each $5B buy back).

        1. 5.1.2.1

          It's more than tricky – it's just plain wrong. From the 2017 fsgnz the Borrowings are indeed 111.8B (111,806m) but from the same table the 2009 figure is 62.0B (61,953m) so that's not a good start. From the prefu 2023, the Borrowings for 30 June 2023 are 226.8B.

          And it should really be obvious that it was wrong (no matter how rose tinted your glasses might be) – there is no way that borrowings could have reduced given covid and subsequent budget deficits.

          And the election season has just started….

          2. 5.1.2.1.2

            9/04/2023 In 2017, NZ's government debt stood at $112 billion or $65,000 per household. Today, excluding an accounting trick that I’ll touch on later

            https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/paul-glass-the-real-size-of-govt-debt-in-nz-stripped-of-accounting-tricks/T3YYKGRWQBANFO334PGJWJ4MRY/&quot

            This appears to be source of the figure used by TDB – which you've noted is borrowings. It comes up on google search as our 2017 national debt (which is not borrowings).

            2017 national debt was $42B. In 2009 it was $10B. It would appear TDB has used borrowings at these points.

            https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/government-finance-statistics-general-government-year-ended-june-2017/

            PREFU Sept 2023 forecasts $102B – 2026-27.

            The national debt figure for 2023 is $71.4B

            https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/efu/pre-election-economic-and-fiscal-update-2023

            The figures are higher in some international measurements of national debt, using different measurement standards to Treasury here (other nations do not have NZSF etc).

            1. 5.1.2.1.2.1

              I should perhaps have been a bit clearer. My point was: They've used 3 different definitions, most likely in order to reach a predetermined result. My follow up point was that they were so clumsy – in that the result shown could not have been right.

  7. 7

    The NZF list … they have a few outliers … but only one with a chance of getting into parliament .. "Polly of Telegram" (no 11). In a sense better than the more numerous coterie of GW deniers with a chance on the ACT list.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300945108/chemtrails-911-and-vaccine-nanobots-the-digital-trail-of-nz-firsts-couldbe-mps

    https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/09/17/nz-first-qanon-antivax-global-conspiracy-cavalcade-of-political-circus-freaks-on-party-list/

  8. 8

    Earlier this year, the Ministry of Health's women's health strategy acknowledged endometriosis had a significant health and wellbeing burden impact on an estimated 120,000 women.

    Labour said it would develop an action plan to implement endometriosis education and awareness, improve clinical management and care, and support focused research initiatives.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2023/09/election-2023-labour-promises-to-raise-breast-screening-age-develop-endometriosis-action-plan-in-latest-policy.html

    “We will continue our work to provide cost of living support, by removing discriminations that means women can lose entitlements.

    “We will review how relationship status impacts benefit entitlements so single mothers aren’t disadvantaged when starting a new relationship. We will also keep funding Kiwisaver contributions while parents are on paid parental leave, and extend 20 hours free early childhood education to 2 year olds.

    “These changes will mean women and mothers are better financially supported while raising their children.

    “Under a Labour Government we’ve seen significant improvements in women’s earnings. We’ve grown women’s average weekly wage by 34.3% – 6.4% more than men’s wages and outpacing inflation at 23.1%.

    https://www.labour.org.nz/news-release_women_package

  9. 9

    If, as NAct pollies claim, NZ is in a dire state after six years of Labour-led governance, then how come there are apparently many thousands of foreigners lining up to buy NZ homes?

    50,000 homes open for purchase by foreign home buyers under National's plan

    The Canadian state of Ontario (popn 15.5 million) recently increased its “non-resident speculation tax” from 20% to 25%.

    Non-Resident Speculation Tax in Canada [updated 4 Nov 2022]

    The Nats could make up some of the projected shortfall in revenue from their 15% foreign buyer tax/hoax by increasing it to 25% – similar to increasing GST to part-fund tax cuts.

    Govt’s 2010 tax cuts costing $2 billion and counting [13 May 2012]
    The Green Party has today revealed that the National Government has so far had to borrow an additional $2 billion dollars to fund their 2010 tax cut package for upper income earners.
    …
    “The National Government said that their signature 2010 income tax cut package would be ‘fiscally neutral’ — paid for increased revenues from raising GST. That hasn’t happened.”
    …
    “National’s poor economic decisions have led to record levels of government debt and borrowing.”

  10. 10

    Jack Tame…asking the hard questions,

    ACT leader David Seymour has been questioned about why his party has emphasised new initiatives to tackle benefit fraud, whilst not having policies to target tax evasion.

    When challenged that tax evasion appeared to pose a much larger issue, the ACT leader began speaking about the need for a flatter tax system — a policy the party is pushing.

    The ACT leader then appeared non-committal when asked whether his party would push for increased funding to tackle tax crimes — like through the Serious Fraud Office.

    "Look, we very well might. As I say, we haven't actually released a policy on tax evasion," he said.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/09/17/to-target-benefit-frauds-or-tax-evaders-act-leader-questioned/

    Of course ! And they won't. Seymour and ACT aren't remotely interested in white collar tax evasion ! Of course Bene bash is a key part of their dogwhistle show….IMO its all …"look over there at those Bene bludgers "…

    While they and their vile cronies would scour NZ of its..essence.

    1. 11.1

      "Leave the former Prime minister alone………"

      They are all just thick Anne, very very very thick………they are everywhere……..and we have missed out on having Jacinda continue as our Prime Minister because of these thick misogynistic ignorant imbeciles……

  12. 12

    Act are ludicrous. Dry ice!! A member bashing reporters with a placard and no new Policy, but…….. 1500 there for their opening, Katie Bradford looked shocked at the attitudes aggression pushing and being surrounded.

    Sadly Aotearoa NZ is following USA into a dark place.

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