Open mike 23/06/2024

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 28 comments
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28 comments on “Open mike 23/06/2024”

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  1. 1

    I think New Zealand needs its very own theory of the necessity of the state simply based on disasters.

    For most countries that have been going for a couple of centuries, they'd have grown a mix of public and private institutions strong enough to weather most things the world throws at it. A nice solid mix.

    And as a result, you'd think the need for massive active fresh state intervention would decrease over time.

    Not here. We're just too accident-prone.

    And yet we have a dominant Party who insists that stripping the state back every term is a good idea.

    Hey maybe Ardern+Robertson's massive super-state interventionism is actually right for New Zealand (if not for the political appetite of our media).

  2. 2

    We are quite an old state even by European terms if judged by the concept of a government for the whole of the country, certainly older than Italy and Germany and even Australia at a stretch. The Ardern/ Robertson interventionism is as old as coastal shipping and the railways and later the hydro dam building, strangely the actual linked up road system was almost an afterthought , I can’t remember how late it was before you could drive between Auckland and Wellington. so that must have been left to the Tory's and there trademarked prevarication. We are unique though in what we do have thrown at us from huge earthquakes, massive volcanic eruptions, tsunamis even and huge fires, one early one started by a cooking fire and raged for weeks from Cook Straight to North Canterbury, ironicly initiated on the holdings of a Prime Minister.

    So I don’t think we have done too badly to get to where we have.

    1. 2.1

      Oh fully agree.

      We could easily have turned out like New Caledonia or Fiji.

      We're nothing if not resolute.

  3. 3

    Where are our opposition on the ferry grounding?

    Tailor made opportunity to contrast the fast and loose political style of this government with the prudent, responsible forward thinking of the proposed ferry and terminal build of Labour.

    2. 3.2

      Ask and ye shall receive.

      I give thanks for hearing Chris Hopkins on RNZ this Monday morning speaking about the ferries.

  4. 4

    Well Gsays, where it is most times, left right out by the media of various persuasions, but do keep in mind even if there had been no change of government this little off water beach picnic excursion would probably still have happened because the new ferries are still quite a way away so shutting up and not coming across as smug and all I told you so-ey is probably the best idea.

  7. 7

    The ultimate shell game.

    Netanyahu uses Hamas to justify occupation of the WB (he opposed the Oslo Accord so needed someone to help).

    Abbas allows Hamas to run in PA elections, then takes over the WB with the President gun after his Fatah loses the parliamentary election. This divides Gaza from the WB. No more elections are held and he stays in power.

    1 and 2 become symbiotic.

    Hezbollah, distracted by the Syrian civilian war, now returns as Iranian judge of Israel.

    The only place not threatened by their missiles is Jerusalem/Mount area/West Bank, where the settlements are.

    Iran wants a unitary state in place of a Zionist one, but would tolerate Jews living on the West Bank within that Palestine and also religious Jews living where they are in Israel.

    They merely want the end of a non Moslem ruled state in the area.

    Threatening Cyprus (part Turkey occupied and with a British air base and intelligence base) reminds one of the past ruling powers in Palestine (and the Jewish refugee camps of the 1940's).

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2024/06/analysis-israel-and-hezbollah-faceoff-raises-risk-of-wider-conflict.html

      1. 7.1.1

        Sure, but that would be an IDF incursion in response to missiles on state of Israel territory.

        It is part of their narrative that settlement beyond the 1948 state border protects Israel.

  8. 8

    Judith Collins forgot to mention on Q and A to good morning Jack

    2018 Labour-NZF ordered 4 Poseidon's

    2020 Labour-NZF ordered 5 Hercules.

    And talks about the big cost of replacing 2 757’s.

      1. 8.1.1

        I had the feeling Tame was giving bully girl Collins an easy time of it. Too scared to rock the boat too much in case there were consequences?

  9. 9

    Why is the US not allowing missiles to be used against

    1.any Russian air base involved in attacking the Ukraine power grid and supply?

    2.any military advancing on Ukraine?

    3.any supply to forces in Ukraine?

    It seems to be drip feeding aid to prevent Ukrainian defeat to manage this outcome.

    A north western Ukraine aligned with the EU but not confronting a Russian agenda for a nova Russia, a contiguous Donbass to Crimea in the south and east).

    A new Cold War division (gaining Sweden and Finland, freezing Russia's banking assets), one of Ukraine, rather than Germany.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/06/23/ukraine-soldiers-want-deeper-strikes-as-us-supplied-weapons-show-impact/

  11. 11

    On the oval ground.

    Australians also misremember Calypso cricket, with their own poor batting performance against Afghanistan.

    1. 11.1

      Good on the Afgani team, taking full advantage of complacency. Even more humiliating for the Aussies as they downplayed the Kiwi defeat.

      1. 11.1.1

        It is remarkable but im not sure they should be there given the Taliban killed off the womans team. The ICC are fairly liberal with their own rules when it suits..

    1. 12.1

      Be interesting if they can get a build done after the last cancelation.

      They may find builders a a bit wary and want more money upfront.

    2. 12.2

      The government is advised to buy new ferries that are not rail enabled.

      https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/06/23/govt-advised-to-replace-cook-strait-ferries-with-new-smaller-boats/

      The viability of the Picton to Christchurch rail line could be negatively affected without rail-enabled ferries across Cook Strait, according to a recently released briefing from KiwiRail to ministers.

      https://archive.li/IO3M3

      Presumably this is likely to result in the Inter Islander being taken from KiwiRail and either run as a separate SOE, or sold to a local infrastructure company.

      "The Interislander business could be separated into another State-Owned Enterprise or sold via a trade sale."

      https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/520270/aratere-ferry-grounding-simeon-brown-raised-concern-about-kiwirail-maintenance

      Road damage in the SI is likely to increase.

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