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6:00 am, July 24th, 2025 - 27 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):
So the Government has increased homelessness
NZ Government is Captured
Sport Must Stand Up. Sport Must Lead. Sport Must Include Everyone.
New Post up:
So the Government has increased homelessness
New Post up:
NZ Government is Captured
New Post up:
Sport Must Stand Up. Sport Must Lead. Sport Must Include Everyone.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/home-property/360768320/rents-fall-first-time-2009
We all wanted cheaper houses and rent! Who new that national would deliver by crashing the economy and driving people out of the country?
Kind of moot when your rent has been going up and up and up every year. The extortionate amount paid never decreases. But to be fair, for the first time ever I didn't get a rent increase this year, so small mercies.
Lower rents still mean nothing when losing one's private rental for whatever reason can realistically mean homelessness, and the stress of always living with that knowledge wears you down. At this point, more housing and stable housing first, then we sort out the rent.
and it's not like this rent drop applies to existing tenancies. Landlords will be dropping rents in some areas when they are advertising for new tenants. So to get the lower rent, one would have to move. Which might work, assuming moving costs don't outweigh the benefits, until the rents start going up again.
Much like changing power companies for a temporary lower rate they bribe consumers with. It never lasts.
University lecturer does cultural analysis on the Middle East:
The Deep Green view of this cultural matrix combines top-down power with bottom-up power: the masses, encultured into hatred by tradition, combine their power to support whatever warlord prevails relative to their belief system (paradigm). So we get mass power from the bottom and ruler power from the top, operating in synergy.
El, the ancient deity of the Hebrews, lives on in the name Israel and in the heart of that 12% who operate the Israeli control system. Genocide by Hamas played into their hands wonderfully, so they ensured that the Israeli state reciprocated. The academic ends his analysis with a typical limp wrist, wishing for progressives to somehow become empowered. Human nature and tradition seem too powerful for that to happen.
How long have you been at this, Dennis? Imho, your comments seem increasingly like ‘preachy’ squawks from a distant horizon, but at least you’re having a go – carry on.
Your critique is valid, yet somehow the ivory tower syndrome seems perpetual. Ought I to accept the institutionalised inadequacies like everyone else, or flag them? It depends on the merit of whistle-blowing as commentary praxis, huh? A signal about what's wrong often leads to remedial behaviour.
So to be proactive, one ought to try and help those enmeshed in encultured negative thinking, to extricate themselves from their collective quagmire. Commentary onsite here normally directs such helpful energy towards rightist politicians. I just think it better to spread the goodwill around…
By making "typical limp wrist" jibes about "ivory tower syndrome"?
Tbh, some of your 'flags' about academic inadequacies are not unlike Seymour’s chip-on-shoulder ‘Regulatory Standards Derangement Syndrome’ pokes, huh?
Just flagging my perception of an established pattern – "a signal about what's wrong often leads to remedial behaviour."
Re Seymour, I agree with leftist critiques of him often enough to publish my own along similar lines, so no chance I'll concede that point!
Yet I will concede your point on mockery, insofar as it endangers one if one allows oneself to habituate too much to it. So there's a general rule of politic conduct there which I can happily support. However I must add that the premise of being suckered by a bias is more like an old trap for young players than your quote suggests. Users must judge the suitability of a stance in each situation…
The importance of civilian occupation of the Beehive.
https://www.attali.com/en/society/the-solution-to-almost-every-problem-civility/
As usual, your snide swipe at the author stems from your infamous ingrained anti-academic bias. Your cynicism is not an opinion or counter-argument, but a negative and antagonistic attitude towards anybody who presents a progressive intellectual opinion that you may or may not agree with – it’s irrelevant as long as it provides you with a hook to spew your usual bilious venom. Your accusation of “the ivory tower syndrome” is misplaced too, of course. The author of the Newsroom article appears to have more worldly and relevant experience & expertise than an armchair sniper such as you.
Give it up!
Surely a NACT1 protest march and strike coming then !
PPTA will be asking its members what strike action may be appropriate. That is if the government doesn’t come up with an acceptable offer.
Allgood. I will watch with interest….
Republicans kick Epstein can down the road:
Running scared of a groundswell double their own amount of public support! Murdoch's WSJ is reporting as fact info from top Trump officials, which the White House is declaring fake:
When top capitalists dispute reality, public perception of who is right depends on the look of the thing rather than proof (which is usually thoroughly concealed). Gossip and rumour, key determinant of survival in social groups since the origin of language in the stone age, therefore drive the outcome as usual. Media is froth on that wave.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/23/israel-gaza-starvation-humanitarian-groups-letter
Not genocide, just war crimes. God this stuff is so ugly. Imagine supporting a regime that starves people on purpose.
Any faith in humanity dwindles as Palestinians are eradicated by the Israeli butchers in full public view.
So many levels of genocide enablers-corporate /arms industry, US Imperialism, gutless EU, and shamefully neighbours like Egypt who could open access to UN trucks. The air conditioned Gulf States are cowards too, not wanting a taste of what Iran got.
There needs to be a world wide boycott of Israel-sporting, culture, trade, travel. Governments apart from honourable exceptions like Ireland and Spain won’t go there so the ordinary people will have to.
According to Newsroom, conditions designed to safeguard New Zealand water from foreign-owned bottling operations are to be removed from the overseas investment regime, as part of changes advanced by the coalition Government.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/07/23/overseas-investment-changes-to-undo-water-bottling-safeguard/
Just as Forest & Bird Society will lose the fruits of its victory on the Ruataniwha dam issue (the dam is on the fast-track list) so too the Aotearoa Water Action group will lose theirs.
All this makes me wonder how much money the overseas bottling companies paid to ACT as a political donation. Or do I have an over-active imagination?
This is the Ministry of Environment breakdown of that new version of the Ruataniwha Dam.
https://environment.govt.nz/assets/what-government-is-doing/Fast-track-listed/Tukituki-Water-Security-Project/207.06-FTA207-Tukituki-Water-Security-Project-Sch-2A-MfE-assessment-form-Stage-1_Redacted.pdf
Worth a read fo the benefits and issues table.
As our pristine-ish water gets shipped overseas, more and more New Zealanders are under boil water notices.
This government is corrupt. It must be.
HT II, I am on the Environmental Law Initiative mail list; have you heard of? …They are Fighting the Good Fight on this and many other NZ Enviro matters. Heres an article on a recent…
Sorry if that is a Press pay link, but here is something better : )
https://www.stats.govt.nz/topics/migration/
The CoC is getting New Zealand back on track – one overseas experience at a time.