Open Mike 29/01/2026

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 28 comments
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28 comments on “Open Mike 29/01/2026”

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  1. 1

    new video and song from Bruce Springssteen:

    The Streets of Minneapolis.

    [Verse 1]
    Through the winter's ice and cold
    Down Nicollet Avenue
    A city aflame fought fire and ice
    'Neath an occupier's boots
    King Trump's private army from the DHS
    Guns belted to their coats
    Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law
    Or so their story goes

    [Verse 2]
    Against smoke and rubber bullets
    In the dawn's early light
    Citizens stood for justice
    Their voices ringing through the night
    And there were bloody footprints
    Where mercy should have stood
    And two dead, left to die on snow-filled streets
    Alex Pretti and Renee Good

    [Chorus]
    Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
    Singing through the bloody mist
    We'll take our stand for this land
    And the stranger in our midst
    Here in our home, they killed and roamed
    In the winter of '26
    We'll remember the names of those who died
    On the streets of Minneapolis

        1. 1.1.1.1

          Yes. The singing was very like Dylan's. The toning down of the anthem style harks back to the days of protest songs as kind of street politics in the days before the world wide web.

  3. 3

    Selling wild as farmed.

    It's a guaranteed outcome of not having a decent wild recovery system going like we had in the 80s, easy money is always going to attract dishonest people

      1. 3.1.1

        If the animal goes to the works it'll have a NAIT tag for traceability through the process (can be an interesting task getting 100 wild deer though the shed and onto the truck…) but no rules against it provided it's traceable. Economics here are pretty good as effectively these are free, or even negative cost to the farm, once you account for the damage they do. Market depends on meat quality, good stuff will go to the top, just like 'farmed' animals, but sometimes it's hard to tell them apart on the hoof.

        For wild shot stuff it has to go through a licences packing facility, there's several that supply domestic and international markets. Economics here aren't so flash, the farm might get a few free chopper hours if they get enough good, easy animals / hour. Mostly it depends on prices for pet food.

  4. 4

    I am a hunter and am not allowed to sell wild venison at all, so maybe I don't quite understand the rules but how is wild shot venison allowed to be sold at all?? Is there a permit system or something or are they just shooting "wild" venison on the farm instead of sending it to a abattoir?

  5. 5

    Bomber has it so right on TDB today about Winston, who has decided that Trump is right to ditch the WHO and NZ should do this too.

    The practical effect of this Winston bollocks is that he supports withdrawing 8 million dollars of funding for the WHO while he is happy to give Phillip Morris 216 million dollars.

    Winston has simply lost it. So glad he ruled out working with Labour, the Greens and TPM yesterday.

      1. 5.1.1

        That makes me think of the political quote on TDB today –

        POLITICAL QUOTE OF THE DAY: Politics have no relation to morals. Niccolo Machiavelli.

    3. 5.3

      Winston has simply lost it. So glad he ruled out working with Labour, the Greens and TPM yesterday.

      Can you provide the source?
      If Peters has ruled out 'Labour' and not just Hipkins – then that's a significant shift in his rhetoric.

      I'd be surprised if he has, since it weakens his bargaining position in November. Not at all like the wily political player that he is.

        1. 5.3.1.1

          It's in the first five minutes of the video in that NZH link. He implies he won't work with TPM, GP, and Hipkins, then Bridge let's him do a party political broadcast on behalf of NZF.

          Classic Peter blather, totally deniable closer to the election.

          1. 5.3.1.1.1

            Thanks Weka,

            This looks like really poor quality reporting by MSM.

            Taking a Peters 'implication' as a policy statement is an incredibly stupid take.
            And, if called on, Peters would reply (as he's done so often in the past) 'I never said that' – and he'd be absolutely correct.

            1. 5.3.1.1.1.1

              exactly. Bridge is entertaining enough, but that wasn't serious journalism. Clickbait I guess. I didn't watch the second half, maybe it got better.

  6. 6

    Winston Peters' repeated comments that he won't consider working with Labour if Chris Hipkins is leader seem an evident attempt to create uncertainty among voters and division in Labour.

    Peters' personal attacks against Hipkins continued in Parliament and to the media this week. Likewise David Seymour. They come across as threatened by and envious of Hipkins. Their frequent derisive comments suggest that the Government parties' private polling is a serious concern. Their attacks are clear attempts to deflect from their own unpopular policies, which have caused so much socioeconomic damage to many NZers, particularly to the most vulnerable.

    Rather than supposed supporters of Labour criticising that Hipkins' popularity levels aren't higher, given the relentless attacks and lies on social media, as prior to the 2023 election, it's a positive sign that he and Labour are retaining their lead in support.

    1. 6.1

      While I think that Peters rejection of Hipkins (although, not necessarily Labour) is absolutely an attempt to divide and weaken the Labour party – it's not new. He's been doing this for months, if not years – so unlikely to reflect a concern over current polling.

      It's absolutely Peters modus operandi – he's the original attack politician.
      And it pays dividends for him in the polls.

  8. 8

    7.5% of voters support the pricks.

    /

    Lew

    ‪@lewsos.bsky.social‬

    2013: Recently former ACT leader writes a column arguing that slavery was better for slaves than democracy: http://www.nbr.co.nz/a-southern-s... 2026: ACT refuses to support anti-slavery legislation, forcing Grand Coalition http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic... I suppose consistency is a kind of virtue

    https://www.nbr.co.nz/a-southern-slave-owner-vs-the-modern-democratic-state/

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/585319/watch-national-and-labour-mps-team-up-to-get-slavery-bill-heard-after-act-objects

    https://bsky.app/profile/lewsos.bsky.social/post/3mdjhy7rlck2x

  11. 11

    For those who think Luxon is right, and Winston was crazy not to approve the India Free Trade Agreement. As he said, India is on such a growth spurt and we can get access to it. As the Indian Government said, unprecedented access to the New Zealand economy.

    Who wouldn't want a piece of India right now?

    But give a thought… If India's doing so well, why would they be as eager as we are to cut a free trade agreement after such a short negotiation time?

    https://www.bitget.com/amp/news/detail/12560605171109

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