What a week.
In the United States Donald Trump almost triggers a war with Iran. Someone in Iran took offence at the country being spied upon and had an American Drone shot down. It may or may not have transgressed into Iranian airspace. But against the the advice of the Department of Defence Trump initially elected to proceed with a plan that could have caused the death of up to 150 Iranians. His eventual back down after appreciating this was the case is being offered as evidence that War mongerer John Bolton may have kept this rather important piece of information from Trump.
His chilling attempts to deal with detained immigrants is leading to new levels of absurdity as his lawyers try to claim that blankets or toothpaste or soap are not necessary for kids to be kept in safe and sanitary conditions.
And a further allegation of serious sexual assault has been made against him. He is trying to suggest that the claim is fictional. But there have been a lot of similar allegations made against him.
In the United Kingdom likely future Prime Minister Boris Johnson has had his own difficulties, allegations of domestic violence and screaming that bad that a concerned neighbour rang the police. There has been a subsequent attempt to denigrate this person and his wife. Johnson is refusing to answer questions.
And in New Zealand our Prime Minister makes a cake for her daughter who is now one year old. And the right lose it.
Well done to Bounder and Tamara for putting this in perfect context.
Sometimes, when current events are all too depressing, it's nice to get baked.
Goodness that cake looks better and more appetizing than a pizza with a tin of spaghetti on it.
It just shows that Jacidna is a much better cook/baker than the lazy Bill English can ever claim to be a pizza maker.
You forgot the pineapple.
Guys who like guys who like the idea of having a beer with a guy from a crooked, defunct bank don't like girls who bake cakes.
Truly multi talented, and willing to laugh at herself, unlike the right.
From historical accounts, so was Marie Antoinette, i.e., the original cake girl.
When the polls came out two weeks ago both TV1 and TV3 did the usual interviews with the party leaders, getting their reaction.
Both news broadcasts prominently featured Simon Bridges with his children, the family guy relaxing and being a 'cool' dad, throwing a rugby ball around. Whereas the interviews with Ardern featured only the PM. Her child was nowhere to be seen.
It's been like that for a year. Since her birth, Neve has been almost invisible. Protected from the media glare.
So the right-wing ranters and frothers aren't just nasty – they're also plain wrong. They've created a straw baby, and their obsession is scary.
Thats right . Bridges and his wife have almost an obsession with getting themselves into soft media stories featuring their kids.
'Cradling his 12-week-old daughter in the crook of his arm, Simon Bridges whispers words of adoration before gently kissing her golden-brown hair.'
https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/parenting/family/at-home-with-new-national-party-leader-simon-bridges-and-his-family-36832
(Count them , thats 6 pictures of kids and Bridges)
But wait theres more
https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/parenting/parenting-news/national-party-leader-simon-bridges-introduces-his-newborn-daughter-36756
https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/news/real-life/simon-bridges-my-biggest-year-ever-6387
Even Bridges as a months old baby and parents with older siblings as family pic are provided
https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/profiles/simon-bridges-is-on-a-mission-to-get-people-to-know-and-like-him/
Every single one of multiple photops of Bridges has MORE pictures than all of young Neve that have been published.
Bridges of course isnt the first leader of National to have young Children, English and Key , in general kept the cameras away from their tots and school age children
It is noticeable that the Herald is the paper that likes to trot out photos of Neve, normally after some "hard hitting" opinion piece about how soft Jacinda is, and the comments section in Facebook goes nuts about how she is using her baby as a shield, despite the fact any action by her reported in the article has her doing her best to avoid having Neve in the limelight….
Yes, it's the classic closed circle:
Media: "Let's talk about Neve!"
Media: "Is there too much Neve?"
Media: "Neve – we've had enough!"
They're like when your ex forgets you exist but you phone them every day to say you don't think about them at all …
Same few photos that were taken after the birth and one other occasion re used
It's a bit of a bugger for Mike Hosking with own outfit publicising the PM and her baby's birthday. It could take away his base in slamming coverage with an "it's only a baby, it's only a birthday" attack. And "what happened to the big issues for New Zealand that Ms Ardern should be focussed on?"
Except it would be 'Jacinda.' (Did he and his bosses continually refer to the Prime Minister of 2008-2016 as 'John'?)
That is a point I have wondered about, on the other hand while who is PM in particular, and secondary to what a govt achieves and aims to achieve for NZ in the future, this may reflect how some times those in the spotlight are indentifiable by simply their first name. Many come to mind and it is beyond the control of the person in question and just happens, or not. Media tended to use "Key" in headlines for a few years with unusual frequency – and I think Otago University did a study on it and the number of centimetres the National Party received in the media which was proportionately high.
Where in the Stuff article is Bolton missleading Trump mentioned? I don't see it.
Half the world is misleading Trump, the half that do not like him. If anyone thinks that all that is written is true then they are a bigger fool than he is made out to be
It seemed possible Stuff rewrote it after making some quite different claims originally.
Where is the link to somene on the right losing it over Ardern making a cake?
I think we're waiting for you to build up steam.
The link is called Google, or Facebook, or Twitter, or blogs. So don't play dumb.
A minor example:
https://twitter.com/NewshubNZ/status/1142296152680873984
I would have thought that that item was approving of her making the cake.
How do you interpret it as being someone from the "right losing it"?
Read. The. Comments.
OK. Now I see what is meant. Thanks for enlightening me.
The pathetic mob doing the bitching about anything to do with Ms Ardern and her baby have lots of missing links.
Yeah, and we all know what the missing link looks like – high sloping forehead, wide nostrils, very hairy, hands for feet and knuckles on the ground. Make you think of anyone?
Yes I cant remember anyone on the left, whinging about John Keys kids at all…
You're being sarcastic, but in fact, you can't remember, because it didn't happen.
To their credit, John and Bronagh Key kept their children out of the spotlight when they were minors. And so the media coverage was minimal, and the attacks from the left equally rare.
There was not one single example of a Labour or Green MP attacking Key for the use of his children. Yes, I mean exactly that. You are welcome to search, you will find nothing. Contrast with several (but not all) National MPs now, as I've documented above.
When Max Key became an adult he entered the public arena, and things got nastier (on the fringes, like Standard comments – but not Labour/Green MPs themselves). I didn't like that, but nevertheless … there is NO comparison between a 20 year old and a 1 year old. None at all.
Which is another way of saying those who are complaining that childish comments and attacks were made about the Key children as young adults are going to prove their maturity and levels above those, by spending the rest of their lives having hissy fits about the Ardern child every time she is in the media.
look in the mirror
The derangement has reached such extraordinary levels that it is now hard to tell what is serious and what is satire.
Here are two tweets. Which one is the joke?
1) "Rabbits cost the economy tens of millions a year and yet the PM believes they’re something the next generation should celebrate? Wow. Another kick in the guts for the regions."
2) "Expect a new poll result to come out soon, I know this because of the puff pieces on JA the baby and Clarke rolled out this week like clockwork."
The second was from a National MP, just after the budget. Every year, after every budget, polls are published on the public's reaction (and everyone in politics knows this). Linking those polls to "the baby" instead is … a joke? No. It was the serious opinion of Matt King MP, a member of the Opposition.
The first is from journo Charlie Mitchell, taking the piss out of Neve Derangement. That one is a joke. But also … exactly the kind of thing National MPs are saying.
I'm amazed at the lengths National are going to avoid saying anything about the Budget content. Attack everything around the outside, and anything else they can come up with to distract, but substantive comment about the content, not a peep
National dont have to say anything. The only thing people remember about the budget was the "hack". Sad but true.
"People" is not a synonym for "I".
"True" is not a synonym for "I want it to be".
Keep telling yourself that.
Matt King is the MP from Northland and is a very sensitive soul.
I hadn't seen the comment you say is his. Believe it or not he is an adult. Believe it or not he used to be in the Police force. Believe it or not some people in Northland's voted for him.
We love our Prime Minister
Oh dear. I see it goes both ways. Love her or hate her with equal degrees of derangement. Oh well it was just the same when Clark or Key were the Prime Ministers.
At least they seem to have stopped physically attacking the PM these days.
Right wing losers, after Prime Minister makes a cake
This all reminds me so much of the American Right's attempt to belittle Alexandria Ocasio Cortez by dredging up a video or her as a student dancing barefoot that completely misfired.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/04/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-college-dance-video-discredit-backfires
Politicians like AOC make me glad I live in NZ, she makes the Green Party look balanced and reasonable
Politicians like AOC make me wish the New Zealand Green Party were less concerned about looking balanced and reasonable to the Right.
We love our Prime Minister.
But not as much as the Right adulated their former Bankster In Chief
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113545957/sir-john-key-explains-the-expenses-scandal-that-cost-anzs-hisco-64-million
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113553059/key-sold-beach-house-to-hisco-it-was-a-transparent-isue
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018700093/anz-boss-spending-is-it-really-that-bad
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018700093
Come on Mickeysavage you know the misogyny from the right is their new normal.
They have dedicated sad losers who spend hours trying to hunt down things to complain about. So not only are they ugly on the outside, they remind us they are ugly on the inside too.
Our PM can also make cupcakes.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/jacinda-ardern-joins-good-bitches-charity-wellington-shelter-deliver-homemade-cupcakes
Unacceptable. Why is she not playing golf with war criminals?
Did Golriz golf with her client too?
The right have a thing for Golriz don't they? It's almost pathological.
Ghahraman derangement syndrome.
I don’t hang out on social media so maybe I’m missing something. What did National do?
And thats what people have been asking for years
@peterh, ha!!!!!!
Jude bakes better cakes but shes much too modest to post about it….
Maybe she'll bake a lovely "Welcome to Caucus" Cake for her new leader Luxon.
She's just so Kiwi. Let's keep her on.
Yes please and thank you
Miss 14 yesterday was like… mum, Jacinda baked Neve a birthday cake…. I'm like..isn't that awesome…. Miss 14 replies.. it sure is mum, she's so busy yet she makes time to bake a cake for her daughter's 1st birthday, what a good mum.
Your daughter drops hints with all the subtlety of a B52 bomber. Tell her not to become a diplomat. There'll be global carnage.
Yeah nah, we just have this thing about making birthday cakes and she knows how long it takes, especially for a busy parent who also works.
I'd agree with you about Miss 14 not becoming a diplomat, teenagers are rather moody creatures and she can stir it up with the best of them.
Currently she wants to be either a teacher, hunting guide or a judge on a food show lolololz (hence the cake appreciation).
never mind the cake jhonkey is in the background trying to find someone half decent to be the next leader for national looks like he is now doing what he always did put the feelers out first and see what happens he has managed to convince luxton who is not a politician to think seriously about it.