Worried2Death
Contributor
Bob said one guy with a guitar and a point of view could blow a whole army of musicians off the stage if he knew what he was doing, he used to be able to do that.
Politics NZ Politics
- Thread starter wizard of Tauranga
- Start date
Goes a long way, probably got about 4 or 5 in my schooling life that I would count as excellent teachers
Hendrix did it with gypsies and rainbows
Worried2Death
Contributor
Any teacher that could open up the minds of me and my idiot mates to literature and books was a genius in retrospect, true heroes.
Yeah the content goes a long way too to engage pupils
Worried2Death
Contributor
Another success story from Aranui High, one of my good mates was the great Andrew Saville of sports journalism fame, just between us he's never played a game of sport in his life. Just shows what you can achieve by being a total fraud.
Did you stay in touch?
Worried2Death
Contributor
Yeah but we had a falling out over his persistent mocking of the Warriors, he became delusional in his later years and forgot his working class roots when he was a big tvnz hotshot, many such cases. I blame too much time hanging out with Mike Hosking.
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Least you didn’t have a falling out over simon dallow
Worried2Death
Contributor
Poor old Wood Man, forever alone
The problem with using fuel excise to reduce inflation is that it would remove the indepence of the Reserve Bank.... at the moment, the levels of fuel excise aren't set by the RBNZ but by the government of the day. That's why adjusting interest rates is based as the basis for attacking inflation around the world... because it can be done independently of the ruling parties.
What's interesting is that although GrantR said in his interview he would like to see the RBNZ use fuel excise during a time of inflation instead of interest rates, he did the exact opposite over the last few years and actually put the excise down to "help with the cost of living crisis". You can only think that it wasn't his idea to do that but cabinet forced him to do it because if you read the articles and press releases when the reduction was first announced and then was extended, he sounded like he was strongly for it. You can only think he was forced to "toe the party line" and show his enthusiasm for it.
I wonder if his leaving politics was partly due to him having to do things like this he didn't agree with and the fact that Hipkins stepped in to stop a capital gains tax being announced in last year's budget.
In terms of Atlas, I think groups have the right to be heard, even if we don't necessarily agree with them. That includes from the extremes. I think it's too easy for people to label others as "hate speech" and try to shut them down. The fact is, groups like Atlas have always existed in some form whether it's to influence government or try and control expansion.... think of how a few families controlled rail expansion in the US during the 1800's and worked together to keep others out or to destroy them.
While I don't like the proliforation of conspiracy theories delibrately being put around the world, if you look at it, it's not just Atlas or MSM who do that. Our last election proved that every party is willing to do that in one form or another.... and continue to do that.
What I'd love to see is a far more collaborative response to things like the environment. The thing is, mining is needed to extract minerals to produce say batteries for EV's. Oil is needed to produce the lubricants for wind generation. One of the problems the world has is that although burning coal and oil is bad for the environment, it is still cheaper to produce electricity through it than through "renewable" means. Environmentalists hate the fact that one of the cleanest ways to produce power (until there's an accident) is nuclear power. That's why I'm interested in following the possibilities of fusion reactors. Experiments have shown it could be possible but doing it at a commercial scale is still a long, long way off.... but then the first nuclear fission reactor in a lab was by the X-10 as part of the Manhattan Project and it only produced enough power to power a single light bulb. It wasn't until over a decade later that the world's first commercial power plant went online at Obninsk in Russia.
I'd like the number of mining licenses to be reduced in NZ and for part of the profits made by mining companies to be used to work with environmental groups to improve the mines and to be kept in reserve to re-establish the environment when the mines are finished.
In terms of transport and transport infrastructure, we continuously look at the wrong places for the answers. We look at cities with the best public transport systems and try to think we should model ourselves on them while completely ignoring the fact that cities like Auckland have a far less dense population than those cities we want to emulate. Then we have the issue that every time the government changes, the direction changes. National wanting to improve the roading so introduced their Roads of National Importance policy. Labour came in and scrapped that for things like the Auckland Light Rail system. National comes back in and scraps that in favour of roading. And so on and so on.
Here's a thought..... decide on what's best for NZ and not what's popular with those who already vote for you or those you want to.
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The speech Chris Hipkins needed to give in a new era for Labour - Audrey Young
OPINIONChris Hipkins’ first major speech since Labour’s election defeat served three purposes.
Firstly, it was a move to assert his leadership in the PGE – the post-Grant era.
Secondly, it was to reinforce that Hipkins is willing to oversee tax policy change in the party.
Thirdly, it was to take advantage of the unexpectedly messy areas of political management afflicting the Government.
Hipkins’ leadership has not been in doubt since the election, but that is not the same thing as him having the overwhelming support of the caucus and the party. If Oscar Kightley’s unenthusiastic introduction of Hipkins to party faithful in Manukau is any indication, it is lukewarm support at best.
The high regard in which former finance minister Grant Robertson was held and his ongoing loyalty to Hipkins has been a force for stability.
Robertson, who bowed out of Parliament on Wednesday, had a knack for recognising Hipkins’ imperfections without undermining his leadership.
Hipkins no longer has that tacit protection.
Objectively, Hipkins’ skills as an Opposition politician are unmatched in the party. But he still needs to earn the support of the disgruntled members who believe Hipkins weakened the party as PM. He cannot simply expect support just because no one else is on offer at present.
Robertson ended his valedictory with the message that it was the job of politicians to give people hope. Hipkins picked up that baton and started by giving his own party hope it will undergo a big shake-up before the next election.
It is in Hipkins’ interest to be closely associated with the work of the party’s policy council, and he foreshadowed the release of a discussion document on tax policy to members.
His speech also set a long timetable for that change. He has set an expectation of a party with a plan to consult and change, but in a measured way.
To build support within the party, Hipkins has to show he is willing to change - but unless that change happens in a measured way without the internal strife that pervaded Labour’s last spell in Opposition, it won’t have a chance of building public support.
Hipkins was at the heart of that strife, although it was more about leadership than policy. But he knows managing the potential divisions in the party over tax is as important as the policy change itself.
That is why he used his speech to establish a unity of purpose and a sense of common values among Labour’s members.
Hipkins has sensibly vowed not to “bark at every passing car” as leader of the Opposition – too much barking would suggest a failure to accept the mood for change the electorate wanted.
But some of the moves by the Government were so unexpected, Hipkins would have been crazy not to highlight them.
Those issues include widespread job losses in the public service, tightening up funding for the disability community, cutting back on school lunches, and repealing anti-smoking policies passed by Labour which could have depleted Government revenue by up to $1 billion - measures taken, Hipkins argues, to fund tax breaks for landlords and unaffordable tax cuts.
Hipkins was able to turn a speech, which was essentially about the party and to the party, into one about values with a broader appeal.
Audrey Young: Hipkins' bid to control division over tax
OPINION: Hipkins cannot take the support of Labour members for granted.
www.nzherald.co.nz
Coutts says Hector's dolphin isn't endangered, criticises officials
The SailGP chief executive Coutts hits out at the “extreme” management plan "forced upon" SailGP and says NZ is "handcuffed" by bureaucracy and red tape.
Coutts is a dickhead, but he's right. They aren't critically endangered but that's not the best part.
Eleven dolphin observers — part of a programme totalling $78,000 — were required to be on site from Thursday despite a reduction in practice to just 11 minutes on that day by the harbourmaster.
Fake environmental grift as usual...
Coutts is right, that is one of the dumbest things for a while.Coutts says Hector's dolphin isn't endangered, criticises officials
The SailGP chief executive Coutts hits out at the “extreme” management plan "forced upon" SailGP and says NZ is "handcuffed" by bureaucracy and red tape.www.1news.co.nz
Coutts is a dickhead, but he's right. They aren't critically endangered but that's not the best part.
Eleven dolphin observers — part of a programme totalling $78,000 — were required to be on site from Thursday despite a reduction in practice to just 11 minutes on that day by the harbourmaster.
Fake environmental grift as usual...
What next, ban shipping if a water mammal is sighted.
Like stopping a football game because a seagull has landed on the field.
Perhaps there is an opportunity to set up a dolphin observers consultancy for future sailing regattas although we might not see too many more if this nonsense continues.
Rizzah
Contributor
It's a marine reserve. They were advised by the conservation department not to hold the race in March, when dolphin mothers and calves were likely to be present in the reserve. Fuck Coutts.Coutts says Hector's dolphin isn't endangered, criticises officials
The SailGP chief executive Coutts hits out at the “extreme” management plan "forced upon" SailGP and says NZ is "handcuffed" by bureaucracy and red tape.
Coutts is a dickhead, but he's right. They aren't critically endangered but that's not the best part.
Eleven dolphin observers — part of a programme totalling $78,000 — were required to be on site from Thursday despite a reduction in practice to just 11 minutes on that day by the harbourmaster.
Fake environmental grift as usual...
It’s a sail boat. Has there been history of sailboats striking dolphins? I’m all for protections for a reason. But it’s looking like extortion. 78k for observers who saw one Dolphin.
Again Coutts is fuckwit. But it’s dumb shit like this that’s pushing people to the right. Theres been no demonstrable harm. How about $1mil fine and cancellation if they hit a single dolphin?
Rizzah
Contributor
Here's a thought - Don't hold a boat race in a marine reserve during the breading season.
Why? Cos some mediocre academic doesn’t like it? Cos iwi have spotted another grift?
Yet to see any demonstrable harm from sailboats.
Rizzah
Contributor
Coutts was told there would be requirements to race fast moving sail boats within the marine reserve to protect the dolphins.
I mean, it's all there in the fucking article you posted. Lol.
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A marine reserve does not prohibit boats travelling through it.
Poor Knights is a good example. Tour operators and dive schools use it for instruction and scenic diving, all year round , weather permitting.
