General Debate 20 June 2019

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Rachael Membery

how appalling is the about ‘Hit and run’, armed insurgents known about since 2017 and not a word.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/392464/operation-burnham-hit-and-run-author-backtracks-on-key-claim
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June 20, 2019 8:06am
- Tall Man
  
  And not a word from the vehement critics of the SAS within the labour party and the coalition.
  
  Another low bar achieved by ardern and her clique of liars.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:23am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    I wonder what Golriz Ghahraman has to say today. An apology perhaps?
    
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    June 20, 2019 8:56am
    - Tricati
      
      Don’t hold your breath
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:08am
      - Right of way is Way of Right
        
        Wish she would….
        
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        June 20, 2019 9:35am
    - Tall Man
      
      I really should down tick you for even thinking something that absurd… 😉
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:22am
    - stephieboy
      
      Tony Stuart , apologise for what?
      
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      June 20, 2019 11:00am
    - lilman
      
      She has to live with her partner,give her a break,every day would be an apology.
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:32pm
- oldgolfer
  
  Oh dear. How embarrassing.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:24am
- projectman
  
  If Stephenson’s information is correct it reinforces to me that Hagar is guided by malice and will publish, let’s just say, charitably, poorly researched investigations to achieve his political ends.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:26am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Matthew Hooten has tweeted that he told Hager and his lawyer Steven Price that information about him in a previous book was incorrect. Their response was to publish anyway.
    
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    June 20, 2019 8:59am
    - stephieboy
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      Only with the benefit of hindsight and there was no delibrate attempt to deceive. The investigation is yet to establish if the civilians killed in the SAS attack was a fog of war situation or was it intentioinal.
      
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      June 20, 2019 11:05am
      - Batman
        
        I don’t think our SAS would be killing civilians intentionally. The question is probably more one of negligence… Or it was the US choppers that did the damage, as I have read
        
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        June 20, 2019 11:07am
      - Right of way is Way of Right
        
        It has not yet been proven that our SAS killed any civilians, and I doubt very much it ever will be.
        
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        June 20, 2019 11:11am
      - Rachael Membery
        
        What a slur on our SAS.
        
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        June 20, 2019 2:56pm
  - Jack5
    
    Jon Stephenson has gone up in my opinion by admitting he was wrong. Well done, Jon.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:28am
- Yvette
  
  Rachael, there has always been something unexplained in this matter –
  On behalf of whom was it even being conducted?
  
  The discrepancy between those civilians reported killed –
  
  The book “Hit & Run” details 6 civilians dead –
  1 three-year old girl, and 5 adult men 
  1: a three-year-old girl, a piece of shrapnel hit her in the head. 2: a farmer, shrapnel wounds. 3: male, bullet wound, likely SAS snipers. 4: a teacher, sniper fire while fleeing his home on foot. 5: a 55-year-old farmer, “He had been hit by so many bullets that one couldn’t recognise him”. 6: a male, also said to have been killed by Apache gunfire. [1]
  
  Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating –
  4 adult males, 1 adult female and one child aged six
  Some days after the operation, the Provincial Governor of Baghlan Province, Governor Mojid, received a delegation of villagers who claimed that “a very big operation had occurred with helicopters…that some landed and the operation was firing at civilians and left. The locals claimed that six civilians were killed, 4 adult males, 1 adult female and one child aged six. Additionally there were two adult females being treated in a local hospital for wounds. [2]
  
  [1] https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/90798790/afghan-villagers-engage-nz-lawyer-over-hit-and-run-sas-raid
  [2] http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1703/S00340/press-conference-on-operation-burnham.htm comment under “The ISAF Inquiry”
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:28am
- Tricati
  
  This was always going to be a hit job on John Key & National, but Key retired before they had a chance to use it against him.
  Around 7 million dollars wasted which could have covered the Col cochlear implant subsidy removal, meningitis vaccine for the poor kids up north and additional pharmac funding for cancer drugs.
  The minute I heard the villages had pulled out of the inquiry I thought this is not going how they envisaged – That being a big payout for them brokered by Hager and Manning
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:34am
  - Tall Man
    
    Free trips though for the villagers and a “fee” for the slimy writer.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:24am
- krazykiwi
  
  “I don’t rule out, if necessary, apologising for any mistakes or errors… I’m certainly not a person who’s afraid to acknowledge mistakes or shortcomings.” — Stephenson
  
  Lie down with Hager, wake up with fleas.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:37am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Stevenson should apologise now, not wait until the outcome of the inquiry. Only then can the damage he has done to the reputation of NZDF personnel be repaired.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:01am
    - Tall Man
      
      To be fair, only the watermelons and labour nutjobs actually doubted the NZDF account.
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:25am
  - stephieboy
    
    krazykiwi, churlish!
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:07am
- Right of way is Way of Right
  
  The silence from Stuff.co.nz on this, given that they trumpeted this as a major story for months, and the absence of Nicky Hager, as he’s gone to ground as well, it just proves that none of the so called journalists involved have anything that we could recognise as honour. The inaccuracies and outright lies are just compounding now.
  
  Meanwhile the NZDF continue to quietly point out the facts to deafening silence from the MSM, because our military doing their job properly is apparently not newsworthy!
  
  Doing your job properly is something Hager, Stephenson et al should have done in the first place. Shameful, the pair of them, and their sycophantic media enablers!
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:37am
  - stephieboy
    
    You are wrong there!. Stuff .co.nz are right up with the news on the issue,
    
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/113621206/insurgent-leaders-admit-they-were-in-afghanistan-village-raided-during-nz-sass-operation-burnham
    
    Please withdraw and apologise to Stuff
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:11am
    - slightlyrighty
      
      He will when Stuff does.
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:00pm
    - David George
      
      That stuff article was published at 11.27 today, almost three hours after R O W’s comment, all you needed to do was post a polite update. Churlish!
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:00pm
      - Tall Man
        
        However, the information has been in the mainstream since 2017 and even Hooten was aware of it so surely stuff were as well.
        
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        June 20, 2019 9:09pm
- sooty
  
  Does that mean that Nicky Hagar has been lying like a flat fish , all of this time?
  What was the name of the other teller of tall tales?
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:39am
  - Tall Man
    
    ardern.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:26am
- Rachael Membery
  
  I can’t log in to Givealittlehttps://givealittle.co.nz/cause/for-fatima-and-the-villagers
  but does this information materially change peoples feelings towards the villagers who have lied and who have continued to lie?
  
  Should Jon Stevenson be charged with wasting the Inquiry’s and the countries time?
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:43am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    I was going to post the link in the questions, nearly $10,000 pledged.
    
    Do the organisers stand by all of their statements.
    
    I do not believe that the villagers have not profited from kind-hearted NZ’ers, I wonder if those donors still feel the same.
    
    I see Nicky Hagar donated $500 a couple of days ago, perhaps all of the profits from the book could go there as they have lied and allowed the villagers to have expectations on the back of them.
    
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    June 20, 2019 8:58am
    - freethinker
      
      Perhaps Nicky’s $500 donation was the profits of his book?
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:18am
    - Tall Man
      
      The $500 probably was the profits.
      
      Who in their right mind would “buy” a book from that wanker…
      
      It would be like buying an ardern comic piece… “my life so far” written on a chip wrapper.
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:29am
      - sooty
        
        Oh dear, it willn ot be in the wharehouses bargin bin now! Straight in the rubbish bin!
        
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        June 20, 2019 10:14am
    - Komata
      
      Rachel M@0858
      
      So Mr Hagar very ‘Generously’ donated $500 ‘a couple of days ago’!
      
      How ‘Convenient’ that despite the book beinig published a few years ago, this ‘Donation’ should occur just now; one wonders why…
      
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      June 20, 2019 11:21am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    I hope, that if the inquiry finds no fault, the NZDF takes legal action against the authors of Hit and Run.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:03am
    - Swifty
      
      Send them the bill for the enquiry.
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:34am
      - toby1845
        
        Sorry, downticked by mistake
        
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        June 20, 2019 10:32am
    - lofty
      
      Yes I agree Tony, and can someone remind me of where Mr Nicky Hagar sits on the security inner sanctum spectrum now?
      Oh OK, I will remind readers..Mr Nicky Hagar is now a COL appointed member of a a group made up of journalists, lawyers, academics, and security experts to help ensure intelligence and security agencies act lawfully and properly.
      Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:39am
- cmm
  
  These “journalists” are gullible fools.
  
  They believe the Taliban word-for-word because it fits with their agenda.
  
  Anyone with a shred of integrity would go to all the military bases and apologize to the troops in person. The slurs made in H&R are made against every person in uniform.
  
  I wonder whether an apology is forthcoming?
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:44am
  - Tall Man
    
    Not journalists. Not even close.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:29am
  - stephieboy
    
    cmm,
    
    “They believe the Taliban word-for-word because it fits with their agenda”
    
    ???
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:13am
  - Komata
    
    Cmm@0844
    
    You mentioned ‘Integrity’ in respect of ‘Journalists’; an oxymoron surely?
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:24am
- rouppe
  
  The credibility of all those involved in the production of that book is now completely undermined.
  
  Hagar, Stevenson and Manning should now be billed for the unnecessary costs this fabrication caused.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:45am
  - stephieboy
    
    rouppe, a fabriaction ?
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:14am
    - rouppe
      
      No, a fabrication…
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:16pm
      - Tall Man
        
        ummmm fabriaction….. ummmmmmmm
        
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        June 20, 2019 9:07pm
- cas
  
  Listening to Deborah manning going on about how this doesn’t make a difference to the inquiry and how her clients were in another village made me wonder tow things.
  
  Who is paying her and what ever happened to another client of hers Mr Ahmed Zaoui.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:47am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    Well it is the Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand est. 2001 that put up the latest Givealittle page.
    
    I wonder if the villagers thought that they would be brought to NZ to give evidence and then be allowed to stay.
    
    It must have been hard for Stephenson to fess up but he has at least suspected the truth since 2017 but has allowed the political hits on the SAS.
    
    https://humanrights.co.nz/ have set up a reporting Islamophobia website.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:11am
  - Jack5
    
    And does she know more about Kailesh Thanabalasingham, Manning’s friend, the secretary of the Refugee Council who died in an unexplained Auckland house fire that led to four deaths.
    
    The Kailesh Thanabalasingham, of the same name, age,and ethnicity, who was expelled from Canada as the leader of an extremely violent ethnic gang.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:33am
    - Captain Mainwaring
      
      Jack5, as I recall, the investigation into the cause of that fire didn’t take very long at all before no cause could be found.
      Hmmmmmmm………
      
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      June 20, 2019 10:13am
      - stephieboy
        
        Captain Mainwaring,
        
        Ok for Jack 5 and yourself jump to conclusions?
        
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        June 20, 2019 11:16am
      - Captain Mainwaring
        
        So stephie, please tell us which conclusions we jumped to.
        
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        June 20, 2019 11:40am
      - sooty
        
        And why we should believe your lies?
        
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        June 20, 2019 1:50pm
      - Jack5
        
        Sooty, which poster are you accusing of telling porkies?
        
        Ironic if you mean Stephieboy, as some of those who have used the “Stephieboy” pseudonym have obviously been Muslims.
        
        ? If you accuse a Muslim Stephie of porkies, you might have the Speech Control Police kicking down your front door.
        
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        June 20, 2019 3:08pm
- Komata
  
  Rachael M@0806
  
  How ‘Convenient’ that he should suddenly have an attack of ‘remorse’…
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:49am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    The enquiry itself must have forced the confession out of him, how voluntary is it actually, the facts must have been indisputable from the defence force?
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:03am
- JibberJabber
  
  Hager and Stephenson, are NZs worst fantasy novelists.
  This bullshit was obviously designed to be run at the upcoming election when truth and facts need not apply and Keys` resignation forced them to run the hit job early.
  Another failure for the Lying Left.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:53am
- Nigel Kearney
  
  I particularly liked the part where one of the ‘civilians’ killed turned out to be the father of a known terrorist and he was carrying an AK-47 at the time.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:16am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    So the intel that the SAS had was correct. Of course, civilian casualties are to be regretted, but it doesn’t sound like the village was scared of the insurgents as they were related and had been there for two days.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:35am
  - stephieboy
    
    Nigel Kearney , sufficent justifcation to kill Civilians?
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:17am
    - All_on_Red
      
      What do you think and why?
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:26pm
    - lilman
      
      Stephieboy,yes plenty of justification to kill Civilians in a theatre of war.
      
      You lye down with dogs you get fleas.
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:41pm
      - Tall Man
        
        in steffy’s case… ticks.
        
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        June 20, 2019 9:05pm
secondcumming

Can’t help but think *The Auckland Trotting Cub* would have been far better off sticking to what they know best…..

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12241744
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June 20, 2019 8:07am
- alex Masterley
  
  We had a long discussion in the office about this one. Sticking to one’s knitting was the conclusion as things tend to go bad when you get out of your comfort zone.
  A 70 mil swing from 30 mil profit to 40 mil loss takes special skill.
  All the main players who set this up have gone leaving some poor chaps to tidy up the mess.
  Last nights meeting would have been largely spleen venting, teeth gnashing and wailing in the absence of the ability to hold those responsible for the cock up to account.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:39am
- trout
  
  This is what happens when amatuers fancy that they can be developers (with other peoples money). And when it all turns to custard they, the promoters bugger off. The Trotting Club now takes a $40 mill. hit. Serves them right for letting greed overcome fiscal responsibility.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:46am
  - Tall Man
    
    You’re talking about twyford aren’t you?
    
    “This is what happens when amateurs fancy that they can be developers (with other peoples money)”
    
    The trouble is, what “knitting” could the numbskull stick too?
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:32am
- peterwn
  
  The Club had no option but to make the most of its peripheral land as operating economics were getting more difficult over the years. Its Wellington equivalent failed some years ago although it operated on leased land.
  Auckland Racing Club has also had to sell off or develop its peripheral land and re-configure its buildings so they could be hired out for events and meetings.
  The Industry needs more than Winston’s beautiful horse tax breaks to survive.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:51am
  - alex Masterley
    
    One of my colleagues is a member of the ARC.
    She made the comment that rather than sell the land which has been developed along Greenlane East it has been leased under long term ground leases to the developers of the hospital, the Hotel and office buildings. This takes out the construction risk and ensures a long term residue stream for the ARC. Land along peach parade/ladies mile has been sold but that was zone residential and there was little appetite for leasehold residential development when that land was subdivided.
    The ATC should have followed that lead.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:29am
    - Tauhei Notts
      
      A mate told me that the opportunity cost of having steeplechase events at Ellerslie amounts to about $120,000 per race. That is the amount of income foregone by not selling of “The Steeplechase Hill” which makes the annual Great Northern Steeplechase such a wonderful event; much more eye appealing than Aintree’s Grand National Steeplechase.
      And for those who think it is cruel; watch a steeplechase horse run after the jockey has fallen off. Those horses normally follow, or even lead, the others. If the horses didn’t like the activity they would run to the feed box. Two years ago I saw a jockey pull up his horse 40 metres from the finish line. The horse was buggared, and so was the jockey. The Club credited the horse with seventh prize money, even though it had run only 6360 metres of the 6400 race.
      
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      June 20, 2019 11:08am
- All_on_Red
  
  Should have just sold the land and let others carry the risk.
  Now they end up having to do just that to cover the losses.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:08am
  - freethinker
    
    Greed!
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:24am
slightlyrighty

https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/06/18/oberlin-and-the-price-of-wokeness/?fbclid=IwAR0h31bYNXfo3coHupwBuvANntzhvxxWag7Xxsw37NuMFjEF0cQe8DQUxSo

An interesting piece outlining what happens when SJWs go feral.
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June 20, 2019 8:08am
- Tall Man
  
  What a pity we don’t have a simple mechanism to “punish” the non male green mps for their racist and ageist attacks.
  
  I really hope the “rapist” manages to extract some redress from mallard for his personal attacks.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:31am
- All_on_Red
  
  There are lots of excerpts from the Trial on the Twitter feed of @LegalInsurrection.
  The Oberlin Administration was donkey deep in trying to close down the Bakery.
  They actively assisted in inciting the students.
  The owners homes were broken into. Cars were damaged. The 90 year old Grandfather suffered a broken collarbone from a fall caused by sabotage to his stairs.
  Oberlin cried poverty too. Saying they couldn’t pay the Damages. Discovery showed they have over $1 Billion in funds…
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:48am
- Swifty
  
  Wow.
  
  How deeply sick these people are.
  
  They claim to be righteous but their actions show them to be deeply corrupted bullies, liars and fascists.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:58am
  - Tall Man
    
    ardernists…….
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:19am
redqueen

So Stewart is out. Looks like Boris is chugging along.
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June 20, 2019 8:10am
- fernglas
  
  So the race is likely to come down to a big swinging Johnson or a complete and utter Hunt. Fun for the British comedy industry. I guess it boils down to whether you want someone to run the country or just have a dictatorship.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:24am
  - mark15
    
    Tadaaaaa!
    
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    June 20, 2019 8:48am
- Liberty
  
  More good news
  The remainers are now decimated.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:26am
- All_on_Red
  
  Boris: 143 (126)
  Hunt: 54 (46)
  Gove: 51 (41)
  Saj: 38 (33)
  Rory: 27 (37) ELIMINATED
  
  157 for victory
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:51am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    Boris has same votes as next three. Talk is he has been getting some of his voters to vote tactically to make it appear that some further behind had ‘momentum’ to nobble nearer rivals
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:37am
  - stephieboy
    
    Boris, another populist demagogue in the tradition of Trump in the making !
    
    https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/boris-johnson-more-dangerous-than-enoch-powell-1.3594689
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:27am
    - mark15
      
      Dangerous to whom?
      
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      June 20, 2019 11:48am
      - Tall Man
        
        Left wing numb nuts I think.
        
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        June 20, 2019 9:02pm
    - KevO'Brien
      
      Your credentials being?
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:59pm
      - Tall Man
        
        steffy has a first class degree in left wing stupidity.. only out classed by ardern.
        
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        June 20, 2019 9:03pm
    - Rachael Membery
      
      And?
      
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      June 20, 2019 6:23pm
      - Tall Man
        
        “steffy is very depressed”.
        
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        June 20, 2019 9:04pm
    - Tall Man
      
      ardern, another populist demagogue in the tradition of absolute stupidity which is why steffy girl is enamoured.
      
      Sorry steffy, the fisherman is proof that you haven’t got a look in.
      
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      June 20, 2019 9:01pm
- freethinker
  
  Never understood why DPF and others thought Stewart was a realistic potential PM his record as a deceiver should be enough plus Mays support was a death wish. Interesting that Hunt is asking the media to stop calling him *unt – perhaps its because thats what they think he is.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:42am
hullkiwi

Funny news story of the morning and lead Red Radio news item.

One of the key accusations in Hager and Stephenson’s book “Hit and Run” is false. As admitted by Jon Stephenson (one of the book’s co-authors) on National Radio.

It appears there were insurgents in or around one of the villages as contested by the NZ Army, but denied by the authors in their book. After the book was published, Stephenson conducted further interviews with insurgents from 2017 onwards. The insurgents admitted they were in one of 2 villages with their bodyguards and they were armed.

Stephenson is planning to document, collate and present his evidence to the inquiry.

To make this all 5he more interesting is that Stephenson appears to have had a parting of the ways with Hager and Manning. He has not shared this information with them.

So, be ready for some interesting reactions from Hager and Manning!
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June 20, 2019 8:11am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Good on him for his honesty. Even if it is a bit late.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:37am
- Swifty
  
  Just watch how quickly NZers forgive Stephenson and move on – because of his early and sincere contrition.
  
  Will we see the same from Hager?
  
  Hmmmm….
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:48am
Nukuleka

What on earth possessed the UK Conservative Party to participate in the televised leadership debates! Political leadership contests, even in one in which the leader will become the Prime Minister, are surely an internal party issue not ones suitable for televised public slanging matches emphasising political policy differences rather than party cohesion. Boris was wise to absent himself from the first- but they all should have refused to participate in either.
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June 20, 2019 8:13am
Tony Stuart

Terrific win from the Blackcaps this morning against South Africa. They’re back on top of the points table, and will probably make the semifinals with one more win.

Their next two matches are against the West Indies (early Sunday morning) and Pakistan. On current form, they should beat both sides, which will see us really well placed going into the final pool games against Australia and England.

Kane Williamson played a superb knock this morning for 106 not out, and Colin de Grandhomme made an invaluable 60. Well played lads!
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June 20, 2019 8:14am
- hullkiwi
  
  And we are back on top….
  This is cricket though, so the usual cliche is, one game at a time, but a great result none the less. Especially, after a protracted break.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:18am
- oldgolfer
  
  Yes, and as the pressure mounted a little, Williamson seemed to enjoy it all the more.
  More good news to come in the weeks ahead.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:26am
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    Great win, but how many more will there be if Taylor and Latham can only make one each?
    
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    June 20, 2019 8:48am
- marcw
  
  I remember about 4 years ago when Williamson batting at the death scored a six against Sth Africa at Eden park to seal the win. Deja vue.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:32am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Close, but no cigar marcw. Williamson hit the winning six in the pool match against Australia at Eden Park. However it was Grant “Hairy Javelin” Elliott who his the winner against South Africa in the semis.
    
    And check out the side-by-side videos of the two from the ICC; pretty much to identical parts of the respective parks!
    
    https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1141430369767579648
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:02am
    - hullkiwi
      
      Tony had I read marcw post sooner, I too would have put in the correction of the facts. It was the semi-final at Eden Park in 2015.
      
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      June 20, 2019 10:49am
- Biscuit
  
  Tony, I’m peed.
  
  I backed Rain to be the Player Of The Tournament at this Cricket World Cup but, after a stellar recent run, the bloody comp organisers didn’t even let him play a full innings overnight!
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:49am
- rightoverlabour
  
  I’m an ex Saffa. I haven’t watched the games, but the gist is that South Africa are crap at the moment because the team is picked on everything except talent. That NZ came so close to losing against SA is no reason to celebrate. NZ are still to play the big guns of the tournament. My money would be on India to take this out…. ( in some cases NZ and SA are very similar, good teams that for some reason play really badly when thy can least afford it). Anyway, I hope NZ does do well. SA may just as well pack their bags and start eating Nandos. At least then they’ll get some runs….
  
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  June 20, 2019 6:36pm
Hugh Pavletich

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
NEW ZEALAND … The ANZ Bank John Key / David Hisco fiasco …

Posted at … https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2019/06/links-20-june-2019/#comment-3372801

Did John Key (check housing market transactions) and David Hisco ever consider the poor and disadvantaged with this totally unnecessary housing bubble … as they milked it for all it was worth ? …

ANZ’s former boss David Hisco clocked up nearly $450k a year in expenses … Kate MacNamara … Stuff NZ

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113599166/anzs-former-boss-david-hisco-clocked-up-nearly-450k-a-year-in-expenses

Kate Hawkesby: Far too many questions over ANZ boss David Hisco’s departure … New Zealand Herald

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12241719

Fran O’Sullivan: ANZ/David Hisco fiasco a sign the bauble has burst … NZ Herald

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12241693

What would ANZ NZ profits have been if the housing market in New Zealand had been normal and affordable at or below 3 times annual household incomes ?

Access the Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Surveys and associated material at Performance Urban Planning http://www.PerformanceUrbanPlanning.org .
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June 20, 2019 8:28am
- Happychappy
  
  As I posted yesterday Hugh was just warming up with his post on David Hisco and his main objective was to do a hit on his pet hate John Key , well it only took one day.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:07am
  - Hugh Pavletich
    
    Keep up with the latest reporting on this important issue …
    
    Google NZ Search ‘ANZ David Hisco’
    
    https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C2GIGM_enNZ518NZ518&source=hp&ei=W54KXYnDEIqy9QOTpbmABA&q=anz+david+hisco&oq=anz+david+hisco&gs_l=psy-ab.12..
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:18am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      Why? We know that Hisco was rorting his expenses, and we know that Key sacked him. ‘Nuff said.
      
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      June 20, 2019 10:03am
      - Swifty
        
        Hugh is deranged. Ignore him.
        
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        June 20, 2019 10:14am
      - sooty
        
        But, but, Hugh said!
        
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        June 20, 2019 10:22am
    - Jack5
      
      It’s political, Hugh.
      
      The Lefties are using the Hisco matter to get at John Key, but behind it all is the stand-off, over capital ratios, between the Reserve Bank under Adrian Orr and the banks.
      
      And the reporters are overlooking which banks could be crunched by tight capital ratios. They need to look at the their credit ratings.
      
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      June 20, 2019 10:06am
      - Hugh Pavletich
        
        Jack5 … With all due respects, the major ‘disclosures’ to date have been by Kate MacNamara of Stuff …
        
        ANZ’s former boss David Hisco clocked up nearly $450k a year in expenses … Kate MacNamara … Stuff NZ
        
        https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113599166/anzs-former-boss-david-hisco-clocked-up-nearly-450k-a-year-in-expenses
        
        This is only the start of it.
        
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        June 20, 2019 10:40am
      - Jack5
        
        ??With all due respects, Hugh… You’re reading (or listening to) too much lightweight crap on the banks’ stand-off with Adrian Orr.
        
        Michael Reddell today has an excellent article on the ANZ – and the Reserve Bank, where, he suggests, money has been diverted into into non-core pet projects, such as Maorification.
        
        Reddell, a former Reserve Bank executive, also suggests hostility to the ANZ may stem from popular resentments about banks being profitable, and makes the highly rational point that profitable banks are in the national interest. ?
        
        Michael Reddell’s article:
        
        https://croakingcassandra.com/
        
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        June 20, 2019 11:02am
      - Hugh Pavletich
        
        Jack5 … Reddell’s long article of necessity will need to be an evening read.
        
        The failings at the ANZ NZ however are serious and should not be dismissed lightly.
        
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        June 20, 2019 11:33am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Jack, I laregely agree with Reddell, but note he also seems to agree at the end of his post that this was a serious failure by the ANZ board. His point of difference is that such failure is something for which shareholders and customers need to hold the bank accountable, not as a justification for some kind of government intervention.
        Is there political mileage for some in a governance failure by a board chaired by Key? Sure, just like when other ex-politicians foul up their corporate sinecures (Shipley, Jeffries, etc).
        
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        June 20, 2019 1:52pm
      - Jack5
        
        ❔ Hugh, are you sure that MacNamara wasn’t picking up on “disclosures” from Australia?
        
        The figures mentioned for Hisco’s expenses are high, even for one of the country’s biggest companies, but the core question is what will Orr’s capital reserve reforms do to the national economy?
        
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        June 20, 2019 2:27pm
      - Jack5
        
        Milky, here’s the final paragraph in Michael Reddell’s article:
        
        The Governor, the Bank’s Head of Financial Stability, and the (outgoing) chair of the Bank’s Board Audit Committee, might like to reflect on questions around unauthorised (operational) expenditure over at least as long a time.
        
        Does the “Governor” refer to the Reserve Bank’s Adrian Orr? Do commercial banks have governors?
        
        I don’t know to whom Michael Reddell is referring as the “bank’s head of financial stability”. Could it be the Reserve Bank’s deputy governor, Geoff Bascand, whose titles on the Reserve Bank site include “General Manager, Financial Stability”?
        
        ANZ Bank New Zealand has an audit committee, comprising the four independent directors: John Key, Antony Carter, Mark Verbiest and Joan Withers. John Key has been a director of ANZ Bank New Zealand since 18 October 2017.
        
        The independent auditor is KPMG.
        
        When you go to Michael Reddell’s article (link below), the comments at the bottom are worth reading.
        
        The article:
        
        https://croakingcassandra.com
        
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        June 20, 2019 2:58pm
      - Rachael Membery
        
        And pot shots at National.
        
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        June 20, 2019 4:22pm
waikatogirl

Supreme Court judge went on holiday with Colin Craig’s lawyer.
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jared-savage-supreme-court-judge-went-on-holiday-with-colin-craigs-lawyer/

“It has emerged a Supreme Court judge went on a sailing holiday with Colin Craig’s lawyer, while he was considering his decision in a high-profile case.

It was an appeal over a defamation case between the former Conservative Party leader and Jordan Williams – in which Williams won a record $1.27 million.”
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June 20, 2019 8:34am
- Tall Man
  
  After her childish attempted “hit job” on David Seymour I will never listen to her again.
  
  No wonder soper drinks like a bloody fish… I can just imagine her whining … “I’m bored of that barry”…
  
  WTF does “bored of that” actually mean?
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:36am
  - waikatogirl
    
    I’ve given HDPA the benefit of the doubt as she occasionally shows sense, but that hit job on David Seymour was appalling. She sounded like a whiny spoilt teenager, not an adult in a paid job. Turns out she is not a journalist, just a spoilt brat with too big opinion of her own self importance.
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:11am
    - sooty
      
      Be interesting to know the listerner figures?
      
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      June 20, 2019 10:24am
  - RightFirstTime
    
    To be fair Heather is just doing her best to protect a endangered species ….what with Barry being and old white male and all.
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:43am
greybeard

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/113586672/national-party-launches-website-where-people-can-rate-auckland-council

This website appears to allow anyone to comment on Auckland council, not just Aucklanders.

In fact, I left all fields blank and submitted the form anyway. With no checks.

So what is the point ?
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June 20, 2019 8:40am
- Nigel Kearney
  
  Why shouldn’t we all comment? We’re all paying for it.
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:16am
  - sooty
    
    The whole of NZis paying for that cockup and it’s mayor!
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:25am
  - greybeard
    
    It is just that I thought that spurious and fake comments from people from , say, the West Coast, or Kaitaia, or Kaikoura, would be of little help to National.
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:55am
- Alien
  
  The point is they expect people to be grown up and not submit an empty form
  
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  June 20, 2019 12:10pm
- Rachael Membery
  
  Bell weather?
  
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  June 20, 2019 4:31pm
Maggie Pie

I was sooo pleased to read Stuff yesterday that police have finally arrested a 49 y-o man for stabbing the little miniature pony ‘Star’ back in February. The poor thing was stabbed 41 times while tethered to a fence in Otago and could not be saved. How dreadful is that.
Will they throw the key away? I live in hope 🙁
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June 20, 2019 8:52am
- Tall Man
  
  Cell mate for tarrant…..
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:37am
Happychappy

It doesn’t look like the Coalition care whether they reach the total of 1800 recruits for the police in three years that were promised. Stuart Nash said that’s a inspirational figure when told that only six hundred and fifty had been delivered so far.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/target-1800-police-aspirational-says-minister-only-650-recruited
Another failure on the horizon from the PM and her Police Minister ,and they don’t seem to care.
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June 20, 2019 8:55am
- Ian Hawthorn
  
  More aspirational than inspirational it seems.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:37am
- Tony Stuart
  
  Nash is counting the new cops put out on the beat, but not those who are leaving the Police in droves. That’s simply dishonest.
  
  Mind you, Nash also said on Hosking’s programme yesterday that “Grant Robertson doesn’t play the politics of personality”. If you believe that, I have a couple of whole snapper to sell you 😀
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:06am
  - Swifty
    
    What a load of horseshit from Nash.
    
    Does he truly believe we’ve forgotten how Robertson, and others, conducted himself while in opposition?
    
    The personal attacks on Key and the rest of the National caucus came about DAILY. Relentless attack after attack on his character, his friends, his party, his colleagues, his background, his career; it just never stopped.
    
    Nash is lying to us.
    
    A pity, I thought he was better than that.
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:13am
    - Tall Man
      
      I thought I had won lotto…..
      
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      June 20, 2019 10:17am
    - kloyd0306
      
      Here’s a clue – Nash is a Labour/CoL cabinet member.
      
      That alone makes him distrustful.
      
      …and a slime ball as well.
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:16pm
stinkypete

if newshub is to believed the gun buy back scheme will not pay full retail for near new semi autos.
if this is true its breathtakingly stupid
they dont know where all these legally bought firearms are and now they are going to stiff the owners
good look with achieving the aim of recovering all these firearms
muppets
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June 20, 2019 9:01am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Meanwhile I’m sure that the gangs will meekly surrender all their illegal guns.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:11am
  - mark15
    
    It was never about illegal firearms
    It’s not about gun control,it’s about control…
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:29am
  - secondcumming
    
    Watch for thousands of *old bits of crap* to come out of the woodwork that no one in their right mind would want to buy anyway…..mana from heaven when Labor starts throwing around taxpayers cash.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:43am
  - Inandout
    
    CM, gangs are cultural, so will be left alone.
    
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    June 20, 2019 9:49am
- marcw
  
  This COLosers seems to be going out of its way to cause resentment within the law abiding gun owner population. How do they imagine this will help recover all the firearms they want out of the community? What a total bunch of whackjobs – they had an environment where proper discussion and agreements could have been reached, but they are so incompetent and useless they have managed to f…k up even the potentially achievable and safe solution that was possible.
  
  God help us and protect us from these morons in charge.
  
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  June 20, 2019 9:43am
- Tony Stuart
  
  Some bloke on Twitter was trying to argue that the government shouldn’t be paying anything for illegal firearms that are surrendered. Someone else reminded him that they weren’t illegal when they were purchased 😀
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:08am
  - Tall Man
    
    Part of the “labour intern” movement to attempt to alter the narrative away from their own ignorance and stupidity.
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:17am
  - freethinker
    
    Gun owners could collectively agree to surrender guns on last day of amnesty and see the Po lice squirm and Nash wear his brown trousers.
    
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    June 20, 2019 10:23am
- Piniwi
  
  stinkypete @ 9.01 am still a lot of detail to come but the indicated price points might explain why the COL allocated so little for the buy back. Obviously they are still in the dark so have pulled another $40 million from their historical golden goose called ACC. How long before the Health allocation is tapped for what would normally come from Contingency reserves?
  This is yet another failure as funding gets juggled around as a result of reckless ideological priorities being put before essential funding. Transformation Government? Tui moment.
  
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  June 20, 2019 1:24pm
Yvette

Christchurch businessman, Philip Arps, jailed for sharing the mosques attack livestream, is reportedly appealing his sentence on the grounds that the 21 month sentence is “excessive”, not that the authenticity of the livestream is disputed.

It would therefore seem that an authenticated copy of the livestream is acceptable as court evidence, so in the Tarrant proceedings the video, correlated to coroners’ reports of the deaths, should be sufficient evidence of the killings Tarrant committed, even although Tarrant himself may not have personally confirmed the consequences of his actions at the time. And similarly, related to hospital records, does the livestream confirm Tarrant responsible for those injuried as indicated in the video?
And Tarrant’s manifesto must surely contribute the premeditation that qualifies those killings as murders.

Should not both ‘documents’ – one of his own stated intent, the other of his actions – be sufficient to convict Tarrant without a great deal of further contribution from him himself?

The Philip Arps case seems to reveal there no problem in connecting the livestream to Tarrant’s activities, so Tarrant need only be proved to have created it, and coroners’ evidence and hospital records confirm the consequences.
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June 20, 2019 9:14am
- Scott
  
  Yvette – some useful comments. I did argue yesterday that the sentence of almost 2 years for sharing the video was excessive. Some have pointed out that he he added crosshairs to the video and a kill count. So that should be taken into account. However two years still seems to me to be an excessive sentence and I think Philip Arps has got every right to appeal.
  
  Regarding the shooter I would agree that there does seem to be manifest evidence of guilt and you quite rightly point out the live stream. I would be interested in knowing what the accused defence will be? Because he seems to have gone out of his way to publicise the event on social media and gain as much notoriety as possible.
  
  As for me, rather than waiting another year for a trial, I would see him tried straightaway. After a speedy trial I would expect to see him convicted of murder. In an ideal world he would be given 24 hours to contemplate his sins before being taken out and hung. The sight of which I believe would have a salutary effect on the criminal mind and prevent any copycat incidents.
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:09am
  - Alien
    
    So why do you think 21 months is excessive?
    
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    June 20, 2019 12:06pm
    - Scott
      
      Alien – well he didn’t make the video, he didn’t have any hand in the evil acts in the mosque. He shared the video. And as others have pointed out he did add target sights and a body count meter.
      
      But does the punishment fit the crime? He shared the video. To me that is not worth any jail time at all. He added crosshairs and a body count meter. So he was adding to the carnage being portrayed. So that was a bad thing.
      
      But does the act justify almost two years of jail? I don’t believe that it does. I think he was subject to subjective justice. The man is a neo-Nazi, he hates Muslims, he is probably an atheist who hates all religions. He is not a nice chap.
      
      However being a person with hateful attitudes doesn’t justify jail time. The criminal acts that he actually did should be the main driver. And to me the jail time was excessive given the offence.
      
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      June 20, 2019 12:34pm
      - Alien
        
        A pedophile that downloads child porn can get up to 10 years in jail. They don’t make the photos or videos, all they do is download and share it. So under your theory used for this guy they shouldn’t get such sentences either.
        
        He shared a video of people being murdered, he then had a death count and cross hairs added. Just as bad as someone downloading child porn.
        
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        June 20, 2019 12:48pm
      - KevO'Brien
        
        It seems NZ is to have a year long wait before a three month spectacle of the Police attempting to prove 89 charges or drop them.
        Has any though been given to the victims and the further damage inflicted by this saga?
        Tarrant is by his documents a megalomaniac–that should be enough to permanently remove him from civil society without much ado.
        
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        June 20, 2019 1:09pm
      - Scott
        
        Alien – fair enough comments. I would like to know what others think? Essentially Mr Arps is getting almost 2 years of jail time for sharing a video. He added crosshairs and a body count metre.
        
        Is it our contention that people who share murder videos should get jail time? If that’s the standard, then fine.
        
        But I wonder if that is the standard? Or is it selective justice? If someone who wasn’t a neo-Nazi person who hated Muslims shared the video would he or she get the same sentence? Because as I mentioned yesterday the judge referred to the “hate crime” as a factor in sentencing. So somehow the persons emotional attitude made a big difference to the sentence received.
        
        But look if people are happy with two years then that’s okay. As long as others who do the same thing also can expect two years?
        
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        June 20, 2019 1:15pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        While I’m not aware of any recent sentencings for New Zealanders distributing graphic videos endorsing mass murders, I should note that the judge was entitled to take into account Arps’s previous record and obvious unrepentance.
        
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        June 20, 2019 1:39pm
      - Jack5
        
        Alien, few people would think the obnoxious Mr Phillip Arps should not be punished for altering and passing the massacre videos to associates.
        
        However, the sentence imposed is a fair topic for discussion. The sentence, and whether it is severe or light, is under discussion on the internet and on international news sites.
        
        Stephen O’Driscoll, the judge who sentenced Arps to 21 months imprisonment, two years ago sentenced a Muslim youth who planned to massacre of Christchurch citizens by car and knife. The judge sentenced the youth to “supervision”, which came to include golf lessons. Compared with this, the Arps sentence seems heavy.
        
        Alien, you say that a person who downloads child pornography can be jailed for 10 years. That seems light, if the reports are correct that the maximum sentence for the offence Arps was charged with is 14 years in prison.
        
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        June 20, 2019 2:01pm
      - Alien
        
        You are right jack, it is 14 years, I googled and it came up 10 years, didn’t look that was in 2003, Judith Collins changed that to 14 years.
        
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        June 20, 2019 2:14pm
- Tony Stuart
  
  Unfortunately Yvette, the standard of proof required to convict Tarrant will be somewhat more stringent than just the video. They have to establish the identity of each victim, prove beyond reasonable doubt that the victim died of gunshot wounds (or suffered wounds, in the case of those who survived), and prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was Tarrant who inflicted the injuries. The video will be an important part of the evidence, but on its own, it would probably fall short.
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:15am
  - Yvette
    
    Tony – The video will be an important part of the evidence, but on its own, it would probably fall short.
    
    Which is why I have tried to be clear in saying “correlated to coroners’ reports of the deaths” or relating the video to hospital injury documented details.
    
    I am sure a “defence” will be that Tarrant believes himself to be a “freedom fighter” or “combatant” against those – who the censor and others have has noted – Tarrant describes as “invaders”
    
    Callous as it may seem in mentioning it: in what detail can Tarrant actually discuss his actions, in that I gather he did not pause to witness the consequences of his actions and can only know exactly how many he has killed or injured, from those who have told him, or the facts of what he is charged with.
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:10am
  - Ian Hawthorn
    
    This is why we have juries. Too much exposure to the law erodes common sense and rots the brain. The average juror would have no difficulty finding the defendant guilty beyond reasonable doubt on the basis of the video with only minimal supporting medical evidence.
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:11am
    - tavita
      
      I am curious. Does the livestream show who was holding the gun? If not, it does not establish by itself that the murderer was Tarrant. Tarrant could have been an accomplice.
      
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      June 20, 2019 3:54pm
      - Tony Stuart
        
        And did the video show the terrorism in both mosques? If not, eyewitness, expert and forensic evidence will still be needed to make a watertight case.
        
        Make no mistake. I hope Tarrant is convicted on every charge, and is sentenced to Life Without Parole. If LWOP is not the sentence in this case, it is a sentence that will never be used. But as a civilised society, we allow Tarrant a fair trial, as we should. I just hope the prosecution closes every possible loophole, and gives the defence no wiggle room.
        
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        June 20, 2019 4:00pm
- rangitoto
  
  I suspect that Tarrant will admit to the killings but try to claim that they were in done in self defence. It wont fly of course but he is trying to get as much attention as possible.
  
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  June 20, 2019 11:11am
  - Ian Hawthorn
    
    I will not watch any coverage of the trial. He isn’t getting my attention no matter what stunts he pulls.
    
    3 0
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    June 20, 2019 3:32pm
    - Tall Man
      
      I’ll drink to that.
      
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      June 20, 2019 3:55pm
Swifty

There’s a new’ish lefty ‘thinktank’ up and running – The Workshop:

https://www.theworkshop.org.nz

A chocolate fish for the best translation of this ‘bio’ of one of the founders:

‘Marianne’s work in policy advocacy and public narrative-setting is shaped by her commitment to clarity, creativity and compassion, and her work spans the breadth of social, economic and environmental issues. Marianne’s strengths are translating complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives and tellings (sic) stories that help shift the dial of public opinion to support pro-social policy. ‘

FFS.
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June 20, 2019 10:02am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  How about: “Marianne is a left wing propagandist”
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:13am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    They all are.
    
    20 0
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    June 20, 2019 10:21am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    Electioneering.
    
    3 0
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    June 20, 2019 4:39pm
- waikatogirl
  
  I’ll take up your challenge Swifty:
  ‘Marianne’s ability as a trougher is sustainable under the current complex political conditions, but necessary to maintain under the impending economic excesses coming to bear.’
  – ie, Marianne can bullshit with the best of them as she needs the work!
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:18am
- freethinker
  
  How about collective arseholes?
  
  9 0
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  June 20, 2019 10:28am
- Jules99
  
  Good grief, they don’t even pretend to be telling the truth now.
  
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  June 20, 2019 1:07pm
- Swifty
  
  Oh, and I’ve now just completed reading some of her works.
  
  Unfortunately for Marianne, she hasn’t ‘shifted my dial’ even one little bit.
  
  Overly-emotive, bereft of facts, arguments that aren’t the least compelling, flawed assumptions; the list just goes on and on.
  
  It’s a fail from me.
  
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  June 20, 2019 1:34pm
Tall Man

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/early-edition/opinion/kate-hawkesby-trump-rally-suggests-its-going-to-be-a-long-campaign/

Love hearing a venomous commenter prattle on about Trump including a bit of spite towards his wife.

Is this now journalism in NZ.

How about these “journalists” turn a little of their focus back to where it belongs, New Zealand. How about they do the fake “sighs” and snide comments towards a coalition that is daily being revealed as a corrupt bunch of amateur liars. Why waste their venom on Trump when there are vastly more deserving targets here in NZ starting with ardern, who with her dealings with her ex chief of staff mate, has revealed herself to be not only a liar, or “list” as batman likes to call her, but patently corrupt.
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June 20, 2019 10:15am
- Scott
  
  Tall man – the thing is that every New Zealand journalist, with only a few exceptions, is an indoctrinated leftist that hates Donald Trump and loves Jacinda Adern.
  
  Because any normal person who sees that rally would notice that 20,000 people packed into the arena. Apparently thousands couldn’t get inside and so watched the event outside in the car park on a big screen.
  
  Any normal person would notice the enthusiasm they have for Donald Trump. He obviously has a huge base who really really likes what he is doing.
  
  Now take Trump’s main challenger so far Joe Biden. You watch the speech where he is supposed to eviscerate Trump. You watch it when he says that Donald Trump is an existential threat to the United States. You watch the people around him. There is no enthusiasm, there is no cheering. Joe Biden just does not have it.
  
  In contrast Donald Trump does have it. He speaks their language and he talks about the issues that they are concerned about. Putting bread on the table – the economy. He talks about immigration, he talks about the fake news media. The people love it!
  
  In contrast our government wouldn’t know economic growth if it bit them on the bottom! We could learn something from what is happening in the USA. But you’ll never learn anything from these journalists??!
  
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  June 20, 2019 10:35am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Hawkesby failed to mention the crowd chanting “CNN Sucks” and CNN pulling coverage after 6 minutes. Wonder why she did not mention is when it is all over social media?
  
  20 1
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  June 20, 2019 11:56am
  - Scott
    
    Steve – fair points about CNN! They went on for two years about Trump/Russia collusion. Finally the Meuller report came out and guess what? No collusion! CNN have tried to battle on about obstruction of justice. But when there was no underlying crime of collusion it is difficult to establish a case for obstruction of justice. Especially when Meuller was able to finish his work with no obstruction.
    
    So CNN exists primarily as a punching bag for the president. No one much watches them anymore. Their ratings are down 33% from this time last year!
    
    21 3
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    June 20, 2019 12:01pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      CNN aren’t the only ones who went on and on and on and on about Russia Russia Russia and the myth about obstruction.
      This blog had its fair share of dumb morons who also did.
      And are still here clinging to somehow somewhere evidence will be found.
      Heck even McCabe, who is probably going to be prosecuted btw, said under Oath, there was no obstruction. And he was the Deputy Director of the FBI.
      But still they cling.
      Funny to watch though.
      
      14 3
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      June 20, 2019 12:17pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      I see the president has now accused the former White House counsel of lying to the special counsel, so there’s another one to be locked up for perjury.
      
      3 6
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      June 20, 2019 1:33pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Lat it go mikey, you are starting to look more ridiculous than usual.
        
        4 2
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        June 20, 2019 3:54pm
- Fletch
  
  I had to laugh at 1 News latest promotional ad on TV. I can’t remember the exact wording, but it mentioned how many fact checkers they had and that they didn’t take anything at face value.
  
  21 2
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  June 20, 2019 12:01pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    They live in a box of self imposed ignorance.
    
    16 1
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    June 20, 2019 12:19pm
  - KevO'Brien
    
    So long as fact checkers are watermelons all is OK on the nations COL parrot channel.
    
    9 0
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    June 20, 2019 1:13pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Just because they have them, doesn’t mean they actually do anything.
    
    1 1
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    June 20, 2019 3:53pm
- Rachael Membery
  
  Networking. We are but a village. Has Jacinda Linked in? Given a testimonial?
  
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  June 20, 2019 4:41pm
Pateke

Attended tangi and funeral of long time friend Jim Maniapoto yesterday. Massive crowd joined in grief and joyful celebration of a life of a bloke who lived in both Maori and pakeha world with ease.

It struck me that only in NZ would this happen where two cultures blend together so easily in sorrow and yet remain different. I was also struck yet again about how much pakeha life has altered from standard European. The average Pom or yank would have been bewildered at what I have seen as normal for the last many years.

We have changed, in my view for the better. The people at the tangi were like us all—and i blush—-decent people getting on with their lives in many different ways—but all of us New Zealanders.

The grievance industry was absent. What was present was kotahitanga. I think that the silent majority on both sides of our houses think the same.
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June 20, 2019 10:28am
- Tall Man
  
  But when will “Maori” remove the blinkers and cease voting for a party that does little but create more hardship for them?
  
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  June 20, 2019 3:52pm
Maggie Pie

Don’t care what they say – it still wont put me off Krispy Kremes

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1140697503660163072
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June 20, 2019 10:31am
Rachael Membery

They are raiding our piggy banks on tenuous grounds.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/113628781/government-gun-buyback-scheme-funding-boosted-to-208m-with-acc-money
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June 20, 2019 10:44am
- greybeard
  
  This bit is the problem area:
  
  “The buyback price for prohibited firearms, paid only to those with a valid firearms licence…..”
  
  So no illegally-held firearms will be surrendered.
  What a lot of rubbish.
  
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  June 20, 2019 11:12am
- simpleton1
  
  A discount seems to apply, but just for the government.
  
  Compensation announced by the government today fits into three categories – all based on a wholesale price for a new weapon, without any retail margin.
  
  It will pay
  95 percent of the base price for weapons in new or near-new condition,
  70 percent for those in used condition and
  25 percent for those in poor condition.
  
  The base price is the gun’s value minus the profit margin put on a firearm when sold. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/392488/banned-weapons-government-details-compensation
  
  It would seem that it based on wholesale price, and then discounted from that price.
  
  As for the logistics of compensation, there will not be wads of cash changing hands at collection events, and the money won’t go into accounts overnight. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/06/exclusive-gun-buyback-details-revealed.html
  
  So it seems that not only current firearms licence, but the slow motion payments maybe checking your bank accounts, and may also be due to the money laundering act.
  Will the administration of this remain below $18 million?
  
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  June 20, 2019 11:49am
  - White Anglo Saxon Protestant
    
    Creating Black Markets – For Dummies
    By the COLL
    
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    June 20, 2019 12:52pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    With or without GST content?
    
    3 0
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    June 20, 2019 4:44pm
  - rightoverlabour
    
    So any gun thats been fired will get discounted to 70% New or near new would be un fired. Or does it depend on the side of the bed the valuer got out of or whether he got lucky the night before, or the position of the moon, or the throw of a dice or any other Labour endorsed idea of objectivity…. Fucking Morons, the lot of them, and the police are going to be dragged onto the wrong side of public opinion…..
    
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    June 20, 2019 5:46pm
brett68

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
https://www.interest.co.nz/banking/100287/national-leader-simon-bridges-calls-finance-minister-challenge-reserve-banks

Asked whether he was making his comments off the back of being wined and dined by bankers, who the RBNZ warned Robertson would engage in “intensive lobbying”, Bridges said: “I don’t think I’ve had a single conversation with a banker on these things.”

FFS, could Bridges look anymore dodgy, that’s about as blatant an act of lobbying you’ll ever see.
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June 20, 2019 10:57am
- Garbageman
  
  Starting to wonder if you are actually Tova O’Brien although i dont think she puts quite as much effort into trashing Bridges as you do, any of his other comments you want to analysis as deeply then spin into another limp wristed attack
  
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  June 20, 2019 11:25am
  - All_on_Red
    
    I reckon. What is there to not understand about Bridges saying in response to the accusations of lobbying “I don’t think I’ve had a single conversation with a banker on these things.”
    
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    June 20, 2019 11:36am
    - gump
      
      What is there not to understand that Politicians should not be interfering with the independence of the Reserve Bank?
      
      It was purposefully made independent to protect it from meddling. Bridges doesn’t seem to grasp the importance of that independence.
      
      4 12
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      June 20, 2019 12:21pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        He’s not interfering in the RB’s independence.
        He’s pointing out that the requirements for the Banks to hold a higher level of capital will influence how free they can be with their lending.
        Already we are seeing Banks reducing their lending to segments and that can influence how well our economy does by restricting growth.
        The blog Croaking Cassandra has some good commentary on this.
        Personally I think there’s a balance. But Bridges is right to raise the issue- because Robertson is just too dumb to get it.
        
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        June 20, 2019 12:32pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Just to add. Commenting on a proposed policy is not interfering in their ‘independence’.
        It’s his opinion. It’s his job to offer opinion about policy which will affect the lives of all NZers. Interfering would be directing them not to do it.
        What’s not to understand about that.
        
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        June 20, 2019 12:39pm
      - gump
        
        Did you even read the article? Or did you not understand it?
        
        Bridges has literally called for Finance Minister Grant Robertson to interfere in the governance of the Reserve Bank.
        
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        June 20, 2019 12:58pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Yes I did read it.
        No where are the words ‘interfere in the governance of the Reserve Bank’ used by Bridges
        That’s you wrongly understanding how things work.
        The Govt has a role in the Regulatory function of the Bank. But not its independence. They make their own mind up.
        The Govt provides input about various things- as it should. But the Bank makes up its own mind.
        ‘Bridges said that while he respected the RBNZ’s independence when it came to monetary policy (IE setting interest rates), he saw the capital review as a “regulatory function” that Robertson should get involved in.’
        ‘In terms of carrying out this “regulatory function”, Bridges said he didn’t believe the RBNZ was “much different to say MBIE or another government department”.
        ‘“It’s more at the level of he [Robertson] has a relationship with the Governor of the RBNZ and that board,” Bridges conceded.
        “He has a legitimate role in terms of asking the questions and making sure that they [the RBNZ] are thinking through and doing the right work on the positions they take. Here [with the bank capital matter] it doesn’t seem they have.
        “He needs to get in and be involved in that.”
        
        Bridges is saying that Robertson should share his concerns about how this Policy will affect NZers.
        Pointing this out is not interfering. Directing them not to do something is interfering. He’s not saying that.
        Can’t you see that?
        Here’s Robertson’s comments
        ‘Ultimately Robertson said his job was to have oversight of the RBNZ.’
        
        “OVERSIGHT OF THE BANK”
        What do you think that means?
        Sheesh.
        Oh, and back to my original comment. Has Bridges had meetings with Banks and is he lobbying for them?
        This is not the first time we have had these tiresome exchanges because of your lack of comprehension.
        
        11 2
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        June 20, 2019 1:51pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Since I know how thick you are, I’ll point out the money quote for you again.
        “He (Robertson)has a legitimate role in terms of asking the questions and making sure that they [the RBNZ] are thinking through and doing the right work on the positions they take.”
        Lol
        
        12 2
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        June 20, 2019 1:58pm
      - gump
        
        So your entire argument that Bridges isn’t interfering with the statutory independence of the Reserve Bank is simply that Bridges has stated that he isn’t interfering?
        
        LOL
        
        Capital reviews are a tool that the Reserve Bank uses to set monetary policy because of the impact it has on bank lending.
        
        Try reading my post slowly if you don’t understand it.
        
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        June 20, 2019 3:13pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Whereas coalition mps can interfere with auditor general and even appoint a “political” reserve bank governor with as much independence as ardern herself has from “what’s in it for wynston”.
        
        4 2
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        June 20, 2019 3:47pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Err no Gump. Since you just quote the first sentence it’s clear you didn’t read, or more likely didn’t understand my post.
        Read this again.
        “Since I know how thick you are, I’ll point out the money quote for you again.
        “He (Robertson)has a legitimate role in terms of asking the questions and making sure that they [the RBNZ] are thinking through and doing the right work on the positions they take.”
        
        Since you really are dumb I’ll put it in caps
        MAKING A SUGGESTION IS NOT INTERFERENCE
        TELLING THEM TO DO SOMETHING IS.
        
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        June 20, 2019 4:28pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        “‘Ultimately Robertson said his job was to have oversight of the RBNZ.’”
        
        Heh, according to Gumps standards, Robertson by having ‘oversight’ is ‘meddling’ and ‘interfering’ in the governance of the Reserve Bank.
        Duh.
        
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        June 20, 2019 5:02pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Poor old gump… the only thing he has done right is choose a pseudonym that actually reveals his real persona….
        
        Have you found Jesus yet, Gump?
        Forrest Gump: I didn’t know that we were supposed to be lookin’ for him, sir.
        
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        June 20, 2019 8:52pm
- Inandout
  
  Oh, so the CoL aren’t lobbied by anyone? China over bottled water perhaps, or unions over funds?
  
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  June 20, 2019 11:28am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Lobbying? They had the lobbyist Thompson involved in appointing all their staff!
    Talk about a situation where corrupt influence coukd apply.
    
    14 0
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    June 20, 2019 12:11pm
Garbageman

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/113617971/mongrel-mob-member-with-notorious-tattoo-unfairly-judged-by-50-cent-global-media
Just another poor wonderful human being that is being misjudged by us horrible non gang members of society, i wonder if the give a little page money will be used to get rid of the shite on his face or is that not what “turning your life around” means to gang scum
18 1
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June 20, 2019 11:15am
- waikatogirl
  
  Why is his girlfriend so mystified about other peoples reaction to her boyfriend’s aggressive gang-coloured facial tattoo when she is quoted as saying, “When I initially met him I was very stand-offish because I am not used to seeing someone with facial tattoos like that or being around gang members,” she said.
  
  Yet she expects an employer take him on.
  They are called consequences my dear…
  
  27 0
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  June 20, 2019 11:54am
  - Jules99
    
    What’s the betting that down the line she will wish she went with her gut instinct.
    
    12 0
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    June 20, 2019 1:03pm
    - Nermal
      
      A boyfriend in the Mongrel Mob. She’s a statistic waiting to happen
      
      9 0
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      June 20, 2019 2:38pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Or her future children are.
        
        6 1
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        June 20, 2019 3:45pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    He has had his fame from it, and it could well become something. he might as well make the best of being unique.
    
    Bloody painful tattoo and the red would have had to be done all? at once or a lot at a time anyway otherwise it would have been worse?
    
    2 0
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    June 20, 2019 4:52pm
    - Tall Man
      
      There is a much easier way to proclaim yourself as a fuckwit… just vote for ardern and tell everybody.
      
      As an aside, think about it.. how many people have you met that tell you they voted for ardern and labour…..
      
      So far, in 2 years I have met 4 and 2 of those have recanted…
      
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      June 20, 2019 8:48pm
SJ Actual

Is it legitimate for ACC to be contributing $40m to the gun buy back scheme?
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June 20, 2019 11:17am
- Tall Man
  
  Depends. If they screw the sellers and maintain a healthy margin it could be seen as an investment.
  
  Buy them cheap and sell them back to some crazies elsewhere.
  
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  June 20, 2019 3:42pm
mandk

I didn’t read the article because it is pay-walled, but I had to chuckle at the headline: ‘Labour’s transparency drive is faltering’

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12241999

Faltering? It crashed and went up in a fire ball, yonks ago.

Least open and transparent government ever.

By a long chalk.
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June 20, 2019 11:27am
- rangitoto
  
  Starting with Cindy and Winnie’s secret coalition deal.
  
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  June 20, 2019 12:12pm
- rightoverlabour
  
  Get the Herald Fixer. Not that I read the Herald, but seariosly, a google extension and you have instant access.
  
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  June 20, 2019 5:39pm
Chuck Bird

Another lie by the government the buyback price is not fair. If someone bought a firearm in Jan 2019 and used it at a range a few times they should get 100% as they would on an insurance claim. Even if someone bought their firearm a couple of years ago and took good care of it insurance would pay 100% and so should this communist government.
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June 20, 2019 11:53am
- Tall Man
  
  I have a few mates who have firearms that appreciate over time.
  
  I’ll watch with interest when they start talking numbers.
  
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  June 20, 2019 3:40pm
- rightoverlabour
  
  I was listening to HDPA on this. She said that many will just bury them. I think she is right. The gun lobby could vote for Act, get the stupid legislation repealed or at least fixed, and then they will “unbury” the firearms. If I had a fairly new AR15, that is exactly what I would be doing. As HDPA stated these guys go shooting on private farms. I don’t know if her comments are on line but she said a lot of sensible stuff around this. (Oh and you GSCB goons, I don’t have an AR15, I don’t even have a firearms license. But feel free to come and look if you so desire. It will be a great exercise in futility).
  
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  June 20, 2019 5:25pm
  - Alien
    
    She had someone text that said their collection is rare and I think each gun is valued over $50,000, or maybe that was the entire collection
    
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    June 20, 2019 6:43pm
Tony Stuart

Breaking news…

New Zealanders will soon be able to cast a vote while grocery shopping, as the Government changes the election laws.

Justice Minister Andrew Little announced changes on Thursday that will see voters gaining the right to enrol on election day at next year’s general election, and allowing ballot boxes to be placed in supermarkets and malls to make it easier for people to vote.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/113637414/ballot-boxes-at-supermarkets-and-malls-among-electoral-changes-for-2020

If the Missing Million won’t come to polling booths to vote for Labour, Labour will take the polling booths to them. Then again, did we expect anything else?
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June 20, 2019 12:35pm
- Alien
  
  That’s nice, can we put our votes at the supermarket in a banana republic box?
  
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  June 20, 2019 12:38pm
- cmm
  
  Next you’ll just have to scan a QR code or take a selfie showing a Labour poster and some Google AI thing will register it as a vote.
  
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  June 20, 2019 1:00pm
- Tauhei Notts
  
  Our present voting system is robust. Heaps of polling booths; all with scrutineers there if their party wants them to be there.
  Those shopping malls charge exorbitant rentals and they would gouge the taxpayer. An election costs a fortune, as it is, without any unnecessary expense added.
  My gripe is “why does it take so long for the votes to be counted when most booths have less than 600 voters.”
  
  16 2
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  June 20, 2019 1:03pm
  - cmm
    
    Quite
    
    Most people live within 500 metres of a polling station. If you can’t waddle down to the polling station then being able to vote in the supermarket won’t help.
    
    18 1
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    June 20, 2019 2:03pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    So pollsters will be begging for votes at the supermarket and no checks and balances. No opportunities for fraud there then.
    
    5 1
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    June 20, 2019 4:56pm
- White Anglo Saxon Protestant
  
  I don’t understand the need for on the day enrollment. It’s not like its a secret, or hard.
  
  It also seems a bit ridiculous to say the it needs to be easier, its easy enough as it is, and sufficient accommodation is made for the immobile. In fact, given that it is an act that should carry some gravity, perhaps it shouldn’t be easy?
  
  About the only thing that needs addressing is the anecdotal practice of “helping*” out the elderly.
  
  *”let me fill that out for you dear” etc, etc…
  
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  June 20, 2019 1:06pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  Anything wrong with trying to encourage more people to vote?
  
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  June 20, 2019 1:28pm
  - White Anglo Saxon Protestant
    
    Not in the slightest. However the benefit of low information voting can be questioned.
    
    I’d like to see mandatory voting with a ‘none of the above’ option.
    
    11 2
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    June 20, 2019 1:49pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Nope but I see a problem with people being able to vote “more”.
    
    If you weren’t so blinkered you’d see the problem.
    
    10 2
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    June 20, 2019 3:38pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    KFC Mike??
    
    4 0
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    June 20, 2019 6:32pm
  - Alien
    
    We already encourage people to vote but if you can’t take the few minutes to go to the offical voting places that already exist why should it be made easier for you. Voting for a government is something special, now it’s just something I guess you can pick up with the latest woman’s mag.
    
    4 0
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    June 20, 2019 6:42pm
- Poppa
  
  You do have to hand it to the Labour backroom geeks, they are fairly smart with their strategy
  
  Perhaps they could consider putting one in all of the TAB outlets as well?
  
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  June 20, 2019 1:31pm
Swifty

Nash wants a national firearms register:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/113628781/government-gun-buyback-scheme-funding-boosted-to-208m-with-acc-money

A number of times in my career I’ve found myself repeatedly having a conversation with employees of different clients – the difference between their ‘purported’ benefits of a capital investment versus actual hard benefits delivered to the bottom line.

Many times I’ve heard people claim that in return for hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars of capital, usually in business IT systems and processes, ‘they’ll have lots more information’, ‘they’ll know this’ or ‘they’ll know that’ – whereas I counter that these are not benefits at all; certainly if nothing is subsequently done with this newfound information to drive out cost, improve productivity, increase margins or profits, eliminate waste, deliver increased customer satisfaction etc etc.

In developing his case to go to Cabinet, Nash needs to clearly and explicitly state the real, hard and tangible benefits, with accompanying hard evidence, of what will be a very costly exercise for NZ – and one which I understand has never succeeded when tried overseas.

If he fronts Cabinet and NZers with a case that just claims benefits of increased information held by Govt then he will deserve the derision that rightly should come his way.

We will wait Nashy.
15 1
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June 20, 2019 12:36pm
Maggie Pie

You know that thing you hate about yourself? Someone finds that sexy.
7 1
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June 20, 2019 12:46pm
- White Anglo Saxon Protestant
  
  The problem is, would you find them sexy? 😉
  
  5 1
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  June 20, 2019 1:08pm
  - Maggie Pie
    
    Well i do now – although i used to get teased about them at school.
    
    3 0
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    June 20, 2019 2:57pm
    - Tall Man
      
      Sorry Maggie, I’ve never considered bunions as sexy but then some would think I’m odd.
      
      3 1
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      June 20, 2019 3:34pm
      - sooty
        
        I suppose it depends if you have a foot fetish!
        
        3 0
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        June 20, 2019 5:09pm
      - Tall Man
        
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRZIII6qvbA
        
        0 1
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        June 20, 2019 8:42pm
Maggie Pie

Is JK really considering a return to politics?
[comments are well worth a read 🙂 ]

https://twitter.com/TheTwatterati/status/1141066152145068033
8 2
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June 20, 2019 1:30pm
- Alien
  
  I think he is happy without the stress of that house and the idiots in it. Why go back to a job where the idiots on the left constantly attached your children.
  
  11 0
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  June 20, 2019 1:53pm
  - Alien
    
    Attacked your children, lol
    
    8 0
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    June 20, 2019 2:11pm
    - sooty
      
      And the media thought it was a joke!
      
      9 0
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      June 20, 2019 3:15pm
      - Tall Man
        
        As did ardern the caring….
        
        How’s that batman…bullshit for the mods ;(
        
        2 1
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        June 20, 2019 8:32pm
Micky

Peter Boshier plans on reforming Oranga Tamariki.

He was incapable of reforming the Family Court during his time as Principle, so I would expect more of the same – a lot of talk, zero results, big pay cheque, warm seat.

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/if-oranga-tamariki-needs-systemic-change-well-recommend-ombudsman-says-inquiry-kicks-off
17 0
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June 20, 2019 2:03pm
- sooty
  
  Deep trough!
  
  4 0
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  June 20, 2019 5:06pm
Swifty

Another interesting look into the howling wilderness that is the mind of Justine Sachs – the tender-aged sociology student and of Socialist Aotearoa, BDS etc etc

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/113639328/why-wont-labour-spend-the-governments-5-billion-surplus

How is she wrong? Let me count the ways……
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June 20, 2019 2:05pm
- mandk
  
  Justine needn’t worry about that surplus.
  
  It will disappear very soon.
  
  9 0
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  June 20, 2019 2:16pm
  - Swifty
    
    Heh. Yes, I’m sure she need have no worries on that front.
    
    6 0
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    June 20, 2019 2:26pm
- Micky
  
  Jewish youth determined to break the stereotype (and the bank)
  
  4 1
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  June 20, 2019 2:37pm
  - mandk
    
    Can’t remember where I heard it, but someone said that the problem with Jewish socialists is that they don’t preach what they practice.
    
    They are generally disciplined and hard-working, but they don’t seem to expect that from others.
    
    2 0
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    June 20, 2019 3:15pm
Happychappy

Don’t Labour Mayors squeal like pigs when people set out to hold them to account for there poor decisions.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12242259
Labour Politicians have been doing the same for years.
12 1
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June 20, 2019 4:15pm
- Alien
  
  Don’t need to rate our councils I think everyone knows our councillors and mayors are self serving bleeps who are in it for what they can get not to look after the ratepayers.
  
  7 0
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  June 20, 2019 5:18pm
Rachael Membery

Did parliament sit today?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=208284

Jacinda was at the Mangere Refugee Centre.
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June 20, 2019 5:21pm
- Alien
  
  Thursday, pm and party Leaders typically don’t go on Thursday. Poor Winston, in opposition he used to take Thursday off, now he has to go answer questions
  
  6 0
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  June 20, 2019 6:40pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Bullshit alien.
    
    As a country we are facing a number of crises and we need a strong government to lead the country.
    
    That does not mean fucking off for photo ops.
    
    1 1
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    June 20, 2019 8:30pm
Rachael Membery

Why do so many want to change us, the host?

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/392497/former-refugees-say-current-policy-racist-must-change
6 0
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June 20, 2019 5:41pm
- Alien
  
  Ok I read the article and I’m still unsure what the issue is. Australia wouldn’t take them, we did. How policy needs to change?
  
  4 1
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  June 20, 2019 6:38pm
Rachael Membery

Now the COL are doing away with targeted meth policies. Robbing Peter to pay Paul?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/113636016/government-quietly-scraps-meth-action-action-plan-2020
7 0
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June 20, 2019 5:57pm
- Tall Man
  
  Where the fuck are mikey and psycho and the rest of the pathetic left wing apologists on this? Come on ian, post something really profound about how it’s cool to let people die from their addiction
  
  There is absolutely no justification for this and it consigns another large group of people and their families to total misery.
  
  Go labour… don’t stop… just go.
  
  I get “smacked” for calling her a liar… this is way past that and words do fail me.
  
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  June 20, 2019 8:27pm
greybeard

“Stuff” is being paranoid again.
I submitted a comment for this article a couple of hours ago.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/113633374/wellington-city-council-declares-climate-emergency-but-councillors-remain-divided#comments

I said that Nicola Young would be the only councillor for whom I would vote next elections.

Needless to say , my comment has not been posted ( as at 6:10pm )
They really have problems, n’est-ce pas ?
7 1
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June 20, 2019 6:11pm
- Alien
  
  They are a big site width a lot of people posting, I’d guess it can take a while for the moderators to approve posts
  
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  June 20, 2019 6:35pm
- nasska
  
  ….”I submitted a comment for this article a couple of hours ago.”…..
  
  They’re amateurs! Last evening I posted an innocuous comment here at 6.14pm. I trundled off to bed at 10pm & it hadn’t surfaced but I checked this morning. Lo & behold it had made it out of moderation.
  
  Does interrupt the flow of the blog a little but it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling in my tummy to know that my comments are not unduly inconveniencing our mods! 🙂
  
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  June 20, 2019 6:54pm
  - Batman
    
    We usually try to approve stuff in the evening but apologies in advance if it gets missed ??
    
    5 0
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    June 20, 2019 7:25pm
    - Alien
      
      No wonder crime is bad in nz, you’re wasting time approving comments instead of fighting crime ☹️
      
      4 0
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      June 20, 2019 7:32pm
      - Tall Man
        
        He can’t get his undies on the outside….. He is working on it though so watch this space.
        
        4 1
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        June 20, 2019 8:16pm
    - Tall Man
      
      I am proud to say that I have been banned twice from stuff and that I have earned the ire of the moderators on this site.
      
      Stuff banned me for outing josephine franks and for posting comments from the book “Te Wiremu”.
      
      Here I have been smacked quite a few time for labeling ardern a liar as I need to reference a specific incident to be able to use that accurate label.
      
      Often I post a fairly innocuous post and it can take over three hours to get through, probably due to the fact that I’m a known malcontent.
      
      I can survive this but I do feel that “sensitive” minds moderating do tend to slow the conversation pace at times.
      
      3 1
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      June 20, 2019 8:13pm
Rachael Membery

Now, why would Tokelau be a priority?

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/392499/tokelau-plots-site-for-airstrip-after-helicopter-controversy
5 0
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June 20, 2019 6:11pm
- Tall Man
  
  8 votes maybe?
  
  1 1
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  June 20, 2019 8:14pm
Rachael Membery

The things that we do not want to imagine happening to children. But no smacking okay!!

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/113631920/oranga-tamariki-isnt-to-blame-for-child-uplifts-we-are
4 0
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June 20, 2019 6:42pm
- nasska
  
  The atrocities described in that article wouldn’t be stopped by any legislation Rachael. The people who would do that to a baby are beyond intervention.
  
  The anti-smacking legislation has made life difficult for some good parents but it’s put a spoke in the traditional “Christian” violence visited on kids in the name of discipline.
  
  Even the religiously addled PIs have toned down the love administered with 4x2s, vacuum cleaner hoses & jug cords.
  
  2 1
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  June 20, 2019 7:03pm
- Tall Man
  
  I have also seen this Rachael, Sue Bradford has no fucking idea…. unless she smacked her kids.. you know, the 5 her mother raised…..
  
  5 2
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  June 20, 2019 7:59pm
  - nasska
    
    It’s possible to bring up kids without corporal punishment & still get good results TM. We did it with our three in the 70s well before it became the norm.
    
    It takes patience……some have it & some don’t.
    
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    June 20, 2019 8:15pm
rightoverlabour

To all our resident warming Alarmists, how is that warming coming along? Now I know you often jeer at the scientists and publications we reference in our postings to strengthen our arguments, so I know you will be eager to rebuff this article.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/earth-cool-half-degree-nasa/2018/05/16/id/860837/

But do read it, and do note the source of the data….
3 0
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June 20, 2019 8:48pm
Hugh Pavletich

… CHINA …

Posted at … https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2019/06/links-21-june-2019/#comment-3373596 … and … https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2019/06/manufacturing-jobs-plummet-record-low/#comment-3373597

Is China’s concern over a possible US dollar shortage risk forcing companies to sell overseas assets? … South China Morning Post

https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3015049/chinas-concern-over-possible-us-dollar-shortage-risk-forcing

• China’s need for US dollars to repay debts, pay for imports and fund Belt and Road initiative projects may exceed its US$3.1 trillion in foreign exchange reserves

• Anbang Insurance Group, Dalian Wanda Group and HNA Group have all been pressured to sell assets amid the trade war with the United States … read more via hyperlink above …
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June 21, 2019 4:03am

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