About
Contact
Advertise

Facebook
Twitter

October 29, 2020 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 29 October 2020

Like this:

Like Loading...

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Comment265

Uncategorized
General Debate

Comments (265)

Login to comment or vote

Earl Dumarest

Yesterdays News
A person with a chainsaw who chopped down 12 pohutukawa trees in Karaka has been identified as being of solid build, European appearance with a goatee beard
13 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:12am
- Tauhei Notts
  
  I can understand a person with an axe chopping down pohutukawa trees, but a chainsaw???
  
  1 5
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:37am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    More efficient? If Hone Heke had owned a chainsaw, do you think he would have bothered with an axe?
    
    6 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 11:19am
    - Nickc2
      
      Read between the lines nigel.
      
      3 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 12:39pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  Did no one hear the chainsaw outside and call the police? Or think to photograph the bloke?
  Were the police too slow in getting there?
  
  11 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:59am
  - Rocky Jnr
    
    Electric chainsaw?
    
    7 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:04am
    - Bobba Fret
      
      All the neighbours must have been either out or deaf.
      
      6 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 9:19am
      - Catgurl13
        
        One neighbor said he heard the chainsaw but though nothing of it and didn’t even bother to look!..this guy cut down several trees without anyone looking outside or calling the police?
        
        5 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 9:55am
      - lifesgood
        
        Bobba Fret…or happy to get rid of the pests. They have no place on suburban streets. I have one outside my house and its roots have put cracks through my property, its leaves and flowers drop constantly and it blocks my sun. Only idiots plant them on suburban streets.
        
        4 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:37am
      - Odakyu-sen
        
        Those petrol-engined weed whackers can sound a lot like chainsaws.
        
        0 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 7:36pm
- Nickc2
  
  Of European appearance? Interesting to say the least. If Hone Heke was bought back to life and equipped with a chainsaw and had a dislike for Pohutakawa trees, would we be permitted to say “a person of Maori appearance?” Somehow, I don’t think so. Double standards? You betcha.
  
  50 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:04am
  - Deagle
    
    European appearance? As in Nordic? Greek? Spanish?
    Are we absolutely certain that they were not of North American Appearance? Or Australian appearance?
    
    Why don’t they just say white? It’s a descriptor, nothing else.
    
    10 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:43am
  - Phronesis
    
    The irony of course is that they are effectively saying that all the black, arab, and asian immigrants to europe do not appear to belong there.
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 1:05pm
- backster
  
  So we get a comprehensive ethnic description of this offender, yet none at all of the two who fired the shot at the cops a few days earlier.
  
  48 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:07am
  - Batman
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Maybe that’s because there isn’t one?
    
    3 43
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:11am
    - Nickc2
      
      The Police Officer provided a description of the perpetrators according to yesterday’s news. However, the descriptions were not published. Two reasons for this spring to mind: 1 The police know who they are and 2, it would be politically incorrect to publish their descriptions.
      
      24 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:19am
      - sooty
        
        I would say no 2, is the most likely going by the recent plod news releases!
        
        7 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 12:27pm
  - IC5000
    
    If someone was firing shots it would be super retarded to get off the ground and look for them in order to get a description of them.
    
    3 21
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:16am
  - Old.Mickey.Blue.Eyes
    
    The shooting was fake news. Illegal guns have been removed and banned by the Government, just like smacking. Must have been a potato gun rather than a firearm.
    
    11 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 12:31pm
    - david
      
      However, a “journalist” or “reporter” said on TVNZ News that only a windshield lay between the Police Officer and a bullet, all the while standing in front of a car with a clear shotgun pattern of pellet distribution in the central to passenger side of its windscreen.
      A poorer bit of description in a news item, I have rarely seen. Any mention of illegal firearms relative to this story is gratuitous and downright misleading unless you can prove to me that the shotgun was sawn off and fired from extremely close range but the what do I know. I’m just an ordinary man-in-the-street with 2 eyes, a brain and 72 years of life experience by which I am happy to judge what I see.
      
      4 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:50pm
WaynelSexton

Democratic cities are boarding up their shops because of Biden victory riots???

Once again reality is getting in the way of the fake polls.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8882091/Texas-prepares-send-1-000-troops-DC-begins-board-stores-ahead-election.html
26 7
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:17am
- kowtow
  
  Looters shooting looters in Philly.
  
  11 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:14am
  - Rich Prick
    
    Mostly peaceful shootings.
    
    13 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 12:23pm
- Jimmy White
  
  Biden Defeat riots you mean!
  
  6 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 12:37pm
artemisia

Social housing waiting list – 20,385 as at 31 August. Up 947 in the month. That is a similar increase to July. It is becoming a very very concerning number, taking into account the capital cost of building, the ongoing management of tenants and homes (big) and the taxpayer subsided rent at around $300 per household per week. Yes, that is per week.

Still, the government is kind so happy enough for the few net taxpayers left to pay up.
44 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:17am
- Ian Boag
  
  We are kind of painted into a corner. House prices are on a tear. Rents will follow. Wages will not. Social housing applications on the way up. Surprise.
  
  What to do?
  
  So artie, you probably have a solution. Hopefully it does not involve further state assistance to just (further) bid up the cost of existing houses ….
  
  Let’s hear it ….
  
  13 8
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  December 29, 2019 9:19am
  - RoboRob
    
    1. Can we now agree that immigration is not the driving force behind house price rises?
    
    2. House prices continue to rise becuase the cost of buying a section and building a brand new house continues to grow. Both the time and cost to build new is too high. This revolves around govt / council regulation and building materials costs. Fix that and watch the market cool.
    
    3. Rents were always going to rise due to the additional costs imposed by the Labour governments new regulations AND scarcity due to landlords quitting the market after being attacked by said government.
    
    4. The coucils cut of rent / housing costs continues to rise and a ridiculous rate. When your rates come in between $50 and $100 per week than it is hard to rent a house cheaply.
    
    16 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:44am
    - Ian Boag
      
      (1) Dunno. (2) Yes
      
      (3) – let’s try some numbers.
      
      I have a $500k rental (just to pick a number). It is not up to spec and needs $20k for insulation and heating etc. So now it’s a $520k rental. 4% more valuable. The $20k is a one-time capex (improvement), not a recurring expense. The bank will put the mortgage up by $25/week, much of which is tax deductible.
      
      To stand your argument on its head … do you think that if the regs went away then rents would stabilise/fall?
      
      Simple market stuff. Rents follow prices (rate of return and all that). If price growth is outstripping wage growth (like now) then rents get harder.
      
      (4) Dunno. What rate of rise would not be “ridiculous”?
      
      0 12
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      December 29, 2019 10:33am
      - Crisplion
        
        (4) One not massively higher than the rate of inflation.
        
        5 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 10:39am
      - RoboRob
        
        4) Simple, a rise at or less than inflation? One in relation to the change in circumstances of the community (i.e. councils with big rate rises during covid lockdown)? Doesn’t seem too unreasonable. In most major NZ cities we have seen rate rises at levels higher (or significantly higher) than inflation year after year for decades.
        
        1) See my reply a little down to info@cruzpro.com, if for the last 6mths we have had rapid price growth at the same time as close to zero net migration, it seems to me that migration isn’t the root cause.
        
        3) you make my point, if house prices increase than there is room / need for rents to increase. Regs and building costs push up house prices and thus also rents.
        
        Rents have the sub issue of needing a rate of return on investment. Additional costs like your $25 pre week need to be passed on to tennants eventually. Not all (perhaps not even most) landlords run their houses at a loss (espeically elderly relying on it for an income). You can only claim your expenses when making a loss, when you make a profit they simply reduce the tax you have to pay. I for one would rather pay tax on $2000 profit than on $700 after subtracting additional costs of 52 * $25 = $1300 in your example.
        
        This government has increased costs on landlords, which will be passed to tenants. They are also talking about removing the ability to claim back losses!
        
        5 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 3:23pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        RoboRob
        
        I have no problem with the $25/week being factored in to the rent. It is a genuine cost.
        
        Do we have anything other than anecdotal evidence of landlords deserting the housing market in droves?
        
        1 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 5:12pm
    - info@cruzpro.com
      
      Dear RR,
      I agree with 2-4 but question number 1. New Zealand has a net monthly immigration of 8000 to 10000 people. They need a place to live. How does that not result in the price of housing going up? Supply and demand.
      
      11 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:34am
      - RoboRob
        
        Since April 2020 we have close to 0 net immigration, the highest being Aug 2020 on 1133 (july was -ve 170!). More recent figures are not available. https://www.stats.govt.nz/topics/migration
        
        The sharp rise in house prices has occurred over the last 6mths.
        
        Yes I understand supply and demand (I don’t believe the current government does). But if immigration has tailed off that obvious doesn’t explain the sharp rise in prices does it? Obviously immigration isn’t the root cause of the problem.
        
        1 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 2:58pm
    - Paulus
      
      I thought it was called Supply and Demand !
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:19pm
    - artemisia
      
      ‘This government has increased costs on landlords, which will be passed to tenants. They are also talking about removing the ability to claim back losses!’
      
      Sort of but not exactly. From 1 April 2019 losses from residential rentals cannot be offset against other income but have to be carried forward. Then the losses accumulate until profitability is reached. Then the losses can be used. It is called ring fencing of rental losses and surprise surprise only applies to rentals.
      
      In practice that means that many landlords have to pay some expenses from their tax paid income. Great incentive to keep expenses as low as possible and rents as high as possible.
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 7:16pm
  - artemisia
    
    Solution? First catch your hare.
    
    Has there been any proper root cause analysis? Or just assumptions and opinions about the ‘problem’?
    
    No point in producing solutions to the wrong problems.
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 12:45pm
- Benedict Yu
  
  You have to wonder where this all ends. The problem is that most folk in State houses are on welfare. So their rent = 25% of their welfare check. However Housing New Zealand receives the market rent for the house, charging the Government for the balance not paid by the tenant. For a 2/3 bedroom house in Auckland this subsidy would be way more than $300 per week. Think $500 – $600. And as you point out this is in addition to the capital cost of the house and the cost of maintaining it.
  
  Of course most New Zealanders have no idea this is going on.
  
  52 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:44am
  - Ian Boag
    
    Benedict
    
    most folk in State houses are on welfare
    
    Got a source for that?
    
    1 25
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    December 29, 2019 10:04am
    - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
      
      Anyone with kids, who qualifies for a state house, and is far enough up the queue to get one, is inevitably going to be on a benefit.
      
      Even if a low income worker, they will be on WFF.
      
      QED?
      
      13 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 11:22am
      - Ian Boag
        
        WFF is what is called an “in-work tax credit” in the US, Canada and the UK where they have variants of a similar system.
        
        Maybe we could call it an “entitlement” … seems to work as a tag for the pension … 🙂
        
        3 8
        Report
        October 29, 2020 12:14pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        I missed Australia …
        
        0 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 2:52pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      No, but I am confident that if “most” is more than half I am correct. It is probably 80 percent – but many people will have transient work.
      
      There are two groups who form the demand for state houses.
      
      1. Beneficiaries of all types, with single mothers having become more predominant.
      
      2. Over 65s who never managed to buy a house.
      
      I recommend the executive summary.
      
      https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1708/SPPU_TakingStock.pdf
      
      If you think I an incorrect always happy to be corrected 🙂
      
      5 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 11:34am
      - artemisia
        
        Actually Benedict the main demand is for one bedroom social housing. That is, single people or couples – no children. These account for half of the waiting list. Number of over 65s is smaller than might be supposed at well under 10% of the total on the list. That indicates most of the households with no children are working age, and I’ve been told by a staffer that most are single men.
        
        5 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 12:06pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        Many oldies in social housing are in “pensioner flats”. Generally owned by the city or by an NGO agency so the 10% would understate the total for the over 65’s.
        
        0 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 5:09pm
      - artemisia
        
        Ian Boag
        Many oldies in social housing are in “pensioner flats”. Generally owned by the city or by an NGO agency so the 10% would understate the total for the over 65’s.
        
        The particular aspect of this discussion is about demand, not occupancy.
        
        0 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 7:20pm
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    Labour’s goal is to have the Government as the only landlord and they are well on target to achieve this.
    
    42 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 8:49am
    - sooty
      
      Kiwi Rent!
      
      22 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 9:03am
    - Charmaine Hawke
      
      You are closer to the truth then you think, have a read of this as it is what Build Back Better really means.
      This from The World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/8-predictions-for-the-world-in-2030/?utm_content=bufferdda7f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
      
      7 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 9:31am
  - artemisia
    
    Not just the cost of maintaining the physical house. Also the significant cost of dealing with tenants.
    
    For example. Written Parliamentary Question 1339 (2020) – February 2020. Over 27,000 complaints of antisocial behaviour in public housing between September 2017 and February 2020. How much time spent on that?
    
    Add in the amount of time spent chasing rent arrears. That would be huge. Quite common for the Tenancy Tribunal to award costs against public housing tenants in the thousands of dollars. And that is just the few that end up in the TT.
    
    Trust me, it is huge. Dealing with those tenants used to be my day job.
    
    40 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:05am
    - PeeJay
      
      I hear you. I used to manage the build of the new ones way back. Was always sad that they would never look as good as when they were completed…..with nobody in them yet! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a vital part of the housing requirement and HNZ had some bloody great tenants who were in genuine need and were very house proud, but the bad ones could quickly bring a complex down very quickly. No easy solutions though.
      
      27 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 9:26am
      - sooty
        
        Add in the cost to repair the damage caused by the tenents.
        Deduct the cost recovered from tenants.
        Shortfall bigly!
        
        16 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 10:24am
      - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
        
        The council house next door to me was absolutely trashed by the tenants. Doors and walls kicked in, rubbish and bottles thrown out the windows.
        
        Party central 3 nights a week, and all afternoon at weekends. Fights in the garden at weekends, kicked holes in the fence, etc etc.
        
        Lovely people!
        
        Pepperpotting is a nightmare for the neighbours. Didnt do enough due diligence when I looked at the place, who would have thought that nice street had council houses on it!
        
        13 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:26am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      The other trend is to push “mixed developments” where Housing New Zealand can recover some of its costs by developing market housing mixed in with state housing.
      
      It sounds all progressive and all but people do not want to live near state house tenants. My reading of New Zealand economic history causes me to think that 40 years ago most state housing tenants would have been married, and had jobs. They were not well off but being in jobs make house and family stable. (If I am wrong on this tell me.) But now it is totally different. If 80 percent of state house tenants have no jobs, single mothers, men hanging around, drugs. And this is not some prejudice comment. It is absolute reality.
      
      22 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 9:39am
      - Ian Boag
        
        Where does the 80% figure come from? I don’t know if it is right or wrong and I’m a bit concerned that maybe you don’t either …..
        
        0 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 6:07pm
  - tf78
    
    If state tenants are on welfare, why do they need to live in Auckland when they can live anywhere in NZ. Bad luck if they don’t like it, they could always stay in Auckland and pay for themselves once they have a job. They might then see how the other half who actually pay for THEM live.
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 6:40pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  Ricardo Mendez March will fix the problem and want to give them all free houses as ‘its unfair that there are some wealthy people’.
  Unfortunately there will be less and less wealthy and tax paying people over time trying to support a larger and larger number of people dependent on the state.
  
  42 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:03am
  - freethinker
    
    So the Govt of clowns will borrow and the young who voted for them will be paying the bill, ha ha ha.
    
    27 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:15am
  - andrewcarrot
    
    I am still waiting for the ‘negotiations’ between the Greens and Labour to end so that we can get an accurate picture of what sort of influence the nutters will have over Labour, despite voters giving Labour the mandate to govern alone. If Labour fails to acknowledge the huge response it received from National supporters (they opted for the best of two bad options: keep the Greens out), National voters’ traditionally very short memories may not be so reliable a crutch for Labour in 2023. Inviting the Greens into the centre-left kitchen will see many blue cuisinet pots boiling over!
    
    8 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:54am
- Catgurl13
  
  Don’t forget the state houses are for life too. Labour abolished the yearly tenant assessment that there used to be to check their eligiblity. Now they never have to move. I know of at least two families where they have been in their state houses 25 to 30 years, now on the pension never having to move on.
  
  29 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:12am
  - Bobba Fret
    
    Yep that is the stupid part of it. Once they are allocated a state house it is like they “have made it” and life is sweet from then on. I believe very few ever want to better themselves, why would you want to pay market rents, or a mortgage when you have got used to paying the low state house rent and any maintenance is all done for you.
    
    19 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:40am
    - Nickc2
      
      In Auckland, 25% of the dole wouldn’t even pay the fucking rates! The Government is the Landlord? The taxpayer pays for everything from cradle to grave for these low-lives. No wonder there are no tax reductions forthcoming from a Labour Government.
      In NZ, we reward the wrong people.
      
      25 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:31am
      - GT Build
        
        I think you will find that State houses don’t pay rates (some old law) so the more they build the bigger the burden for the rest of us as councils will on charge the ratepayers for what they don’t get from the large sections of the community
        
        17 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 10:50am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        No Housing New Zealand pays rates. Listed as an expense in financial statements.
        
        https://kaingaora.govt.nz/assets/Publications/Annual-report/HNZ16284-Annual-Report-2019-v22b.pdf
        
        7 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 12:22pm
  - RoboRob
    
    This was a terrible move and will be partly behind the shortage of state houses. If your situation improves, and lets face it that is what is hoped, then you should move out and let someone else worse off have the house.
    
    14 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:53am
  - Flossie
    
    So weren’t these tenants of 25 to 30 years ever subjected to an eligibility check? That covers governments of both hues during that lengthy period.
    
    6 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:18am
    - artemisia
      
      Flossie, in 2014 tenancy reviews were formally implemented for state house tenants by putting reviews on a proper footing. Reviews began by targeting state tenants paying market rent, ie no subsidy, and hundreds were supported to alternatives mainly the private sector but some to home ownership.
      
      Labour stopped the initiative but has since opened that door a crack, very quietly.
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:23pm
- mandk
  
  Do you have a source for the 20,385 number?
  
  The latest number on the MSD website is for June.
  
  Thanks.
  
  1 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 1:22pm
  - artemisia
    
    June would be the quarterly number. This link has the monthly report (at the bottom of the page).
    
    https://www.hud.govt.nz/community-and-public-housing/follow-our-progress/
    
    2 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 3:59pm
chukar

Stuff item on the Reserve Bank doing too much for housing is timely and sensible.
The removal of LVRs ,lowering of interest rates , quantitative easing ,creating an expectation of negative interest rates has lead to another housing bubble.
Their claim is that inflation is at 0.7% so their actions can be sustained.

RB measurement methods of inflation must be suspect?

Every NZ resident is very much aware that their NZ$ does not buy what it used to.
They are also aware their savings are being devalued by the day,
Food ,vehicles , wages and many other basic commodities have all gone up.Even second hand cars have gone up.
Come on RB tell us the truth.

Are you and the Government now trying to inflate away the huge debt you have created?

It is New Zealanders savings ,and lives that you are playing with.
40 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:31am
- igm
  
  Robertson and his friend Orr from RB are way out of their fiscal depths.
  They obviously have a dislike of those that have a few dollars in savings and are hell bent to deflate their value.
  NZ, like Stuff, are bordering on insolvency, and trying to prop up their tenuous position creating inflationary objects is dangerous.
  
  51 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:44am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    This is what is going to wreck the Ardern govt. When prices get further out of control the people will take it out on them.
    
    17 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:05am
    - Paulus
      
      Nothing is going to wreck the Ardern Coven. She has $500,000 salary plus all extras and a $2 million house in Auckland along now with a new top end Audi so that boyos boat can travel more easily.
      
      11 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 11:15am
      - Nickc2
        
        How quickly these Socialists convert to Capitalism when they are troughing from the public tit.
        Long live Capitalism!!!
        
        9 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 12:42pm
      - KevO'Brien
        
        All the trapping but little of the ability. Wait till her govt has to confront an economic crisis in the near future. She’s not very robust.
        
        0 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 5:16pm
- cmm
  
  They have very blunt instruments and a very limited set of measurements they use.
  
  Of course inflation is going to be low during a downturn/contraction. That is natural.
  
  It is worrying that they think it is healthy to try compensate with a bubble.
  
  All the money printing is going to be inflationary and then we’re going to end up with them having to correct the inflation by jacking up interest rates thereby popping the bubble.
  
  21 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:48am
  - freethinker
    
    CMM – plenty of monetary liquidity is usually part of inflation but without excess demand it does not happen so for now its is inflationary when the crash hits (watch out late Jan 2021) its deflationary – ouch.
    
    7 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:19am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      A wage price spiral is in the offing (if it hasn’t already began.)
      
      8 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:08am
      - BAM
        
        Wages are actually dropping significantly.
        it’s only the minimum wage that’s increasing
        
        3 2
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:28am
    - cmm
      
      FT: It’s all a big feedback cycle.
      
      You get in the shower and it is too hot so you turn it to cold. Oops went too far so now it is cold, so hot again. Oops, now too hot…
      
      That’s instability caused, essentially, by overreacting and the impact of lag in the system.
      
      If you want to get to a good temperature then you need to make small, non-radical adjustments that allow the water to be too warm for a bit as the cold water adjustment takes effect.
      
      Same deal with the economy. Massive injections with the hope of staving off any pain can cause massive instability. It is that sort of instability that causes GFCs etc.
      
      5 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 11:01am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    We will import inflation too. The US FED creating massive quantities of money pushes up our house prices too.
    
    7 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:06am
  - david
    
    Reserve Bank, Robbo and Twyford can tinker about on the edges and Jacinta can wail into her Hijab in frustration at the unfairness of it all but a simple truth remains.
    Supply and Demand will rule the housing market – particularly Supply.
    If you take the total capacity of New Zealand’s building sector to erect square metres of floor space and deduct the requirements of the Commercial sector (warehouses, milking sheds, office blocks, libraries and convention centres) you will get a result in sq metres of housing that can be squeezed out of the sector in a good year.
    I don’t have the numbers at hand but I warrant the result will be far short of the growth in demand. It will only get worse.
    No amount of social engineering or talking down the market will make the slightest difference. Make gib board free and it will make no difference to a sector already at capacity.
    KISS
    
    6 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 11:19am
- kowtow
  
  ‘The removal of LVRs ,lowering of interest rates , quantitative easing ,creating an expectation of negative interest rates has lead to another housing bubble.’
  
  Experts ? Same with Wuflu response . Experts .
  
  Everything fubar. Literally. They don’t know what they’re doing , but must , must be seen to be doing something , anything.
  
  18 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:52am
- GazzaW
  
  There must be a large number of superannuitants looking to roll over their term deposits currently and the current six month interest rate is 0.90% before tax. Most will now be dipping into their capital to cover living expenses and transferring their cash savings into more risky investment areas.
  
  13 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:38am
  - Phronesis
    
    If they’re smart they will spend their capital rather than risk losing it all trying to get a return they can live on.
    
    4 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 1:20pm
Gravelroad

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/123221060/national-needs-new-values-to-rebuild

Cool, so I guess your Labour Party membership card will be in the mail? Hope it works out for you there.
I mean, really, National may as well merge with Labour now. What’s the difference?
33 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:37am
- Mike
  
  When was there ever much difference?
  The national party was formed on the principle of opposing labour party policies, but in office has never done anything except accepting its labour predecessors’ policies as a new status quo.
  
  18 11
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:43am
  - IC5000
    
    If you want power you have to swallow some dead rats. That’s the reality. 25% says so.
    
    5 10
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:18am
  - freethinker
    
    Mike – so do you expect ACT to replace National as second largest party?
    
    5 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:21am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    What do Labour actually do?
    
    9 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:11am
    - IC5000
      
      > What do Labour actually do?
      
      Crush the National party twice in a row. Losing is for losers as your idol Trump would say.
      
      2 7
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 12:06pm
      - Nickc2
        
        Bollox, it was your mate Peters who put Cindy’s corrupt mob on the treasury benches in 2017, not the number of votes cast. Peters did the crushing FFS.
        
        8 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 12:58pm
  - Komata
    
    Mike@0843
    
    FWIW: Herewith the original (1936) NZ National Party’s ‘Founding Principles’,
    
    ‘Empowering individual freedom and choice, personal responsibility, and caring communities is about making sure New Zealanders take ownership of their own future and set a good example for future generations’.
    
    The one’s below are the Party’s current ones; revised in 2003. They are just a tad bit different from the original, and some things have vanished…
    
    VISION AND VALUES
    4. (a) Vision
    The National Party seeks a safe, prosperous and successful New
    Zealand that creates opportunities for all New Zealanders to reach
    their personal goals and dreams.
    (b) Values
    We believe this will be achieved by building a society based on the
    following values:
    • Loyalty to our country, its democratic principles and our Sovereign as
    Head of State
    • National and personal security
    • Equal citizenship and equal opportunity
    • Individual freedom and choice
    • Personal responsibility
    • Competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement
    • Limited government
    • Strong families and caring communities
    • Sustainable development of our environment
    
    1 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 3:54pm
- chukar
  
  Gravel,
  Agree but:
  New values?
  What values?
  Whose values?
  Stuffs— I hope not!
  
  10 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:57am
- cmm
  
  Labour vs National is basically a choice about your favourite colour.
  
  Most punters could not tell the difference between Labour and National policies etc if they were printed on white paper.
  
  13 7
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:08am
- KevO'Brien
  
  National Do: Labour tywfordism.
  
  10 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:09am
  - cmm
    
    More recently…
    
    National stabbing eachother; Labour start Kiwiblade and can’t find a knife.
    
    4 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 11:02am
- David George
  
  Exactly, what’s the difference and what’s the point?
  What this Bishop character fails to appreciate with his “National needs to reshape its values” is the herculean task National has had of presenting it’s positive core beliefs at all against a wall of lefty propaganda from our so called news media.
  See how even that question of personal responsibility over your own weight was twisted to avoid confronting it by our media in an utterly childish way.
  The values are fine, to suggest sacrificing them for power is not only pointless it’s morally reprehensible.
  
  17 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:09am
  - lifesgood
    
    Personal responsibility is, for me, essential and is a core value of the Nats. Standing on your own two feet, not taking hand outs, aspiring to be better, these are Nats core values. What’s wrong with that?
    
    13 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 11:46am
    - KevO'Brien
      
      They are offensive to the world socialist reactionaries. Aka Cindyites.
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 5:20pm
Catgurl13

Is this money laundering?….calling it a gift and not declaring it in the end?
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/123223593/charities-services-investigating-linwood-mosque-finances
25 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:40am
- cmm
  
  They are us. I didn’t get an invitation to the $200-a-head party.
  
  Still, that’s small spuds. The biggie is in all the family members getting a free pass at immigration and are going to be taxpayer funded for the rest of their (and their families’ lives).
  
  39 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 8:54am
- freethinker
  
  Has the Imam been taking lessons from Winston? Asking for a friend Sam Fred Orr.
  
  12 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:25am
  - Catgurl13
    
    It’s like eating a chocolate bar really fast, because if it’s gone it doesn’t matter and never happened……
    
    3 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:58am
  - david
    
    Ain’t it great the way our taxpayer dollars ars get pissed away and slosh around unchecked in Mickey Mouse bank accounts.
    Fair suck of the sav blue!
    
    1 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 3:44pm
Simon

National government pissed away millions to the Clinton Foundation. At least with the Clintons they called it a foundation. Its a “Foundation” .

When asked about pissing money away John Keys replied well it is a foundation.

Hopefully Labour havent given anything to Biden family. No fucking around with the Biden’s and this foundation crap. The payments are a straight injection into the veins.
7 24
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:48am
- Catgurl13
  
  Who is John Keys?
  
  39 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:00am
  - mandk
    
    Evidently, he is a church organist of some repute:
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keys_(organist)
    
    19 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:21am
    - Phronesis
      
      Nominative determinism at its best.
      
      2 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:24pm
- Critical Thinker
  
  Why did Jacinda Ardern and John Key donate $13,000,000 of New Zealand taxpayer money to the corrupt Clinton Foundation from 2014-2019? ?
  
  Soon after Hillary Clinton lost the Presidential election to Donald Trump, many western nations that were funding this diplomatic rort pulled out. Australia stopped its funding in late 2016, but New Zealand was one of the few to continue the claim that the funding was for genuine aid.
  http://community.scoop.co.nz/2018/05/clinton-foundation-gets-another-5-5m-from-nz-taxpayers/
  
  “In a world where New Zealanders can crowd source to buy a beach, it’s not clear what role there is for the government to collect taxes and contribute it to a global charity which is more than capable of reaching out and raising its own money.” – David Seymour
  
  18 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:47am
  - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
    
    Simple.
    
    Access.
    
    The same reason people kept hiring Hunter Biden.
    
    9 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 11:29am
Critical Thinker

In an explosive interview, Hunter Biden’s former business associate exposed the Biden/China pay-to-play scandal.

The Biden family systematically used Joe Biden’s power and position to enrich themselves—and Joe Biden is lying about it.
?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDkWxf-SCZE
46 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:51am
- MCos
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  “The Biden family systematically used Joe Biden’s power and position to enrich themselves—and Joe Biden is lying about it.”
  
  Shock Horror
  
  Nobody is paying any attention because:
  The Trump family systematically used Donald Trump’s power and position to enrich themselves—and Donald Trump is lying about it.
  
  I suppose it all depends on who you believe, doesn’t it? It may well be that you think the Bidens are crooked as dog’s hind leg & the Trumps pure as the driven snow.
  I get the impression most people over have other things to worry about.
  
  4 41
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:21am
  - Critical Thinker
    
    Yeah-nah, you’re full of shit MCos ?
    
    Most American voters believe Democratic nominee Joe Biden was involved in his son Hunter’s controversial business dealings, a new poll has found.
    
    54% believe it’s “likely that Biden was consulted about and perhaps profited from Hunter’s overseas business deals.”
    
    The articles have sparked a political maelstrom just weeks from the president election and prompted a former business associate of Hunter Biden to come forward and accuse Joe Biden of lying about his involvement in a scheme to make millions in China.
    
    Tech giant Twitter, however, has labeled the revelations with a warning and locked The Post’s official account for the past 12 days, demanding the newspaper delete six tweets about the story before it can regain access to its account.
    
    The unprecedented censorship has sparked a Senate Judiciary probe, with GOP lawmakers issuing subpoenas to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
    https://nypost.com/2020/10/26/most-voters-believe-joe-biden-knew-about-hunters-overseas-deals-poll/
    
    21 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:58am
    - FatTony
      
      Oh you’re right I didn’t see he’d been on that again this morning.
      
      “Fake Trending!” That’s a new one ?
      
      2 9
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:38am
      - Batman
        
        We’re now well into the death rattle stage of the Trump Campaign and MAGAism
        
        3 21
        Report
        October 29, 2020 10:46am
      - Critical Thinker
        
        @Batman
        The Best Is Yet To Come
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DB3zdTVmG0
        ??
        
        6 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:04am
      - Batman
        
        Lol whatever makes you feel better, my friend.
        
        2 14
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:24am
  - Inandout
    
    MCos, many voters wait until the day to vote; they take notice.
    
    13 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:05am
  - Billy Collins
    
    “I suppose it all depends on who you believe, doesn’t it?”
    
    Na, its which one has mountains of evidence, and which one has nothing?
    
    The same people saying Trump’s Ukraine call was sufficient evidence to prove corruption are now saying all the evidence against Joe is nothing.
    
    13 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:48am
  - Nickc2
    
    The Trump family systematically used Donald Trump’s power and position to enrich themselves—and Donald Trump is lying about it.
    EVIDENCE PLEASE Mcos.
    
    5 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 12:46pm
    - Batman
      
      The most grifty, nickel and dime, cheapskates ever to hold high office you mean?
      
      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8886577/Donald-Trumps-Mar-Lago-resort-billed-THREE-DOLLARS-presidents-glass-water-summit.html
      
      2 4
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 12:52pm
      - Nickc2
        
        None of it’s illegal. Did Biden donate his salary to charity whilst VP? Not as far as I can ascertain. Trump donates his salary I’m told.
        
        9 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 1:05pm
      - Batman
        
        It is personal enrichment and as far as I am aware, a breach of the emoluments clause of the Constitution.
        
        However, I am not at all surprised that grifting is now fully endorsed by the Trump base.
        
        After all, you’re all now in the same camp as the nutty demon seed lady. Enjoy!
        
        https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dpzna/doctor-who-warned-of-demon-sex-and-touts-covid-conspiracies-is-now-campaigning-for-trump
        
        3 8
        Report
        October 29, 2020 1:16pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Pervasive media blackout on this story. Can you imagine the wall to wall coverage there would be if it were Trump so implicated? As so many anti-Trump and anti-conservative smears like Kavanaugh witch hunt in last 4 years have illustrated. Not to mention media bias in the election just passed in NZ
  
  Very very dark days for western democracy.
  
  30 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:28am
- FatTony
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Even Trump has given up on the Hunter conspiracies now.
  
  Change the record.
  
  4 34
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:30am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    If Trump is shown to be breaking the law he should swing. But be very clear that exactly the same standards (the rule of fucking law!) should be applied to Biden. Media complicity in trying to elect someone clearly corrupt and on the take from the PRC no less is beyond the pale.
    
    19 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:48am
  - Critical Thinker
    
    Yeah-nah, you’re full of shit FatTony ?
    
    “It’s amazing. Twitter refuses to allow the any mention of the Biden corruption story which was carried so well on Tucker Carlson last night. It’s the biggest story and Big Tech, together with the Lamestream Media, isn’t allowing a word to be said about it.”
    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1321472358830403585
    
    “The USA doesn’t have Freedom of the Press, we have Suppression of the Story, or just plain Fake News. So much has been learned in the last two weeks about how corrupt our Media is, and now Big Tech, maybe even worse. Repeal Section 230!”
    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1321490288204935168
    
    24 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:51am
  - David George
    
    Which orifice did you Google that from Fatty. He certainly wasn’t “giving up” or holding back with his comments on this at recent rallies.
    
    18 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:14am
    - FatTony
      
      Ted Cruz and other GOP bigwigs have been telling Trump to stop with the Hunter stuff because it’s not working.
      
      It looked briefly like he was listening, but now I guess not.
      
      I mean that’s fine with me, Cruz is right every day he talks about Hunter is a day he wastes.
      
      2 13
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 11:00am
  - Billy Collins
    
    Given up?
    
    Not a chance. The couple of minutes or so that I caught of his rally today, he was mentioning it.
    
    12 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:50am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  More commentary on media blackout of Biden corruption story.
  http://joannenova.com.au/2020/10/third-world-censorship-in-the-usa-1000-joe-biden-is-the-big-guy-in-china-ccp-dealings/
  
  16 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:46am
- Critical Thinker
  
  ?BREAKING?
  The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has successfully verified all materials reviewed so far from Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner Tony Bobulinski ?
  
  Bobulinski, who said Tuesday he believes “Joe Biden and the Biden family are compromised” in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, has turned over evidence to the FBI alleging he met twice in the past with the former vice president in regards to business with his son Hunter.
  
  The Biden family has not yet disputed this information.
  https://dailycaller.com/2020/10/28/senate-committee-successfully-verifies-bobulinski-materials-to-date/
  ??
  
  23 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:32am
  - bruceavon
    
    Sorry. But this story is dying. It’s all very well if the fringe right sites are still on this but but unless they have Fox, its over. We had Rudolph storming out of an interview on Fox business and we have both Fox and the WSJ saying there’s nothing in the Biden story, relating to Joe. No one in MSM is covering it. The laptop stuff dates back a year, why hasn’t anything come of it in all that time with the FBI? Trump and Rudi are desperately pursuing this because they figure if you throw enough crap, some will stick. But it just isn’t, except for with the base. With the news cycle moving so fast you can only peddle the same information a certain amount before everyone moves on. They need something more than this or else it’s over.
    
    2 14
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 12:46pm
    - UrbanNeocolonialist
      
      Wall street journal have just caved in and published an opinion piece saying Biden owes an explanation over Bobulinski allegations. Maybe this is too big for MSM and tech Giants to sweep under the carpet.
      
      10 1
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:32pm
      - Batman
        
        Yeah, an opinion piece and not actual reporting.
        
        2 11
        Report
        October 29, 2020 2:17pm
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        Batman your stance on this is quite astonishing. You are cheering for media ignoring that the likely next president has been enriching his family using 3rd world influence peddling, and has left himself vulnerable to extortion by some very unsavory types, including PRC leadership. Whisky Tango Foxtrot?
        
        8 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 3:57pm
      - Batman
        
        The fact you guys are believing the Hager-esque rubbish is quite astonishing.
        
        It’s pathetic.
        
        0 9
        Report
        October 29, 2020 4:51pm
    - Critical Thinker
      
      It’s happening ??
      
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJnICDWAZHw
      
      Fox News Tucker Carlson Posts Highest Rating
      
      Tucker Carlson interviewed Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter and James Biden. Which drew a total audience of 7.562 million viewers—the show’s biggest ratings draw outside of the presidential debates in all of 2020.
      https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2020/10/28/tucker-carlson-posts-highest-rated-non-debate-telecast-this-year/#2d2f419d3c5b
      
      8 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:50pm
CaptainCompromise

I’m sure you’ve all seen the headlines to the effect “Police Assn. Calls for Routine Arming of Police After Northland Incident”. Aside from my grievances against the police Association for essentially using the name of the supposedly neutral and seperate police to influence policy, and my personal hatred of the term “calls” being used by the MSM to push their agenda, I can’t help but think these calls are based on a false premise namely that arming police inherently makes police safer. Here’s why:

Criminals with firearms don’t like police and they don’t like getting caught, which is why they will occasionally present firearms at frontline officers. But they don’t actually want to kill the officers necessarily, that’s a lot of complication and escalation they don’t want; more often than not it’s the threat of violence they use rather than the act of violence. But, there’s one thing they want more than not killing an officer, which is getting killed themselves.

On talkback a few months back after the tragic shooting of Const. Hunt, an anonymous officer rang in and told a story of how he stopped a car on the akl. motorway, and the driver presented a sawnoff firearm at the officer and said “get the F*** away from me”. The officer did, the car had no plates on it but was picked up later in a slew of drugs and firearms offences.

This officer was claiming that arming would have made him safer. It wouldn’t have. Instead of giving him the opportunity to leave him be, he would’ve had two rounds put in him before his hand touched his holster, and be dead on the side of the motorway. What’s more without an ID the car would not have been as easily located.

Policing by consent is one of the great achievements of western society, particularly in NZ, but it requires something the police Association and arguably the police themselves don’t like: Vulnerability. If our police are 100% avoid being vulnerable, and arm them selves in an attempt to effectively achieve this they can only remove themselves from policing by consent to policing by authority, the American model. All interactions are treated as armed and are played out in a way that officers have total control of the situation and can respond with deadly force from an advantageous position.

In our country at this time arming our frontline police while trying to continue the policing by consent model would not be an effective strategy to protect officers. Of course this is speculation, but if someone decides to take a pot shot at a police car and drive off, what good does having an officer in the car armed do? In the case of Const. Hunt, tragically he was shot from behind, and by the time his partner could have responded by all accounts he too was already injured. How would arming have made this outcome better?

On a statistical scale, policing is not dangerous in NZ. I’m not saying it’s safe, or easy but if you do the math it’s safer than a lot of common jobs. Is this going to be another case of the cure being worse than the disease?
23 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 8:59am
- Rocky Jnr
  
  “On a statistical scale, policing is not dangerous in NZ.” Can you you justify that statement?
  
  4 9
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:10am
  - cmm
    
    It always depends on what you’re comparing to.
    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_Zealand_police_officers_killed_in_the_line_of_duty
    
    NZ cops very seldom get shot. 5 in the last 20 years. Sure, NZ also has few police: say an average of 10,000 during those 20 years.
    
    So one cop killed per 40,000 police years. A cop is far more likely to die from choking on a banana.
    
    More workers get killed by stuff falling on them.
    
    17 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:32am
    - kowtow
      
      ‘A cop is far more likely to die from choking on a banana.’
      
      Doughnut .
      
      8 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 9:53am
    - Rocky Jnr
      
      Oh, I see, a job cant be called dangerous unless your killed. Tosser!
      
      2 9
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:10am
    - Melbury
      
      So, more than 5 cops in NZ have died from choking on a banana in the last 20 years?
      
      2 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:24am
      - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
        
        how many died in traffic accidents?
        
        1 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:32am
  - MCos
    
    Refer to these Stats
    http://archive.stats.govt.nz/~/media/Statistics/Browse%20for%20stats/InjuryStatistics/HOTP16/Tables/iswrc-16-prov-2016-tables.xlsx
    
    0 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:37am
- kowtow
  
  Criminals have no fear of the law , either of the police , the courts or prison.
  
  Make it not worthwhile to be a career criminal and see what happens.
  
  Instead our gangs are romanticised in the media and in popular culture , the courts give them a wet bus ticket , and prison is a doddle.
  
  Our govt and the great and the good even make excuses for one being a crim. As long as you’re not a Honkey )
  
  What’s not to like ?
  
  19 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:24am
- Billy Collins
  
  I use to agree with this assessment, but now I don’t.
  
  “Criminals with firearms don’t like police and they don’t like getting caught, which is why they will occasionally present firearms at frontline officers.”
  
  They present precisely because they KNOW the frontline officers are not armed. They KNOW that they will definitely have the upper-hand immediately, and it won’t put their life in danger whatsoever. You basically say so yourself:
  
  “But they don’t actually want to kill the officers necessarily, that’s a lot of complication and escalation they don’t want…But, there’s one thing they want more than not killing an officer, which is getting killed themselves.”
  
  “Instead of giving him the opportunity to leave him be, he would’ve had two rounds put in him before his hand touched his holster, and be dead on the side of the motorway.”
  
  As you said, they don’t want to be killed. If they knew that the cop was armed, they wouldn’t even attempt to escalate if they knew it would put themselves in danger. Police being armed may stopped the crim from brandishing the sawn-off at all, thus the cop wouldn’t even have to reach toward his holster at all.
  
  The crims will only present a firearm if they know it won’t lead to a shootout, if they know they will definitely get the upper-hand. Cops being armed drops that certainty, and thus they won’t even try it.
  
  7 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:38am
- Harriet
  
  “…..In our country at this time arming our frontline police while trying to continue the policing by consent model would not be an effective strategy to protect officers…..”
  
  And what makes you think that isn’t being changed by a ‘school of thought’ having a ‘shuffle around’ within the police association?
  
  There’s plenty of police around who out of general laziness or arrogance would like nothing better than to be a state sanctioned force than an arbitrary service. 😎
  
  3 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 2:33pm
I remember when

Twelve Pohutukawa trees cut down in Karaka.
Police scenic crimes division investigating.
Who’s view has benefited most from the crime.
11 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:02am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  The guy who scooped up the firewood . . .
  
  8 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:39am
  - sooty
    
    Good burning!
    
    4 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:29am
    - the deity formerly known as nigel6888
      
      Great on the smoker! BBQ season coming!
      
      1 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 11:32am
- Inandout
  
  Sensing tree murder. Meantime burglaries continue at an alarming rate.
  
  6 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:03am
  - Rocky Jnr
    
    Well, if you can cut down a row of trees in broad daylight it must be bloody easy to burgle a house.
    
    5 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 11:21am
    - chukar
      
      Maybe the lines company?
      
      0 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 3:34pm
Batman

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
In the final week of the campaign, Biden and Affiliates have booked $107 million of advertising airtime.

Trump and Affiliates have booked $48 million of airtime.

One of the stories of this campaign will be how the businessman campaign ran out of money.
5 40
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:06am
- cmm
  
  You really should become a politician. You confuse spending with outcome.
  
  29 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:24am
  - SGA
    
    On the other hand, although other factors do come into play, do you believe campaign spending and election results are completely uncorrelated?
    
    5 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 9:36am
    - cmm
      
      “do you believe campaign spending and election results are completely uncorrelated?”
      
      Silly strawman thinking.
      
      If I think that stark white is too bright to paint a room it does not mean I want to paint the room black.
      
      If I think a Suzuki Ignus is too small it does not mean I want a Humvee.
      
      No, of course the amount of advertising has an effect, but it is far from being the only measure. Quality counts too. A small amount of highly effective advertising is better than wall-to-wall junk.
      
      And, of course, organic rallies etc are far better than any TV advertising.
      
      10 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 10:55am
      - SGA
        
        The fact remains that one’s “war chest” is an important part of USA politics. And organic rallies are, for the most part, preaching to the converted. Many elections are won or lost in the middle (those who typically don’t go to rallies) – and that’s where things like TV advertising becomes important.
        
        Yes, a small amount of highly effective advertising is better than wall-to-wall junk. But to follow on from your own “silly straw man” comment – a large amount of highly effective advertising is better than both 🙂
        
        3 2
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:23am
      - Batman
        
        And those with medium-length memories may recall that John Kerry held a massive rally at the end of his campaign. A huge crowd as far as the eye could see.
        
        And he lost to Bush. So rallies are of limited use to an extent. The benefit to them is that you get on local TV as they will generally carry it live.
        
        2 6
        Report
        October 29, 2020 11:31am
  - Fletch
    
    Yep, Hillary massively outspent Trump in 2016.
    
    16 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:11am
  - lofty
    
    How do you know that Batman isn’t a politician?
    just saying.
    One thing I do know is that the powers that be know exactly who it is, same goes for you and me.
    cmm has a name. 😉 and it is on a list.
    
    2 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 4:21pm
    - Batman
      
      There is no list of names, just to be very clear about that for all users reading this.
      
      2 2
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 4:56pm
      - lofty
        
        You might not have one, or David, but I am absolutely convinced that this blog is watched, and names kept.
        
        Convince me otherwise.
        
        2 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 6:46pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Careful lofty, the calls reporting your are coming from inside your house.
        
        1 1
        Report
        October 29, 2020 7:59pm
- The Proper Ghandi
  
  Ask Michael Bloomberg how spending more than anyone else on advertising equates to winning. Probably the opposite (desperate times etc.).
  
  24 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:30am
  - Inandout
    
    Bloomberg spent US$500 million I understand.
    
    8 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:02am
  - BassilFawlty
    
    And fatty .com didn’t manage a big win either.
    
    8 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:06am
- freethinker
  
  Batman – the amount spent is not a measure of its effectiveness – Trumps rallies in the thousands, Bidens in single figures. NZ Labour did the same but was effective, unfortunately and NZ will pay the price for decades, with luck US will benefit for decades by a second Trump term.
  
  21 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:32am
  - kowtow
    
    Labour didn’t need to spend a thing. Covid and the Media done it for ’em.
    
    Anyway they were doing what they do best , spending OPM ,and lots of it.
    
    18 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 10:07am
- FatTony
  
  ‘Monkeys with flamethrowers’
  
  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/monkeys-flamethrowers-how-trump-plowed-through-his-1-billion-war-n1244033
  
  2 11
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:33am
- RoboRob
  
  Correct. It appears that the Trump campaign spend has been mismanaged. However one must wonder why Biden has allready rapped up his campaign and wont be travelling or doing much in the way of public appearances. He seems headed back to his bunker 🙂
  
  6 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:08am
  - Batman
    
    Weird, Robo, I heard him saying literally today that he’s doing 12 hour days and taking nothing for granted.
    
    Must be like the so-called early lid days when they were actually doing debate prep, as a normal campaign would.
    
    1 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 4:55pm
- the deity formerly known as nigel6888
  
  Or maybe he is spending it on his ground game?
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 11:47am
  - Batman
    
    Incumbents never usually have to make such choices. He shouldn’t be in this position.
    
    And given the wild spread of the virus, the ground game strategy seems ill-considered.
    
    4 7
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 11:59am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  So your argument is: Biden good because he has received the most money from wealthy contributors? Doesn’t that just mean he is in the pockets of the elites, which is pretty much the whole problem with US democracy in the first place.
  
  5 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 1:45pm
  - Batman
    
    Well if you had watched the debate last week you would have seen him say the average contribution was $24 bucks or so.
    
    It is somewhat fitting that the dark money that Republicans are used to has dried up and a whole lot of other people are motivated to donate to Biden because of Trump.
    
    But I digress….
    
    My actual point was that the Trump campaign firehosed a billion dollars out the door on digital ads about sleepy Joe, and now they are fucked with not enough money when they need it most. It is fundamental campaign mismanagement.
    
    2 7
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 2:15pm
- EX_NZ
  
  none of that spending is going to help Biden win Florida and he’s been spending an awful lot of money there.
  
  4 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 3:24pm
  - Batman
    
    I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t at least be net-neutral?
    
    Florida is tighter than steel trap and has been for years. Anyone predicting a firm outcome in Florida is either drunk or foolish.
    
    2 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 3:31pm
I remember when

There will never be a 100% correct answer to whether the police should be routinely armed.
However, there does seem to be a lack of understanding of the growing possibility of the gangs becoming the Mafia of NZ.
There are now gang members who can only be called gangsters and professional criminals.
These people are routinely armed themselves and think very little about the value of other people’s lives.
They have a lot to lose and are prepared to take drastic action to preserve their lifestyle. Their mana in the gang is increased by their often horrific crimes. Most of their crimes involve stand-over tactics and actions to show they are not to be trifled with.
They are not some little operator making a few bob working out of an old tin shed.
15 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:23am
lastmanstanding

A random question.

If Barry Obama had arranged a peace deal between Israel and three of its Arab neighbours would the media and its supporters here there and everywhere kept silent?
32 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:28am
- MCos
  
  Didn’t do Jimmy Carter much good. He was responsible for by far the most meaningful ME Peace Treaty of them all viz. Israel & Egypt.
  However the Iran hostage saga sank him.
  
  7 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:44am
- Fletch
  
  They would have given him another Nobel prize…. for actually doing something.
  
  11 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:45am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  Why would Barry bother? He already had the Nobel Prize for being ‘the President with the most potential’
  
  BO channeled Spike Milligan who wrote something like ‘I always had a pair of socks down the front of my trunks during the mixed bathing season, only to disappoint later . . . ‘
  
  8 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:46am
- Ehlana
  
  Well, he got a Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”
  That was in October 2009; his presidency began on 20 January of the same year. I’ve never understood what exactly he had accomplished so early on (what, indeed, could anyone have done in so short a time) to warrant the prize.
  The Independent sums his actual time in office up thus: “Mr Obama oversaw the first US air strikes launched in Syria in 2014 in a huge escalation of America’s military campaign against the Isis terror group. Six years after coming to office he had approved military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya, becoming the Peace President to bomb seven countries in six years.” Barack Obama himself doesn’t seem to know why he got it: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/barack-obama-stephen-colbert-nobel-peace-prize-a7367321.html
  So maybe arranging peace deals isn’t the criteria for getting a Peace Prize?
  
  17 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:51am
Fletch

Hosking even brought up the Tony Bobulinski Fox interview on his show this morning. Said most U.S media are ignoring the huge scandal, which is true.
25 3
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:40am
lastmanstanding

Halfway through this Parliamentary term there will be hell of a lot of Labour supporters who wished we had a recall process.
21 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:43am
- Tarquin North
  
  Imagine what the Green voters will be thinking! That Menendez March clown makes Golly G look like mensa material.
  
  24 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:53am
- Inandout
  
  lastman, house prices are skyrocketing and homeless also. Hosking notes the government doesn’t have any answers, in fact fails to even answer queries.
  
  19 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:59am
- MCos
  
  The Poms know what you mean and they’ve got four more years of Boris, if he doesn’t get rolled.
  
  2 8
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:00am
- RoboRob
  
  Sadly, not likely. A heap of people voted Labour last time because of their promises (such as housing for all and cheaper & better rental homes). Didn’t seem to stop them voting Labour again this time did it:)
  
  12 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:13am
Fletch

God help us all if Jacinda is stupid enough to give James Shaw the climate portfolio… ?
27 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:44am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  She is.
  
  19 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:56am
Boxing junkie

If all these right wing attack dogs from the US and the UK paid half the attention to their own covid response as they do to New Zealand’s, they might not be seeing record cases day after day.
3 24
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:52am
- Inandout
  
  Boxing, interesting listening to that UK correspondent speaking with Hosking. It seems the number of deaths there from the new C19 virus almost equals the number of ordinary flu deaths. So probably one has replaced the other but the lockdowns are the major difference. You can’t keep comparing an isolated NZ with the UK; just a stupid comaprison. Add to this the fact the UK has boatloads of illegals trying to clamber ashore along their coasts, and presumably many have the flu or some worse disease.
  
  13 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:41am
  - kowtow
    
    Front page of today’s UK Daily Telegraph has article where the “experts” are predicting the second wave will be more deadly than the 1st with the number of victims remaining high throughout the winter. These experts want tighter restrictions .
    
    We’ll see.
    
    5 2
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 2:06pm
Inandout

Anyone know why thw New World give away herb pottles with seeds originate from Poland? Do we not have nurseries in NZ capable of supplying?
14 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 9:57am
I remember when

Northern Outlook:’Hawk soars to freedom with new tail’.
A harrier hawk has taken to the skies following a procedure to replace her broken feathers.
The hawk, a juvenile, must have spent some time on ground as all her tail feathers had broken off.
She was treated at the SI Wildlife Hospital for a broken coracoid, a bone vital for flight.
When recovered, she was given a new tail by a process know as imping and released the following day.
The replacement feather is joined by inserting the shaft into the remaining shaft of the broken feather, or by using a wire imping needle fixed with adhesive.
10 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 10:22am
Gulag1917

Lessons for New Zealand?

Why Do People Follow Tyrants?
History repeats itself because of human nature.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/culture-shrink/201702/why-do-people-follow-tyrants
5 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 10:34am
- Inandout
  
  Gulag, if the internet and mobiles were around in Hitler’s time he may well have failed. Different times now and a nightmare for politicians as to which path to take.
  
  4 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 10:44am
  - cmm
    
    Possibly, but there were plenty Germans who were still believers after the war.
    
    Once you have emotionally invested in an ideology it is really hard to “de-program” yourself.
    
    Towards the end the crumbling Nazi regime was blaming everyone but themselves.
    
    For example the fighter pilots started off being seen as almost god like. Towards the end, Goering had blamed the fighter pilots for being cowards and letting the Allies bomb German cities. The people turned on thos pilots and blamed them for their loss. After the war pilots were considered scum.
    
    It is ridiculous to blame Naziism on Hitler alone. The Germans were ripe for it. They were disenchanted with the result of WW1. If it hadn’t been Hilter that set them off it would have been his commie competitors.
    
    There were thousands of evil bastards in WW2 just among the Germans (and no doubt many other evil bastards under other flags too). Hitler wasn’t the one burning French people to death in their houses.
    
    4 1
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 12:25pm
    - Jack5
      
      Not so sure Germans after World War 2 “regarded their war pilots as scum,” CMM. For example:
      
      – Erich Hartman, with 345 kills, perhaps the most successful fighter pilot ever, after the war followed by 10 years in Soviet prison camps, joined the new German Air Force and was commander of its Richthofen fighter wing when he retired in 1970.
      
      – The Stuka pilot, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Nazi Germany’s most decorated serviceman, said to have flown more than 2500 missions on the Russian front, was a lifelong Nazi. After the war he moved to Argentina, where he reportedly sheltered the war criminal Mengele, and became a confidante of President Peron. From 1953, he was back in West Germany and in neo-Nazi politics. As he was being buried in 1982, two German Air Force Phantoms made a controversial low sweep over his grave.
      
      – Erich Rudorffer claimed 222 victories as a fighter pilot, flew more than 1000 missions and claimed to have been shot down 16 times. After the war, Rudorffer flew Dakotas in Australia, then worked for Pan Am and Germany’s civil aviation authority.
      
      – Gunther Rall , 275 claimed kills, after the war rose to “general-lieutenant” in the new West German Army and became an attache to NATO.
      
      – Gerhard Barkhorn, more than 300 claimed kills, after the war served in the new German Luftwaffe, reaching the rank of lieutenant-general in 1953, then became chief of NATO’s Second Allied Tactical Air Force, bnefore retiring in 1975.
      
      – Theodor Weissenberger – 208 kills – became a motor-racing driver after World War 2 and died in a crash at Nuremberg in 1950.
      
      3 0
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:47pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        and died in a crash at Nuremberg in 1950.
        
        “[…] at the Nürburgring [race track] in 1950.”
        
        2 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 7:26pm
      - Jack5
        
        Whoops! You are correct, Steve T. Thank you.
        
        1 0
        Report
        October 29, 2020 7:55pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Why was the German population enamoured with Hitler and embraced Naziism so willingly?
  
  https://www.historytoday.com/archive/review/buying-nazism
  
  Again and again Föllmer shows how it was precisely the vagueness of much Nazi ideology, at least in the early years of Nazi rule, that appealed to many Germans, because it enabled them to see in Nazism what they wanted to see.
  
  11 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 11:23am
cmm

This security guard didn’t want to be called a racist, so he ended up being racist….

That’s the problem with the wokistani way of thinking.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/manchester-arena-security-guard-didnt-stop-bomber-for-fear-of-racism/L5ERACZWFCVLIGXLD4HU6HAWJ4/
18 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 10:42am
oldfella

I know there are plenty of Slater haters out there. I don’t know the man, or have an opinion one way or the other. But this is stroke awareness week, and you can’t help but admire Slater’s gutsy fightback after his own, life-changing stroke. Sounds like he’s been through hell, but keeps fighting. I wish him well, and hope his recovery continues.
https://thebfd.co.nz/2020/10/28/the-stroke-two-years-on/
8 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 10:50am
WaynelSexton

10 reasons why Australia won’t repay the deficit.
8min video, parallels well with NZ
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R-khj_CH6qg
2 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 11:12am
oldfella

Soft Totalitarianism Threatens Scotland:
“This is incredible. The Scottish government has brought forth a new hate crimes law that stands to criminalize speech uttered within the privacy of one’s own home. I kid you not.
“However critics fear the Hate Crime and Public Order Bill, which centres around plans for a new offence of “stirring up hatred”, will stifle freedom of expression.”
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/live-not-by-lies-soft-totalitarianism-threatens-scotland/
It’s okay, Angry Andy’s coming hate speech legislation will be much kinder, and in no way impact every Kiwis fundamental right to free speech (yeah, right).
11 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 11:13am
Bobba Fret

There will be a lot more landlord / tenant stories like this one now that it is harder to get rid of bad tenants (if the media choose to report them that is). And they probably wont even manage to collect the $20.44 that she’s ordered to pay!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/tenant-kicked-out-after-drug-paraphernalia-found-in-untidy-house/AK7DZUDBLBCWTEXMBQZWVGH65M/
6 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 11:27am
oldfella

Good question: Where’s the solidarity with France?
https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/10/28/wheres-the-solidarity-with-france/
Macron very publicly supported Cindy with her Christchurch Call campaign. I wonder if she’s sent him a message of solidarity in his own current crisis…
Maybe not.
8 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 12:11pm
Yvette

New Zealand First Foundation donations

Newshub, under the headline “New Zealand First Foundation donations: Duo deny charges, opt for trial by jury” features a video of Winston Peters attacking Serious Fraud Office over timing of New Zealand First Foundation investigation outcome.

In part Winston repeats “Not one Minister, MP or party member has been anything other than fully exhonourated.”

Newshub, RNZ, Stuff, NZME and TVNZ fought to name the pair before the general election, arguing there was compelling public interest in identifying those charged before the polls closed.
The media entities lost in both the District and High Courts before unsuccessfully seeking leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal, bringing their fight to name the accused ahead of the election to an end.

In a related item RNZ comments
Neither person can be identified but the SFO confirmed before the election they were not ministers, sitting MPs, candidates, staffers or current members of New Zealand First.

It seems the SFO in earlier statements, including the one to which Winston responds in the above mentioned video, have consistently used the word “current” in association with “member”.

A question is, Without identifying anyone, will the up-coming court case establish if “not a current member” means never has been a member, and so validates Peters’ statement “Not one Minister, MP or party member has been anything other than fully exhonourated.”?
5 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 12:16pm
Fletch

From Scotland – hate speech in your own home must be prosecuted according to a bill that is being considered.

Conversations over the dinner table that incite hatred must be prosecuted under Scotland’s hate crime law, the justice secretary has said.

Journalists and theatre directors should also face the courts if their work is deemed to deliberately stoke up prejudice, Humza Yousaf said.

The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill has been condemned by critics including the Scottish Catholic Church, police representatives, academics and artists. It will introduce an offence of stirring-up of hatred against people with protected characteristics, including disability, sexual orientation and age.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hate-crime-bill-hate-talk-in-homes-must-be-prosecuted-6bcthrjdc

How long before we have this in NZ?

[edit] just saw that Oldfella has posted on this above as well…
13 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 12:21pm
- oldfella
  
  Fletch, worth repeating – endlessly – as a warning about what could happen here.
  ‘But we’re doing it to keep everyone safe,’ or a similar crap sentiment, will not be good enough.
  Fortunately, we have David Seymour in parliament, and I hope he and his new band will raise merry hell to protect our right to free speech.
  
  14 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 12:58pm
Fletch

Have your say by online poll – who do you think will win the US election? At the moment it is 50/50 with 254 votes cast.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/10/have-your-say-who-will-the-us-election-donald-trump-or-joe-biden.html
6 3
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 12:23pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  ‘Who will win the election?’ is a difficult question to answer.
  Biden will win the most votes, certainly the popular vote overall and most probably a clear majority of electoral college votes. I expect that result to be overturned by the supreme court, which will install Trump as the ‘winner’.
  
  2 5
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 5:20pm
  - Batman
    
    I think it will be a wave election in sweeps Trump aside. Just quietly.
    
    4 5
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 6:09pm
RJ

We need someone to attack our media in New Zealand about the bias in their reporting. Jack doesn’t look happy.

Sen. Ted Cruz to Twitter’s CEO during today’s hearing on social media regulations before Senate panel:

“Mr. Dorsey, who the hell elected you and put you in charge of what the media are allowed to report and what the American people are allowed to hear?”

https://twitter.com/jennfranconews/status/1321515217478561792
15 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 12:25pm
- Batman
  
  Who knew that Ted Cruz was a trotskyite revolutionary who wants to abolish private businesses and install government approved stooges?
  
  Pathetic stuff.
  
  4 23
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 12:58pm
  - Fletch
    
    Yes, but you could say that businesses like The New York Times are technically private, too. But there are standards. The big tech industries like Twitter and Facebook really need to be re-categorized as media and come under the same rules.
    
    12 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 1:15pm
    - Batman
      
      The differential is platform vs publisher. There is a legitimate conversation around how to balance that but at the end of the day, the NYT moderates comments on its site from users just like FB and Twitter moderate extreme content and disinformation.
      
      The real problem here is that some have convinced themselves that they’re being suppressed but the reality is that their arguments and content are shit so nobody gives a fuck.
      
      Now, in the case of facebook that is less true, 9/10 of the top shared articles there are regularly Ben Shapiro and Dan Bongino pro-Trump posts.
      
      3 18
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 1:21pm
      - Fletch
        
        Facebook and Twitter have double standards. They thought nothing about the posting of material on their sites about Trump’s tax returns, based on stolen and unverified material, but the stuff on the laptop – obtained legally – is as transparent as it gets. And the American people have a right to know. In fact, most of the Trump stories posted by liberals are based on unverified heresay by “anonymous sources” that dare not identify themselves – the calling of soldiers “losers” etc, which was just made up and has been denied by everyone present. Yet it was deemed OK by Twitter and Facebook, the “masters of the universe” to post. Double standards indeed….
        
        14 4
        Report
        October 29, 2020 1:26pm
      - Batman
        
        You’re talking about the difference between information leaked to reputable journalists versus information shopped around by the personal lawyer to one candidate, with zero verification or fact checking on it.
        
        4 14
        Report
        October 29, 2020 2:18pm
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        Ah, the old argument of “We should ban all disinformation, and I should be the one deciding what is disinformation” Just brilliant thinking there, no potential for abuse or bad outcomes.
        
        Handing weapons to aspiring overlords is extremely stupid.
        
        12 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 1:51pm
      - Batman
        
        If you think there’s so much suppression going on, when all of the video clips of the hearings etc are available on said platforms, please feel free to go and use Gab and Parler with all the high quality individuals who are currently there.
        
        3 16
        Report
        October 29, 2020 2:12pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Who defines “extreme” and “disinformation”?
        
        Moderators?
        
        How about letting all info be “outed” and let mature adults decide.
        
        Even “censoring” comments by deletion for using the “C” word seems a step too far for me at time, not that I am prolific user of the word. I mean when the leader of a political party currently in Parliament and likely to have a role in government is comfortsble using the word in mixed and underage company it does seem a little archaic to have a moderation policy on it.
        
        11 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 2:23pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Your comment shows an acceptance of censorship. Censorship is censorship regardless of whether it is instagated by corporate or government officials.
    
    Your comment makes a valid argument for state funded media to counteract corporate censorship maybe but then, you are a moderator so censorship is in your blood.
    
    10 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 2:19pm
    - lifesgood
      
      Is Batman still a moderator?
      
      6 3
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 4:20pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Some of my comments that have been deleted …
        
        [ Have you tried complaining to DPF? What did he say? ]
        
        1 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 6:24pm
  - Engelbert Humperdink
    
    Who knew that a moderator would become one of the more consistent name-callers on this forum?
    
    13 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 4:47pm
    - Batman
      
      Nothing that should hurt the feelings of all but the biggest snowflakes.
      
      I thought that was the standard these days? Liberal tears and all that…
      
      3 12
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 4:53pm
      - Tall Man
        
        And yet my comment … deleted.
        
        [Mod: (not Batman) If you think it is OTT complain to DPF and he will rein us in ]
        
        0 3
        Report
        October 29, 2020 6:37pm
- RJ
  
  Good too see. Big tech has become a huge source that people turn to for news.
  
  The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday sent a letter to congressional leaders advocating for changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a law passed about 25 years ago that prevents tech companies from being sued for user content posted on their platforms.
  
  https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-citing-hunter-biden-story-justice-thomas-supports-changes-to-section-230-in-letter-to-congress
  
  6 4
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 4:55pm
RJ

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has been successful in verifying all materials reviewed so far from Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner Tony Bobulinski, the Daily Caller has learned.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/10/28/senate-committee-successfully-verifies-bobulinski-materials-to-date/
14 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 12:35pm
- SB2
  
  The said Senate Comittee non partisan??
  
  2 12
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 4:57pm
Tasman Terror

Cindy fans MIGHT realise they are dorks if no vaccine emerges for COVID-19 before the next election.
If no vaccine arrives and our economy worsens beyond repair they might think that kindness, conversations, and working groups don`t cut it compared to competence in government.

On the upside I didn`t vote for the muppet and all my rental houses are averaging a 25 per cent increase in value per annum. Why?

largely because Labour wouldn`t support amendments to the Resource Management Act when in Opposition , to free up land for housing, and they let the Special Housing Legislation lapse under it`s sunset provision in September 2019.

During the financial year to 31 March 2019 38 per cent of new houses were built on special housing area land. A piece of legislation the Labour Party opposed before it freed up land and then lapsed.
Six years of neglect anybody?
13 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 12:44pm
Fletch

Well, well, well –

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted Wednesday afternoon to a Senate hearing that they had no evidence that reports about Hunter Biden’s emails were “Russian disinformation,” as claimed by Democrats.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/10/28/watch-twitter-facebook-admit-no-evidence-of-russian-disinformation-in-hunter-biden-story/
14 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 1:56pm
Fletch

*Sigh* here we go again. Democrats playing their little games.

Democrats are reportedly considering impeaching newly sworn-in Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett if she does not recuse herself from contentious election cases, based on false claims that President Donald Trump discussed them with her.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/10/28/report-democrats-consider-impeaching-justice-amy-coney-barrett-if-she-doesnt-recuse-herself/

These people are just little shits. Is all I can say about them. Like stroppy little kids not getting their way.
15 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 2:00pm
- cha
  
  Democrats playing their little games.
  
  Wait until the new Democratic AG looks into Kavanaugh’s mysterious vanishing debt — and he’s forced to resign or face prosecution.
  
  2 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 7:18pm
Surely Knott

NZ news are calling a Fox news reports as a bizarre rant for their report on NZer’s quarantine camps. While fox news overplayed it and was wrong about it being new or a camp, but the kernel of what they are saying is correct and it is mandatory. No doubt it’s in response to the news articles two days ago about the Greenhithe Pub owner who was being sent to quarantine because he lived with an elderly mother despite them both testing negative. He also tweeted two days ago that he was “waiting for my Prison shuttle”. So yes most of NZ isn’t too worried because there are few of us affected by it but it looks to be compulsory and quite bizarre to be sent when you have tested negative. But Fox news is not completely wrong. The Public Health law that was passed in NZ is a law that allows them to force quarantine, enter without a warrant and force medical procedures. The NZ Human rights commission even said they were “deeply concerned” about the law. So Fox overhyped it. But NZ news also underplayed it.
15 4
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 2:53pm
- SB2
  
  ” But NZ news also underplayed it.” ???
  
  3 11
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 4:55pm
Tony Stuart

If you’re a Twitter user or follower concerned with some brazenly political decisions made recently by Twitter’s top brass, you might enjoy this video of Sen. Ted Cruz ripping Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey a new one…

https://twitter.com/jennfranconews/status/1321515217478561792
10 3
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 3:04pm
RJ

No surprise

Damning Hunter Biden documents suddenly vanish

https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1321608055549775872
8 3
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 3:08pm
- Batman
  
  The surprise is that Tucker’s team have never heard of scanners and dropbox.
  
  Cloudy with a high chance of bullshit on this one.
  
  5 15
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 3:14pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    The Courier company confirmed the theft
    Fox have copies though.
    
    6 4
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 5:37pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    LOL
    Tucker Carlson had documents that proved the case against the Bidens. But the documents mysteriously disappeared…
    
    3 7
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 5:37pm
    - Batman
      
      As one journo put it:
      
      “This segment is truly one of the dumbest things I have ever watched. Tucker says he had the goods on the Bidens but the documents got lost in the mail and he’s apparently unable to even summarize what these smoking guns said. Seems legit!”
      
      4 8
      Log in to Reply
      Report
      October 29, 2020 6:07pm
      - Mike
        
        The Trumkins will lap it up, though.
        
        3 8
        Report
        October 29, 2020 6:10pm
- Fletch
  
  No surprise. But still, what they have already should be enough to convict Biden and his family.
  
  4 3
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 5:22pm
Cobolt24

Air NZ makes 935 cabin crew redundant.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/123235183/air-new-zealand-hands-935-international-cabin-crew-redundancy-notices-as-border-restrictions-continue-to-bite
6 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 3:08pm
- Tall Man
  
  Many flights were connections as people around the country flew mainly to Auckland to catch an international flight.
  
  2 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 6:28pm
- DeepBlue
  
  They held on until after the election. A condition of the government loan no doubt.
  
  5 1
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 6:50pm
cmm

And here’s the news: a woman and a child are traumatised by seeing a dead animal.

Can’t have any upsetness in Magic Cindyland.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123231950/mother-and-son-traumatised-after-seeing-bulls-remains-strewn-across-motorway

FFS people there are dead animals everywhere from hedgehogs to possums to cattle?

I hop these people don’t feel they need to put in an ACC claim for counseling for seeing a piece of beef.
11 2
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 3:23pm
- Cobolt24
  
  I wonder if they get traumatised when they walk through the meat section at the supermarket!
  
  9 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 3:37pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    I often yell out ‘Look at all these dead animal pieces” in the meat section. Fuck the vegans
    
    7 3
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    October 29, 2020 5:31pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  It may have been a cow identifying as a bull
  
  6 2
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 5:29pm
WaynelSexton

Biden in all his dementia glory
https://mobile.twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/1321360715001724928
3 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 5:10pm
Fletch

Helen Clark pens a forward for a book pushing for the sale of cocaine and ecstasy at pharmacies – in the UK.

So you know where she stands…

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/10/helen-clark-pens-foreword-for-book-recommending-sale-of-cocaine-ecstasy-at-pharmacies.html
7 3
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 5:19pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

First Woman on Mars:
https://trendingpolitics.com/watch-president-trump-jokes-about-landing-speaker-nancy-pelosi-on-mars-during-rally/?
7 3
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 5:20pm
cmm

Thanks Cindy.

9 years of neglect would never have built a hospital…..

Yeah I know those National voters will tell you that National set up the project in 2009/10 and work started in 2014.

Sure it should have been completed in 2018, then again in 2019, but never forget folks that it was Cindy who delivered in 2020!

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/123240464/vast-improvement-for-child-patients-at-christchurchs-new-hospital
6 0
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 5:22pm
- sooty
  
  Was Twyford in charge?
  
  0 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  October 29, 2020 9:23pm
Swifty

’68 Roadrunner….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhcu__tslT4

Droooool.
2 1
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 5:46pm
RJ

Ah labour, you can never get anything right can you

A number of children have used the Covid-19 wage subsidy to turn a healthy profit, potentially in the order of thousands of dollars per child.

Documents released by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) showed that some people had used the subsidy to make windfall gains. These were mainly self-employed people who earned small amounts of money.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300145253/children-game-covid19-wage-subsidy-to-book-thousands-in-profits
4 3
Log in to Reply
Report
October 29, 2020 6:36pm

Add a Comment Cancel reply

Login to comment or vote

« Green MP has no problems being called a Marxist

I’d ban buses as well as cars from the golden mile »

Donations

You can now donate to Kiwiblog

Exclusive content from DPF on Patreon

Become a Patron!

Highlights

The Kiwis are fleeing
Inflation by term
Houston we have a problem
Our immunisation disaster

Never miss a post

Email Address

Links

RMA changes end war on farming
Hompaddock
Open mike 24/04/2024
The Standard
More criminal miners
No Right Turn
A Look at the Wacky Transit Industry
Utopia
#CountdownToAnzacDay: On “the last afterglow of the most radiant cultural atmosphere in human history”
Not PC
RMA reforms aim to ease stock-grazing rules and reduce farmers’ costs – but Taxpayers’ Union wants even more changes
Point of Order
United Rugby Championship Predictions for Week 15
Stats Chat
7.30pm live tonight – The Working Group with David Seymour, Chris Penk and Damien Grant
The Daily Blog
Puberty blocker story backfires
Bob McCoskrie's McBlog
Supposedly A Great Cook?
No Minister
CAN WE BE SHOCKED ANYMORE BY THE NEWS?
No Punches Pulled (Bob Jones)
Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
Kiwipolitico
Despair - construction consenting edition
Offsetting Behaviour
Coalition Promises
NZCPR
Tougher than that
Croaking Cassandra
ABs stripped of 2011 title after try disallowed
Imperator Fish
Legal Beagle: Election '23: The Special Votes
Public Address
Making this movie might have been a mistake
Liam Hehir
Why I am retiring from political blogging
Kiwi FireWalker
Angie Warren-Clark: Meet the Newbies
Dan Moskovitz

editor@kiwiblog.co.nz

PO Box 12270, Thorndon, Wellington 6144

Facebook
Twitter
FourSquare
Instagram
LinkedIn
Google+

Archives
Disclosure Statement
Editorial Policy
Privacy Policy
Complaints Policy
Comments Policy

Design by cre8d

%d

Share this:

Like this: