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September 24, 2024 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 24 September 2024

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General Debate

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Matt Long

The Hezbollah terrorist bingo card is going in much the same direction as the Hamas one, and more quickly.
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1838270967241396289
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September 24, 2024 8:03am
- MCōs
  
  I remember the Vietnam War and the daily ‘body counts’ in the thousands of North Vietnamese army killed right up until America threw in the towel
  Same in Afghanistan
  
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  September 24, 2024 9:46am
  - JimBobJoe
    
    Total false equivalence Cossie. Jewish people wont run away… This is existential for them .. Vietnam wasnt for the USA
    
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    September 24, 2024 10:31am
    - kowtow
      
      Vietnam was for the Democrats .
      
      They had lost China , they weren’t going to be accused of losing Vietnam .
      It was a Kennedy war . He sent young working class Americans to die for domestic political purposes .
      His successor LBJ was horrified by it all , but was also sucked in and couldn’t get out .
      
      It was the evil Republican Nixon who got the ground troops out.
      
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      September 24, 2024 12:24pm
      - In Vino Veritas
        
        Would’ve been done sooner if it wasn’t for that prick Kissinger.
        
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        September 24, 2024 4:41pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        It was a Kennedy war .
        
        Nonsense. It all started under Eisenhower.
        
        If JFK had not been assassinated, he would have had all US troops out by the end of 1965 (assuming he was elected to a second term, of course).
        
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        September 24, 2024 5:54pm
      - Manu-Rau
        
        More rubbish from Steve Todd.
        
        The Catholic US President Kennedy was in boots and all to support the Catholic Sth Vietnam President Diem.
        
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        September 24, 2024 8:23pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        @ Manu-Rau @ 8:23PM
        
        Not rubbish. Eisenhower first sent in advisers in early-1955. The number of advisers steadily grew, through to 1963. In May, 1961, Kennedy authorized sending an additional 500 Special Forces troops and military advisers.
        
        Both you and kowtow should read, JFK and the UNSPEAKABLE (2008): Why He Died and Why it Matters, by James W. Douglass (2008; First Touchstone trade paperback edition October 2010).
        
        Extract from Chapter 3, pp. 93–94: “After becoming president, Kennedy would cite Edmund Gullion’s farsighted analysis to his military advisors, as they pushed hard for the combat troops that JFK would never send to Vietnam. Instead, on October 11, 1963, six weeks before he was assassinated, President Kennedy issued his secret order for a U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam in National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM) 263.* It was an order that would never be obeyed because of his murder.
        
        * National Security Action Memorandum No. 263, October 11, 1963, Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), 1961 – 1963, Volume IV: Vietnam: August-December 1963 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991), p. 396.
        
        Kennedy had decided to pull out one thousand members of the U.S. military by the end of 1963, and all of them by the end of 1965. In the month and a half before his death, this welcome decision received front page headlines in both the military and civilian press: in the Armed Forces’ Pacific Stars and Stripes, “White House Report: U.S. Troops Seen Out of Viet[nam] by ’65” [October 4, 1963, p. 1]; in the New York Times, “1,000 U.S. Troops to Leave Vietnam.” [November 16, 1963, p. 1].
        
        However, because of the president’s assassination, even the first phase of his withdrawal plan was quietly gutted. The Pentagon Papers, a revealing Defense Department history of the Vietnam War that was made public by defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg, points out: “Plans for phased withdrawal of 1,000 U.S. advisers by end-1963 went through the motions by concentrating rotations home in December and letting strength rebound in the subsequent two months.”**
        
        ** The Pentagon Papers: The Defense Department History of the United States Decision Making on Vietnam, Senator Gravel Edition, 5 vols. (Boston: Beacon Press, 1972), vol.2, p. 303.
        
        So, rather than being in “boots and all”, JFK spent his presidency working to get the US out of Vietnam, but, as we soon learned, the “powers that be” couldn’t have that.
        
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        September 25, 2024 8:04am
    - imalwaysright
      
      “Jewish people wont run away…”
      
      Check out Ben Guerin airport departure lounge.
      
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      September 24, 2024 1:47pm
      - In Vino Veritas
        
        As many, if not more, coming in as leaving. Have you been there lately imalways?
        
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        September 24, 2024 4:42pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        Sounds like a holiday destination
        
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        September 24, 2024 8:45pm
  - Matt Long
    
    I remember when Jacinda Adern said they had beaten covid, what has that to do with the price of fish?
    
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    September 24, 2024 10:50am
    - MCōs
      
      For a start it means propaganda from either side is usually exaggerated
      Also it’s rare these days that invaders prevail
      
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      September 24, 2024 11:15am
      - rouppe
        
        Do you consider Israel an invader?
        
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        September 24, 2024 12:47pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        MC
        Not sure why you are getting downticks. Some are on a hair trigger it seems.
        
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        September 24, 2024 12:49pm
      - I remember when
        
        Is there a difference between invaders and border shifters when it comes to success?
        
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        September 24, 2024 2:01pm
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      And she did a little dance 🤮
      
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      September 24, 2024 12:17pm
      - imalwaysright
        
        And Ashers allowed himself a brief smile. Ah! The life of the superhero!
        They are so much better than us…
        
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        September 24, 2024 1:28pm
Yvette

Here’s the final proposed principles copied in full:
Civil Government – the Government of New Zealand has full power to govern, and Parliament has full power to make laws. They do so in the best interests of everyone, and in accordance with the rule of law and the maintenance of a free and democratic society.

Rights of Hapū and Iwi Māori – The Crown recognises the rights that hapū and iwi had when they signed the Treaty/Te Tiriti. The Crown will respect and protect those rights. Those rights differ from the rights everyone has a reasonable expectation to enjoy only when they are specified in legislation, Treaty settlements, or other agreement with the Crown.

Right to Equality – Everyone is equal before the law and is entitled to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. Everyone is entitled to the equal enjoyment of the same fundamental human rights without discrimination.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528821/treaty-principles-bill-what-you-need-to-know

Although as yet sight unseen, accepting these matters are presented to Parliament in some similar form, but not passed into law, what does that mean for the validity of these “proposed principles”?

Will Parliament, using its right to govern, reject “the Government of New Zealand has full power to govern”?

The Crown does not “recognise the rights that hapū and iwi had when they signed the Treaty/Te Tiriti.”

Everyone is not equal before the law and is entitled to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. None are entitled to the equal enjoyment of the same fundamental human rights without discrimination.

By about next May 4th the farce could certainly be with you.
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September 24, 2024 8:04am
- pdm
  
  TAUMATA AROWAI.
  Yesterday after Yvettes questioning of it’s retention I said I would hunt up replies received from MP’s on the matter.
  
  Here is what appears to be `The Uniform’ reply from Catherine Wedd my local (Tukituki) MP on 4 July.
  
  `We were passed on your email.
  Please note in early April 2023 the Government decided on changes to the water services reform programme. These changes included increasing the number of new water services entities from four to ten in order to strengthen local representation and voice.
  
  The Three Waters Review’s mahi led to the establishment of Taumata Arowai, the new water regulator for Aotearoa and a strengthened regulatory environment for three waters services. Taumata Arowai has a strong focus on the safety of New Zealand’s drinking water and on 15 November 2021 became the drinking water regulator. In 2024, it assumed responsibility for wastewater and stormwater networks, becoming the three waters regulator for Aotearoa.’
  
  My recollection is that a couple of others were very much the same wording but, will keep looking and if there is anything that varies greatly will add them.
  
  I also remind you that PM Luxon and others did not even acknowledge my enquiry. However almost 3 months on I cannot remember exactly who I emailed now.
  
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  September 24, 2024 9:26am
  - DimChappie
    
    Taumata Arowai’s website is heavilly Maorified, with English text following the dominant Maori.
    
    https://www.taumataarowai.govt.nz/
    
    Governance is apparently Go-Governance and it proudly states: “Te Mana o te Wai is about partnering with whānau, hapū, iwi Māori.”
    We are still in trouble.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:48am
    - pdm
      
      DC.
      
      I thought Te Mana o te Wai was a goneburger.
      
      Andrew Hoggard has seen to, or at least is seeing to, that.
      
      Am I right or wrong?
      
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      September 24, 2024 10:07am
      - DimChappie
        
        PDM, the Coalition agreement called for replacing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management “to rebalance Te Mana o te Wai to better reflect the interests of all water users.” No-one has promised to erase the concept entirely. I find it deeply insulting that this important body has a Maori name and emphasises the Maori language. It needs cleansing.
        
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        September 24, 2024 11:12am
    - John Loveridge
      
      But not with anybody else.
      
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      September 24, 2024 7:13pm
  - Paulus
    
    Who is this bloke we now keep hearing about Mahi ?
    Is Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale one of them ?
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:57am
    - Don Beckett
      
      Mahe Drysdale’s name is not Maori .
      
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      September 24, 2024 10:58am
      - imalwaysright
        
        Drysdale is a NZ sheep. Close enough !
        
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        September 24, 2024 12:52pm
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    Isn’t mahi a fish? So “The Three Waters Review’s fish led to the establishment….”
    
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    September 24, 2024 4:43pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

If/when Trump wins there will be violence.
Yes, and it will be the same culprits. Trump has already asked for the National Guard. Democrats are ignoring him. 40% of voters say the violence will be greater if Harris wins. Really? The right will go out smashing, rioting, stealing, lighting fires? Nope, they don’t do that, so it is fake news.
Notice there are no assassination attempts on Harris, Walz, or Biden.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/majority-of-voters-say-the-threat-of-political-violence-will-increase-if-trump-is-elected-in-november/ar-AA1r0Kio?
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September 24, 2024 8:12am
- Anthony Melchett
  
  I found out yesterday that Tim Walz enforced an order when Governor of Massachusetts (I think?) That every boys bathroom in every school was to have a tampon dispenser installed.
  
  He should be in a mental institution, not a step away from controlling America.
  
  The democrats are going to win, nothing is surer. This period will in time be referred to as peak madness, with their final icing on the cake being a pathway to minor attraction being normalized.
  
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  September 24, 2024 8:25am
  - Interested Party
    
    Wisconsin I believe
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:21am
    - Don Beckett
      
      That’s why his nickname is Tampon Tim.
      
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      September 24, 2024 11:00am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    The Democrats are cheating but they will not win, besides what the media and polls say.
    Same happened in 2016 when Hillary was going to have 85% win over Trump. What happened? The “fake news” was fake news.
    
    Yes, Walz is a head case, but so is Harris.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:44am
  - MCōs
    
    Two mistakes there Mister M
    He is, not was, the Governor of Minnesota and tampons are not mandatory for boys toilets
    https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/politics/fact-check-trump-walz-minnesota-schools-tampons/index.html
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:56am
    - kevn
      
      mcos… cnn doing fact check. lol
      
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      September 24, 2024 10:08am
      - MCōs
        
        Do better then
        
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        September 24, 2024 10:22am
      - RoboRob
        
        @MCOS
        
        From the CNN ‘fact’ check you linked
        
        ‘The law, intended to make sure students of all income levels and gender identities have ready access to menstrual products, says school districts and charter schools must make menstrual products like tampons and pads available at no cost “to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.’
        
        ‘The law never specifies that the menstrual products must be put in “boys’ bathrooms,” and it allows school districts to decide what counts as a bathroom “regularly used by students.”’
        
        That is a total straw man arguement. IF, as CNN says, ‘must make menstrual products like tampons and pads available at no cost “to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12’, that is clearly ALL bathrooms. If it had said ‘must make menstrual products like tampons and pads available at no cost “to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by girls in grades 4 to 12′, then it would be up to the schools as CNN argues. However, becuase of the terror of trying to not identify the sex of a student you end up with a law that is targeted at all students no all girls.
        
        Rob fact check of CNN fact check. CNN says Waltz didnt sign a law requireing tampons in boys bathrooms. Fact check : False, Waltz DID sign that law.
        
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        September 24, 2024 10:31am
      - Bevan
        
        cnn vs trust me bro
        
        Its a real head scratcher which source is more reliable.
        
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        September 24, 2024 10:59am
      - Matt Long
        
        The fact checkers are being obtuse.
        “As adopted, the law does not distinguish by sex or gender. It says the products “must be available to all menstruating students.”
        This means transgender boys and nonbinary students — who might menstruate and are permitted to use boys’ restrooms — must also have access to the menstrual products.
        That does not mean menstrual products must be stocked in boys’ restrooms, legal experts told PolitiFact.” But in effect a school must put menstrual products in boys’ bathrooms because a menstruating “male” must have access to them.
        https://www.wral.com/story/fact-check-did-walz-force-minnesota-schools-to-stock-tampons-in-boys-bathrooms/21584434/
        
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        September 24, 2024 11:05am
    - Keith White
      
      Shot: “Tucked into a stack of budget bills Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota signed into law last May was a measure that went largely unnoticed: Public schools would be required to provide free menstrual products to all students who needed them, beginning in the fourth grade.”
      
      Chaser: “But with each of Minnesota’s more than 300 school districts responsible for drafting a plan for meeting the requirements of the law, schools have not interpreted it as a mandate to specifically place tampons and pads in restrooms designated only for boys.”
      
      Conclusion: he signed a law to say it would happen. It did not (yet) happen. Does not make him any less stupid.
      
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      September 24, 2024 10:11am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Fox has had stand up speech with Waltz saying exactly that, fact checkers can say what they like, but he did bloody mandate it and schools have put the bloody tampons in
      
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      September 24, 2024 12:23pm
  - Matt Long
    
    That really is a problem with nick names not being allowed on this site. Tampon Tim is succinct and informative.
    
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    September 24, 2024 10:53am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    That’s right, that’s why they call him Tampon Tim
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:21pm
  - Close Hen Counters
    
    No no no Anthony 😢 my youngest son is heading to the US next year for uni on the premise I was sure Mr Trump would save the country from the Democrat drongos
    
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    September 24, 2024 1:47pm
    - waikatosinger
      
      Which uni? Be careful.
      
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      September 24, 2024 4:22pm
  - virtualmark
    
    No. Unisex bathrooms have to have one. Not “every boys bathroom”.
    
    And that doesn’t sound unreasonable to me. Sure, it’s different to what I grew up with. But if you say that you want young women in particular to have ready access to period products, and you have unisex bathrooms that young women can use … then it seems reasonable to want those unisex bathrooms to have period products. Not woke. Just treating people with consideration and respect.
    
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    September 24, 2024 4:33pm
  - leoj
    
    Correction:
    If the same ballot stuffing, multiple feeding of Dem ballots through the computer and counting of ballots during the early morning when counting has stopped in the battle ground states where votes are needed, the Dems will win.
    
    They will cheat if necessary. Count on it.
    
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    September 24, 2024 6:52pm
- Gravelroad
  
  One of the inmates here is following this election campaign.
  Happened to pass by the Tv, and up pops Hillary Clinton.
  Seems she is starting up her Trump “deplorables”
  rhetoric again which, IIRC, didn’t do her a lot of favours when she stood for election.
  What a very bitter, entitled person she appears to be.
  (Am preparing for outraged downticks).
  
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  September 24, 2024 8:41am
  - Manu-Rau
    
    Yes, the sight of Hil’ry Cliton flapping her chops and waving her hands around on Fox last night completely ruined my Adana Kebab.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:12am
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    After 8 years there are still holes being made in the walls from empty vodka bottles.//
    A very bitter and evil woman.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:47am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Navy said yesterday that 30% of Republican are nohopers because they will never agree with us
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:28pm
- fernglas
  
  Learn to read, dude. Even the headline tells you that it’s the threat of violence that people think will increase, not that there will be violence. And just remind me whose supporters entered the Capitol after the last election.
  
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  September 24, 2024 8:54am
  - JackRabbit
    
    The purpose of the headline is to convince idiots that it is OK to riot.
    
    On their own they may not go out and riot. But if there are piles of bricks ready and waiting, and they get the the idea that riots are happening, they are out the door in a shot.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:26am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Funny they don’t care about the riots of the left in 3019 that seen quite a few murdered, businesses and government building burnt to the ground
      
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      September 24, 2024 12:32pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    After the last Election the Trump rally supporters were infiltrated by troublemakers. FBI and Proud Boys etc.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:54am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Who’s supporters are these?
    They get real violent.
    https://www.nationalreview.com/news/pro-palestinian-protesters-clash-with-riot-police-as-they-breach-white-house-gate/
    And these?
    https://nypost.com/2023/10/18/chaos-erupts-as-pro-palestinian-protesters-take-to-the-capitol-at-least-three-arrested/
    Looks very insurrectiony to me
    
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    September 24, 2024 10:25am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Every change of government has people march to the capital, do some homework. Trump stated you will march to the capital and protest peacefully, don’t come back saying it doesn’t happen, it happens at every change of government in the states
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:30pm
Keith White

The keffiyeh worn in public should be as shunned as the swastika displayed in public, and for similar (not yet identical) reasons.
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September 24, 2024 8:12am
NeverMindTheBollocks

Bike rack report: holding steady at one velocipede.

More people in The Terrace cafes: whether that’s as a result of Nicola’s announcement or just because it’s Tuesday is still too early to say.
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September 24, 2024 8:24am
- Bobba Fret
  
  I would imagine the most popular work from home days are Friday and Monday, and it would not surprise me if Wellington cafes are noticeably busier on Tues, Weds and Thurs.
  
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  September 24, 2024 9:45am
- Joely Doe
  
  It’s Tuesday
  
  TWaT’s noun
  Only turn up at office on Tues, Wed, and Thurs
  
  9 1
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  September 24, 2024 9:45am
  - virtualmark
    
    🙂
    
    That’s like the Regulars referring to the Territorials as the SaS. Saturdays and Sundays.
    
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    September 24, 2024 4:34pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Pension day you know 😊
  
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  September 24, 2024 12:33pm
Keith White

And… “US announces it’s sending troops to the Middle East and warns Americans to leave Lebanon.”

What could possibly go (additionally) wrong?
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September 24, 2024 8:25am
- Grunter
  
  The US has such a great record of fighting wars in The Middle East. They always leave things in a much better state….//
  
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  September 24, 2024 9:27am
- kowtow
  
  “Americans” , should read ‘passport holders’ .
  
  6 1
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  September 24, 2024 9:57am
  - MCōs
    
    It’s a bit difficult to leave the country without a passport
    
    4 1
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    September 24, 2024 12:25pm
    - Paulus
      
      Used to be that only some 10% of US Citizens actually had pasports.
      May be more now perhaps ?
      
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      September 24, 2024 3:49pm
- Grunter
  
  Also, China has issued a travel alert and told all of its citizens to leave Israel immediately. I wonder what China knows……??
  
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  September 24, 2024 11:19am
  - MCōs
    
    What they know is
    “The security situation in Israel is serious, complex, and volatile,”
    https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3279646/chinese-told-leave-israel-and-lebanon-border-situation-becomes-extremely-tense
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:36pm
Yvette

Questioning in the House by Chlöe Swarbrick led Luxon to state Māori did cede sovereignty, leading to Labour’s Chris Hipkins stating for the first time that Māori did not. The Greens and Te Pāti Māori have always held that position, whereas ACT and New Zealand First align with Luxon and say Māori did.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528821/treaty-principles-bill-what-you-need-to-know

There, in itself, is the justification of legislation to clarify what these people, who between them are supposedly passing legislation for us all, are even talking about regarding the so-called founding document of the nation, and supposedly therefore the foundation of all legislation.

Quod erat demonstrandum
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September 24, 2024 8:31am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Hipkins became the first leader of Labour ever to say this, he is such a dead beat loser as his numbers show
  
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  September 24, 2024 12:35pm
Mod88

Be very careful what you write Gravel, ’tis Arkancide Season. 😮
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September 24, 2024 8:53am
- Keith White
  
  Hillary has the Suicide Hotline on speed dial…
  
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  September 24, 2024 10:12am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Enforced suicide, your welcome 😊
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:37pm
Skippytony

Apparently we live in a parallel universe….

https://thestandard.org.nz/the-new-zealand-left-are-in-the-worst-place-in-a-century/

New Zealand has the most right wing government it’s had since Governor George Grey determined to eradicate all Maori power by systematic war and then systematic legislative theft in 1863.

Who knew?
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September 24, 2024 9:02am
- Gravelroad
  
  Had a scan through the comments on this.
  Usual “evil empire” stuff about the current coalition government.
  Not a surprise.
  But several commenters blaming and criticising Mr Hipkins.
  Surprise?
  
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  September 24, 2024 9:20am
  - Swifty
    
    I quite enjoyed the comments actually Gravel, it’s clear they’re all headless chooks at the moment.
    
    I liked the line “The Left look for traitors, the Right look for recruits…”
    
    I must remember that one.
    
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    September 24, 2024 10:15am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    What blaming Hipkins for being dead seat useless, and showing voters why we never want another alt left government
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:39pm
- David Garrett
  
  Skippy: The claim that this is a “right wing government” – let alone the farthest right in 160 years is laughable.
  
  Luxon is a wet dishrag, and ACT appears to have been entirely captured by officials, at least on the justice and law and order front. Sorry, it’s now “the justice and law and order space” Language evolution – don’t you love it?
  
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  September 24, 2024 9:28am
  - cmm
    
    Dish rag? Dish rag fibres are strong and hold together well when wet and are abrasive when needed.
    
    I was thinking more along the lines of toilet paper – designed to turn to mush as soon as it gets wet. Soft on arseholes.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:32am
    - David Garrett
      
      cmm: Very good Sir…Let’s just agree that Luxon is proving to be a major disappointment. But then what should we have expected from a man who boasted that one of his best achievements when running Air NZ was hiring more gays?
      
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      September 24, 2024 9:59am
      - cmm
        
        I can’t say I am really disappointed. I wasn’t expecting much from Luxon.
        
        I was hoping Act would stiffen his spine though.
        
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        September 24, 2024 10:14am
      - Matt Long
        
        Actually Luxon has surprised me on the upside, he may yet wind up to the right of Helen Clark in government.
        
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        September 24, 2024 11:12am
      - Pope Punctilious II
        
        If you’re disappointed by Luxon, you were engaging in some very wishful thinking. Look at his voting record in parliament, and then there’s his fatuous statement that you identified in your last sentence. He’s performed better than I expected, because I had low expectations.
        
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        September 24, 2024 11:35am
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      Last sentence is so true.
      
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      September 24, 2024 10:18am
      - David Garrett
        
        steve: As you all know, I have “been there, done that”. ACT in 2008 had much more power and influence than ACT 2024, given that the mercurial and self interested Mr Peters is now in the mix. And even back in 2008, our influence was very much diluted by Key bringing the Maori party into the coalition.
        
        I remain of the view that I very much doubt this government will go to full term – if it does, it will be the first time in 25 years that Peters has not collapsed a coalition for his own selfish reasons.
        
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        September 24, 2024 10:51am
      - AitchW
        
        DG, I don’t recall him collapsing the 20-23 coalition?
        
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        September 24, 2024 1:48pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        Peters wasn’t in the 20 – 23 coalition.
        
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        September 24, 2024 4:03pm
  - pdm
    
    DG – I am not convinced that Luxon opposes Co-Governance or partnership with Iwi/Hapu etc.
    
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    September 24, 2024 9:42am
    - RoboRob
      
      Luxon has stated multiple times he believes Maori are in partnership with the government.
      
      He has also stated his opposition to co-governance. As I have stated here many times, I dont know how you can hold both views.
      
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      September 24, 2024 10:00am
      - pdm
        
        Exactly RR.
        
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        September 24, 2024 10:09am
      - cmm
        
        Classic fence sitting.
        
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        September 24, 2024 10:13am
      - imalwaysright
        
        Here’s a taste of their “elite” idea of partnership.
        Basically their business plan is to extort money from the public through the weak government and local government.
        This is by Michael Basset
        https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/michael-bassett-iwi-bandits-at-work
        
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        September 24, 2024 11:00am
      - David Garrett
        
        Rob: Let’s remember Luxon managed an airline – and is hugely proud that he hired more gays to staff it; he has no legal qualifications, and to be best of my knowledge no legal training at all.
        
        From my own experience 14 years ago, I would bet the farm that he has been utterly “captured” by Justice Dept and other officials who have pushed the “partnership” line on him, and he has swallowed it, hook line and sinker.
        
        In short, anyone with a law degree from a proper uni law school will know: 1) it is constitutionally impossible to have a partnership between sovereign and subject(s); and 2) Even Lord Cooke in the Maori Council case back in 1987 never said their was a partnership between the Crown and Maori, but rather the treaty created ” a relationship in the nature partnership” which while still being quite incorrect legally, was a very different thing from declaring that the bloody treaty DID create a partnership.
        
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        September 24, 2024 11:18am
      - G the giant from Dunedin
        
        No he does not, he says when adkrd what the treaty means, he said it’s a partnership bet to races coming together as one, what else could it possible? Stop talking bullshit about Luxon he does not say that
        
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        September 24, 2024 12:42pm
      - RoboRob
        
        @G
        
        Do you have a link with that? I tried to find one but the results are all National attack stories by the media.
        
        I have seen him on TV saying he believes there is a partnership between maori and the Govt. To my mind that isn’t a reference about two peoples comming together. Happy to be proben wrong on this one.
        
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        September 24, 2024 1:50pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      pdm, he is an activist by his lack of actions.
      
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      September 24, 2024 10:20am
      - Pope Punctilious II
        
        No Steve, inaction does not make one an “activist”. But it can make one an enabler.
        
        5 0
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        September 24, 2024 11:38am
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        OK, enabler.
        
        4 1
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        September 24, 2024 12:24pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        Ask Luxon for his opinion on Co-governance. He will say Seymour sais ‘blah blah blah” and Peters said “blah blah blah.” To date no reporter has said “No, what is your opinion” He will never answer the question.
        
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        September 24, 2024 12:32pm
- MCōs
  
  According to a sizable minority every NZ government is either the worst, best, most left, most right we’ve ever had.
  Inasmuch as we’ve had heavily taxpayer subsidized healthcare, welfare and education since the thirties with nobody inclined to dismantle the system the pendulum is firmly off to the left
  How far to the left varies within a pretty narrow range
  
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  September 24, 2024 12:57pm
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  What an hysterical article.
  
  How can the NZ left be “in the worst place in a century” when they control most of NZ’s institutions?
  
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  September 24, 2024 5:19pm
Grunter

The conspiracy theorists over the years have warned of “Global Governments” and “Unelected Elites ruling the world….” etc, etc.

Nah, that would never happen, and little old NZ would never sign up for such a thing….

Until we did!
https://press.un.org/en/2024/ga12627.doc.htm

The UN adopted the “Pact for the Future” on September 22nd, and the mainstream media in the western world almost entirely ignored what was happening. Sadly, the vast majority of the population has never ever heard about the “Pact for the Future”, and so there was very little public debate about whether or not we should be adopting a document which lays the foundation for a new “global order”. The text of the “Pact for the Future” is available online, but hardly anyone will ever read it and many of the most important provisions are buried toward the end of the 56 page document.

This document lays out a full on neo-Marxist global government plan. They even state “we will leave no one behind”. It all sounds “kind” and “joyous” – solving climate change, global pandemics and brings about world peace……but it is truly evil.

And you might think NZ signing a UN ‘Pact’ doesn’t really matter. Yeah right, that worked for the various Climate Change ‘accords’ and UNDRIP which brought ‘co-governance’ and Maori separatism to this country.

We are now all signed up to a Global Government Pact. We will own nothing and be happy!
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September 24, 2024 9:14am
Burtland

how to create a moron nation …

teachers create lessons with AI,
students complete lessons using AI
teachers mark work with AI

what could go wrong ? – the circle of stupidity

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528800/schools-abandon-take-home-assignments-after-artificial-intelligence-used-to-cheat

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528813/ai-use-in-nz-schools-i-just-put-in-a-prompt-and-spark-some-ideas

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018956837/teachers-using-ai-to-create-lessons-and-mark-work
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September 24, 2024 9:18am
- NothingLeft
  
  Latest O1 AI from Open AI is ~120Iq. that’s top 10% for human intelligence, and there’s now a clear and understood route to superintelligence in next couple of years.
  
  So the AIs are now smarter than teachers, more focused, never lazy, more creative, have perfect memory and are infinitely patient, and soon cheap enough to give one on one tutoring to all kids – which will raise quality of education hugely.
  
  But there will be little to no point to education as AI will do all the brain-using jobs more cheaply than humans
  
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  September 24, 2024 2:52pm
cmm

Oh the humiliation.

“Leaders of the Free World”, “Winners of the Space Race” need to go cap in hand to ask the Russians for a favour during a rekindled cold war.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/350426770/soyuz-capsule-2-russians-and-1-american-international-space-station-returns
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September 24, 2024 9:29am
- Tom Hunter
  
  They’re part of the same crew that went up. The mixed US-Russian ISS crews on Soyuz have been done a number of times over the years.
  
  Now if it was one, or both, of the US astronauts stranded by the Starliner spacecraft problems you’d have a point, but they’re both coming on a SpaceX spacecraft.
  
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  September 25, 2024 7:39am
JackRabbit

Conspiracy Theorists: “Visionaries who see the future, knowing that evil will take each and every opportunity to advance the destruction of democracy.”
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September 24, 2024 9:29am
Anthony Melchett

https://www.seek.co.nz/job/79009590

Advisor Maori Cultural Capability for a local council.

Did ratepayers vote for this?

Key responsibilities:

Develop and implement strategies to embed te ao Māori, te reo Māori, and tikanga Māori across the organisation
Engage with different functions within the organisation to promote and integrate Māori cultural practices
Review current services and provide expert advice on improvements to better align with Māori cultural values and practices
Advise on the application of tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori in organisational processes
Ensure adherence to The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles: partnership, participation, and active protection

Why does a council need this to offer services to ratepayers?

Heading towards south Africaand we know how that ends.

Book your container now if you can get out
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September 24, 2024 9:40am
- Blog-aholic
  
  Kapiti is a socialist/green suburb of Wellystalinville
  
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  September 24, 2024 11:10am
- Don Beckett
  
  It’s this sort of crap that will ensure the downward path to a 3rd. world country, and the dominant religion will be pagan Maori gods that all will have touch their forelock to. We’ve already got the human sacrifice to offer them – the scourge of abortion.
  
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  September 24, 2024 11:13am
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  Disappointed, but not surprised. Yes, time to email Simeon Brown.
  
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  September 24, 2024 11:15am
- Benedict Yu
  
  Every council has these roles. There are probably a couple of hundred folk employed by councils doing this.
  
  If a council failed to do so, it would be attacked by the local iwi for failing to uphold the principles of the treaty.
  
  I assure you that I am serious. Look through the organisation chart of any council.
  
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  September 24, 2024 11:27am
  - Paulus
    
    If required anyway they should be the 15% Maori ratio, to every Council voting numbers.
    
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    September 24, 2024 3:53pm
- Yvette
  
  • Develop and implement strategies to embed te ao Māori, te reo Māori, and tikanga Māori across the organisation
  • Engage with different functions within the organisation to promote and integrate Māori cultural practices
  • Review current services and provide expert advice on improvements to better align with Māori cultural values and practices
  • Advise on the application of tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori in organisational processes
  • Ensure adherence to The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles: partnership, participation, and active protection
  
  This is why, if ACT had the fortitude to add to their proposed bill that the New Zealand Government is secular, it could remove much of this quasi-religious view, like subjecting all New Zealanders – of any denomination, or none – to te Ao Maori.
  
  For example –
  Following the Christchurch mosque shootings in March 2019, Brian Tamaki protested Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s decision to hold an Islamic call to prayer ahead of the two minutes of silence being held for the victims of the Christchurch shootings on 22 March 2019, because the Call contains the line ‘there is no God but Allah’.
  
  I have not heard Brian Tamaki protest the embedding of te Ao Maori – the Maori religious ‘worldview’
  He was right however when he said, although of other matters, Enough is enough.
  
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  September 24, 2024 12:09pm
pdm

AM.

Time for all to email Simeon Brown.
[email protected].
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September 24, 2024 10:11am
Paulus

Congratulations to the new Tauranga elected Councillors
Another SNAFU, so soon.
For weeks we endured the manufacture of a raised School Zebra crossing in Matua main road replacing one that had been there many years.
Finished a few months ago with great flourish weeks late, of course.
Now we are told it is to be totally torn up and replaced by a flat crossing again, because the vibrations of car traffic and the buses is causing damage to houses close by.
I believe no insurance policy will cover the vibration damage to these houses.
So next week all will be torn up over several weeks again to have a flat crossing, two weeks chaos they say – Yea !
Wonderful, BUT they did exactly the same with “twice” replacing the crossing not 400 metres away last year. Houses were suffering vibration damage.
Dumb Council idiots, the contractors only do what the Council plans tell them – at what cost ?
I wonder if the new Council agreed Rainbow Crossing will be raised or flat to be replaced any number of times ?
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September 24, 2024 10:12am
cmm

Cuddles Coster is moving on – to a job where his cuddling can actually be used!

From Cop to “Social Investment”? Can anyone square that circle?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/police-commissioner-andrew-costers-new-job-revealed-as-head-of-social-investment-agency/SL24ERIM5BDAFPFRYK7Z6IVGNU/
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September 24, 2024 10:17am
- Gravelroad
  
  From the article:
  “The Social Investment Agency is charged with working across government departments and using data and evidence to try to intervene early in to break cycles of dependence, inter-generational poverty and disadvantage. It is also charged with ensuring that the $70 billion of government spending on social services is getting the desired results and ensuring a focus on the government’s public service targets.”
  
  Mr Coster’s got no show.
  And neither would anyone else.
  
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  September 24, 2024 10:37am
  - kowtow
    
    Sisyphean ‘Investment’ Agency.
    
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    September 24, 2024 11:09am
  - David Garrett
    
    Gravel: Quite so…but at least we might end up with someone as police Commissioner in his place who actually wants to try and maintain law and order.
    
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    September 24, 2024 11:34am
    - cmm
      
      Dreams are free.
      
      Yes, I have hopes too, but am not holding my breath.
      
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      September 24, 2024 1:06pm
- SimonRAnderson
  
  In not unrelated news, the IPCA investigation was supposed to report three months after Albert Park.
  
  The it was delayed until November.
  
  Then February 2024.
  
  Then June.
  
  Then August.
  
  Then TBD.
  
  Perhaps we’ll finally see get to see their whitewash report, now that the utterly corrupt IPCA can claim things like “since the departure of the police commissioner some pertinent communications with Labour cabinet ministers and Green party MPs were unfortunately, misplaced…”
  
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  September 24, 2024 10:43am
- Benedict Yu
  
  It is an astonishing appointment. The role requires a classicly trained, hard arse economist. Preferably with a PhD obtained more than 20 years ago.
  
  I thought that such bullshit appointments were going to end?
  
  BTW officially this appointment is not one by Ministers. They get no say. I wonder how happy they are?
  
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  September 24, 2024 11:35am
  - Taieri
    
    BTW officially this appointment is not one by Ministers. They get no say.
    —————–
    
    They get no say, you say? Are you also saying that such appointments can be made against the relevant minister’s wishes? Which translates to saying that ministers have no influence. If so, what is the point in having ministers at all?
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:12pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      I am simply stating facts. The CEs of government agencies are not appointed by Ministers.
      
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      September 24, 2024 12:22pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        EDIT.. Ministers would need a compelling reason to veto an appointment. They get no formal say in the appointment process. Ministers would not be told who were the candidates for the job.
        
        They would be advised of the successful candidate as a courtesy. If the response was “No I hate that person.”.. Well then there would be a situation. I think such a situation would be rare.
        
        The former Education minister, Ms Parata, forced the Education CE to resign. I can’t think of other examples. The irony is that she seemed relatively competent. She was replaced by Peter Hughes. 😕
        
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        September 24, 2024 12:36pm
      - Taieri
        
        The CEs of government agencies are not appointed by Ministers
        ———
        
        I don’t question that. What I question is the alleged lack of ministers’ influence in these appointments. That’s not how the world works.
        
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        September 24, 2024 1:07pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “What I question is the alleged lack of ministers’ influence in these appointments.”
        
        Are you saying that is how you want the world to be, or are you saying this is how the world is now?
        
        I have accurately described the current system.
        
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        September 24, 2024 1:20pm
      - Taieri
        
        I have accurately described the current system
        —————
        
        No. You are implying that elected politicians have no influence on the senior public service appointments. To which I say, bollocks!
        
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        September 24, 2024 4:06pm
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Pushed sideways
  
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  September 24, 2024 12:43pm
Keith White

Alert for B Yu: do not go near this link, you’ll get triggered.

https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/assets/Publications/Immunisation/Report-Long-term-outcomes-of-myocarditis-and-pericarditis-following-vaccination-with-Comirnaty-PfizerBioNTech-COVID-19-vaccine.pdf

Takeaway:
Study of 300 (OK, 298) Kiwis who got the mRNA vaccine.
Subsequently 34% got myocarditis and 66% got pericarditis.

The really sad part of the study is reactions and experiences from the participants. Pages 19, 20, 21.

But yeah, the jab is safe and effective. Pull the other one, it plays Jingle Bells.
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September 24, 2024 10:30am
- Benedict Yu
  
  So 34% got myocarditis and 66% got pericarditis? You realise that is 100 percent?😡
  
  Here is a question. What is one of the major consequences or moderate to severe covid disease? Myocarditis.
  
  I am not triggered by your posts. Simply somewhat dumbfounded. It would be like if you suggested that the polio vaccine causes infertility. Or that homeopathy works.
  
  BTW I am having my 7th Covid vaccine shot on Friday. If you don’t hear from me again you can assume it was myocarditis. 😃
  
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  September 24, 2024 12:27pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    “Here is a question. What is one of the major consequences or moderate to severe covid disease? Myocarditis”
    
    Don’t forget that most people are also vaccinated. Therefore there are at least two variables as to the potential
    cause of the carditis.
    If you can eliminate one of the variables, the jab, as the cause of the carditis then you should share your evidence.
    
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    September 24, 2024 12:40pm
    - wsk12345
      
      Strangely enough they did just that.
      
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      September 24, 2024 1:50pm
    - Miritu
      
      We also have to ask what is covid? Turns out it was very loosely defined.. e.g. positive PCR tests with various cycle thresholds, regardless of clinical symptoms. Also unreliable according to inventor Mullis…
      “Dr. Kary B. Mullis, who passed away on August 7, 2019 at age 74, stated emphatically that no infection or illness can be accurately diagnosed with the PCR-RT.
      “PCR basically takes a sample of your cells and amplifies any DNA to look for ‘viral sequences’,..”
      https://waikanaewatch.org/2022/02/03/admission-from-the-fda-on-the-notoriously-unreliable-pcr-test/
      
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      September 24, 2024 9:24pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    Don’t get your seventh jab.
    Reason one is that you are a good contributor .
    Reason two is that doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different result is not logical .
    
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    September 24, 2024 1:37pm
  - wsk12345
    
    If you spent 30 seconds you would know that the study was about 298 people in NZ who were *clinically* diagnosed with peri or myocarditis caused by/immediately following Pfizer vaccination (other vax types excluded). Of course this is impossible as you are always correct and have told us conclusively that only 1-in-300000 people got it, when in fact this shows it is at least 30x that.
    
    Ofc it was near impossible to get a clinical diagnosis. Most of those presenting with chest pain were sent home with a diagnosis of anxiety- so likely the numbers are actually much larger. I have met two who were told that but were subsequently diagnosed with myocarditis.
    
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    September 24, 2024 1:49pm
  - Ra Henare
    
    7th shot? Is that some sort of virtue signalling?
    
    4 2
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    September 24, 2024 2:27pm
  - Keith White
    
    Yes Benedict. 100% of the people in the study were affected because the study was done on only people with heart problems after the jab. Capiche?
    
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    September 24, 2024 7:12pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      Keith, we can’t let facts get in the way of fiction! That would spoil everything …
      
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      September 24, 2024 8:49pm
- Right of way is Way of Right
  
  Oh dear God. What is your comprehension level?
  
  From the report:
  
  “The purpose of this study was to explore individuals’ experiences by surveying people diagnosed with myocarditis and/or pericarditis following vaccination with Comirnaty, ”
  
  I will use small, one syllable words for you.
  
  TO BE IN THIS GROUP, YOU HAD TO HAVE A BAD HEART!
  
  This is not a random sampling of those who had the vaccine! This is a study of 300 people who had heart issues!
  
  Do you understand?
  
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  September 24, 2024 4:32pm
- kevn
  
  Keith… BY has got blinkers on. 7th jab… really? What doc is seriously going to do that? 7th. FFS.
  We all have a few friends and family/associates we know who have jab damage.
  So, he must have none of the above.
  
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  September 24, 2024 5:01pm
  - David Garrett
    
    kevn: Let me say first that I am not at all comfortable with the assurance that the “vaccine” was safe – and I put the word in quotes for a reason. I have had three “jabs”, but I don’t plan ever to have any more.
    
    But I was vaccinated, my children – then 12 and 15 were vaccinated (and I think my ex wife was also; she works in a prison, so probably had no choice)
    
    NONE of us – and no-one any of us know – has suffered any kind of heart damage. And one of the reasons I was anxious to have my son vaccinated was because he has a heart murmur which he has had since birth.
    
    OK, we are just one family; and that doesn’t prove anything -but it does rather cast doubt on your somewhat hyperbolic claim that everyone has a few friends or associates who have heart damage. Not the Garrett family, I can assure you.
    
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    September 24, 2024 8:19pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      Not yet. And hopefully not ever.
      
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      September 24, 2024 8:55pm
Jack5

An article at the Spinoff puts the case for capital gains tax.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/23-09-2024/debunking-some-capital-gains-tax-myths
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September 24, 2024 10:35am
- Taieri
  
  One significant omission in this article.
  The INFLATION and its effect on “capital gains”.
  
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  September 24, 2024 12:17pm
  - Ian Boag
    
    Funny old thing this inflation. If you are geared up a bit (who isn’t?) then inflation is your friend. eg buy a $500k asset with $100k of your money. Over time the $500k goes up 20% from inflation (to $600k) and your $100k has gone up 100% (to $200k). Nice. There is a real wealth increase in there somewhere ….
    
    Most jurisdictions that I know of deal with this issue by using a CGT rate discounted from normal income tax rates – specifically tracking the inflation effect is a bit hard. The Ozzies tried, then gave up and applied a 50% discount like others do.
    
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    September 24, 2024 1:21pm
    - Taieri
      
      buy a $500k asset with $100k of your money
      ————-
      
      But you have to finance the remaining $400K. Now, if this is a property with the table mortgage, I’m not sure that your gain, after the cost of finance, would be 100%.
      
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      September 24, 2024 4:10pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        Given that the interest would be tax deductible and you would be collecting rent …..
        
        Might only be 60% …
        
        0 1
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        September 24, 2024 8:24pm
  - Jack5
    
    Taieri, inflation can give capital gains a boost.
    
    An example. Ron Brierley and his company, Brierley Investments, long made a very lucrative profit from inflation.
    
    Many old-established, stock exchange-listed companies, often in manufacturing, failed to revalue the market value of their assets as this rose with inflation. This often led to the share price of the companies being well undervalued. Then Brierley pounced with a raid, and made handsome capital gains, tax free.
    
    Brierley’s use of net capital asset backing per shares probably originated from a legendary American investor, Benjamin Graham, an early mentor of Warren Buffett.
    
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    September 24, 2024 2:40pm
    - Taieri
      
      inflation can give capital gains a boost
      ———–
      
      It does and it doesn’t, depends on the change of the real value and its relationship to the general price increases.
      I’m not considering corporate(pirate)-raiders such as Brierley as this kind of people would find enough loopholes to avoid any CGT anyway. I’m talking about the “mum-and-dad” investors. I suspect that in the latter case the increase in the nominal value preserves the value of the initial investment rather than giving it a great capital boost.
      
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      September 24, 2024 4:17pm
      - Quail
        
        The famous economist Milton Friedman postulated that inflation is a tax .
        I agree absolutely with him , it is a tax on productivity, and a method for governments to redistribute real wealth.
        Sound familiar?
        
        1 0
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        September 24, 2024 5:52pm
- Hugh Jarse
  
  Can’t wait for Labour to get back in, paying more tax and giving them four years instead of three to waste it.
  
  Take more tax from an ever decreasing number of taxpayers, spend it on social programmes that return little if anything apart from redistribution of wealth and employing more public servants, big pay rises for said public servants, more inflation, higher interest rates, higher taxes. The lefts cycle of life. Rinse and repeat of Labour 2017-2023.
  
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  September 25, 2024 3:34am
imalwaysright

“…to intervene early in to break cycles of dependence, inter-generational poverty and disadvantage…”

Christ knows what that means but it sounds suspiciously like a locomotive designed to haul meat based liquids.
3 1
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September 24, 2024 11:06am
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  Seems clear enough to me. Crap parents raising crap kids cause a great deal of misery to themselves, to the kids and to others around them, and cost the taxpayer a great deal of money; and the crap kids are likely to grow up to be crap parents themselves.
  
  It should now be possible, given the amount of data and data processing capability now available, to identify the people who are most of risk of becoming crap parents raising crap kids, before they actually do so. If social agencies can do that, they have a better chance of helping them break out onto a better path. That’s to the benefit of themselves, to their future children, to society as a whole and to the taxpayer.
  
  It was actually beginning to work under Bill English. Putting a stop to it was one of the most stupid things that one of the most stupid governments ever anywhere did.
  
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  September 24, 2024 4:29pm
kowtow

Interesting case of two tier policing from the London met with implications for the principles of free speech , tradition and so many other fast disappearing British values.

‘A group of Christian friends with Miss Tash called the police to report the theft – and when officers arrived, they tried to draw her away from the growing crowd.

When she refused to move from where she planned to preach, the officers took hold of Miss Tash and frogmarched her through the crowd to a waiting police van.

Video footage showed the gathered crowd laughing, pursuing and mocking her as she was led away – with her belongings left unattended at Speakers’ Corner.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13881791/Hatun-Tash-Christian-preacher-Metropolitan-Police-Speakers-Corner.html
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September 24, 2024 11:34am
imalwaysright

Why is his appointment 5 years?
One or two years is plenty for any job. Renewal dependent upon performance.
A 5 yr appointment of a CEO gives the impression of necessary longevity of the organisation.
Smacks of an ideological appointment by a nervous department fearful of their relevance.
Plus he’s aderns second cousin….
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September 24, 2024 12:23pm
- imalwaysright
  
  Comment on Coster’s new job
  
  3 1
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  September 24, 2024 1:39pm
Flossie

With regard to Darlene Tana I see the Greens will be meeting to discuss/vote on her expulsion from Parliament on 17 October.
I strongly object to paying a salary to this person for months and months of doing nothing.
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September 24, 2024 1:10pm
- Bobba Fret
  
  Unfortunately the next Green from the list will be just as bad.
  
  7 0
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  September 24, 2024 3:52pm
- rouppe
  
  Over three weeks away.
  
  Why so long? Did they need to have a meeting to all agree on a date, and then vote on the date?
  
  3 0
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  September 24, 2024 4:17pm
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  This is by design. Tana now can stay with no input as an Independent. The Greens don’t want her. She will not go back there as long as Chloe is there.
  She will not be in the house. I think there are salary deductions but does she care? Free money
  The public teat to the max!!
  
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  September 24, 2024 5:52pm
- MCōs
  
  I’d rather she was paid to do what little she does do than other MPs who are paid a lot to make a dog’s breakfast of what they do.
  
  2 0
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  September 24, 2024 8:31pm
Jack5

International Mount Manufacturing comes to NZ Pacific Mohammeds

Two points. First, A commendable goal – increasing NZ ethnic Pacific Islanders’ skills for manufacturing, engineering and logistics.

Second, what a nest of plans and councils the Ministry of Education has for various industries.

On the first point, which is education for jobs for young Pasifika New Zealanders, the Herald rounds off its report with the views of Daisy Bentley-Gray, Pacific lecturer at Unitec.

She talks of a need to encourage greater work force participation and engagement of ethnic Pacific Islander New Zealanders. She says employers need to recognise there are more than 16 different Pacific nations, each with its own distinct rituals and traditions.

“If we are to fully address this inequity we need to ensure that every Pacific person is given an opportunity to access training and education because that is essential to our progression and for us to contribute meaningfully to society,” says Bentley-Gray.

Bend modern industry needs to a swathe of island traditions?
It would be more rational to concentrate on training young ethnic Pacific Islanders in subjects like maths and English for the international manufacturing and engineering culture. This encompasses knowledge and traditions of many countries and cultures, from America, Britain and Europe to Japan.

A report called Pacific Peoples Workforce Development Action Plan is being presented to Parliament today from from Hanga-Aro-Rau, the Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics Workforce Development Council.

The Pacific Plan:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/new-pacific-workforce-development-plan-to-fill-critical-labour-gaps-presented-to-parliament-today/OA6OA7TCXRF5DCEQBUKGDWVYVQ/

The second point mentioned above: the “action plan” set up in the Ardern regime – “action plans,” reports, councils …

https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/overall-strategies-and-policies/action-plan-for-pacific-education/

AND the six Workforce Development Councils:

https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/information-releases/issue-specific-releases/workforce-development-councils/
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September 24, 2024 2:27pm
- Swifty
  
  Just imagine if a Chinese or Scottish or Indian-NZ academic piped up that the taxpayer has to fund more and more ‘culturally sensitive’ vocational training for their people – what their people would think of that academic.
  
  I wonder what it’s like to have people appoint themselves as your ‘leader’ and then call for you to be treated as children unable to manage your own affairs and without special treatment?
  
  Special treatment I might add that leads to more work prospects, career advancement and social position for said academic.
  
  What must it be like to live with everyone in positions of influence or authority over you (I’m looking at you Labour) treating you like big babies?
  
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  September 24, 2024 3:58pm
- Paulus
  
  Do the 16 Pacificas inclhgude Maori as being a Polynesian of recent times ?
  Or are they above all the Hoi Polloi ?
  
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  September 24, 2024 4:00pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Is Speaker Mike Johnson a RINO?
Looks like it to me.
” Earlier this month, Trump declared that if Republicans ‘don’t get absolute assurances on [amendments involving] Election Security,’ they should not hesitate to shut the government down.”
“Democrats are registering Illegal Voters by the TENS OF THOUSANDS, as we speak,” said Trump.
Seems Johnson doesn’t give a shit about the Veterans either.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/republican-house-speaker-mike-johnson-goes-against-trump-with-deal/ss-AA1r2BK2?
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September 24, 2024 2:51pm
- NothingLeft
  
  If the Republicans do anything that pisses off swing voters in the short term they will lose the election.
  
  So trying to pass election integrity legislation by threat of withholding govt funding that could inconvenience millions of swing voters is clearly a tar-baby – might paly well with locked-in support base, but it would be foolish to push it now.
  
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  September 24, 2024 2:54pm
  - Steve Otto(North Shore)
    
    Uptick, but you do know about this 3D/5D chess he plays, right?
    Is Donald Trump now a POLITICIAN or a BUSINESSMAN?
    That is still the choice for America.
    Notice nobody is shooting at the left?
    
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    September 24, 2024 5:56pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

P Diddy Parties were mostly peaceful.
This is satire. Lefties, go to the basement now please.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7pJJJOGkjE

Brought to you by Johnson and Johnson.
3 3
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September 24, 2024 3:10pm
Yabster

bandits is apt- extortion, blackmail is also.. sorry if this has been post before..

https://www.bassettbrashandhide.com/post/michael-bassett-iwi-bandits-at-work
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September 24, 2024 3:14pm
Swifty

Does anyone remember for the entirety of Labour’s terms 2017-23 they continually, consistently and constantly diverted from their inept economic and social performance by using the phrase ‘nine years of neglect’?

Right up until they were put out of their misery by the New Zealand voter?

Well, now look at the song that they sing:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=slIacnXGuzM

My opinion of Labour MPs just couldn’t be any lower.
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September 24, 2024 4:09pm
rouppe

Not only is Andrew Coster moving on but Bruce Bird, Waikato District Commander, is being “temporarily reassigned”.

A police superintendent found to have bullied a senior officer is temporarily leaving his post to take up an “opportunity” to work out how to create efficiencies and “reduce duplication” across the organisation.

The feelng being that it is a sideways shuffle out of the limelight, with a view that he will quietly disappear.

But…

It’s believed Bird wouldn’t have any direct dealings with staff in his new temporary role.

How is that possible? If you’re looking to identify duplication, I’d have thought you’d need to be dealing with different groups all the time? Clearly it’s not just looking at a spreadsheet or something otherwise it would have been done ages ago by any number of people with responsibility for operations.
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September 24, 2024 4:47pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Ah – the Special Projects exit lounge!
  
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  September 24, 2024 7:47pm
Swifty

Overdue but very welcome:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/government-to-introduce-tougher-sentences-for-offences-against-public-transport-workers/6HRXFXEERBCXVKLMLDBUHDEDDY/

Zero tolerance!

You bash, or worse, someone going about their public duty, for frequently only because you’re having a bad day, and you should say goodbye to your friends and family for many years.

No ifs, no buts, unless you’re legally insane, see you later.
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September 24, 2024 4:49pm
cmm

I wonder how many people would be prepared to buy an ex gang pad?

I bloody sure wouldn’t!

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350427536/gang-pad-under-hammer
3 1
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September 24, 2024 5:06pm
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6ZoYMBQvWQ
Worst Health of Any Country on Earth.
We’re going to find out why America has the sickest children on the face of the Earth. [Trust big pharma? No way! Don’t laugh at the Yanks. The situation in other Western countries isn’t a lot better.]
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September 25, 2024 11:38am
sungsamning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANM_l-xJCr8
Join the Resistance: Anti-Starmer Comedy Song Goes Viral.
Join the Resistance: Anti-Starmer Comedy Song Goes Viral is a hilarious satirical anthem that takes aim at Keir Starmer and the current political landscape in the UK. With witty lyrics and a catchy tune, this comedy song is quickly becoming the voice of the people who feel let down by political promises. Watch, laugh, and share with fellow Brits who are ready for a change! 🇬🇧
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September 25, 2024 11:38am

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