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December 26, 2025 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 26 December 2025

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General Debate

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Cassandra

Crystal ball gazing. The Republicans may well lose control of one or both of the parts of Congress in the midterms. This will make Trump’s last two years increasingly frustrating. This will not help the next GOP candidate for President.

It’ll be a difficult election anyway and my guess is that Marco Rubio will sit it out, leaving it to JD Vance. Rubio is 54 and happy to wait four or even eight years to have his opportunity. After eight he’d be 64 and in his prime. And Trump will no longer be any problem.

Newsome v Vance would be interesting and close. Both are articulate and telegenic. Newsome closer to the centre but saddled with the AOC wing. Vance says he’s MAGA but Susie Wiles ought to know and she says not.

Chinese curse.
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December 26, 2025 8:01am
- artemisia
  
  What happens to decisions made, challenged in court, and given the court OK? Do they need to be re-approved, potentially in a differently comprised forum? If not, that would be a good reason for the current administration to expedite the legal processes if poss.
  
  And where the courts pause the challenge, also a good reason to expedite.
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:17am
- colina
  
  If the GOP lose control of both houses the Dems will immediately move to impeach Trump again.
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:21am
  - leoj
    
    True, but generic polling for the Dumbocrats suggests that these mid terms might buck history. The US economy is excellent and the Dems are in disarray.
    
    Wish I was 20 years younger. I would go back. The US is a great country.
    
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    December 26, 2025 11:26am
    - Steve Todd
      
      What is this “generic” polling you refer to? All the polling I’ve seen suggests the House will likely flip next November.
      
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      December 26, 2025 12:04pm
      - leoj
        
        Polling in CNN?
        
        Gas prices are at a four year low. GDP for the 3rd quarter is up 4.3%. The most expensive gas is in California, run by Newsome and the Democrats.
        
        2026 looks like being a boom year for USA which will give the GOP a great chance of bucking mid-term history.
        
        The only people who are poo poing Trump’s economy are the Trump haters who are hoping for any even slightly bad news so as to blame Trump.
        
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        December 26, 2025 6:10pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        Oh, I see, “generic polling” was just your made-up expression, meaning precisely nothing. Got it now.
        
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        December 27, 2025 7:51am
  - Steve Todd
    
    It’s hard not to agree, but, as with all previous impeachments, it will mean basically nothing, because, even if the House flips next November, the Democrats will not secure a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
    
    Therefore, there will be no conviction (and consequent removal from office) for “other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
    
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    December 26, 2025 12:23pm
  - Gary Benner
    
    If the Republicans are able to get VoterID compulsory, then I’d say the Democrats are toast.
    
    But it’s the economy that wins elections, and if the current growth being experienced there is anything to go by, and workers get their ‘tarriff payout(s)’ who knows that the outcome will be.
    
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    December 26, 2025 3:24pm
- Philview
  
  Per some reports I have read Newsom has a slippery skill of reinvention that will serve him well on the campaign trail. He also has an eye for the ladies which I am sure he can use for good effect. I heard him interviewed on RNZ this year and he talked about being in raised in a normal working class family. He omitted the bit about being pals with the Gettys so something doesn’t add up in his humble upbringing story but the media will leave that out.
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:25am
- Inandout
  
  Crystall ball gazing. Newsom, being the epitome of a politician who has absolutely no conscience will discover lies have results. California has the highest gas prices in the entire US and the rise is continuing as oil refiners move to other States with less taxes. Vance will ride the wave of prosperity and the mid terms will happen as what we would consider a by- election; a chance for Congress to voice their opinions.
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:26am
- CJames
  
  I don’t think Newsom will be electable. except in his own mind. Especially once he loses the governor’s pulpit and all his failures in California become so obvious. Like this one “California will face a nearly $18 billion budget deficit in the new fiscal year due to higher than expected spending, despite an economic boon largely driven by AI enthusiasm and strong revenue, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office said Wednesday.
  To make things worse, the $17.7 billion shortfall could balloon to an annual $35 billion by fiscal year 2027-28, as spending continues to grow and debts come due, the office warned in its annual fiscal outlook.”
  I’m certain the Republican challenger, let alone the other Democrats in the primary, would find easy pickings in the stupid stuff he has done to tar him with.
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:42am
  - Cassandra
    
    Newsome is the highest profile at this stage but of course early days. Dems will need a candidate from the centre. Shapiro?
    
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    December 26, 2025 8:58am
    - CJames
      
      I agree with a person like him, but he won’t get the nod. He is Jewish remember.
      
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      December 26, 2025 9:01am
      - Southern Raider
        
        That shows how times has changed
        
        UK had Disraeli as a PM, Auckland had Dove Meyer Robinson as a Mayor etc. By all accounts well liked and did a great job and were elected because of their capability.
        
        If a Jew stood for higher office today even in NZ (let alone UK or US) they would be hounded and demonised by the radical left and unthinking voters would just see the conspiracy theories and vote against them.
        
        All that happens is cities, states and countries miss out on potential good leadership, and instead we get Chloe and Newsom types
        
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        December 26, 2025 9:29am
      - pdm
        
        SR the Auckland Harbour Bridge is credit to Sir Dove Meyer Robinson I think.
        
        If he had done a couple more terms he might have organised a tunnel or a second bridge because he had vision.
        
        Not something many current local body or Parliamentary politicians have.
        
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        December 26, 2025 11:40am
      - Steve Todd
        
        @Southern Raider @ 9:29AM
        
        You overlooked Sir Julius Vogel and Sir John Key.*
        
        * Sir Francis Bell filled in as prime minister for 16 days in 1925.
        
        If a Jew stood for higher office today even in NZ (…) they would be hounded and demonised by the radical left and unthinking voters would just see the conspiracy theories and vote against them.
        
        What utter, evidence-free, nonsense.
        
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        December 26, 2025 2:29pm
- Cassandra
  
  Some indication of the thoughts of the downtickers would be appreciated. I assume you disagree with my conjecture but which part? It’s called General Debate for a reason. One of the reasons I think the Dems are in with a chance is that, like NZ, voters are mainly influenced by their standard of living eg the Latino vote is not actually MAGA but attracted to Trump because he offered economic hope. The rising cost of living has damaged that. Not the Dems have a solution. Tax the rich might work better in the US than in NZ but it’s still not a solution.
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:47am
  - CJames
    
    I didn’t downtick but I think Trump is not as bad as the polls/ media make out. His net popularity is below zero but the Democrats are way worse than that. They are still tarred with the woke brush. Have they decided what a woman is yet? What is their stance on the border/ immigration? Their affordability cries were caused by them (like Labour here).
    The economy might go bad but will the Democrats offer anything better to middle America? It will be those halfdozen or so flyover states that will determine the House, not the west and NE coastal ones who are near fully blue anyway.
    
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    December 26, 2025 8:59am
    - Philview
      
      I like JD Vance but on the campaign trail 2028 he will need to step out and sell his own vision for America’s future. I anticipate he could do that well. However the effect politics must have on his young family may weigh on his mind.
      
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      December 26, 2025 9:12am
      - Wandering Star
        
        It’s funny how GOP voters are already being prepared to vote for Vance in 2028, when it’s still only 2025 right now and this GOP administration with three years left to run is such an abject failure for all but the donors. What’s the pitch, “more of this please”? How much humiliation, betrayal and punishment are the GOP voters willing to take?
        
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        December 26, 2025 11:26am
      - Don Beckett
        
        @ Wandering Star.
        ” this GOP administration with three years left to run is such an abject failure ”
        Guffaw guffaw.
        You obviously forgot the /Sarc. tag.
        
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        December 26, 2025 11:51am
      - Wandering Star
        
        No Don, I am completely serious.
        
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        December 26, 2025 11:57am
      - rouppe
        
        @wandering star:
        
        “abject failure”… LOL.
        
        The reason that the subject of Vance is being spoken about now, is because of the incessant claims that Trump will seek a third term.
        
        This, along with all the other claims, of people being “disappeared”, of “internment camps”, of “citizens being deported” and all the other complete bullshit coming from the Democrats is misinformation. Republicans are simply showing the path forward at the end of this term to quell the lies.
        
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        December 26, 2025 1:18pm
      - Wandering Star
        
        Why would Trump seek a third term? He’s already 80 years old and clearly past it. He’s been out of ideas since about 2018, and it’s even difficult to see why he ran in 2024, given how much of an orthodox GOP politician he has become. It may as well be Vance now really, but then again, Vance is just a poor imitation of Trumpism dreamed up for PR purposes in an attempt to quell dissident sentiment.
        
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        December 26, 2025 4:03pm
    - mogg
      
      Surely the US voter hasn’t forgotten all the joys of DEI, socialists are still addicted to it. That is also true here in NZ, Labour are still intent on grouping people based on skin colour, race, sexuality etc.
      National is allowing Hipkins to keep all this in the background as if it never happened last time around.
      With Police standing by and letting KJK be assaulted in Auckland Domain.
      
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      December 26, 2025 12:29pm
    - JerJer
      
      This is true. Having been there three times since the election (USA), what I can tell you is that what NZ media says is either not true or wishful thinking. USA is doing very well. It’s very busy, crime is being beaten, the border is closed, inflation is under control and the economy is growing (4.3% last year). Trump is doing exactly what he promised and was elected to do, which is excellent news for the people that voted for him (a clear majority). Of course the lefties are angry and poor (mostly) but they were like that before too and they were relying on other lefties (Biden and Harris) to dig them out of their holes, which of course didn’t happen. GOP will not lose either house in the elections, JD Vance will win in a landslide in the next POTUS election. They have a growing economy and low inflation, and soon lower interest rates. Job done.
      
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      December 26, 2025 3:02pm
  - Ipanema69
    
    Hi Cass, I agree with your sentiments.
    
    Labour has a decent chance of being the government in ’26 for the same reasons that the dems may flip the house in the midterms.
    
    The voters just are not feeling the economic recovery in both cases.
    
    In the New Zealand case I think that National should have immediately and really significantly cut taxes upon being elected.
    
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    December 26, 2025 9:09am
    - leoj
      
      As much as I am disappointed in Luxon and National (no balls), the country will not let Labour back in so soon after the way they ruined the economy. It’s going to take a whole lot of new voters, who were not directly impacted by Labour’s failures, to put them back in power. That’s another two elections away.
      
      ACT needs more seats to provide Nats the spine to proceed. Luxon’s unwillingness to pass the Treaty Principles Bill will come to back to bite him in 2026. The country is suffereing from maori fatigue and the silent majority want the principles clarified and the Waitangi Tribunal abolished.
      
      Luxon and the Nats are too scared to do anything about it on their own. Actually, they are too scared to do a number of things, such as dropping out of the Paris Accord (saving $24 billion over 10 years) and cutting the public service admin staff back to 2017 levels.
      
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      December 26, 2025 11:39am
      - AitchW
        
        Never underestimate the stupidity of voters. If the economy continues to improve the swing voters with a short memory are likely to vote for the status quo.
        If, however, the economy stutters there is a better than even chance they will listen to the doomsayers in the media and to the same politicians who wrecked the economy between 2017 and 2023 and elect a Labour/Green/Maori government.
        
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        December 26, 2025 5:02pm
  - Paulus
    
    Are not voters only interested in whether Trump can be found to have talked to one of Epstein’s thousands of highly paid, girls at least, so he has to go !
    
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    December 26, 2025 9:24am
    - Cassandra
      
      I don’t think voters know or care about this issue. Hip pocket decides most elections.
      
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      December 26, 2025 9:30am
      - mogg
        
        USA economy is still very strong, where is the high inflation supposedly caused by Trump Tariffs.
        
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        December 26, 2025 12:32pm
  - Mike
    
    Much depends on this year’s elections. There are some signs that the MAGA movement is cracking, not all gerrymandering attempts are succeeding, and courts, even the supine supreme court, are pushing back on some of the blatantly unconstitutional actions.
    The electoral odds remain stacked in favor of the republicans. The elections will depend on:
    1. Trump convincing voters that their lives are improving, despite evidence to the contrary.
    2. Trump letting his party select the best candidates for seats in contention.
    
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    December 26, 2025 9:32am
  - David Garrett
    
    Cass: NEVER seek reasons from the downtickers! It only encourages them – and your question will also inevitably also be downticked…as of course this one will be.
    
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    December 26, 2025 10:05am
    - Cassandra
      
      And just to prove your point, DG, Green 5 = Red 5, with no comments.
      
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      December 26, 2025 11:17am
      - Wandering Star
        
        If you were secure in your position, then you wouldn’t care how many downticks you received as, in themselves, they have no bearing on the truth or falsity of a statement.
        
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        December 26, 2025 11:59am
    - RdM
      
      “If you were secure in your position, then you wouldn’t care how many downticks you received as, in themselves, they have no bearing on the truth or falsity of a statement.”
      
      I agree, and don’t care myself, except perhaps as seeing fleeting indications of tickers mindsets … and I also agree with your 10:52 AM comment below.
      
      However, in the spirit of DG, trivially, if I may;-
      I would move one comma and remove the other.
      I think it scans better simply as this:
      
      If you were secure in your position, then you wouldn’t care how many downticks you received, as in themselves they have no bearing on the truth or falsity of a statement.
      
      Just for fun ;=}) (but I entirely agree.)
      
      Of course the Edit timeout is sometimes insufficient to proofread and correct.
      
      Regards ~
      
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      December 26, 2025 3:14pm
  - Wandering Star
    
    I downticked you for even raising the issue, because it’s quite obvious that who is the GOP or the Democrat candidate, and who then becomes the president of the United States, is almost entirely irrelevant from a systemic perspective. It may have once been different, but at bottom, politicians in liberal democracies are just actors and entertainers. They are not very serious people, because they don’t have to be.
    
    The system is always control, not some guy who gets 8 years at most in office. That’s all a smokescreen meant to beguile the public, nothing more. This is why voting makes people feel good but changes almost nothing, because it’s not meant to.
    
    We make a great deal that the system is “capitalist” (falsely conflating this with free markets), and does it not follow quite logically that in a capitalist system, capital is in charge, or more rightly, those who control the most capital? Even the tired old “capitalists versus commies” debate from circa 1950 which still takes place is, to the extent is has any validity at all, just a debate about who should control the capital in a society, and thus control the society.
    
    You’d really have to have been born yesterday to believe any different, because there’s no reason to believe any different.
    
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    December 26, 2025 10:52am
    - imalwaysright
      
      Well put.
      
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      December 26, 2025 1:18pm
  - rouppe
    
    Depends how much the legitimate Latinos appreciate the fact that 2.1 million illegal immigrants have left the country, of which 1.6 million self deported.
    
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    December 26, 2025 1:10pm
- Notsofast
  
  JD Vance is embracing the new frothing lunatics like Tucker and Candace.
  I thought Id never say it, but I hope the democrats make some progress.
  Trump is waxing insane, but his legacy of denuking Iran and smashing the tranny activists is worth the scenic route.
  
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  December 26, 2025 11:54am
  - Wandering Star
    
    Trump bombed Iran for Israel and declared that women don’t have penises – perhaps the best politician since the founding of the Union?
    
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    December 26, 2025 12:01pm
    - Albie
      
      WS- From your perspective he bombed Iran for Israel. From my perspective he did it for all of us. Standing by while crazy religious zealots develop nuclear weapons is not something to be tolerated if you have the power to stop them don’t you think?
      
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      December 26, 2025 2:16pm
artemisia

Minnesota fraud by a particular group now estimated at $US9 billion. Pretty soon talking about real coin.
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December 26, 2025 8:19am
- Inandout
  
  art, sooner or later that odious Walz/Omar team’s corruption will be reported by our MSM…later maybe.
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:29am
  - artemisia
    
    Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has introduced the Welfare Abuse and Laundering Zillions Act, or the “WALZ Act”.
    
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    December 26, 2025 11:35am
- CJames
  
  But their governor says it didn’t happen and they have stopped it anyway.
  Willful blinkered comments by a politician who doesn’t want to upset the ethnic voting group seen as a core constituency from which the criminals came. Very similar situation to the rape gangs in UK which are still trying to be denied away
  
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  December 26, 2025 8:35am
  - Mike
    
    The governor didn’t say that.
    
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    December 26, 2025 9:23am
    - CJames
      
      I was paraphrasing. Here is the spin from the governor that CBS reported “Walz has long defended the state’s handling of the situation. He said in 2022 that officials caught the Feeding Our Future scheme early on, but couldn’t take further action due to an order from a judge and a request from the FBI not to do anything that could harm its investigation.
      The governor said last week that he will “take responsibility” for the mistakes that led to theft of taxpayer dollars. But he added that the “guardrails were taken off” by the federal government during the pandemic, and “the guidance was to move the money.”
      Walz launched a new fraud prevention program on Dec. 12, led by a former FBI agent. He applauded the new federal charges on Thursday.
      “This is exactly the type of strong action we need from prosecutors to ensure fraudsters are put behind bars,” Walz said in a statement. “We will not tolerate fraud, and we will continue to work with federal partners to ensure fraud is stopped and fraudsters are caught.”
      What isn’t reported is that the judge was so pissed off with being blamed he put out a statement saying governor was lying. https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/09/30/when-did-gov-tim-walz-know-about-the-feeding-our-future-fraud/
      It has got so bad even the MSM is reporting it and as totally the governors fault.
      https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/us/fraud-minnesota-somali.html
      https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/minnesota-government-workers-blame-walz-for-massive-fraud-amid-allegations-against-somali-community/ar-AA1Rraq2
      
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      December 26, 2025 12:01pm
      - Jethrod
        
        Where’s your comment now Mike?
        
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        December 26, 2025 2:12pm
      - Mike
        
        My comment pointed out that Walz did not say what CJames claimed. In a rare move for a Kiwiblogger, CJames conceded the point.
        
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        December 26, 2025 3:33pm
  - mandk
    
    I would say ‘willful dishonest comments’.
    
    You can’t stop something anyway that didn’t happen.
    
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    December 26, 2025 9:26am
  - mogg
    
    The rape gang inquiry in the UK has already come to a standstill because Starmer and Labour want to avoid the search for the officials who facilitated the cover up. For thirty years the young white girls were knowingly sacrificed in exchange for Muslim votes.
    
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    December 26, 2025 12:40pm
- Simon
  
  9 billion dollars US. What a boost to GDP, party vote National.
  
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  December 26, 2025 9:15am
- artemisia
  
  Looking like Maine joining this club, possible Medicaid and other welfare fraud also under investigation. Big numbers but not in the Minnesota ballpark atm.
  
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  December 26, 2025 10:37am
Scott

Lucy Connolly was sent to jail for a couple of mean tweets about migrants following the killing of little girls in Southport.

“A childminder married to a Conservative councillor has been jailed after calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire after the Southport attacks.

Lucy Connolly, 41, received a 31-month prison sentence after calling for “mass deportation now” in a social media post to her 10,000 followers on X on the day three children were killed in a knife attack in Southport.
In the expletive-ridden message she said “set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards for all I care” and concluded “if that makes me racist so be it”.
The post was later deleted but police established it was available for at least three and a half hours.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/oct/17/wife-tory-councillor-jailed-lucy-connolly-racial-hatred-southport-attack

Lucy’s appeal against her conviction was rejected. So that’s the standard. A couple of mean tweets can get you sent to jail in Great Britain.

Then rap artist Bob Vylan led the crowd of thousands at Glastonbury in a chant of “death, death, to the IDF”.
Scott predicted he would face no charges. He’s black, he’s cool and he’s chanting death to the Israeli defence forces and the govt doesn’t like Israel particularly.

So it comes as no surprise that Vylan has not been charged but here’s the surprise. He’s not been charged because of “lack of evidence”!??

My Vylan is not remorseful –
In an interview with Louis Theroux in October, Mr Robinson-Foster (Vylan) said he was “not regretful” of the chant and would “do it again tomorrow”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/bob-vylan-glastonbury-festival-chants-police-investigation-dropped-b2889685.html

Bob Vylan all good. Lucy Connolly straight to jail. This shows everyone that a two tier justice system exists in Britain. The govt will clamp down on protests and speech against migrants. Death to the IDF however is all good. 🤔
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December 26, 2025 8:27am
- AitchW
  
  It’s pretty obvious that Labour governments the world over hate Israel and Jews with a deep visceral passion as do many of their supporters. The “green” movement, or at least the climate warriors, are at least as anti semitic as Labour.
  Is it envy? Or just plain old historical prejudice?
  God help us if we elect a Labour/Green/Maori government next year.
  
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  December 26, 2025 11:32am
  - R
    
    Labour/marxist/socialist governments the world over HATE MOTIVATED PEOPLE, who wish to control their own destiny; and are prepared to make the effort necessary to achieve their desired lifestyle.
    
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    December 26, 2025 12:46pm
  - Mike
    
    That’s a completely false accusation, and pretty extreme, even for Kiwiblog.
    
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    December 26, 2025 4:38pm
- Wandering Star
  
  It’s entirely possible to be outraged about Lucy Connolly’s treatment while not being in the least concerned that the other guy has faced no consequences. What is the link between mass immigration to Europe and the IDF (except that the IDF increases mass immigration to Europe, if anything)?
  
  Mass migration is an existential threat to Brits like Lucy Connelly, but I don’t see why the IDF should not be condemned in the strongest terms and hurty words said about them. What does one have to do with the other?
  
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  December 26, 2025 11:36am
  - Scott
    
    It’s about enforcement of the hate speech laws. Connolly impulsively does two mean tweets which she regrets and takes down 3 hours later.
    Vylan calls for death for idf soldiers and had planned it and shows no remorse. He turned the festival into a literal hate rally to thousands live and millions on TV.
    
    Connolly is white. Vylan is black. Middle class white people seem to get punished more severely. Black people more lightly.
    
    So it’s about two standards of justice in enforcing hate speech laws.
    
    Connolly was against immigrants who the govt wants to protect at all costs. You cannot dissent on mass immigration or even illegal immigration. The IDF the govt doesnt care.
    
    Vylan was more hateful, more premeditated and to a much bigger audience but got no consequences. How is calling for death ok? So the enforcement of hate speech laws is selective and against white people and favours non white people and in particular you are not allowed to criticise immigration.
    
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    December 26, 2025 1:15pm
  - rouppe
    
    The connection is :
    One person wishes death upon another and is jailed for it;
    Another person wishes death upon another and isn’t.
    
    Wishing death on another is either a criminal offence or it isn’t. It has nothing to do with the subject of that wish.
    
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    December 26, 2025 1:28pm
Philview

Breakingviewsnz.blogspot mentioned today that Singh was the most common baby surname in NZ last year for the 7th year running. Very interesting. I am not against Indians as know a few, but this does again highlight the future direction of the country that the political class have enabled without public consent.
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December 26, 2025 8:35am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  What’s really interesting about that is that, as far as I know, Sikh boys are surnamed Singh and Sikh girls are surnamed Kaur.
  
  If so then that implies that foetus sex selection is occurring in the Sikh community in NZ.
  
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  December 26, 2025 12:59pm
  - Philview
    
    Kaur is the 2nd most common babies surname in NZ so that makes sense.
    
    2 0
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    December 26, 2025 1:20pm
- Ian
  
  As I understand it, Singh just denotes that you are a Sikh. Such people often have three names, first, then the second probably denotes the familial name and the third Singh (Sikh) as a surname is just customary usage. Take away the use of Singh (Sikh), then it would probably not be the most common surname.
  
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  December 26, 2025 1:09pm
- MCōs
  
  All Sikh males have the surname Singh and females Kaur from what I read. There are 50k+ Sikh in NZ according to the last census
  
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  December 26, 2025 1:12pm
Southern Raider

So a 24 year old Indian living in Auckland is convicted of having multiple sources of ISIS material including beheading videos, recruitment brochures etc and just gets community service and name suppression

What do you need to do to get deported?
24 2
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December 26, 2025 9:00am
- MCōs
  
  A lot more than that
  
  3 2
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  December 26, 2025 1:14pm
  - rouppe
    
    Why?
    
    All visas have a “be of good character” clause.
    
    Those activities clearly breach the threshold of “good character”. It should be a simple and instant matter to cancel the visa and deport them.
    
    What are you waiting to happen? A 10 year old girl shot from the roof of the band rotunda on Oriental Bay?
    
    12 1
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    December 26, 2025 1:36pm
    - Mike
      
      I think it is simply the case that not all convictions automatically lead to cancelation of a visa.
      
      2 2
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      December 26, 2025 1:59pm
      - GJM
        
        Maybe they should. Immigrants are guests, and guests don’t break the law without consequences.
        
        3 1
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        December 26, 2025 6:51pm
- cmm
  
  I’m probably swimming against the tide here, but I think “objectionable material” should be reserved for child pornography and such.
  
  Possessing videos of extremely violent acts etc should not be covered. Nor should possessing propaganda material.
  
  In the future those videos and propaganda material will find their way into libraries and museums (just like Main Kampf or videos material about the Holocaust). They will become part of history.
  
  What should be prosecuted is materially supporting terrorism by:
  * Advocating for terrorism (including distributing propaganda)
  * Recruiting terrorists.
  * Funding terrorists.
  
  5 3
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  December 26, 2025 1:26pm
- Jethrod
  
  Perhaps to be appearing in the videos?
  
  1 2
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  December 26, 2025 2:16pm
MCōs

Merry Christmas from Melania and the bloke that lives at their place
https://x.com/heccles94/status/2003733479000080848?s=61
6 7
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December 26, 2025 9:19am
- Don Beckett
  
  Mildly funny & very childish.
  
  7 5
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  December 26, 2025 11:59am
MCōs

Merry Christmas from Bangkok
https://x.com/pilontommy/status/2004218537809006836?s=61
6 5
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December 26, 2025 9:20am
- Tomtoddy
  
  Gives a whole new meaning to “got your wires crossed”.
  
  8 0
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  December 26, 2025 10:03am
Tomtoddy

Sick of the endless dribble in the MSM about the weather. Every day there is a prediction of “wild”, “rain warnings”, “strong gale-force winds” “bridge to be closed”, and nothing happens.

Just maintaining the fear-mongering climate change narrative and filling up space because their journo’s are so useless.
18 2
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December 26, 2025 10:07am
- I remember when
  
  I still remember the violent electrical storms that occurred off the coast of Hawke’s Bay when I was growing up.
  The sky used to light up while we tried to decide if it was sheet or forked.
  Often went on for what seemed like hours.
  
  9 1
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  December 26, 2025 10:28am
- Nikola Donatello
  
  Another example yesterday.
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360918596/christmas-day-disruption-auckland-christchurch-flight-forced-turn-back
  
  They had it as their ‘banner’ breaking news story. An airplane with a minor technical issue decided to return to Auckland, where it had just departed from. No emergency landing. No drama. No nothing. That is not a news story. Not even on Christmas day.
  
  EDIT. Just ignore all weather stories in the media. All of them. 30 years ago we used to need the media to give us “weather forecasts”. That time has long passed. They just don’t realise that.
  
  10 1
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  December 26, 2025 10:41am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Hawkes Bay had 30 deg and no wind through the middle part of Christmas Day. Well into the 20s today.
  
  6 2
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  December 26, 2025 1:02pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  What is wrong with the following statement?
  
  “Shoppers in parts of the North and South Islands may find themselves battling thunderstorms and torrential downpours to get to their Boxing Day sales this year”
  
  From Stuff – I won’t bother linking
  
  5 2
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  December 26, 2025 1:05pm
  - MCōs
    
    This must be your first summer in the country
    Everyone knows nothing happens domestically this time of year to report except some road accidents, bad weather, leisure related incidents etc, but there are still a few few reporters not on holiday to keep occupied
    
    2 0
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    December 26, 2025 4:30pm
sirknz

Stuff unironically endorses Seymour’s regulatory red tape bill.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/home-property/360912156/bum-deal-how-toilet-seat-rules-are-leaving-kiwis-flushed-cash
7 2
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December 26, 2025 10:36am
- Mike
  
  Which bill is that? None is mentioned in the article, which does reference an update of the building code – for 2028.
  
  3 3
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  December 26, 2025 11:59am
keepcalmcarryon

Shane Jones commercial fisheries wishlist finally gets covered in a little more detail but only after consultation closed.
Jones is getting burned in the Facebook comments, recreational fishers lean right and this is going to cost NZ First votes. “Scribblings” he calls it, we will see, you are supposed to work for the public, Shane not the commercial fisheries.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fishing-host-matt-watson-accuses-shane-jones-of-favouring-commercial-industry-mates/3HNLQYHDPVGCRPH6PSVHIFEEYQ/
8 0
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December 26, 2025 10:38am
- Mike
  
  Unsurprisingly, NZ First’s method has always been to deliver for donors. Voters are such a mixed bag but can be manipulated issue by issue, and many of them forget what they were promised, let alone whether it was delivered.
  
  5 6
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  December 26, 2025 12:05pm
  - keepcalmcarryon
    
    I agree, all parties do of course but Jones isn’t even pretending anymore and there is zero public benefit to the changes proposed, just downside.
    
    4 0
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    December 26, 2025 2:08pm
I remember when

Rather than social media being responsible for mental health problems of those under 16, does it simply allow greater access?
Greater ‘bullying’ is possible because there is 24 hour access but bullying is not just a social media problem.
Worried about your body or some physical appearance concern?
It will still be possible to access information from the rest of the Internet.
2 2
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December 26, 2025 10:47am
Crafty

I see Albanese has called the firebombing of a Rabbi’s vehicle evil. He’s a bit late isn’t he? I don’t recall him giving a shit before the Bondi massacre. I mean the government over there has been turning a blind eye to antisemitism ever since the Hamas attacks but now they ‘care’. Yeah right!
12 4
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December 26, 2025 11:11am
Rusty

Listening to King Charles Christmas speech yesterday you wouldn’t think the UK was going through any turmoil with out of control immigration, free speech censorship, increasing Islam influence in society, and a host of other threats to British culture.

We don’t know what King Charles position is on all this.
7 5
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December 26, 2025 11:19am
- Dudley Quaffquaff
  
  Quite right too.
  
  5 2
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  December 26, 2025 12:00pm
- Don Beckett
  
  Neither does he……….
  
  6 5
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  December 26, 2025 12:04pm
  - Mike
    
    He’s made friends with the Pope, though.
    
    6 2
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    December 26, 2025 12:06pm
    - Jethrod
      
      I’m not sure if that is sarccy or not?
      
      2 3
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      December 26, 2025 2:20pm
      - Don Beckett
        
        No it’s serious – for Mike. 🙂
        
        1 3
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        December 26, 2025 3:50pm
      - Mike
        
        It means he’s not all bad.
        
        0 0
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        December 26, 2025 3:58pm
Swifty

If there is a violent and bloody backlash by native peoples against mass migration (and I hope there isn’t) I wonder who they’ll come for first?

And I wonder if those targeted will accept any responsibility for their predicament?

https://x.com/laurenwitzkede/status/2004273684194967912?s=46
7 1
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December 26, 2025 11:37am
- Mike
  
  They’ll come for anyone who look foreign.
  
  4 7
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  December 26, 2025 12:07pm
- Wandering Star
  
  She was probably born in Britain, but she doesn’t see herself as being British, and that’s because she isn’t. She’s an Indian who was born in Britain, and has no affinity with native Brits. She has not familial or historical connection.
  
  She should probably go and live in India but, despite her affinities, she clearly thinks Britain is the place to be, even among all of those racist Brits.
  
  “Yes lads, we’re winning” she says regarding demographic replacement. Who is “we” and who are we “winning” against? It’s all right there in broad daylight.
  
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  December 26, 2025 12:11pm
cmm

Last month there was a bit of a hoo-hah over Uber drivers wanting to be classified as employees.

The government decided they need to fix the problem and have proposed some overzealous legislation that limits contracting relationships.

I wrote to the minister raising some issues that I thought would raise some problems, especially the following:

It is proposing to classify a worker as a contractor when there is a written agreement that specifies the worker:

* is an independent contractor.
* is not restricted from working for others.
* is not required to be available to work certain times or days or for a minimum period.
* is able to sub-contract the work; and the business does not terminate the arrangement for not accepting an additional task.

The last two clauses are particularly problematic for skilled contractors such as myself because:
* A skilled contractor is required to attend various meetings etc and is required to produce various results on time.
* A skilled contractor cannot substitute another worker in their place.

I got a response saying that workers will still be allowed to be contractors if that is their choice (ie. the requirements are not mandatory). In other words, I take it this is a one-way set of rules that only applies to the employer.

I am no lawyer, but I would think that is highly problematic. It basically means that conditions of the contract can apply at the whim of the contractor/employee.

For example, it suggest that maybe the following scenario can arise:
* Worker says they choose to be a contractor. The employing party agrees to take them on as a contractor.
* An agreeable contract is drawn up and everyone accepts it.
* A month later the contractor now chooses to no longer be a contractor but an employee.
* Is the employer now forced to convert the contracting agreement into an employment agreement?

I can’t see a workable solution where there is employment law but only one side can choose whether various conditions apply or not. This is going to make some very nightmarish scenarios that are going to make a lot of employment lawyers very rich.

I hope that the minister has a nice think during the Christmas break and runs the whole lot through the shredder.
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December 26, 2025 1:12pm
- artemisia
  
  The Bill is supposed to provide greater certainty so not absolute. I take that to mean unions will have great difficulty in future getting courts to change an agreed employment contract. Is there a date for second reading? Should be fairly soon. Suggest not a bad idea for a friendly MP or 2 to be offered some scenarios (as in your post) to be tested in second reading.
  
  In any case a new contract is a new contract and not necessarily on the same terms. Or may not be offered at all. The Bill should in some way cover that scenario.
  
  I do wonder if Uber drivers offered an employment contract, if they are, will like the conditions. One of the 4 who is a Wellington City Councillor, for example …
  
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  December 26, 2025 3:42pm
  - cmm
    
    Perhaps Uber could restructure like the taxi companies.
    
    The major taxi company in Christchurch is Blue Star. They operate as a franchising service. The taxi drivers are not employees. Instead, the taxi drivers pay to be members.
    The taxi drivers own their cars and pay the running costs. They do not hand over fares to the taxi company. The only time the taxi company ever gets involved in dealing with fares is if the customer uses an account or coupon etc.
    
    It is not at all clear to me why Uber drivers should consider themselves employees.
    
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    December 26, 2025 5:43pm
Ra Henare

I have been mulling over freedom of speech.

We all know there is no such thing anymore, whether in North Korea, USA, UK or NZ.

I am forever hopeful of finding a blog that supports freedom of speech in NZ.

So far I have come across.
Political/Opinion Blogs with Strong Free Speech Support.

Kiwiblog (kiwiblog.co.nz):
Bowalley Road (bowalleyroad.blogspot.com):
Breaking Views):
You Stupid Boy (ysb.co.nz):

Are there any others I should look for.
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December 26, 2025 3:24pm
- cmm
  
  A lot comes down to how you define free speech.
  
  1 0
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  December 26, 2025 8:59pm
MCōs

Not something I’d do
https://x.com/jameschappers/status/2004246851998884076?s=61
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December 26, 2025 5:21pm

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