Stuff reports:

Concerns have been raised about a new bill that could see benefit payments cut for offenders who breach their community sentences. 

Parliament’s Social Services Committee is currently calling for public submissions on the the Social Security Amendment Bill, which was put forward by National MP Mark Mitchell.

The bill would allow Corrections to have benefit payments for offenders stopped if they continued to disregard written warnings to comply with their community sentences.

Offenders serving community sentences are on probation, which means they are able to serve their sentences in the community but with restrictions on their movements. 

Some organisations are worried about the impact the bill could have, and have questioned if it will only drive offenders to re-offend. 

Manawatu-based Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Scott Guthrie said he would oppose the bill because people needed to be able to live.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a criminal or not,” he said. “If we do that we’re going to see an increase in the crime rate.

“If people have no money they are going to steal stuff.”

The bill would allow for offender with children to only have their benefits cut by 50 per cent, but Guthrie said any cuts to someone supporting a child was not an option.

“If they are going to cut the benefit by 50 per cent there is no way one adult and one child can live on that. 

“That’s just laughable.”

I think the idea isn’t that they then live on that, but that it gives them the incentive to complete their community sentence so their benefit gets restored.

John Roughan writes:

There’s a headline I wish would appear in newspapers across America. It would say something like, “TPP allies back big deal with China”.

The story below would start, “US trade partners, meeting on the fringes of the Asean summit in Laos this week, are looking to China to spearhead a alternative agreement if the Trans-Pacific Partnership is rejected by Congress”.

This is what will happen if the US doesn’t ratify. Nature abhors a vacuum and China will fill it.

Ultimately it may not matter if the TPP is not ratified by the US. The deal signed in Auckland in January has set a new benchmark for the principles and rules of global commerce. It stands for what can be agreed between governments that believe the path to prosperity for people everywhere is built on common recognition of property rights, investors’ rights, fair competitive markets for goods, services and finance and national standards for employment, environmental protection, health and safety that do not discriminate between foreign and domestic industries.

The TPP does all of that and, if its opponents would only admit it, the deal was better than they expected. One of the ironies of the opposition to it is that while Trump and Sanders and their supporters are calling it a bad deal for Americans, those marching on New Zealand streets think it is a sell-out to the US. Trump and Sanders are closer to the truth. The US conceded a lot more than most of us were led to expect.

This is true. The NZ negotiators did a great job in standing firm on key issues.

Stuff reports:

More Kiwi men than women say they’ve experienced some form of online harassment, research shows.

Research by digital security firm Norton showed 58 per cent men surveyed were harassed compared to 52 per cent of women.

However, Kiwi men (56 per cent) are less likely than women (70 per cent) to identify online harassment as a serious problem.

But both genders agree that the problem is getting worse, and both believe that the problem has deteriorated since last year.

It has got worse, sadly.

Stuff reports:

Nick Leggett has promised to axe what he calls Wellington City Council’s annual $3 million “secret slush fund” if he becomes the capital’s mayor.

Leggett took aim at the council’s City Growth Fund on Wednesday, pledging to abolish it and redirect the ratepayer cash into a strategy for tackling the “challenges” faced by Wellington’s CBD.

The City Growth Fund, formally the Wellington Economic Initiatives Development (WEID) Fund, has been a controversial topic around the council table this past term.

About $3m has been made available annually since 2013 to support economic growth initiatives. But some councillors have been critical of the fact that funding decisions are made by a smaller panel of councillors, behind closed doors.

The council recently began revealing the names of funding recipients every six months, along with how much money some of them receive.

But some funding amounts are kept quiet for reasons of commercial sensitivity, and the council has not given any public indication of what its return on investment has been.

Leggett said the City Growth Fund met the “textbook definition of a slush fund”.

“We must always take a careful and transparent approach to spending ratepayer money and, frankly, this scheme leaves the council wide open to accusations of corruption.”

I’m not sure whether or not the fund should be abolished because the secrecy around it means it is impossible to evaluate.

At a minimum every single recipient of a grant from the fund should be named, and the amount published. If this is unacceptable to a recipient, well then they can decide not to apply.

Also there should be an annual review of all grants made more than a year ago, to see if the grants did produce any economic benefit.

Liam Dann writes:

This Thursday GDP figures are expected to show the New Zealand economy grew by at least 3.5 per cent in the year to June 30.

ASB’s economists are picking it to be as high as 3.7 per cent.

“We expect GDP lifted a whopping 1.2 per cent over the June quarter, led by construction, manufacturing and retail activity,” ASB senior economist Jane Turner writes in her preview.

That will be a stunning result for an agricultural economy that has just been through one of the most dramatic dairy price slumps in living memory.

Anything over 3% will be a stunning result, especially considering the dairy price slump. Opposition MPs have whined for years that we are too dependent on dairy and need to diversify, but these results are showing that the economy is diversified and resilient.

It’s hard not to draw the conclusion that the rock star economy is on the comeback trail – at least in the terms that the catch-phrase was originally coined by HSBC economist Paul Bloxham.

That is to say, relatively speaking.

New Zealand currently has one of the highest growth economies compared to peers in the Western developed world.

The country hasn’t had a recession in eight years now.

Long may it continue.

Chris Cillizza writes at the Washington Post:

Hillary Clinton falling ill Sunday morning at a memorial service on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks will catapult questions about her health from the ranks of conservative conspiracy theory to perhaps the central debate in the presidential race over the coming days.

“Secretary Clinton attended the September 11th Commemoration Ceremony for just an hour and thirty minutes this morning to pay her respects and greet some of the families of the fallen,” spokesman Nick Merrill said. “During the ceremony, she felt overheated, so departed to go to her daughter’s apartment and is feeling much better.”

What that statement leaves out is that a) it came 90 minutes after Clinton left the ceremony b) reporters — or even a reporter — were not allowed to follow her and c) the temperature in New York City at the time of Clinton’s overheating was in the low 80s. (A heat wave over the eastern United States broke last night/this morning.)

This comes just after Obama’s doctor called for both Trump and Clinton to release more details of their health:

Today, the two major candidates for president are each almost as old as McCain was in 2008. Having been in practice for 50 years serving a predominantly geriatric patient population, and now a septuagenarian myself, I can attest that the American people need much more medical information from these candidates. If elected, 70-year-old Donald Trump would be the oldest person ever to enter the Oval Office, while Hillary Clinton, 68, would be a close second, behind Ronald Reagan. At these ages, stuff begins to happen.

 What do we know about Clinton? Importantly, she deserves credit for issuing a useful two-page letter from her doctor in July 2015, but unfortunately that document raised as many questions as it answered.

 

We were told that Clinton has an underactive thyroid that is being treated with a replacement hormone and that she has a history of suffering thrombophlebitis (venous blood clots) in her legs. This leads me to wonder if these clots were provoked by trauma or some other cause, since unprovoked clots have a more worrisome prognosis. Around the time of her 2012 fall and concussion, Clinton suffered a venous thrombosis in her brain, and she is now on a blood thinner called Coumadin. This is a difficult drug to control, and close monitoring of prothrombin times — a measure of how long it takes a person’s blood to clot — is necessary. We physicians should see a record of her prothrombin times to assess adequacy of control. Being on Coumadin, she would have to avoid certain foods, such as green leafy vegetables, and avoid medications with problematic interactions. There are new anticoagulant medications that don’t require such monitoring or diet and drug restrictions. Why isn’t she on this more efficacious medication?

It took Clinton up to six months to make a full recovery, and for two months, she had double vision. This was not a simple concussion. In 2013, her doctor’s letter reported, her neurologic exam was normal. But that was three years ago. Concussions can cause cognitive decline. Would a current neuro-psychologic exam show any change?

This is all somewhat unfair to Clinton, however, who ends up being placed under greater scrutiny as a consequence of acting more responsibly than her opponent. We can ask specific questions about her health because she has been willing to share some important information, even if it is inadequate. In contrast, we know nothing about Trump’s health.

A one-page letter from his doctor — a gastroenterologist, not the type of physician who usually provides primary care — reported that Trump’s “strength and stamina” were “extraordinary.” We were told “unequivocally” that he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” This stunningly unprofessional, hastily written letter contained only minimal medical information.

We essentially have no medical information on Trump. It’s impossible to know what questions to ask. We’re told he has had “no significant medical problems.” We are told that Trump plays golf regularly. We are told that his “cardiovascular status is excellent.” I would very much like to see documentation of all this. In particular, in view of his somewhat erratic behavior during the campaign, I believe Trump also should undergo a neuro-psychologic evaluation; if normal, this would at least put an end to speculation that he has a personality disorder. He is a septuagenarian asking voters to place him in one of the most demanding jobs on earth. We need to see his medical records.

I suspect the chances of Trump releasing his medical records is around the same as releasing his tax records.

But the focus will go on Clinton now. Cillizza explains:

Coughing, I wrote, is simply not evidence enough of any sort of major illness that Clinton is assumed to be hiding. Neither, of course, is feeling “overheated.” But those two things happening within six days of each other to a candidate who is 68 years old makes talk of Clinton’s health no longer just the stuff of conspiracy theorists.

Whereas Clinton and her campaign could laugh off questions about her health before today, the “overheating” episode makes it almost impossible for them to do so. Not only has it come at a time when there was growing chatter — with very little evidence — that her health was a problem but it also happened at a 9/11 memorial event — an incredibly high-profile moment with lots and lots of cameras and reporters around. …

But the issue is that Clinton kept reporters totally in the dark for 90 minutes after her abrupt departure from the 9/11 memorial service for a health-related matter. No reporter was allowed to follow her. (Clinton has resisted a protective pool for coverage because Donald Trump refuses to participate in one.) This is, yet again, the Clinton campaign asking everyone to just trust it. She got overheated! But she’s fine now!

Clinton may well be totally fine — and I certainly hope she is. But we are 58 days away from choosing the person who will lead the country for the next four years, and she is one of the two candidates with a real chance of winning. Taking the Clinton team’s word for it on her health — in light of the episode on Sunday morning — is no  longer enough. Reasonable people can — and will —  have real questions about her health.

This health scare plus her awful decision to label one quarter of the American public as “deplorable” may give Trump a boost in the polls.

Tuku Morgan writes at the NZ Herald:

To say that the Kiingitanga should be “apolitical” is to ignore the fact that the Kiingitanga was born of politics. Kiingi Mahuta, the third monarch, for example, accepted appointment to the Legislative Council and was instrumental in engineering Maui Pomare’s election to Parliament.

Subsequent monarchs may have chosen different paths, but each was a product of their time. While Kiingi Tuheitia’s comments about withdrawing his support from Labour have been described as “off-the-cuff”, the truth is he has long deliberated on these matters. It is his belief the time for change is now.

We are witnessing a fundamental shift within Maoridom. Traditional allegiances are being questioned, not just by the Maori King but throughout ‘te ao Maori’, the Maori world. We can no longer rely on Maori interests being advocated from within other political parties and be dependent on their electoral fortunes.

That’s as clear a statement as you can get. Will Ratana follow suit?

The Maori Party represents a chance to do what was not possible before the advent of MMP: the establishment of a Maori party as a permanent fixture of government. Not as a small part of one of the major parties, but independent and able to work with either.

This is true, but was also true in 2005 and 2008 when they won a majority of the Maori seats. But then Hone split off, and they started to lose seats. How do they stop this happening again?

We must use the time before next year’s election to work together to create a strong and united party. Our aim is to build significant partnerships with business and mainstream New Zealanders. We are, after all, the original “green” party that has always been committed to protecting our environment and resources, and creating meaningful employment for our young people.

What is good for Maori is good for all New Zealanders. The Maori Party is the best vehicle by which Maori aspirations can be achieved, regardless of who is in power. It was the dream of our tupuna who created the Kiingitanga movement; that Maori and non-Maori work together to end conflict and create a better future. It is now up to us to deliver on what our ancestors dreamed of – Maori united and sharing the reins of power for the benefit of all New Zealanders.

A key issue will be what does Mana do.

The Herald reports:

The wages bill at Auckland Council has topped $800 million and the number of fulltime staff has climbed to nearly 10,000.

The latest council figures show fulltime equivalent staff numbers have risen from 9678 to 9870 between the 2015 and 2016 financial years. This is a rise of 192 staff.

Salaries and wages have risen from $771 million to $803 million, although this includes $20 million of staff costs previously budgeted as operating costs.

The net increase of $12 million is an improvement on last year’s $63 million blowout in staff costs.

Since the Super City was formed in 2010, fulltime equivalent staff numbers have risen from 8207 and wage costs have climbed from $615 million.

This is all a choice. Ratepayers should vote for candidates who are determined to reduce costs and staff levels.

Stuff reports:

A lawmaker in Egypt has argued in favour of the practice of female genital mutilation, saying women should “reduce their sexual desires” because Egyptian men are “sexually weak”.

“We are a population whose men suffer from sexual weakness, which is evident because Egypt is among the biggest consumers of sexual stimulants that only the weak will consume,” said Elhamy Agina, according toEgyptian Streets, an English-language local news website. “If we stop FGM, we will need strong men and we don’t have men of that sort.”

So it is better for women, he continued, to undergo the brutal practice to “reduce a woman’s sexual appetite”. And by doing so, he added, women would “stand by their men” and life would proceed smoothly.

What a ghastly attitude. Makes me shudder.

The practice was banned in Egypt in 2008. Since then, circumcising girls has been punishable by a prison sentence of between three months and three years as well as a hefty fine. Still, FGM remains a widespread practice here, as it is in many other African nations and parts of the Middle East.

According to the WHO, Egypt has some of the highest rates of FGM, in company with Somalia, Djibouti and Sierra Leone. A Unicef study in 2013 found that as many as 27.2 million women in Egypt have been circumcised.

The Egyptian cabinet recently approved a draft law that would impose stiffer penalties for those who force girls and women into FGM. Jail terms would range between five and seven years, and harsher sentences would be imposed if the procedure leads to death or deformity.

Good.

Stuff reports:

About 200 people have braved the elements to attend an anti-TPPA rally in Wellington this afternoon. 

Onlookers listened to representatives of the Council of Trade Unions and environmental organisations 350.org and Coal Action Network Aotearoa speak about the agreement’s possible effects. 

Representatives from The Green Party, Labour, New Zealand First and the Maori Party also attended.

Donald Trump will be thrilled he has so many supporters in New Zealand who agree with him on TPP.

Stuff reports:

Hillary Clinton verbally banished half of Donald Trump’s backers to a “basket of deplorables,” and the Republican presidential nominee quickly pounced, saying on Saturday (Sunday NZ Time) she had smeared many Americans and would pay a heavy political price.

“Wow, Hillary Clinton was SO INSULTING to my supporters, millions of amazing, hard-working people. I think it will cost her at the polls!” Trump said in a tweet.

Clinton, who has said she is the candidate who can unify a divided country, made the comment at an LGBT fundraiser on Friday night (Saturday NZT) at a New York City restaurant, with about 1000 people in attendance.

“To just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic – you name it,” she said.

An old rule of politics is you attack your opponents, but never their supporters. John Howard for example was careful to never attack those supporting Pauline Hansen, even though he would attack Hansen.

Clinton has effectively just labelled 50 million Americans as deplorable. Very stupid.

Stuff reports:

If you look at the floor as you walk into the office of outgoing Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Vanessa van Uden you might notice the carpet is different from the rest of the building.

She was new to the office in 2010 when she was advised carpet was being laid.

“I said ‘there’s nothing wrong with this carpet’, van Uden says.

“They said ‘but we’ve got the money to do it’.  I said: ‘Use it on something else’.”

Very different to Wellington where they were going to spend $350,000 on refurbishing the Mayoral office.

It is symbolic of the pride she takes in her frugal approach.

A recent flick through the candidates’ profile book published as she bid to step up from councillor to mayor in that same year shows her promising to bring council spending and rates increased under control with a focus on council services.

As she prepares to hand over the mayoral chains following six years in the job she says she achieved her financial goals by working on a zero-based budgeting model – trying to achieve efficiency in services, without cutting them.

Council vehicles, phones and legal fees were targeted. Staff muffins for morning tea and council lunches at 12.30pm before a 1pm meeting disappeared from the budget.

“This is other people’s money that we are spending,” she says. “It is incumbent on us to say ‘Is it fair reasonable and what we should do with other people’s money?’ because we don’t give them any choice about taking it off them.”

We need more Mayors with this attitude.

However, she was pleased to achieve zero rates rises.

“At the stage that I took over we were about $100m in debt. Through good prudent financial management across the organisation we are now currently, about $95m in debt.”

So a 0% rates rise and a fall in debt. Bravo.

Stuff reports:

Controversial plans to extend Wellington Airport’s runway have been put on hold.

Greater Wellington Regional Council and Wellington City Council both received a request from Wellington International Airport on Friday to pause the processing of consent applications for its $300 million runway extension.

The airport is seeking permission to add an extra 355 metres to its runway by reclaiming land in Lyall Bay.

Doing so would allow for direct long-haul flights between Wellington and Asia.

The project attracted 776 public submissions, with 525 of them against the proposal.

Airport spokesman Greg Thomas said management wanted to take a few weeks to review the feedback and check everything was in order with the application before proceeding.

“Because of the number of submissions, we want to make sure we’ve taken the time to review all those. To make sure all due diligence is done before we finalise the application.”

This was one of the last steps before the application reached the Environment Court, Thomas said.

Not sure how significant this move is, but it seems unusual.

UPDATE: Am told that is probably only a delay of a few weeks so the Airport has time to consider all the submissions and respond more fully to them.

Stuff reports:

Families will need approval to scatter their loved ones’ ashes in public on the Kapiti Coast, after the district council voted to tighten control of the great hereafter.

Councillors voted by 6-5 on Thursday to include a clause in a new cemeteries bylaw, banning people from scattering ashes on beaches, rivers and parks.

The vote came despite staff saying the new bylaw would not be enforced – and that anywhere below the high-tide mark was out of the council’s control anyway.

A ridiculous waste of time and interference by the Council.

What is the problem they are trying to solve? Has there been an influx of complaints from people they they were sunbathing on the beach and someone threw Uncle Billy’s ashes on them?

All you need, at best, is a page on the Council website saying that if you are going to scatter ashes be considerate of any other person who may be around, and of impact on flora and fauna.

Stuff reports:

Child Sex offenders released back into the community will now be tracked on a Government register, in some cases for the rest of their lives. 

Parliament has passed a law to allow the setup of the register, which Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said would safeguard the community. 

“Currently, these offenders can disappear back into communities when they have completed a sentence or order.

“When the register begins operating these offenders will be required by law to provide a range of personal information and inform Police of any change in their circumstances, which will allow a dedicated team of Police and Corrections staff to know where they are and track changes in their lives,” Tolley said.

Any changes could be a trigger for reoffending, and authorised staff across a number of approved agencies would have the power to monitor and assess risks and take any necessary action.

The register would operate on a tiered system, with offenders required to be on it for a term of life, 15 years or eight years – depending on their offence and the sentence imposed.

Any failure to give the required information, including giving false information, would land an offender with either a fine or imprisonment.

Very pleased to see this pass.

From Tim Blair:

Nine Black Lives Matter UK activists have been removed from the runway at London City airport after chaining themselves together in a six-hour protest that caused severe travel disruption …

Black Lives Matter UK said the protest aimed to highlight the environmental impact of air travel on the lives of black people locally and globally. It posted footage of protesters lying on the runway after chaining themselves together and unfurling banners shortly after dawn …

All the protesters who had chained themselves together on the runway were white.

Black Lives Matter UK said the reason for the protest was that climate change was a “racist crisis”.

I’m not sure what amuses me more – calling climate change a racist crisis, or the fact none of the Black Lives Matter protesters were black.

A new Vote Local website that asks you questions and matches you to mayoral candidates in Wellington, Auckland and Palmerston North.

Quite fun but I think the algorithm is somewhat faulty as it says Helene Ritchie should be my 2nd choice in Wellington! Also some of their questions present binary choices that are not binary choices. So don’t take it too seriously.

My results are below, but note they are definitely not my voting order. My top three in Wellington will be Nicola, Jo and Nick (not necessarily in that exact order, but they will be my top three ranks).

Wellington

1. Nicola Young 61%
2. Helene Ritchie 55%
3. Keith Johnson 53%
4. Andy Foster 51%
5. Jo Coughlan 51%
6. Nick Leggett 49%
7. Justin Lester 45%

Auckland

1. Vic Crone 77%
2. Suzanna Kruger 66%
3. John Palino 56%
4. Tyrone Raumati 54%
5. Phil Goff 53%
6. Alezix Honeti 53%
7. Mark Thomas 51%
8. David Hay 43%.

Again these are just the results of the quiz, not my preferences. I would have Mark Thomas much higher than Phil Goff.

Stuff reports:

Tobacco companies are now banned from advertising their brand on cigarette packets.

The Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Standardised Packaging) Amendment Bill passed its third and final reading in Parliament on Thursday evening, by 108 to 13.

The law would make it illegal for tobacco companies to print any branding on cigarette boxes, only allowing the name in small plain type with graphic warnings about the risks of smoking.

Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-liga said he hoped to see the new packs in stores late next year.

“It’s just another measure to attack the premature deaths around tobacco…that’s a huge human cost for New Zealanders,” Lotu-liga said.

It will be interesting to monitor whether or not it does actually have any impact on the smoking rate.

We will never know for sure as the Government isn’t doing a controlled trial in a distinct area where you could compare any change in smoking in the area with plain packaging to the change in the area without. That would have been a science based approach.

The overall NZ smoking rate has been declining for many years, so I expect it will decline under plain packaging. The test should be whether the decline is faster under plain packaging that it has been without it.

To further complicate matters excise tax is getting increased every year, so how do you measure whether any decrease is due to plain packaging or the excise tax increase? Again, a good case for a regional trial.

But as we have had excise tax increases for the last few years, then the best we can probably do is compare the future decreases from when plain packaging comes in to the average decrease over the years of the excise hikes (say 2011 to 2016). This may give us some idea if plain packaging does have any impact. Also will be important to not just measure one year’s worth of data as often there are initial impacts that reduce or reverse. So if plain packaging gets implemented in 2017, then the 2017 to 2020 data is what I would look at to try and evaluate it.

Having been passed, I hope it is successful. Fewer people smoking would be a good thing.

Don Brash writes:

Not so long ago I visited South Auckland Middle School, one of two partnership schools with a total enrolment of 280 operated by the not-for-profit Villa Education Trust. …

I was blown away by what I found.

Yes, the school is effectively bulk-funded, in principle enabling the school to employ unregistered or unqualified teachers. In reality, all their teachers are fully registered and fully qualified. Classes are limited in size to 15.

The school provides a school uniform and all basic stationery without charge, and no fees or “donations” are charged.

There is a fulltime member of staff whose only responsibility is to liaise with the “parents” (sometimes grandmothers) of the children in order to ensure, to the extent possible, that parents are fully engaged in the education of their children.

That’s a great idea, and a good example of what you can do with flexible funding.

And the results are breathtaking. Although the school is effectively Decile 1, , with 93 per cent of the children from Maori or Pasifika families, it is out-performing other similar schools by a huge margin.

The latest published figures show that, across years 7 and 8, 72 per cent of students were at or above the National Standard for reading, 73 per cent for writing, and 70 per cent for maths – an achievement not far behind that of Remuera Intermediate.

Comparable figures for a nearby intermediate (another Decile 1 school) were 34 per cent, 34 per cent, and 37 per cent, while for the nearest primary school they were 40 per cent, 33 per cent and 24 per cent. Is it any wonder that parents are queuing up to send their children to South Auckland Middle School?

The school is making a huge difference to many South Auckland families.

Ah yes, critics argue, but partnership schools get a lot more money from the taxpayer than other schools do. Absolute nonsense.

All schools get a lump sum to start up and, because South Auckland Middle School has been operating for less than three years, taking its start-up money and adding it to the money it receives for its on-going operation makes it appear that it gets more money than state schools.

But the start-up money it received was much less, on a per student basis, than comparable state schools have received.

South Auckland Middle School received just $1.3 million for start-up with a target roll of 120, and receives less than $12,000 per pupil annually to cover all teacher salaries and other operating costs.

Rototuna Primary School in Hamilton, with fewer than 800 pupils, recently received $40 million for start-up, and plenty of schools receive as much or more for operating costs, together with additional support from the Ministry of Education.

Charter schools receive no more money (and often less) money than public schools.

The conclusion is inescapable.

While I have visited only one partnership school, that one strongly shows what a well-run partnership school can do for its pupils.

Kelvin Davis, himself a former principal in the state education system, and fellow Labour MP Peeni Henare are to be commended for recognising that the Labour Party’s opposition to such schools is quite irrational.

Unless Labour change their policy, they will close down SAMS and deprive the hundreds of South Auckland families going there of that choice.

Glenn Reynolds writes in USA Today:

Donald Trump likes to call his opponent, Hillary Clinton, “Crooked Hillary.” There’s even a #CrookedHillary hashtag on Twitter. Meanwhile, Hillary seems to be doing her best to make that nickname stick. …

When FBI Director James Comey declined to prosecute the former Secretary of State for mishandling classified information, he said that although she was extremely careless, there was no criminal intent. That was a bit iffy, since the statute governing mishandling of classified information doesn’t require intent. But the new information indicates that Hillary is either criminal, or criminally incompetent. Or maybe both.

Harsh words. But why?

Considering that Hillary has been accused of mishandling classified information on an almost industrial scale, what shines through is that Clinton is utterly clueless about classification matters, betraying an ignorance that is shocking when encountered in a former top official of our government — and one who wants to be our next commander-in-chief. . . .

When asked, “Clinton could not give an example of how classification of a document was determined,” the FBI recorded. Hillary could not explain what the (C) — for Confidential — classification marking at the beginning of a paragraph was. She thought it perhaps had something to do with alphabetical order.

This tragicomedy continued with the FBI pressing Hillary on specific examples of classified information that wound up in her “Unclassified” emails. She explained her position concisely. As the FBI noted, “Clinton stated that she did not pay attention to the ‘level’ of classified information.”

It is unbelievable a Cabinet level officer would not have an in depth understanding of the national security classification system.

In addition, there were “mass deletions” of emails just after news reports of her secret private server became public, and after she received a subpoena, and order not to destroy any records, from the House committee investigating the Benghaziaffair.

Hillary also claimed a lot of memory problems, leaving blogger Tamara Keel to write:  “I have an Ivy League lawyer, wife of a former governor and president, who lived in the White House for eight damned years, then went on to be a senator and Secretary of State telling me she didn’t know about classified email and that work-related documents needed to be saved as part of the public record? Look, I don’t mind you bullshitting me a little bit, Hillary, but don’t you ever lie to me like I’m Montel Williams.”

You don’t have to be an Ivy League lawyer to recognize a coverup when you see one. This goes far beyond anything Richard Nixon did after Watergate. If the coverup is this big, what’s being covered up must be pretty bad, bad enough that they’re willing to blow lots of smoke rather than let us see the fire… 

If there is a smoking gun in the deleted e-mails and it gets releases before the election, say hello to President Trump.

A woman removes a Niqab in her village after Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) took control of it, on the outskirts of Manbij city, Aleppo province.Source:Picture Media

The sight of freedom.

News.com.au reports:

MASSIVE crowds of people are dancing on the streets, singing triumphant songs and clapping while they jump.

They’ve just been liberated from more than two years of oppression under Islamic State, and words can’t even begin to describe their joy.

Last week, Nineveh Council announced Iraqi forces had fully liberated the north city of al-Qayyarah from IS control and raised the Iraqi flag over its buildings. …

Meanwhile, the people of Manbij in Syria have also been liberated from the terror group.

Women are triumphantly ripping off their niqabs — the black face veil they were forced to wear under IS rule — and burning them on the ground.

Men are cutting each other’s beards off with scissors in rejection of the terror group’s decree ordering all men to stop shaving under sharia law.

I’m very proud that New Zealand is playing a small part in helping liberate these people.