Councils could certainly become more financially aware. In auckland they subsidize golf links to the tune of 160 million every year after year after year, why aren't they adopting user pays. We have yacht clubs and marinas paying peppercorn rentals for exclusive use of part of the foreshore and seabed. Why aren't they paying commercial rates.
We are going to have congestion charging, which will impact those who don't have flexible working hours, and don't have sensible access to public transport. Once again the have nots subsidizing the wealthy.
But is THAT what they are talking about? Facilities for the rich being subsidised, or are they sniping at cycleways etc. which give more access to people who can't afford vehicle costs, while at the same time increasing healthy exercise and reducing emissions??
I think most of us agree that there was some spending in every council that got out of hand but I think the issue councils have after listening to Luxon is the “ do as I say, not as I do” approach with ‘ white elephant’ spending- our line by line government taking off tax on smoking substances, canning the ferries incurring penalties, landlord tax rebates, jobs for mates at eye watering daily rates, canning ministries…..and setting up new ones and yes, even tax cuts which are gone before you blink. I am also concerned at the interference intention in local government.
Yes that is what they do. Obfuscate so the bottomfeeders don't see what they are really doing. Stealing more from the bottomfeeders to increase their wealth and privilege.
I'm convinced that Claire and Audrey get together on Monday mornings and see who can produce the most inane, fawning load of obsequeous bullshit about our "wonderful" leadership, headed by the most courageous group of the finest New Zealanders ever assembled. They probably have a bet:the loser buys the champers on Friday.
As for Willis's statement that Simeon Brown can be a "maverick and disruptor" when it comes to launching a new version of Kiwibank, I'm a bit worried about what she means. Surely someone with a degree in Literature would know that synonyms for these qualities include "bohemian, outsider, free thinker, troublemaker" and many more which are anathema to National thinking. I guess that's why she chose politics over writing as a career. It's a lot more flexible about reality, honesty and integrity. She does it well. That's not a recommendation. Mavericks and disruptors always seem to lose in the end.
You can actually imagine this happening with these two! Back in the day, I was offered a position at journalism school or Teacher Training College in Wellie. I chose the later, thinking it might give me more opportunity to be creative,, rather than write in facts🤣Looking at directives for primary teachers now versus the subjective opinions of many poor journalists, doing a bit of googling before creating content very short on research and facts, I think otherwise.
I’ve been an advocate for using Government owned companies as market disrupters for a long time. If we must persist with this neo-liberal “market” is everything stuff, at least let the government put its thumb on the scales to keep the others honest. How does partially selling something help with that? I get that in Kiwibank’s case it’s to do with the amount of money they have in their coffers (capitalisation or something?). Make them the Government’s bank then, instead of an Australian bank. I think Ms Willis just says words she’s heard others say without understanding the implications.
I like to support Aotearoa journalism, but couldn't bring myself to subscribe to the Herald because of this type of "reporting" and this decision has been reinforced 10x since. There is a difference between REPORTING facts & trying to make bias sound like fact. I have no problem with opinion being presented as such, and if it is someone whose opinion I care about I might read it even if I don't always agree with them, but also appreciate places like this newsletter where we get the wider Korero 👍🏾
As for the Ms, Mrs, Miss - as there was little option I opted for "Ms" when a prefix was DEMANDED (on forms, documents, etc.) but yes it is one of those weird misogynist patriarchal hangovers, which has also complicated the trans space, as in WHY do we need to declare gender? I do accept that medication & treatments can be affected by gender (and most past research used mostly male trials which have been problematic) but in daily life WHY??? Interesting discussions to be had eh? i.e. a PARENT, or A MOTHER? or a FATHER?
As a rate-payer and a tax-payer, Luxon is NOT someone who has my confidence that he either understands or cares about the people affected by their shortsighted and often cruel policies. That cartoon is one of the best EVER to sum up perfectly the political bonafides of one person.
I recall looking up the definition of Ms, ‘ doesn't specify whether the woman is married or unmarried. It's used as an equivalent to the masculine 'Mr' to refer to a woman without defining her by her marital.’ And the contemptible manner it was spoken by males at that time, and no doubt remains. A mixture of sexism and ignorance. Yes, Luxflakes spin doctors pounced on an opportunity.
A couple of comments please; Why is it that there is no real noun word, other than girls, that does not include some subservience to boys, it is all Wo-men, fe-male, Mrs or Ms, etc? There is Wahine or Tane, which seems separate, but English seems to always put girls not quite on a par, that is not right in any respect.
The other point is that the media and other interests will continue to push out false information structured to modify behaviour - unless We stop it, legal action is about the only way we have available !!!
There have been books written about how the English language is inherently sexist. This was especially so in the 1980s Two authors I recall are Julia Penelope (a linguist) and Mary Daly (a philosopher). If you are not familiar with them Julia presents an analysis and Mary came up an alternative vocabulary. Where does this structural bias come from? Well that seems to be so long ago that it has been taken for granted that it is just how it is. Anyway I did lots of reading back then that I found very interesting and useful.. You may or may not be familiar with it or find it useful.
We shouldn't be surprised, Nick. Media equals Big Business and has done for many years. Along with that comes right-leaning commentary and dispensing with any pretense of presenting an unbiased view. Right now the media are singing from his songbook so the Chief Crook feels no need to suck up. Watch it change as public opinion shifts to a more critical view, which it will when people stop pretending he's got clothes on.
There was a time when good writing was the mark of a great journalist. Now I suspect for many it's just about counting clicks for their masters. Claire has lost her humour ; she used to write some really funny political (and scathing) pieces and had a way with words. Audrey, well she is Audrey but always defended her because of her good writing, whether I agreed with it or not. I would say both of them have Stockholms syndrome or something similar. The one thing we do enjoy is the Saturday printed copy in Canvas. This week, the ever funny Steve Braunias, a whole piece on women's art, a piece by Bill Bryson on writing and a delicious looking roast chicken recipe. Oh and the horoscopes ; mine says "resist the pressure to change prematurely. What you need is care and not pushing. When you are truly ready to change it will come naturally and effortlessly". As for the Ms thing I can hardly remember why but I think it was a pushback on being judged for not being married and/or being seen as "available". These days, I am just Missus.
You said it Nick this sycophantic opinion writing masquerading as reporting is, and has been now for quite some time, very George Orwell 1984 stuff. Seymour’s new Ministry of Truth is the next step in the process of selling Aotearoa to the donor class. Would be great to see a concerted and organised push bank
More good stuff from you Nick. Thanks for putting words to things I mutter about and occasionally emit a swear word. We all need some shiny things in life and surely Luxon and his crew have many, but to suggest that councils should only be doing maintenance and infrastructure, while important, ignored the fact that we all need some shiny stuff to feed our souls.
I commend you for your unrelenting citicism of the COC.
I wish you would use "it's" correctly. It stands for it is , not for ownership of it, it doesn't merit an apostrophe anymore than hers or his or theirs
Thanks Kathleen, my apologies if I've used "it's" instead of "its" although in my defence I thought I'd mostly used "it's" as a contraction of "it" and "is".
Totally agree msm are asleep at the wheel by design I feel. The amount of ammunition this three headed monster is provideing media report one time then it’s gone , reflecting the way previous govt were utterly and totally badgered day in and day out , I turn on news for first two minutes to get politicle news there is close too nada it is unbelievable if this is allowed too continue 26 will be much closer due too this total complacency by media.
Councils could certainly become more financially aware. In auckland they subsidize golf links to the tune of 160 million every year after year after year, why aren't they adopting user pays. We have yacht clubs and marinas paying peppercorn rentals for exclusive use of part of the foreshore and seabed. Why aren't they paying commercial rates.
We are going to have congestion charging, which will impact those who don't have flexible working hours, and don't have sensible access to public transport. Once again the have nots subsidizing the wealthy.
But is THAT what they are talking about? Facilities for the rich being subsidised, or are they sniping at cycleways etc. which give more access to people who can't afford vehicle costs, while at the same time increasing healthy exercise and reducing emissions??
I think most of us agree that there was some spending in every council that got out of hand but I think the issue councils have after listening to Luxon is the “ do as I say, not as I do” approach with ‘ white elephant’ spending- our line by line government taking off tax on smoking substances, canning the ferries incurring penalties, landlord tax rebates, jobs for mates at eye watering daily rates, canning ministries…..and setting up new ones and yes, even tax cuts which are gone before you blink. I am also concerned at the interference intention in local government.
Yes that is what they do. Obfuscate so the bottomfeeders don't see what they are really doing. Stealing more from the bottomfeeders to increase their wealth and privilege.
Jeepers that's a rort subsidizing wealthy people's recreation I don't blame you for thinking that.
I'm convinced that Claire and Audrey get together on Monday mornings and see who can produce the most inane, fawning load of obsequeous bullshit about our "wonderful" leadership, headed by the most courageous group of the finest New Zealanders ever assembled. They probably have a bet:the loser buys the champers on Friday.
As for Willis's statement that Simeon Brown can be a "maverick and disruptor" when it comes to launching a new version of Kiwibank, I'm a bit worried about what she means. Surely someone with a degree in Literature would know that synonyms for these qualities include "bohemian, outsider, free thinker, troublemaker" and many more which are anathema to National thinking. I guess that's why she chose politics over writing as a career. It's a lot more flexible about reality, honesty and integrity. She does it well. That's not a recommendation. Mavericks and disruptors always seem to lose in the end.
You can actually imagine this happening with these two! Back in the day, I was offered a position at journalism school or Teacher Training College in Wellie. I chose the later, thinking it might give me more opportunity to be creative,, rather than write in facts🤣Looking at directives for primary teachers now versus the subjective opinions of many poor journalists, doing a bit of googling before creating content very short on research and facts, I think otherwise.
I’ve been an advocate for using Government owned companies as market disrupters for a long time. If we must persist with this neo-liberal “market” is everything stuff, at least let the government put its thumb on the scales to keep the others honest. How does partially selling something help with that? I get that in Kiwibank’s case it’s to do with the amount of money they have in their coffers (capitalisation or something?). Make them the Government’s bank then, instead of an Australian bank. I think Ms Willis just says words she’s heard others say without understanding the implications.
She understands alright!
Another excellent piece, thank you Nick. We need to ensure that these swine are a one term aberration......
I like to support Aotearoa journalism, but couldn't bring myself to subscribe to the Herald because of this type of "reporting" and this decision has been reinforced 10x since. There is a difference between REPORTING facts & trying to make bias sound like fact. I have no problem with opinion being presented as such, and if it is someone whose opinion I care about I might read it even if I don't always agree with them, but also appreciate places like this newsletter where we get the wider Korero 👍🏾
As for the Ms, Mrs, Miss - as there was little option I opted for "Ms" when a prefix was DEMANDED (on forms, documents, etc.) but yes it is one of those weird misogynist patriarchal hangovers, which has also complicated the trans space, as in WHY do we need to declare gender? I do accept that medication & treatments can be affected by gender (and most past research used mostly male trials which have been problematic) but in daily life WHY??? Interesting discussions to be had eh? i.e. a PARENT, or A MOTHER? or a FATHER?
As a rate-payer and a tax-payer, Luxon is NOT someone who has my confidence that he either understands or cares about the people affected by their shortsighted and often cruel policies. That cartoon is one of the best EVER to sum up perfectly the political bonafides of one person.
If there was a choice, maybe opt for Mr to confuse them 😁
I recall looking up the definition of Ms, ‘ doesn't specify whether the woman is married or unmarried. It's used as an equivalent to the masculine 'Mr' to refer to a woman without defining her by her marital.’ And the contemptible manner it was spoken by males at that time, and no doubt remains. A mixture of sexism and ignorance. Yes, Luxflakes spin doctors pounced on an opportunity.
A couple of comments please; Why is it that there is no real noun word, other than girls, that does not include some subservience to boys, it is all Wo-men, fe-male, Mrs or Ms, etc? There is Wahine or Tane, which seems separate, but English seems to always put girls not quite on a par, that is not right in any respect.
The other point is that the media and other interests will continue to push out false information structured to modify behaviour - unless We stop it, legal action is about the only way we have available !!!
There have been books written about how the English language is inherently sexist. This was especially so in the 1980s Two authors I recall are Julia Penelope (a linguist) and Mary Daly (a philosopher). If you are not familiar with them Julia presents an analysis and Mary came up an alternative vocabulary. Where does this structural bias come from? Well that seems to be so long ago that it has been taken for granted that it is just how it is. Anyway I did lots of reading back then that I found very interesting and useful.. You may or may not be familiar with it or find it useful.
The structural bias, just part of Herstory I guess…
We shouldn't be surprised, Nick. Media equals Big Business and has done for many years. Along with that comes right-leaning commentary and dispensing with any pretense of presenting an unbiased view. Right now the media are singing from his songbook so the Chief Crook feels no need to suck up. Watch it change as public opinion shifts to a more critical view, which it will when people stop pretending he's got clothes on.
Love it, Nick!!
There was a time when good writing was the mark of a great journalist. Now I suspect for many it's just about counting clicks for their masters. Claire has lost her humour ; she used to write some really funny political (and scathing) pieces and had a way with words. Audrey, well she is Audrey but always defended her because of her good writing, whether I agreed with it or not. I would say both of them have Stockholms syndrome or something similar. The one thing we do enjoy is the Saturday printed copy in Canvas. This week, the ever funny Steve Braunias, a whole piece on women's art, a piece by Bill Bryson on writing and a delicious looking roast chicken recipe. Oh and the horoscopes ; mine says "resist the pressure to change prematurely. What you need is care and not pushing. When you are truly ready to change it will come naturally and effortlessly". As for the Ms thing I can hardly remember why but I think it was a pushback on being judged for not being married and/or being seen as "available". These days, I am just Missus.
One the nail Nick!
You wondered where we might be reading your post.......on my deck, silence, rural landscape, admiring the gardening effort this morning.
Very nice, I like reading on the deck too when the weather allows.
You said it Nick this sycophantic opinion writing masquerading as reporting is, and has been now for quite some time, very George Orwell 1984 stuff. Seymour’s new Ministry of Truth is the next step in the process of selling Aotearoa to the donor class. Would be great to see a concerted and organised push bank
More good stuff from you Nick. Thanks for putting words to things I mutter about and occasionally emit a swear word. We all need some shiny things in life and surely Luxon and his crew have many, but to suggest that councils should only be doing maintenance and infrastructure, while important, ignored the fact that we all need some shiny stuff to feed our souls.
I commend you for your unrelenting citicism of the COC.
I wish you would use "it's" correctly. It stands for it is , not for ownership of it, it doesn't merit an apostrophe anymore than hers or his or theirs
Thanks Kathleen, my apologies if I've used "it's" instead of "its" although in my defence I thought I'd mostly used "it's" as a contraction of "it" and "is".
It’s been great reading your article. Its message obviously resonates with your audience It’s not common these days to find such good writing.
Your not alone Nick. Apparently it's (correct) called the greengrocer's apostrophe. I have no idea why.
😆
Totally agree msm are asleep at the wheel by design I feel. The amount of ammunition this three headed monster is provideing media report one time then it’s gone , reflecting the way previous govt were utterly and totally badgered day in and day out , I turn on news for first two minutes to get politicle news there is close too nada it is unbelievable if this is allowed too continue 26 will be much closer due too this total complacency by media.
On case some haven't seen it, Chris Hipkins speech to Local Govt is like night and day compared to the Clux.
The Daily Blog
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/08/25/chris-hipkins-speech-to-local-government-new-zealand/