General Debate 22 June 2017

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William of Ockham

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All_Red_Herrings you silly old trout. I thought you misread and misrepresented the science and misquoted me deliberately but I realise now it’s just motivated reasoning and vigorous brainwashing. Do you seriously think I am not familiar with the Fyfe et al paper, which you label Santer and give no reference? (Did you see Michael Mann’s name too?) Do you really think I’m not familiar with Karl et al? Tsk!

Listen, I’m not going argue the toss about the rubbish you read on that failed meteorologist’s site, wvw.wattsupyourcrack, or maybe Waffle_Weed’s favourite wvw.dipyourwickzone. It’s all been debunked more often than a sailor’s squeeze.

May was the second warmest May on record. Second warmest. Does that mean the warming has stopped? Of course not. Because until then, every month was warmer than the same month of the preceding year. The last several years are the hottest on record. A person aged 30 has never lived a month when the month wasn’t warmer than that of the year before (yes, yes, not last May. We don’t want you flying off into an empty space on a tangent.)

You do understand a little about variability, right? If you set off from Auckland to drive to Taupo, you go up and down hills. Yes? When you arrive at Taupo you are higher. The 300 km road evens out the hills and valleys but the trend is up. It’s the same looking at climate and weather. Climate is weather averaged over time, usually 30 years. The temperatures go up and down but the trend is up. Inexorably.

So. The temperature trend is up. The hockey stick has been replicated many times. Earth has been retaining more (“extra”) energy since industrialisation. 93% has gone into the oceans, which have warmed slowly (large heat sink). But still the surface temperature is up over 1C; the land more so than the ocean. Most of that warming has been in the last 50 years. The “hiatus” is a “hiccup” not a death rattle.

This increase in temperatures is measured by thermometers. Nothing to do with models. Which are surprisingly skilful but that’s another post. 😉

Global warming ‘hiatus’ debate flares up again. Researchers now argue that slowdown in warming was real. Tollefson
http://www.nature.com/news/global-warming-hiatus-debate-flares-up-again-1.19414

Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, is tired of the entire discussion, which he says comes down to definitions and academic bickering. There is no evidence for a change in the long-term warming trend, he says, and there are always a host of reasons why a short-term trend might diverge — and why the climate models might not capture that divergence. “A little bit of turf-protecting and self-promotion I think is the most parsimonious explanation,” Schmidt says. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

Fyfe et al (2016). https://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v6/n3/full/nclimate2938.html
Karl et al (2015). http://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6242/1469
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2017/may/04/global-warming-scientists-learn-lessons-from-the-pause-that-never-was
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/did-global-warming-really-pause-during-the-2000s/525645/
http://blog.hotwhopper.com/2016/02/global-surface-warming-continues.html
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04052017/global-warming-hiatus-debunked-climate-science
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/06/much-touted-global-warming-pause-never-happened

Now, bury the evidence with a tic tic in the sandbox … like a good little ostrich.
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June 22, 2017 8:01am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  Most sensible comment you have managed to post so far.
  
  Please keep taking the meds because now that they have kicked in, we, the great unwashed, are enjoying the effects.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:03am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    Ah, I see the ploy.
    
    Post a single letter, in your instance q, to secure the spot and then come back with a paste.
    
    Please stop hiding the meds from the nurse.
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:05am
    - stephieboy
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      Paulus Gnome , please desist with your alt right climate denial garbage and ,
      
      “Now, bury the evidence with a tic tic in the sandbox … like a good little ostrich.”
      
      More Pure Gold from our insightful contrarian who at leasts has a vestige of scientific brain.
      
      You, others and All on herrings and Wacky Weed obviously do not!
      
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      June 22, 2017 8:52am
      - DifferentPerspective
        
        SB – Your usual level of ~~lightweight~~ high quality responsiveness in defence of made-up climate alarmism.
        
        Taxation as the answer to everything??? It’s just another socialist wealth transfer strategy whereby the least polluting nations are required to pay the most polluting nations – like all socialist tenets it’s a masterclass in irrationality.
        
        But then – you must be right … because “feelings”.
        
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        June 22, 2017 9:48am
- RalphT
  
  Sorry, captain, I tried
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:03am
- All_on_Red
  
  Dennis,
  As I have stated many times, myself and many others on KB agree that the Planet is warming. We just don’t agree that it is as extreme as some postulate. Your comment about variability is ironic and hilarious. Many sceptics have been saying that for years. And that doesn’t change the fact that Paper by Fyfe, Santor, Mann et al state the models have overstated the warming.You really are quite mental- still I suppose these posts give you something to do!
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:10am
  - stephieboy
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    All on Red Herrings ,
    
    “Now, bury the evidence with a tic tic in the sandbox … like a good little ostrich”
    
    Just leave it at that and spare us further emabassment with your pretence to objective , sane and scientific thinking .
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:55am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Stalker
      “emabassment”- snigger.
      
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      June 22, 2017 9:05am
    - BassilFawlty
      
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9t_KDGqOmE
      
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      June 22, 2017 9:44am
- JIV
  
  June 19, 2017 – 3:20 PM
  
  The “European Institute of Climate and Energy (EIKE), based in Germany, warned here that it is now clear that no one really knows what the current average global temperature is, further stating that the planet is NOT warmer and that measurements do not make any sense.
  
  In 1995 the average temperature of the planet was 15.4 ° C. Today we are told that it is 14.8°C – a new record!
  
  For decades it had been assumed that the average temperature of the 20th century of the planet was 15°C. But all of a sudden this year was reported by all means that 2016 hit a new record heat: 14.8°C!
  
  sandcarioca.wordpress.com
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:11am
  - Odakyu-sen
    
    When I was a little boy, I could leave a pail of water in the field near my house, and there would be 2 cm of ice on the surface after a frosty night.
    Today, if I do that in the same location (at the same time of the year, under equivalent weather) I might get half a cm of ice.
    Can any of you come up with an explanation. Hint: I am comparing the same location but 45 years apart.
    (If no one comes up with an explanation, I will post mine before lunch today.)
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:27am
    - mandk
      
      Has the field been taken over by housing or industrial/commercial development?
      
      If so, that would raise the mean temperature by one or two degrees Celsius.
      
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      June 22, 2017 8:38am
      - Odakyu-sen
        
        mandk,
        
        Yes, you are on to it. In the 1980s with the housing boom, the adjacent fields were converted into housing and parking lots. The thousands of tons of concrete and building structures now act as heat sinks.
        
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        June 22, 2017 8:45am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        The Urban Heat Effect is well known, and has been Known about for decades.
        (well documented for Christchurch by the 1980s)
        http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/1520-0450(1981)020%3C0365:VKECOH%3E2.0.CO%3B2
        It is an absolute scandal that scientists are taking temperatures today from Met sites that are vastly different in nature from how they were some 30 to 100 years previously.
        https://realclimatescience.com/2017/04/bom-hiding-the-heat-before-1910/
        
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        June 22, 2017 8:56am
      - All_on_Red
        
        But but but Maggy, they make adjustments! ( aka alter the data)
        
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        June 22, 2017 9:07am
      - Kleva Kiwi
        
        Yeah, they raise them even more, and adjust the old ones to be cooler.
        
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        June 22, 2017 2:41pm
    - KevOB
      
      Local changes are not global. Look where the temperature measuring stations are located: some by jet aircraft, between hot concrete walls, in poorly maintained screens–the variation and list is endless. Also most of the world has no actual ground station measurements. So models ->data->inference->science??->politics->ill preparedness->possible disaster.
      
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      June 22, 2017 8:53am
    - kowtow
      
      Talking of UHI effect there’s an observatory of very long standing that’s not majorly effected by same.Armagh.
      Here’s a paper from one of its scientists.
      
      Nothing to panic about.
      
      http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.1148/abstract
      
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      June 22, 2017 11:34am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Nothing to do with models.
  
  Well, we’re getting somewhere. The IPCC and all its recommendations are everything to do with models… LOUSY models….
  
  So you want to talk about real, observed temperatures… So do I,
  but unfiddled data, temperatures that haven’t been guessed at, temperatures taken at Met stations that haven’t been “relocated” or overshadowed by a giant airport…..
  http://notrickszone.com/2017/06/17/what-a-mess-spiegel-reveals-scientists-dont-know-real-temperature-of-the-planet/#sthash.fMZWbATq.dpbs
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:14am
  - KevOB
    
    You have good sources.
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:58am
  - holysheet
    
    googled lousy models and look what came up;
    
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0fx-OOWEAQ-KaF.jpg
    
    A photo doesn’t lie
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:15am
- stephieboy
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Wacky Weed , some further examples of those ” 58 “so called scientific papers from” dipyyourwickzone” ?
  
  LOL
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:59am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Unlike you, stephieboy, I post under my own name.
    I would suggest that you look at DPF’s guidelines for commenting here:
    Give other commenters the courtesy of referring to them by the name or alias they use on this blog
    Normally, I couldn’t care less if folks like you call me silly names….. but like our fellow moslems, I do not indulge in mind-altering substances (no alcohol, no drugs, NO WEED).
    
    We are all aware that one of the climate-warming proponents who posts here does indulge in Weed/dope/marijuana…..
    
    Keep your WEED nicknames for your fellow dopers..
    
    Don’t associate my name with WEED again, please.
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:46am
duggledog

What’s this Hobsons Pledge advert that keeps coming up on this website?

HP’s website says vote for a party that will end National’s race based policies but there isn’t one, apart from Winston Peters, and he may well not be able to do anything at all!

So what’s the point of Hobson’s Pledge? Kiwis DKDC
(don’t know don’t care)
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June 22, 2017 8:05am
- cmm
  
  When people are fat and happy they don’t go looking for trouble.
  
  That’s why the lefties are so obsessed with identity politics – it is a way to try make people unhappy and convince them they need more intrusion into their lives to survive.
  
  There’s rugby on the flatscreen, beer in the fridge, pizza’s been ordered no need to be outraged.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:11am
  - Kimbo
    
    Meh. Maori seats have been a pragmatic reality since 1867 (150 years!), so constitutionally New Zealand has not seen or experienced a problem between the races in that time, other than the 1928, 1949 and 1960 All Black tours of South Africa, for which Maori were excluded. Oh, yes, and they were granted the status of “honourary whites” in 1970 and 1976…
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:23am
- peterwn
  
  Received a Hobson’s Pledge brochure a few days ago. It promotes abolishing Maori electorates, Treaty claims etc. It advocates not voting National but does not suggest who to vote for to achieve these objectives. One can only assume it is intended to try and force National to re-tune its policies accordingly.
  Don Brash and a Casey Costello a Maori (part?) business woman who was a police officer for 14 years) are its frontspeople.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:24am
  - ross411
    
    Yes, it looks a bit.. low quality. I actually agreed with everything I read in it, when I got it today. But they don’t say who it is, just some website, and no alternative on the card.
    
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    June 22, 2017 11:16am
Left Right and Centre

Now for some KB humour . . .
What’s the difference between Todd Barclay and Andrew Little ?
About three months.
Hahahahahahahaha
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June 22, 2017 8:05am
- sooty
  
  Or a few days! 23rd tomorrow, the day that cacuss can roll him! Paid for the Hagamans out of the your budget yet?
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:19am
  - ztev
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    Hagamans ?. He was acquitted as the jury didnt return any guilty verdicts
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:24am
    - Pateke
      
      Not in the court of public opinion he wasn’t.
      
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      June 22, 2017 8:29am
      - Pateke
        
        Now I’ve started, i might as well finish. Ztev, your callow disregard for Earl Hagaman sickens me. Earl Hagaman was a good man. He brought his money into NZ, adopted it as his homeland and built a strong profitable business. Along the way he became a significant figure in the hospitality industry where he was admired for his integrity and his philanthropy. You may not understand this Ztev, but a man takes only his reputation with him when he dies. Your hero Little ensured that Earl Hagaman died bereft that bis reputation had been sullied by a cheap shyster who had no regard for reputation, for Little himself has not laid the first brick of his. It also reminds me of a similar disgusting saga by someone you often resemble and I’m sure you know. The saga of Erin Leigh, where a fine young communications consultant was hung out to dry to such an extent that her life was almost, but mercifully not ruined. She is young enough to rebuild her reputation and has taken marvellous steps to do so. Trevor Mallard–J’accuse. Claire Curran–J’accuse! In the case of Earl Hagaman, Andrew Little–J’accuse! Ztev, I was a member of the Labour Party for thirty two years, served on LEC’s and never ever ever in my time did I see such a sorry nastiness and vindictativeness as you display daily in your tweets. I left because of the party’s bitterness and divisiveness and a failure to look at itself in the mirror. Ztev, maybe you should try it sometime. When you shave, look at yourself in the mirror. Do you like what you see? Really? I am truly sorry for you. You will carry this bitterness to your grave. You will not have a reputation to lose.
        Bring on the squirrels.
        
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        June 22, 2017 9:04am
      - Swifty
        
        Exactly. He really showed his true colours over that issue.
        
        Once a union thug, always a union thug – and showed himself absolutely not Prime Minister material.
        
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        June 22, 2017 9:06am
      - Keeping Stock
        
        Even before Mr Hagaman’s body had started to cool, ztev was revelling in his passing. That earned him a ban, and rightly so.
        
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        June 22, 2017 9:07am
    - sooty
      
      Sorry. Should have said have you paid for your lawyers to fight the Hagamans case. (Was in a hurry to go to work.)
      
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      June 22, 2017 3:05pm
      - sooty
        
        I see that Lani Hagaman is to continue with the courtcase against one Andrew Little. There can only be one word bout this. HA HA HA HA HA
        
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        June 22, 2017 4:18pm
- Inandout
  
  You know that the Russians are behind Barclay’s demise, don’t you?
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:39am
  - sooty
    
    I thought the SJW said that Trump was. He was in the country last weekend!
    
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    June 22, 2017 3:07pm
lifesgood

You have to laugh at team Oracle cruising alongside Team NZ with a massive camera lens ‘spying’. They look ridiculous and are so obvious it can only be a desperate attempt to spook Team NZ. Come on, yanks, you can do better than that, we are made of sterner stuff.
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June 22, 2017 8:06am
- cmm
  
  “Better than that” for the Yanks probably involves some Navy Seals and C4.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:13am
sooty

Labour import 85 unpaid interns to assist with the election. Where they chinese? What’s wrong with hiring New Zealanders, Andrew? The cost to bring them here and acommidation etc, could have paid wages. You are penny pinching. Are you going to flop on this Angry?
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June 22, 2017 8:17am
- 4077th
  
  More likely they will be apoplectic snowflakes from L.A. the sanctuary city capitol of the US. I would hazard a guess that not a single Chinese person will be voting for Labour or Winston.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:27am
- Keeping Stock
  
  The hypocrisy of Labour importing foreigners when they have just announced a policy to slash foreign student numbers is breathtaking.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:31am
  - Swifty
    
    The end justifies the means KS.
    
    Once again they show themselves as utterly unprincipled.
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:08am
  - Happychappy
    
    I would like to know how a former Union Leader is allowed to rort the system and use people for slave labour under false pretence. They have obviously not received what they were promised so it must be flouting the Law.
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:12am
- KevOB
  
  “Labour import 85 unpaid interns”
  
  Need more details please. This is serious.
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:07am
Scott

When he came into office Donald Trump decided that Hillary Clinton had had enough and stopped the investigation into her use of emails and the Clinton foundation.

That was a wonderful gracious gesture for Trump to do. However in return the faithless Democrats have pushed a narrative that Donald Trump is a Manchurian candidate who is in league with the Russians to steal the election from Hillary Clinton. Now having found no evidence they have immediately moved on to obstruction of justice when Donald Trump suggested to James Comey that he go easy on General Flynn.

If we apply that logic then Donald Trump’s stopping of the investigation of Hillary Clinton is obstruction of justice as well. Because with Hillary Clinton we have circumstantial evidence of a crime. The ties with the Clinton foundation and the granting of access to Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State in exchange for substantial donations to the Clinton foundation are at least circumstantial evidence of deep corruption.

Given the general climate I would suggest that Trump should go back onto the offence and reopen investigations into Hillary Clinton’s email server, the Clinton foundation, Loretta Lynch’s clandestine meeting with Bill Clinton and former President Obama’s surveillance of the Trump campaign.

He should immediately reopen those investigations and pursue them with vigour. And he should demand that every Republican get behind this and stop recusing themselves. The Democrats certainly don’t do it, they never recuse themselves from anything. It’s time for the Republicans to play hardball. That way the Democrats will realise there is a price to be paid for these endless investigations and this will act as a deterrent from them pursuing these type of actions again.
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June 22, 2017 8:21am
- ztev
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  You havent been awake. Trump cant stop -or start- any investigation.
  They have trawled through all Clintons actions and each time there is ‘nothing there’
  Now its Trumps turn, I think they will find nothing there too but maybe not as clear cut for some aides and hangers on. It was the same with all the Iran – Contra stuff during Reagans years
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:28am
  - Duxton
    
    “A couple of Obama appointees quickly looked at some of Clinton’s actions, but didn’t go too far because of the damage that a proper investigation would have caused the Democratic Party.”
    
    There – fixed it for you.
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:31am
    - stephieboy
      
      Duxton, what did biased partisan Tray Gowdy come up with that numerous other bi partisan Benghazi investigations did not ?
      
      “There – fixed it for you.”
      
      What – ” fixed it for you” ?
      
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      June 22, 2017 9:03am
  - Scott
    
    ztev– You are doubtless going to get the prize as the most hard left commentator on this blog. Congratulations because you have had stiff opposition.
    
    However in the real world everyone knows that Hillary Clinton did all of her business as Secretary of State on an unsecured email whose server was in the basement of her house and whose security was no more than the average Gmail account. This despite the fact that she was supposed to guard state secrets by using a government server.
    
    Now given this flagrant violation of protocol, the breaching of which would have landed any other US citizen in jail, one wonders why did Hillary Clinton take such a risk?
    
    The answer is that she did not want her emails subject to freedom of information act and regulatory oversight. In other words she had something to hide. What was this something?
    
    The answer is that she was peddling favour and influence and literally hundreds of millions of dollars into her Clinton foundation. Meanwhile Bill Clinton made $150 million in speaking fees to corporations and countries that were involved with the Clinton foundation.
    
    Why did countries like Saudi Arabia donate millions of dollars to the Clinton foundation? Was it because they are just charitable people? Or did they want influence with the then Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton?
    
    Those are the sort of questions that actually need investigating. Because there is plenty of circumstantial evidence for criminal activity of long-standing and huge scope. There is something there.
    
    This is in marked contrast to the Trump Russia scandal where despite months of feverish activity by the Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media not one piece of actual evidence of wrongdoing and collusion has been discovered.
    
    So Trump should direct the FBI to reopen the investigation into Hillary Clinton and the Clinton foundation. He has totally the power and authority to do it as head of the executive branch of government.
    
    It’s called fighting fire with fire. The Democrats need to pay a price for their blatant obstructionism and outrageous conspiracy theories.
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:45am
    - Paulus
      
      But if Trump ordered the FBI to look back at the Clintons they would not do it or lie whatever.
      They are as corrupt as the Clintons, as is now being shown, and in no way could they be trusted to be honest and reliable.
      They have been a law entirely unto themselves for many years.
      
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      June 22, 2017 2:05pm
- KevOB
  
  The rule of fair play are extinguished if the other party doesn’t accept.
  The convention in the past was exile or execution to a ill behaving loser. Government has to be able to continue without harassment.
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:09am
Keeping Stock

Andrew Little: “Hooray; we’ve really got Bill English on the rack”

Matt McCarten: “Hold my chardonnay”

http://politik.co.nz/en/content/politics/1124/Labour-Party-volunteer-workers-rebel-over-living-conditions-Labour-party-Matt-McCarten-Andrew-Kirton.htm
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June 22, 2017 8:22am
- ztev
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Does it involve lies , slush funds and FU letters to the Police ?
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:31am
  - Keeping Stock
    
    Fuck off ztev. You guys have been busted, even if you’ve persuaded everyone apart from Richard Harman to look the other way.
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:36am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    I didn’t realise that you were involved
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:38am
- Left Right and Centre
  
  Looks like Labour can’t even deal with their own ‘housing crisis’ – let alone anyone else’s.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:49am
- simpleton1
  
  Would those interns be on a tourist visa?.
  Then it is illegal ! !
  
  They would require a work permit.
  If they have, then they are taking work away from kiwis.
  
  You must not expect or receive gain or reward for the volunteer work you do.
  -accommodation, such as board or lodging
  -goods, such as food or clothing
  -services, such as transport
  -training
  https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/already-have-a-visa/my-situation-has-changed/visit/can-i-do-unpaid-work-while-visiting-new-zealand
  
  If they have work visas then it has been planned for some time, as it not so fast and easy to obtain.
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:04am
  - Reid
    
    If they have work visas then it has been planned for some time, as it not so fast and easy to obtain.
    
    Yes, and you have to prove no NZ citizen or resident can do the work.
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:39am
    - Rich Prick
      
      Although in this case, we could probably safely assume that no New Zealander would want to do the work.
      
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      June 22, 2017 10:04am
- Swifty
  
  WTF? They couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery!
  
  Thanks for bringing this to our attention KS – what a total cock up!
  
  This is very bad for Labour!
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:13am
  - Reid
    
    This is very bad for Labour!
    
    It would be if we had a real media, but the one we currently have will make sure the wider public never get to hear about it.
    
    18 1
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    June 22, 2017 9:40am
- KevOB
  
  Careers in politics? I should promote a Bill setting a minimum age of forty and maximum term of 9 years.
  
  How did Labour get these people here? What visas?
  
  How are their costs going to be accounted for? They are not free and even if they were, they should be treated as am imputed cost.
  
  The smell has turned to stink once again. Labour are shameless in trying a new rort.
  Government?–Good riddance! We don’t want this noxious infection in NZ.
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:21am
kowtow

Thank goodness ramadan’s nearly over and terror attacks will drop off a bit, nothing to do with religion of course.

“FLINT, Mich. — An airport here was evacuated after an airport police officer was stabbed, and a law enforcement official said the FBI was looking at terrorism as a possible motive.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/06/21/officer-injured-michigan-airport-fbi-investigating/103073518/
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June 22, 2017 8:25am
Keeping Stock

Did anyone seriously believe Andrew Little when he said in September last year that McCarten wouldn’t be campaigning on taxpayer funds?

Labour leader Andrew Little says his adviser Matt McCarten’s taxpayer-funded salary is within the rules because McCarten will be doing “outreach” work for Little rather than campaign work.

McCarten is leaving his job as Little’s chief of staff to head a new Auckland office for Little as part of Little’s election year strategy.

That office was on a lease taken out by the Labour Party but Little’s Parliamentary budget was paying for some of it at market rates under a sublease agreement.

Staff would be a mix of party workers and those, including McCarten, whose salaries were paid out of Little’s Parliamentary budget.

Parliament’s rules provide some flexibility on how political parties use their staffing allocations but prohibit taxpayer-paid staff from campaigning. That includes trying to sign up party members, get donations or ask for votes. However, there has always been a thin line between Parliamentary and campaign-related work, especially for those in more political positions.

Little said McCarten’s work was not campaigning but “outreach” for Little such as organising events and meetings when Little was in Auckland.

He denied he was trying to use taxpayer funds for campaign-related work, saying party work would be done by party workers in the same office rather than McCarten and other Parliamentary-funded staff.

“I know the level of scrutiny that is applied to Parliamentary Services funding. We are always looking to make sure we are well within the rules, not just the written word but the spirit of it as well. That will continue to apply in every appointment I make, every activity I do.”

He said there was nothing unusual about the arrangement.

Little got defensive after further questions, saying the media could “pick apart employment arrangements” but he was more concerned with the issues facing Aucklanders such as housing and burglaries.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11704572

Now we know that Matt McCarten’s “outreach” has been recruiting foreign students, bringing them to New Zealand where they are put up in a doss-house and are sent out each day, unpaid, to campaign against the government that pays McCarten’s salary from taxpayer funds.

The Auditor-General needs to be looking into this rort by Labour and Andrew Little. The hypocrisy of him attacking National this week for rorting the taxpayer is breathtaking. And the fact that Labour’s general secretary Andrew Kirton is having to defend McCarten shows that Labour’s grubby fingerprints are all over this.
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June 22, 2017 8:26am
- VicParking
  
  Audit will do nothing. They do nothing, the police do nothing each election cycle. Parties ( all) rort the system while the powers to be look the other way.
  This election liebour will evan have the Mayor of Auckland campaigning for them.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:47am
  - Keeping Stock
    
    Immigration NZ might, if 85 people are doing things expressly forbidden by their conditions of entry to NZ.
    
    31 0
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    June 22, 2017 9:00am
    - simpleton1
      
      If on tourist visa as I mentioned above, (with link), big problems.
      The 3 month time phase does sound like a tourist visa situation.
      
      Working holiday is dished out for a year, whether one uses it for that period or much less.
      
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      June 22, 2017 9:12am
  - KevOB
    
    The Audit Office are quite vigorous in following up anything to do improper use of public moneys.
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:26am
    - DifferentPerspective
      
      And then doing absolutely nothing at all about it…..
      
      10 0
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      June 22, 2017 9:52am
    - Paulus
      
      Even if the Audit Office find irregularities with these students in the future nothing will be done about it anyway as usual.
      Too late.
      Immigration should look at it now.
      
      5 0
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      June 22, 2017 2:12pm
- KevOB
  
  I will be reporting it today for the AG’s consideration.
  The more who do so the better.
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:23am
  - KevOB
    
    Done.
    
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    June 22, 2017 10:56am
oldpark

The Todd Barclay caper. Talk about the charge of the light brigade. Our pathetic so called Mainstream Media smelling blood,went on full assault against the very popular natural Government of New Zealand ,National.From the taxpayer funded Marxist Radio NZ to the Liebour/Green controlled TVNZ,and Print media supported by the prince of whimps Angry Andy Little,as well as Winston Peters with his team of no names,or is it no chances,who still cant spell yes when he says NO. They spewed out a tsunami of negativity and criticism,against our man for all reasons and seasons Bill English, who has followed on from his predecessor John Key,keeping NZ the way most common sense people want it. Once more Bill English ,with his steadying hand ,is ahead of potential pretenders ,who want to turn NZ into another Europe. Bad news for them,as Bill said the bad news vitrolic media ratbags,assisted by people who show know better,should go and do something useful for our nation,and start putting some promotion into Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.At least they should be good at that,as it is real shit we are drawing attention to ,not Bill English,or National Government.
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June 22, 2017 8:27am
- ztev
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Thats a first ! A Shout out for Bowel cancer Awareness Month. Colostomy bags for all.
  
  0 34
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  June 22, 2017 8:34am
  - Don the Kiwi
    
    “…..Colostomy bags for all”.
    
    – Attached to your mouth.
    
    14 1
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    June 22, 2017 10:50am
    - Gabby
      
      Full of donkey wee.
      
      2 7
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      June 22, 2017 12:21pm
- Paulus
  
  Remember in the Barclay affair the protagonist went on to work for Peters.
  It is said that she has had any years of close personal knowledge of the previous member, and his family – the now Prime Minister and could be seen to be serving Peters well with information, which appears to be keep suddenly arising about English by Peters in Parliament.
  It is said that Peters will not talk to English after the election if English is still Prime Minister.
  Whatever it is, it is becoming a very personal feud.
  
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  June 22, 2017 2:18pm
kowtow

Eurodouble speak, when is a ghetto not a ghetto?

When it’s an “especially vulnerable area”. Shhhhhh , don’t mention Muslims.

https://www.thelocal.se/20170621/no-go-zones-what-you-need-to-know-about-swedens-vulnerable-aeas
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June 22, 2017 8:28am
kowtow

Here’s another scary one from Europe. The elites controlling the message,as usual.

“Orban, not Merkel, was supposed to speak at Kohl memorial: report”

https://www.thelocal.de/20170621/orban-not-merkel-was-supposed-to-speak-at-kohl-memorial-report
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June 22, 2017 8:34am
Odakyu-sen

No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Today’s Herald: “About 250 homeless and beleaguered survivors of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire will be rehoused permanently in a £2 billion ($3.5b) luxury Kensington development, it was revealed today.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11880379

As an interesting social research experiment, it would be fascinating to document the condition of the units prior to the Grenfell people moving in, and then at later periods (say, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years…). It would be interesting to compare wear-and-tear rates with occupant
– drug use
– habits of indoor cooking over non-standard naked flames
– static vs. dynamic occupant numbers
– children vs. no children
– ethnicity
– religious affinity
– level of education
– pets vs. no pets
– sub-letting vs. no sub-letting
– family size
– etc. (care to add more comparisons?)
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June 22, 2017 8:39am
- Duxton
  
  Directly under the ‘pets vs no pets bit’ entry:
  – ‘pets that are killed and eaten by neighbours’
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:42am
  - Odakyu-sen
    
    I say, Duxton! That is a bit low.
    (Still, you could have done worse with ‘occupants that are killed and eaten by neighbours’) but that would be pushing it, even for a forum of this caliber.
    
    (OK. I will go and stand in the naughty corner…)
    
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    June 22, 2017 8:49am
    - GoVege
      
      Maybe it’s not so low.
      Apparently in Bali the locals have been feeding the tourists DOG disguised as chicken.
      They say the Bali males thinks it makes them more virile.
      (The usual reason for killing/ eating companion or endangered animals. )
      
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      June 22, 2017 8:25pm
- stephieboy
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Odakyu-sen, not surprsing that you’re turning a tragedy into an alt right racially, ethnic and religiously based hate and abuse fest
  
  1 34
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  June 22, 2017 9:07am
  - Odakyu-sen
    
    Oh goody!
    I have been validated with the stephieboy “Seal of Approval” (A golden acorn with oak-leaf cluster, embossed with the image of a squirrel).
    
    32 1
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    June 22, 2017 9:20am
- EAD_TWO
  
  Just saw that on the news Odakyu. Lavishing such vast sums on these 3rd world invaders is just so profoundly wrong and so utterly unfair all the while ex British Servicemen are out on the street.
  
  This sort of perverse, provocative wastefulness almost brings me to despair.
  
  The day of the rope can’t come soon enough.
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:54am
- Rich Prick
  
  How to make £1m. Start out with a £2b housing development and fill it with third world Stone Agers.
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:21am
- Paulus
  
  Most from the tragic fire are of course immigrants from the Middle East with very large extended families. It is reported that up to 15 people were in one apartment. Many who got out disappeared after the fire as they did not want to be “registered” by any authorities.
  They will turn up elsewhere with new names etc.
  Most do not appear to have any job and no likelihood of getting one as they do not even speak English. Taxpayers are looking after them anyway so why work.
  
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  June 22, 2017 2:23pm
G152

I now look forward to all people convicted of crimes through CCTV evidence to be cleared of those crimes as liebor, peters party and the greens have demonstrated such monitoring of people is illegal
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June 22, 2017 8:40am
- rightoverlabour
  
  I posted this yesterday and am reposting as I think it deserves debate.
  
  This whole recording thing is starting to bug me. We get recorded without our knowledge all the time. At ATMs, on the motorways , by the fucking traffic wardens on bus lanes, everytime you phone a company ( although they do tell you) by google as you walk around… So I think some smart arse lawyer with nothing to do, needs to do a test case…..
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:44am
- rangitoto
  
  The police say it’s ok if you pretend to be a journalist.
  
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  June 22, 2017 11:17am
VicParking

RNZ “Change the Government” update.
Winston their main weapon today, let to go on and on. Minister of health, interupted, overtalked.
Did not help that Bill shot himself in the foot yesterday during question time. To stop the Barclay “crime” dying the death it deserves, they are interviewing any tom dick and Gore Mayor they can get to say anything. It seems the green dont want cows to piss on the grass anyone. 35% drop in New Zealands dairy business wirh no compensation for the thousands of workers made redunandant. The Sage (Eugenie) pontificates again.
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June 22, 2017 8:40am
lifesgood

WO continues its all out assault on National and Bill English. Not sure what the motivation is but it certainly seems like a vendetta and hell of a boring.
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June 22, 2017 8:44am
- Keeping Stock
  
  He’s thrown his lot in with Winston.
  
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  June 22, 2017 8:50am
- Left Right and Centre
  
  An arsehole just keeps producing more shit, doesn’t it ?
  
  25 1
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  June 22, 2017 8:53am
  - Left Right and Centre
    
    Irony alert – yeah, well. I’m just a small beer common garden farkwit.
    
    6 1
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    June 22, 2017 9:06am
    - VicParking
      
      He has more people banned from commenting than he has people commenting.
      
      13 1
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      June 22, 2017 11:08am
- Garbageman
  
  He is still crying his tears of impotent rage over the bums rush that John Key gave him so he certainly wont relent on English after his sainted JC got passed over for the top job, quite sad really that the once brilliant blog has turned into a place of vindictiveness and spite
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:24am
  - lifesgood
    
    What amazes me when I have the now very rare peek at his blog is the number of sycophants he continues to attract. They will blindly agree with literally everything he says. I have a feeling BE being Catholic doesn’t help matters in WO’s view.
    As for throwing his hat in with Winston, well good luck to him.
    
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    June 22, 2017 11:22am
    - oldpark
      
      Is he a well man,has his site lost its attraction, or is it ,a modern way to get donations,without begging in the street. Has he been bitten with snake oil venom,compliments of the other pest, called Peters.
      
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      June 22, 2017 1:30pm
lastmanstanding

As a life long National supporter who first voted way back in 1972 (when they lost and Big Norm won) its going to be very difficult to give them 2 ticks come 23 September.

Their governance this term has been appalling with 2017 threaten to surpass the Clark years in terms of truly appalling governance and those years were shockers.

Conflicts of interest.
Lack of disclosure
Lack of transparency
Lack of quality fiscal control
Lack of political management,

The list goes on.

So I am faced with either spoiling my voting paper ( I will always vote to respect my grandfather and father WW1 and WW2 even though the Left scorn and laugh at me)

or give ACT both ticks which is likely as I am moving to what the Box forcers ( you know you have to fit in one their boxes) call the far Right.

I call it minimal interference in my life and removing the current command and control governance that pervades.

Small government therefore large personal responsibility large opportunity to get on with life free from the fiscal and legal controls.

That what citizens with a brain should want.
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June 22, 2017 8:45am
- Left Right and Centre
  
  Anti blue equals pro green. Least worst and all that. Tally ho.
  
  20 2
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  June 22, 2017 8:56am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Harden up lastman. Hold your nose.
  
  17 3
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  June 22, 2017 9:01am
  - Left Right and Centre
    
    Exactly – keep those transgender LGBTWTFBLT toilets out of parliament buildings as long as possible.
    
    22 2
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    June 22, 2017 9:10am
- DifferentPerspective
  
  You are going to be sadly disappointed if you think voting for ACT is a vote or anything to the right of the centre!
  
  On the more important issues – Seymour (there is no ACT anymore) is as watery-weak Labour Lite as National is. When he steps up on refugees and muslimification of our nation then he’ll be worth thinking about – but until he does ACT will remain forever on the margin.
  
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  June 22, 2017 9:58am
- KevOB
  
  You do sound a bit disillusioned.
  
  However this is NZ the way most of us want it and many others judging by the immigration influx.
  Its possible to create a society where everyone is compelled to be responsible solely for themselves and if you have ever lived in one you will know that people band together there too to form mutual cooperative groups. Even in the days of hermits they were brought food. Some of the poor don’t survive.
  
  Mobility has intervened so that we live and work outside our villages. The common responsibility we have for support of parents and close family members has not changed. To ignore that is unthinkable so we insure for it through government. Taxation has that social insurance as an important element. Privately that can be exploited.
  
  NZ is fortunate as we have good fiscal management by world standards. It will never be perfect at any one moment as change is constant as is response which even at its best can be well lagging. Our mutual society has been extended from a neighborhood village to the whole country.
  
  Act remind us of prudence but there is no going back. Labour remind us of the days when workers were not valued and have now largely lost their reason for existence. The Greens lure the fearful without cause and will stay that way. The Maori party are attending to a lost people. NZ First minds the borders and wine bottles. National walks a middle ground redressing the balance after any temporary shift in power.
  
  Labour and its potential coalition parties don’t this time around have the ability to govern. We can’t afford to let that disaster happen so 2 ticks blue are needed. I am sure Act will be ceded a seat by National as previously.
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:15am
  - GoVege
    
    “The Maori Party are attending to a lost people “?
    More like they are leading them closer to the abyss and the rest of us are roped on and going over the edge with them.
    
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    June 22, 2017 5:25pm
- GoVege
  
  Vote Labour LMS.
  At least they don’t suck up to the racist sexist Maori Party.
  
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  June 22, 2017 12:57pm
  - GoVege
    
    Anything is better than the Maori Party isn’t it?
    Except maybe the Muslim Brotherhood…..
    
    1 2
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    June 22, 2017 5:03pm
Manolo

Some Italian organisations have seen and had enough of the invaders:
http://www.ilmessaggero.it/primopiano/cronaca/migranti_lettera_di_18_associazioni_italiane_a_governo_ed_europarlamentari_cambio_di_rotta_sulla_gestione_del_accoglienza-2517718.html
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June 22, 2017 8:46am
All_on_Red

The look on the faces of these CNN stooges is priceless when they learn Ossoff lost the Special Election
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DC1AjRGUIAASb9-?format=jpg&name=large
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June 22, 2017 9:02am
- stephieboy
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  All on Red ( little ostrich ( , I understand a close race in a traditionally Republican dominated district
  
  Be good little ostrich instead ,,
  
  “Now, bury the evidence with a tic tic in the sandbox … like a good little ostrich”
  
  2 35
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  June 22, 2017 9:11am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Speaking of evidence Churchboy, still denying Evolution down at St Albans and praising your Sky Fairy’s Creationism?
    LOL
    
    13 1
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    June 22, 2017 9:16am
  - DifferentPerspective
    
    I see you are back to parroting again SB – it’s funny that you should mention ostriches. Especially when you seem to be exhibiting such clear symptoms of OSP – ostrich parasitic syndrome.
    
    Still, who’s a pretty polly then?
    
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    June 22, 2017 10:03am
Captain Mainwaring

Fascinating interview by Hosking this morning with Ian Wright, the ex-Tesla Kiwi guy who’s now building electric trucks in the US.
You wouldn’t get a more enthusiastic electric-propulsion guy than him, but the following points he made were very revealing.
1. Electric trucks only work in an urban, short-haul environment. Garbage trucks, concrete trucks, transit buses etc. And they can only get acceptable range with an on-board diesel or gas-turbine generator to keep the battery topped up.
2. Without the generator, the battery would be so big and heavy that it would take up half the payload of the vehicle and cost US$500,000.
3. He is anti any subsidies for electric vehicles, saying that if the market can’t make them work they’re unsustainable.
4. As far as small electric vehicles are concerned, he can’t see them getting anywhere near cost- competitive with light petrol vehicles in his lifetime (and he’s only 50-odd).

Very interesting, he basically poo-pooed all the ‘experts’ who are predicting that we won’t be able to buy a petrol car by 2030.
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June 22, 2017 9:11am
- BassilFawlty
  
  Agreed, a very good interview with a very knowledgeable innovator, not looking for a handout, a refreshing change these days.
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:36am
- Colville
  
  I am pretty sure the “expert” said we wouldnt be able to buy a petrol car in 8 years. 2025.
  
  Wot a fucking joke.
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:40am
Rich Prick

Charming. Nothing like a good head-banging session at the mosque to get all inspired.

Before making his weeping son kneel and close his eyes, Samuel told his other children, aged 7, 9 and 10, to fetch sheets as he didn’t want blood to get on the floor. He then told his children not to watch and “look away so you don’t see all the blood”. The incident, which ended with Samuel laughing at his terrified son, occurred in his Hastings house on February 26, after he and his children had returned from prayers at the Hastings mosque.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/93929571/hawkes-bay-father-puts-fiveyearold-son-through-mockexecution-and-laughs
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June 22, 2017 9:36am
- ross411
  
  Let us remember that Mohammed married Aisha when she was 6 and consummated the marriage at age 9. That a Muslim should treat children badly, is part of the faith.
  
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  June 22, 2017 12:12pm
- Postitrote
  
  The guy has a history of violence and tried to use his culture as some kind of justification for bashing his kids on a regular basis. Take away the muslim bit and he’s still a disgusting creature.
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:20pm
  - GoVege
    
    It IS his culture…just most of them won’t admit it.
    
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    June 22, 2017 5:07pm
Longknives

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/93482083/former-olympian-blake-skjellerup-says-sport-can-do-more-for-homophobia

“Skjellerup was disappointed this year when the ‘Pride round’ of super rugby, NRL and netball was practically non-existent with just a small amount of players showing any support with rainbow laces on their boots.”
“”Personally, I do not believe it is that hard to establish code of conduct..”

So what this guy (has anyone even ever heard of him?) seems to be suggesting is that NRL and Super Rugby players should be forced to wear ‘Rainbow’ laces on their boots and/or pretty ribbons in their hair during Pride Week??
Wow- Talk about Forcing an Agenda…
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June 22, 2017 9:43am
dime

how bout some morning Dice..

“Jack & Jill went up the hill,
both with a buck and a quarter,
Jill came down with $2.50,
that f*cking whore”
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June 22, 2017 9:47am
dime

Gotta feel for this poor Otto Warmbier kid.

Im sure the Obama administartion did everything they could do help him out..

Trump is no doubt working on getting the other 3 yanks out.

N. Korea need a fucking good carpet bombing.
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June 22, 2017 9:59am
- ross411
  
  Sure, I feel sorry for him, but come on, he dicked around in a repressive communist country.
  
  If he wasn’t willing to behave himself, he shouldn’t have either gone there, or been allowed to go there if he was not mentally fit to make the decision himself.
  
  Regardless of the state of North Korea, also regardless of what Gareth “It’s a wonderful place” Morgan says about it, we should all take responsibility for our actions.
  
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  June 22, 2017 12:15pm
  - dime
    
    yeah, there is def a lesson there for others.
    
    he was a kid though.
    
    poor bastard. imagine what he went through.
    
    6 1
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    June 22, 2017 12:40pm
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    Maybe he tried to take a poster, but maybe not; would you trust the Norks to report truthfully? Norks like to have a few hostages and a 15year hard labour sentence for a poster seems only designed to wind up the pressure on the USA a bit.
    
    USA should start sneakily sinking Nork military boats to crank on the pressure.
    
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    June 22, 2017 3:40pm
B.L.Zeebub

Pat Condell in fine fettle,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdG57lgHFaA

Hello angry losers….lol.
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June 22, 2017 10:01am
Reid

So far, there have been four special elections for Congress — each deemed by the Democrats and the mainstream media “a referendum on President Trump.”

Here’s how the Democrats have fared:

1. Loss.
2. Loss.
3. Loss.
4. Loss..

Now, if a baseball team goes 0-4, the manager might start thinking about making some changing, flipping the batter order, resting a few tired players — or even something more fundamental, like his entire approach to the game. But not those Democrats. They just keep hyping the same tired message, and Republicans keep stepping up…

This was the most expensive house race ever. The lefties spent $24m to the GoP’s $3m.

And this is what happened

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-20/live-updates-georgias-special-election.
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June 22, 2017 10:09am
- dime
  
  yeah, they are cutting up nasty too lol
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:10am
- Reid
  
  And this is what happened…
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:17am
Ross12

We need a inquiry into the Russian activity!!!
So we keep hearing from the Democrats. Now we have the idiots blocking the hearing of testimony from the very people they want to smash –they need more time apparently ( 12 months isn’t enough !!). They will make a comedy movie about this one day.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/democrats-block-witnesses-testifying-house-intel-probe/
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June 22, 2017 10:16am
- Reid
  
  They will make a comedy movie about this one day.
  
  They damn well should but to take a serious note, for those who don’t think the media is controlled, then how the hell do they explain not only how they ALL behaved during the POTUS campaign but why they continue to behave like this, to this day. And remember, NO evidence for Russian involvement has ever been produced, it’s all innuendo and hearsay. Don’t you think if they had anything solid they would have fronted with it by now? Of course they would have.
  
  So as I say, to those who think it’s simply outrageous to hallucinate the media is controlled because it couldn’t possibly be, there would have to be too many people involved, etc etc etc; I ask: well, how do you explain this behaviour then?
  
  Remember, all you need to achieve this level of control is to have your people in a few key positions and they just appoint either idiots or people who are willing to sell themselves into the lower ranks. That’s all you need to do.
  
  Something is clearly going on, isn’t it. This is obvious, isn’t it. It cannot be denied, can it. So if it’s not what I just said is happening, then what the fuck IS happening?
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:24am
  - ross411
    
    There is more evidence the moon landing was faked.
    
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    June 22, 2017 12:24pm
    - stephieboy
      
      ross411, ask Reid as he is ( like you) on to it as well as most other moronic conspiracy theories .
      
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      June 22, 2017 2:37pm
MCos

Going by the particularly nasty spread of comments on display it seems a few people got out of bed on the wrong side this morning.
I suppose if the ABs lose & Spitall wins, Sunday morning will be a barrel of laughs.
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June 22, 2017 10:18am
- Gabby
  
  Blimey, Matt McCarsehole’s slimy commie tentacles don’t stretch that far do they
  
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  June 22, 2017 12:15pm
- RalphT
  
  Surely if both were to happen there would be no Sunday morning?
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:45pm
Manolo

Pelosi, the ultimate Champagne-socialist, will be there until she turns 100:
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/21/nancy-pelosi-fallout-georgia-special-election-239804

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats put a brave face on Wednesday morning after a disappointing loss in the Georgia special election, yet there is no disguising the unhappiness in the party ranks.
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June 22, 2017 10:20am
DifferentPerspective

Trump still winning, and winning and winning

Georgia on my mind anti-democracy haters of Trump! So another Trump supporter wins for the Republicans (special thanks to the Bernie supporter who shot up Scalise at baseball practice for showing why the Dems aren’t fit for government – AGAIN).

So, despite huge out of state money being thrown in to support the Dems candidate – a strong Trump supporter still got elected. The Dems wanted to prove the bogus DNC/MSM attack line on Trump was actually electorally true – but again, they failed.

CNN so sad
Just look how sad this made the champions of fake news – CNN.

Just like Katie Bradford “no matter what we tell them, the polls just don’t seem to be shifting at all”.

Poor CNN – they’ve gone all-in on the fake news anti-Trump line and they keep on losing!
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June 22, 2017 10:21am
- wiseowl
  
  Great Trump rally on Fox at present.
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:10pm
Chuck Bird

I wonder if this scum is a refugee. If so should he be deported?

Hawke’s Bay father puts 5-year-old son through mock execution and laughs

http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/93929571/hawkes-bay-father-puts-fiveyearold-son-through-mockexecution-and-laughs
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June 22, 2017 10:28am
- Inandout
  
  His children will still be locked in to the local mosque, having their damaged minds further poisoned. This Maori convert was obviously unhinged to start with, and Muslims encourage these types to join the cause.
  
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  June 22, 2017 11:40am
- Rich Prick
  
  The deeply disturbing thing is that those children aged 7, 9 and 10 appear to know precisely what was about to happen.
  
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  June 22, 2017 11:43am
  - GoVege
    
    Then they must have been taught about people being beheaded for trivial “offences” against Islam.
    Obviously brain-washing of impressionable and vulnerable kids is going on in our country.
    Surely this is against our laws?
    
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    June 22, 2017 12:35pm
    - Rich Prick
      
      You would hope so. But with the amount of “diversity” presented by this case, I doubt CYFS (or whatever it’s called these days) will go near it.
      
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      June 22, 2017 12:46pm
    - Postitrote
      
      The kids were living in an environment where their dad abused them on a near daily basis and they had come to expect the beatings. I think the brainwashing here comes from within the whanau.
      If it suits you to blame religion for this piece of shit’s behaviour then so be it, but in my eyes, that argument isn’t too different from the ‘blame poverty’ line some on the left like to run every time a child is murdered by a parent in New Zealand.
      
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      June 22, 2017 3:55pm
      - GoVege
        
        I reckon he got it from both.
        But usually the family/whanau has the biggest influence.
        
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        June 22, 2017 5:15pm
- GoVege
  
  No Chuck…he would be tagata whenua.
  They are half way there to being Muslims…just like most other Polynesians…
  
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  June 22, 2017 12:45pm
  - GoVege
    
    I want to apologize for this post.The vast majority of Polynesians are wonderful people. It’s just their sexist beliefs I dislike.
    
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    June 22, 2017 2:19pm
    - GoVege
      
      I knew I’d get down-ticked for that….
      
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      June 22, 2017 4:12pm
      - GoVege
        
        Thank you, kind sir. 🙂
        
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        June 22, 2017 5:10pm
Colville

So this morning I go to buy some window hardware for a house I am doing up.
$51 per each less 15% as I want 8 so $350
I go gulp that is more than I expected.
Trademe. $18 each plus $4 to freight. so $148
$7.10 freight free from hongkong on ebay so $57 !

and people wonder why building a house is expensive here.
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June 22, 2017 10:29am
- Reid
  
  NZ has always had huge mark-up because of our tiny overall market. It happens everywhere, from furniture to hardware to telco’s to electricity etc etc.
  
  Because of this we should have a really rigorous competition regime but for some reason it’s a toothless tiger because competition here is a laugh. No matter what you want to buy unless something is on special promotion for a limited time, you pretty much pay the same no matter which chain you shop at. And if you don’t shop at a chain you generally pay a little bit more.
  
  It’s a hard one to solve and I don’t really have an answer, except to observe as I said, that the competition regulator in this country has not changed this behaviour which has been around since forever, therefore, in my opinion, it’s not a very good regulator because otherwise we would be seeing some results, somewhere, wouldn’t we. And we aren’t, are we.
  
  What is frightening at the mo is the retail sector in the US. That is in deep trouble and even old, established outlets like Sears are going under. And that sector employs 10% of the American workforce. And what’s happened is not that the new online channel has redistributed the market into many, new, online players. No. All of that business has been sucked into one outfit: Amazon. And that can’t be good, for anyone except them.
  
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  June 22, 2017 10:46am
- Inandout
  
  Colville,there may be a vast difference in quality between a local window catch and an Ebay one. Did you price a telescopic stay for a casement window, going by the price for each? As an aside, when we replaced our wooden windows with aluminium inserts we were left with a box full of unwanted fittings; the old chrome on brass types. We couldn’t give them away so we sold for scrap.
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:51pm
waripori

The results in Sth Carolina 5 and Georgia 6 did not go the way anyone expected. The dems thought they might win Georgia 6 because Clinton got within a point of Trump there. Price won the district by over 20 points and it has been republican for over 40 years so it should have been safe for the GoP so for Ossoff to get within 4 points could be considered OK except that the Democrats really did need to win something.

No one thought the Sth Carolina district was in play as Trump won the District by over 20 points but Parnell got closer than Ossoff did. Still no cigar though.

It may be that traditional GoP voters like those in Georgia 6 will vote for a Republican but maybe not for Trump. South Carolina 5 has traditionally been more competitive than Georgia 6 but went heavily for Trump ( as did similar districts in the Rust belt ). It may be these voters will vote for Trump but not necessarily for a Republican.
Who knows what this means for the mid terms, but it does appear that the Democrats cannot simply rely on Trumps lack of popularity to win the districts they need.
All the special elections have swung wildly to the dems by up to 20 points but not enough to win these districts. There was also an election in California they did win with about 90% of the vote.
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June 22, 2017 10:39am
- Ross12
  
  Apparently in the Georgia 6 there have been boundary changes in recent years which should have favoured the Dems.
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:03pm
publicwatchdog

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Labour MP Grant Robertson skewers Prime Minister Bill English in the House 21 June 2017:

“GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central): For the last 18 months, the current Prime Minister of New Zealand has been at the centre of a cover-up.

He has known that one of his MPs covertly taped one of his staff members, and that that MP went on to mislead, dissemble, and not tell the truth about what had happened.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand knew this.

He knew it from the beginning of last year, and he has done nothing to bring that member of Parliament to account.

What is more, when the Prime Minister of New Zealand has been asked directly about what he knew about what Todd Barclay had done, he has not told the truth.

On 1 March last year Bill English was asked on the radio what he knew of the reasons for staff resignations in Todd Barclay’s office, and whether he had personally spoken to any of those staff. Mr English answered: “No.”

That was on 1 March.

On 21 February, we now know that the Prime Minister of New Zealand texted the then electorate chair of the National Party in Clutha-Southland to tell that man, Stuart Davie, that Todd Barclay had indeed recorded his staff member in a covert manner.

The Prime Minister has not told New Zealanders the truth about what happened in Todd Barclay’s office.

He has dissembled, he has avoided answering questions, and he has failed the basic test of a Prime Minister in this country.

Honesty is the very least that New Zealanders can expect from their politicians, and all the more so from their Prime Minister, and Mr English has completely failed on that account.

When he was given the opportunity to talk to police in April last year, he told them that Mr Barclay had indeed told him that he had recorded Glenys Dickson.

When he then had the opportunity to see that document, that police statement, released as part of an overall police Official Information Act release, Mr English made sure his statement was withheld.

This is not a Prime Minister who wants to be open or transparent.

This is not a Prime Minister who was being honest with New Zealanders about what has happened.

It makes no difference that Todd Barclay has left today.

This is about Bill English and Bill English’s credibility to be Prime Minister, because for politicians it is not about what happens when something is exposed by the media and what you then do.

It is about whether you do the right thing at the time that you know about it.

It is not a sign of credibility to come forward only when you are being exposed by the media.

It is not a sign of credibility or leadership to change your mind within 3 or 4 hours yesterday because you worked out you had been caught out and found out.

Those are not the actions of a real leader or a Prime Minister, and they are not the actions of someone whom New Zealanders can trust.

The Prime Minister has broken the basic bond with New Zealand people of the trust that they should have in him.

He did not tell the truth about what he knew. He stood by an MP who has told lies.

He has allowed a staff member of 16 years to be bullied and covertly recorded out of her job, and even yesterday he wanted the issue to go away instead of actually fronting up to New Zealanders about what he and his protégé have done.

This is not a leader.

This is a person who has become Prime Minister, and now that he is in that role he is cruelly exposed to New Zealanders as someone who does not have the fundamental capabilities and attributes that they need in their Prime Minister—that is, that he would be straight-up with New Zealanders, that he would show leadership and deal with people who break the law, rather than try to cover it up.

The last 24 hours have taught New Zealanders a lesson.

This is a squalid shambles, as the Fairfax editorial said today, and, as other commentators have said, this has now cast great doubt on Bill English’s credibility.

At this election it will be about a contest between a leader in Andrew Little who is straight-up and tells New Zealanders how it is, and Bill English, who has lied on behalf of his MP. ”

Penny Bright

2017 Independent candidate for Tamaki.

Exposing the $1.6 billion Tamaki ‘Regeneration’ – GENTRIFICATION $CAM.
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June 22, 2017 10:49am
- KevOB
  
  Pay your rates before you preach principle to others.
  
  Activism is not self justifed:that would make it a mental illness.
  
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  June 22, 2017 11:00am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  OK Penny, now tell us about Labour importing all these students to do free campaigning for them and housing them in a dump even worse than your soon-to-be -auctioned place.
  And your mate Angry doesn’t want to talk about it.
  
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  June 22, 2017 11:13am
- Rich Prick
  
  Pay your rates, thief.
  
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  June 22, 2017 11:17am
- Inandout
  
  Grant Robertson skewing Bill English. Now that is something I would like to witness.
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:55pm
- rightoverlabour
  
  Where’s your comment on Labour’s slave trade and illegal immigration scandal?
  
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  June 22, 2017 4:00pm
noskire

Aaryn Niupau, self-proclaimed “indigenous activist”, is effectively saying Maori shouldn’t be imprisoned because there is no “mana” in prisons, and they are just a form of colonial social control: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/93951090/maori-prison-proposition-an-oxymoron
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June 22, 2017 11:00am
- cmm
  
  Perhaps he would prefer traditional Maori justice like revenge killings.
  
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  June 22, 2017 11:04am
- GoVege
  
  Well it’s definitely true there are too many Maori in prison.
  But instead of blaming “colonialism”, Maori need to put the blame where it belongs:
  On the sexism rife within their culture that allows men to bash and abandon their wives and kids instead of placing importance on being good husbands and fathers.
  
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  June 22, 2017 12:28pm
  - Odakyu-sen
    
    Do sexist cultures have higher birth rates?
    Or do low-mean-IQ populations have higher birth rates?
    (Or do low-mean-IQ populations tend to be sexist?)
    
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    June 22, 2017 4:02pm
    - GoVege
      
      Wouldn’t rely on da IQ tests Odakyu, but definitely sexist cultures have high birth rates.
      Males have always figured out that keeping women constantly pregnant puts them at their mercy.
      
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      June 22, 2017 4:40pm
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        The theocratic misogynist treat-women-like-slaves and too stupid to not-conceive baby-farming idiocracy approach to winning at the game of evolution both win out over enlightened western equality. This makes me extremely sad.
        
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        June 22, 2017 10:20pm
Hugh Pavletich

Toronto House Prices Have Already Fallen 12% From Their Peak … Huffington Post

… Greater Toronto, Canada’s largest metro with a population of about 6.6 million and a housing affordability median multiple of 7.7 (refer Demographia Survey below) house prices have crashed 12% these past two months …

Toronto House Prices Have Already Fallen 12% From Their Peak … Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/21/toronto-house-prices-have-already-fallen-12-from-their-peak_a_22528595/

The slowdown in Greater Toronto’s housing market this spring appears to be more than a one-month blip.

Sales in the country’s largest housing market have fallen by half, compared to the same period a year earlier, according to real estate board data obtained by Bloomberg.

The Toronto Real Estate Board counted 2,999 sales in the first two weeks of June, while new listings jumped 22 per cent.

While the average selling price for all properties was still up by 6.7 per cent from a year ago, it’s down from a peak it hit in April — the last month before the Ontario government announced tougher new housing regulations, including a 15-per-cent foreign buyers’ tax.

The average price of $808,847 in early June is down from a peak of $920,791 in April, a decline of more than 12 per cent in a few months’ time. … read more via hyperlink above …

Garth Turner … Canada … The Greater Fool Blog

http://www.greaterfool.ca/2017/05/01/mayday-2/

… extract …

… That’s the funny thing about bubbles. Everybody’s horny to get their hands on rising assets – until they’re not. It always happens fast, whatever the asset and no matter the trigger. Greed is a powerful emotion, but it wilts before the dominance of fear. If enough people fear houses will stop rising (prices don’t even need to decline), they’ll cease making the Herculean sacrifice required to buy one. And down she goes. … read more via hyperlink above …

2017 13th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey

http://www.demographia.com/dhi.pdf
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June 22, 2017 11:22am
- Hugh Pavletich
  
  Early numbers hint at larger decline in GTA home sales: expert | CTV News
  
  http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/early-numbers-hint-at-larger-decline-in-gta-home-sales-expert-1.3466439
  
  Toronto’s suddenly dipping housing market appears poised to decline at a higher rate, according to early June numbers from one real estate expert.
  
  John Pasalis, president and broker at Realosophy, says early sales numbers for the month continue to trend downward, indicating a potentially sharper drop in the Greater Toronto Area than the 20.3 per cent dip reported year-over-year in May. Overall, the numbers indicate Toronto’s once skyrocketing housing market is coming back to Earth under new provincial taxation rules on foreign buyers.
  
  According to numbers posted by Pasalis on Twitter, freehold home sales plunged by 47 per cent year-over year for the week of June 10-16, while condo sales dropped by 24 per cent. Those declines are even sharper than his numbers from the first week of June, when the numbers declined by 44 and 22 per cent, respectively. … read more via hyperlink above …
  
  Moody’s helps lift the lid on local banks’ property exposure … Robert Gottliebsen … The Australian
  … google search title if blocked …
  
  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/robert-gottliebsen/moodys-helps-lift-the-lid-on-banking-over/news-story/fa0d36f400895a6b75c8329e70a84b59
  
  Behind the Moody’s downgrading of Australian bank debt is a hidden story of great importance to the Australian economy and to longer-term bank share prices.
  
  Australian banks have had a wonderful time in the last few years as they sold interest only loans to a vast number of investors. A friend of mine went into a big four bank three years ago seeking a loan to buy an investment property and the sales person (whose was paid on commission) tried to talk him into buying five properties. My friend stayed with the one but thousands of others took the “advice” from the bank sales person. And sometimes that sales person worked for a broker who knew where to shop around for loans — again more commissions.
  
  It will be a year or two before we understand just how much bank loan risk was taken on board in the boom. But Moody’s clearly believe the banks went too far.
  
  What makes me think they might be right is that we pushed up dwelling prices via restricting supply, Chinese demand and interest only loan bank lending.
  
  Two of those planks — bank lending and Chinese demand — have been cut back and there are signs of better supply coming online. … read more via hyperlink above …
  
  Australia’s central bank frets on financial stability as household debt mounts … Nasdaq
  
  http://www.nasdaq.com/article/australias-central-bank-frets-on-financial-stability-as-household-debt-mounts-20170620-00029
  
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  June 22, 2017 2:20pm
  - Hugh Pavletich
    
    REMARKABLY … THE NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIAN AUTHORIES HAVE NOT LEARNT A THING FROM THE 2007 IRISH HOUSING BUBBLE CRASH …
    
    … THEY ARE ABOUT TO …
    
    WHY ARE OUR BANKS MORE RESILIENT THAN THE IRISH ONES IN 2007 ?
    
    What lessons have been learnt from the collapse of the Irish housing bubble in 2007 … when the average unweighted median multiples of its metros went from 4.7 to 2.8 … putting all its Banks to the wall and requiring bailouts of in excess of 70 billion euros (about $NZ109 billion) … refer schedule of Demographia Housing Surveys at http://www.PerformanceUrbanPlanning.org .
    
    What was the capital base of the Irish Banks in 2007 ?
    
    Subsequent research by the Central Bank of Ireland found high loan to income lending was a far greater problem than high loan to value lending … and imposed a general lending cap of 3.5 times. The Bank of England had earlier capped at 4.5 times. The Annual Demographia Housing Surveys (13 to date) illustrate house prices in normal markets should not exceed 3.0 times annual household incomes requiring sensible mortgage loads of about 2.5 times.
    
    Currently, the unweighted average median multiple of the Aussie metros is 5.5 … New Zealand 5.9 … way above the Irish 4.7 in 2007 ?
    
    Why are our Banks in a better position to cope than the Irish ones were in 2007 ?
    
    The Irish TV3 Vincent Browne interview of a couple of years ago with Prof Bill Black and others is most interesting viewing …
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7zd5dRILBw
    
    … and it seems the Irish are repeating the mistakes of recent history …
    
    Ireland at risk of creating new property bubble, warns OECD … The Irish Independent
    
    http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/property-mortgages/ireland-at-risk-of-creating-new-property-bubble-warns-oecd-35801568.html
    
    This country still needs to get its houses in order ten years after the financial crisis began … Lucinda Creighton … The Irish Sun
    
    https://www.thesun.ie/news/1006506/this-country-still-needs-to-get-its-houses-in-order-ten-years-after-the-financial-crisis-began/
    
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    June 22, 2017 5:48pm
    - Hugh Pavletich
      
      Christchurch office glut leaves nearly 1 in 4 vacant | Stuff.co.nz
      
      http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/93929231/christchurch-office-hangover-as-most-developments-completed
      
      Some undeveloped sections in central Christchurch may remain eyesores for years as more office blocks are left empty than before the region’s earthquakes.
      
      Nearly one in four new central city office spaces are vacant – more than double pre-earthquake levels.
      
      Property researchers say the main development phase in the city is over, with just a few projects yet to come, such as the Spark building in Cathedral Square and the convention centre. … read more via hyperlink above …
      
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      June 22, 2017 8:10pm
      - Hugh Pavletich
        
        FORMER CHRISTCHURCH CENTRAL: THE POLITICAL & BUREAUCRATIC HELL-HOLE …
        
        Not surprisingly, a Regional Economic Report by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) last November, stated compound employment growth over the past decade nationally had been 1.4% … an appalling quarter that within the Christchurch Council Area … some 4 times the national figure in the adjoining smaller and functional local government area of Waimakariri and a stratospheric 7 times in the smaller and functional Selwyn to the south.
        
        There are two types of local government in this world … the small and the bad.
        
        People and business have fled the political and bureaucratic mayhem for a normal environment to live and work.
        
        Christchurch ‘went to the dogs’ with the forced local government amalgamations back in 1989.
        
        Much has been written about these issues over the years …
        
        Christchurch: The Way Forward | Scoop News
        
        http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1206/S00251/christchurch-the-way-forward.htm
        
        http://www.performanceurbanplanning.org/
        
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        June 23, 2017 12:08am
rangitoto

I heard on the radio something about Labour wanting to put psysch nurses into schools. I didn’t know teachers were that bad. My policy would be to put a squad of psych doctors into parliament to look after the labour MP’s.
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June 22, 2017 11:48am
cha

A 4,300 kilometre road trip.

https://translate.google.co.nz/translate?hl=en&sl=no&u=https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/Nye-asylsokere-over-Storskog-623622b.html&prev=search
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June 22, 2017 12:36pm
Fletch

Stuff reports that Team New Zealand is using an innovative drone as part of their campaign. Way to go – let’s just tell the world ALL our secrets so that the opposition can go build one of their own…

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/93959228/revolutionary-drone-operator-has-team-nz-flying-high
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June 22, 2017 12:58pm
- rangitoto
  
  Hardly matters since the Bermuda government have banned all drones while the regatta is under way. The special drone was used for development when they were still in Auckland.
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:14pm
mandk

Crikey! The moderators over at The Standard are having fits of rage over a couple of climate change deniers.

Seems lefties allow you to think and say anything you want, but only as long as you agree with them.

Best of all, this is all happening on Open Mike (sic).
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June 22, 2017 1:13pm
- Longknives
  
  Ha Ha it often gets pretty heated over at The Standard- I think the reality of Labour still polling in the 20s is hitting home..They are a pretty uptight bunch!
  
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  June 22, 2017 1:23pm
  - Paulus
    
    I assume Stranded will soon be merging with Whale Oil as they are both quite happy to shut people down with whom they disagree.
    They are both a shadow of their former selves and numbers.
    
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    June 22, 2017 2:35pm
- Rich Prick
  
  They’re not too keen on slave Labour and slum-lords today either. I thought they were topics close to their hearts. Oh well, at least they are consistent with their inconsistency.
  
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  June 22, 2017 2:25pm
Notsofast

I see the 100 Queenstown drinkers exceeded the criminal threshold of 400mcg or 80mg.
That suggests a vast number of instant fines and demerit points from 50 to 80.
Until about 1980 this was legal to 100.

Party time all over?
I haven’t seen a checkpoint in Auckland for years.

Theoretically with so much drink driving there should be carnage in paradise. What are the stats?
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June 22, 2017 1:32pm
- Notsofast
  
  Worth being aware
  
  How to Obtain Permission to Enter Canada with DUI
  
  Most people reading this want to learn how to get into Canada with a DUI as simply and easily as possible. To overcome criminal inadmissibility to Canada, a person must correctly apply for and then successfully receive permission from Canadian legal authorities to visit the country. Unfortunately, getting permission to enter Canada can be a highly complex legal process that could easily overwhelm someone without professional assistance. Criminal inadmissibility to Canada as a result of a DUI or DWI can be overcome in two different ways:
  
  Temporary Solution
  The first option is a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP), which lets a person enter or stay in Canada for a specific period of time provided they have a valid reason to visit. The Temporary Resident Permit is extremely helpful for individuals who are not yet eligible for the permanent solution of Criminal Rehabilitation, and TRPs can be valid for multiple visits for as long as three years provided the individual’s application is strong enough. A Canada TRP can take a while to obtain, so it is best to apply well in advance of your intended travel date.
  
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  June 22, 2017 3:10pm
stigie

Christ, just heard Winston Peters trying to ask a question to the Prime Minister, jeez what a bumbling mess he made of the question to which everyone laughed.

The Green Parrot has a lot to answer for on this one !~
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June 22, 2017 2:18pm
- stephieboy
  
  Sobriety again an issue there ?
  
  2 13
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  June 22, 2017 2:34pm
- Nostradamus
  
  Stigie:
  
  I went and looked up the video. The best part:
  
  Mr Speaker (responding to a frivolous point of order from Winston Peters): I didn’t find it easy to decipher exactly what the question was about.
  
  Hilarious! And that’s before we get to the bumbling question at 2.02 in the video!
  
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  June 22, 2017 3:28pm
- Happychappy
  
  He has called for Bill English to resign the senile old prick is a disgrace just sittng in Parrliament.
  
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  June 22, 2017 4:21pm
doggone7

Simon Bridges has sometimes been mentioned as a future National PM. Today in answering questions about Auckland transport he showed he has the qualities. i.e He came across as a smarmy slimey little prick.
J-A Genter said she wasn’t offended (by the offensive remarks and attitude) because she realised it was because he didn’t have answers to the serious questions. He didn’t.
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June 22, 2017 2:41pm
- marcw
  
  I suspect you have accidentally attributed the “smarmy slimey little prick” label to the wrong person here, and the editing option had expired.
  
  7 1
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  June 22, 2017 4:02pm
- Happychappy
  
  He obviously needs a hearing test also or he has selective hearing.
  
  2 1
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  June 22, 2017 4:18pm
stephieboy

Otto Warmbier: US student sent home from North Korea dies

The US student held in captivity for more than 15 months in North Korea has died a week after returning home.
Otto Warmbier, 22, was serving 15 years hard labour, accused of attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.

He was returned to the US last Tuesday, with North Korea saying it was on humanitarian grounds.

North Korea said he had been in a coma for a year after contracting botulism but his family say he was subjected to “awful torturous mistreatment”.
A team of US doctors have also disputed North Korea’s version of events.

One of the despicable things about this tragedy is that Trump and supporters have sought to exploit this and blame it all on “Obummer “ Why ? ,we are not told

Also failing to acknowledge the fact that the former administration had secured the release of 10 US Citizens similarly detained

Obama spokesman Ned Price said:

“During the course of the Obama Administration, we had no higher priority than securing the release of Americans detained overseas. Their tireless efforts resulted in the release of at least 10 Americans from North Korean custody during the course of the Obama administration.

It is painful that Mr. Warmbier was not among them, but our efforts on his behalf never ceased, even in the waning days of the administration. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Warmbier’s family and all who had the blessing of knowing him.”

What a nasty dip stick and piece of shite the present POTUS is proving to be ,

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/06/20/this-is-why-trump-suggests-obama-is-to-blame-for-the-death-of-otto-warmbier/

Could it be the true cause was Trump turning the relations between the two nations to sub , sub zero might have something to do with it ?

All in the cause of political posturing and childish gamesmanship !
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June 22, 2017 2:49pm
- Reid
  
  All in the cause of political posturing and childish gamesmanship !
  
  And just when we think it couldn’t get any worse for you in the “I have no fucking clue whatsoever about anything at all” dept, you go and surprise us once again and re-set the bar even lower than it was before.
  
  12 1
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  June 22, 2017 3:40pm
  - Reid
    
    From stupidboy’s own link, FFS.
    
    Gary Warmbier, Otto’s father, in a newss conference last week, ,seemed to align his opinions with what the president said on Tuesday.
    
    Gary Warmbier said that the Obama administration purportedly told the family to “take a low profile” while the administration worked to bring their son home.
    
    He said that it was only after Trump intervened that a release for his son was “aggressively pursued.”
    
    13 1
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    June 22, 2017 4:01pm
  - Nostradamus
    
    Reid:
    
    The NZ Herald may provide a solution for Stephieboy’s comprehension issues.
    
    Frequent sex improves fluency, visual and spatial perception
    
    In a study released today in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences, researchers found that people who indulged in frequent, regular sexual activity scored higher on a swath of mental tests, reported news.com.au. Their verbal fluency was better. Their ability to visually perceive objects was improved. And they could judge the space between objects better.
    
    I’m not sure whether masturbation while perving at young girls in a café qualifies as “frequent, regular sexual activity”. In some ways, when it comes to Stephieboy, I’d rather not know!
    
    9 4
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    June 22, 2017 5:24pm
    - Reid
      
      Yes. Normally I’m the first to say the why is the most interesting question of all on any issue.
      
      But sadly when it comes to stephie, I’m not even the slightest bit interested in the why.
      
      7 3
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      June 22, 2017 5:49pm
    - Odakyu-sen
      
      Correlation is not causation.
      It could be that people who were able to score higher on a swath of mental tests also happened to also be “young and fit” and thus able to engage in frequent, regular sexual activity.
      
      7 1
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      June 22, 2017 6:08pm
      - nasska
        
        With themselves.
        
        8 0
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        June 22, 2017 6:45pm
- Manolo
  
  In very poor taste, stephieboy.
  
  13 1
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  June 22, 2017 3:40pm
  - Captain Mainwaring
    
    What did you expect from the world’s leading dickhead?
    
    9 2
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    June 22, 2017 5:20pm
- Fletch
  
  Because, it was the Obama administration that did almost nothing and left the guy there. If they had done something, he’d most likely be alive today. It’s thanks to Trump that he made it back home at all. At least his parents have had the comfort of seeing him again and being able to bury him.
  
  12 2
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  June 22, 2017 3:56pm
- All_on_Red
  
  Not very Christian of you Stephie
  
  11 1
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  June 22, 2017 3:58pm
  - Don the Kiwi
    
    But he’s muslim – what do you expect.
    
    8 2
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    June 22, 2017 4:54pm
Reid

A seriously brilliant but short vid on the story behind the writing of the Star Spangled Banner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaxGNQE5ZLA
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June 22, 2017 3:37pm
- Reid
  
  Who could possibly downtick something like that. Let me guess…
  
  6 5
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  June 22, 2017 3:57pm
Happychappy

Winston First call for the Prime Minister Bill English to resign with the help of the Herald this coming from the king of dodgy deals that has been far worse than anything Bill English has done. Winston is the opposite of what we need in Parliament to show how MP’s should behave and you only have to go back to the false statement he has made about other MP’s and the Owen Glenn saga to understand his not so trust worthy behavior.
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June 22, 2017 3:54pm
RF

What a joke. Angry has made some what he believes to be major policy announcements today and then he has the rug pulled out from under his feet.

No one can remember what the announcements were.
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June 22, 2017 4:16pm
- Reid
  
  It’s quite funny isn’t it. He hires a Chief of Staff from the same faction as he’s from who sets up a war room with the objective apparently of tanking his own leader’s ratings as much as and as fast as possible who then resigns so he can manage his clever scheme to get an army of workers to recover some of the missing million but sadly before it even gets going Operation Winner founders at the first hurdle when it appears there’s a few legal irregularities caused apparently by profound ignorance of the most elementary employment and immigration laws which might not have mattered very much had the same thing happened in any other industry but where it did happen was in politics, where not only do you have opposition politicians who can’t wait to broadcast every little thing which proves the other side to be incompetent or worse, but you also have the media who, reluctantly, do the same thing because they can’t very well say no. And this was done by a party that claims it’s so terrifically competent it deserves to be not just in govt but the govt, and happens to represent the side of politics that most stands for the human rights of workers. And then on top of all this, the massive scandal that didn’t even need to happen overshadows his own leader whose trying desperately to make an impact with the shiny new policies the whole teams been working hard on behind the scenes for months on end.
  
  Boy the war room’s going to get very shouty tonight, isn’t it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Matt taking a case to the Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal, the way its going.
  
  A great shame. What a great big shame.
  
  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
  
  15 2
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  June 22, 2017 4:34pm
  - 4077th
    
    My tears are from ROFLMFAO. Mumbles McCarten has emptied both barrels into his and his leaders feet. The guy is the proverbial omnishambles..from bean to cup, he fucks up!
    
    10 1
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    June 22, 2017 5:28pm
sooty

Lani Hagaman is to continue with the courtcase againt Andrew Little. I hope he has been saving up his wages, for when he is not the leader of the Labour Party and no longer is a MP.
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June 22, 2017 4:23pm
Postitrote

The poor Marceau family. Imagine having to sit there listening to Akash Chand’s mum make her pathetic excuses in court… http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880154
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June 22, 2017 4:24pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  I want to know why the judge who said she wasn’t interested in hearing the reasons the police wanted to oppose bail hasn’t been fired.
  
  12 1
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  June 22, 2017 5:23pm
  - Postitrote
    
    Unfortunately judges are practically untouchable in this country. Unless they do something really terrible you have to wait till they retire or die.
    
    10 1
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    June 22, 2017 5:32pm
    - GoVege
      
      Maybe we should stop standing when they walk in the court room so they lose the God complex.
      
      3 3
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      June 22, 2017 7:55pm
  - GoVege
    
    They can be fired for being slightly over the limit. ..but not for getting teenage girls butchered. .
    
    3 2
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    June 22, 2017 8:03pm
- Reid
  
  Defence file on Chand destroyed before inquest
  
  Lowe told the inquest that she had made notes during and after her discussions with Chand’s mother and aunt at court.
  
  However, her file had been destroyed shortly before she was informed she was required to give evidence at the inquest.
  
  Lowe said she left the legal chambers where she was working at the time of Chand’s case but left her files there in storage as her new office had no space.
  
  When she was notified of the inquest she contacted her former chambers to organise access to the files and was told they had been destroyed “not long before”.
  
  That’s extremely suspicious. Legal files need to be kept for pre-determined periods. I’m not sure what the period is for criminal cases but no honest and competent lawyer would just destroy a colleagues legal files without first consulting them.
  
  But the main issue here is the outrageously lax bail regime we have in this country. That needs to change and I’m quite surprised Colin’s didn’t take the opportunity to do so when she was at Justice. She’s been the only one in the portfolio in this govt who’s got the competence to recognise the problem.
  
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  June 22, 2017 7:04pm
- GoVege
  
  I’m sure Chand would get life or the needle in the US.
  Schizophrenic or not, his devious methods to get to murder Christy Marceau prove he knew what he was planning was wrong.
  
  6 1
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  June 22, 2017 8:00pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Unbelievable that after 4 attempts at Bail the mother was so clueless.
  
  8 0
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  June 22, 2017 8:01pm
  - GoVege
    
    A lot of other cultures do not handle disabilities and mental illness well.
    A lot of the parents are in denial about their kids’ problems and don’t know how to access help anyway.
    In any case it was insane to expect one or two middle-aged female family members to keep a dangerous schizophrenic under control 24/7.
    
    4 1
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    June 22, 2017 8:10pm
    - Reid
      
      In any case it was insane to expect one or two middle-aged female family members to keep a dangerous schizophrenic under control 24/7.
      
      Yeah it was, whether or not they were male, or female. That’s what I mean about our bail laws being broken.
      
      4 2
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      June 22, 2017 8:22pm
  - Reid
    
    Unbelievable that after 4 attempts at Bail the mother was so clueless.
    
    Of course she wasn’t, she’s full of shit. They clearly lied to get their boy home and then did whatever they felt like because that’s clearly the kind of people that whole family is. Entitle-itus running rampant through that particular DNA sequence, that’s for sure.
    
    Bastards and bitches, the whole bunch of em. We sure as heck need less of those types, and it’s a shame instead of the son getting locked away he’ll get “treated” then once the naive touchy-feely medical “professionals” have experienced enough of his play acting bullshit, they’ll stamp his hand with “not insane” and let him back out again. Whereupon, at best, he’ll suck off the taxpayer’s teat for the rest of his wretched life supplementing his income with rampant dishonesty and at worst, the little prick will go and ruin someone else’s life and get sent back to hospital.
    
    You watch. Take a note of this dude, we haven’t seen the last of his name in the news.
    
    6 2
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    June 22, 2017 8:20pm
    - GoVege
      
      My sis married an Indian whose relative almost murdered his bride on their wedding night.
      In their own countries, this sort of thing, and actual murders, can be covered up with the greasing of palms.
      They often have to do this to avoid the shame and community pariah status.
      Other cultures spend half their lives gossiping about each other.
      Why do you think the poor Indian woman who got pranked over a royal birth some years ago hung herself?
      Lawyers and judges here need more training in dealing with immigrant cultures.
      You are very naive if you take an Indian parent at their word in this situation.
      
      3 0
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      June 22, 2017 10:27pm
  - Postitrote
    
    My thoughts exactly. More believable is that she said what needed to be said to bring her precious boy home and gave zero f**ks about anything else.
    
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    June 22, 2017 9:49pm
4077th

Hey ztev/Matt here’s one for you..Listen very carefully!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxKFhA3JRwY
6 1
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June 22, 2017 5:32pm
publicwatchdog

Is this why PM Bill English wasn’t in the House today?

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/patrick-gower-english-accused-of-misleading-parliament.html

“Bill English has been accused of misleading Parliament over his claim yesterday that he reported the Todd Barclay incident to police.

Today the Prime Minister admitted he used what he calls “imprecise language” – and it was the police who came to him about the Todd Barclay recording.

Mr English was emphatic in Parliament yesterday that he’d “reported it to the police”.

But today came an admission – “they approached me”.

#BILLSHIT

Penny Bright
2017 Independent candidate for Tamaki.

Exposing the $1.6 billion Tamaki ‘Regeneration’ – GENTRIFICATION $CAM.
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June 22, 2017 7:51pm
- stigie
  
  “Is this why PM Bill English wasn’t in the House today?”
  
  Stupid women, the Prime Minister is never in the house on a Thursday. Do same research !~
  
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  June 22, 2017 7:56pm
  - Happychappy
    
    The old hag has to wash the shit of her ears to able to hear the true facts and being the moron she is it would be beyond her ability.
    
    8 1
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    June 22, 2017 9:01pm
- Nostradamus
  
  Penny:
  
  Perhaps the Prime Minister was investigating the story of the day: Has Labour committed mass immigration fraud? We need a Public Watchdog to investigate this matter from 2 perspectives: mass immigration fraud and misuse of parliamentary funding for campaign activities. Are you that person?
  
  12 0
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  June 22, 2017 7:59pm
  - stigie
    
    “Are you that person?”
    
    She is that person Nostra but it’s the wrong party that’s committed mass immigration fraud ole chap..?
    
    9 2
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    June 22, 2017 8:03pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Christ Penny, your ignorance astounds me.
  See stigie above.
  
  8 0
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  June 22, 2017 9:01pm
stigie

What’s the difference between a Catholic priest and a zit?

A zit will wait until you’re twelve before it comes on your face.
9 4
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June 22, 2017 7:53pm
nasska

Forty five people were stranded for three hours today when an escalator broke down in Christchurch.
9 1
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June 22, 2017 8:13pm
stigie

They should have taken the lift Nasska..?
7 2
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June 22, 2017 8:16pm

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