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February 16, 2019 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 16 February 2019

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Pete George

From yesterday Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater loses defamation case and gets told: ‘Your day will come’

Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater has lost one of the country’s longest running defamation cases after failing to put up any credible defence.

The judgment has been greeted as “magnificent” by businessman Matthew Blomfield, who sued Slater for defamation after a series of blog posts in 2012 accused him of illegal and immoral behaviour.

Blomfield said: “Finally there is something solid out in the public domain to show that all of Cameron Slater’s nonsense was just that, nonsense.

“As this judgment clearly shows, he was given every possible chance to show that he had a defence to my defamation claim, but in the end he could produce nothing.”

The judgment made public today saw Justice Paul Davison find in Blomfield’s favour, ruling out a defence from Slater after long delays and failures to meet legal requirements to defend a claim of defamation.

Further to it, along with Slater was second defendant, Social Media Consultants, owned by someone else at the time of the attacks in 2012 but now part owned by later but 99% owned by Juana Atkins. I don’t know what the implications there are.

Warren Powell seems to have been at the centre of attacks. Blomfield seems to have alleged that he paid Slater to run the attacks at Whale Oil.

Also involved from the beginning (Hell) ten years ago right through to the failed attempt to continue character attacks on Blomfield in court at trial last October was Marc Spring.

And legal adviser (if you can call him that) named as an asssociate of Slater’s and a ‘McKenzie friend’ in court documents – Dermot Nottingham.

Nottingham is now bankrupt after a number of failed legal actions. Slater must be stressed by the financial penalties that he may face.

And despite recent attempts to distance Slater from Whale Oil there must be some implications there.

Details; Others associated with Slater in defamation of Blomfield
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February 16, 2019 8:02am
- Biscuit
  
  Sheesh, two downticks to that post (as at 8.07am).
  
  Why?
  
  The piece is entirely factual.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:08am
  - redeye
    
    I haven’t ticked either way but it is link whoring. And the author has form for this.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:09am
- Awww C-mon
  
  Are you having a second go at this because
  A/ you are enjoying the demise of someone with a better blog than yours
  B/ you didn’t get enough hits to your blog from your comments yesterday
  C/ you wanted more attention on this blog but the fine KB folk don’t bother with you
  D/ your just generally a plonker
  E/ all of the above
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:09am
  - Pete George
    
    None of the above.
    
    F/ When a blog is used for paid hit jobs after a business bust up I think it is of significant interest.
    G/ The Results Judgment is a very good reference for how to run a defamation action (Blomfield/Geiringer) and how not to run a defamation defence (Slater/Spring/Nottingham)
    H/ It’s fun to watch attempts at diversion by trying to attack the messenger, like your second go.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:15am
- peterwn
  
  Just looked at Whaleoil. No ‘Face of the Day’, presumably the thought of having to put up Matthew Bloomfield’s mugshot was too much.
  Also comments do not work. Either a bug in ‘Disqus’ (the discussion engine used by Whaleoil, UK Daily Telegraph, etc, etc) or something more ominous.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:12am
  - Swifty
    
    Whaleoil came up in the discussions held last night by members of the Kiwiblog Social Club (Avondale Branch).
    
    Interestingly, none of us visit there anymore.
    
    I myself have stopped completely in the last couple of months – after having been a daily reader since 2008.
    
    Fun while it lasted.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:45am
  - fluffykiwi
    
    My comments haven’t loaded for some considerable time, don’t seem to be able to answer the problem, not blocked, as upticks register.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:55am
  - peterwn
    
    Tried it on another computer connected via a different provider and comments came up OK. Looks like I have been banned for saying seditious things about WO on KB.
    
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    February 16, 2019 3:38pm
- Pete George
  
  Judgments:
  http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1902/CIV20134045218_26102018_JUDG.pdf
  
  http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1902/CIV20134045218_15022019_JUDG.pdf
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:18am
  - peterwn
    
    The ‘judgment’ was issued in October 2018. It was not the ‘final’ judgment, but an interim judgment ruling on admissibility of defences and the last minute introduction of new defences. I have not fully read it but the upshot is that Matthew Bloomfield now holds the Ace of Spades and all the trumps, and any trial if it occurs would invariably be a rout. Cam Slater would have been shattered by the outcome since he is now at the mercy of Matthew (who seems desperate to nail Cam to the wall), temporarily held off pending Cam’s appeal of this interim judgment. Interesting to piece together various things but publishing the conclusions could cause serious trouble.
    Whaleoil site will be at the mercy of Matthew.
    Interestingly on 6 October 2018, an entity ‘Whale Oil Beef Hooked’ (at Cam’s address and email contact) registered ‘whaleoil.nz’ via an Australian registry (the owner of ‘whaleoil.co.nz’ would have had a ‘hold’ on the ‘whaloil.nz’ name but obviously released it). So in due course there may be a new incarnation of WOBH on ‘whaleoil.nz’. Seems the new name was registered just prior to the judgment and in a way to give it maximum protection from any action Matthew may take.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:14am
- Universal Smith
  
  “time of the attacks in 2012”
  
  So opinions are “attacks” now?
  
  Personally I can’t stand the blog, but this is an “attack” on freedom of speech.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:35am
  - MrTips
    
    Defamation isn’t free speech according to the courts. Opinion, yes. Paid attacks. No.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:43am
    - Universal Smith
      
      I don’t calibrate my moral compass based on the opinions of officials. Your sources are flawed.
      
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      February 16, 2019 8:55am
      - fernglas
        
        Good luck telling that to the court next time you break the law. It’s nearly as good as claiming you are a sovereign person and therefore not answerable to the laws of the land. Big chuckle.
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:02am
      - Universal Smith
        
        Which is basically saying that those with power are right, on the basis they can cause harm to you.
        
        A great example of how a moral compass can be calibrated all wrong, aka the Nuremberg defense.
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:34am
      - Pete George
        
        Slater had the power of Whale Oil, and he has arguably used that power to harm a number of people.
        
        That doesn’t make him right, and that seems to be gradually catching up with him as he is held to account.
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:42am
      - Universal Smith
        
        Can we look forward to you being held to account for the nonsense you propagate on your blog Pete?. How about David Farrar, or Stuff news?
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:48am
  - Pete George
    
    It’s worth reading the many references to ” the defences of truth and honest opinion” in the judgment”. There are many. Here’s one:
    
    [67] Moreover, the defendants do not provide separate particulars for the defence of honest opinion, but simply repeat the same particulars as were provided for the
    defence of truth. That does not meet the requirements of particularising a defence of honest opinion, which requires the defendant to demonstrate the opinion was genuinely that of the defendant as author and that it was recognisable as an opinion,
    and furthermore to clearly set out the facts and basis on which it is said a person could honestly express the relevant opinion.
    
    And:
    
    However, in my view the documents relied on by the defendants do not provide cogent support for the propositions and conclusions they seek to draw from them in relation to the defences of truth and honest opinion, or the bad reputation of the plaintiff. They therefore do not establish a
    sufficient basis for the defences of truth or honest opinion such as to be a significant factor in the assessment of whether admission of the 5ASOD is necessary in the interests of justice.
    
    And:
    
    [135] As a result of the approach adopted by the defendants, and in the absence of any particulars setting out the facts and circumstances relied upon by the defendants
    to support and establish the defences and truth and honest opinion, the plaintiff and the Court are left in the position of being confronted with a significant number of documents without identification of any facts or circumstances upon which the defences are based.
    
    Conclusion
    
    [147] The effect of my judgments is to preclude the defendants from adducing any evidence directed at supporting the defences of truth and honest opinion, as well as
    any evidence directed at showing the plaintiff to be a person of bad reputation. This unusual situation is the direct consequence of the defendants’ failure to plead their case in accordance with the requirements for pleading the defences of truth and honest
    opinion and the requirements for adducing evidence directed at establishing bad reputation.
    
    Claiming on a blog that something is ‘opinion’ is a lot different to conducting an honest opinion defence in court.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:20am
    - Universal Smith
      
      So it is the Courts opinion that Whaleoil is seen as an authoritative and reliable source of truth by an ordinary person.
      
      Because that is the only legal position that supports the finding of the Court.
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:40am
      - Pete George
        
        No. Slater’s defence failed on truth as well as opinion. No cogent evidence of either. As well as failing on basic requirements of legal procedures and competency.
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:59am
      - Universal Smith
        
        Oh so Judges are the sole arbiters of truth and people should be prosecuted for not following convoluted legal procedures correctly.
        
        It did not take long for you to show your true colours Pete.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:04am
      - Pete George
        
        From my own experience in the court system when they tried to prosecute me, Nottingham repeatedly ignored just about every procedure and timetable, and submitted thousands of pages of documents in a prolix disorganised mess with no cogent arguments, much the same as seems to have been done in this case.
        
        [62] It is clear from the history of the proceeding that the defendants have to date
        been afforded considerable leniency in terms of compliance with timetable orders and the requirement of pleading their defences in such a manner as to fully and fairly inform the plaintiff of the case he is to meet. The defendants were granted an indulgence by the Court in May this year and the opportunity to re-plead their defences. I note also that Lang J even summarised the essential requirements of
        pleading the defences of truth and honest opinion in his judgment of 18 May 2018.
        Despite the opportunity to do so and despite the unambiguous language used by the Court to emphasise that this would be a final opportunity, the defendants’ belated attempt to introduce entirely new defences and particulars by filing the 4ASOD – which, if allowed, would inevitably require the scheduled trial to be adjourned and
        delayed for a considerable period – is in my view appropriately regarded as being a last-minute attempt to prevent the plaintiff’s claim from being heard and determined by the Court, which should not be permitted.
        
        I think what is seen here is the Court holding them to account for their abuses of processes and attempts to avoid being held to account.
        
        Your attempts at defending them are sounding a bit WOful.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:19am
      - Universal Smith
        
        So were you held to account or did you get away with it Pete?
        
        I invite you to take a step back, put aside personal bias, and look at the bigger picture here.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:26am
      - Pete George
        
        The bigger picture?
        
        Nottingham was found guilty on seven charges last July (5 of criminal harassment, 2 of breaching non publication orders) and is currently serving a home detention sentence.
        He was adjudged bankrupt in September as a result of unpaid costs awarded to seven people or companies after failed private prosecutions.
        
        Slater has been found guilty of about 8 breaches of non-publication orders, he admitted trying to procure a hack of the Standard (he got diversion, I think for the second time), he was judged to have defamed Colin Craig, and now he has been found to have no credible defence versus Blomfield. He is also facing a third defamation case against brought against him by three individuals who claim he defamed them.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:52am
      - peterwn
        
        In a defamation case it is for the plaintiff to prove (on the balance of probabilities) that the statement and for the defendant to prove it was true or was an honestly held opinion. If the defendant cannot prove it is true, the judge would be entitled to rule it was false meaning defamation occurred unless some other defence was available. I can be difficult to prove a statement was truthful in hindsight, so get the evidence that it was truthful before making the statement or dress it in another way eg as an ‘opinion’.
        Interestingly, the trial was due to start until a last minute attempt by the defence to add and change pleadings. In addition Cam did a rant on Whaleoil the next morning, had to take some of it down and that was the last article he did. Do not know if the take-down was ordered by the judge but in any case there seemed to be a not very happy judge. He made adverse rulings and suppression orders then which effectively imploded the trial explaining why there was no media reporting.
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:41am
      - Universal Smith
        
        ” judged to have defamed Colin Craig”
        
        So Craig is an example of the sort of person Pete George thinks should be protected from critical comment. Says it all really.
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:48pm
      - Debbie
        
        I owe you gratitude it seems, Pete George.
        
        I personally was described in the worst possible terms on Nottingham’s blog – however I didn’t have the resources to do anything about it, and it was only one blog post (that was more aimed at other parties, but I still got a mention by default). I’m very glad it’s gone. Thank you.
        
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        February 16, 2019 8:20pm
    - Pete George
      
      Thanks Debbie, but it’s actually Matt Blomfield who deserves your thanks. He went to considerable cost and effort to have LF shut down.
      
      See BLOMFIELD v THE OWNER AND/OR ADMINISTRATOR OF http://WWW.LAUDAFINEM.COM [2018] NZHC 2747 [24 October 2018]
      
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      February 17, 2019 8:04am
      - Debbie
        
        Ah. Well, if you’re talking to Matt, please pass on my regards.
        
        And congratulations for winning his case against Slater, too. Hasn’t been an easy road for him but he deserved this win.
        
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        February 17, 2019 8:22am
  - Universal Smith
    
    Defamation proceedings are only there for the benefit of the rich and powerful. You rarely see ordinary people utilising this course of action, no matter how much they are defamed in the media.
    
    It is legal trickery designed to avoid those in power being held to account and to portray them as victims when they are.
    
    You seldom see decent honest people indulging in this nonsense.
    
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    February 16, 2019 2:47pm
    - Pete George
      
      Generally I agree, but not here.
      
      I suspect if you or anyone were attacked to the extent that Blomfield was, on Whale Oil, on LF, on Twitter, and also physically with a firearm, then you might think it necessary for a decent person to make a stand.
      
      What has been revealed in this one judgment only scratches the surface of what these people have done. Hundreds of people have been attacked, defamed, harassed, and many more adversely affected by association.
      
      Do you think they should just accept it as ‘free speech’?
      
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      February 16, 2019 4:20pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        Yes.
        
        The only way your, or the Court’s position stands up, to legal logic, is to assume that Slater is considered a reliable and credible source of truth by the ordinary person. But that is not the case so your, and the Court’s, position fails.
        
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        February 16, 2019 4:26pm
      - Pete George
        
        How specifically do you think Paul Davison J failed?
        
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        February 16, 2019 4:40pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        Pete that was explained in my comments. Twice.
        
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        February 16, 2019 8:33pm
- Pete George
  
  Blomfield statement:
  
  In 2012, Cameron Slater ran a long series of articles about me on his Whale Oil website. They were vicious. They portrayed me as violent, a criminal, a fraudster, a psychopath, and more. He said anything he could to try to destroy my reputation and to destroy me. There was no truth to any of it.
  
  I believe he did all of this because he was paid to do so. I had had a falling out with a business partner who tried to get revenge by making false allegations against me. I recognised many of the allegations Slater published as being the same ones that my ex-business partner had made. Slater has always denied it, but I have seen correspondence confirming that my ex-business partner was sending him money. It also appears he gave Slater an overseas holiday. I found out that documents Slater was using to try to legitimise his allegations came from files I had left in the care of my exbusiness partner.
  
  For almost seven years, I have been seeking to clear my name and to have Slater held responsible for spreading these vicious lies. For almost seven years, Slater has succeeded in delaying, and delaying, and delaying. He claimed that if given a chance he would show the Court that all the allegations he made were true. The Court gave him chance, after chance, after chance, but he was never able to even say what his case was.
  
  Finally, in October last year, Cameron Slater ran out of chances. He had blown his last chance and the Court refused to let him have yet another one. The Court carefully considered the case that he said he wanted to bring and found that it failed to properly answer my claim in almost every way imaginable. The Court also looked at the documents Slater had and found that they did “not provide cogent support” for the allegations.
  
  It’s magnificent to have this decision. I think this judgment is a major vindication of everything I have been fighting for, for almost seven years. It shows that there simply was no substance to what Slater said about me on his Whale Oil site.
  
  Unfortunately, this is not the end. Slater has appealed this decision. He has used that appeal to still further delay the final judgment. Like he did in the High Court, he is now trying to delay the proceeding before the Court of Appeal.
  
  I am determined to see this case through to its
  conclusion. I believe, in light of this judgment, it is now clear that there can only be one conclusion; Cameron Slater will be held accountable for his actions.
  
  http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1902/S00119/high-court-lifts-suppression-on-whale-oil-defence.htm
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:36am
  - Universal Smith
    
    Will Blomfield be held to account for his slanderous comments about Slater, or does he have the right connections?
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:06am
    - peterwn
      
      If Cam thinks that Michael Bloomfield has defamed him, he can always try to hold Michael to account by trying to sue him. The ball is in Cam’s court on this one. It is not a matter of a fairy godmother being prevented from suing Michael because he had the ‘right connections’.
      
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      February 16, 2019 12:47pm
    - starboard
      
      Give it up US. WO’s going down the shitter, deservedly.
      
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      February 16, 2019 12:49pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        I can’t stand the man myself and loathe his blog. I still see this for what it really is, an attack on freedom of expression.
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:40pm
- MrsAnnie
  
  Karma
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:09am
duggledog

You can accuse RNZ for its perceived bias, pro Left etc.

But nobody can accuse them of being culturally diverse – check out the ethnicity of their highest profile shows’ hosts –

Susie Ferguson, Guyon Espiner: (Morning Report) Caucasian.
Kathryn Ryan: (Nine to Noon) Caucasian.
Jesse Mulligan: (Afternoons) Caucasian.
Kim Hill: (Weekends) Caucasian.
Jim Mora: (Weekends) Caucasian.
Lisa Owen: (Checkpoint) Caucasian.
Karyn Hay: (Late Night) Caucasian.
Colin Peacock: (Media Watch) Caucasian.
Philippa Tolley: (Insight) Caucasian.
Katrina Batten: (News) Caucasian.
Bryan Crump: (Nights) Caucasian.
Simon Morris, Phil O’Brien (Matinee Idol) Caucasian.

And finally –

Wallace Chapmen: (The Panel) Mostly Caucasian (with a little bit of Fijian apparently). Yes, there are rats and mice – a few Ethnics scattered around the network but not on the prime shows.
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February 16, 2019 8:02am
- kowtow
  
  Perhaps their white guilt is the reason they so ridiculously and patronisingly start broadcasts with screeds of “indigenous” lingo .
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:16am
  - Universal Smith
    
    They invite us to call their female presenters a ho. That is pretty divergent.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:38am
    - lifesgood
      
      Yep, I wonder what americans think of our national radio being infested with hoes?
      
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      February 16, 2019 12:15pm
  - kiwitoffee
    
    That is a very good point.
    
    They are all white, middle class, liberal types full of a shallow self-loathing and misplaced guilt.
    
    They remind of the shrieking anti-borders protesters who want an end to immigration controls while making sure that no sweaty illegal immigrant or desperate pseudo-refugee comes within a mile of their neighbourhood.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:45am
  - lifesgood
    
    That obnoxious little upstart, Espiner, takes the cake. “Oh aren’t I so wonderful, I even married a maori and now I can speak the language. You should be so impressed and if you aren’t I’ll just burble for longer and longer until you are” I turn the radio off the minute the 6 am news is finished so I don’t have to hear him
    
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    February 16, 2019 12:14pm
    - Woz
      
      Yes, the odious little Espiner, who thinks the clever response to people objecting to his extended Maori soliloquying is to soliliquy more and longer. Smart-arsery of the purest kind.
      
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      February 16, 2019 5:09pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Yeah, but….
  The Chair of the RNZ Board of Governors isn’t completely Caucasian
  The rest seem to be.
  https://www.radionz.co.nz/about/board-profile
  Moreover, there is not gender equality on the Board.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:27am
  - Universal Smith
    
    They sacked their only Maori senior manager for the crime of getting caught accepting a 40 million dollar bribe from Labour.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:42am
    - Brian Marshall
      
      I think it was lying about the meeting that did it in for her.
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:29am
      - Universal Smith
        
        Yes, the matter of the tens of millions of dollars in public money, in return for favorable propaganda, was a minor issue. According to the same media accepting the bribes.
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:50am
- Notsofast
  
  Well spotted, I see the gender split is even though, and it doesn’t look quota driven.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:29am
  - calendar girl
    
    “… I see the gender split is even though…”
    
    It looks far from even to me – i.e. 5 males to 2 females. That causes me no concern; I’m interested only in the enterprise having people with the best set of attributes for the job
    
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    February 16, 2019 5:10pm
- Huevon
  
  Lol. Diversity for thee, but not for me.
  
  Guyon Espiner was interviewing the Mayor of Gisborne the other day and used his best East coast bro patois (just like David Cunliffe). Aww sweet, awe yea, etc. What a tool.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:34am
  - waikatogirl
    
    Mayor of Gisborne, Meng Foon refused to acknowledge Mark Richardson on TV3, despite Mark pointedly asking Foon if not including him when he said hello to Duncan and Amanda was an oversight? Foon ignored Mark’s question.
    Foon must be a good lefty as I presume his only problem with Mark Richardson is that he doesn’t approve of Richardson’s support for National. Lacking social skills and rudely ignoring people you don’t like is apparently acceptable behaviour on the left. ?
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:48am
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      I’m pretty sure Meng Foon isn’t a lefty.
      He’s pretty much in a class of his own.
      He sold Kaiti Mall last year.. so he probably counts as a rich prick at the moment.
      http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/3371403-135/kaiti-mall-up-for-sale
      (I can’t explain why he didn’t greet someone… seems out of character…)
      
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      February 16, 2019 8:54am
      - tf78
        
        Meng apparently was a good Mayor but in recent years he has changed somewhat.
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:12am
      - waikatogirl
        
        It was very pointed Maggy. Perhaps he doesn’t like the way Richardson plays cricket?! ?
        //sarc
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:40am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        @tf78
        Yep, he’s probably reached his use-by-date.
        He’s on his 6th term as Mayor.
        
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        February 16, 2019 9:43am
    - MickMac
      
      If Duncan had any integrity he would ban Men publicly.
      
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      February 16, 2019 10:19am
- KH
  
  RNZ National radio is great. Even with the irritating maori tag ons.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:26am
  - Jack5
    
    ❓ You are being sarcastic, KH?
    
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    February 16, 2019 11:47am
    - KH
      
      Nope
      
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      February 16, 2019 3:17pm
- fluffykiwi
  
  Of course they may have enough “Maori” in them to have claimed some benefits, just look “white”.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:58am
Manolo

They are all the same when it comes to spending money:
https://www.conservativereview.com/news/bipartisan-spending-binge-now-worse-bush-obama/

The annual deficit after just three months stood at $319 trillion, well on pace to smash the trillion-dollar deficit mark for the first time in a booming economy.

Thus, this bipartisan era of debt is worse than anything we’ve seen this generation, and it is all happening with record revenue and a booming economy – with no world war consuming our economy and budget.
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February 16, 2019 8:03am
- MCos
  
  The article goes on to blame ‘socialized healthcare’, which is a huge drain on the taxpayers of the USA.
  
  If a country like NZ can run a Public Health system and not break the bank, why does the the US struggle so much with their half pie system?
  
  Time to drain the swamp!
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:29am
  - MickMac
    
    its not the swamp.
    Between the insurers and medicos the customer is stuffed.
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:20am
  - Ed Snack
    
    US healthcare has a number of issues with cost. Specific ones that have a significant impact are the cost of insurance, the cost of drugs, and lack of competition in a system setup for competition.
    
    The first insurance refers to the legal issues whereby doctors can easily be sued for apparent mistreatment, and as such all doctors need extensive and expensive insurance cover. This can add literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of costs to a practise annually, some areas are more vulnerable such as obstetrics. The answer to this is some form of tort reform, however with trial lawyers being a major donor source for politicians both local and national this is rather unlikely to happen. The same cost will affect any medical system in the US, private or public, as long as there is no tort reform. Just as an example, in NZ it is almost impossible to sue for medical misadventure due largely to the ACC scheme.
    
    The cost of drugs is something the Trump administration has actually tackled though not entirely solved. To put it simply the US has the greatest capacity to pay for drugs so get charged the highest prices and the pharmaceutical companies also are large donors and benefit from legislation to make it difficult to prescribe genetics and to prevent competition. Again, absent legal reforms around the use of generics and the influence that “big pharmaceutical” has on politicians, a publicly funded medicinal system is unlikely to make a big change.
    
    Finally competition, one thing that would also help the cost of personal medical insurance would be to enable interstate competition as almost all states only allow local companies to offer medical insurance. Opening this up would no doubt help keep costs low especially if the numerous public employee union schemes were opened to competition, but again absent wider reforms, this is no panacea.
    
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    February 16, 2019 2:36pm
- MCos
  
  An interesting related tweet I saw today
  
  ‘Purdue Pharma hid the addiction potential of Oxycontin from the public and profited as millions of Americans became addicted.
  Then they tried to profit from the “highly attractive” market of addiction recovery.
  The Sacklers represent what is wrong with Big Pharma.’
  
  I don’t know anything other than these allegations, except it’s not the first time OxyContin has been poorly spoken of.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:25am
  - waikatogirl
    
    Oxycontin known in the States as ‘Hillbilly heroin’.
    
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    February 16, 2019 11:40am
    - fluffykiwi
      
      Used in resthomes
      
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      February 16, 2019 11:43am
  - Ed Snack
    
    I’ve seen the same MCos, I think this is an evolving scandal and it seems quite likely that the company and its owners may be in for a very unpleasant experience.and by the sound of it, deservedly so.
    
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    February 16, 2019 2:37pm
DigNap15

I’m going to try Magic Radio next week.
Anything but Kerre (socilaist) Woodham
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February 16, 2019 8:04am
- pdm
  
  I have been listening to Peter Williams for 2 weeks now. Not a patch on Leighton Smith but still far, far better than Kerre McIver.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:09am
  - Tall Man
    
    Low bar though 🙂
    
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    February 16, 2019 11:33am
- Chris R
  
  Kerre has dragged the old gang of night time whiners and losers into Leighton’s old space. She is such a sugary drip. Sean Plunket (magic) in the afternoons is great and not a waffler like Andrew Dickins on Newstalk.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:21am
  - greybeard
    
    Yep, I am a magic Talk convert from 9am until 3pm.
    Radio for grown-ups.
    
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    February 16, 2019 7:08pm
slightlyrighty

I am seriously wondering if the unions who represent our journalists (E-Tu) haven’t entered into an unspoken agreement among themselves to attack and undermine the opposition. If you wonder why they would do this, remember that it has publicly happened in Canada, and don’t forget Katie Bradford’s “No matter what we do” statement.

With all the stuff ups that the government is doing, why is the lead story about the National mansplaining at the BBQ?
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February 16, 2019 8:07am
- waikatogirl
  
  It must be difficult to separate yourself from the herd of other ‘journalists’ when the indoctrination through parts of the education system has been so thorough in convincing you that socialism is the right path. Here comes Cindy with her fairy dust of wellness and kindness and promises of houses for everyone with union togetherness and huge pay increases. It all sounds SO marvellous! Almost impossible to give up the dream you have been promised to spread the word on.
  So So Sad for them ? ? ?
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:16am
  - Bill felt
    
    Cindy is of course a member of E-Tu. She is one of them and they view her as their leader. Hence the unconditional support despite the continual disasters.
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:07am
- Rich Prick
  
  The Opposition is a threat to their government. So rather than have it get on with the business of holding the government to account, they seek to tear it down.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:16am
- rightoverlabour
  
  because they thought they would embarrass the Nats. What they did was greatly extend the reach of the advert. The commy scum fucked up big time here. I hope all future Nat adds have something that will upset the luvvies, so they can get outraged and draw attention to the add.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:28am
  - Rich Prick
    
    Indeed. I hope they keep casting that blonde woman as the vacant airhead Labour/Greens voter. I thought she played the part brilliantly. And it wound the luvvies up so much, it was a joy to watch.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:37am
    - alloytoo
      
      Actually they should turn it around and have her educating her peer group aka Jacinda’s people…..image the outcry
      
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      February 16, 2019 1:28pm
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  There survival depends now on left wing govt largess. They are merely acting in their financial best interests.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:51am
holysheet

A man is at work one day, when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring. The man knows his co-worker to be a conservative guy, and is curious about his sudden change in fashion sense. The man walks up and says, “I didn’t know you were into earrings.”
The co-worker responds sheepishly, “Don’t make such a big deal out of this, it’s only an earring.” The man falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to say, “So how long have you been wearing one?”
The co-worker responds, “Ever since my wife found it in my truck.”
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February 16, 2019 8:09am
artemisia

Yay, the number of completed Kiwibuild places now 62. Success! Or something.

10,355 under contract. Now that is a real concern. We don’t know what the taxpayer is up for if those don’t sell as planned. That is a lot of contracts. Could easily far exceed the $2billion of taxpayer money. And assume the expensive bureaucracy behind Kiwibuild is hidden away in another budget somewhere. Expenses that private developers have to pay for out of their profit.

Mr Twyford, let us see the risk analysis. If there is one.
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February 16, 2019 8:10am
- Viking2
  
  So,the building companies ill be hauling back their spec builds.
  The banks will be pulling in their money as risk with the building companies.
  Latest comment from Rodney Dickens is that stats. really haven’t a bloody clue how many people are coming and going.
  Watching the property blogs suggests that there is a lot less rental pressure in many places so that indicate supply and demand is coming closer together.
  
  Be careful if you are in that trade.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:32am
- KevOB
  
  Is the govt going to land up with 10,000+ taxpayer underwritten houses like a stockbroker underwriting share issues? If the “buyers” don’t want them what is the govt doing making a market? Are they of any use for social housing if they are the wrong size and in the wrong place or ill equipped to attract buyers?
  Is this an indirect expression of a takeover bid for the whole of the new housing stock in NZ?
  
  Are the Kiwibuild builders gaming the govt?
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:00am
  - artemisia
    
    Good questions. But where are the answers?
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:48am
Yvette

New Zealand’s biggest seafood exporter Sanford is having issues getting salmon through Chinese ports
It comes as suspicions grow that China is turning up the heat on this country because of the Huawei saga.
Sanford is not attributing its recent administrative issues getting shipments cleared to the deteriorating New Zealand-China relationship, but chief customer officer Andre Gargiulo says no reason has been given for the issues which have impacted several shipments of fresh salmon since the end of last month. – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12204300

NZ First seems to have a reasonably close interests in the fishing industry –
• Fishing company Talley’s bankrolling Shane Jones’ NZ First campaign – Herald August 27, 2017
• NZ First sinks coalition partners’ plan for fisheries review – stuff December 02, 2018
• NZ First, whose senior MPs are close to the fishing industry and whose campaign was partly bankrolled by players in the fishing industry, demanded Labour stop the Kermadec Marine Sanctuary – October 22. 2017

With NZ First Leader Winston Peters also being Foreign Minister, how subtle are the Chinese being in targeting fishing industry exports, amongst other things – or is it really just a jolly old coincidence?

But Ms Ardern admitted the relationship between the two nations was a complex one.
Yes, it certainly could be.
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February 16, 2019 8:10am
- MrTips
  
  Winston Prick is not having a good 2019. He’s been in hospital, is linked to WO a little too much and now he is really struggling to maintain the interests of those who ~~bought~~ supported him at the 2017 electoral ~~sales~~ voting.
  
  As Clarke would say – SNORT!!
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:23am
  - Woz
    
    I missed the hospital news. What was he in for? Cirrhosis of the liver?
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:04am
    - lifesgood
      
      All kept hush, hush for some reason.
      
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      February 16, 2019 12:22pm
      - starboard
        
        WP has been diagnosed with F I T H syndrome. Coincidentally, Shane Jones has contacted FIGJAM..not nice. Poor bastards.
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:59pm
      - Jack5
        
        This is scaremongering crap, probably pushed out by Huawei’s PR team (and I thought they would be Monday-Friday people). The world is short of fish and demand is high.
        
        If China doesn’t buy fish from NZ it will buy them elsewhere and that will keep up world demand – and export prices.
        
        https://www.ecowatch.com/one-third-of-commercial-fish-stocks-fished-at-unsustainable-levels-1910593830.html
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:41pm
- waikatogirl
  
  How are those Kiwis running businesses in China being treated?
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:24am
  - Rich Prick
    
    I’m transiting through Shanghai soon. I hope Cindy and the OAP don’t fuck them off more than they already have, the sight of latex gloves makes me nervous.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:50am
    - holysheet
      
      You wouldn’t want try this there then?
      
      On my recent visit to Australia I got a full strip and body cavity search at customs. I suppose it’s my own fault. When they asked if I had a criminal record I replied ‘I didn’t know you still needed one’
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:28am
      - fluffykiwi
        
        Yes, makes you wonder why they are throwing out recent criminals and sending them back to NZ.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:02am
      - Jack5
        
        A lot of folk transported to Australia as convicts ended up in NZ.
        
        Crews on sealers and whalers, and later some of them, or their children, came to NZ as soldiers.
        
        I’m an NZer but admire the fighting spirit, the rebellious spirit of Aussies, and I suspect this may have been influenced by criminal genes. I think NZ might have been a better place if we had more of them. We’d be less gutless in facing the UN and China.
        
        The Aussies are tougher on gatecrashers than we are (Zaoui is the prime example), and in kicking out criminals they are right. Look at some of the trash that the immigration appeals tribunal lets stay in NZ.
        
        Before Britain exiled convicts and stirrers to Australia it sent them to North America. Maybe they provided some of the grit that won the American War of Independence.
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:34pm
  - burt
    
    Everything is on track comrade, they will be on benefits voting Labour by mid 2020.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:52am
- namron
  
  Thanks Yvette, another astute and valuable comment. I look forward to more.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:48am
- wiseowl
  
  Is Peter Goodfellow a director of Sanford?
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:35am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    yep.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:54am
Scott

Two interesting things on morning news this morning. The former British secret service head interviewed on CNN saying how concerned the British government are about Huawei and the possibility of the Chinese company putting “trapdoors” in their technology. It seems the threat and concerns about Huawei are real adn shared by many governments, not just the Americans.

5G is a critical technology and people are worried that Huawei leading in this area could cause substantial security concerns.

China is a communist country who according to the British wants to be a super power and is a rival to the west.

We should treat them with extreme caution IMHO.
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February 16, 2019 8:11am
- Yvette
  
  Scott –
   A visitor to Vanuatu has returned with the distinct impression the Government there may be selling citizenship to Chinese so they can buy Vanuatu land, among other corrupt practices, with this information being widely volunteered by locals.
  The visitor is not a particularly politically orientated individual so it would be interesting to know a background to the comments that were freely given.
  
  Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: … I’ll tell you about China but not “Choyna”. China, yes, I’m the current expert on China, but “Choyna”—I don’t know anything about that country unless a new rock has jumped up in the Pacific. – Hansard
  
  Although the Choynese have being building some of their own “rocks” in the Pacific, other places there appear available for purchase.
  I trust the Winston, self-proclaimed current expert on China, know of this.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:34am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Just as it is for NZ, it is not simple for Britain to disregard its Chinese business interests.
  The Chinese own 33% of Britain’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. They are major developers in London.
  
  The MI6 boss is not calling for an outright ban of Huawei in Britain,
  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-15/spy-chief-says-outright-huawei-ban-might-not-be-right-for-u-k
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:41am
  - Odakyu-sen
    
    When Nixon went to China all those years ago, did the US not consider the long-term ramifications of making the Chinese Communist Pary fabulously wealthy through international trade?
    
    What did the US think a fabulously wealthy Chinese Communist Party would do with all their money?
    
    Isn’t there some ancient Chinese warlord’s quote out there about the folly of willingly making your enemies powerful?
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:19am
    - Jack5
      
      You are right, Odakyu-sen. It must have been the fastest rise in wealth ever by a large country.
      
      Nixon and Kissinger with strategic advantages at the forefront of their minds, forgot that it’s industrial strength that really counts.
      
      The United States showed this when its industries powered the Allies to victory in Europe and Asia at the same time.
      
      Perhaps the pair were confident China could never be a rival, their minds biased by mad Mao’s crazes that starved tens of millions of Chinese, and had them melting down pots in village steel mills, and wiping out starlings and flies.
      
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      February 16, 2019 2:06pm
- Paulus
  
  We are believed to be the weakest and smallest link in the Five Eyes Agreement.
  Hence China would break that link if it can – and with Ardern a weak leader anything is possible.
  China can see our weakness – and Peters !
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:44am
  - SGA
    
    Hence China would break that link if it can – and with Ardern a weak leader anything is possible.
    
    I’m having trouble working out where political loyalties lie on this issue. Are you saying that Bridges, for example, would be a stronger leader in this regard? My impression is that National wants to roll over to China on this issue.
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:54am
  - niggly
    
    We’re the weakest link alright, which could explain why the CCP is making a concerted effort to “punish” NZ (in the hope they can get access to NZ’s 5G network and then more so).
    
    I mean, why would the CCP make such a big effort to “punish” NZ when NZ company’s purchases of Huawei products must be small-fry compared to most other nations?
    
    I don’t think this is doing CCP’s reputation any good – what a bunch of bullies!
    
    Mind you on the other hand I can understand CCP “anger” with the COL Labour Govt seeing they are too useless and have little understanding of diplomatic protocol as it appears the COL is not having off-record diplomatic discussions with the Chinese first to let them know what the NZ Govt is thinking, then we have the NZ Foreign Minister making up policy on the hoof without informing the PM and the COL, what an incompetent, amateur clusterfuck Jacinda and Winston – you are now (again) screwing over NZers and NZ companies exporting products to China …. either fix the issue with China diplomatically or resign before you do even more damage!
    
    Please don’t “sleepwalk us to war” or at the very least “suicide the economy”!
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:04am
    - MCos
      
      We may not be best buddies with China right now, but they haven’t started arresting our nationals as they’ve done with Australia & Canada.
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:38am
      - Jack5
        
        If China does arrest NZ citizens, we might be able to trade their release for the return of Chinese NZ-resident business that Beijing wants sent home.
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:53am
  - freethinker
    
    The US should reciprocate if they want NZ to remain a valuable ally in the S Pacific as well as an honest broker with China. Trump should ease some of his trade restrictions as NZ is a tiny customer/supplier to the US and not pragmatically relevant to US in terms of value or competition but its position and compatibility generally in its policies is worth maintaining on a most favoured nation basis.
    
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    February 16, 2019 11:46am
- Universal Smith
  
  Scott, I suspect risk evaluation is not your thing. Unlike uneducated racism. You are probably a Labour voter.
  
  China is one of the oldest developed cultures on earth. For centuries they were a super power. Yet they have never used that power to invade or destroy other countries. The USA is the one for that and we are out of favour with them too.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:53am
  - kevn
    
    @UNi… You can add Aussie to the list.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:17am
  - JibberJabber
    
    “Yet they have never used that power to invade or destroy other countries.’
    Yeah nah, tell that to the Tibetans and the Vietnamese.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:27am
    - Blackbob
      
      You forgot to add Korea…And Taiwan 🙂
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:54am
    - Universal Smith
      
      Jibber, yeah the USA never invaded Vietnam did it? The best thing to ever happen to Tibet was China. American propaganda is far from the truth on that one.
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:55am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        You must be absolutely ecstatic about the Chinese subjugation of the Uyghurs in Xinjang. Concentration camps, government ‘guests’ living in Uyghur households – what’s not to love?
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:27am
      - Blackbob
        
        No the US didn’t invade Vietnam, they were invited in by the Govt in charge at the time – subtle difference but important. The Chinese did try to invade Vietnam and had their ass handed to them.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:33am
      - Komata
        
        Universal Smith
        
        No, unlike China in its excursions into Tibet, Vietnam and to a lesser extent India, the US never did ‘invade’ South Vietnam, but were there in respnse to Treaty obligations and at the INVITATION of the Democratically elected givernment of South Vietnam, a government destroyed by an INVASION from the Peoples Democratic Republic of North Vietnam, in a manner strangely reminiscent of activity on the Korean Peninsula some 10 years previously…
        
        ‘INVASION’ seems to be a Communist specialty…
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:35am
      - Universal Smith
        
        Yes in the same way the Nazis were invited into France by the leaders. It is frankly absurd to portray China as an aggressor and not the USA with 800 military bases in over 70 countries.
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:56pm
      - Jack5
        
        That’s a strange argument, Universal Smith.
        
        America, as the dominant Western power now, like Britain in the Victorian era, was first, a naval power, which requires more bases, and second, had to be ready to fight two enemies at once, again requiring more bases.
        
        By Universal Smith’s argument, Britain was the aggressor in World War 2, not Germany, because Britain had far, far more bases. Bullshit, of course.
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:57pm
      - JibberJabber
        
        Your claim was, “they have never used that power to invade or destroy other countries”.
        Quite obviously incorrect.
        
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        February 16, 2019 7:43pm
  - Scott
    
    Universal Smith – you can say risk assessment is not my thing. You can imply that I’m an uneducated racist.
    But then you call me a Labour voter. Now you’ve really gone too far! ?
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:40am
    - Dave Mann
      
      You’re lucky to have only been considered a Labour voter. If you hold a different opinion to Tall Man you’re an idiot and an ignorant stupid troll.
      
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      February 16, 2019 10:19am
      - Tall Man
        
        “idiot and an ignorant stupid troll.”
        
        Which you confirm on a daily basis.
        
        Are you over your outrage at the National ad yet?
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:24am
  - MickMac
    
    what a dick you are Universal.
    Where have you been all of the 20th century???
    
    China had no power so they couldn’t project.
    Now they have power…
    
    What is happening??
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:25am
    - Universal Smith
      
      China were a developed superpower when your ancestors were illiterate barbarians sitting around a miserable fire picking lice from their beards.
      
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      February 16, 2019 12:53pm
      - kowtow
        
        Fat lot of good it’s done for them , today , which after all is really all that counts.
        
        ps At least westerners can grow beards , Chinese girlie men , not so much.
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:20pm
      - Jack5
        
        A super power that the Mongolians and later the Manchu conquered. By Chinese standards, these two peoples were uncivilised barbarians.
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:25pm
  - Kiwi Dave
    
    If the Chinese have never invaded, how did 73 South Vietnamese military die when China acquired control of the Paracel Islands in 1974?
    
    These days, corruption, indebtedness, and threats of force or economic pressure are less blatant means to bend countries to China’s will.
    
    As for Huawei, a friend from Hong Kong who works in IT prefers his clients not to use Huawei systems because his own professional experience has revealed spyware in their gear.
    
    Of course, big US IT companies spy on their customers too, but whistleblowers there lose their jobs rather than their freedom.
    
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    February 16, 2019 1:09pm
    - Kiwi Dave
      
      In fairness to Huawei, I assumed from our discussion and his attitude that the spyware was Huawei’s, but who knows what third parties are capable of inserting?
      
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      February 16, 2019 1:36pm
    - Jack5
      
      Universal Smith continually ignores those who point out he is wrong when he argues China has never been an invader.
      
      China invaded Tibet. It invaded and took over Manchuria. It took over Inner Mongolia. It attempted to take over Mongolia but was rebuffed by the Soviet Union army.
      
      India might also argue that China invaded its border region. So might Russia.
      
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      February 16, 2019 1:49pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        A few regional expansions and minor border adjustments, are nothing compared to the global invasions of the USA, England, France etc.
        
        I’ve never heard of the Mongols being portrayed as the victims of invasion, but your sort of alternative reality keeps the blog interesting and I would be interested in hearing your opinion on the spherical-earth hoax?
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:56pm
      - Jack5
        
        Comrade Universal Smith, you who think you are the discoverer that Earth is a sphere, here is Wikipedia on the Chinese invasion of Mongolia:
        
        The occupation of Outer Mongolia by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China began in October 1919 and lasted until early 1921, when Chinese troops in Urga were routed by Baron Ungern’s White Russian (Buryats, Russians etc.) and Mongolian forces. These, in turn, were defeated by the Red Army and its Mongolian allies by June 1921.
        
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        February 16, 2019 3:50pm
    - marcw
      
      This is a long but seemingly accurate account of how outsourcing hardware manufacture can lead to espionage within IT companies. With chips now embedded within mainboard layers, virtually undetectable without knowledge of the activating/controlling rogue software.
      
      https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-10-04/the-big-hack-how-china-used-a-tiny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies
      
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      February 16, 2019 3:06pm
  - Ed Snack
    
    Tibet
    
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    February 16, 2019 2:42pm
    - Universal Smith
      
      They freed the people of Tibet from a miserable life of slavery to the religious rulers who were known for their hideous cruelty and brutality.
      
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      February 16, 2019 2:51pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Until 1959, when China cracked down on Tibetan rebels and the Dalai Lama fled to northern India, around 98% of the population was enslaved in serfdom. Drepung monastery, on the outskirts of Lhasa, was one of the world’s largest landowners with 185 manors, 25,000 serfs, 300 pastures, and 16,000 herdsmen. High-ranking lamas and secular landowners imposed crippling taxes, forced boys into monastic slavery and pilfered most of the country’s wealth – torturing disobedient serfs by gouging out their eyes or severing their hamstrings.
        https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/feb/10/tibet-china-feudalism
        
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        February 16, 2019 3:01pm
- KevinH
  
  https://www.chinacenter.net/2012/china_currents/11-2/commentary-the-u-s-house-intelligence-committee-scapegoats-huawei/
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:53am
- Niz
  
  So they’re concerned. Has any country provided any actual evidence of these backdoors, or whatever else they’re concerned about? I suspect not, because then we wouldn’t be hearing about all this concern; they’d be telling us about the actual evidence.
  Banning stuff because they’re ‘concerned’ is Jan Thomas country.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:36am
  - Universal Smith
    
    Good point. They might also want to look at US and Israeli developed systems which are infested with back doors and spyware. They are all doing it. This is just a case of the US wanting their systems installed.
    
    It should be confined to a civil trade matter and not be allowed to flow into politics and international relations.
    
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    February 16, 2019 2:02pm
  - marcw
    
    Further copy of the link I posted to Kiwi Dave above:
    
    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-10-04/the-big-hack-how-china-used-a-tiny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies
    
    Yes it happens – big time.
    
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    February 16, 2019 3:12pm
Scott

The second thing was from Trump world where it appears that former deputy director of the FBI Andrew McCabe was in a room where it was discussed invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office. Rod Rosenstein was in the room and according to McCabe seriously offered to wear a wire to help bring down the newly elected president.

Here is my question. How is this not sedition? How is this not the biggest story of what amounts to a coup?

Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and this happened to a Democrat president?

But what it shows is that Trump was right all along and there was a plot at the highest levels to remove him from office.

Someone should be held to account. How is this not treason?
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February 16, 2019 8:16am
- Viking2
  
  IMHO it is. and he has outed the evidence so when are the FBI going to charge these characters?
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:34am
- SGA
  
  Here is my question. How is this not sedition?
  …
  Someone should be held to account. How is this not treason?
  
  Does gathering evidence that might remove a President from office under the laws of the Constitution count as sedition or treason? Did any of the activities against Nixon during Watergate or Clinton during the Starr investigation count as sedition or treason? My guess is not. Would that extend to wearing a wire to secretly record the President – not so sure, but I suspect it would be hard to make a specific charge of sedition or treason stick.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:51am
  - Scott
    
    SGA – Alan Dershowitz makes some useful comments about the McCabe meeting. He thinks it’s an attempted coup. Interestingly enough McCabe is now attempting to walk back his remarks following reaction from conservatives.
    
    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/02/15/alan_dershowitz_using_25th_amendment_to_oust_trump_is_clearly_an_attempt_at_a_coup_detat.html
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:01am
    - SGA
      
      Scott, Dershowitz can think what he likes. But if someone is talking about removing the President using the laws as written in the Constitution (as you claim above), then I think it is hard to make charges of sedition or treason stick. You might not think that it’s fair, just, appropriate, reasonable, whatever – but I think that “treason” and “sedition” are probably emotive terms to prime outrage in the faithful.
      
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      February 16, 2019 10:07am
  - Ed Snack
    
    SGA, there is a well established way to remove a President who is politically unfit to rule (such as being a foreign agent) and that is impeachment. If Trump was a genuine Russian agent and the FBI had good evidence of the same, impeachment would be swift and easy regardless of party.
    
    The 25th amendment was introduced after Woodrow Wilson’s second term during which he suffered a second stroke and became essentially a complete recluse with all contact through his wife and doctor. There was no obvious means to replace him though he could have been impeached – however contemporary opinion was that a stroke wasn’t a “high crime or misdemeanour” so that route was difficult to enforce.
    
    What is clear is that the people empowered by the 25th amendment are the VP and Cabinet who can collectively replace the President, though note that the President can revoke that replacement personally.
    
    The FBI has no place in a 25th amendment case, the intention is almost exclusively medical or psychiatric.
    
    If McCabe & Co had sufficient evidence of Trump’s commission of an impeachable offence then the correct approach is to convey that to Congress so impeachment can take place.
    
    And let’s be quite clear, despite the witterings of the deluded, there is no reasonable evidence that Trump is in any way beholden to Russian or Russian interests, thus the desperate resort to the 25th route by McCabe. And that action is indeed Prima facie seditious, all those present at those meetings where it was discussed who did not actively dissent are equally guilty of a seditious conspiracy. The one exception could be Rosenstein who’s dissent may have been taking the collusion investigation away from McCabe by appointing Mueller – there are varying opinions about this.
    
    This all happened because of the illegal actions by most of the Obama IC (starting with Brennan) by spying on an opposition campaign and candidate in order to get their candidate elected. Once Trump won they all faced the problem that their actions would be discovered and revealed, hence the “insurance policy” and the desperate attempts to mount a coup to remove Trump. And they settled on using opposition funded research of extremely dodgy provenance to attempt to justify their actions.
    
    I’m cynical, the threat has been removed largely but will these traitors and plotters (and the conspiracy arguably goes as high as to include Obama but certainly includes Brennan, Yates, Lynch, and other Obama cabinet members) ever see the inside of a courthouse let alone jail ? Maybe, and we can hope so, and also hope that they are treated in a way “pour encourager les autres”.
    
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    February 16, 2019 3:01pm
- Inandout
  
  Scott, luckily Democrats are seen as loopy with all the liquorice types (like AOC) appearing out of the woodwork.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:31am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Loving your racism. Most people are a bit shy, but you’re right out there.
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:29am
    - Tall Man
      
      In NZ we have a similar issue with labour, but it’s not colour or race based.
      
      It seems you need to be a real dickhead to continue to support labour, something a few of you confirm to the rest of us on a daily basis.
      
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      February 16, 2019 11:21am
    - Inandout
      
      m&m, liquorice allsorts. Shit some people see racism under every rock.
      
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      February 16, 2019 12:25pm
      - Tall Man
        
        That’s because they live under rocks….
        
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        February 16, 2019 2:19pm
    - Ed Snack
      
      Is Liquorice racist then ? I see as meaning “inclined to make one suffer from the shits”. AOC after all is a basically rich girl pretending to be working class and spouting bullshit. Enough to give anyone the shits.
      
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      February 16, 2019 3:12pm
stephieboy

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Why experts say Canada should follow Australia’s lead on China in wake of Huawei crisis
VANCOUVER—Canada should not be afraid to follow Australia’s lead in standing up to Beijing in policy and practice, say experts who have analyzed foreign relations for decades.

Ottawa has long prioritized economic gain over national security, worrying over the state of its relationship with the global heavyweight rather than voicing and defending its interests, say analysts.

The Australian experience shows that, over time, Beijing will make room for firmly drawn boundaries. A case in point is the 2018 overhaul of Australian national security and foreign interference laws that added 38 new crimes to the books. They cover, among other things, engaging in covert activity at the behest of a foreign power to influence politics and a ban on foreign political donations….,”

https://www.google.co.nz/amp/s/www.thestar.com/amp/news/canada/2019/02/13/australia-china-relations-provide-example-canada-could-learn-from-say-experts.html

First what this tells New Zealand is not alone in experiencing the displeasure of Beijing.O bviously Canada and Australia not, of course, forgetting the US.

Secondly it also it also says why it is no bad thing not be allowed to be bullied by any nation let alone China . They at the end of the day respect clearly “drawn boundaries”and contempt for a spineless “me tooism “as demonstrated by many on KB and alas as appears in the National party leadership.
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February 16, 2019 8:16am
- Simon
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Is Soymon Bridges a water carrier for the CCP or just a mindless fool for attacking the PM over her correct decision to stop the criminal CCP SOE selling their crooked and counterfeit gear into NZ?
  
  What is Soymon postion on Huawei? Little bitch needs to sort out his priorities
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:37am
  - Salacious Crumb
    
    I agree the government needs to be cautious with dealing the Chinese but Ardern et al have been reckless at best. Skillful diplomacy would allowed the Huawei issue to have been dealt with without Chinese loss of face and kept the Americans on side also.
    
    Instead, blundering foot in mouth diplomacy from Ardern and Peters results in a massive threat to a strong economic partnership which we are the main beneficiaries of. On top of oil and gas; Ardern is proving to be out of her depth and an economic vandal
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:54am
    - SGA
      
      Skillful diplomacy would allowed the Huawei issue to have been dealt with without Chinese loss of face and kept the Americans on side also.
      
      That’s easy to say, but I can’t see how that would be achieved and I’m not sure that this a matter of “face” that much. The US, Australia, and Canada have already pissed off the Chinese royally. Following the lead of our 5 Eyes security partners regarding Huawei, under whatever pretence, was always going to annoy them.
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:50am
      - All_on_Red
        
        They could have deferred the Tender until there were more competitors.
        At this point Huawei is way ahead of everyone else
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:51am
  - pentwig
    
    damn
    it’s saturday – no kindygarden
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:19am
srylands

Went to the movies in Island Bay last night. Parked on the street next to that monstrosity of a cycleway.

I was the passenger. I opened my door without looking. My driver friend pointed out that I could have wiped out a cyclist. But of course I am not used to checking my mirror as a passenger.

Anyway we got back to the car two hours later and found we had blocked someone’s driveway. We simply did not see it. Obviously our fault but neither of us had ever done that before. So we apologised to the homeowner. She said it happened to her almost daily. She was on the verge of tears. Said she hated the thing.

She says that the residents association is fighting for its removal in court but the Council has deeper pockets.

I hate this thing in its own right. And I am not anti cycling. It turned a wide safe road into a dangerous monstrosity. But it is also an apt example of the stupidity and profligacy of councils.
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February 16, 2019 8:17am
- Rich Prick
  
  You should see the fun when two of the new double decker buses meet from opposite directions. And the rubbish trucks and their robotic arms that can’t reach wheelie bins on the curb. But no, stay it must, the 12 cyclists who use it on the odd weekend love it.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:27am
- niggly
  
  I think part of the problem is the stupid environlunatics on the WCC are not treating (aligning) “cycling” as “transport” i.e. a cycle lane should be next to a road lane, why, because both are form of “transport”.
  
  Instead they are treating cycling as being “at one” with pedestrians by putting them next to each other (and having cars parked out in the middle of the road), which is wrong, wrong and wrong.
  
  In other words, the Green lobby is treating pedestrians and cycling as one-in-the-same, when they are not!
  
  The only common factor is that they both involve “people”, well ummm, so do cars, I mean drivers are “people” too!
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:18am
- Inandout
  
  Don’t bicycles get punctures now? Oh, is ‘bicycle’ a trannie term…..
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:26am
  - Rich Prick
    
    Yes, there’s been a bit of that. And the resident who blacks out the Council’s parking space markings and paints his/her own next to the curb. I must admit, I admire the initiative, but sadly the hint is totally missed by the Council.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:34am
    - Durden
      
      RP,
      
      Re “And the resident who blacks out the Council’s parking space markings and paints his/her own next to the curb”
      
      Hadn’t heard about that. Maybe time for all residents to unilaterally decide to park next to the curb old style from a particular day and challenge the council to ticket them all. Best timed just before the next election methinks :).
      
      Srylands, Your experience is very common (especially on Fridays) I believe. But the arrogant cyclist lobby condemns drivers who do not notice yellow lines and that they are in front of a driveway as stupid. Instead maybe they should look for what exactly is in the stupid design that causes the problem to happen. Surely no driver wants to find car towed after coming back from a movie.
      
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      February 16, 2019 1:24pm
rightoverlabour

More global warming – Not

https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/weather/maui-snow-polipoli-state-park

The local press seemed very quiet about this, or did I miss something?

I know one snow storm does not indicate the start of an Ice Age, but then one heat wave doesn’t prove global warming either. However, there has been a marked increase in Polar Vortex weather events over the past few years. That could be significant.

To the usual Ice Age Deniers, Fuck Off, not interested in your alarmist claptrap. To people who wish to engage meaningfully, feel free to discuss.
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February 16, 2019 8:18am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Bit too much sea ice down in Antarctica at the moment..
  https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/antarctic-shackleton-expedition-called-off-scli-intl/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_travel+%28RSS%3A+CNN+-+Travel%29
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:46am
- Albert_Ross
  
  I am not a climate scientist or a meteorologist, and neither are you, and as such a discussion between us over what, if anything, this or that individual weather event tells us about climate would be an entirely pointless exercise.
  
  Here is a point where I would be interested in views, however. The thesis of climate change sceptics appears to be that all of the climate scientists who continue to insist that climate change is real are either genuinely mistaken, or lying.
  
  Which is it?
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:18am
  - holysheet
    
    Who cares?
    I thought they announced that the science was settled back in the 90’s.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:33am
  - wiseowl
    
    AB I suggest you watch the ‘Outsiders ‘ tomorrow on Sky 10 or 11 am ch85.
    Sir Ian Plimer is on and explains things very well.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:42am
    - stephieboy
      
      wiseowl, introducing the real Sir Ian Plimer,
      
      https://www.skepticalscience.com/skeptic_Ian_Plimer.htm
      ”
      
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      February 16, 2019 10:17am
      - All_on_Red
        
        Skeptical Science!
        Hahahahahaha
        They’re a bunch of lying propagandists
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:54am
      - Tall Man
        
        What does your goat say steffy?
        
        I think it would have more sense that you seem to have.
        
        ardern is a liar
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:05am
      - stephieboy
        
        “Lying propagandists” ??
        
        Like Donald Chump?
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:04pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Heh, like you Pervertboy
        You’re the dumbest liar here
        LOL
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:05pm
  - softail 1450
    
    Albert Ross ,thankfully all those scientists back in the 1980s were completely wrong because according to them by now the best business to own would have been selling snow shoes worldwide…
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:58am
  - Kabull
    
    There is no dispute that the climate is changing – as it has done since the beginning of time. What is in dispute is the extent to which
    a) the change is due to, or influenced by, mankind, and
    b) the extent to which changes in behaviour can alter the rate of that change.
    
    In the 18th century(?) it was possible to skate on the Thames during winter – there are paintings depicting this, and it was an annual occurrence which included fairs, festivals and the like. So, when winters stopped getting that cold, was it part of a natural cycle, or something the growing population of the UK influenced?
    
    Not to forget, either, that
    1) During the last ice age, the ice covered much of north America and northern Europe, including most of Britain
    2) The tilting of the Earth’s axis over time moved the poles – indeed, at one time they were reversed. So tropical climates were experienced in areas that are now polar.
    
    I could go on but I won’t. I simply suggest that those who want to understand the false scaremongering widen their search of YouTube and look for the respected scientists who debunk the IPCC fraud. Don’t just watch or listen to those who present one side of the issue.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:59am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    The thesis of climate change sceptics appears to be that all of the climate scientists who continue to insist that climate change is real are either genuinely mistaken, or lying.
    
    That is a complete misrepresentation of the position of climate change sceptics.
    
    Take a look at the writings of Judith Curry and some of the other climate scientists who have been labelled “sceptics”. All accept that global warming has happened in the 20th century…
    It’s just that some think this is part of natural climate cycles
    Others accept that the slight warming may be linked to anthropogenic CO2 forcing, but they are of the opinion that the effect is minor and can be mitigated against by sensible development.
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:12am
    - stephieboy
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      M W,
      
      The Climate Change deniers hall of shame,
      
      https://www.campaigncc.org/climate_change/sceptics/hall_of_shame
      
      You included!
      
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      February 16, 2019 10:20am
      - srylands
        
        Wow. Could we have a child basher, anti vaxxer, fetal alcohol syndrome Hall of Shame? I’d pay money to read that.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:48am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        You included!
        
        You flatter me…
        I’m a little old lady in Gizzy (soon to be watching 40 tonnes of logs hurtling down SH35 every 30 sec.).
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:00am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Hah! Judith Curry claims that it is a hoax.
      https://archive.is/ikMN6
      
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      February 16, 2019 10:34am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        @MMA
        
        You are not suffering from stephieboy’s comprehension problems are you?
        
        Read the link you provided… it’s Trump who used the term hoax…
        JC gives her recommendations at the end of the post:
        *a review of climate science that includes a faithful and transparent representation of uncertainties in 21st century projections of global and regional climate change
        *reopening of the ‘endangerment’ issue, as to whether warming is ‘dangerous’
        *a do-over on assessing the social cost of carbon, that accounts for full uncertainty in the climate model simulations, the integrated assessment models and their inputs.
        *support funding for Earth observing systems (satellite, surface, ocean) and research on natural climate variability.
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:04am
      - Tall Man
        
        And up pops the little labour lackey.
        
        I guess the theories of man made global warming and labour are inextricably linked, both require that the believers are idiots.
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:10am
    - Albert_Ross
      
      Addressing Maggy’s point. I don’t think I misrepresented the position of many Kiwibloggers, but am happy to accept that there is a range of views among climate scientists.
      
      Nevertheless, I think it would be fair to say that the positions you describe are at an extreme end of that range, and are not mainstream in climate science.
      
      As such, the question remains. Are all the climate scientists who do not think that the current warming is part of natural climate cycles, who don’t consider it minor, or who think that the anthropogenic contribution is significant – are they lying, or are they mistaken?
      
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      February 16, 2019 11:48am
      - Peter S
        
        Part of the problem with answering that question is actually nailing down definitions of what actually make someone a climate scientist.
        The vast majority of those under the rather wide umbrella of the definition are from pretty widely dispersed disciplines.
        At the end of last year there was a conference of leading “experts” but if you looked at what their area of study/expertise was, none that I saw were studying the actual climate, they were all economists, agriculturalists and the like. Their expertise was in projecting impacts based on the premise of climate change.
        The actual discipline of climate study is quite a small one.
        Judith Curry is a recently retired professor of atmospheric science. Her description of her own experience is quite illuminating. She was one of the original signatories to the famous 87% question of whether agw was real and an issue. She did this on the basis that the premise was not unreasonable, and, while not having studied the specifics, she took the claim on a trust in science face value basis. A position many including a retired biologist professor who is a friend I respect but disagree with on this subject, have taken and many still do.
        Later, as she looked more closely, Curry began to move position. She has always tried to be an honest broker, I have seen her take some pretty harsh criticism from both sides of the debate, and she has always responded politely and with logical arguments. Some of the stuff coming from the AGE side has been extremely nasty and almost certainly either defamatory or libelous.
        I really suggest checking out her blog, and here I actually make an attempt to answer your question.
        Go to the blog. Look at how the people on it behave. Look at how Curry herself behaves and the type of arguments she uses. Also go to the Climate Audit site and look at how Steve McIntyre behaves and the level of expertise he displays in his analysis of climate papers.
        Then go to sites like desmog, realclimate and other environmental/climate sites and compare the behavior and level of comment censoring.
        Then check out the behaviour of the likes of Michael Mann (personal attacks, litigation and the like) and Peter Gleick.
        My take away is that I tend to trust those I see behaving like honest scientists over those that do not. The Dilbert creator makes a really perceptive point in asking why, if they are completely above board, do the proponents of AGW employ so many of the techniques used by confidence tricksters?
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:43pm
      - Doctor Who
        
        Most extra heat going into the oceans; severe weather events more frequent/worse; models have proved skilful; relentless upward trend in surface and ocean temperatures; “hiatus” never statistically significant now explained; mean global surface temperature increase 4-5 degrees by 2100 possible; some areas will hit 1.5 increase by 2030; IPCC reports and warnings are absolutely correct – 12 years to make dramatic reductions in GHG emissions.
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:49pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Most extra heat going into the oceans;- how do you know? There’s only 3800 Argo Buoys for 361,000,000 sq kms of ocean. Heat doesn’t penetrate below the top few metres
        
        severe weather events more frequent/worse;- that’s a lie and the Data from NOAA and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab proves it. And it’s even confirmed in AR5
        
        models have proved skilful;- another lie. AR5 shows that over 90% of the Models are outside observed data
        
        relentless upward trend in surface and ocean temperatures;- “relentless” lol, another hyperbolic lie
        
        “hiatus” never statistically significant now explained;- no it hasn’t, heh, more like they “homogenised” it out of the data
        
        mean global surface temperature increase 4-5 degrees by 2100 possible- you’re guessing now and just making shit up
        
        some areas will hit 1.5 increase by 2030;- F or C- still guessing huh
        
        IPCC reports and warnings are absolutely correct- The WG reports don’t give warnings. Say, you’re not one of those who thinks the SPMs are doe by scientists are you?
        
        12 years to make dramatic reductions in GHG emissions.- 12 years! Another prediction cause all the others have been soooo right.
        Wasnt snow supposed to be a thing of the past by now.
        Bwahahahahahahahah
        You’re one of those Science Deniers aren’t you
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:13pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        @ Albert Ross
        I don’t think I misrepresented the position of many Kiwibloggers,
        
        My position has been misrepresented repeatedly by vicious anonymous trolls posting here on KB.
        I don’t know if you are part of the hit-team, or not.
        Griff made it clear that his intent was to ruin my ” reputation”.
        Stephieboy and MMA seem hard at work to undercut my business interests/credibility in ecosystem restoration.
        
        But you have now changed your position from framing the argument around climate scientists to that of Kiwibloggers.
        
        Peter S. 12:43pm has provided great advice on how to go about sorting out your own position .
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:38pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        “Most extra heat going into the oceans”
        
        It has been amusing to watch the various explanations for the missing warming. They have variously claimed it is high up in the sky where we can’t feel it, or hiding deep down in the ocean. Seems they can’t even agree if heat rises or sinks.
        
        Just like their incoherent position on ice and glaciers. If they shrink its because of warming, but if they grow, then that’s proof of warming too.
        
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        February 16, 2019 1:50pm
      - Doctor Who
        
        @All_on_Red.
        
        https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/02/earths-oceans-are-routinely-breaking-heat-records/
        
        http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2019/02/update-day/
        
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        February 16, 2019 2:20pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Hahahahahahaha
        Dr Who thinks dropping a WIRE from a ship is an accurate way of taking the oceans temperature.
        And that 1 Argo Buoy for every 95,000 sq kms of Ocean is good coverage
        What a gullible moron.
        Sorry fool, I think i’lol stick to what the IPCC says.
        Oh, here’s their comment on Models in AR5
        ‘ IPCC AR5, CMIP5 has produced a multi-model dataset that includes long-term simulations of twentieth-century climate and projections for the twenty-first century and beyond. This summarises near-term projections of global mean surface temperature anomalies and this shows that observations particularly since 2005 are on the low end of the envelope that contains 90% of the climate model simulations. Observations in 2011-2012 are below the 5-95% envelope of the CMIP5 simulations. The trend in the model simulations is substantially larger than the observed trend over the past 15 year’
        
        Read that last sentence.
        Your ignorance is endearing though. Your lying not so much.
        Hey, what’s the margin of error with Stevenson Screens?
        Face it. None of the systems used are accurate.
        Even NOAA and Best admit it hence why they are placing them all.
        
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        February 16, 2019 3:36pm
      - Doctor Who
        
        @All_on_Red
        
        You want IPCC?
        https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
        
        Fourth National Climate Assessment released by Trump administration?
        https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/
        
        Or do you just want to wallow in your own waffle.
        
        1 7
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        February 16, 2019 3:54pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Hahahahahahhahahahah
        I just knew it.
        You’ve linked to the Summary For Policy Makers
        Hahahahahahahahaah
        Here’s news for you.
        That’s not written by any of the IPCC Scientists!
        It’s written by politicians and quangos like WWF
        Try reading AR5 WG1
        No wonder you’re so dumb
        
        6 1
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        February 16, 2019 4:00pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Hahahahahahahahahaah
        Still laughing
        
        6 1
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        February 16, 2019 4:01pm
      - Peter S
        
        @Maggie W. Thanks.
        
        @DR Who.
        Just taking one of your examples, as I don’t have time for more.
        The more frequent/worse weather one.
        Two points
        1 The predictions in the 70’s were for worse weather events, the rational being that lower temps make for a greater temperature differential so storms are likely to be worse as the interaction between cold and warm is more dramatic.
        Now the argument is that greater overall heat will make storms worse because of more overall energy in the system.
        Problem is they can’t both be correct, so the fact that both arguments have been used to predict the same result, meaning zero predictive power.
        2. In the 70’s cooling scare it was claimed the weather was worsening and was used as evidence supporting the argument.
        
        In the current period of supposedly worse weather there have also been fewer Atlantic cyclones than in any other period since records began.
        Strange that.
        
        Judith Curry has a great paper on the issues surrounding attribution. Worth a read.
        
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        February 16, 2019 4:02pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Hahahahahahahahahaha
        I picked it at the top of the thread.
        Hahahahahahahahahahah
        
        4 1
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        February 16, 2019 4:03pm
      - Doctor Who
        
        @All_on_Red.
        
        Don’t be absurd, old chap. Here, this makes it simple for you:
        
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Report_on_Global_Warming_of_1.5_%C2%B0C
        
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_National_Climate_Assessment
        
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        February 16, 2019 4:06pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        oh wriggle away.
        Your IPCC link is to the SPM
        And your above link is all predictions.
        It’s been panned by many scientists as Alarmist and unproven.
        In AR5 they admit that Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity is closer to the low end of the scale of 1.5C – 4.5C for the DOUBLING of CO2.
        There’s been dozens of Papers indicating it’s more like 1.3C
        And CO2 doubling is not even certain.
        I think we’re done here.
        Oh, I notice you haven’t refuted the rest in my original reply either.
        
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        February 16, 2019 4:18pm
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    Or interpreting very equivocal data in a manner that enhances their income and power. It’s very telling that greatest scepticism is amongst grey-beards with a lifetime of experience and nothing to gain from hyping a scare.
    
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    February 16, 2019 12:00pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      The Latest adjustments of Australia’s Temperature data being discussed here:
      
      History keeps getting colder — ACORN2 raises Australia’s warming rate by over 20%
      http://joannenova.com.au/2019/02/history-keeps-getting-colder-acorn2-raises-australias-warming-rate-by-over-20/
      
      10 1
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      February 16, 2019 2:01pm
      - Doctor Who
        
        Don’t think Joanne Nova published any relevant science.
        
        Here is some concerning NZ:
        
        https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab012a?
        
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        February 16, 2019 3:59pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        @dr Who
        
        I assume you read the paper and are familiar with NZ’s climate history.
        
        A little bit sad to entitle the paper “the unprecedented coupled ocean-atmosphere heatwave …2017/2018” and then have to write
        The only other time a New Zealand coupled ocean-atmosphere heatwave of similar
        magnitude occurred was in 1934/35.
        and
        We recognize that 2017/18 is a single-season transient extreme event,
        
        Seems a weather event is being hyped as something other than an example of natural variation.
        
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        February 16, 2019 4:21pm
  - Ed Snack
    
    Most are too scared to buck the dominant cabal who control the discipline. If you speak out against them and their ideas you will lose your current employment and not be able to get another in the field.
    
    Very convincing argument to 97% of the people who aren’t part of the 3% who exert the control.
    
    The 3% represent the control freaks and benefit from power, influence, and control of large grants for their “research”.
    
    6 1
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    February 16, 2019 3:16pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Most are too scared to buck the dominant cabal
      
      And that is why you will not get a practicing, publishing climate scientist posting anything on this site.
      
      Further, unless you are retired, not dependent on others for $$$$, and don’t give a stuff about having the size of your tits, the odour of your cunt, and the size of your underwear discussed on a public forum, you are unlikely to get another identifiable female discussing climate change on this blog.
      
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      February 16, 2019 4:29pm
Chuck Bird

It is bad for NZF and good for the New Conservative. They are the fifth highest polling party. At 1.2% they could bring in another MP. If they can repeat this they should be a serious coalition partner for National. Their big advantage is that they can take votes off NZF and Labour.

I am sure that they helped keep the NZF vote down in this latest poll.

Latest poll: Worst result in more than a decade for National

In tonight’s poll Act was on 0.4 per cent, Maori Party 0.8, Conservatives 1.1 per cent, and The Opportunities Party on 0.5 per cent.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12202865
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February 16, 2019 8:19am
- Awww C-mon
  
  Found a new horse to back Chuckles?
  
  At 1.2% they don’t bring in shit unless they have an electorate seat, where do propose they can wrangle that?
  How will they take votes from Liarbour ?? Someone who voted from Ardern is not going to be attracted to David Moffatt’s Twitter feed.
  I agree they will attract Winston’s base, you seem to proving that with this post.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:45am
  - holysheet
    
    What? Have you gone off the Nats already Chucky?
    Shit that didn’t last long. I suppose you will not now be going to their next conference, just like the last one?
    
    20 1
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    February 16, 2019 9:36am
    - Chuck Bird
      
      HS, I have not gone off gone off National at all. I am still planning on going to the Central Island Conference on 8 March and AGM in Christchurch 26 to 26 July.
      
      At this stage, National has not ruled NZF out. Surely, you would prefer they have an option like the New Conservatives.
      
      3 11
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      February 16, 2019 10:38am
      - holysheet
        
        The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
        
        13 1
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        February 16, 2019 10:50am
      - Keeping Stock
        
        Bridges has said they’ll make no decisions about potential coalition or support partners until 2020, which is fair enough. But he also said this week that he couldn’t imagine a Winston Peters-led NZF ever going with National.
        
        5 0
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        February 16, 2019 4:21pm
  - wiseowl
    
    Someone who voted National last time may well be attracted to Moffets excellent twitter feed.
    
    5 3
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    February 16, 2019 10:12am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    I am glad you do agree with me on something. That is attracting NZF vote like the blue-green whatever it is called will attract the Green vote. If both of these work it could make it a two horse race.
    
    In answer to your second question I will point out the Elliot Ikilei, their deputy is Pacific Island. He will be running in South Auckland. While most PI will be Labour voters they are also strongly Christian and will not be happy will liberal things like abortion especially late-term abortions. They will also prefer a Christion leader like Bridges to an Athiest like Cindy.
    
    You are quite right that they cannot get 5%. However, if they cannot poll close to 1.2% I believe National would consider gifting their Leader a safe SI seat.
    
    They have done this for years for ACT and United Future.
    
    If the NC were polling around 1.2% a few months out from the election and were guaranteed a seat their vote could rise high enough to bring in three MPs.
    
    6 3
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    February 16, 2019 10:59am
    - Awww C-mon
      
      So according to different sources in the last week the Nats are (potentially) giving seats to ACT, Vernon Tava and now the NC next election.
      
      Can’t see it, the will be two ticks Blue with the hope that these other parties, Tava and NC, bleed their opposition but not themselves.
      
      Nationals best hope for a partner, and a win, is Lance O’Sillivan taking over the MP and getting Maori seats back off Labour.
      
      14 1
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      February 16, 2019 11:06am
      - Chuck Bird
        
        You may be right about Lance O’Sillivan. However, even if you are would not National be better off with more coalition partners than they need so they could not be held to ransom like Labour is with NZF?
        
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        February 16, 2019 11:27am
      - Awww C-mon
        
        Yeah, more options the better in the perfect world, but they must come at a net advantage, so giving one electorate seat to gain one (act) is really a waste of time, giving one to gain 2-3 if they can poll over 1.2% would be a benefit but it is a risk.
        
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        February 16, 2019 12:01pm
- Pascal
  
  A vote for anyone but National is a vote for Labour.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:36am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    Do you think Epson votes should vote two ticks blue?
    
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    February 16, 2019 11:45am
    - Pascal
      
      Do you think Party Vote ACT will get them from 0.4% to over 5%? They may have the best conceptual policies, but the media assassinated them years ago to help deprive National of potential coalition partners.
      
      And a vote for the New Conservatives is not going to erode Labour or the Greens support base. And at 1.2%, even if they draw 3% from NZF they’re still doing nothing without an electoral seat.
      
      But sure, party vote ACT if it’ll make you happy. In the meantime, vote for anyone but National to govern and you’ll be handing Jacinda her next term.
      
      Wait.
      
      Aren’t you the guy that voted for Winston Peters last election and thus inadvertently helped put Jacinda on her plastic throne?
      
      15 1
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      February 16, 2019 12:14pm
      - Chuck Bird
        
        Pascal, the media did not destroy ACT. ACT had 9 MPs for 6 years. Some ACT MPs were conservative and some libertarian. The libertarians were not satisfied with that and the infighting destroyed the party.
        
        Infighting destroys parties of the left and right.
        
        Are you a paid up National Party member?
        
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        February 16, 2019 2:23pm
      - Pascal
        
        No.
        
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        February 16, 2019 6:39pm
      - holysheet
        
        Chucky, whats your obsession with a commentators membership status?
        Were you a paid up member of the drunken dwarfs party when you voted for the prick, in the stupid belief that he would go with the Nats and keep them honest?
        
        5 0
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        February 16, 2019 7:48pm
- lilman
  
  Im willing to give the New Conservatives a look at least a passing interest.
  Their leader uses language I like and is not PC trained or whipped.
  
  I will watch with interest.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:52am
  - stephieboy
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    lilman, live and hope. The first conservative experiment was disastrous so why should the” New “one be?
    
    1 36
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    February 16, 2019 10:04am
    - pentwig
      
      stoopidthing
      KB’s very own brilliantly astute political analyist
      LOL
      
      22 2
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      February 16, 2019 10:30am
      - sooty
        
        Yep! He’s been counting the goat droppings!
        
        11 1
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        February 16, 2019 10:54am
    - Tall Man
      
      Serious question steffy…do you ever kiss the billy goat?
      
      I really think you should stick to animal antics rather than try to portray yourself as a serious commenter.
      
      ardern is a liar
      
      20 3
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      February 16, 2019 10:57am
      - Swifty
        
        I hear that he prefers missionary – for that very reason.
        
        10 0
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        February 16, 2019 11:05am
    - holysheet
      
      Yeah Stooopidboy, and we know why they lost big time. That follower of the sky fairy thought he was better than the rest of us and fucked it up.
      See what happens when you do that?
      You are all the proof we need and you exhibit it daily each time you utter your usual crap.
      
      10 0
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      February 16, 2019 12:07pm
DigNap15

Just a note that Magic Radio in Tauranga is FM 110.6 not 93.3 as their website says.
I have advised them of this error.
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February 16, 2019 8:30am
- Awww C-mon
  
  100.6 chap, not 110.6
  
  You seem to be getting lost on the dial, and with the Tauranga traffic that is going to lead to trouble ?
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:45am
  - DigNap15
    
    yes you are correct 100.6 (my typo)
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:02am
Lee C

Last week I said ‘f**k the media’ as a way to express a0 frustration at the ‘Brandcinda’ bandwagon, and b) to suggest that National stop trying to address their message ‘impartial’ journalists as they clearly don’t exist. rather go around them, and speak directly to ‘real’ people.

Within forty-eight hours they did exactly what I suggested with a brilliant piece of political satire.

Nicely done.
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February 16, 2019 8:44am
- Tall Man
  
  I think that more than few realised going around the media was the answer.
  
  I’m just thankful they are trying to get a clear message out.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:52am
brett68

Really interesting video of Liam Dann discussing the China situation with David Mahon.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12203882

Peters and Ardern have completely fucked it up for NZ.
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February 16, 2019 8:48am
- adventure
  
  Why would anyone in NZ listen to a kiwi who has made his living in China and spouts the CCP line to a red radio host? Mr Mahon can obviously see things going South for himself alone, I have no sympathy for him, lying with dogs and all that…. Your comment about dwarf and horse is true though.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:19am
  - KevinH
    
    You should watch the interview, it would assist you in having a more informed opinion.
    
    10 1
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    February 16, 2019 9:47am
    - adventure
      
      Thanks Kevin, I did watch it, loved the line “let’s forget about what US, Australia and UK think….” fantastic, David Mahon knows more about Huawai than the 5 Eyes. Now informed!
      
      10 6
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      February 16, 2019 10:03am
      - Tall Man
        
        Probably more than the 5 eyes are telling ardern the liar.
        
        9 3
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        February 16, 2019 10:49am
    - stephieboy
      
      KevinH, so the solution is merely to cave into Red China’s every fancy and whim?
      
      2 27
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      February 16, 2019 10:10am
      - Viking2
        
        Its one thing to watch its another to understand.
        
        Clearly the understanding bit went past your glazed over eyes.
        
        14 0
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        February 16, 2019 10:39am
      - Tall Man
        
        ardern is a liar
        
        ardern is the un’s doxy….
        
        10 3
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        February 16, 2019 10:47am
      - adventure
        
        Bit of glaze on both sides Viking, something we enjoy but not everybody does, unfortunately. Long may ours continue.
        
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        February 16, 2019 10:52am
- Inandout
  
  Oh gee, what will carbon free Warehouse do now? I can just imagine them stocking Hansa products over Chinese crap; no I tell porkies, they wouldn’t be allowed.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:24am
  - kowtow
    
    Full page ad in the paper, talking of some place called Aotearoa. Yesterday lots of media coverage on radio.
    
    Virtue signalling so stupid people can feel guilt free buying cheap crap made in third world sweat shops.
    
    18 2
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    February 16, 2019 10:47am
    - Jack5
      
      You wouldn’t want to buy anything online from a country called Aotearoa. The delivery system would be too flaky. ?
      
      9 0
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      February 16, 2019 12:13pm
  - Durden
    
    How the hell do they calculate that they have achieved the carbon free status ? Maybe called in climate scientits to apply some of their climate modelling skills? We know how that has turned out so far — no predictions have come true. What was Gore’s prediction again ?
    
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    February 16, 2019 1:38pm
Happychappy

Doesn’t Labour and the Colition need to look at what their paying for. ‘A rat hole not worth a dollar’

Auckland motel given $3.1m in emergency housing grants despite being “unsanitary” and without a building code of compliance.
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February 16, 2019 9:30am
- Happychappy
  
  ‘A rat hole not worth a dollar’ (Video)
  55 min ago
  
  Auckland motel given $3.1m in emergency housing grants despite being “unsanitary” and without a building code of compliance.
  
  13 1
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  February 16, 2019 10:15am
  - waikatogirl
    
    Sounds like the headline should read ‘Govt Fund Slum Lord’.
    
    13 0
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    February 16, 2019 12:04pm
softail 1450

adventure , I find it incredible that Mahon hasn’t taken on a “Chinky” sounding name , I’d trust this guy about as far as I could throw 1000kgs of chop suey….
Personally I will be outraged if this COL allows the communist scum to be involved with the entire setup of 5g in our country ..
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February 16, 2019 9:40am
stigie

Mark Mitchell is heading off to China next week to have talks on their justice system.

“Following claims — rubbished by the Government — that Cabinet ministers were awaiting permission to gain entry to China, Mitchell joked that he could try to sneak some in with him.”

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12204285
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February 16, 2019 9:52am
- stephieboy
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  stigie, maybe the real and simple answer is to cave into every Beijing’s demands and whins so that we become a mere proxy of China ‘ s
  
  OK?
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:02am
  - Tall Man
    
    Or a mere doxy of the UN?
    
    Like our leader
    
    ardern the liar
    
    is a doxy of the corrupt UN.
    
    steffy is the doxy of a smelly old billy goat.
    
    18 3
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    February 16, 2019 10:44am
DigNap15

I like the Chinese justice system.
A quick bullet in the back of the head, quick and cheap, and they won’t do it again.
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February 16, 2019 10:03am
- stephieboy
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  DigNap15, you forgot the organ harvest part. Do let the Sean Plunket Red Neck show know I’m sure he would be delighted.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:08am
  - stigie
    
    You fucking crack me up Stiffy you ole goat rooter !~
    
    27 0
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    February 16, 2019 10:10am
    - Swifty
      
      Nannies or billies?
      
      16 0
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      February 16, 2019 10:18am
      - stigie
        
        Doesn’t matter these days Swifty…..LBGTQwhatfuckingever !~
        
        17 0
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        February 16, 2019 10:20am
      - Swifty
        
        Fair point!
        
        14 0
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        February 16, 2019 10:23am
  - Inandout
    
    I love it, now Sean is an ‘unspeakable’ for leftists. Peter Williams is on the outer as well.
    
    11 0
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    February 16, 2019 12:31pm
    - Durden
      
      Hats off to Peter Williams for being an absolute professional and keeping his views to himself when he was a public servant. Compared to the other eye-rolling, pejorative adjective-using lot that call themselves broadcaster and journalists. (A SOE 100% owned by government is public sector)
      
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      February 16, 2019 1:42pm
- Morrissey
  
  Idiot. You’d soon change that militant mind of yours if one of your loved ones was ever ensnared in the Chinese “justice” system.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:27am
  - pentwig
    
    morriss
    that was just plain disrespectful to the stoopidthing
    do try to be kinder to it
    
    12 1
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    February 16, 2019 10:38am
- UrbanNeocolonialist
  
  Yep and torture OK. But your outcomes mostly depend on who you’re friends are. Not rule of law
  
  3 0
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  February 16, 2019 12:08pm
lastmanstanding

On the National advert when my wife explains something to me is that Wimminsplaining or is it didn’t when wimmin do it?
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February 16, 2019 10:10am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Now let me get this straight…
  Is your wife explaining things when you have tuned into a conversation/ Tv -radio programme half-way through and got the wrong end of the stick?,
  or is she just telling you how the world works?
  
  The first case is called communication
  the 2nd case is called education.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:24am
Swifty

Hey Stiffy – do you still maintain that NZ log exports to China are ‘about nil’?
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February 16, 2019 10:15am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Where do you think stephieboy gets his information?
  
  ?Chinese whispers? or a 5-eyed mole?
  
  A few days back he was telling us that it’s business as usual with China.
  Now he’s telling us not to cave into them.
  
  He seems to have jumped the gun on the No logs to China…..
  His masters won’t be happy.
  
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  February 16, 2019 11:15am
  - Swifty
    
    I think it was a classic example of what he often does; knowing nothing at all about a subject, being in a contrary mood and running off to Google to find what he thinks is information that supports his point and posting it and, failing to read and understand the material, inadvertently proving himself to be KB’s dumbest poster yet again.
    
    I know he knows nothing about the forestry industry because anybody with any knowledge at all would never have posted what he did – because the ‘nil’ log exports to China would not have passed the sniff test. Anyone who knows anything about NZ forestry knows that China has had a huge demand for our wood and for a long time – in order to fuel their construction and manufacturing etc boom.
    
    He really is a very stupid person.
    
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    February 16, 2019 11:30am
    - stephieboy
      
      Swifty , too many selfies today”
      
      0 11
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      February 16, 2019 3:40pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Back from stalking young girls at the Mall Stephie?
        PERVWATCH
        A division of Groperwatch
        Today we look at one of Kiwiblogs Biggest Creeps.
        Yes, it’s STEPHIEBOY
        This sleezy creep has had Strikes for linking to porn sites on KB.
        ‘19,565 COMMENTS
        stephieboy
        Yesterday I was at the Robert Harris cafe St Lukes Megacentre , Mt Albert enjoying a cappuccino. I noticed next door three Muslim women enjoying their lattes with their children . Two of these honeypots .were wearing their Nijabs with stylish jeans and blouses . The other in more typical kiwi informal attire?
        Thumb up 7 Thumb down 36REPLY REPORTAUGUST 21, 2016 8:51AM’
        
        ‘Honeypots’!!!
        And this;
        Jack 5, recently i was at St Luke’s shopping mall and I saw a Muslim lady dressed in traditional apparel accompanied by her two beautiful young daughters dressed in modern western tight jeans and blouses , revealing lovely supple body proportions , including small but ample breasts .
        Thumb up 1 Thumb down 16REPLY REPORTDECEMBER 3, 2015 2:26
        
        PERVWATCH is brought to you as a public service to out the creeps amongst us.
        Stephieboy is Perv #1
        
        LOL
        
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        February 16, 2019 3:55pm
    - Swifty
      
      Hey Stiffy – what was the volume of wood exported from NZ to China last year?
      
      5 0
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      February 16, 2019 4:08pm
  - Inandout
    
    Maggy he gets it from the mosque smart TV, tuned permanently into CNN. Referring to an earlier comment of yours re logging trucks from Gizzy, our motel owner told us we would encounter 32 logging trucks on the way to Hicks Bay. He was spot on and boy those trucks tear up the tar seal on corners.
    
    12 1
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    February 16, 2019 12:36pm
  - stephieboy
    
    MW, a foreign policy built on slavishly towing Beijing’s line?
    
    All for the sake of the East coast timber economy?
    
    Sigh!
    
    0 7
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    February 16, 2019 3:39pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Stalker harassing women again eh
      Still fixated on MWs underwear?
      
      5 0
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      February 16, 2019 3:51pm
MCos

Tweet of the day from an unlikely source
‘ . . . the goal of a national emergency is for Trump to scam the stupidest people in his base for 2 more years.’
Ann Coulter
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February 16, 2019 10:15am
- Inandout
  
  mcos, you read too many Tom Scott leftoons.
  
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  February 16, 2019 12:38pm
- Ed Snack
  
  Funny, no one seems to have criticised Obama for the 18 “National Emergencies” he declared including one on Libya, one on Barundi, and one of the “flu”.
  
  Also note that this declaration by Trump,is specifically tied to a declaration by Obama, so by criticising Trump’s declaration, aren’t you also criticising Obama and isn’t that a racist act to criticise “the won” ?
  
  And for those fantasists, the declarations are quite common (more than 2 per year from Obama) and specifically permitted under the Constitution and thus difficult to challenge legally – though something utterly politicised like the 9th circuit might be stupid enough to issue a stay before being decisively overruled by SCOTUS.
  
  And thinking of SCOTUS, I do note that RBG has not been seen in public (if you discount a private meeting with zero photographs and nothing other than hearsay about her attendance) for 55 days. While wishing her the best of health, the possibility that she is not able to fulfil the role of a Supreme Court judge must be quite high.
  
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  February 16, 2019 3:28pm
  - MickMac
    
    Ed I suspect she’ll die this year, shes fought for a time.
    lovely film.
    
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    February 17, 2019 12:37am
secondcumming

Bouncer: “Can’t let you in. Try the place 5 minutes down the road”

Black guy: “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Linford Christie”

Bouncer: “Sorry, 2 minutes”
20 1
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February 16, 2019 10:21am
Morrissey

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
American Idiots
No. 2: BROCK LONG

D’Annunzio’s assessment of Marinetti applies perfectly to this American idiot: “not just a cretin, but a phosphorescent cretin” and also “un cretino con lampi di imbecillità” — an idiot with flashes of imbecility.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said Wednesday he is resigning his post after less than two years on the job. Long’s resignation came after a government auditor found he improperly used government vehicles to travel to and from his home in North Carolina. As FEMA administrator, Brock Long oversaw the Trump administration’s widely criticized response to devastating wildfires in California and other western states, as well as a series of major hurricanes in 2017—Harvey, Irma and Maria. Last year, a George Washington University study commissioned by Puerto Rico’s governor found over 3,000 people died as a direct result of Hurricane Maria. After Donald Trump disputed the findings, Brock Long defended the president. Brock Long: “These studies are all over the place. The Harvard study was done differently, studies a different period of time, versus the George Washington study. There’s a big discrepancy, whether it’s direct deaths or indirect deaths.”

In response to Brock Long’s resignation Wednesday, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz tweeted, “Brock Long was Trump’s hatchet man in the botched Puerto Rican relief effort after hurricanes Irma and María. He should have been fired and held accountable for the loss of lives.” Deputy FEMA chief Peter Gaynor will serve as acting administrator until the Senate confirms a replacement.
https://www.democracynow.org/2019/2/14/headlines/fema_administrator_brock_long_resigns

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/femas-controversial-chief-brock-long-announces-his-resignation

American Idiots is researched and presented by Tiggy Ponsford, for Daisycutter Sports Inc. “Don’t wanna be an American idiot.”—Green Day

No. 1: Stephen Martin
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February 16, 2019 10:23am
- Salacious Crumb
  
  So when is Genter featuring?
  
  23 1
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  February 16, 2019 11:00am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Daisycutter Sports Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Breen Enterprises Ltd., purveyors of fuckwittery to the world.
  
  20 1
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  February 16, 2019 11:27am
- graham
  
  I see that Morrissey Breen has added a new recruit, one Tiggy Ponsford, to his band of bullies.
  
  9 0
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  February 16, 2019 1:39pm
  - Morrissey
    
    Indeed he has, graham, and what a fine young intern she is proving to be!
    
    https://media1.tenor.com/images/aedf0a83eba45622947b6c988131ded1/tenor.gif?itemid=4731328
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:04pm
    - graham
      
      So you acknowledge being a bully? That’s good – admitting you have a problem is the first step towards getting help.
      
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      February 17, 2019 7:45am
      - Morrissey
        
        Well, yes, of course.
        
        bully 1 (from Middle Dutch boele ‘lover’) Orig. a term of endearment applied to either sex; later a familiar form of address to a male friend; 2 (U.S. colloq.) Very good; excellent; 3 (Late 16th cent. ‘admirable, gallant, jolly’)
        
        Then there is the other, nasty, kind of bully. This sort of thing:
        
        http://i.imgur.com/wT4XtDj.gif
        
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        February 17, 2019 4:05pm
Monique Watson

What’s with the Lefty Loon vendetta against Eden Park? They’ve got an endless pot for Rail speculation but nothing for one of the best sports venues for spectators, around. It’s so quintessentially Kiwi but the Council seems determined to run it into the ground.
24 1
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February 16, 2019 10:32am
- Tall Man
  
  helen doesn’t like it.
  
  30 2
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  February 16, 2019 10:38am
  - stigie
    
    Don’t forget H2 ?
    
    17 0
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    February 16, 2019 10:43am
  - Inandout
    
    TM, Peter’s pikelets go flat with the music sound.
    
    7 0
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    February 16, 2019 12:40pm
    - Tall Man
      
      Probably the only thing of peter’s that goes near her mouth…..
      
      4 1
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      February 16, 2019 7:06pm
- dog_eat_dog
  
  Because Helen doesn’t like it, we’re going to get a billion dollar bill for a stadium downtown that can’t hold cricket games, block out harbour views and mean the port needs to be relocated.
  
  Meanwhile, when India/Aus come to NZ for ODIs, we’re going to be faced with playing them at a ground with limited capacity and paying through the nose for ticket prices. And even then it’s just a matter of time before the Grey Lynners decide they don’t like cricket either.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:39am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    According to multiple callers on Radio Sport this morning, the idiots that run Eden Park couldn’t cope with the 20,000 crowd last night for the Phoenix. Long queues to get in, to wait for horrible food, etc, etc.
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:44am
    - dog_eat_dog
      
      I can’t help but feel that’s probably a result of massive cost cutting given the state their in. It probably ends up being a giant feedback loop. The Council playing silly buggers with secret reports suggests they are just waiting for time to do the dirty work for them, rather than front on why the cost of a total redevelopment of Eden Park into an indoor stadium is probably far less than their preferred downtown option.
      
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      February 16, 2019 11:02am
    - Morrissey
      
      That’s odd, given they cope with much bigger crowds routinely for the Blues.
      
      1 1
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      February 16, 2019 9:14pm
- toby1845
  
  For the same reason that all other non-indegenous aspects of kiwi identity are being attacked and ridiculed.
  
  Because rugby is (still) a male dominated sport, imported from a white country.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:44am
- JibberJabber
  
  The Government has washed its hands of Eden Park and given the whole stinking shithole to the ratepayers of Auckland.
  So yeah, fuck Eden Park and the pompous old cunts on the board.
  Flatten the place and build a highrise ghetto that the socialist scum love so much.
  
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  February 16, 2019 11:15am
Morrissey

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Incredibly, someone out there is cretinous enough to support Brock Long.

Sei un imbecille! Sei un idiota! Sei un fascista! Ascolti quell’idiota di Leighton Smith!

Scemo!
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February 16, 2019 10:33am
- pentwig
  
  morriss
  ever consider that people would consider themselves
  cretins to give you an uptick?
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:44am
- Ed Snack
  
  I wonder if Long abused his transport privileges as much as Nancy Pelosi.
  
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  February 16, 2019 3:30pm
DigNap15

The Auckland council should just open up Eden Park to as many game and concerts as it wants to hold!
F the nimbies.
Its not every day.
Then it may be able to pay its way.
Then sit down with experts from each sport and entertainment and work out a decent plan for Aucklands stadia for the next 50 years.
Then do it!
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February 16, 2019 10:47am
- mikenmildagain
  
  “Then do it!”
  “Let’s do it!”
  With your perspicacity and such a snappy slogan, had you thought f running for Mayor of Auckland this year?
  
  7 17
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  February 16, 2019 11:00am
  - pentwig
    
    milkmaid
    stomach cramps today is it?
    
    6 4
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    February 16, 2019 12:13pm
- MCos
  
  Exactly what games and concerts did you have in mind?
  Mt Smart is fine for concerts & the Warriors.
  The Blues and Auckland rugby teams already play there. Any other rugby games would run at a lose.
  It’s barely appropriate for cricket.
  https://www.edenpark.co.nz/uploads/images/Eden%20Park%20Annual%20Report%202018.pdf
  
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  February 16, 2019 11:35am
  - DigNap15
    
    Ok.
    So pull it down tomorrow.
    That will stop it losing money.
    I don’t care really.
    It just seems such a white elephant.
    @White elepahnts matter
    
    3 1
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    February 16, 2019 11:45am
  - brett68
    
    It’ completely inappropriate for cricket, it doesn’t meet the standard for an international cricket ground.
    
    The only reason international cricket is
    played at Eden park is because of historical reasons, FFS some of the boundaries aren’t even 50m, with modern bats you can edge a six.
    
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    February 16, 2019 2:02pm
Maggie Pie

This is how my Valentine’s Day went –

1. Breakfast in bed
2. Chocolates
3. Watched movie
4. Dinner for two
5. Regretted eating two dinners
39 1
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February 16, 2019 11:04am
toby1845

I have a strong sense that we will see a game-changing development over the next few months, that will turn the polls on their heads. NZ First will not be able to distance themselves from it, and their support will have a ‘1’ in front right through until the next election. National will pick up significantly, from the collapsed support for NZF, and from Labour.
20 2
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February 16, 2019 11:05am
- DigNap15
  
  I hope you are correct.
  It needs something to wake the electorate up to this disaster.
  
  15 2
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  February 16, 2019 11:50am
  - toby1845
    
    If what I’m thinking will happen comes to pass, it will immediately be seen as the greatest betrayal of a party’s supporters by the leadership of that party in NZ history.
    
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    February 16, 2019 1:34pm
kevn

Now, about the Czech crim caper…. and associates.
19 0
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February 16, 2019 11:16am
- Bill felt
  
  I have been on holiday so you will have to remind me of what this is all about.
  
  7 1
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  February 16, 2019 11:26am
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    There are many hints of close relationships between Karel Soubrek and Ardern’s crime friends, hints of undue influencing, and Ardern is avoiding facing Questions in parliament (only showing up about half the time – which is a prime ministerial record )
    
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    February 16, 2019 1:37pm
stephieboy

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
OMG! Have any of you seen the latest posts of baby Neve on Instagram ? ? ? ?!
2 41
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February 16, 2019 11:42am
- DigNap15
  
  OMG!
  Are you in them?
  I’d rather eat a rotten turnip
  But Labour will go up in the polls!
  
  23 2
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  February 16, 2019 11:48am
- graham
  
  What the hell is Instagram? Isn’t it something that 13 year old children use?
  
  20 1
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  February 16, 2019 12:10pm
  - waikatogirl
    
    And babies, obviously!! ?
    
    16 0
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    February 16, 2019 12:13pm
  - UrbanNeocolonialist
    
    And those with an unhealthy interest in them
    
    13 0
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    February 16, 2019 1:38pm
- holysheet
  
  like this one ?
  A chip off the old block I would say.
  
  http://funnypics.lynms.edu.hk/albums/userpics/10103/ugly_baby.jpg
  
  10 0
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  February 16, 2019 12:12pm
- Longknives
  
  I thought Gayford and Ardern were all ‘Respect our Privacy’ regarding that kid? (Didn’t Mallard threaten Media re taking pictures of it?)
  Now here they are fame whoring the poor kid out (Yet again)…
  They really are pathetic.
  And terrible fucking parents who seem to care more about their careers and public image than their own child’s welfare..
  
  28 0
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  February 16, 2019 12:38pm
  - sooty
    
    Too much shit going down about Labours failures!
    They are just parading squrriel to get public opinion backup!
    The shit is coming throuh the glitter!
    Dispite the Labour communications media!
    
    21 0
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    February 16, 2019 12:57pm
- Tall Man
  
  No link, bullshitting again steffy.
  
  ardern is a liar
  
  and so are you.
  
  12 2
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  February 16, 2019 2:34pm
Jack5

Any bankers or ex-bankers following Kiwiblog?

A Stuff article on a car deal that went sour seems to have confused ordinary cheques with bank cheques.

Aren’t bank cheques the equivalent of bank drafts? You request them from the bank (for a fee) for transactions to prevent the possibility of someone cancelling an ordinary cheque after getting whatever it is they are buying?

The heading on the article by Adnuja Nadkarni on the web site reads:

“‘I’ve just been robbed”: Icecream truck buyer cancels $10k bank cheque, leaving seller fuming

Adkarni says the buyer signed the cheque involved, which means that it is not a bank cheque under the traditional use of the term. You don’t sign a bank cheque (as opposed to an ordinary cheque) do you?

Then Adkarni says a bank cheque can be cancelled if it is fraudulent.

Sounds to be me as though Adkarni and the headline writer are confused about cheques. Or have many of us been using the wrong name for “bank cheques” for decades?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/110587776/ice-cream-truck-buyer-leaves-seller-in-the-cold-after-cancelling-bank-cheque
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February 16, 2019 12:09pm
- Inandout
  
  Bank transfers only for me.
  
  9 0
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  February 16, 2019 12:42pm
All_on_Red

‘Throughout the 2016 election, Donald Trump campaigned for president on the promise that he would build a wall along the southern border. Six weeks after his election in November 2016, Congress overwhelmingly passed a statute—codified as 10 U.S.C § 284—that authorized the secretary of defense to support the “construction of roads and fences and installation of lighting to block drug smuggling corridors across international boundaries of the United States.” On Dec. 23, 2016, a month before leaving office, President Obama signed the 973-page bill into law without any objection to this provision.

Today, the Trump administration has invoked this express statutory delegation of authority to do what the statute says: “construct … fences … across international boundaries of the United States.” Specifically, the president identified up to $2.5 billion under the Department of Defense funds that were designated for counterdrug activities. This provision does not turn on the declaration of a national emergency pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 2808, which the president also invoked in a proclamation issued today. Critically, the White House stated that “these funding sources will be used sequentially and as needed.” The “emergency” funds may not be tapped till the other, less controversial funds are depleted. Plaintiffs may not have standing to challenge the diversion of “emergency” funds till those funds are in fact allocated. Through § 284, both Houses of Congress willingly gave President Trump a path to build at least part of the wall.’
https://www.lawfareblog.com/how-congress-and-president-obama-made-trumps-wall-possible

I’d observe Lawfare tends to be more on the Left too
13 3
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February 16, 2019 1:20pm
- stephieboy
  
  Sorry old cock the so-called building the border wall is merely refurbishing and renovating the existing one as per GWB, Obama and Bill Clinton. Illegal entry is most often near or at border control points. Illegals will arrive one way or another
  
  And no Mexico is not paying for it via indirect tariffs etc.
  
  Get real for a change you deluded buffoon,
  
  https://qz.com/1517758/border-wall-facts-to-read-before-
  trumps-speech-tonight/
  
  Also, try this,
  
  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2019/01/20/will-hurd-border-crisis/2632906002/
  
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  February 16, 2019 2:23pm
  - Tall Man
    
    At least he is not the liar,
    
    ardern is a liar
    
    11 4
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    February 16, 2019 2:28pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    Ah Fuckwit Stephie.
    200 miles of post and rail fencing is being replaced with THIRTY FOOT HIGH beautiful wall!
    
    Neither of your links contradict that- ha
    So that’s 200 miles, plus he got 6 in Texas plus another 55 in the recent Bill
    So 261.
    He only wants 700, so I call that a good start.
    
    10 4
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    February 16, 2019 3:25pm
    - stephieboy
      
      Tsk, tsk, tsk .. Not need to split the rectum yet again. How many transplants does that add up to?
      
      MOL!
      
      2 17
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      February 16, 2019 3:37pm
- Doctor Who
  
  @All_on_Red. Poor old Trump. What rotten luck to be surrounded by criminals.
  
  Paul Manafort should be sentenced to up to 24 years in prison, Mueller says Trump’s former campaign manager found guilty in August on eight counts of tax fraud, bank fraud …
  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/feb/15/paul-manafort-sentencing-mueller-trump-russia
  
  4 12
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  February 16, 2019 2:29pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    Proving you are dumb AGAIN huh
    You realise that a number of Manaforts crimes happened during his association with Podesta – Clinton’s stooge.
    And are nothing to do with his time with Trump.
    Trump got rid of him after 3 months
    So funny. Another moron with TDS
    LOL
    
    9 4
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    February 16, 2019 3:20pm
    - Doctor Who
      
      @All_on_Red.
      
      So Trump did hire a man who is a criminal.
      
      He also hired another criminal as his personal fixer: Cohen.
      
      He didn’t know? What rotten luck!
      
      3 9
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      February 16, 2019 3:41pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        Trumps a quick learner.
        Arse burning is it Dr
        Being shown up as a liar must hurt
        So funny, dumb little Alarmist
        A wire dropped in water
        Hahahahahaha
        Hey, that’s almost as good as when they measured temp in cooling pipes to the Ships engines!
        
        6 3
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        February 16, 2019 3:48pm
    - virtualmark
      
      Manafort was forced on Trump by the Russians.
      
      Trump “sacked” him when his Russian associations became public knowledge. But Manafort continued to play a key role in the Trump campaign from the background.
      
      Doesn’t matter when/where his crimes happened … he is being punished for not talking to the Feds and this sentencing is “pour encourager les autres”.
      
      1 2
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      February 16, 2019 5:06pm
  - virtualmark
    
    I strongly suspect that Paul Manafort has a choice between keeping his mouth shut and dying in prison, or talking and then finding out whether he and his family are allergic to Novichok.
    
    I also suspect that his dying in prison will not be natural. Lots of Russian mobsters in prison, who will take instructions. But it’s most likely a case of shut up and your family lives.
    
    And I doubt a Trump pardon will help him … it doesn’t vaccinate you against Russian poisons.
    
    2 1
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    February 16, 2019 5:04pm
Happychappy

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@news/2019/02/13/441798/bipartisanship-would-be-valuable-for-govts-big-education-plans
This make me laugh he wouldn’t listen to National over Charter School so now he’s moaning because won’t get on board and back his plan.
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February 16, 2019 1:22pm
- brett68
  
  The hypocrisy of this government and their supporters is off the charts.
  
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  February 16, 2019 2:05pm
  - sooty
    
    Butthey really, really, believe their own shit don’t stink and the peasents can’t see they have no clothes on!
    
    4 1
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    February 16, 2019 4:33pm
    - Tall Man
      
      When the lazy buggers like steffy etc realise that this coalition has no intention of improving their pathetic lives, the worms will turn.
      
      This coalition is all about bullshit and international exposure for their personal future and collecting as many baubles as possible before they get tossed out.
      
      4 2
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      February 16, 2019 7:01pm
Universal Smith

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Simon Bridges is a conservative Christian politician. He has the same atmosphere and manner as the likes of Colin Craig, though Colin was more popular.

He does not draw attention to it, but he is very much a religious loon and people can sense something is not right.

It is amusing seeing fanatical tribal voters refusing to accept he is the wrong man for the job and therefore ensuring another term for the current mob.
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February 16, 2019 2:15pm
- Tall Man
  
  A vote for any party other National will be one for labour.
  
  Disguise it however you want, attempt to undermine Simon Bridges if you wish but remember, most here see through you and realise you are merely supporting ardern the liar.
  
  19 5
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  February 16, 2019 2:23pm
  - Universal Smith
    
    Here come those 5%er’s ….
    
    1) With Nationals support in the mid 40’s and Simon’s at 5%, most National voters clearly don’t like him either.
    
    2) National’s opposition love Simon. A vote for Simon is a vote for Ardern, as National will never be elected with Simon as leader.
    
    1 27
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    February 16, 2019 2:59pm
    - Tall Man
      
      How long has he been leader?
      
      How much air time has he been given?
      
      How many positive articles have appeared in the media about him?
      
      How many days go by without a direct attack on him from the media?
      
      If he wasn’t so fucking good he wouldn’t even garner 5% with all the negatives he has to face.
      
      You don’t have to believe me, I couldn’t care ess what you or others may think but come 2020, or earlier, he will be a viable alternative to ardern the liar, the only alternative imho.
      
      5 3
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      February 16, 2019 6:57pm
  - barnacle bill
    
    Toolman still tells Lies, is a Fake and a Layabout.
    Fact.
    
    8 8
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    February 16, 2019 3:09pm
    - Tall Man
      
      Help is available for you billy…seriously, you just have to admit you’re a total fuckwit and the process can begin.
      
      Tim was one of my favourite characters so I am happy to be compared to him.
      
      Thanks.
      
      3 3
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      February 16, 2019 6:52pm
      - barnacle bill
        
        No worries Tooly.
        I am sure that your parents must be utterly disappointed on how you have turned out.
        
        No parents wish to have a Liar, Fake and Layabout as their son, but there you are, proof that it does happen.
        
        You do need help alright.
        
        3 4
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        February 16, 2019 7:35pm
- Longknives
  
  Why is he a ‘Religious Loon’?
  Was he a member of the Mormon Church until his fucking early twenties???
  
  19 3
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  February 16, 2019 2:37pm
  - Tall Man
    
    “vacuum”…not fucking I think……
    
    6 5
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    February 16, 2019 2:38pm
    - sooty
      
      Nah! That was her nickname!
      
      6 2
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      February 16, 2019 4:30pm
  - Universal Smith
    
    Longknives, yes Simon is a religious crank, but his minders and spin doctors work tirelessly to hide it. The truth is he is up there Colin Craig and Graham Capill, though those two enjoyed far greater popularity in the preferred-PM polls at the time.
    
    I am not comfortable with people being in positions of power who hear voices in their head telling them what to do.
    
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    February 16, 2019 3:04pm
    - nasska
      
      1) I’m not certain that he’s a religious crank but he sure identifies with the socially conservative reactionaries of the National Party.
      
      2) But who else? Anyone who thinks the Dominatrix can poll better with average Kiwis has rocks in his/her head. Paula Bennett is my pick, followed by Mark Mitchell but the airheads in the media would destroy him within weeks.
      
      In any case it may not matter who fronts National. Oppositions don’t beat governments in elections.
      
      Governments lose!
      
      11 0
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      February 16, 2019 3:18pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        nasska, no Judith and Co. are not suitable either. They need to pull a fresh face out of the ranks and rebrand.
        
        Just look at the difference when Labour appointed that airhead as leader. And she is more popular than ever, while Simon slides into oblivion.
        
        4 20
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        February 16, 2019 3:31pm
      - brett68
        
        Paula Bennett is so far above her pay grade it’s not funny.
        
        8 8
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        February 16, 2019 3:43pm
      - nasska
        
        Points taken but we still have to get back to the nuts & bolts. If Simon is axed who do we go with? Who in the ranks is the fresh face needed.
        
        Worse still, if they’re not yet in parliament the country will be bankrupted by the current clowns before they’re elected & rise through the ranks.
        
        Key & Ardern were/are outliers. Both have the “X” factor but National & Labour have only had one each in the past thirty years. If Ardern crashes Labour’s next best couldn’t win the next election……not even against Simon.
        
        Keep chipping away at Chompers. If she cracks it’s blue all the way in 2020!
        
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        February 16, 2019 3:47pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        I can’t see them rolling Labour with a leader who has 5% support. It could not be any worse for National so now is the time to make a change.
        
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        February 16, 2019 4:00pm
    - Happychappy
      
      I am not comfortable reading comments by smart arse pricks like you so fuck off back under the rock you crawled from.
      
      13 4
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      February 16, 2019 4:59pm
- Inandout
  
  UniSmit, if Bridges was a Muslim and his wife a ‘hidden one’ you would be exploding praises all over him. My God, how can a Christian be allowed to stand as an MP?
  
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  February 16, 2019 4:07pm
  - Universal Smith
    
    Inandout, what an odd conclusion to draw.
    
    No matter what I say, he will never be Prime Minister.
    
    4 11
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    February 16, 2019 4:17pm
    - Tall Man
      
      You should probably write those words on a carrot as you may have to eat them sooner than you think.
      
      If you don’t want to eat the carrot there is an alternative……
      
      3 2
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      February 16, 2019 6:46pm
Tall Man

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12204428

Just when you thought our media couldn’t get any dumber….

Along comes jack…
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February 16, 2019 2:47pm
- Universal Smith
  
  Cannabis is already freely available in a totally unregulated market. Some of us are tired of seeing millions wasted trying to create the illusion of control in the minds of authoritarian control freaks.
  
  4 19
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  February 16, 2019 3:17pm
  - Jack5
    
    Latest study to show health dangers of cannabis to young people:
    
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/13/smoking-cannabis-teenager-increases-risk-depression-40-per-cent/
    
    8 4
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    February 16, 2019 3:41pm
    - nasska
      
      It’s a good job then that no-one is suggesting that it should be sold to children.
      
      9 5
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      February 16, 2019 3:55pm
      - DigNap15
        
        Jack Tame is!
        
        13 4
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        February 16, 2019 4:24pm
      - sooty
        
        Because he is one, of the children!
        
        9 2
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        February 16, 2019 4:27pm
    - Universal Smith
      
      So why are young people smoking cannabis if it is illegal?
      
      Could it be that the law is not working !
      
      4 9
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      February 16, 2019 4:01pm
      - Inandout
        
        UniSmit, or their lungs aren’t working.
        
        6 4
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        February 16, 2019 4:08pm
      - nasska
        
        According to the Global Drug Survey conducted in NZ in 2017 38.6 per cent  of adult Kiwis used cannabis in the past year .
        
        I reckon that to describe the law as an ass is flattery!
        
        4 6
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        February 16, 2019 4:12pm
      - Steve (North Shore)
        
        Parents not working
        
        4 0
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        February 16, 2019 5:33pm
  - pentwig
    
    uni myth
    i now understand your inane comments today
    you are smoking
    tee hee
    it kills your brain like ciggies you know
    you obviously dont have many cells left
    poor you
    
    4 2
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    February 16, 2019 9:14pm
big bruv

I will admit that I don’t have a lot of time for Mr Slater, I believe him to be a bully.
Many of us here have read Mr Slater’s blog, some may still do so. I stopped reading it some time ago when it became clear that Mr Slater was suffering mental health issues.
Given Mr Slaters latest health problems it might be time for everybody (yes, including you Mr George) to back off the man and let him be.
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February 16, 2019 3:18pm
- MrTips
  
  Agree 100% bruv. Slater has more than enough with Blomfield, Sellman and Swinburne on his case. Let him be.
  
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  February 16, 2019 4:58pm
mikenmildagain

I spotted an unusual comment earlier from Maggy Wassilief:

Stephieboy and MMA seem hard at work to undercut my business interests/credibility in ecosystem restoration.

I object to:
1. Being associated with the dimwitted stephieboy.
2. Wassilief’s assertion that I am trying to hurt her business interests.
I have no knowledge of, or interest in, Wassilief’s alleged business interests. So far as I can tell, she represents herself as retired. So far as any credibility she might have, that could only be restricted to her biological expertise, in which I am uninterested and have never commented about.
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February 16, 2019 4:17pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  These are your words:
  
  Well, we know you don’t care about the environment with your endorsement of climate anti-science…
  https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/07/general_debate_7_july_2018.html#comment-2249883
  
  16 3
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  February 16, 2019 5:32pm
  - Steve (North Shore)
    
    Ignore him. His next holiday will be 6 months
    
    16 1
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    February 16, 2019 5:35pm
  - Universal Smith
    
    Maggy is receiving a first hand demonstration on how the consensus on climate change was arrived at.
    
    Anyone who disagrees is destroyed professionally and personally attacked. Nothing that questions the dogma is allowed to be published.
    
    Its science but not as we know it.
    
    11 3
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    February 16, 2019 5:59pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Being associated with the dimwitted stephieboy.
  
  Perhaps you have forgotten those exchanges when you, stephieboy and Griff(GruffyD) indulged in gang-bangs on me. (read the entire exchange)
  
  I’m thinking that snowflake Maggy is developing a case of stephieboy Derangement Syndrome.
  
  https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/06/general_debate_3_june_2017.html#comment-1942348
  
  14 1
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  February 16, 2019 6:03pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Your persecution complex is showing.
    Anyone else tired of snowflakes peddling their fake news on Kiwiblog then complaining that they are the real victims?
    
    2 21
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    February 16, 2019 6:19pm
    - Universal Smith
      
      miken, by fake do you mean like saying the Sun does not warm the earth and that we will all die unless we dismantle modern society and become a planet of communist vegans?
      
      15 3
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      February 16, 2019 6:30pm
      - Tall Man
        
        I’m starting to warm to you….
        
        Is that man made climate change?
        
        8 2
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        February 16, 2019 6:39pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      I don’t have a persecution complex, MMA.
      
      I’m just identifying the abuse you have levelled at me for the last 4 years or so.
      
      I don’t think abusing folks you know nothing about is a very rational way to behave.
      
      16 0
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      February 16, 2019 6:33pm
      - Tall Man
        
        But is ok when I abuse steffy?
        
        She really is an annoyinng little turd.
        
        7 2
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        February 16, 2019 6:37pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Oh dear, Maggy. You are welcome to report any of my comments, or to email the blog host if you have concerns.
        I doubt that the ‘abuse’ you have received is a patch on the host of random, vicious comments dished out every day on Kiwiblog.
        
        2 15
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        February 16, 2019 6:42pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Why would I bother reporting your comments?
        
        You are an anonymous bully… working on the same level as stephieboy… deny, deflect, and make out that I’m the deranged person.
        
        I’m over it..
        own your own shit
        
        15 1
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        February 16, 2019 6:46pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Great, you are over it. So I won’t have to read your agonised descriptions of martyrdom on Kiwiblog any more?
        
        2 15
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        February 16, 2019 7:01pm
    - Tall Man
      
      Are you talking about yourself agin?
      
      I was taught that is rude but hey, suits you I suppose.
      
      10 3
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      February 16, 2019 6:34pm
      - pentwig
        
        milkmaid
        stop wearing those blue stillettos
        good grief, between those too small shoes in such oversized feet, and the cramps, no wonder you are nasty today
        take a tip from your queen and try ankle crankles
        
        6 2
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        February 16, 2019 9:24pm
- Swifty
  
  She’s got you there Mike.
  
  13 2
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  February 16, 2019 6:18pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Mike reminds me of the mouse biting the tiger’s tail.
    
    He really think he’s onto a winner and is in control.
    
    However, he does suupport ardern the liar so that gives you an insight into his character, or lack of it.
    
    10 2
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    February 16, 2019 6:36pm
sooty

You and stephie were joined at birth!
Go on admit it!
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February 16, 2019 4:24pm
DigNap15

The fact that no one other than Simon or Judith get any votes in the preffered leadership shows that they don’t rate any of the other National mps yet.

We/they have to stick to Simon until another “leader” shows their face.
Watch Parliament tv and see who you rate!
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February 16, 2019 4:28pm
- MrTips
  
  The left want Collins over Bridges because they can chant “You’re Whaleoils mate, Orvida blah blah”. Bridges scares them because the best they’ve got on him is his accent.
  
  17 2
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  February 16, 2019 5:01pm
  - Universal Smith
    
    Simon 5% scares no one. He is loved by the left as he ensures National will lose the next election, regardless of their policies.
    
    2 22
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    February 16, 2019 5:08pm
    - brett68
      
      He’s loved in the same way every one on the right loved Andrew Little.
      
      5 9
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      February 16, 2019 6:08pm
      - Universal Smith
        
        Exactly brett68
        
        It does my head in when people say they support National and then get behind Simon. At 5% even most National voters can’t stand him and many won’t vote National with him as leader. Only the lunatic fringe support him.
        
        It is delusional to believe they have any chance in an election with such a deeply unpopular leader. It is just not going to happen.
        
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        February 16, 2019 6:23pm
  - brett68
    
    No they don’t
    They want Collins up against Ardern because it will be entertaining, Collins creates copy.
    
    From a media perspective Bridges is dull and the way he talks tunes people out.
    
    Cunliffe was the same, Shearer was the same, Little was the same.
    
    People would pay money to see Ardern and Collins go head to head, that’s why the media want Collins.
    
    Really surprised so many people don’t get that.
    
    9 6
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    February 16, 2019 5:57pm
    - MrTips
      
      Agree that’s what the media want. Labour want Collins for the reason I stated. It’s a bloody farce either way.
      
      8 0
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      February 16, 2019 6:08pm
      - brett68
        
        Not Orvida no one gives a fuck about Orvida, they want to see two woman go head to head in a fight to the death.
        
        It’s about getting people to tune on in,support their side
        Ratings, advertising dollars. making MONEY.
        
        That’s the current media environment we’re in, if Simon wants to succeed he need to drop the boring, stiff crown lawyer thing, be the “Fuck Pugh is Useless” sort of guy.
        
        4 8
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        February 16, 2019 6:16pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        You are right there, the news media has always been about attracting custom.
        
        3 7
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        February 16, 2019 6:23pm
    - waikatogirl
      
      You are right nasska, but the left know Simon is ‘clean’ and also intelligent, which Cindy is not on either count. With Simon’s prosecutor background he knows how to ask the difficult questions to get the answers he’s looking for. The left know in a debate Cindy would lose badly.
      
      18 1
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      February 16, 2019 6:21pm
      - Happychappy
        
        That’s why Wiinston jumps to her defense in question time as he knows she will lose it.
        
        16 0
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        February 16, 2019 6:33pm
      - nasska
        
        All politics is compromise. As I’m a social liberal & a fiscal conservative Bridges doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence or joy but at present time I can’t see a better overall leader in the offing. It didn’t matter who National picked……they were in for a hard time from a party membership who had grown unaccustomed to defeat.
        
        Worth remembering though that the electorate has a habit of punishing parties who change leaders with the seasons.
        
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        February 16, 2019 6:44pm
      - Happychappy
        
        wg: You know that the media are scared of Simon when they trawl back through years of comments to when he was a seventeen year old to find out he then wasn’ a fan of gays. Have you seen them look through the Show Ponies past yet,and she is the Prime Minister with a not so clean or clear past.
        
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        February 16, 2019 6:47pm
      - MT_Tinman
        
        Worth remembering though that the electorate has a habit of punishing parties who change leaders with the seasons.
        
        By making them part of the CoL?
        
        4 0
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        February 16, 2019 6:54pm
      - RF
        
        Ardern is just a puppet on Peters string.
        
        It’s too late for her to regain control no matter how often she brings out Squirrel into the public view.
        
        As soon a Jethro recovers from his food poisoning he will pose for a selfie with Cindy before buggering off to find a new mermaid.
        
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        February 16, 2019 8:01pm
    - Tall Man
      
      So we should ignore common sense and do what the media want.
      
      Please note, the left want Collins as well which is why they continue to attack Simon Bridges on a daily basis.
      
      If he is such a bad bet, why attack him?
      
      12 4
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      February 16, 2019 6:30pm
      - brett68
        
        The media is left but first and foremost they’re there to make money.
        
        You may find there’s a shit ton more people reading articles that involve Judith Collins than those that involve Simon Bridges.
        If that’s the case obviously more people prefer Collins to Bridges.
        
        Media may look at that and think “Imagine if Judith was leader?”
        
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        February 16, 2019 6:42pm
      - MT_Tinman
        
        If he is such a bad bet, why attack him?
        
        There can be no doubt Bridges will not only walk over the harridan and her cohort (verbally) but will do the same to the slime itself.
        
        They are terrified of him, hence attack him at any perceived opportunity..
        
        9 1
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        February 16, 2019 6:57pm
      - brett68
        
        Wow, Groundhog day I remember the readers on The Standard writing exactly the same thing about Cunliffe….. and then Little.
        
        2 7
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        February 16, 2019 7:14pm
    - Universal Smith
      
      Collins against Ardern would indeed be a wonderful thing to see, but she will never be PM either. Her popularity is nearly as bad as Simons.
      
      I think Collins could lift her rankings, and the parties, but not enough to ever win an election.
      
      3 8
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      February 16, 2019 6:33pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        Collins is tainted (toxic) by her association with Whaleoil.
        She has no future as the Leader.
        Keep her working in the background.
        
        16 1
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        February 16, 2019 6:54pm
      - brett68
        
        No one outside of the political blogs even remembers who Cameron Slater is, he had his 5 minutes of fame years ago and was then quickly forgotten.
        
        4 7
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        February 16, 2019 7:21pm
      - Captain Mainwaring
        
        Sorry Maggy, 97.8% of the voters have never heard of the Whaleoil prick. It’s only us enlightened ones on Kiwiblog who know who he is (was).
        Collins would tie Comrade Cindy in knots.
        
        3 0
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        February 16, 2019 8:50pm
      - starboard
        
        **ALERT ALERT**…Universal Smith
        
        “liarbour troll, liarbour troll”
        
        4 1
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        February 16, 2019 9:56pm
  - lifesgood
    
    They are also terrified of his high intelligence something woefully lacking in the SLG and the rest of the COL. I am absolutely certain that Brett believes everything he reads in the papers and has never taken the time to watch Bridges speak in parliament. His speech last week was a real hum dinger and blew the socks off every other speaker. The same with his calm and patient questioning of the COL at Q time. If Brett had ever watched him he would not be spouting this rubbish about Simon being hated. It is the COL and the media that hate him purely through fear.
    
    13 1
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    February 16, 2019 6:39pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Personally, I think it is unfortunate, but parliamentary ‘performance’ no longer counts for anything in New Zealand politics.
      No one watches, or listens, to parliament.
      
      6 8
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      February 16, 2019 6:47pm
      - UrbanNeocolonialist
        
        Did they ever? People did however used to watch combative TV interviews by competent and informed interviewers. Now mostly gone the way of the dinosaur.
        
        5 0
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        February 16, 2019 8:46pm
    - brett68
      
      I know a winner when I see one, currently I don’t see one in Simon.
      
      Intelligent guy but lacks street smarts and has no x factor
      
      2 8
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      February 16, 2019 7:29pm
      - MickMac
        
        brett68
        compared to taxinda?
        if he had a sycopant press and tv and red radio?
        
        she is a shit storm happening and you know it!
        
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        February 17, 2019 12:31am
Happychappy

Seeing the last fruit fly caught in our traps was late 2015 when Labour blamed National for lack of security and lack of enforcement why have we now another out break. I think Questions should be asked of the Coalition over this as they have history of passing the blame when they haven’t been on the ball.
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February 16, 2019 5:21pm
Jack5

With the Huawei PR squad relatively quiet today, we haven’t got enough doom. So consider: African population surge predicted …

UN projection: Nigeria will have a population of 400 million by 2050, with its capital Lagos, present population 20 million, doubling to 40 million.

Spiegel On-line reports:

Africa is in in the midst of a population explosion that will necessarily lead to a massive wave of migration toward Europe, writes Stephen Smith, an Africa studies professor at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, in his soon-to-be-released book “The Scramble for Europe: Young Africa on Its Way to the Old Continent.”

Smith, a former Africa correspondent, predicts that as a result of the massive wave of migration, between 150 and 200 million people of African heritage will live in Europe by 2050.

The report says that in the next 30 years, the population of Africa will more than double, from 1.2 billion people today to 2.5 billion.

The Spiegel article continues:

“The countries in the Sahel zone are heading toward a massive catastrophe,” says French economist Serge Michailof.

“What we are currently experiencing,” Michailof says, “is the most spectacular demographic shift in the history of mankind.”

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/confronting-the-approach-demographic-explosion-in-africa-a-1253189.html#ref=nl-international
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February 16, 2019 5:23pm
- Universal Smith
  
  There is no bigger threat to the environment and the welfare of people than that sort of population growth. All our efforts to mitigate environmental harms are for nothing if we continue to multiply.
  
  Africa is a great example – with constant war, poverty, misery and environmental damage. That will happen globally if people keep breeding like flies.
  
  10 6
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  February 16, 2019 5:33pm
  - DigNap15
    
    They reckon the population of basket case Nigeria will go from 90 million now to 350 million in 30 or 40 years!
    More than the USA!
    
    Climate change anyone?
    Mass emigration
    
    5 1
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    February 16, 2019 6:30pm
  - mikenmildagain
    
    It’s almost as if the European conquest and colonisation of Africa was a huge mistake of global significance for people and the environment.
    
    3 8
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    February 16, 2019 6:30pm
    - Universal Smith
      
      miken, that is easy fixed.
      
      1. Stop all aid and assistance to Africa.
      2. Allow no immigration from Africa.
      
      6 5
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      February 16, 2019 6:37pm
- Longknives
  
  Don’t worry Jack5- Jacinda and Winston have signed us up to an ‘Open Borders’ Migration Pact that will ensure catastrophe doesn’t happen in Africa!
  Millions of them will just roll into Jacinda’s Socialist Republic of Aotearoa! (with an open arms welcome from Labour and the Greens) What could possibly go wrong??..
  
  11 1
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  February 16, 2019 5:51pm
  - Universal Smith
    
    Yes while banning the hard working productive Chinese.
    
    9 6
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    February 16, 2019 5:55pm
    - Jack5
      
      If they’re so productive, Universal, how come NZ’s productivity performance has been so pathetic in the years since our politicians, without debate or announced policy, began making NZ multicultural?
      
      For all you ever need to know about NZ productivity, have a look at Michael Reddell’s blog
      
      For a bonus, today’s post is about the National Party’s dropping of anti-communism and cuddle-up to China.
      
      https://croakingcassandra.com/
      
      3 1
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      February 16, 2019 9:48pm
Jack5

More Saturday night stuff …

Spanish bank finds out what it’s like when you piss off Chinese customers:

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2186410/furious-chinese-condemn-racist-spanish-bank-bbva-saying-it-locked

And …

Chinese students in Canada act against free speech:

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/2186263/chinese-students-canada-report-uygur-activists-talk-consulate
5 2
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February 16, 2019 5:57pm
- Universal Smith
  
  Yeah because universities don’t censor free speech in NZ do they Jack?
  
  Are you seriously holding up modern day universities as tolerant bastions of freedom?
  
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  February 16, 2019 6:08pm
DigNap15

National voters will vote for Bridges anyway.
The trick is to get the swingng voter and the green voter and some from NZF
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February 16, 2019 6:33pm
- Universal Smith
  
  Many National voters have said they will not vote National with Simon as leader. A hint is that National are doing well in the polls, but Simon is down to around zero support, in the polls.
  
  I do agree with you regarding swing voters, but they are swinging well away from a Simon led National Party. Way away.
  
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  February 16, 2019 6:40pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Bollocks.
    
    I think you just make up shit sometimes.
    
    If ardern the liar was as negatively exposed as the media does to Simon Bridges she would have zero support.
    
    You can be a media pawn but the rest of us will stick to the facts.
    
    13 2
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    February 16, 2019 7:44pm
    - Universal Smith
      
      I agree 100% regarding his treatment by the media compared with Ardern. If they reported honestly on her she would have to stand down as leader.
      
      8 5
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      February 16, 2019 7:48pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    The media are the ones that are trying to make it a self fulfilling prophecy? Making not reporting the news.
    
    I see Jacinda felt she had better appear in public, Napier got a surprise.
    
    4 0
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    February 16, 2019 9:31pm
lifesgood

Anyone who has read through this General Debate will now realise that Universal Smith and Brett68 are both Labour party trolls trying desperately to disguise themselves as concerned Nat supporters. Pull the other one you two.
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February 16, 2019 6:46pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  I think you might be a bit confused. They both seem to have a range of views, and the fact that some of those views don’t align with your National Party lines should not be so frightening.
  
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  February 16, 2019 6:54pm
  - nasska
    
    Shit! I’ve voted National for 16 out of the last 17 elections & I agree with less than 50% of their policies & reactionary, socially conservative drivel.
    
    It’s just that the alternatives are so awful!
    
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    February 16, 2019 7:00pm
    - Swifty
      
      You’re doing God’s work, nasska.
      
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      February 16, 2019 7:05pm
- Universal Smith
  
  lifesgood, Labour supporters love Simon. With him at the helm it is plain sailing to another election victory, so they can focus all their energy on destroying the country.
  
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  February 16, 2019 7:11pm
  - rangitoto
    
    Why the media hit jobs then?
    
    7 0
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    February 16, 2019 8:27pm
Kiwi_in_Paris

Lack of Chinese coming here? Taken a bus in Browns Bay or Albany lately lol.
2 2
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February 16, 2019 7:46pm
Kiwi_in_Paris

The Chinese are revolting!
2 2
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February 16, 2019 7:49pm
- Jack5
  
  How are the riots going in Paris this weekend, KiP?
  
  One of the Yellow Shirt leaders has mentioned “Macron” and “guillotine” in the same sentence.
  
  Is it getting that serious?
  
  https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1087990/yellow-vest-protests-Cristophe-Chalencon-france-italy-germany-emmanuel-macron-luigi-di-mai
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:20pm
  - Kiwi_in_Paris
    
    As we speak, the yellow shirts are having a giant group wank in the corner, not looking forward to salty rain, did anyone see the wind direction on the discovery channel?
    
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    February 16, 2019 11:28pm
mikenmildagain

I’m not sure if anyone on Kiwiblog has highlighted this interesting case:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/110616642/sovereign-citizen-defence-mooted-for-alleged-baby-killer
Even his lawyer has said he might have to withdraw from the case if his client persists in his delusional argument.
It’s pity Ugly Truth has depareted Kiwiblog.
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February 16, 2019 7:51pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Anyone keen on tripping out on magic mushrooms?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/02/could-mushrooms-be-the-next-drug-to-be-decriminalised.html
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February 16, 2019 8:10pm
- Universal Smith
  
  LSD is good for you too.
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/110400683/microdosing-of-drug-lsd-may-improve-psychological-health
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:18pm
  - Kiwi_in_Paris
    
    That explains why Pink Floyd liked it
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:25pm
  - Jack5
    
    Auckland University’s merry pranksters get on the bus.
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:38pm
- Kiwi_in_Paris
  
  Been there, done that. Giggles.
  
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  February 16, 2019 8:23pm
- Swifty
  
  Ever tried Maggy?
  
  2 4
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  February 16, 2019 8:26pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    No..
    I don’t do mind-altering recreational drugs or booze etc.
    However, I mightn’t refuse them if I’m having a lousy death…
    https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dying-patients-to-be-given-magic-mushrooms-at-melbourne-hospital
    
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    February 16, 2019 8:38pm
    - Jack5
      
      ? Swifty, your question, “Ever tried Maggy?” is, well, ah, a bit …., don’t you think?
      
      Maggy is a respected and respectable poster on Kiwiblog.
      
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      February 16, 2019 9:56pm
    - simpleton1
      
      Not too sure now, having had nightmare run of such real nightmare dreams and seemingly difficult to recognize real life, of that stood out even more in the memory than an occasional nightmare.
      The dreams seemed to revolved around people I knew, that surprisingly let me down and had a dark streak, so that I was fighting for my very life against them. I could have written a script for a complex horror drama movie, that actually seemed inter connected.
      
      This was after heart surgery and the morphine, and whatever other drugs they had me on in intensive care.
      
      When my Mum was finally put on morphine I made sure there was a variety of background CD music, old, modern, and different styles, so that would trigger good memories and hopefully good dreams.
      It did seem to help with positive responses, and smiles.
      
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      February 16, 2019 10:15pm
Kiwi_in_Paris

That sentence has two meanings, lol
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February 16, 2019 8:33pm
Kiwi_in_Paris

It would even be the same after adding the word “that”.
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February 16, 2019 8:35pm
nasska

Dear Aunt Maggy,

I’m 70 years old. Will it help if I stop smoking weed now? 🙂

Confused of Masterton
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February 16, 2019 8:52pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  I am sure every weed you spare from a smokey demise will absorb a few more molecules of CO2 and help stave off a fiery apocalypse.
  https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jun/20/cannabis-climate-change-fossil-fuels
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:01pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    And should be part of the tree count?
    
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    February 16, 2019 9:25pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      For the 1bn tree count..a tree has to reach at least 5m and not be part of the horticulture (fruit trees/nut trees) industry.
      It will be difficult to get Cannabis accepted as a tree (it’s not a woody plant, for starters).
      
      3 1
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      February 16, 2019 9:41pm
      - Rachael Membery
        
        Just trying to help, those additional criterion are interesting. Does Shane know?
        
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        February 17, 2019 6:03pm
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        I’m not sure what Shane knows..but my info is from the MPI 2hr briefing I attended on Wed Morning.
        http://gisborneherald.co.nz/localnews/3959904-135/billion-trees-not-just-about-the
        
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        February 17, 2019 6:15pm
stigie

No, don’t stop smoking weed but have more sex if you want to live till you’re 100 Confused of Masterson !~
5 1
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February 16, 2019 8:57pm
mikenmildagain

Here’s a surprise from Australia. One Nation nutcases fall out:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-14/senate-strips-parliament-pass-from-james-ashby-pauline-hanson/10812888
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February 16, 2019 9:04pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Kimbo has emerged over on Pete George’s blog.
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February 16, 2019 9:20pm
- Jack5
  
  That’s good to hear. Long may he blog.
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:16pm
Rachael Membery

What part of Maori culture would any other culture covet?

Sounds harsh and I did have hangi food at a Kai Festival recently, Aren’t they all ‘nice to haves’?

Language. culture, do they make NZ Inc better or just different?
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February 16, 2019 9:21pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  Both.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:26pm
  - Jack5
    
    Better only in a theme-park way.
    
    3 2
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    February 16, 2019 9:35pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    Why?
    
    1 0
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    February 17, 2019 6:38am
- Tall Man
  
  I see a lot more bad than good.
  
  But then, I’m not a lefty with rose coloured glasses.
  
  Mind you, h1 is not very inclusive with music lovers wanting to have a few sing songs near her home.
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:39pm
Jack5

China has singled out NZ, rather than Australia, to scare over the Huawei ban.

Possibly or partly because Aussies don’t scare as easily as New Zealanders.

Consider the way they are handling this Chinese billionaire – can you imagine NZ doing the same?

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/chinese-newspapers-dedicate-front-pages-to-exiled-billionaire-huang-xiangmo-20190216-p50y9u.html
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February 16, 2019 9:33pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  No, China has expressed its displeasure at Australia
  banning Huawei’s involvement in 5G
  https://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/3061602/china-threatens-action-against-australia-over-5g-ban-for-huawei-and-zte
  
  Morrison is just a bit more political savvy than our CoL…. and Oz has lots more to worry about than we have:
  https://vanuatuindependent.com/2018/11/26/china-threatens-leave-australia-spin/
  
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  February 16, 2019 9:54pm
  - Jack5
    
    The Vanuatu Independent – that’s an interesting view.
    
    If Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomons fall into the orbit of China we won’t need to help them out by hiring them as fruit pickers and funnelling foreign aid to them. They will be able to get seasonal work in Shenzhen.
    
    The US marine base in Darwin is a good counter to Chinese expansion in PNG.
    
    The Chinese expansion is so wide (Africa, the Middle East, South America, too) and so quick that the imperial reach can’t be maintained.
    
    The supply lines to these global bases will mean China has to maintain a Navy twice the size of the USN.
    
    China will so bugger itself with base expansion and the belt and road strategy that sparsely populated Mongolia might again be able to take it over.
    
    Maggy, I am worried about the apparent Sinification of your political views recently. Nothing to do with Moon Feng running Poverty Bay (what a great name) is it? I thought with Moon Feng’s enterprise, Gisborne’s Friends of China would be in the Taiwan camp.
    
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    February 16, 2019 10:07pm
Tall Man

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/02/saudia-arabian-6yo-beheaded-in-front-of-mother-over-religious-beliefs.html

Awesome group of people, perhaps ardern the liar would like a few more immigrants like this murderer.
4 2
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February 16, 2019 9:35pm
starboard

Isn’t it weird that Universal Smith and Brett68 seemingly post together a lot of the time…
5 2
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February 16, 2019 10:02pm
- Jack5
  
  Could they be cellmates sharing the same laptop?
  
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  February 16, 2019 10:13pm
  - Tall Man
    
    And do they have ardern the liar’s cell number or email?
    
    1 2
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    February 16, 2019 11:34pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    Might be sharing more than a laptop?
    
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    February 17, 2019 7:28am
Jack5

America continues to tie itself in knots over who can say the “N-” word and where it can be said, and who can discuss the use of the word. This applies even in universities, the supposed bastions of free speech.

Yesterday in Kiwiblog, I touched on a mirror aspect of this by challenging a poster who used the “Ch—” word. I was branded a racist and my post was voted down into the ether for my audacity.

To be balanced, the only folk allowed to say “white motherfuckers” should be, well, white motherfuckers. And no-one should be allowed to discuss the appropriateness of this.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-a-Dispute-Over-the-N-Word/245655

The Chronicle, like some other sites, opens a pay-walled story or two periodically to Arts & Letters Daily, so if you have trouble with the link I have just given, try aldaily.com and select the report there.
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February 16, 2019 10:59pm
- Kiwi_in_Paris
  
  Cheeseburger?
  
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  February 16, 2019 11:22pm
Manolo

If she is not a beast, what?
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/02/15/maxine-waters-calls-for-rallies-across-america-to-send-trump-a-message-no-fake-emergency/
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February 17, 2019 8:00am

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