General Debate 02 February 2025

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CJames

Remember DPF did posts about his polling company, Curia, leaving the industry body he helped set up because he was getting persecuted with complaints.
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2024/08/why_i_have_resigned_from_the_research_association_of_new_zealand.html
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2024/11/ranz_update.html
Well, one of the posters over at the Standard reposted something from an anonymous journalist’s substack which slimed him over the PSG’s decision that DPF could not have input into. In fact the way it reads, one would suspect that “Mountain Tui” was at the very least a party to the complaint. I’m now waiting to see whether any media will continue to report the polling DPF does for the Taxpayers Union, especially if it shows the coalition government in a bad light. I know it will. Just like those virtue signallers who were leaving X but continue to post there because no-one reads them at their new site.

It is very ironic that MT writes at the end or his piece “We need our media and journalists to be accountable for what they reproduce, and just as Stuff often repeats government narratives without fact checking or context, so too should they all – from Newsroom to NZ Herald to RNZ to The Post – be accountable for publishing polls and conclusions from groups that admit they will put questions suggested by clients if they just “insist”. “”
Really? The MSM never published press releases or push polling from the Labour Party/ Green Party or “secret” left favouring political polls without checking them to see if they were true? That is a Tui ad if ever there was one.
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February 2, 2025 8:00am
- Northshoredoc
  
  One of Muttonbird’s mates, possibly the same person. They seem very fixated on Curia …..too much spare time on their hands.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:07am
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  Yet another example of institutional capture?
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:43am
Cassandra

Senator Ted Cruz, apparently confusing John Minto with Chris Luxon, accused New Zealand of being anti Israel. Having lived in the US I’m aware that not all Americans are geographically aware – or even aware – but this is bizarre. I wrote to the Senator, an interesting experience. I got a hand written acknowledgment. Very slick, even if he is either misinformed or a bit thick.
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February 2, 2025 8:01am
- Nigel Kearney
  
  Our government is anti-Israel, though probably not for the reason claimed by Ted Cruz.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:10am
  - Chuck Bird
    
    Act is not anti-Israel.
    
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    February 2, 2025 8:16am
    - kowtow
      
      I suspect NZF wouldn’t be either , except the “excellent” foreign minister is, I believe, captured by his officials…….. we gotta sell sheep to Iran you know .
      And they hang opponents in public squares from construction cranes .
      
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      February 2, 2025 8:29am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      None of the nz government is
      
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      February 2, 2025 9:16am
      - pdm
        
        `None of the we government is’
        
        Too deep for me G.
        
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        February 2, 2025 9:35am
      - Jack5
        
        G the Dunedin giant lays down a challenge for a Sunday grammar debate (9.15 post) ……
        
        From The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage on the use of “none”:
        
        It is a mistake to suppose that the pronoun is singular only and must at all costs be followed by singular verbs. It should be borne in mind that none is not a shortening of no one but is the regular OE of “nan” (pronoun) “none, not one”. At all times since the reign of King Alfred [lived 849-899] the choice of plural or singular in the accompanying verbs, etc, has been governed by the surrounding words or by the notional sense.
        
        The “nan” used in the example has a macron over the “a”.
        
        The New Fowler gives two examples:
        
        Singular:
        ” … a fear which we cannot know, which we cannot face, which none understands .”
        
        Plural:
        “If you’re talking about the aged, the unemployed and the sick, none of these are going to be affected.”
        
        That plural example is attributed by the book’s editor, R.W. Burchfield, to “R. Muldoon, 1986”. Muldoon was Prime Minister from 1975 to 1984, but continued in Parliament until 1987.
        
        Burchfield, a New Zealander, edited the great Oxford English Dictionary for 30 years.
        
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        February 2, 2025 11:28am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    Cruz has been swept up by this pathetic greenie type hit job on Israeli soldiers might or might not be holidaying in NZ, the dirty bastards are suggesting to cut them down publicly, but this is appearing as if it is government policy.
    
    You suggest that the government are anti Israel, I have heard them say they have a right to defend them selves after the atrocities that took place on October 7, and I have heard them ask for a seize fire, not really sure any of that is anti Israel
    
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    February 2, 2025 9:15am
    - Don Beckett
      
      Luxon said he would arrest Netanyahu……response ??
      
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      February 2, 2025 10:11am
      - Mark Hanley
        
        I have 2 responses:
        1. Stop investing time in this nonsense, there are real challenges to address / solve
        2. Tell the whole truth…. otherwise you legitimatize Labour supporters tactics
        
        Luxons sound reasoning…..
        “We believe in the international rules-based system, we support the ICC, and we would be obligated to do so.”
        
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        February 2, 2025 10:41am
      - Ghost
        
        Why do you need a response? As signatures of the Rome statue we are obligated to arrest those who the ICC issue and arrest warrant for. Surely you know that.
        
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        February 2, 2025 10:48am
      - Taieri
        
        Unless invited by the NZ Government, why would Netayahu come to NZ?
        
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        February 2, 2025 12:03pm
  - KH
    
    New Zealand is anti 1500 people who were murdered in Israel and anti 45,000 people who were murdered in Gaza.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:41am
- igm
  
  Minto is revered by MSM, giving him lead space frequently in their hatred of Trump and anything to the right of Communism, especially it can slur Coalition, yet Luxon continues to fund PIJF with taxpayers’ money.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:13am
- Philview
  
  Chris Luxon has said Netanyahu will be arrested if he steps foot in New Zealand. Cruz is right that NZ is anti Israel but obviously confused in thinking the hotline to dob in Israeli soldiers is a government initiative.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:27am
  - Quail
    
    Luxon arresting Mr Netanyahu would not be good for the health of this Country.
    Apart from anything else ,NZ immediately takes a position on the politics of the Middle East that has not been debated and a decision made in NZ parliament .
    Luxon has neither the authority or means to arrest anyone on political charges in this country.
    His comment was unbelievably arrogant.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:06am
    - Ra Henare
      
      Read more widely. Due to international commitments to international law the NZ Government(Your PM) is OBLIGED to arrest those who the International Court of justice has issued arrest warrants for.
      
      Using your logic, the Hamas leader and Putin would not be arrested if they set foot in NZ.
      
      Duh
      
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      February 2, 2025 4:50pm
- G152
  
  Ah Minto…. very fast runner in an argument.
  And evidently Jewish people dont have to get a visa to visit.
  And their military does NOT take crap
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:28am
- Scott
  
  Speaking of Israel, this recently from Israel regarding the release of hostages and United Nations organisation UNRWA complicity in holding a hostage prisoner –
  
  Mandy Damari, mother of Emily Damari who was freed after 470 days in captivity earlier this month, revealed on Friday that her daughter was held in [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for for Palestine Refugees] facilities in Gaza during her captivity.
  
  Damari made the revelation during a conversation with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Mandy and Emily are British citizens.
  
  The mother posted to X a picture of she and Emily speaking to Starmer and wrote, “Thank you Keir Starmer for calling us today and all your support in getting Emily home. Hamas held Emily in UNRWA facilities and denied her access to medical treatment after shooting her twice.”So this young woman, coincidentally a British citizen, was shot twice by Hamas, taken prisoner, and held in a United Nations facility in Gaza while being denied medical treatment for her gunshot wounds.
  
  The U.N. is shocked, shocked:
  
  In a statement to Sky News, UNRWA said, “We at UNRWA are relieved that hostages have been released. We hope all other will be released too. It is also a relief that Ms. Damari has finally been reunited with her family.”
  
  “Claims that hostages have been held in UNRWA premises, even if previously vacated, are very serious. We have repeatedly called for independent investigations into claims of misuse and disregard of UN premises by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas,” stated UNRWA.”
  
  https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/01/hamas-the-un-and-president-trump.php
  
  This episode shows that the UN is thoroughly corrupt and an enthusiastic supporter of anti western and anti Israel terrorism. Why do we fund them again? What good do they ever do?
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:46am
  - AitchW
    
    Why on earth is UNWRA still active? How many more times must it be proven that it is hopefully compromised by Hamas before the UN pulls the plug?
    Or is the UN so deeply anti Israel that the whole organisation has been corrupted by anti semites?
    We must stop funding UNWRA immediately.
    
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    February 2, 2025 9:33am
    - Jake Dee
      
      Let’s have that investigation.
      that would require Israel releasing the names of all those people they suspect of being Hamas operatives within UNRWA and the reasons they suspect them.
      They haven’t done so.
      What possible reasons could there be for NOT releasing legitimate information about terrorist?
      
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      February 2, 2025 7:13pm
  - igm
    
    What type of person downticks this post?
    Surely it must be pro-Islam or a left-wing loser.
    Cannot present a name, but am damn sure of identity.
    
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    February 2, 2025 1:58pm
- Vidar
  
  Ted Cruz was not referencing Minto.
  
  There was an article published saying New Zealand customs was questioning anyone from Israel about their military service. Where and when they served. Implying they committed war crimes.
  
  Winston Peters replied almost instantly it was fake.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:48am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  There is a misrepresentation of what happened here, it looks as if this dirty work done by the luvvies is being read as government policy, now the media are suggesting NZ are in a diplomatic war with the statutes
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:11am
  - NK
    
    There’s no representation. It’s a direct quote from Luxon, “we support the ICC and the international rules-based system”.
    
    That whole regime is corrupt to its core.
    
    Yet Luxon supports it.
    
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    February 2, 2025 9:58am
    - kowtow
      
      It’s ridiculous .
      
      “The international rules based system”.
      
      There are no rules.
      
      Never have been.
      
      It’s all make believe.
      
      All there really is is your tribe , my tribe .
      
      It’s just some tribes are nicer than others.
      
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      February 2, 2025 12:36pm
- Steve Otto N Shore
  
  I think it may stem from this:
  
  https://centrist.nz/luxon-says-israels-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-would-be-arrested-if-he-came-to-nz/
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:20am
  - AitchW
    
    Minto’s despicable hotline appears to have been the final straw prompting Cruz to issue his tweet.
    He deliberately conflates the hotline with his untruths about government policy for effect and to bolster his support.
    While I’m relieved that Trump spanked Harris, I believe that we’re going to see a whole lot of jingoism coming out of America in order to justify Trump’s populist, protectionist policies. It ain’t going to be good for our exporters.
    
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    February 2, 2025 9:40am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    That is on UN lines because they have put him on an arrest warrant, he was only relaying that, I am sure the dead leader of Hammas would have been arrested for atrocities as well as this
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:54am
- kevn
  
  Cass and BY… Big Demo Dippers are Bernie and Pocahontus.
  https://x.com/MidwesternDoc/status/1885674452085858771/photo/1
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:12am
- nathie
  
  Here are the Times of Israel articles for context (if one wants to see what they wrote).
  
  Curiously the Times of Israel articles appear to be somewhat balanced in terms of giving the “other side” (i.e. Immigration NZ) a hefty written response.
  
  (I say “curious” because generally the NZ MSM load their stories with the protagonist’s message (i.e. as in people aligned to their way of work thinking) the most coverage to set the tone of the article (and therefore what the plebs should think), with either a tiny response at the end from the “other”, or none at all)!
  
  From what the Times of Israel are reporting only one person has been affected (perhaps due to other personal characteristics rather than simply being IDF), that the (NZ Immigration) rejection of Palestinian visitors are 10x greater and that Australia has the same policy! So kinda nothing to see here really.
  
  28 Jan: https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-zealand-requires-israelis-to-disclose-idf-service-details-as-condition-for-entry/
  
  30 Jan: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/new-zealand-denies-barring-israelis-over-army-service/
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:32am
  - cmm
    
    I think requiring people to disclose current military service is fine – so long as it is applied to everyone and not just Israelis.
    
    While a person is on current military service, they fall under their country’s military law and could be acting in ways not of benefit to NZ.
    
    It is likely that most reservists in Israel have similar military law conditions as to what we had in South Africa. If you were called up, then you came under military law for a period from one month before the call up started to one month after. This is normally done to make sure that you don’t skip the country and are also subject to the military police etc (eg. military police could search your house if they thought you had stolen ammunition during your call up).
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:27am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  A bit like Fox not realising the activities of TPM were shocking in the house they praised the stupid girl from tearing up the TPB in the house, they had no idea what they were commenting on
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:51am
- NoFax
  
  Ted Cruz said we weren’t much of an ally in regards to the false story regarding Israeli tourists. However, let’s hope he doesn’t look at our defence budget!
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:53am
  - Conservatarian
    
    Ted Cruz is a staunch ally of Trump and is a senior republican senator and a very, very intelligent and well informed man.
    
    The world order is shifting strongly towards nationalism and right-populism, with Canada and, hopefully, Germany and Australia to shift its government rightwards this year.
    
    Perhaps Cruz is simply offering the New Zealand government, currently a nominally right wing coalition of governing partners, a chance to declare whether it is allied with the globalists (aka the “rules based international order”) or allied with nationalist-populists.
    
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    February 2, 2025 1:51pm
    - Wayne1749
      
      I’m sorry, but anyone who is a true populist would not support the state of Israel, let alone pump billions and billions of dollars of arms to support their genocide in Gaza. The Western left has Trotskyite origins (as opposed to Stalinist nationalist origins of the former Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China). Take from that what you will. America First should mean America First not Israel First. Same goes for all other Western countries and their slavish support for Israel, a country which cares nothing for Western civilization
      
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      February 2, 2025 5:57pm
Bridgenag

This essay was written in 2021 and at the time there were lots of frightened people unable to look at any facts

MASS FORMATION PSYCHOSIS
or… mass hypnosis- the madness of crowds

“One of the the best ways to counter mass formation is for those against the narrative to continue to speak out against it, which serves to help break the hypnosis of some in the brainwashed group as well as persuade the persuadable middle to choose reason over mindlessness.”

https://www.malone.news/p/mass-formation-psychosis?r=1aj1bv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
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February 2, 2025 8:05am
CJames

Over at Power Line, John Hinderaker comments on an article that Abe Greenward wrote on the dearth of real investigative journalists. Abe notes there are lots of unsolved mysteries but no answers. As he wrote “ We don’t get answers because those who should know them are either too incompetent to find them, protecting their political standing, or both. And these categories apply to the media, as well. Reporters have become bad at their jobs, defensive of their political tribe, or—what’s most helpful to their partisan sources—both.”
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/01/unsolved-mysteries.php
The punchline is at the end. “Modern journalism is all about deciding which facts the public shouldn’t know because they might reflect badly on Democrats.

Though it is written for the US, the general tenor is just as relevant for NZ. Other than Graham Adams and Phillip Crump, where are the investigators who are prepared to go behind the curtains looking at problems caused by leftwing/ Maori politicians?
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February 2, 2025 8:06am
- kowtow
  
  Sean Plunkett and The platform .
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:32am
- Jake Dee
  
  It’s worth noting that P.R. hacks outnumber journalists by at least 5 to 1.
  
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  February 2, 2025 7:36pm
Scooter

Another plane crash in the US. The latest sad news a Medivac plane crash in Philadelphia with a Mexican mother and daughter who had life saving treatment in the US and was flying home to Tijuana. Two crashes within a few days in the US just seems a little weird. Maybe it wasn’t good timing for Shane and Winston to joke about Mexicans going home.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/philadelphia-plane-crash-live-updates-b2690478.html
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February 2, 2025 8:21am
- Dougal10
  
  Planes crash somewhere every day, but the media only report the dramatic , just like you are trying to link this latest reported crash to a couple of politicians on the other side of the world.
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:39am
  - Scooter
    
    Dougal, I was making a maybe a bit of a sarcastic a comment, I think I should have used the // sign for those unaware.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:26am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    It is not that simple. Yes there are general aviation accidents every day. Commercial aviation accidents are much rarer and fatal accidents rarer still. The Washington crash was the first fatal commercial aviation accident in in the USA for more than 15 years. I’m not sure how rare medical ambulance accidents are but they are certainly not daily or even yearly.
    
    The paradox in the USA is that as commercial aviation accident rates, especially serious ones, have plummeted, general aviation accidents have moved in the opposite direction.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:01pm
    - JackRabbit
      
      Commercial aviation accidents are much rarer and fatal accidents rarer still. The Washington crash was the first fatal commercial aviation accident in in the USA for more than 15 years.
      
      Bollocks. That is pure disinformation.
      
      See the list here.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_accidents_and_incidents_involving_commercial_aircraft_in_the_United_States
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:41pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        You have a reading comprehension problem.
        
        Yes I should have included the 2013 B777 incident that killed 3 people.
        
        All the other fatal incidents that you reference after 2009 are charter flights regulated under
        Part 135 of the FAA regulations. Apart from the 2013 B777 incident, there have been no fatal scheduled commercial aviation crashes in USA since 2009.
        
        Commercial aviation has been incredibly safe for the last 15 years. I follow incidents closely. What has increased over the last two years is the numbers of “near misses”.
        
        BTW accusing me of “disinformation” is really something given your regular disinformation here about covid vaccines.
        
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        February 2, 2025 6:25pm
    - Dougal10
      
      Rubbish
      
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      February 2, 2025 5:52pm
    - Jake Dee
      
      A member of the ground crew was killed after being sucked into an engine in Alabama in 2023.
      https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/american-airlines-ground-crew-worker-dies-ingested-into-engine-plane-alabama-airport
      It wasn’t a crash but I think it qualifies as a “fatal commercial aviation accident in in the USA”.
      
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      February 2, 2025 7:44pm
      - Ghost
        
        No, that’s a death of a ground crew member who ignored her briefing
        
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        February 2, 2025 7:52pm
      - Jake Dee
        
        Ghost, just because she did something dumb doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fatal commercial aviation accident in the USA within the last 15 years. How many fatal accidents are the result of people doing something dumb and not following the rules?
        >90% would be my guess.
        
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        February 2, 2025 9:24pm
  - kowtow
    
    Third world ferry disasters are a classic.
    
    In certain parts of Africa and Asia , hundreds go down .
    
    Barely a mention.
    
    Right now , Congo ( not to mention Sudan) going through the most awful , ongoing decades long convulsions .
    
    Te media , Minto , the Greens , Maori party , Duncan Webbs etc Where are they , the silence is deafening.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:56pm
    - JackRabbit
      
      Fatalities from the illegal and botched mRNA vaccinations for Ebola in the Congo, were wiped not just from Google, but also the Wayback Machine.
      
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      February 2, 2025 2:26pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        No.
        
        “The team found that the case-fatality risk was much lower in the vaccinated group: 25% for the vaccinated group compared with 56% for the unvaccinated group. Protection against death was seen, even when researchers adjusted for Ebola-specific treatment, age, and time from symptom onset to admission.”
        
        https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ebola/ebola-vaccine-cut-deaths-half-during-drc-outbreak-study-shows
        
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        February 2, 2025 6:31pm
Paulus

Despite the good James comments our so called media daily continue to do all they can to denigrate the duly elected Coalition Government, and are doing what ever they think clever in trying hard to break the trio in power.
Pity they are not intelligent enough to see that what they are doing not only damages them and their lady repeaters on TV and the RNZ, but New Zealand as a whole.
Look at the furore that some children’s lunches were late, or not what the repeaters tell us the children do not like.
The Teachers do not like the new menu either, so here is a great New Zealand tragedy, much of it made up from their keyboard in the attempt that they want to get paid.
It is understood the people of the Unions made a point of making sure everything that can go wrong did for the media support.
Many of the country’s children were perfectly happy with a school lunch anyway.
We never had school lunches either, but had to make our own.
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February 2, 2025 8:32am
- kowtow
  
  The same thing was done around parental discipline .
  
  One or two ferals ( and it continues) bash their children . Greens then push for a seismic change in parenting via legislation to effect change against the whole country .
  
  Media get on board . So called centre right runs for the hills.
  
  Same with the school lunch thing .
  
  It’s all designed to break the family down , increase the size of the state and ultimately turn the populace into serfs.
  
  Meanwhile the politbureau members and their apparatchiks live it up. Bigly.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:39am
  - imalwaysright
    
    The most egregious example of government destroying the family was when adern declared that 12 year old children could take an experimental drug without parental consent.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:43am
    - JackRabbit
      
      All while ensuring her own family got saline shots.
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:43pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  And what’s with the hot lunch shitk anyway? I still have a home made sandwich & an apple or similar every day. It was good enough then and it’s good enough now.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:39am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    This school lunch thing is a complete clown show.
    
    It started with Jacinda feeding poor children whose parents could not or would not feed them. Then it spread and turned into a mess. Both literally and figuratively.
    
    I suspect that New Zealand does not have the culture or systems to feed that many children every day. It is either very expensive or produces terrible food or both.
    
    Many countries have school lunches that work for all children. Taiwanese children get a multi course lunch daily. Same with French children. However they have been doing it for decades. It is culturally important.
    
    David Seymour I am sure did his best to bring some order to things but it will be an ongoing issue.
    
    BTW most children from Chinese families are not going to eat what New Zealanders regard as “sandwiches”.
    
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    February 2, 2025 9:44am
    - NK
      
      The whole notion that the State knows what every child can eat for lunch is not only ludicrous, it is actually dangerous. Especially in a multi-cultural country like New Zealand. I can see why it works in Taiwan and France that have very little cultural diversity. But the very notion that politicians can feed more than 220 different ethnicities in this country, AND know all of their dietary requirements borders on batshit insane.
      
      I have been saying this since day one. Yet still David Seymour defend yesterday’s macaroni cheese and tomorrow’s chicken stir fry etc.
      
      It’s not this government’s fault. It’s actually any government’s fault.
      
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      February 2, 2025 10:04am
      - imalwaysright
        
        “…more than 220 different ethnicities in this country, AND know all of their dietary requirements..”
        
        I think you mean dietary preferences.
        If they aren’t hungry enough to eat a cheese sandwich then they arent hungry.
        Too many fussy fat kids around.
        
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        February 2, 2025 10:57am
      - lifesgood
        
        Grandchildren in England get school lunches BUT their parents pay for it. I think this whole school lunch thing is an absolute rort. These kids did not starve to death over 7 weeks school holidays, did they? It’s like the emergency housing thing in Rotorua. Offer something for free and they all come, whether they need it or not. Nanny state needs to expect more from people. A budget loaf of bread is a dollar, that and a jar of marmite and the kids can make their own bloody lunch.
        
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        February 2, 2025 11:51am
      - Taieri
        
        I can see why it works in Taiwan and France that have very little cultural diversity.
        —————
        
        France is actually very culturally diverse with about 13% of its population having been born in countries other than France.
        
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        February 2, 2025 12:09pm
    - AitchW
      
      Well said BY. I suspect that most Chinese parents send their kids to school with lunch anyway.
      
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      February 2, 2025 11:02am
    - Dougal10
      
      I see the school lunch thing is just the first step in the government moving from funding beneficiaries to total state care for them. Maybe Willy is trying to include Maori into this total state care system as well through his hidden report.
      
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      February 2, 2025 11:26am
    - NoFax
      
      Children from China probably won’t like sandwiches at first but then again perhaps they should adopt NZ culture. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable request for aliens that want to live in our country. If they really want to eat quality Chinese food may I suggest they go to China for that.
      
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      February 2, 2025 11:56am
      - NK
        
        You win the prize for the braindead comment of the day.
        
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        February 2, 2025 1:25pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        What? I think the vast majority of New Zealanders would acknowledge that Chinese folk bringing their cuisine here was a good thing for New Zealand.
        
        My point is that parents should pack school lunches that their children like. If it is a cheese and lettuce sandwich fine. If it a steamed pork bun fine.
        
        What is a problem is the few parents who will not feed their children.
        
        New Zealand now has a half arsed school lunch system that is expensive and nobody seems happy with.
        
        David Seymour should have abolished the school lunch programme but ensured that schools had food on hand to feed kids with no lunch. Then tracked down the parents to find out what was going on and fix things.
        
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        February 2, 2025 6:39pm
    - JackRabbit
      
      It started with Jacinda feeding poor children whose parents could not or would not feed them.
      
      It is has never been a case of “could not” feed their children, unless cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and reckless spending are higher up on the priority list than keeping their children.
      
      Responsible parents will ensure that their children get fed.
      
      Rewarding laziness and bad behaviour never works.
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:47pm
    - Pineapple Lumps
      
      BTW most children from Chinese families are not going to eat what New Zealanders regard as “sandwiches”.
      
      Not true!!!
      
      My children attend schools with high numbers of Asian students- Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean etc
      
      I have attended many camps and school community events where the children enjoy sandwiches, filled rolls, sushi, noodles, dumplings, curries etc. The children are happy to try foods from different cultures. A lot more malleable than adults perhaps.
      
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      February 2, 2025 2:08pm
      - Wayne1749
        
        Actually Chinese will eat sandwiches, I find that most like Western food. Indians tend to prefer Indian food, perhaps for religious reasons.
        
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        February 2, 2025 5:59pm
  - coge
    
    Why bother even having a kitchen? Just wait for Nanny to deliver your entitlement.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:11am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Kids on the news were happily eating spaghetti and meatballs on tv news the first night, none of them whinged, compass is the same compensation does the food in Dunedin Hospital, I thought the good was great, 3 years ago I threw one lit out, but the food which was fish in a sauce, there was chicken casserole, and on Sunday night we had a decent sized roast pork that matched the small roast at any hotel you would go to, I was extremely surprised how good quality of the food was.
  
  After years of attempted boycott and hatred from lefties and rotten lies from unions, you now never ever hear a word about the good. Rotten unions eeee involved because some of the kitchen staff in the hospital were obviously sacked, if I remember rightly they were able to cut at least 100 jobs at the hospital. This issue will be exactly the same
  
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  February 2, 2025 12:02pm
Tom Hunter

The punchline is at the end.

That’s from essayist Jim Treacher, coined over a decade ago and the screenshot of the original Tweet has become a classic on the RW side of commentary.

But I also like this 2013 one from the great humorist, David Burge, who has blogged, using the handle, Iowahawk, for two decades now:

Journalism is about covering important stories. With a pillow, until they stop moving

He also has another one that’s become a classic and also applies here:

1. Identify a respected institution.
2. Kill it.
3. Gut it.
4. Wear its carcass as a skin suit, while demanding respect
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February 2, 2025 8:34am
NeverMindTheBollocks

Now that the Covid scam is waning and Trump has gutted DEI, another mass psychosis catalyst is required.

Cometh the hour, cometh the asteroid. Cue Leftie panic over possible effects on climate change. I really am looking forward to the next five years.

Waiter! More popcorn please!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/31/newly-discovered-christmas-asteroid-collide-with-earth/
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February 2, 2025 8:44am
- Benedict Yu
  
  How is COVID a scam? It killed more than 1.2 million people in the USA. Many of these deaths were avoidable because the victims refused vaccinations or were not up to date with their boosters.
  
  Then the millions more living with the ongoing effects of COVID, such as myocarditis.
  
  Some scam.
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:51am
  - NK
    
    It’s a scam from the point of view that the virus was manmade in a lab in Wuhan with research partly funded by Fauci and the CDC (i.e. the American government), which then used its power on the WHO to try and blame China completely for the lab leak. It’s very, very geopolitical. Most have been scammed as to the cause of Covid and the virus. That they had a vaccine ready in a matter of weeks allegedly passing EUA is all part of the “join-the-dots”. if you trust big pharma and government institutions you won’t accept this “theory” and won’t believe the scam. If you think big pharma and government institutions are liars and are, and were, the cause of the problem, then maybe you have not been scammed.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:10am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    1.2m, Benedict?
    
    Break the number down. What was the definition of “died from Covid”, as opposed to “died with Covid”?
    
    How many of these Americans were already at death’s door? How many were obese? And so on.
    
    Put another way, how many of these Americans would otherwise have died during the Covid period, but of something else, if Covid had not existed?
    
    I have no idea if such an estimate exists – and even if it does, I would want a lot of detail around the assumptions.
    
    And to add, I’m not anti vax. I had all the usual childhood vaxs, plus those required for tropical countries during my OE. The Covid vaxes, for all the well known reasons, not so much.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:15am
    - Keith White
      
      “One cannot reason a man out of a position he did not reason himself into.” – Jonathon Swift, apparently.
      
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      February 2, 2025 11:26am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      If the official stats say 1.2 million died from COVID that is how many died from COVID.
      
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      February 2, 2025 6:42pm
  - NoFax
    
    It’s a scam because there hasn’t been excess deaths – no regular flu for years now! It’s a scam that trillions were spent without any thought and cost analysis. The lockdowns, the petty rules, and of course the podium of truth. All for your safety. It’s getting really tiresome BY your COVID jab mania. Only a few diehards, no pun intended, keep up the pretence. Even Pfizer knows the jab was a waste of time.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:01pm
    - NK
      
      And Moderna pulled it’s “safe and effective” *cough cough* vaccine out of the UK because it was literally killing people.
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:26pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      The “jab” saved millions of lives.
      
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      February 2, 2025 6:43pm
  - Taieri
    
    How is COVID a scam?
    ———–
    
    It’s becoming a bit of an obsession with you Benedict…
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:11pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      Not really. People dying needlessly never sits well with me.
      
      TBH I am far more concerned with falling childhood vaccination rates. While COVID does kill children, it is relatively rare. If adults want to risk their lives by not getting COVID vaccinations, it is a free choice. Parents not getting their children vaccinated for MMR, Whooping cough, rheumatic fever.. that is another thing entirely.
      
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      February 2, 2025 6:48pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        I certainly agree with you, Benedict, regarding the disastrous impact of the Covid episode on childhood vaccine uptake. It’s a trust thing, eh.
        
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        February 3, 2025 7:35am
  - Conservatarian
    
    “Covid 19 deaths” in Minnesota include one Saint George Floyd. Leftists believe he died of “racism” because a white police officer’s knee was on and around his neck for a few minutes.
    
    Anyone who followed the trial knows that Floyd was a drug addict who at the time of his arrest was chewing a speedball and had his drug dealer in the car with him. He had suffered a similar drug overdose just weeks earlier and also had a heart condition which restricted 75% of the blood flow to his heart.
    
    But any state or local health agency received federal funds by ticking the magic “Died with Covid” box on a form.
    
    Makes the Gaza Health Ministry casualty data look accurate in comparison.
    
    I hope Trump and RFKJ call for a full audit of all deaths attributed to Covid so that we get a full reckoning of the extent of the scam.
    
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    February 2, 2025 2:14pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      The CDC said that at least 95% of “covid deaths” weren’t.
      
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      February 2, 2025 4:28pm
  - David Garrett
    
    Bene: Leave it man! You are coming across as a single issue fanatic – and you are much more than that.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:30pm
Cassandra

The school lunch programme under fire. McCauley High in Otahuhu, a Catholic integrated school, complained that it had to buy food for 200 pupils. The contractor had an oven problem. The contractor needs to sort himself out obviously, but a bigger question is why does a successful community school like McCauley need 200 lunches a day? I’m an Otahuhu boy, I know what Otahuhu is like. I don’t want to sound like DG taking the Mickey (Free lunches? We never had no lunch. Luxury!) but my experience of such places is that there are communities of people who could help the small number of families who are really struggling. McCauley doesn’t need free lunches. Offer free and you’ll get takers.
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February 2, 2025 8:48am
- greybeard
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360567293/our-students-deserve-better-school-principal-fumes-over-late-delivery-lunches
  By God ! That Deputy Principal looks as though he is taking full advantage of the “free” lunches !
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:00am
  - AitchW
    
    President of the local Labour Party branch and part owner of the pie shop one suspects….
    
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    February 2, 2025 9:19am
- Cassandra
  
  McAuley. Sorry.
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:01am
- peterwn
  
  Government should de-integrate all integrated schools and provide education vouchers to all parents. Return all GST paid on school fees as grants to the schools. Sell Auckland Grammar and Epsom Girls’ Grammar to the highest bidder to help pay for new schools. That would have lefties and the teaching unions screaming all the way to the heavens.
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:17am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Integrated schools are no different to state schools when it comes to operating costs. The Proprietor (mostly the Catholic church) owns the buildings & is responsible for maintenance and additions, while the State pays the teachers etc.
    
    The State should be grateful that the taxpayer has not had to invest how many ever millions in these school buildings – somewhere 15-20% of all schools in NZ. It’s a great bargain. Put another way, if the integrated schools decided to close up shop & sell their buildings & land for housing, the taxpayer would be on the hook for vast sums.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:21am
    - peterwn
      
      Which is exactly why integrated schools came about. The Catholic school system relied on monks and nuns to teach in their schools for nil pay and indeed they had to have side-hustles like giving music lessons (The most high profile of this was Dame Sister Mary Leo giving singing lessons to up and coming singers) to pay for their food etc. But then fewer people took the vows and the Catholic schools had to ask for Government support which raised the ire of the unions. So the compromise was the State would pay the teachers etc in exchange for the schools giving up much of their independence.
      My idea is the integrated schools should regain their independence and parents would be offered education vouchers to replace the previous state funding. A side effect is parents sending their children to Kings College, Dio etc would also be entitled to these vouchers and thus would pay lesser fees to these schools.
      
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      February 2, 2025 11:56am
      - NoFax
        
        Also, Catholics pay tax too. But I agree with peterwn, fund the individual student.
        
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        February 2, 2025 12:04pm
    - CJames
      
      Rachel from Accounts is now finding out the effects of Labour’s jihad against private schools in UK. Parents are pulling their kids out as they can’t afford the fees and the state schools are already overcrowded to absorb them. No money as it has all gone to the unions. She was warned this would happen but of course, she knew better. Another muppet who is way above their ability level. Look forward to a summer of discontent in UK. How low can support for two tier Keir go? He makes Liz and Rishi look like political geniuses.
      
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      February 2, 2025 12:48pm
- AitchW
  
  How many parents would rather send their kids to school with home made lunches than eat tax payer supplied food.
  How many kids would prefer home made lunches? Why do the kids need hot lunches?
  Of the 200 supplied how many are left over at the end of the day?
  How many are tossed out partly eaten?
  This whole thing is a text book example of an Ardern brain fart, poorly thought out, inadequately costed and badly implemented. Then the architect walks, no, runs away leaving the mess for the adults to deal with.
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:26am
  - Paulus
    
    Schhh !!! – the leftovers are the subject of which Teacher gets what !
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:54am
    - AitchW
      
      But according to the teachers unions the food is essentially inedible.
      
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      February 2, 2025 11:04am
    - G the giant from Dunedin
      
      Well Seymour said that leftover lunches would be picked up and not wasted by teachers to decide, if he has simply left that out now then that’s a bit of a failure
      
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      February 2, 2025 12:05pm
  - Keith White
    
    I wish I could get ABF added to the ICD-10 coding list. Most descriptive of much modern-age psych-pathology!
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:24am
- pdm
  
  Cass – a secondary school as I understand it.
  
  Kids are old enough to make their own lunches and for their younger siblings if any.
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:41am
  - Cassandra
    
    Absolutely, and a very good one too.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:55am
- NK
  
  And this becomes a major political problem for Act now, the very party who should have run a mile from it.
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:11am
  - lifesgood
    
    Seymour was an idiot. He should have cancelled school lunches all together and given schools a few boxes of weetbix for the kids who were genuinely hungry in the morning. Drive through Glen Innes in the morning, see the number of kids buying pies and fizzy drinks on the way to school. I see it regularly.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:56am
    - NK
      
      Weet Bix have no nutritional value whatsoever.
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:28pm
    - Jules99
      
      Often parents give the kids money for lunch and they spend it on the way in. Then they have nothing left for lunch. My mum was a school principal and she set up a system where parents paid the school directly for a lunch made up by a local bakery and delivered to the school (sandwiches, wraps etc). Parents were very happy with the result. Some schools have a done a great job in the past resolving these problems using initiative and problem-solving. Others are just politicising the children.
      
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      February 2, 2025 3:18pm
- PurplePen
  
  A school principal was being interviewed on Newstalk ZB. She/her was saying that they have had 3 different drivers delivering in the last week. She wanted the driver to be the same for many reasons that she went on to explain. Presume the driver can then never go on holiday.
  
  She went on to say one time the meals got delivered to the wrong school or the wrong place at her school. If I was the principal I’d have had a risk management session with all the stakeholders to identify what might go wrong. Seems to me she just sat on her laurels, drew her salary and just waited for anything to go wrong so she could blame someone.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:01am
  - NK
    
    Seems to me this is what happens when one believes the government can do a good job of things (anything for that matter). Invariably, if cocks it up and makes it inefficient and disastrous.
    
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    February 2, 2025 1:29pm
- imalwaysright
  
  I’ve yet to see the stats on youngsters who have dropped dead because they missed lunch.
  They must be horrific judging by the efforts of the spenders of public money.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:07am
kowtow

Who knew the French Interior minister had so much in common with the NZF Peters /Jones outlook.

“Retailleau warned that France’s struggle with drug-related violence is at a ‘tipping point’, and that the nation facing a choice between ‘full mobilisation or the ‘Mexicanisation’ of the country,”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14032859/france-poitiers-gang-violence-tipping-point.html
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February 2, 2025 8:56am
Yvette

He Puapua
So now there is a report somewhere, supposedly being the “Maori” response to He Puapua being the response to the supposed need to respond to UNDRIP, but instead of reflecting general Maori thought it seems to be written by Willie Jackson as lead stakeholder and the National Iwi Chairs Forum’s Pou Tikanga and the Human Rights Commission, but stopped by the National Party’s coalition agreement with New Zealand First, it remains undivulged, whereas it is probably pertinent in revealing the extent to which Willie Jackson et al would change or abuse the Treaty of Waitangi, while accusing David Seymour and ACT of doing the same.

In Parliament, David Seymour should ask Winston Peters if he has actually seen the document Winston and Christopher Luxon have agreed to stop work on.

And when is the current Government to divorce itself from UNDRIP – finally reluctantly supported by the Key Government with the constraint that engagement with the Declaration was to be within the legal boundaries of the Treaty of Waitangi?

________________

references: comment and links
In 2019, the New Zealand government commissioned the He Puapua report to explore implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The report, completed in December 2019, remained unpublished until it was leaked in 2021, sparking significant debate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Puapua?utm_source=chatgpt.com

In July 2021, Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson announced plans to consult with Māori stakeholders to develop a national plan for UNDRIP implementation. This involved engaging with the National Iwi Chairs Forum and legal experts. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/445959/next-steps-to-meeting-un-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples-revealed?utm_source=chatgpt.com

By April 2022, the government had conducted nearly 70 workshops with diverse Māori groups, gathering feedback to inform the draft Declaration Plan. Jackson emphasized that He Puapua was a discussion starter, not official policy. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/465708/government-begins-drafting-indigenous-rights-plan?utm_source=chatgpt.com

The drafting of the Declaration Plan commenced in partnership with the National Iwi Chairs Forum’s Pou Tikanga and the Human Rights Commission. The draft plan was scheduled for public consultation later in 2022. https://insidegovernment.co.nz/minister-declares-milestone-for-declaration-plan/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

However, following the 2023 election, the National Party’s coalition agreement with New Zealand First included a commitment to halt all work on He Puapua. If work was halted, supposedly there was an item being worked on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Puapua?utm_source=chatgpt.com

As of February 2025, there have been no public updates on the progress of the Declaration Plan or any new initiatives related to UNDRIP implementation. Where is the deceased Declaration Plan? By how much were Maori élite going to bend the Treaty?
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February 2, 2025 8:58am
- Mark Hanley
  
  If you read undrip you will soon realize we already comply. The real issue is UNDRIP being used again by The Labour hierarchy to enrich the Maori monarchy.
  
  Luxon and Seymour are clever enough to know holes they leave will be used by the next Labour government to undermine the excellent progress they are making They also know there are more immediate priorities like undoing Labour’s damage, improving NZers lives, and winning the next election.
  
  My suspicion is the TOW principles debate has been promoted for a reason, and that reason is to put the rort to bed within the next 9 years.
  
  Charter schools is a similar situation. Luxon and Seymour wisely chose to use their 9 years to slowly but surely sideline the ministry of education. Much more effective than creating a storm by replacing staff at the MOE immediately.
  
  PS. I watched Erica Stanford front the scrutiny week committee. Did anyoe else notice the MOE lady with Stanford couldn’t answer one operational question directed at her and often times the staff members she redirected to couldn’t answer either?
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:58am
  - Pope Punctilious II
    
    “My suspicion is the TOW principles debate has been promoted for a reason, and that reason is to put the rort to bed within the next 9 years.”
    
    What evidence is your suspicion based on? And how do you think they intend to “put the rort to bed”?
    
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    February 2, 2025 5:39pm
- Yvette
  
  Just a little further –
  I wrote: Where is the deceased Declaration Plan? – while the Coalition Agreement, New Zealand National Party & New Zealand First only says they Confirm that the Coalition Government does not recognise the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as having any binding legal effect on New Zealand. page 10 https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nzfirst/pages/4462/attachments/original/1700784896/National___NZF_Coalition_Agreement_signed_-_24_Nov_2023.pdf
  
  That only would presumably mean the present Coalition is not bound to respond with anything, but once Willie is in power again (if not stopped by the possible 9+ quake from the Hikurangi Trench) he can revive the currently dead planned response where he left off editing it, with necrowharious parties, to resurrect Whrankenstein, woven together in kotahitanga from body-parts of the Treaty.
  
  No, I did not get out of bed the wrong side (against the wall) this morning
  It’s just I wrote this the wrong side of the medication
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:00am
- peterwn
  
  David Seymour as a Minister cannot ask Questions at Question Time. But he can always arrange for one of his MP’s to ask the question. In the interests of Coalition comity the question would need to be carefully and diplomatically phrased.
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:01am
  - Yvette
    
    Peterwn, I believe David Seymour may make a rhetorical remark, in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information, to include Winston, in any general or wide-ranging debate in Parliament, not Question Time. Then the media may ask the questions of Seymour.
    Then Whrankenstein! …
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:21am
  - G the giant from Dunedin
    
    That’s not true, he was asking questions the other day and he often does, ministers such as Willis, Peters, Bishop and Brown often ask questions, they have every right to back up with a supplementary, what I think you are saying they don’t ask questions to ministers, but they are quite welcome to ask supplementary questions which are often the hard heading flick at the dead beat opposition
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:09pm
  - Ghost
    
    Anyone can ask questions at questions time, just not to themself.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:14pm
    - peterwn
      
      I stand corrected then. IMO in the interests of Cabinet comity, I do not think that Cabinet Ministers should be asking questions.
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:55pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Now We Know The Real Reason Maori Oppose Seymour’s Bill (Part 2)
NZ is now an apartheid State.
Inequality is being abused. Equality is now seen as discrimination.
Video 34 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qfRiJogDEQ
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February 2, 2025 9:42am
Jinky

I’m guessing that the inquiry into Manurewa marae and Waipareira doesn’t come out until after Waitangi performances on February 6th. Distract and deflect!
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February 2, 2025 10:04am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  They have pitted to getting the wording right as they have hired big hitters to argue anything announced, I would rather this be done correctly rather than put court cases at risk.
  
  Notice Peters has stared clear of this this week, I think Collin’s may have told ministers to be careful so they do not damage the process.
  
  Who cares if it comes out after Waitangi, it will simply make their hypocrisy look worse
  
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  February 2, 2025 12:12pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Akshilly, I do hope it comes out after the Waitangi circus has died down.
  
  The media will try and provide lots of cover for Maori Trusts and the Maori Party and Waitangi is the perfect distraction this coming week.
  
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  February 2, 2025 12:24pm
  - AitchW
    
    I suspect that for those under investigation this week is the worst possible time for the report to be released. Middle New Zealand is heartily sick of the activist rabble at Waitangi hijacking the day for likes on Facebook.
    A report deeply critical of Tamahere inc will not be well received. Even the chattering classes may well not be kindly disposed. Bring it on!
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:33pm
Steve Otto N Shore

‘Great concern’: Musk aides reportedly lock career civil servants out of computer systems.
This is how you get shit done. Bring in sofa beds for employees to use until the job is finished.
“Musk demands that his team work overnight and 80-hour weeks to find all of the necessary cuts, violating federal labor laws unless a worker is paid overtime. However, it’s unclear whether Musk or American taxpayers are paying those workers.”
These people are working because they want to. They are not union hacks.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/great-concern-musk-aides-reportedly-lock-career-civil-servants-out-of-computer-systems/ar-AA1ycOyQ?
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February 2, 2025 10:10am
- imalwaysright
  
  Meanwhile in Godzone the government takes six weeks off…
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:14am
- sungsamning
  
  Whatever it takes to defang the Deep State and its components.
  
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  February 2, 2025 12:15pm
Benedict Yu

A short clip showing the obscenity of JFK telling his confirmation hearing that he supports vaccines.

https://youtube.com/shorts/erwwWFPU85o?si=iNxfjVD3tV22ifg6

The guy has devoted the last 20 years to undermining vaccines. He is currently financially benefitting from a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the HPV vaccine.

Sadly, he is likely to be confirmed. Hopefully he will cause such chaos that he will be forced from office.
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February 2, 2025 10:19am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  JFK? I wouldn’t have picked you as a Dallas conspiracy believer, Ben!
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:24am
  - JackRabbit
    
    [Mod – debate the topics without making it personal. You’ve had enough posts deleted and warnings. Your account will be unlocked in a week]
    
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    February 2, 2025 2:21pm
    - David Garrett
      
      [An uptick for the exasperated Mod.]
      
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      February 2, 2025 10:32pm
- Ghost
  
  Wow, the dead have risen
  
  Welcome back jfk
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:42am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    So the assassination of JFK WAS a conspiracy theory then?
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:16pm
    - imalwaysright
      
      Maybe he got the jab! You can’t get sick and you can’t die, remember!!!
      
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      February 2, 2025 12:20pm
    - Ghost
      
      Obviously, he was hiding out with Elvis.
      
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      February 2, 2025 12:39pm
      - Keith White
        
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        February 2, 2025 5:05pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Blackhawk helicopter tracking system not turned on.
This means the DEI stuff about about Trump is just yet another bullshit leftist attack on him.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/aviation-expert-black-hawk-s-vital-tracking-system-not-turned-on/vi-AA1y6Wml?
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February 2, 2025 10:29am
- Ghost
  
  What dei stuff, you means the rules that came in under trump, if so how is that bullshit, it’s on their website when trump was president.
  
  https://web.archive.org/web/20201208125057/https:/www.faa.gov/jobs/diversity_inclusion/
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:40am
  - 70andstilllearning
    
    from the link (towards bottom)
    “Page last modified: July 18, 2014 4:23:02 PM EDT”
    Seems to be well before Trumps time. Looks more like it came in under Obama’s time.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:54am
    - Ghost
      
      Obama, trump and Biden are responsible for this. In April 2019 the FAA announced the program to hire people with disabilities.
      
      https://generalaviationnews.com/2019/04/15/faa-launches-program-to-help-prepare-people-with-disabilities-for-atc-careers/
      
      https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/press-release/21076179/federal-aviation-administration-faa-faa-provides-aviation-careers-to-people-with-disabilities
      
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      February 2, 2025 11:04am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Obama started it in 2010
    https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-increasing-federal-employment-individuals-with-disabilities
    Trump kept most of it but changed some things and Biden didnt undo Trumps changes-‘Trump in 2018 eliminated an Obama-era assessment used in hiring air traffic controllers that scored applicants based on their work and education history and personality traits. Biden did not revive it.’
    This on the FAA website from 2013
    https://web.archive.org/web/20130226035813/https://www.faa.gov/jobs/diversity_inclusion/
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:57am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    Trump was getting a lot of shit from the left and the media about being responsible for good air traffic control staff being dismissed in favour of DEI hires.
    As I said, bullshit leftist attacks. Google can help you.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:19am
- nathie
  
  Here are some thoughts from former military helicopter pilots that are familiar with the route.
  
  It is a very complex airspace to navigate (especially at night, with “infinite” light source distractions, that passenger aircraft lights are easier to spot head-on which in this incident they weren’t i.e. were side-on, if the helo pilots were wearing NVG then they have a very narrow field of view and distance is difficult to discern etc etc).
  
  Suspect that there will be a number of contributing factors that led up to the crash, which the NTSB report will establish.
  
  https://www.twz.com/air/ex-military-helicopter-pilots-explain-the-challenges-of-flying-over-the-capital
  
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  February 2, 2025 10:47am
  - Keith White
    
    As always, the plural of anecdote is not data.
    
    But on the other hand, I have been flying as a doctor on board helicopters and aircraft both in New Zealand, and the Pacific, and internationally, for 45 years.
    
    And what I have seen – whether you believe it or not I don’t really give a damn – when we are really invested in trying to help the patient, we take risks which we should not have.
    I have lost colleagues, both pilots and doctor and nurse colleagues, because of that.
    
    The risks we took were usually not apparent, because everybody who was facilitating our transport of the patient – especially but only paediatric and obstetric patients which always got us really ‘going’ – were trying to help us move that patient to better care.
    
    So anybody and everybody who for political reasons wants to disrespects the people who died in trying to achieve the best outcome for the patient: FYFF.
    
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    February 2, 2025 5:11pm
- CrazyIvan
  
  He was the one who stood up in a live press conference and blamed DEI at the FAA for the crash, saying it was ‘common sense’ that that was the cause of the crash.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:21am
  - Keith White
    
    DEI when it involves hiring and staffing with people who can’t crack the merit threshold on their own merits: is lethal. FAFO.
    
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    February 2, 2025 5:12pm
keepcalmcarryon

Trump air crash DEI comment, some background:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/30/faa-diversity-hiring-practices-scrutiny-long-air-d/

“The assessment disqualified more experienced, qualified applicants, many of whom were Air Traffic Collegiate Training graduates or had other critical experience, such as a pilot’s license.”
“ More than 3,000 rejected applicants filed a lawsuit claiming discrimination. The FAA dropped the biographical assessment in 2018 after Congress enacted a law banning its use.
As late as last year, the FAA was recruiting those with targeted disabilities, including “hearing, vision, missing extremities, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, severe intellectual disability, psychiatric disability and dwarfism.” The recruitment began during the Obama administration and appears to have continued through Mr. Trump’s first term and into Mr. Biden’s presidency.”

Trump may overstate, as he does but the FAA certainly had problematic hiring policy in a time of staff shortage.
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February 2, 2025 10:40am
- Keith White
  
  When you hire people who can’t be trained to the appropriate threshold to do the job properly because they can’t be escalated to that threshold unless we give them points for skin colour and so forth; then you are basically saying, whoever dies, we don’t care, we are signalling our virtue because ethnicity. FFS.
  
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  February 2, 2025 5:13pm
- rouppe
  
  That’s worse than I thought.
  
  I read somewhere that Obama kicked out a whole lot of people who qualified for training because otherwise the class would be “too white”.
  
  But hiring people with hearing, vision, intellectual or psychiatric disability is downright criminal.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:20pm
Steve Otto N Shore

Is Trump moving too fast? The whirlwind shows no signs of slowing down.

https://conservativeadvocacy.com/trumps-day-one-revival-bet-david-predicts-an-unstoppable-comeback/
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February 2, 2025 10:48am
- AitchW
  
  Perhaps he wants to carry out as many of his election promises and implement as many of his new policies as possible to allow them maximum time to bed in and make it harder for the next destructive Democrat president simply to reverse everything.
  We seem to be entering a period in Western democracies where the incoming government dismantles as many of its predecessors policies as possible with little or no regard for the consequences, all for purely ideological reasons.
  Politics has become more tribal, more binary than ever. It’s not a good thing.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:22am
  - Steve Otto N Shore
    
    I honestly think that after Biden and Harris it will be quite some time before another Democrat POTUS. America have seen their Country destroyed and they will remember. Also, cheating has taken the back seat.
    
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    February 2, 2025 1:51pm
  - rouppe
    
    Probably before the mid term elections, to avoid the risk of losing one of the House or the Senate
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:22pm
- sungsamning
  
  No, he’s doing just fine. Don’t give the deep state time to breathe. Keep deleting rules, agencies, and useless ’employees’ at full speed until its done. Leading Dems need to be neutered, or discredited. As in Epstein files. The new press secretary is taking questions from non MSM sources first. Other non MSM sources are to be added. The briefings should go to the room JFK had his ‘laugh a minute press conferences’ in It holds 300 people. The house may go blue in the mid-terms. The president’s party usually loses some seats then. So, time is of the essence. Shred the rabbit, dry the bones, and turn them into fertilizer!
  
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  February 2, 2025 12:21pm
- Keith White
  
  He is moving fast, but he is not moving fast enough to overcome the racialist DEI policies of the Biden-past.
  
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  February 2, 2025 5:14pm
Damocles11

It is now clear that the mass corporate embrace of DEI and wokeism has made New Zealand a much weaker country that it had been in the past. New Zealand has become a dreadfully left wing country with a rabid left wing mainstream media.
What we seeing now is a desperate defence of what has become the status quo, with a PM who is committed to defending New Zealands idiotic stance on climate change, and is committed to embedding maorification. It is always the response of establishment to defend the status quo out of fear, and that’s what we are facing. Luxon is not the solution, he is the problem, a gatekeeper of the new status quo. And so our weak and divided New Zealand circles the drain. The status quo means massive borrowing to make ends meet, so New Zealand continues to massively borrow to make ends meet. The status quo means co-governance of the country by the government and Iwi groups, so co-governance will continue. The status quo means New Zealand is committed to achieving ridiculous emissions goals costing tens of billions of dollars while other larger nations increase their emissions, but we continue on this suicidal path because its the status quo. The status quo is basing our whole economy on lower and lower interest rates to pump the property market, so we’ll continue that too.
New Zealands decline accelerated dramatically under Labour, and continues under National albeit at a slower pace. There is no desire for change amongst the establishment and vested interests, who are represented by Luxon and Willis. I fear greatly for our country. In the past the vision of New Zealand becoming ‘the Venezuela of the South Pacific’ was hyperbole and exaggeration, but now I see it as something that is more probable than merely possible. I think people will be looking to shift money overseas, and making plans for escape if the worst does come to pass. I think by 2028 we may be looking at the scenario of New Zealand becoming a total economic basket case, with the State looking to address the disaster through large tax increases on ‘the wealthy’ which will only see more people and capital fleeing the country. A death spiral in other words. The establishment seem to be banking on a miracle to save us, there is definitely no plan except the old one involving the property market, but the underlying economy is now far too weak to prop up what was only ever a veneer of wealth built on borrowed money.
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February 2, 2025 10:54am
- Keith White
  
  I think New Zealand is doomed, because we’re going to go down the iwi-toilet; but both my wife and I have decided we are going to stay where were born and where we will die. That doesn’t mean we don’t know what’s going on; it means we understand that that is the price we pay for dying in our home country. Regardless of the apartheid initiatives. I’m sure they will come to grief, but later rather than sooner, but, that’s on them.
  
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  February 2, 2025 5:15pm
Paulus

Wish Trump was here, even at half speed !
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February 2, 2025 10:57am
- G the giant from Dunedin
  
  Trump we like not be able to simply change laws with a stroke of a pen as he can in the US, federal does not change state law
  
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  February 2, 2025 12:14pm
  - Allan
    
    It can be done.
    
    A lot of changes can be made by directing the government organisations to change.
    
    The government they can introduce legislation and get is passed urgently, if it wants to.
    
    They won’t because they don’t want to.
    
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    February 2, 2025 3:31pm
  - Benedict Yu
    
    The President of the United States cannot change legislation. That would be Congress.
    
    You seem intent on defending the performance of the current government regardless of ever mounting evidence of its inadequacies.
    
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    February 2, 2025 3:44pm
    - Keith White
      
      You seem intent, BY, on ignoring reality because it doesn’t suit your sunken cost fallacies.
      
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      February 2, 2025 5:16pm
- mandk
  
  Either him or Javier Milei
  
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  February 2, 2025 2:06pm
David Garrett

In a truly bizarre op-ed on Stuff this morning Damien Grant tells us we should revere and admire Golriz G rather than despise and ridicule her.
With a couple of very mild references to her “causes de jour” and her views on Gaza, Grant completely buys “the narrative” – fleeing Iran rather going on holiday to Fiji, and from there to here.

“Working in a war crimes tribunal” without mentioning that her role there was defending war criminals. And she wrote a book, apparently.

The whole hagiographic piece reads as if he was on the sauce when he wrote it. He appears utterly besotted with the wretched woman.
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February 2, 2025 11:05am
- Ghost
  
  Don’t want to read it, but does it sound like a start to clear her in the public eye so she can stand for the greens again?
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:09am
  - David Garrett
    
    Ghost: Frankly it reads as if Grant wants to date her. At the very least.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:48am
    - In Vino Veritas
      
      Well, it wouldn’t last long. She’d nick his laptop in the first week.
      
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      February 2, 2025 5:02pm
    - Keith White
      
      What a horrible psychological construct to have to entertain. Can’t we just ignore the Golriz-Green-construct as being entirely inappropriate for civilised discourse?
      
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      February 2, 2025 5:17pm
- Benedict Yu
  
  She went on holiday to Malaysia, not Fiji.
  
  I have no issues with Iranians who are genuinely in fear of their lives seeking asylum via fake vacations. However everything that I have read poses doubts on whether they were genuine refugees rather than economic migrants.
  
  I paid attention to her stories of listening to the bombs falling during the Iran Iraq war. Only problem is that she spent her childhood in western Iran. No bombs there.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:26am
  - David Garrett
    
    Bene: There are all sorts of “problems” with her story – starting literally with her childhood spent, as you say, 200 miles or more away from “bombs falling”, and progressing through her utterly disingenuous claims about what she did at the war crimes tribunal.
    The woman is a total fraud and a liar – as well as being a thief – and surely Grant must know that.
    
    Perhaps he wants to “get go know her better”? As I say, my pick is he was pissed or otherwise intoxicated when he wrote his piece.
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:38am
    - Benedict Yu
      
      She grew up in Mashhad. 1500 km away from the border with Iraq.
      Mashhad is near the border with Turkmenistan.
      
      If she was hearing bombs it was not where she lived.
      
      Also, I do not recall any specific accounts of her parents being threatened by the Iranian regime.
      
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      February 2, 2025 3:52pm
      - David Garrett
        
        Bene: That will be because they were in all likelihood economic rather than political refugees.
        
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        February 2, 2025 4:22pm
  - kowtow
    
    Malaysia ?
    
    Isn’t that where that other darling of the media, Ahmed Zaoui , stepped off from. Before flushing the passport in the plane or airport , on arrival…….
    
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    February 2, 2025 1:28pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      Yes
      
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      February 2, 2025 3:53pm
  - Apteryx
    
    I agree with you, Benedict, but there are a couple of factual errors in your comment.
    
    My understanding is the family, having ‘fled’ from Iran, travelled to Malaysia. That country not being good enough for them, apparently, they booked a holiday in Fiji. Their itinerary required transiting through Auckland, and no transit visa was required. (That may not be the case now.)
    
    Once in transit at Auckland they destroyed their travel documents and claimed asylum, suggesting they never had any intention of going to Fiji.
    
    They did live a long way from the war in Iran, but in the east, Mashhad from memory. Iraq is to the west and that’s where the war was.
    
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    February 2, 2025 2:17pm
    - Benedict Yu
      
      Yes thanks. I do recall now re Fiji and the Auckland transit.
      
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      February 2, 2025 4:10pm
- keepcalmcarryon
  
  Grant is a patchy libertarian whose views are often distorted by emotion.
  This case reads to me like his shared status as an ex con is what is behind his sympathy for convicted thief Golriz.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:45am
- Yvette
  
  David Garret – “fleeing Iran”
  To “flee” is to run away. often from danger or evil
  What Golriz’ family fled from was only a possibility of hazard created by the mother’s study circumstances, but a danger realised in their minds, which they bought with them, and the only situation imposed by officials was apparently New Zealand Immigration officers who asked what fruit they might have with them, as divulged by Golriz herself (ipsis suis verbis)
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:47am
- Damocles11
  
  It’s obviously deeply personal for Damien Grant. He describes himself as an ‘ex con’ and indeed he is a convicted criminal who has done time in prison. And as far as many will be concerned, that makes him irredeemable. Grant has obviously had to suffer slings & arrows as he has rebuilt his life, and this is where his empathy for GG comes from. ‘Walk a mile in their shoes’ and all that. He craves redemption without ongoing judgement, and he sees a kindred spirit.
  
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  February 2, 2025 12:03pm
  - David Garrett
    
    Damocles: Well yes…but being a convicted con doesn’t automatically make him “a kindred spirit.”
    
    Like GG, I had to resign from parliament due to some criminality on my part – albeit in my case 25 years before I became an MP, rather than after being elected.
    
    In no way does that make ME a “kindred spirit” with GG.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:39pm
    - Damocles11
      
      What you did could best be described as a prank or the testing of boundaries. Grant went to prison. Whether she is or isn’t his ‘kindred spirit’ is totally moot, I was endeavouring to look at things from Grants perspective and find a charitable explanation for why he wrote what he did.
      
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      February 2, 2025 2:33pm
  - zulumonster
    
    I wonder when we will get his empathetic piece on DG then? It’s more likely that he just doesn’t fancy him ….
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:40pm
    - David Garrett
      
      Zulu: Well I hope like hell he doesn’t fancy me!
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:10pm
  - imalwaysright
    
    One thing they have in common is getting caught.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:55pm
    - David Garrett
      
      Imalways: Quite so…but again getting caught doesn’t make me any kind of kindred spirit with GG
      
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      February 2, 2025 1:11pm
- BananaLlama
  
  He appears utterly besotted with the wretched woman.
  
  It’s called simping for someone and i am sure Ms Gloriz has an army of left wing simps that she can call on.
  
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  February 2, 2025 1:43pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  GG & all of her fellow immigrants in Parliament really have some nerve. To come here & then pick holes in the place is like being invited into your home & out of the rain, and then criticise the carpet and the curtains.
  
  If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s an ingrate.
  
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  February 2, 2025 5:14pm
  - David Garrett
    
    Nevermind: Excellent analogy! My standard response when some expat criticises Tonga is “It’s their country mate…if you dont like how they run it just Fuck Off”
    
    Now to be fair, there are things here i find very frustrating, even maddening…but the cure for that is regular trips out, not criticizing how they run the show.
    
    GG and others who think NZ is just terrible have a ready solution: It’s called Auckland International Airport.
    
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    February 2, 2025 10:41pm
Keith White

Disclaimer: please do not read if info about the JODAD offend you.

Shot: Bill Gates, “First, we’ve got population. The world today has 6.8 billion people. That’s headed up to about nine billion. Now, if we do a really great job on new vaccines we could lower that by, perhaps, 10 or 15 percent.” (TED Talk Feb 2010).

Chaser: “In (the Czech Republic in) 2023, about 114 children were born per thousand unvaccinated women aged 18–39. Only about 42 children were born to vaccinated women per thousand vaccinated women aged 18–39”.

“In plain English, in 2023 in the Czech Republic (where they keep meticulous safety data), vaccinated women are 66% less likely to give birth compared to unvaccinated women (OR=.=341).”
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February 2, 2025 11:22am
- bennerg
  
  Now the openness of the media and governmental agencies for real world data is increasing, I expect very similar results to be made public in many other areas.
  
  Also the insurance industry that relies so heavily on data, freed from any threat of governmental punishment for releasing said data, will I’m sure provide us with much more.
  
  And then there’s the undertakers … and that will be mind blowing I’m sure.
  
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  February 2, 2025 6:17pm
- Jake Dee
  
  Be careful of correlation / causation on the relation between vaccination and fertility. It’s perfectly possible, even likely that one group is rural with less access to healthcare and a higher fertility rate.
  
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  February 2, 2025 8:14pm
Benedict Yu

Interesting to compare childhood vaccination rates in Australia and New Zealand post covid. Rates for 2 year olds have dipped from about 94 percent pre covid to 91 percent. Not too bad

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/coverage-by-lhd.aspx#nsw-age2

In New Zealand rates have crashed to 74 percent and they are lower for Maori.

It would be a useful research project determine the common and uniquie factors in both countries. In Australia there are financial penalties for not vaccinating your children.

Of course the downside with financial penalties on children is that children pay the price. Perhaps we should consider social exclusion of unvaccinated children. It could start with no entry to early childhood education and no entry to public spaces such as swimming pools, public transport and libraries.

Looking at France and Australia, sanctions seem to work. Education and persuasion is fine. However reasoning with anti vaxxers is generally futile.
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February 2, 2025 11:25am
- David Garrett
  
  Bene: AFAIK kids are already required to have the basic vaxxes to access ECE…requiring vaccine to got to school would be a significantly greater step.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:41am
- David Garrett
  
  reasoning with anti vaxxers is generally futile
  
  Quite so old boy…which is why I respectfully offer this advice to a commenter i greatly respect: Give it up on the vaccine stuff. As you say, none of the anti-vaxxers will change their minds, and you run the risk of appearing obsessed.
  
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  February 2, 2025 11:46am
  - lifesgood
    
    I agree, David, have been a long time fan of Benedict but he’s starting to sound obsessive.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:00pm
    - Keith White
      
      “Social exclusion of unvaccinated children.”
      
      Do you even listen to yourself??
      
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      February 2, 2025 2:44pm
  - Cassandra
    
    Endorsed, FWIW. The commenter you’re hinting at should agree to disagree and return to what he’s good at.
    
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    February 2, 2025 12:01pm
    - David Garrett
      
      Cass: Indeed…IMO Bene is one of the best commenters here – ironically including his erudite comments on poor English language usage when English is his second language.
      
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      February 2, 2025 12:10pm
  - Ghost
    
    At the end of the day neither side is going to budge
    
    Life is short, don’t waste it
    
    12 0
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    February 2, 2025 12:20pm
    - Keith White
      
      Life was even shorter for the people killed by the jab mandate.
      
      13 4
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      February 2, 2025 2:45pm
      - kevn
        
        Keith… and quality of life reduced for many more due to the jab mandate. Most seem to have escaped for now, they can come and talk in 10 years. Or less.
        
        8 3
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        February 2, 2025 3:16pm
      - Keith White
        
        Downtickers gotta downtick or they may have to question their vaxx-cult.
        
        2 2
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        February 2, 2025 5:00pm
      - David Garrett
        
        Is Keith White ur real name doctor? If so I presume ur retired?
        
        1 0
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        February 2, 2025 10:43pm
  - kiwimike
    
    He is already obsessed.
    Everyone can see it plain as day.
    thats one reason for the downticks
    
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    February 3, 2025 3:03am
- kowtow
  
  There’s a massive difference between the anti mandate folk and the anti scamdemic vaccination folk , which is a very respectable position and “anti vaxxers” of the pre covid era who’re genuinely anti science , like the mongs who don’t get their children vaccinated , in the old fashioned , traditional sense of real , tried and true vaccinations ……which the govt mandated covid ones most definitely weren’t.
  
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  February 2, 2025 1:36pm
- Pineapple Lumps
  
  Why the sudden decline in NZ vaccination rates? Distrust of pharma and government from lies told during Covid-19 times. NZ bill of rights trampled on, those who exercised their rights not to undergo medical experimentation and treatments were severely penalised.
  
  So what does Ben suggest to fix this?
  1. More trampling on the BOR
  2. More extreme forms of Medico tyranny, totalitarianism and facism
  
  Fix the problem with the original problem – that is insane!
  
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  February 2, 2025 2:35pm
  - kowtow
    
    Why ?
    I reckon it’s the same people who don’t do their census forms , don’t enrol children in school , don’t take ’em to the free dental clinics ,don’t warrant or register their cars or even bother with getting a license , don’t pay for their “shopping” at the supermarket etc
    
    Reason ;the state has been pandering to them for decades , the scamdemic and 6 years of Ardernism has simply ramped up the societal decline .
    
    Three of the parties in parliament are generally comfortable with this state of affairs.
    
    It’s real , it’s measurable .
    
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    February 2, 2025 3:43pm
- Keith White
  
  “Social exclusion of unvaccinated children.”
  
  Do you even listen to yourself??
  
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  February 2, 2025 2:44pm
  - Keith White
    
    “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be.” VADM James Stockdale, USN.
    
    So downtickers – I get that you will be you, but you know what – you will go down in the dustbin of history for your stupidity well after I am dead, and I am good with that outcome.
    
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    February 2, 2025 4:59pm
- wsk12345
  
  The bit I don’t get is when people migrate to NZ for whatever their reasons and then try to inflict their beliefs on us.
  
  The mexican and the rest of the greens and now the commentators on KB. I’d offer them all the same advice.
  
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  February 2, 2025 3:06pm
- kevn
  
  BY… Any chance you can offer us on KB, your considered opinion on the flouride added to domestic/drinking water. Please.
  
  5 1
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  February 2, 2025 3:18pm
- newview
  
  Ben Although I personally don’t have a problem with socially excluding children who aren’t vaccinated with vaccines other than covid, I believe the covid hysteria would make for a huge public backlash here. Social media is full of some good material and plenty of bad.
  These diseases are out there and killing children some who could have been saved if it weren’t for their anti vax parents. Those parents who don’t vax their kids who are half intelligent are hoping herd immunity will cover the kids. Either that or they don’t understand diseases at all. The trouble is if we all relied on everyone else to protect us with herd immunity there would be no herd immunity and way more deaths. Those parents not wanting to vax their kids because of their own fear is understandable but very unfortunate especially if their kid contracts a serious disease.
  
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  February 2, 2025 4:00pm
- imalwaysright
  
  “It could start with no entry to early childhood education and no entry to public spaces such as swimming pools, public transport and libraries.”
  
  What a nasty thing to propose.
  Absolutely shameful.
  
  6 1
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  February 2, 2025 4:02pm
- Keith White
  
  “Perhaps we should consider social exclusion of unvaccinated children. It could start with no entry to early childhood education and no entry to public spaces such as swimming pools, public transport and libraries.”
  
  Again – do you even hear yourself? FFS.
  
  8 1
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  February 2, 2025 5:01pm
- bennerg
  
  Benedict, I was thinking the exact opposite, exclusion of vaccinated children until such time as the forthcoming investigations to be instigated by the US HHS headed by Robert Kennedy, actually show that any and all vaccines are safe.
  
  The suppression of the benefits of Ivermectin and Hydrochloroquine which allowed the experimental “vaccine” (which turned out to be gene therapy) to be used under emergency, is now slowly being lifted, as the medical research bodies restore some integrity.
  
  This is not a case of educating people (read propaganda here), it is a case of restoration of true science, and following due process. It is a case of restoring truth and honesty to political processes, and the medical industry. Removing the cozy relationships between the Big Pharma companies and their certifying authorities.
  
  If you think things have been dramatic in the USA since Jan 20th with firings etc in the DOJ etc, just wait until RFK gets his hands on deck.
  
  The result I’m sure will send ripples around the world, and authorities even in little old NZ will have to address the reality.
  
  If you think anything else, then you’ve lost the plot.
  
  For the record, I am vaccinated (not a guinea pig for gene therapy though), as are my children, grand children, and great grand children. I am looking forward to seeing the results of rugged scientific review and analysis of all vaccines as promised, including those of the traditional form, and if there has been any form of skulduggery, seeing all those reponsible being brought before the courts and compensation paid. That could be absolutely huge!
  
  We live in amazing time of scientific breakthoughs, but if there has been malfeasance, breaking trust, leading to good medical procedures getting a bad rap, then there has to be consequences.
  
  But that trust has to be on the basis of good, open, and independent science, not good PR and propaganda.
  
  In medicine they have an edict – “first do no harm”. So get the s**t sorted, and then we can all go back to an easier, healthier life.
  
  8 1
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  February 2, 2025 6:32pm
Steve Otto N Shore

DOJ Shake-up McHenry Fires Over Dozen Linked To Failed Trump Prosecutions.
Trump said he was coming for them – hunting all down. This is the begining.

https://patriotpowerednetwork.com/doj-shake-up-mchenry-fires-over-dozen-linked-to-failed-trump-prosecutions/?
12 3
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February 2, 2025 11:31am
- sungsamning
  
  Good news. Please can we have some more?
  
  10 3
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  February 2, 2025 12:26pm
sungsamning

https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/02/01/trump-deputies-shut-private-migration-doorway-for-employers/
Trump Deputies Shut Private Migration Doorway for Employers.
President Donald Trump’s deputies have frozen an expanding federal bureaucracy used by elite-run groups to import migrant workers via a private door in the nation’s borders.

The shutdown comes just before the private migration groups were to be aided by a $5 billion migration fund created by Congress in 2024 for additional migration inflows in 2025.
8 2
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February 2, 2025 11:40am
sungsamning

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/01/30/trump-signs-sweeping-school-choice-order-empowering-parents/
Trump Signs Sweeping School Choice Executive Order Aimed at Empowering Parents.
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Wednesday backing school choice and empowering parents in education.

The order states that it is the policy of the Trump administration to “support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children,” and it directs the Department of Education to prioritize school choice programs through discretionary grants.
6 2
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February 2, 2025 11:40am
Steve Otto N Shore

‘We will find you, and we will kill you!’ Trump announces launch of overseas attack.

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/we-will-find-you-and-we-will-kill-you-trump-announces-launch-of-overseas-attack/ar-AA1yfkd2?
8 4
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February 2, 2025 1:24pm
Stu2

The US auto industry faces difficult choices.

The Trump tariffs mean the parts fabrication and assembly done in Canada and Mexico become expensive – but doing them in the US is expensive too. The very reason they are not currently done there.

But if you ramp up to make them totally in the US you could have a future administration cut the tariffs.

If the tariffs stick US cars are going to become more expensive to buy, and will probably need more tariff protection from imports. Which become more expensive too.

If the tariffs don’t stick, then processes brought back to the US leave you with a higher cost structure, and more expensive US produced cars.
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February 2, 2025 1:33pm
Chuck Bird

President Trump does not waste time getting rid of the garbage.

Trump Orders MASS Deportation Of Islamists

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jjmaxSKzaw
9 6
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February 2, 2025 1:49pm
- Inandout
  
  CB, the Starmer UK will gladly accept those deportees. Britain has become a hell hole for many people because of Sir Keir’s warm regards for Muslims.
  
  8 1
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  February 2, 2025 3:45pm
- Wayne1749
  
  should also deport radical zionists
  
  2 6
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  February 2, 2025 6:00pm
  - Chuck Bird
    
    What is a radical Zionist?
    
    2 1
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    February 2, 2025 7:54pm
Haast

How Net Zero is going in UK. https://www.mattridley.co.uk/blog/britains-net-zero-green-energy-madness-is-set-for-a-head-on-collision-with-reality/
8 0
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February 2, 2025 2:56pm
kevn

Another solar disaster… No talk of ‘recycling’ the 350,000 mirrors.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/02/01/ivanpah-solar-plant-the-flaming-failure-thats-finally-being-put-out-of-our-misery/
9 1
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February 2, 2025 3:14pm
- kowtow
  
  Yer ,what’s the cost of the “clean up ” going to be .
  
  BTW , the birds didn’t “ignite” , they were scorched and crashed to earth , same thing though , these ‘clean ‘ power stations are anything but .
  
  ps I don’t expect to read about this in any of my NZ ‘news” sources.
  
  4 0
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  February 2, 2025 3:37pm
- kevn
  
  UK based Harmony Energy making their solar blot/mark on prime NZ soil…
  https://dailytelegraph.co.nz/news/nzs-largest-solar-farm-to-be-built-near-te-aroha/
  
  4 1
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  February 2, 2025 5:26pm
- rouppe
  
  I can’t remember which one, but I’m sure I read somewhere that this type of installation required a gas fired “startup” to preheat the water to boiling which the sun would supposedly keep boiling.
  
  It took quite a bit of gas…
  
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  February 3, 2025 3:55am
kiwi_chileno

Chile’s Presidential and congressional elections are in November. The year has started with a scandal for the leftist government with origins in the 1973 coup and its contested history. The government wanted to buy Salvador Allende’s house for a museum. The house is part-owned by Allende’s daughter, Senator Allende, and a grand-daughter, the Defence Minister, both Socialists. The house is a charged symbol. For the left, including President Boric, Allende is a martyr (Boric vowed to make Chile the grave of neo-liberalism). The pinochetista right openly defend Pinochet’s legacy and the coup for saving Chile from civil war and communism: these are not extremist, fringe views.

Since the news broke on the 31st December, a prosecutor opened a corruption and tax fraud case; the Minister who approved the purchase resigned; and the government stopped the purchase. The lower house of the National Congress, which has a centre-right majority, voted to establish a commission of inquiry into the failed purchase.

The right want Senator Allende’s scalp (visit the iniquities of the father on the daughter…). They’ve raised a ‘constitutional accusation’ (impeachment motion) against her: the Constitution prohibits legislators and Ministers from contracting with the state and the penalty is expulsion and / or a ban from public office. The accusation would have failed in the Senate – the left have enough Senators to block the required 2/3’s majority. So the opposition filed the accusation with the Constitutional Court, which can also remove Senators (the same fate awaits the Defence Minister). The Court should rule in March on Allende’s future. Whatever the result, the affair should play well for the right.
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February 2, 2025 6:09pm
- Pope Punctilious II
  
  Thanks for the update. I lived in Chile during the 90s and noughties, and I intermittently follow Chilean politics, which seems more strongly polarized than in my day.
  
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  February 2, 2025 9:18pm
Keith White

My ex-profession went from exhorting me to do no harm and do the best I could for my patients who trusted me and my knowledge, to exhorting me to persuade my patients who trusted me to accept and welcome an untested, untried and poorly-researched jab in the Name of Ardern-Bloomfield-Medsafe-vouched ‘Science’.

Here’s a thought experiment for you [Mod – end it there]

I just got a pardon for whatever I have advocated for the last decade. Including, the mRNA injection which was never researched to any recognisable safety standard.

You have the option

Uptick me if you think “ex-Dr Keith, yep all good, you did the right thing, you vouched for and pushed and advocated and exhorted adults and children to get this jab, and whatever pardon you got granted, well, that’s nothing at all for us to concern ourselves about.”

Downtick me if you think “ex-Dr Keith, this has got to be bad. You must’ve done the wrong thing, you did something which you now need to be pardoned for, how bad is this for the adults and children that you prescribed mistreatment for ? Shame on you, you Mengele-type.”

Yeah let’s see what you really think out there.
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February 2, 2025 7:08pm
- Benedict Yu
  
  “…untested, untried and poorly-researched jab in the Name of Ardern-Bloom..”
  
  At that point you have lost. As with most anti vaxxers you descend into diatribe.
  
  The evidence is unquestionable. Those vaccinated from COVID have vastly lower death and hospitalisation rates from COVID. At the same time, their mortality rates from other causes are not elevated.
  
  That is it. That is the beginning and the end of the argument.
  
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  February 2, 2025 7:16pm
  - rouppe
    
    Then why do the manufacturers need, or insist on, complete immunity from prosecution for any harm suffered?
    
    It would be like buying a Tesla, and signing a disclaimer that if it goes up in flames with you inside it, tesla are not liable.
    
    Would you buy that car under those circumstances?
    
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    February 2, 2025 11:14pm
  - kiwimike
    
    if we could believe the MOH on vaccine injuries and excess deaths !
    
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    February 3, 2025 3:13am
  - kevn
    
    BY.. Appears you are the solo act. I see virtually no agreement on KB.
    No prob. Your choice.
    
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    February 3, 2025 9:04am

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