TUMEKE!

The draft IPCA report - when will it be released online?

2012-05-28T08:26:00.001+12:00

So the draft IPCA report into Police action over the so called Urewera terrorism case has been completed and it is DAMNING of the Police. The Police have done all they can to stymie the report and are currently trying to desperately water it down.

This could be very damaging for the Police. After Peter Marshall's smug defense and refusal to apologize for a $14million cost, allowing the Police to use illegal spying tactics and terrorizing a community with a history of righteous grievance, his position will fall to pieces once the IPCA report is released.

Which is why they are doing all they can to strangle it right now.

But here's the question - if the IPCA allow themselves to be bullied into the Police position, will the draft report appear on line so everyone in the mainstream media can see the difference between the two?

I would hazard a guess and suggest that yes, yes it will go on line. Somewhere.

Stay tuned to Tumeke for details over the following days.

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Tasers - the fried pork special (reasons not to watch Breakfast TV)

2012-05-28T08:17:00.002+12:00

The latest images from a Taser shooting a man walking away from Police has been broadcast on Sunday on TVNZ last night and pathetically debated on Breakfast TV the next morning. Gordon Campbell does an excellent piece on why these issues of importance shouldn't be debated on a TV show as intellectually shallow as Breakfast (especially now that the excellent Corin Dann has left), and it's certainly true of the Taser debate.

Breakfast TV did a cheerleader response to the images, and fell back on 'most people contacting us agree with the Police' - wow, that's incisive isn't it? One of the many problems of NZ is our cultural obedience to authority, we love cops the way we love All Blacks. An unquestioning, slavish worship of the Police is not healthy, it's deeply unhealthy.

The Police have immense power in this country (especially with the new spying powers where the Police can break into our homes and spy without any judicial oversight) and all I ask for is that as a progressive liberal democrat we have checks and balances. Suggesting that is enough to get a lynching in parts of pro Police NZ.

So we come to the taser debate again. Yawn. The argument for tasers is that 'better you get taserd than shot' - I think we all agree with that, but the problem is the NZ cop worshiping public have a mentality that anything a cop demands is legitimate and any action justified. It isn't.

A taser can't be used for compliance, it can only be used if there is an immediate threat, the images from the taser cam (which the cops fought 2 years to stop being screened publicly - pity Breakfast TV didn't ask about that) clearly show the man walking backwards, not advancing and his hands are by his side.

The reliance on tasers is partly because the Police relaxed their physical requirements to be a Police Officer and so they impose authority through a Taser, but mostly because the public will allow cops to get away with anything.

The reality is that the debate won't change until the Police taser a middle class kid, the second that happens, there will be demands to 'do something'.

It's only Police brutality in NZ when a precious white teenager gets zapped.

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Bosses astounded workers won't slave themselves for crumbs

2012-05-28T07:49:00.001+12:00

The latest right wing meme is that lazy dirty bludgers don't want to work. It was best articulated on Citizen A a couple of weeks ago by National Party Candidate Claudette Hauiti who insinuated that unemployment was a white myth, and this meme is now gaining mainstream media traction and of course, the mainstream media are more than happy to regurgitate it without context.

The perfect example is yesterdays story that the Jobless unprepared for the 'realities' of workforce. In it, boss after boss after boss are stunned that the unemployed won't slave themselves for crumbs off their plate. Because NZ hates the dirty filthy bennie so much (bashing them is our fourth favorite cultural hobby after rugby, alcoholism and domestic violence), this latest attempt to justify why they won't take up jobs that offer slave wages is as attractive to redneck snarling talk hate radio as arming Police with semi-automatic grenade launchers.

What the story doesn't look at is how the jobless would get to the work place in the first place without a functioning public transport system for $13.50 an hour, how do the jobless pay for child support on $13.50 an hour, how do the jobless pay for petrol on $13.50 an hour, indeed why would anyone with any skill not leave NZ for Australia where they can get paid twice as much?

The legacy of our low wage economy seeded by the National Party in the 1990's with the Employment Contracts Act is not mentioned once in the news story, just the right wing meme dat dem lazy fucking bludgers won't work. The pittance being paid doesn't cover the cost of living, so who works as a slave? Apparently the bossman and NZ Herald believe slaves should be lucky.

We are rapidly becoming uglier by the day and with the economy sinking deeper because of the Great Recession, that ugliness is becoming the accepted norm without one counter perspective allowed.

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When does Labour move against Shane Jones?

2012-05-28T07:16:00.000+12:00

After doing some digging, I'm astounded by what I've heard are the allegations that are quietly laid against Shane Jones in this immigration case. The reality for Labour is that if I've heard them, it's only a matter of time before Slater and Farrar find out and go nuclear, Labour have to move to cauterize this before it hurts them.

For Shearer this provides a real opportunity to show some leadership and stamp his own authority on the party and put moves against him to rest, if he doesn't and Jones is allowed to bleed in the water, Shearer will be weakened by this to the point of coup.

Gordon Campbell is right about the immigration Minister having discretion to make calls that over ride official advice, but the Minister doing it must have a valid justification. Shane Jones will be hard pushed to create those valid justifications.

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Save TVNZ7 meeting Christchurch Monday night 7pm

2012-05-27T13:07:00.002+12:00

I will be moderating the Save TVNZ7 meeting in Christchurch tomorrow night (Monday) at the CPSA Building CPIT Campus, Madras Street, City.

Facebook details here.

Appearing to discuss the death of public broadcasting and why it matters will be...

Clare Curran – Labour Broadcasting Spokesperson
Steffan Browning – Greens
Rahui Katene – Maori Party
Trisha Dunleavy – Media Studies at VUW

An evening of biting commentary and flagellation of commercial TV awaits, if you are in Christchurch, see you there.

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q+a and The Nation review

2012-05-27T10:02:00.000+12:00

The Nation

How weird is this? Duncan Garner is no longer on the show because he had a massive argument with ACT Party cheerleader and Executive Producer of PR company FrontPage, Richard Harman. Apparently the dispute was over direction of the show. Duncan wanted a successful current affairs show and Richard didn't.

Hilarity.

So they've replaced Duncs with this other bloke, Simon Shepard. I'm not sure why Rachel Smalley hasn't been pulled up to the plate, she's actually pretty good on Firstline, and just needs better researchers for The Nation, but no, it's this Simon Shepard bloke.

Which begs the question, why bother watching? While Duncan is right wing enough to launch his own Party, he is a current affairs pit bull who once locked on doesn't let go. I love that, he's entertaining enough to ignore the right wing bias, but Simon Shepard? More Simon Yapping Dog.

ZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Patrick Smellie, Colin James and Brian Fallow are on to quiz Bill English on the ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Fallow has a go at English in terms of the zero budget, the host has blended into the background, what was his name again? Bill's noting that his spin is so great he's convinced the entire political spectrum of the 'return to surplus' joke. Fallow asks if things get worse will there be a sub-zero budget, Bill accepts that.

To be fair, none of them believe Bill and they all let him know.

Best surprise was David Parker suddenly coming to life and attacking the critics with Labour's big ideas on capital gains and raising the super age.

The counter would have been 'yeah but you are still sticking to the same surplus crap David, using the same right wing mechanics, so let's ease off the self congratulations just yet hu?'

Parker was looking too pleased with himself to have been asked something like that.

It's an okay show this week.

q+a
So it's official, since the complaint against him has been upheld by the press council, Paul Holmes is a racist. Apparently the Q&A producers tell people that 'they look after Paul better than the Herald does'.

Charming.

English is on, seeing as the arrogant clown is predicting a 3rd term landslide for National at yesterdays National conference, I'm surprised he's even bothering to appear on interviews.

Interesting question about SERCO.

Parker is on selling the Labour vision. He's fighting a good fight this weekend. He's doing better than he has all year. Sadly Cunliffe would have done better.

Panel is Ray Miller, Heather Roy and the great Matt McCarton.

Heather doesn't like the budget, Matt points out Labour and National believe in the same free market myths and points out that National are destroying young people by raising the pension while charging more for kiwisaver.

They all point out that cuts don't grow the economy. Great discussion on how student loans have created the incentive to leave for our students.

The reality however is that despite the damage National are causing NZ, the sleepy hobbits love him. Political polarization has reached American levels, it doesn't matter what Key does, National voters love him.

Peter Marshall is on defending the Urewera farce. He admits that there wasn't any actual target. He's using all the evidence that was thrown out and wasn't able to be used in the case.

What about the $14million cost Peter? What about the illegal spying your Police force engaged in? What about the over the top manner you raided a community with a long history of righteous grievance? What about just talking to key members in the so called conspiracy to pull this whole thing back? Why allow Key to visit the area 2 months earlier if there was such a violent threat? How come catapulting a bus onto George W Bush was considered a credible assassination attempt?

When will you be investigating Slater and Lusk's hunting parties Peter?

I've got a question Peter, the draft IPCA report that is DAMNING of your Police action (and which you are desperately attempting to smother and have changed), are you concerned that it will get released on line so that the differences between the draft and the official can be exposed?

I think the draft IPCA report into the Police handling of this should be sent to Wikileaks, are you concerned about that Peter?

He has all the smugness of the NZ Police defending and justifying their beatings of protestors during the Springbok tour.

Holmes brings up the good question of 'what they were doing', which is a bloody good question. Activists shouldn't touch guns. That doesn't justify the over reaction, but Jesus, how stupid to give the Police this excuse.

Flavel points out that a person caught 2 years ago with vastly more military weapons got a $5000 fine.

Heather Roy points out that when you give the state vast powers, there needs to be checks and balances. Ray points out they were watching for 18 months and that the NZ Police went on a fishing expedition and how can the Police Minister not know before the night before.

Very good show today. Well done Q+A.

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Rena Captain jailed for 7months, Iti gets 2 and a half years - welcome to NZ's Louis Crimp factor

2012-05-26T06:49:00.001+12:00

Is it just me, but shouldn't crashing a ship and spilling 400 000 liters of oil get a far longer sentence than making a Molotov cocktail? 7 months in jail compared to two and a half years? WTF?

What was the real threat to NZ here? Crashing ships into our coastline or roleplaying at freedom fighter? (When corporates do what Tame Iti did, they call it a paintball retreat).

This astounding difference in prison sentence against the actual damage to NZ will appear even more egregious once the IPCA report is released.

A terrible week for justice in NZ.

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This budget as 'sensible' as the sensible sentencing trust

2012-05-25T17:08:00.001+12:00

I'm sick of hearing the mainstream media describe this budget as 'sensible' or 'balanced' - its as 'sensible' as the sensible sentencing trust and as 'balanced' as Fox News.

What the hell is sensible about 270 000 children living in poverty with zero hope from this zero budget?

What the hell is sensible about 267 000 NZers unemployed and underemployed with zero hope from this zero budget?

What the hell is sensible about 500 000 NZers earning less than $16 an hour with zero hope from this zero budget?

What the hell is sensible about crushing unions, destroying public broadcasting, slashing public services, killing off social housing, strangling the low waged, handing over billions to the already rich, spending $900 million on a private prison, privatizing our assets, increasing class sizes or replacing social service with 0800 numbers.

What the hell is sensible about any of that?

What's sensible about cheering the tax of rich people for $107m when they are cutting child care for poor people by $170m?

What's sensible about Bill English needing the tobacco industry to breathe life into the economy? What a foul kiss of stench.

I was waiting for John Key to predict that Zombie Marx will return from grave to feast on mum & dad investors if the Government dares borrow any more money.

This provided a 'brighter future' the way a blind cyclops does. We don't want to borrow more, but we must see that we can't cut back, we need a new revenue source and the wealthy should be our target. Top tax rate in NZ 25 years ago was 66%, now it's 33%, the richest have had their tax rate drop by 50% in quarter of a century, it's time they started paying back.

In the end it wasn't the Mother of all budgets, it was the selfish rich prick Uncle of all Budgets.

This zero budget was nothing more than wealth defense - the 1% will sleep easy this weekend.

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Will Police Commissioner Peter Marshall still be so self-righteous after IPCA report into Urewera farce?

2012-05-25T16:51:00.001+12:00

'Urewera Four' sentences decried by iwi leader
Prison sentences handed down to "Urewera Four" members Tame Iti and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara are "completely over the top", leaders of central North Island iwi Ngati Manawa say.

Iti and Kemara, along with Urs Signer and Emily Bailey, were found guilty of unlawful possession of military-style firearms and Molotov cocktails at training camps held in the Urewera Ranges in 2006 and 2007.

Iti and Kemara were sentenced to 2-1/2 years jail and Signer and Bailey had their sentences adjourned but home detention was signalled when they appeared in the High Court at Auckland yesterday.

Justice Hansen said that despite a "Dad's Army" aspect to the camps, their intent was serious.

Two and a half years? Who was the judge? Louis Crimp?

What a bitter and sad little episode this farcical terror case has ended us with, a conspiracy rant by a Judge that to NZs deep embarrassment, will forever be on our history books. Hansen foamed about a conspiracy the jury didn't find them guilty of, this spiteful prison sentence is a desperate attempt at saving face for a Police force who has cost the NZ taxpayer $14 million dollars.

96 years ago, the exact same ridiculous situation occurred when Rua Kenana was found innocent of main charges but was sent to prison by the Judge on lesser sentences.

What was Iti and his merry militia doing in those misty hills? He was playing at freedom fighter without any of the actual fighting, a camp for the politically active to run around and role play. When corporate leaders do it, their called paint gun enthusiasts. When lefties and Maori Nationalists do it, apparently it's terrorism. That said, activists should never pick up guns. Why give your enemies the ammunition?

If Judge Hansen was serious about chasing conspiracy, perhaps he should investigate Cameron Slater and Simon Lusk's hunting parties in light of the National Party having concerns that Lusk and Slater have "a very negative agenda for the party".

But I digress. This investigation that attacked a community with existing righteous grievance; that cost us $14million; that cost us all our civil rights by legalizing illegal Police spying techniques; HAD to end in a prison sentence because the State and the Police have to desperately do all they can to save face, before the IPCA report into this abortion gets released.

As I pointed out last month, rumor has it that the IPCA report is deeply damaging and critical to the Police, and that's why they have done all they can to hold up releasing it.

It is vital for the so called 'independence' of the IPCA that they do not buckle under the attack now going on by the Police in trying to dismantle the criticism. This outrageous sentence and the prickish way Police Commissioner Peter Marshall has justified this disgustingly expensive joke demands the system to get involved and rebalance this latest injustice. If they don't, the stain of this sentence will spark the next generation of grievance. At the end of all of this, what were we supposed to be terrified of exactly? Police breaking the law to spy on us? Communities being terrorized by para-military police? A failed police investigation costing the tax payer $14 million? Who exactly was the terrorist?

Let's see if Police Commissioner Peter Marshall is so self-righteous after the IPCA report gets released.

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Citizen A online NOW - Zero Budget Special

2012-05-25T09:54:00.002+12:00

Budget Special with Dr Wayne Hope & Selwyn Manning - what are the economic, social and political ramifications of National's zero budget?

Citizen A broadcasts 7pm Thursday Triangle TV

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NZ Crown budget 2012

2012-05-24T13:53:00.003+12:00

Bill English is just a few short minutes away from dishing out some more of that austerity anti-awesomeness the Nats have been perfecting over the last four years.

The students (Twitter: #blockadethebudget) are protesting now in Auckland:

Will update as the Budget stats are released.

UPDATE 3:30PM: Who am I kidding? The wonks that were in the lock-up will be doing a better job of analysis than I could ever give. And don't click on that Budget stats link above - it's not working - and neither is the Treasury one (that I could find). Best just go to the Beehive site for all the press releases. And there's millions of them. Random one from Pita Sharples for instance:

Cadetships a focus for Māori Affairs:

The Government will fund 1,000 Māori cadetships over the next four years, Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples says.

“A total of $10 million allocated to the Māori cadetship programme over the next four years will enable 250 young Māori cadets a year to get paid jobs and training opportunities for at least six months,” Dr Sharples says.

“This means 250 people a year for four years will be on the road to success, through partnerships with private sector employers. This cadetship programme has a track record of exceeding targets in the past, and I am expecting great results from this investment in our young people.

“This decision also supports my vision for Te Puni Kokiri to focus on areas of critical importance to Māori communities – in this case jobs – through strategic influence and partnerships with other government agencies, industry, and local government,” Dr Sharples says.

The Minister has a great deal of confidence in TPK, but I'm still trying to figure out what their purpose is: holding hands? Endless, circuitous, redundant liaison functions? Are they the necessary machine that can bring things together and achieve outcomes that no other organisation can? or are they just pointless middlemen in a bureaucracy practising interference, control, dependency and the opposite of Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake, ie. the opposite of autonomy and self-reliance? It looks to me like attempted Empire-building to make TPK "relevant" and have a high profile policy attached - but is this what they are good at?
So, $10m is divided into 250 cadets per year (although only 6 months stints?) That's $10k each - which is approximately what the dole would be for them so maybe it will be good value on these numbers.

From the Nat's summary page: Note the spiralling net government debt (bolded).

SUMMARY OF BUDGET ECONOMIC AND FISCAL FORECASTS

June Years	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
	Actual	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast
$ billion
Core Crown revenue	57.6	60.0	64.2	69.2	73.6	77.9
Core Crown expenses	70.5	69.6	73.7	72.9	74.9	77.3
Total Crown OBEGAL	-18.4	-8.4	-7.9	-2.0	0.2	2.1
Total Crown OBEGAL excl quake expense	-9.3	-7.1	-5.9	-1.7	0.4	2.2
Net core Crown debt	40.1	51.9	61.3	66.5	69.8	70.7

March Years	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
	Actual	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast
%
Real production GDP	1.2	1.6	2.6	3.4	3.1	2.9
Unemployment Rate (March quarter s.a.)	6.6	6.3	5.7	5.2	5.0	4.7
Current account balance (% of GDP)	-3.6	-4.2	-4.6	-5.9	-6.3	-6.7

Urewera 4 sentencing underway [Updates] BREAKING: 2.5 Years prison :(

2012-05-24T11:48:00.001+12:00

Sentencing is underway:

The “Urewera Four” are being sentenced on firearms charges today, dating back to the 2007 raids.
After a six week trial at the High Court in Auckland in March jurors were unable to reach a decision on the main charge of belonging to an organised criminal group.
However, they were able to reach a decision on the firearms charges.
Tame Iti and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara were found guilty of six firearms charges and not guilty of four.
Urs Signer was found guilty of five firearms charges and not guilty of five.
Emily Bailey was found guilty of six firearms charges and not guilty of four.
The four will all be sentenced on those charges today.

Live Twitter updates from Solidarity15. Last hour from that twitstream:

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This was ongoing conduct over a long period of time and there were 11 semi automatic weapons involved. Some... http://fb.me/1ZopgZhpA

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11:45AM The Judge is currently reading it out.

UPDATES to 11:55AM:

Recourse of self help crosses the line of what is reasonable

Ends do not justify the means. Refers to earlier case of Iti and commentary from Elias CJ in unlawful discharge of a firearm

Ultimate goal was directed in a general sense to achieving Tuhoe redress and Mana Motuhake

Accept this case distinguished from other cases

Some in this group held extreme anarchist views... Cumulatively these factors disclose seriousness beyond any... http://fb.me/1NRTWoFwe

A private militia WAS being established which is .... An anathema to our way of life

The issue of the charge that was failed to be proved is distinct from why you possessed firearms. The intention... http://fb.me/OmhPPXmN
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Don't like where the Judge's logic is going...

UPDATES to 12:01PM

Tame: 3 yrs Rangi: 3 yrs

Imprisonment unavoidable!

Altruistic intentions are relevant though as aspiration for Tuhoe justice by peaceful means

Is there a difference between the four of you? I reject crown view that there isnt. Iti and Kemara had key roles
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FFS. 3 Years is ridiculous! The sentence will most definitely be appealed - you don't have to be a lawyer to work that one out.

So the Crown - the NZ Government - got what they wanted in the end, a harsh sentence based on Pakeha apprehension, fearmongering and the misuse of their shabby anti-terrorist laws. Sad day for justice and Tuhoe.

UPDATES to 12:10PM

Tame Iti and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara -2yrs, 6mnths; Urs Signer and Emily Bailey - 9mnths home detention

Tame/Rangi: 2yrs 6 mnths

Signer and Bailey... Peaceloving couple. Contradictions in case at loss to explain 2 years starting point reduced to 6 months

Term of imprisonment should reflect mitigating factors however. Not gang related on contrary pursued for worthy... http://fb.me/1oYzQDQU2

Tame: 2 yrs 6 mnths
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The expression "shithouse" comes immediately to mind.

UPDATES to 12:20PM

Sentencing of Urs Singer and Emily Bailey in the Urewera trial been adjourned so home detention can be considered. Others jailed

@Oct15Solidarity @uriohau Sentencing as the beginning of another generation of Maori political prisoners. Remember Parihaka, Maungapohatu!

Raoul Duke‏@Judgenudge

at the high court. A haka just rang out from the urewera 4 supporters. 2.5 - 3 yrs each.

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Annette Sykes and the other lawyers for the imprisoned will be applying for their immediate release pending an appeal, but I'm not sure the Court will do this. I'm reminded that Iti (at least) has already been in jail when he was arrested at the beginning so a month or so will be taken off for that - but two and a half years is total bullshit for these charges. The Crown judge has bought into the Crown prosecutor's hype about the Crown police's fruitless spying - pathetic really. There is little evidence of the independence from government that the judiciary is supposed to maintain.

Why it's all Greek to David Farrar

2012-05-24T09:35:00.003+12:00

The bore of babylon, Government online propagandist and pollster, David Farrar isn't dreaming in color anymore, and he's not sure why.

In a column he wrote for the Herald last week, David got as close as he intellectually can to questioning the cause of the Greek crisis and the response by NZ. I say as close as he can because sadly for David and many of his right wing brethren the reality of what is happening goes well beyond the parameters of their free market dogma.

What David and the rest of the right can't admit is that this is a unique crisis of capitalism, akin to the 1929 stock market collapse. The full social impacts of that global economic meltdown caused by feral non-regulation weren't felt until the late 30's and required a global world war to re-establish hegemonic control. Our melt down from 2007/2008 has only just begun in terms of the social damage, but it has also cut to the very core of the neo-liberal Milton Fridman free market doctrine in a way that hasn't been accepted by his many acolytes yet.

This existential crisis has hit the right harder than a flawed Facebook launch. Friedman's infected theology argued markets were a natural thing of beauty and worked best when unmolested by any Government regulation. It has been this flawed belief that unregulated markets would magically balance themselves through the arcane magic of supply and demand that has dominated the global debate for corporate benefit. In the 1970's the real economy and the financial economy were evenly valued but 40 years of deregulation, low tax, free market Milton Friedman dogma has seen the real economy valued annually at $8 trillion while the financial economy is valued at $330 trillion. That disconnect between reality and the inflated bubble world of finance has gone pop, and we must reconsider the rules of the game because the unsustainable consumer culture of SUV's, plasma TVs and cosmetic surgery all on the credit card game is over.

Milton Friedman was wrong, the market left to itself is nothing but a greedy venal event horizon that will collapse upon itself, the lessons of Keyenes that David Farrar and the National Party work so hard to ignore is that managed capitalism is the only alternative to this flawed free market virus. Developmental policy and not austerity is the only way forward, democracy beat fascism and communism 60 years ago because it could promise it's supporters that their children would get a better deal than they did, austerity is not compatible with that promise. The splintering of the political spectrum throughout Europe (mirrored here by the rise of MANA and the Conservative Party) is the most obvious symptom of where this promise is being embraced or broken.

The top tax rate in NZ 25 years ago was 66%, it's now 33%, the richest have had their tax rate drop by 50% in quarter of a century. The reason the occupation movement and their anger at the 1% caught attention was because their grievance is so righteous and the other 99% know that.

The right will paint a picture of Greece that fits their ideological limitations. David will wag his finger about the feckless Greeks and their disgustingly socialist agenda of spending borrowed money while piously seeing their suffering as a cautionary tale of the dangers of left wing politics. The simplistic bullshit of this position denies the reality...

Goldman Helped Greece Hide Catastrophic Debt
(Newser) – Greece's budget problems were allowed to grow to their current monstrous size with the help of a Goldman Sachs deal worthy of an Oscar for creative accounting. Greek government officials—no strangers to number-juggling themselves—used the US bank to concoct a derivatives deal that allowed the country to circumvent EU rules requiring member nations not to run deficits exceeding 3% of GDP, Der Speigel reports. The deal, agreed in early 2002, circumvented EU rules with a credit swap in which government-issued bonds in dollars and yen were traded for debt in euros. Such transactions don't need to be reported to EU authorities. The Goldman-Greece deal exploited this loophole by inventing a fictional exchange rate, allowing Greece to borrow billions more and mask the true size of its debt. Greece's deficit problem will become even greater when the Goldman bonds mature over the next 10 to 15 years. Greece's exploding debt is now threatening to bring down the euro.

Taking their weapons of mass financial destruction Goldman Sachs were instrumental in the collapse of Greece. Goldman Sachs role in hiding billions of dollars worth of Greek debt, all the while betting that the Greek economy would collapse is like buying fire insurance for a house, leaving the gas on and inviting the owners around for a cigar evening. The role of Goldman Sachs is never mentioned when David is finger wagging at Greece.

The debt bogeyman which the right fall back upon as their last ditch attempt to justify austerity is the most disingenuous part of this. Labour did what any Government should in boom times, pay down the debt, it is the private debt that endangers NZs economic future now, and that private debt is the direct legacy of the user pays free market faith that the Washington Consensus (that none of us consented to) has inspired.

What David and National can not comprehend is that their main pillar of faith in the Temple of Milton, that deregulated free markets are flawless, has been structurally compromised and the global economy is in for a grinding correction beyond their limited solutions. It's like Christians being forced to accept the resurrection of Christ is just one big metaphor rather than gospel truth, the economic meltdown is an existential crisis at the very core of right wing mythology.

That's why David's utterances and Key's vacant optimism are the empty words of a priest in a hollow church.

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BREAKING NEWS: Jones gets shorn by Shearer

2012-05-23T17:30:00.001+12:00

It's happened, Shearer has finally shown some metal and Labour have decided to actually get back in the game with some bloody strategy for once.

With Cunliffe starting to make noises, Shearer has had to act decisively.

Standing Jones down if he is clean is fine and allows Jones to come back. Standing him down because there are questions to answer is made dangerous if Jones feels he's been cut adrift, but Shearer will cross that bridge when he needs to, right now, on the eve of the Zero budget, Labour have taken back the high ground and cauterized this before it gets septic.

It also makes Shearer's calls to stand down Banks far sharper.

Your turn now Mr Key.

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The zero budget is social vandalism rhapsody

2012-05-23T09:37:00.000+12:00

It's not the Mother of all budgets, it's the abusive, alcoholic, gambling step-father of all budgets. Like 6.7% of the NZ labour market, Austerity doesn't work, yet here we are shelling out more failed free market dogma to counter a global recession caused by the same failed free market dogma.

John Key has said 'mum and dad' investors so much he sounds like a cracker with a parrot, for some reason the Optimist Prime has decided the only way forward is to amputate the States ability (and Local Councils ability) to raise revenue and spend it. The amputation is so severe, Key wants to sell assets, bash beneficiaries and crucify anything resembling public services to justify a zero budget. One gets the impression that Key would declare war on America in order to stimulate the economy before he'd ever consider raising NZ's pitifully low top tax rate.

In 1986 our top tax rate was 66%, in 2012 it's 33%, the top tax rate has dropped 50% in the last 25 years and they have the audacity to demand more? In Australia it's 45%, France it's 40%, Germany it's 45%, in Ireland it's 41%, in Japan it's 40%, in the Netherlands it's 52%, in the UK it's 50% and in that mighty bastion of free market excess, the USA, it's 35%.

And in NZ it's 33% with no inheritance duties to enable the redistribution of wealth even after these greedy vile rich volk have died and gone to trying to buy their way out of hell.

The over $2 billion handed back to the richest NZ's in tax cuts, subsidized by the rest of us by raising GST, has been an economic mismanagement that has become a social tragedy seeing our rise as one of the most unequal countries in the world.

267 000 unemployed and under employed NZers.

500 000 NZers earning less than $16 an hour

150 richest families gaining $7 billion in one year.

240 000 children living in poverty. Global Youth unemployment (15-24) rate is 12.7%, in NZ it is for 15-19 year olds it's 17.2% and for 20-24 year olds it's 8.4%

This budget isn't a zero budget for those not insulated by wealth, it's becoming a life sentence. This is social vandalism masqurading as economic management.

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Mojo working

2012-05-22T16:22:00.002+12:00

Mojo Mathers, the first deaf NZ MP (Greens) at work. Her first Ministerial question.

From the twitstream:

Russel Norman ‏@RusselNorman

RT @mojomathers: Yay that milestone over.... Great job Mojo asking first question in the House

West Side Tory ‏@tauhenare
@RusselNorman @mojomathers it was very good and system seemed to cope as well.

Mojo Mathers ‏@mojomathers
@tauhenare @russelnorman that was mainly because the Minister spoke so clearly that I could lip read him so systems not tested fully!

Red flagged

2012-05-22T15:51:00.001+12:00

NZ Herald:

Labour MP Shane Jones says he granted citizenship to Chinese businessman William Yan on 'humanitarian grounds' and would be relaxed about having that decision tested to see if the Yan really was "a Hannibal Lecter immigration applicant."
Mr Jones broke his silence on his 2008 decision yesterday after Yan's trial in the Auckland High Court wound up yesterday.
Yan - also known as Yang, or Bill, Liu and Yong Ming Yan - was on trial in the High Court at Auckland after pleading not guilty to four charges relating to false declarations on immigration papers in 2001 and 2002 and one of using false written statements to get citizenship. The Court is expected to make a reserved judgement on Thursday.
Mr Jones said he knew there were issues about the multiple identities Yan had and the Interpol red notice about an arrest warrant for Yan in China.

The central issue with anyone from China is that in the totalitarian, one party, communist-run People's Republic the only people allowed to leave the country, allowed to succeed in business or a profession, or allowed to have more than one child, are likely to be people connected to the government and the ruling party. Other countries with similar one party type crony capitalist systems, like Russia for example, also beg the same question of their emigrants and "investors". The same awkward, "how did you get where you are today and why do you deserve to be here?" question could also be directed at the past beneficiaries of such governments, like the white South Africans who have taken the accumulated wealth and advantages of 400 years of slavery and Apartheid and have cashed out and left. Fortunately for these people the NZ Immigration Service seems to operate on a no questions asked basis.

That Jones did not take the advice of officials (in declining citizenship) is not so damaging or incriminating so long as he can give an account of the powerful and persuasive counter facts put up from independent sources. Problem is the only counter advice was from Yan/Liu's own lawyer and from his Labour MP colleagues (who must have been aware of his support financial support for the party). I take it there would have been no such independent advice outside of the alarming reports from other agencies that Immigration had raised. Jones hasn't answered these issues and he's stuck unless he starts to drag others in.

As for the "humanitarian" rubric employed by Jones to defend his decision - well, God loves a trier, but exactly how much will the voting public and Labour's leadership put up with?

Rehab Spin

2012-05-22T15:45:00.001+12:00

National claim $65m will reduce 600 prisoners by 2017, problem is Corrections already predicted a drop of 487 prisoners by 2017 in September of last year, it's page 34 of the report

So this $65m will only in fact save us from 113 prisoners, that's $575, 221 per prisoner. How the hell is that a solution? Why are the media not seeing through this spin and how come the $900 million private prison is being ignored? After the current closures there will be 2992 spare beds, so why the hell are we building a new billion dollar prison?

Why are we building an empty prison when our hospitals and schools and dole queues are so full?

Why are the media being so easily led?

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Breaking News: NZ Govt. is actually doing something about a problem!?

2012-05-22T14:46:00.003+12:00

For once - and it probably will be once - this National government looks to be doing the right thing. They are going to take some action over the fisheries slavers that have been exploiting the loose regulations. Beehive:
The Government today announced it is to require reflagging of foreign-owned fishing vessels operating in New Zealand waters to address labour, safety and fisheries practice concerns.
Primary Industries Minister David Carter and Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson say foreign-flagged fishing vessels will no longer be able to legally operate in New Zealand waters after a four-year transition period.
“The Government's decision sends a clear message that New Zealand is serious about the fair treatment of fishing crews, the safety of vessels and its international reputation for ethical and sustainable fishing practices,” say the Ministers.
Today’s announcement follows the Government’s decision in March to act on a number of recommendations of the Ministerial Inquiry into Foreign Charter Vessels (FCVs).

Working on the seas around this country must be bad enough without being beaten, raped and ripped off. Observers on board will help, but it does indicate there is no trust in the relationship between the NZ authorities and the fishing management of these vessels and that they will try and get away with whatever they can get away with when they know they are undetected.

“Reflagging will further strengthen compliance with New Zealand laws and provide more transparency around the operation of foreign-owned vessels,” says Mr Carter.
“We are already moving to strengthen monitoring and enforcement of FCVs, including placing an observer on all FCVs fishing in New Zealand waters.
“The Government continues to welcome foreign charter fishing vessels operating in New Zealand waters, but they must meet our requirements and our standards,” he says.
Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson says once vessels are flagged to New Zealand, the full range of New Zealand law, including employment relations and workplace health and safety law, will automatically apply and be enforceable.

About ruddy time. The fishing quota holders who contract out to these vessels will be miffed their rampant exploitation is coming to an end, but I doubt it will affect the price or quality of fish at all.

The other issue is will this encourage local fishers back? The answer to that (from the FAQs) is almost certainly no. The foreign crews will be under NZ law and a NZ employment agreement, but there will still be tax benefits (like not paying ACC) that foreign crew (because they are non-resident) will have. By keeping these labour cost advantages it still makes foreign crews more competitive than operators employing locals.

Considering what the situation was though this move is a significant improvement.

The Union Report online now - with CANZ President Beven Hanlon and the PPTA's Angela Roberts

2012-05-22T14:16:00.001+12:00

Issue 1: National promised not to cut back frontline services, how much more frontline are teachers? Are larger class sizes the answer?

Issue 2: Who should have the power to incarcerate - The state or a private company. What is the real cost of prison privatization?

Issue 3: Are the new labour law announcements a negative for workers and unions?

The Union Report screens 8pm Monday Triangle TV - the home of original public broadcasting

Facebook/TheUnionReport Twitter/CitizenBomber

Why Shearer can't sack Jones but might

2012-05-22T10:29:00.000+12:00

My co-blogger has done a devastating analysis of Labour Party fund raising and the latest case of citizenship for cash scandals that has engulfed Shane Jones.

This issue has the ability to destabilize the gains Labour have been able to make on the smelly dirty corporate cronyism of National and ACT. The pokie deal, the mediaworks deal, the Warners Bros deal, the Kim Dotcom deal and the extraordinary attempt by the PM to personally meet corporate giants to cut a deal for a Financial Hub all look bad and have set a narrative that cash for law change may as well get it's own Treasury Budget accountant.

That hard work could come undone if the insinuations pointed at Jones bear fruit. How would Shearer go about dealing with such a problem because his criticism of Banks would sound hollow if a Labour donor was perceived to have gained his citizenship for cash with the blessings of Jones.

With a social justice mandate, Labour have difficulties gaining large donors. The 1% don't donate to political parties focused on reducing their 1%-ness. Labour don't have the luxury of racist millionaires like Louis Crimp to donate. Crimp is so racist he makes the Grand Cyclops of the KKK look like an openly gay, inter-race dating liberal. So Labour tend to sniff and scratch for money in all the wrong places, and it looks like Chinese businessman Yong Ming Yan was a sniff and a scratch too far.

If the story gains traction what will Shearer do? Shearer could force the issue and push for Jones removal and earn himself public kudos for dealing with perceived corruption and add weight to his criticisms of National, but that would require some acceptance on Jones behalf.

Jones however is unlikely to fall upon his sword so it would require a protracted legal case and seeing as Jones would be aware of where most of the donors bodies are buried, that sort of move would start a bitter meltdown.

Another complexity for Shearer is that dumping a paid up member of the ABC like Jones would see Carmel Sepuloni returned to Parliament from the list changing the leadership math (Kelvin Davis retired from politics). That can't be something Shearer would want, especially now the Labour Party rules that will allow wider membership participation in selecting the leader are too far down the road to be derailed by the ABC in November.

These are ghosts of Labour's past coming to haunt the new leader. Shearer's glow was that he was untainted by Labour's past taint, but if he doesn't move decisively on Jones if the allegations gain momentum, Shearer will lose that glow.

Tough weeks ahead for Shearer.

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Well done Meat Workers Union & CTU

2012-05-22T06:36:00.000+12:00

Great news for the 5000 children of meat workers - Affco and Talley's have backed down and made an agreement - respects to the staunch members of the MWU!

The bad press Affco and Talley's were drawing for declaring that they wanted to kick the Union out of their industry all together was matched by Iwi threatening to start up their own company. Suddenly all that black spin on Cameron Slater's blogsite by Sherson Wills was biting Affco in the arse and they ran back to the negotiating table.

Using hunger as a negotiating tactic the way Affco and Talley's did and the impact that strategy had on 5000 kids should however never be forgotten. The role of Iwi stepping up and threatening Affco for the pain they were causing Maori workers may well be the newest and most powerful tipping point in industrial relations we've seen in modern times.

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The joke of $65 million prison rehabilitation money

2012-05-22T06:18:00.000+12:00

Budget 2012: $65m on reducing reoffending
The Government has revealed it will spend $65 million in the upcoming Budget on reducing criminal reoffending.

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley and Associate Corrections Minister Dr Pita Sharples said the 'reprioritised' operational funding was aimed at reducing reoffending by 25 per cent by 2017.

It would go towards alcohol and drug treatment, increased education, skills training and employment programmes for prisoners.

Mrs Tolley said the funding would mean 18,500 fewer victims of crime and 600 less prisoners in jail in 2017 than last year.

It's tedious the way spare change is allowed to blind punters during budget time to the wider context, so let's all pray to the News Gods that the mainstream media won't get sucked in hook line and sinker.

On one tiny level, the concession that the raw meat lynch mob sensible sentencing trust lock em up throw away the key style of law and order is utterly counter productive if there is no rehabilitation. But that tiny concession of what Bill English described as the moral and fiscal failure of our prison system doesn't go nearly far enough to forgive the private prison sin.

$65 million over 4 years for desperately needed rehab is a smokescreen story so that the 10 000 pound albino gorilla in the corrections budget won't be noticed.

It is this jaw dropping $900 million private prison. Why are we blowing $900 million on a new private prison (which the assessors didn't even personally visit before advising their closures), why are we blowing $900 million on a new private prison when after taking into account the current budgeted prison closures, there will still be 2992 spare beds?

Why build a new prison with just under 1000 beds when we have almost 3000 spare beds? Why are we building empty prisons when our schools and hospitals and dole queues are full?

And let someone please ask the question in the media, how exactly this $65 million will reduce 600 prisoners by 2017 when the Justice Department last bloody September was forecasting 487 fewer prisoners by then. So this additional $65 million will only reduce 113 prisoners when the 487 that were already predicted not to re-enter Prison are taken into account. Seriously, why isn't someone in the media pointing this out? It's page 34 from their own report! They had already predicted 487 fewer prisoners last year, meaning this $65 million to reduce offending for the remaining 113 prisoners is bullshit!

It's not just the 2 billion dollars plus in tax cuts to the rich that is economic vandalism by this Government, it's also the vast misuse of public funds for idealogical masturbation.

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When will the Greens become the second major Party?

2012-05-22T06:15:00.000+12:00

I was wrong about the Greens. I thought they had reached their zenith this election. Pumped up by the worst political apathy in 120 years, they rode an easy 11% against a Labour Party slump. I had assumed Labour would have found their second wind and stormed back leaving the Greens with a minor possible increase.

That simply hasn't happened. The stumbling and unconvincing performance to date of David Shearer has left a gaping hole in the Opposition that the Greens have danced through with all the joy of a Mother Earth pride festival.

The question isn't if they become the second largest Party, based on the first half of this year, the question must be when. They are light years ahead of any other political party in connecting with their base on line over social media, the appointment of a strategist as brilliant as Laila Harre suggests they are finally bringing in fighters to the bear pit of politics and this latest stroke of genius by hiring an economist to critique the budget all show a vision and political strategy that both impresses and inspires.

With the possible ramifications of the brewing Shane Jones cash for citizenship scandal, the Greens could reap an even greater harvest. The Greens continue to lead the debate.

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Signs

2012-05-21T15:57:00.002+12:00

The storm in an ethnic melting pot that was the foreign language sign debate remained a spark last week and like so many other media-feulled incindiaries has failed to ignite into the racial blaze the media may have hoped for. Usually these issues need a visible and vocal central point of crisis if the flames are to be stoked - and none have come about. So instead of one clash point we merely have statistics and opinion polling which never cross the visceral threshold.

This is a hot issue - despite the lack of a cause celebre - and it is deserving of a discussion. The main reason it is not and why it is derided as a sensible topic by the commentariat - especially the left - is partly the blind faith in mass immigration and unintegrated multiculturalism that most middle class people have and also the fact that most of the people doing all the opinion writing in the media are from the well-to-do suburbs where they remain quaratined in Pakeha zones and are thus largely unaffected by the rise of ethnic precincts. The other reason discussion never seems to get very far is that the oxygen in the debate is absorbed rapidly by Winston Peters and other reactionary conservatives. It becomes a normal response just to ignore the entire issue because once a divisive race-baiter like Peters is involved no one wants to be on whatever side of the argument he is on.

NZ Herald:

Massey University researchers Robin Peace and Ian Goodwin studied 500 "linguistic landscape" photographs taken in five Auckland locations - Northcote, Dominion Rd, Meadowlands, Auckland CBD and Papatoetoe - for their study, "The Cosmopolitics of Linguistic Landscapes".
Many of the signs were for migrant businesses and featured languages other than English.
[...]
Some New Zealanders responded with "annoyance" or "repugnance" when faced with a space that did not make immediate, translatable sense, she said.
That was backed by nzherald.co.nz poll findings showing 39 per cent of people thought all immigrants should use English on their business signs.
A further 40 per cent of respondents said English translations should be offered beside ethnic scripts on business signs and 21 per cent said the signs should be accepted as New Zealand was a diverse society.
The findings were based on a sample size of about 8100 people.

I listened to RNZ last week where Jim Mora and Brian Edwards had their chat with whoever the female middle class Pakeha lady was and they were mystified by the sign issue. Dr Edwards gave a typical precis of the scene for the Pakeha upper middle class: Foreign signs are a bit of colour, ethnic neighbourhoods are great to visit, great food etc., I'm comfortable with foreign language signage.

He's comfy because all that stuff is occuring in someone else's neighbourhood. He only visits these places where these quaint and eclectic ethnic people dwell as an act of tourism. If half the shops along Jervious Road in the leafy coastal inner city suburb of Herne Bay had turned Chinese in the last 10-15 years as they have done along Dominion Road - for example - then I wager his reaction would most definitely not be the same. So too with David Slack (to pick a random "liberal" - no offence) and everyone else living in Devonport - their comments should be put into context: they live in a white enclave where the immigrants are usually white too: South Africans and Europeans. These people still live in the areas most closely resembling the old NZ and are the least exposed to the consequences of large-scale non-white, non-English speaking immigration. That is why this class of person is so dismissive of concerns over ethnic ghettoisation and why they think nothing is wrong - they simply have not experienced living there.

The people who have paid big bucks to live in their exclusive white enclaves regard their "villages" as heritage areas, protected places where they have rules that tell you what sort of veranda ballustrade one must have to maintain the look of the place. They like these rules because they preserve what they have and keep the place looking the way they prefer it. And yet these same people think nothing of having entire shopping centres - in someone else's suburb of course - turning radically, within a very short space of time, into unrecognisable ethnic ghettoes swamped with foreign language signage. Why aren't they capable of retaining heritage in the same way that the wealthy suburbs are?

If half the places of business in Devonport had Chinese language out front and even a quarter of the population of dear old Devo was non-white and non-English speaking do you really expect the liberal intelligensia of that burg to be so nonplussed? I lived in Devonport when there were still working class people and the Naval families living there, and they've all been pushed out, so it is now more exclusivist and snotty than it ever was before.

When I lived in Mount Eden just off the top of Dominion Road in the early 1990s I can recall only one local Chinese shop, Steve's. Steve and his wife were Chinese and had a takeaways on the corner. And Steve and his missus could speak English quite well. Last time I went down Dominion Road maybe half the shops had non-English signage and one even had massive Chinese national flags flying all over it. It is a completely different place to what it was. Some would say this is all varying shades of racism of course.
The problem does stem from the immigration policy. It is an obvious fault that many people the government lets into the country to live just don't speak English and therefore cannot communicate with the rest of society. From that policy flows the demand for foreign language services; a demand that just simply should not exist. This demand puts added pressure on government and other service providers and it also creates internal demand.

And the problem? The greatest issue is that English speakers not only cannot use whatever services are provided (as the service person cannot communicate) but it is the knowledge that they are not welcome in those shops. They are not for the public as such but for the other. They might as well have "You are not welcome" on it as the only thing in English for what it amounts to. And the finite nature of one's local shops - so important to local identity it would be undeniable to say - is the rub: for every new non-English speaking shop that opens it usually means that an English speaking one has been replaced. Less and less service for the old type of people, more and more services for the new type of people.

And with critical mass achieved in many areas of Auckland the linguistic community becomes self-supporting and notions of integrating immigrant communities into the culture already here becomes more distant.