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Jacinda Ardern

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She’s not the Messiah…

by Lushington D. Brady 
 
ArdernSmirk.jpg?w=630&ssl=1 Caption: “This is the way these people think” – Christopher Hitchens

I’ve already written about how one senior Australian journalist isn’t quite so blinded as most by St. Jacinda’s halo. Another has run a skeptical eye over her political track record and is less than impressed.

The Mocker “amuses himself by calling out poseurs, sneering social commentators, and po-faced officials. He is deeply suspicious of those who seek increased regulation of speech and behaviour”. He finds plenty of fodder with Jacinda Ardern. Quote:

Those in the business of bestowing luvvie immunity will screech accusations of a News Corp conspiracy to discredit Ardern, but even the BBC has asked her some awkward questions about her government’s restrictive immigration policies in the context of a white supremacist’s murder of 50 New Zealand Muslims…highlight[ing] Deputy Prime Minister and Ardern’s Coalition partner Winston Peters’ xenophobic remarks on ethnicity and race in respect to that portfolio. Could not this political rhetoric foster the kind of views that lead to something terrible. End of quote.

Ardern’s only defense is virtue-signalling on New Zealand’s miniscule refugee program. Quote:

As Tracy Watkins of New Zealand news website Stuff observed, this increased quota is not scheduled to take effect until 2020 and is “little more than a gesture”. Ardern’s promise to double the country’s annual quota of refugees from 750 to 1500 is merely a transition from the piss-weak to the piddling, and per capita is significantly lower [one-third, precisely] than Australia’s intake…Remember that next time Ardern publicly admonishes Australia on our perceived moral failings regarding offshore detention. End of quote.

Ardern is adept at sleazy point-scoring: playing to the cheap seats by trying to cock snooks at Australia. Boasting that she was quicker to move on gun restrictions is a new low, which ignores the significant differences between our countries, including size and federal system of government. Quote:

Someone needs reminding this is not a competition between countries. Neither is it an occasion for self-praise or political posturing. When Ardern this week announced a royal commission into whether the massacre could have been prevented, she portrayed herself as the grim and resolute leader demanding accountability…However, New Zealanders are also entitled to ask Ardern and her government three questions. First, where was gun control on her list of priorities; second, why has it required a tragedy of this magnitude for her to finally act on it; and third, will the previous two questions be included in the commission’s term of reference? To put it bluntly, it has taken her nearly a year and a half to introduce legislation to ban so-called military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) weapons, despite the warning signs having been obvious since last century. End of quote.

New Zealand has witnessed several mass shootings in recent decades. Nothing was done, even when Labour was in government. Quote:

Radio New Zealand reported in response that then Labour shadow police spokesman Stuart Nash “doesn’t believe that banning some weapons will prevent mass killings”. He is now Ardern’s police minister […] Offering his parliamentary condolences following the Orlando nightclub shooting in Florida in 2016, New Zealand First party leader Winston Peters stated “There are those who will take the politically correct view and blame it all on a lack of gun control. They are wrong. They have been misled.” End of quote.

Gun control has never been on Labour’s radar, despite previous mass shootings. Quote:

Labour’s election platform of 2017 contained no mention of firearms within its community safety policies. Neither was there any mention of them during Ardern’s lengthy speech at the opening of Parliament last month when she outlined her government’s priorities. End of quote.

Saint Jacinda’s priorities lay elsewhere. Why do something about guns when there were far deadlier threats to be countered? Quote:

Instead of banning the country’s estimated 13,500 military style semi-automatic weapons when she became Prime Minister, Ardern instead banned single use plastic bags.

End of quote.

theaustralian.com.

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I wonder if some one has informed cindy about this . She seems so keen to pander to most religions except Christianity .

I see Sonny Bill was expounding the virtues of the Muslim faith today , perhaps some of these people should be asked for there opinions on this .

Brunei has defended against growing global criticism its right to implement Islamic laws that would allow death by stoning for adultery and homosexuality.  

The laws, elements of which were first adopted in 2014 and which have been rolled out in phases since then, will be fully implemented from next week, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement on Saturday.

"The (Sharia) law, apart from criminalising and deterring acts that are against the teachings of Islam, also aims to educate, respect and protect the legitimate rights of all individuals, society or nationality of any faiths and race," the statement said.

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13 hours ago, tripple alliance said:

I wonder if some one has informed cindy about this . She seems so keen to pander to most religions except Christianity .

I see Sonny Bill was expounding the virtues of the Muslim faith today , perhaps some of these people should be asked for there opinions on this .

Brunei has defended against growing global criticism its right to implement Islamic laws that would allow death by stoning for adultery and homosexuality.  

The laws, elements of which were first adopted in 2014 and which have been rolled out in phases since then, will be fully implemented from next week, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement on Saturday.

"The (Sharia) law, apart from criminalising and deterring acts that are against the teachings of Islam, also aims to educate, respect and protect the legitimate rights of all individuals, society or nationality of any faiths and race," the statement said.

Woah! - this is treading on thin ice.

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It’s Australian readers’ turn to deliver their verdict on Jacinda Ardern

by Lushington D. Brady 
 
ThumbsDown.jpg?w=630&ssl=1 Caption: You could say the reaction was unfavourable.

I’ve already brought readers the thoughts of two Australian journalists who are less than dazzled by Jacinda Ardern’s carefully constructed halo. Thoughtfully, The Australian has published a summary of their readers’ opinions.

Now, some will no doubt object that these are merely the brainwashed ravings of those “deplorable” Murdoch stooges. Yet, as “The Mocker” himself pointed out, even the luvvies at the BBC are starting to ask difficult questions. When you’ve lost the Beeb, you’ve lost “progressive” opinion. Besides, The Australian is one of the biggest-selling, print and digital, newspapers in the country, so its readers’ opinions must be at least taken seriously.

Their opinions suggest that, outside the self-congratulatory bubble of the media-political elite, Mother Jacinda is perhaps not so universally adored as they might hope. Reader Graham unfavourably likened her to some other one-time idols of “progressive” elites: Quote:

“Ardern, Rudd, Macron, Trudeau … all tip, no iceberg.”

Erasmus elucidated:

“When she was elected, there was this euphoria among the elitists and leftists about her joining Trudeau and Macron as part of the bright new generation of leaders preparing to take the world into an exciting future without grey-haired old men.

“Since then, Macron’s Napoleonic delusions have seen him become the most unpopular leader in recent French history and Trudeau is now deeply engulfed in a corruption scandal that should end his political career and will almost certainly ensure his party loses the next election.

“On the policy front, Ardern is doing no better than these two, so she is working hard to grab all the kudos she can out of Christchurch. I’m not saying her emotions aren’t real, but in the end she remains what she has always been — a careerist politician totally focused on the politics of every situation.” End of quote.

Reader Pat assigned faint praise where it was due, before sticking the boots in. Quote:

This fawning adulation of Saint Jacinda is going to ridiculous lengths, Yes, she carried out her role as NZ leader with firmness and grace immediately after the tragedy. Many world leaders would have done exactly the same; there was nothing exceptional in this.

“Her political track-record since taking office, not by popular vote but by electoral vagaries, is less than stellar, as this article points out. Her symbolic gestures in support of the Muslim majority started out as graceful and inclusive, but have carried on way too long, to a sycophantic degree. End of quote.

Ken delivered a similar verdict, especially on the fawning media. Quote:

“I won’t quibble with folk who believe that Ardern has handled matters competently … I’m trying to imagine, however, the reaction of the twitterati in Australia if in similar circumstances Scomo had donned a dishdash for the funeral and subsequently asked Waleed for an empathetic hug before an interview…He would have been lambasted for weeks as a phony.” End of quote.

A number of Australian readers made some unflattering comparisons. Greg likened Ardern to another “socialist Barbie”. Quote:

“Earlier this year the crazy left was pumping up the best female leader in the world as A Ocasio-Cortez, since then she has been found out as a phony, mathematically challenged and just another do as I say not as I do crazy socialist.

“No surprise they have moved on to someone else, someone who leads a country that does very little for refugees or foreign aid.” End of quote.

Reader Dave Wane also drew the same comparison as I did, way back last September. Quote:

“As I recall Rudd was popular amongst most Australians (and himself of course) for a while.

Rudd and his motley Labor mob replaced Australia’s best government in living memory, namely the Howard/Costello government. We have never recovered from that massive mistake.

The same thing will now happen in NZ by stupidly tossing out Bill English and installing this lefty socialist dreamer. She will wreck the joint.” End of quote.

theaustralian


Adore in haste, repent at leisure.

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Shane Jones goes too far this time

by Christie 
 
Shane-Jones.jpg?w=300&ssl=1

When Shane Jones joined NZ First, he was generally seen as Winston’s successor, and with good reason. Based in the Far North, of strong Maori descent, intelligent and educated, and with a lot of political experience, he was seen as the future of the party. But Jones was always known as a bit of a lad; an outlier in fact, and this did not change when he became a minister in the current government. If anything, he got worse, lambasting public companies, and behaving in a generally unprofessional and cavalier manner. While he already makes it clear that he is the one making the decisions about allocations of funding from the PGF, now he has gone too far, and his political career may be on the line because of it. quote.

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones raised NZ Transport Agency’s case against a Northland trucking company with the chief executive of the regulator.

Jones has confirmed he is related to the company’s managing director, Stan Semenoff, and that he accepted a $2000 donation from the former Whangarei mayor in 2008.

On Wednesday told the New Zealand Herald reported that Jones had made warnings about the “economic implications” of the case between the New Zealand Transport Agency and Stan Semenoff Logging.

Jones reportedly said he was “concerned about the future of 1000 jobs in Northland which could be on the line” due to the court case. end quote.

He should not be interfering in a case before the courts. What is worse, he is Associate Transport Minister, and therefore is seen as applying undue pressure on an agency that he has some responsibility towards. Furthermore, there is a family connection, so a clear conflict of interest applies. Does Shane Jones not take any notice of any of these things? quote.

On March 15, NZTA moved to revoke Whangarei-based Stan Semenoff Logging’s transport service licence over long standing safety concerns.


Stan Semenoff Logging was ordered to stop work from March 22, however the company, which has clocked up 116 speed and traffic-related offences in the last four years, successfully applied to the High Court to be given the right to stay on the road for now.

Jones, who also holds the Associate Transport portfolio, told Parliament that the had a “brief” discussion with the chief executive of NZTA. He did not describe the discussion.

end quote.

Disgraceful. Maurice Williamson was stood down as a minister immediately after a similar incident came to light. This is not acceptable behaviour from a minister. quote.

Jones also confirmed that he is related to Semenoff.
According to a report in the Otago Daily Times in 2009, Jones said the donation from Semenoff was because “he’s my mother’s cousin”.

National’s regional development spokesman Paul Goldsmith had earlier said it was inappropriate for Jones to make any comment about the NZTA case given the matter was before the courts. It appeared Jones was attempting to put pressure on NZTA, Goldsmith said.
“It is constitutionally inappropriate for any minister to wade in on a matter before the courts which is exactly what Mr Jones has done by saying an adverse outcome for Semenoff Logging in its case against the NZTA could lead to job losses in Northland. We need to know the full extent of his inappropriate behaviour,” Goldsmith said.
“It makes it worse if there is a perception of some form of relationship there. He has more questions to answer.”

Stuff end quote.


The trouble is that Jacinda can do nothing about Jones unless Winston agrees, and that is not likely. So, our once spotless reputation goes down another notch because Jones can get away with anything… and he takes advantage of it.

Shane Jones had a great opportunity with NZ First to carve out a niche for himself, and have a long career with the party in parliament. As it is, he must face accusations of corruption, coercion and trying to put pressure on a government agency, for which he is partly responsible. Jones’s prospects are not good. Justin Trudeau has been accused of similar actions, and he is now fighting for his political life… and appears to be losing fast.

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On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 3:31 PM, rdytdy said:

Australian economist rips into 'ordinary' Ardern

a woman looking at the camera: Is MMP working or should it change?© Image - Getty; Video - Newshub Is MMP working or should it change?

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern won the hearts of many for her empathetic response to the Christchurch terror attack, but an Australian economist isn't convinced she's the real deal. 

Judith Sloan, a Melbourne-based economist, says while Ardern has been lauded for her response to Christchurch including clamping down on gun laws, she only came to be in her position through "extraordinary selectiveness". 

"For those who follow that country's politics, the deification of Jacinda Ardern is underpinned by an extraordinary selectiveness when it comes to assessing the real political person," Sloan wrote in The Australian newspaper.

The criticism comes amid a wave of international admiration for Ardern and her reaction to the Christchurch mosque shootings when 50 people were killed. Over the weekend an image of Ardern was projected onto the world's tallest building in Dubai in a show of thanks. 

But Sloan suggests Ardern's popularity is misguided: "I get it: she's young, a new mother with a stay-at-home partner and she's from the Left."

She pointed to the 2017 election when Ardern's Labour Party won 46 seats, which were not enough to form a government. It only managed to get through by forming a coalition with New Zealand First and a confidence and supply guarantee with the Greens. 

Jacinda Ardern sitting at a desk © Provided by MediaWorks NZ Limited Ardern's deputy, Winston Peters, was described as a "nationalist-populist" by Sloan, who she said was "rewarded with the deputy prime ministership" along with three other ministerial titles - "not a bad haul for a party that received 7 percent of the vote".

Sloan said the New Zealand election was "surprising" considering the "success of the previous National Party governments" under former prime ministers John Key and Bill English. She said they "artfully" steered us through the global financial crisis and Christchurch earthquakes. 

But the National Party, like Labour, did not win enough seats to form a government, and under Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP), both parties were at the mercy of New Zealand First to form a coalition. 

Sloan also took aim at Ardern's persistent offer to take some of its detained asylum seekers - an offer that was first made in 2013 under the National-led government and refused over the possibility of New Zealand being used as a backdoor into Australia.  

"Ardern has been happy to garner favourable press coverage criticising our offshore processing system and vaguely agreeing to take some refugees from Manus Island and Nauru," Sloan said. 

"But her country's annual refugee intake had been just 750 until last year, when it was lifted to 1000. New Zealand's refugee intake amounts to 0.02 percent of its population compared with our 0.07 percent."

Sloan did not mention that the Government announced in September last year it will be increasing the refugee quota to 1500 within its first term. The quota was increased to 1000 by the previous National-led government in response to the Syrian refugee crisis. 

Sloan also took aim at the Government's KiwiBuild policy, which has come under fire for not delivering on its initial pledge. In January Ardern said the programme had been "re-calibrated", with the target of 1000 homes by the end of 2019 dropped. 

Jacinda Ardern, Phil Twyford are posing for a picture © Provided by MediaWorks NZ Limited

"What started off as an ill-considered public housing project has turned out to be an extremely unsuccessful private real estate scam. The government estimated that there would be 1000 homes built last year under KiwiBuild; it turned out to be 47," Sloan said. 

KiwiBuild's long-term goal of delivering 100,000 houses in 10 years has been kept, however, with Ardern admitting in January that the Government will "need to demonstrate to the public what we're doing". 

Sloan, who has held a number of government appointments in Australia, including Commissioner of the Productivity Commission, also took aim at the Government's attempt to reduce the migrant intake, noting the foreign buyer ban

"If their economy turns pear-shaped, there is a strong possibility more New Zealanders, including those recently arrived migrants, could head over the ditch," she said.  

"We expect our political leaders to behave in a compassionate and forthright manner in those circumstances. Ardern has lived up to this expectation.

"But this doesn't inoculate her from criticism as a political leader trying to run a country. On many fronts, her performance has been ordinary."

 

 

Sloan is a predictable right wing shill.

'

Sloan sat on the boards of several companies, including Mayne Nickless, SGIO Insurance, Santos, Primelife (chair).[5] The Australian federal government appointed her to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1998; she was a founding member of the group Conservatives for an Australian Head of State.[6]

She writes for The Australian and is a frequent guest on the ABC talk show Q&A. An email leak in November 2018 revealed that Sloan earns A$357,000 for her work as contributing economics editor at The Australian.[7]

'

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On ‎4‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 12:07 PM, rdytdy said:

 

 

It’s Australian readers’ turn to deliver their verdict on Jacinda Ardern

by Lushington D. Brady 
 
ThumbsDown.jpg?w=630&ssl=1 Caption: You could say the reaction was unfavourable.

I’ve already brought readers the thoughts of two Australian journalists who are less than dazzled by Jacinda Ardern’s carefully constructed halo. Thoughtfully, The Australian has published a summary of their readers’ opinions.

Now, some will no doubt object that these are merely the brainwashed ravings of those “deplorable” Murdoch stooges. Yet, as “The Mocker” himself pointed out, even the luvvies at the BBC are starting to ask difficult questions. When you’ve lost the Beeb, you’ve lost “progressive” opinion. Besides, The Australian is one of the biggest-selling, print and digital, newspapers in the country, so its readers’ opinions must be at least taken seriously.

Their opinions suggest that, outside the self-congratulatory bubble of the media-political elite, Mother Jacinda is perhaps not so universally adored as they might hope. Reader Graham unfavourably likened her to some other one-time idols of “progressive” elites: Quote:

“Ardern, Rudd, Macron, Trudeau … all tip, no iceberg.”

Erasmus elucidated:

“When she was elected, there was this euphoria among the elitists and leftists about her joining Trudeau and Macron as part of the bright new generation of leaders preparing to take the world into an exciting future without grey-haired old men.

“Since then, Macron’s Napoleonic delusions have seen him become the most unpopular leader in recent French history and Trudeau is now deeply engulfed in a corruption scandal that should end his political career and will almost certainly ensure his party loses the next election.

“On the policy front, Ardern is doing no better than these two, so she is working hard to grab all the kudos she can out of Christchurch. I’m not saying her emotions aren’t real, but in the end she remains what she has always been — a careerist politician totally focused on the politics of every situation.” End of quote.

Reader Pat assigned faint praise where it was due, before sticking the boots in. Quote:

This fawning adulation of Saint Jacinda is going to ridiculous lengths, Yes, she carried out her role as NZ leader with firmness and grace immediately after the tragedy. Many world leaders would have done exactly the same; there was nothing exceptional in this.

“Her political track-record since taking office, not by popular vote but by electoral vagaries, is less than stellar, as this article points out. Her symbolic gestures in support of the Muslim majority started out as graceful and inclusive, but have carried on way too long, to a sycophantic degree. End of quote.

Ken delivered a similar verdict, especially on the fawning media. Quote:

“I won’t quibble with folk who believe that Ardern has handled matters competently … I’m trying to imagine, however, the reaction of the twitterati in Australia if in similar circumstances Scomo had donned a dishdash for the funeral and subsequently asked Waleed for an empathetic hug before an interview…He would have been lambasted for weeks as a phony.” End of quote.

A number of Australian readers made some unflattering comparisons. Greg likened Ardern to another “socialist Barbie”. Quote:

“Earlier this year the crazy left was pumping up the best female leader in the world as A Ocasio-Cortez, since then she has been found out as a phony, mathematically challenged and just another do as I say not as I do crazy socialist.

“No surprise they have moved on to someone else, someone who leads a country that does very little for refugees or foreign aid.” End of quote.

Reader Dave Wane also drew the same comparison as I did, way back last September. Quote:

“As I recall Rudd was popular amongst most Australians (and himself of course) for a while.

Rudd and his motley Labor mob replaced Australia’s best government in living memory, namely the Howard/Costello government. We have never recovered from that massive mistake. 

The same thing will now happen in NZ by stupidly tossing out Bill English and installing this lefty socialist dreamer. She will wreck the joint.” End of quote.

theaustralian


Adore in haste, repent at leisure.

' replaced Australia’s best government in living memory, namely the Howard/Costello government. We have never recovered from that massive mistake. '

 

 

replace 'best' with 'luckiest'...Govts in NZ and Oz have little to do with how the economy performs.

 

International events,interest and exchange rates are the pertinent factors.

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Australian's with thoughts on our Prime Minister :rcf-thinking:. Ho ho ho! Those Australians tend to be a bit fickle about Prime Ministers. They've certainly had a fair few of them lately. We here in NZ tend to be more forgiving and as a result our PM's hang around for a lot longer. I feel we're better off for it.

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KiwiBuild ‘a welfare scheme for property developers’

by SB 
 
Collins-and-Twyford-on-the-AM-show-1.jpg Judith Collins and Phil Twyford. Photo credit: The AM Show

Kiwibuild has been revealed as a rort by National housing spokeswoman Judith Collins, who has called it “a welfare scheme for property developers”. She has pointed out that more than half of the homes built since the policy started were already underway before they were added to the programme.

[…] Judith Collins said this showed how little KiwiBuild was actually doing to add to New Zealand’s housing stock.

[…] In a written question to Twyford, Collins asked how many of the so-far completed KiwiBuild homes were not under construction before they were contracted to KiwiBuild.
In response to the question, Twyford said 33 of the 74 KiwiBuild homes that were reported as being complete, as of March 11, were not under construction before they were associated with KiwiBuild.

 

In other words, 41 houses – or 55 per cent – were already under construction before they became part of the programme.

“So far, more than half of the KiwiBuild houses were started before the Minister approved underwriting contracts giving guaranteed prices to developers,” Collins said.
“That is not adding to the housing stock to count houses already being built.”

In response to Collins’ written question, he said bringing the houses which are already under construction into the KiwiBuild programme was the last step in what is frequently a months-long process.
“I am not prepared to demand developers put construction on hold while the legal formalities of them joining the KiwiBuild programme are concluded.”
He said that going forward, the Government won’t stop contracting partly completed homes into KiwiBuild.

[…] In January, Twyford and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern scrapped the KiwiBuild targets and announced a “recalibration” of the policy.
The Government had previously said it would build 1000 KiwiBuild homes by July 2019, 5000 in 2020, 10,000 the year after, and 12,000 every year after that until 2028.
“[Those] targets have not been a useful way to demonstrate our delivery programme, that’s why the minister is looking at that again,” Ardern said.

Excuse me while I hold my sides laughing. Of course they weren’t a useful way to demonstrate their delivery programme. It is very inconvenient to be measured against their targets, as such a measurement would reveal how massively they over promised and under delivered.

[…] Twyford said he would be unveiling the new-look KiwiBuild in a few weeks.
But he said the recalibration would not include yearly targets, as it had previously.
“We’re committed to the 100,000 over 10 years – but we won’t be setting a new range of interim targets. […]

A Newspaper

 

A recalibration huh? Pull the other one. What gets measured gets done, and they don’t want to be held accountable. Instead we get offered a ten year target that they will never achieve, as they are not prepared to commit to yearly targets. What a mess.

 

 

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Lies, damned lies and Capital Gains Tax

by Christie 
 
sir-michael-cullen-photo_doug-sherring.j

On the motorway into Wellington, there is a big sign saying:

We all work hard. Capital Gains Tax is fair.

Or words to that effect.

Of course, this billboard is quite inaccurate. We do not all ‘work hard’. Many people do not work at all, choosing to live off welfare, and spend their lives taking from the government as much as possible.

This government’s main reason for introducing a CGT is because it is ‘fair’, but it is not clear who it is ‘fair’ to. As this is a classic socialist ‘tax and spend’ government, it is expected that capital gains on property, farms, shares and businesses will be taxed, and the money collected widely distributed to those who depend on welfare. In other words, the government intends to take more money, in the form of taxation, from those who work hard and build an asset base, and give it to those who cannot be bothered to do anything for themselves. I am not talking about those who are unable to work. I am talking only about those who choose a benefit lifestyle… and there are quite a few of those.

However, even the media are now beginning to question the merits of the government’s ‘fairness’ claims. Troy Bowker states that the claim that CGT is fair is based on flawed data. quote.

The Tax Working Group (TWG) used an unreliable survey by the Department of Statistics as the basis for its argument that the majority of the proposed capital gains tax (CGT) will be paid by the top 20 per cent of households measured by wealth.

Repeatedly, since the final report was published, Sir Michael Cullen has quoted the “statistic” to the media that 82 per cent of the assets that will be subject to CGT are owned by the top 20 per cent of New Zealand households measured by net worth.

He goes on to state (as factual) the second 20 per cent of wealthy households will be responsible for another 11 per cent , then only 4 per cent for “middle” New Zealand.

In reality, this information is based on what most reasonable people would describe as little more than guess work.

It has been used for political purposes to argue that the majority of the public have nothing to worry about, and it will be mostly the “rich” that will pay CGT.

If it is correct (which it isn’t), it’s a very good argument for Labour and the Greens who desperately want to see a comprehensive CGT implemented.

The statistic was derived by manipulating data collected from the July 2015 Household Economic Survey (HES).
It was done by conducting interviews of 8000 households, out of approximately 1.7 million households, in New Zealand. That’s only 0.47 per cent of households — a ridiculously low sample size.

The other reason it is unreliable is most of the information provided is unverifiable. By the Department of Statistics own admission, it contains data that is so unreliable that they cautioned against its use. end quote.

What is it they say about lies, damned lies and statistics? The government will use unreliable information to create a false impression that most people will not be affected by CGT. This is simply not true. quote.

There are 50 individual categories of data collected in this survey (or data cells). Of the 50 cells, 20 of them are considered by Department of Statistics to have a sampling errors of between 20 per cent and 50 per cent.

Another five are so unreliable the Department of Statistics has blanked them out as it would be irresponsible to even publish them.

To put this another way, 50 per cent of the survey results are considered unreliable by the Department of Statistics who published them.

It beggars belief that Treasury decided to use this information in its report to the TWG.

Did the TWG specifically request Treasury to dig up statistics to support the political argument that only the top households would pay CGT? Did the TWG know the data they were using was largely unreliable? Treasury obviously had concerns about using it and told the TWG in its report. So why did the TWG use that data?
The reality is, we don’t have enough reliable information to draw any conclusions at all about which households will pay the most from the proposed CGT.


We do know, however, that there are hundreds of thousands of farmers, business owners, lifestyle block owners, bach owners and sharemarket investors who will pay a lot more tax if Labour are successful in implementing CGT.
 

There are an awful lot of hardworking ordinary Kiwis who don’t consider themselves wealthy who will pay CGT if Labour are successful in convincing Winston Peters to support it.

Labour need to come clean and be honest about the many hundreds of thousands of middle income Kiwis who will pay CGT. They also need to answer some serious questions about how, and why, the HES was used to support the main argument on fairness by the TWG. End quote.

A Newspaper. end quote.


Everyone who owns any asset at all (except an art collection, like Michael Cullen) will be affected by the tax. Kiwisaver accounts will be affected, which will mean that the vast majority of working people will be caught in the CGT net. The government is trying to falsify its way into telling everyone that CGT is fair, and the billboards on the motorway are just another form of brainwashing. CGT is not fair. It punishes people for working hard and building an asset base.

That is all there is to it.

Everything else is lies, damned lies and statistics.

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Jacinda Ardern’s confession

by SB 
 
ardern-cracking.jpg?w=1484&ssl=1 Jacinda Ardern cracking Photoshopped image credit: Luke

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confessed to what we have known all along. She makes most of her decisions based on emotion rather than facts and logic.

[…] “Very little of what I have done has been deliberate. It’s intuitive. I think it’s just the nature of an event like this. There is very little time to sit and think in those terms. You just do what feels right.”

 

She crosses the office to her desk and pulls an A4 sheet of paper from a drawer. It’s been folded in half, and in half again, and again. Printed on the back is the running order for an event she hosted in Auckland the night before the attack. On the front are a series of notes, scrawled in Ardern’s rounded handwriting, growing more hurried and less legible as they cross the page. A handful of words have been highlighted in bright orange.
One person custody may be other offndr.
Act
of exraordnry
violence. It has no place in NZ.
They are us.
“These are my notes for the first press conference,” she explains. “I was in a hotel room. We only had a short amount of time to prepare.”

[…] Gun law reforms, intended to ban all semi-automatic firearms, were expedited, with cross-party support. An inquiry was commissioned, tasked with asking, among other things, whether an emphasis on jihadi terrorism had meant New Zealand intelligence agencies were looking the wrong way.

theguardian


An emotional leader is a leader to fear. An emotional leader is not someone who we can trust to make the hard choices or the right decisions. In the aftermath of the terror attack, New Zealand is now faced with an undemocratic gun law that has been rushed. The government has not followed due process and the draft law is so poorly written that all guns could end up being effectively banned.

Our free speech is now under serious threat with the push (only months after the government finally got rid of the blasphemy law) to bring in ‘hate speech’ laws which will effectively be blasphemy laws via the back door. Having a leader in charge of our country who does what “feels right” is a terrifying thought.

Would you want a surgeon to do what feels right, or would you want him or her to put in hours before your surgery looking at your x rays, reading your medical notes and weighing up what could go wrong so that he or she is prepared for all eventualities?

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cindys royal commission into the Christchurch mass murders might be interesting . I wonder what part her appointment of nikki hager and others who distrust our SIS has played in missing important intelligence . With people like these looking over the shoulders  of our SIS operatives it must make their activities less effective and much more difficult . 

The intelligence and security watchdog has established a group made up of journalists, lawyers, academics, and security experts to help ensure intelligence and security agencies act lawfully and properly.

 Investigative journalist and author Nicky Hager has been a vocal critic of some of the actions taken by NZSIS and the GCSB in the past. He is a member of the group. .

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Priority funding for guns but scale back for Auckland light rail

by Suze 
 
moneymeme.jpg?w=512&ssl=1 Image credit: Orlando Weekly

It’s a long time between elections for voters, but not nearly long enough for the government to keep all the promises it made before the last election. Auckland light rail is going down the same path as KiwiBuild, with the budgeted programme and timeline floating in the breeze.

Neither the government nor the opposition showed any concern about passing a law with no knowledge of the extent of funding required for the necessary gun buy back. Now the government has indicated the promised Auckland light rail programme will have to be scaled back to stay within its $6 billion allocated funding. Quote.

The Government may have to scale back its $6 billion light rail programme for Auckland by scrapping a line from the city centre to west Auckland, says Transport Minister Phil Twyford.

The MP for Te Atatu said it was his strong preference to see light rail built from the city centre to the west and to the airport, but if it is not possible to fund and finance both lines, then light rail to the airport will get priority. End of quote.

 

Labour campaigned on Auckland light rail so why don’t they simply allocate more funding? Quote.

Along with KiwiBuild, light rail is one of Labour’s flagship policies. It was announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at her first public appearance as Leader of the Opposition in August 2017 where she called it a “game-changer” and a solution to the city’s congestion.

 

A newspaper end quote.
 

It’s not just the funding that is a problem; it is also the timeline, because when a timeline blows out, so does the budget.Quote.

Ardern promised to build light rail to Mt Roskill within four years, followed by light rail from Mt Roskill to the airport and to Westgate in west Auckland within 10 years. Labour later said it would extend the western line a further 9km to Kumeu.

“It’s only a contingency. If we weren’t able to fund and finance it, there are many, many calls on the transport purse, then with that corridor (to west Auckland) we would need to look at some other options. It could be bus rapid transit or other things,” he [Twyford] said.

“Obviously money does not grow on trees,” Twyford told the Herald.” End of quote.

A newspaper


Money certainly doesn’t grow on trees but it seems this government’s election promises do. Fortunately, voters have long memories.

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1 hour ago, Ohokaman said:

What a bloody joke this has become.....the "do gooders" are having a picnic.

Where were all these people over the last ten years while the Crusaders were winning everything....??

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/386689/what-could-a-rebranded-crusaders-look-like

On the face of it this is a complete joke BUT some thing that hasn't been discussed by anyone and could be the real reason for a name change , Security when travelling abroad .

Imagine what could happen after  the recent tragic events when the Crusaders  pass threw a Muslim country's airport or play anywhere internationally , headlines the CRUSADERS ARE HERE , perhaps the name will make them targets for cindys new found friends , they are not all nice people .

The Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby have made it clear that the combination of the name, logo and sword-weilding horseman was no longer tenable and that the latter would be dropped for the remainder of the 2019 season.

 

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10 hours ago, tripple alliance said:

On the face of it this is a complete joke BUT some thing that hasn't been discussed by anyone and could be the real reason for a name change , Security when travelling abroad .

Imagine what could happen after  the recent tragic events when the Crusaders  pass threw a Muslim country's airport or play anywhere internationally , headlines the CRUSADERS ARE HERE , perhaps the name will make them targets for cindys new found friends , they are not all nice people .

The Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby have made it clear that the combination of the name, logo and sword-weilding horseman was no longer tenable and that the latter would be dropped for the remainder of the 2019 season.

 

The point is TA that nobody has had a problem with the Crusaders for many years, the NZRFU have long lauded them as the best franchise in NZ Rugby for decades.....and they have never been slow to capitalise on that.

Now, because of the actions of one Australian lunatic it is now poison and must be done away with...???!!

The horses running around were always a great spectacle but no one ever put the connotation of murderers on them.

PC lunacy at work again for mine.

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Promises promises - Labour's naive habit

By: Mike Hosking

What is it with Labour parties and promises?

Bill Shorten, odds-on favourite to become Australia's next Prime Minister in May, announced his electric car policy involved sales increasing over the next 10 years from 2500 per year to 600,000.

He would also build a charging network (which is no mean feat given the size of his country) and having pulled those rabbits out of hats, then went on radio to announce the good thing about electric cars is they can be charged in eight minutes.

He is still recovering from that, as well as coming up with an answer to what most of us would have assumed is a fairly obvious question: what is he going to do about power production in a country that is already fragile in terms of delivery, given the surge in demand that will occur with all his cars, not to mention the fact that 90 per cent of Australia's power is fuelled by coal?

So despite all that, the average Aussie punter still thinks he's got the wherewithal to run the place.

Mind you look at us.

Labour here promised 100,000 houses over 10 years.

A thousand in year 1, and yet we find out this week that of the 70 odd they've allegedly produced, 41 in fact were underway before they ever got to office, so in essence they've produced barely over 30, which if you equate it out is not even two per month.

Do you think if they could have their time again, both Labour parties might work through a few of the details before firing out the press releases.

Promises made, need to be promises kept, otherwise your credibility is shot.

Which is about where our Labour Government is at.

Not just the 100,000 houses, that will never happen. But last week the halving of child poverty, once again a very specific and bold promise, but one like the houses that will not be met.

Half way through their term, it's not only not halved, it's gone up.

Social housing was to be addressed, it's gone up as well, it is at 10,000 in the queue, a new record, in fact the rise in the past year, is a record in itself.

This week the $6 billion light rail network in Auckland, the budget is blown, a line is likely to be dropped because, reports suggest, Labour didn't understand the complexity of the work required.

Dare I wander down the Jobseeker path? 11,000 more on that benefit than before Labour arrived.

Now they have answers for all this.

The answers are, it's hard, these things don't get fixed in a day, we are doing our best, they won't apologise for being aspirational.

These are all things one Cabinet minister or another has said to me by way of excuse on the radio.

But in offering up those excuses what they fail to grasp is that it was always hard, the sort of things they're seeking to achieve … even if you thought they were sensible policies, which in itself is one of the glaring errors, but even if you thought they were sensible polices, to make a specific number-related promise around them was always politically fatal.

It opens you up to direct comparison and accountability. It opens you up to the charge of being naive or dishonest. It opens you up to an ongoing dialogue that involves all future policy being second guessed given your reputation got trashed so early on, on the stuff that never fired.

It is all driven sadly by naivety, that wide eyed "why can't we do it " sort of approach that comes out of a mix of desperation from not having been in government for close to a decade, and a desperation to look like you might know what you're talking about.

Add now, add to the mix, the cold, hard reality of a slowing economy, if they couldn't do it all bright eyed and bushy tailed and new to office, throw in the current business sentiment and stalling growth and watch how distant and difficult those headline grabbing promises become.

 

 

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9 hours ago, rdytdy said:

Promises promises - Labour's naive habit

By: Mike Hosking

What is it with Labour parties and promises?

Bill Shorten, odds-on favourite to become Australia's next Prime Minister in May, announced his electric car policy involved sales increasing over the next 10 years from 2500 per year to 600,000.

He would also build a charging network (which is no mean feat given the size of his country) and having pulled those rabbits out of hats, then went on radio to announce the good thing about electric cars is they can be charged in eight minutes.

He is still recovering from that, as well as coming up with an answer to what most of us would have assumed is a fairly obvious question: what is he going to do about power production in a country that is already fragile in terms of delivery, given the surge in demand that will occur with all his cars, not to mention the fact that 90 per cent of Australia's power is fuelled by coal?

So despite all that, the average Aussie punter still thinks he's got the wherewithal to run the place.

Mind you look at us.

Labour here promised 100,000 houses over 10 years.

A thousand in year 1, and yet we find out this week that of the 70 odd they've allegedly produced, 41 in fact were underway before they ever got to office, so in essence they've produced barely over 30, which if you equate it out is not even two per month.

Do you think if they could have their time again, both Labour parties might work through a few of the details before firing out the press releases.

Promises made, need to be promises kept, otherwise your credibility is shot.

Which is about where our Labour Government is at.

Not just the 100,000 houses, that will never happen. But last week the halving of child poverty, once again a very specific and bold promise, but one like the houses that will not be met.

Half way through their term, it's not only not halved, it's gone up.

Social housing was to be addressed, it's gone up as well, it is at 10,000 in the queue, a new record, in fact the rise in the past year, is a record in itself.

This week the $6 billion light rail network in Auckland, the budget is blown, a line is likely to be dropped because, reports suggest, Labour didn't understand the complexity of the work required.

Dare I wander down the Jobseeker path? 11,000 more on that benefit than before Labour arrived.

Now they have answers for all this.

The answers are, it's hard, these things don't get fixed in a day, we are doing our best, they won't apologise for being aspirational.

These are all things one Cabinet minister or another has said to me by way of excuse on the radio.

But in offering up those excuses what they fail to grasp is that it was always hard, the sort of things they're seeking to achieve … even if you thought they were sensible policies, which in itself is one of the glaring errors, but even if you thought they were sensible polices, to make a specific number-related promise around them was always politically fatal.

It opens you up to direct comparison and accountability. It opens you up to the charge of being naive or dishonest. It opens you up to an ongoing dialogue that involves all future policy being second guessed given your reputation got trashed so early on, on the stuff that never fired.

It is all driven sadly by naivety, that wide eyed "why can't we do it " sort of approach that comes out of a mix of desperation from not having been in government for close to a decade, and a desperation to look like you might know what you're talking about.

Add now, add to the mix, the cold, hard reality of a slowing economy, if they couldn't do it all bright eyed and bushy tailed and new to office, throw in the current business sentiment and stalling growth and watch how distant and difficult those headline grabbing promises become.

 

 

National had 9 long years of stoking the housing crisis.They had no policy and rarely do...make the rich,richer is their raison d'etre'.As for big issues?...kick the can ,down the road'...let someone else worry about those!

National...NZ 4 SALE....Bill English ...'we run an open economy'...'there is no silver bullet'....Dr Jiang is a big fundraiser for the Natz...pop him into Parliament,but what about his C.V!...Look the other..way.

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25 minutes ago, flockofewes2 said:

National had 9 long years of stoking the housing crisis.They had no policy and rarely do...make the rich,richer is their raison d'etre'.As for big issues?...kick the can ,down the road'...let someone else worry about those!

National...NZ 4 SALE....Bill English ...'we run an open economy'...'there is no silver bullet'....Dr Jiang is a big fundraiser for the Natz...pop him into Parliament,but what about his C.V!...Look the other..way.

9 years to deal with the GFC and the Christchurch quake , can you imagine how this lot would cope if those issues returned . 

This is the most incompetent govt this country has ever seem . Failure after failure , housing , homeless , a doubling of food parcels , cancellation of roading projects , cancellation of rail projects , funding issues with hospitals , funding issues with cancer treatment potential corruption with NZF , the list is growing at an alarming rate , then we have the capitol gains tax , it goes from bad to worse .

Seriously , cindy is hopeless and her team is out of their depth .

 

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Thick as the proverbial short plank:

 

Jacinda missed playschool

by WH 
 
playschool.jpg?w=779&ssl=1 Here’s a house. Here’s a door. Windows – one, two, three, four …

Okay, okay, sometimes it is really hard to tell things apart. There can be such subtle differences that an expert on the subject is required to differentiate between exemplars. So we should not be too hard on Ms Ardern. She has a country to run, virtue to signal, a baby to change and feed and a hanger-on to keep in line. It is a tough job, so she can be excused for mistaking two items.

Here’s a house:

State-House-Exterior-800x500.jpg?resize=

Here’s a contract:

contract.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1

As you can readily see, easily confused by all but the most careful observer. Quote.

Hon Simon Bridges: How can she, hand on heart, criticise the last National-led Government when, under her Government, KiwiBuild has done a sum total of 33 new houses?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Well, I dispute those numbers, but unlike that last Government, that sold State houses, that did not do enough to expand the availability of affordable housing, and that did not do enough on the issue of homelessness, we are a Government who came in and put a stop to the sale of State houses and actually started building homes.

Hon Simon Bridges: If she disputes my number of the paltry 33 houses, can she tell us, as Prime Minister of New Zealand, just how many they have actually built?

Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Of course I dispute the member’s numbers, because they are very rarely correct. We have contracted over 10,000. End quote.

Hansard


Jacinda, here’s the door …

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