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Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 6:59 pm
by morepork
On the mental health services in Chch....they had their resources trimmed like a porn stars genitals just when they needed them most. Facilities are staffed by hopelessly out of their depth part time volunteers that cannot provide the requisite expertise to people that have been waiting over 5 years for insurance claims to be resolved. It's fucking medieval. Education is another massive diseased cock waiting to penetrate the upcoming generation. The shit that the GCSB fiasco swept under the rug is just astounding in an apparently functioning democracy. Even Uncle Sam with all his radioactive liberty freedom eagle patriotic bluster got held to task over that sort of surveillance. In Gnu Zulland......just whatevs. I have seen my beloved South Island communities overtaken by cooperatives and agricultural intensification that has literally shit on the environment. Some of the effluent flowing out to the sea in Canterbury and on the West Coast as imported slave labour dumps it daily is sickening. When you get a snapshot once a year of the changes there over the last 10 years, it is grimly stark. Meanwhile, the NZ press offers golf claps and cake and biscuits for the announcement of the Merril Lynch exit strategy. I mean, just fuck.I hope the young folks have water wings.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 8:08 pm
by cashead
Yeah, that GCSB shit itself should've been resignation-level. It's fucking astounding that people are OK with mass surveillance (Hi, GCSB. You can stop reading this now, you nosy cunts. Fuck off, right off the nearest cliff.), and that the outgoing shyster fuck got away with basically arguing "people only care about where to go on holiday and what they're eating for dinner." Yeah, well, no one but the uber-rich can go on holiday, and a shitload more can't even afford dinner anymore. The quarter-acre dream's turned into the "quarter-of-a-room" dream under him.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 11:01 pm
by morepork
Mike Hosking....sweet jesus...
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 4:38 am
by Eugene Wrayburn
morepork wrote:He's shot his bolt. The TPP is dead, and that was basically his primary aim. He used everything including the UN security council to push it. Most barriers to speculation have been removed in preparation for it so things could get pretty ugly in the short term. Who will step up in his place? Joyce, Collins, Bennett, or the dull farmer in charge of the budget? Jesus....
I'm not sure that TPP is dead. I'm pretty sure that when Trump announced his plan to pull out the remaiing countries said "Cheerio, but we're going to continue".
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 5:20 am
by zer0
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:33 am
by jared_7
So all round pretty positive for Key on here, then?
Why do people think we are so at odds with the rest of the country? As Morepork mentioned, I do find it quite enlightening only coming back every 18 months or so, changes are more pronounced. I sort of get why those sitting on million dollar homes probably feel Key has done a good job, like Cantab I would be interested to know the feeling among those under 30/non home owners.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 12:48 pm
by morepork
Eugene Wrayburn wrote:morepork wrote:He's shot his bolt. The TPP is dead, and that was basically his primary aim. He used everything including the UN security council to push it. Most barriers to speculation have been removed in preparation for it so things could get pretty ugly in the short term. Who will step up in his place? Joyce, Collins, Bennett, or the dull farmer in charge of the budget? Jesus....
I'm not sure that TPP is dead. I'm pretty sure that when Trump announced his plan to pull out the remaiing countries said "Cheerio, but we're going to continue".
It was designed by US multinationals for US multinationals. A small group of people would have made a killing selling commodities and intellectual property to them.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 4:45 pm
by cashead
jared_7 wrote:So all round pretty positive for Key on here, then?
Why do people think we are so at odds with the rest of the country? As Morepork mentioned, I do find it quite enlightening only coming back every 18 months or so, changes are more pronounced. I sort of get why those sitting on million dollar homes probably feel Key has done a good job, like Cantab I would be interested to know the feeling among those under 30/non home owners.
Most of my kids hate him.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:23 pm
by J Dory
So three in the running, who do you fancy, Collins, English or Coleman?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political ... priorities
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:29 pm
by jared_7
Collins is diabolical.
For me probably Coleman, doesn't seem as entrenched as the other two.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:34 pm
by Eugene Wrayburn
morepork wrote:Eugene Wrayburn wrote:morepork wrote:He's shot his bolt. The TPP is dead, and that was basically his primary aim. He used everything including the UN security council to push it. Most barriers to speculation have been removed in preparation for it so things could get pretty ugly in the short term. Who will step up in his place? Joyce, Collins, Bennett, or the dull farmer in charge of the budget? Jesus....
I'm not sure that TPP is dead. I'm pretty sure that when Trump announced his plan to pull out the remaiing countries said "Cheerio, but we're going to continue".
It was designed by US multinationals for US multinationals. A small group of people would have made a killing selling commodities and intellectual property to them.
Regardless of who designed it, am I right that it's still alive?
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:01 pm
by cashead
English is the only really viable candidate. He's the continuity candidate, the John Key minus personality, who occasionally lets his Catholicism get in the way of his voting (he voted against Marriage Equality for example, on religious grounds). He probably would've been prepped for the role. Only worry for him is that whether the rest of cabinet will play ball, when they're a noted bunch of cunts.
Coleman has no profile to speak of, and has been a shit Health Minister. He failed to contain the fall-out from the aggressive cost-cutting measures imposed upon the ministry that Tony Ryall was so deft at covering up.
Collins has way too much baggage to be considered a potential candidate. There's the Manukau police cooking the books so that she could brag about a reduction in crime, is way too tied up with Cammy Slates to the point where she's been outed as his erstwhile (maybe not) connect into cabinet, has made far too many enemies, not to mention that Oravida shit a while back - and she doesn't have an ounce of the charm or skill that Key was able to use to manoeuvre himself out of the firing line on several occasions.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:10 pm
by morepork
jared_7 wrote:Collins is diabolical.
For me probably Coleman, doesn't seem as entrenched as the other two.
Coleman is very susceptible to lobbyists.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:30 pm
by cashead
morepork wrote:jared_7 wrote:Collins is diabolical.
For me probably Coleman, doesn't seem as entrenched as the other two.
Coleman is very susceptible to lobbyists.
Which saw the debacle of the precipitous drop in food quality in hospitals. There's also been recent industrial action by trainee doctors who are being made to work unreasonable hours and shifts.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:35 pm
by Spy
I heard English & Coleman in that interview. I don't know a lot about Coleman, but it was good to hear him prioritise health & education ahead of tax cuts. Voted against gay marriage bill, which may be a pointer that he's not as liberal as Key on social issues. English ran the solid and dependable line, which is fair enough. I missed Collins, but she would be a disaster for National IMO. More hard right, more nasty.
It would be a surprise if English didn't get the job, I would think.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:38 pm
by J Dory
English says "There needed to be more focus on getting the benefits of that economic growth spread more broadly around communities, Mr English said".
Does anyone believe him? Serious question, I'm out of the loop on current NZ politicians credibility wise.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:39 pm
by cashead
Is Key liberal on social issues, though? He has no convictions, no views, no opinions that weren't filtered through Crosby-Textor first to speak of. Remember that he voted against the Civil Union Act back in 2004.
Also speaking of Coleman and lobbyists, keep in mind that there are allegations of an undue connexion between him and Coca-Cola.
Mind you, Bill English's brother Colin has been a farming industry lobbyist basically, for quite some time too.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:43 pm
by cashead
J Dory wrote:English says "There needed to be more focus on getting the benefits of that economic growth spread more broadly around communities, Mr English said".
Does anyone believe him? Serious question, I'm out of the loop on current NZ politicians credibility wise.
No. The baffling this was, everyone knew the Gnats were a bunch of avaricious liars, but Key was good at papering over that. Amazing actually, when it came to convincing people to look the other way.
I honestly do wonder what sort of skeletons will come tumbling out of the closet after a change in government. Remember the claims made by Hager when he wrote Dirty Politics? Did anyone notice that Jason Ede, Key's chief staffer that was the connect between the PM's office and that slug Cameron Slater, quietly resigned shortly after the book was published with his name all over it? Or that the Slaters been marginalised and turned into complete non-entities?
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 9:07 pm
by morepork
Coleman is likely being groomed by Crosby Textor. He has consistently blocked any sort of regulation of public health that conflicts with industry aims (e.g. coca cola, Catherine Rich, etc). Education and social services have been effectively handed over (we really should have seen that coming:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10421543), and health is the next big thing to be "outsourced".
English is the worlds dullest accountant and Collins should probably be in prison.
Re: RE: Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 10:00 pm
by canta_brian
morepork wrote:Coleman is likely being groomed by Crosby Textor. He has consistently blocked any sort of regulation of public health that conflicts with industry aims (e.g. coca cola, Catherine Rich, etc). Education and social services have been effectively handed over (we really should have seen that coming:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... d=10421543), and health is the next big thing to be "outsourced".
English is the worlds dullest accountant and Collins should probably be in prison.
Of the three Coleman must be keenest.
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:41 pm
by cashead
And for anyone that missed it when it happened:
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:07 am
by morepork
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:10 am
by cashead
And there's the "why."
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:12 am
by morepork
Are we starting to see who our politicians actually work for boys and girls?
Re: Auckland Mayoral Election
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:34 pm
by cashead
Yeah, any parents here considering that shiny new Charter School down the road for their kids? Don't bother.
Charter school NCEA reporting to be brought into line
5:48 am today
Benedict Collins Political Reporter
Education officials are to change the way charter schools report their NCEA results to bring their methodology in line with state schools.
Charter schools use a different method of calculating their NCEA pass rates to state schools - one which inflates their success.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has been warned by her ministry that an imperfect impression of charter schools' performance is being created as a result.
Advice to Ms Parata shows that when charter schools are measured using the same roll-based methodology as state schools, their pass rates plummet.
The Vanguard Military charter school on Auckland's North Shore reported a 100 percent Level 2 NCEA pass rate, but that fell to 60 percent when the school's results were calculated the same way as state schools report.
Labour's education spokesperson Chris Hipkins said the government had rigged the system to make charter schools look good.
"Clearly the system is being rorted, they want charter school performance to look better, so they're using a different way of measuring it.
"Actually, if they're measured by the same standards as every other school in the country their performance is no better and in some cases significantly worse," Mr Hipkins said.
Mr Hipkins said there was one standard for state schools, another for charter schools.
"Well every other school in the country is measured using a fair method, that includes students dropping out of the system and it means schools aren't incentivised to basically boot kids out to make their statistics look better.
"What's clear is charter schools aren't being held to that same standard."
The ACT party has driven the charter school model. Its leader, and under-secretary to the Minister of Education, David Seymour, said a different evaluation system was needed for charter schools.
"The reason that there is a difference, just remember, is that we have been pioneering holding schools to account through a contract, and it was necessary if you wanted to do that to have a different system of measurement.
"Now I can understand that has created some confusion, but once you get back to the roll-based evidence, what you discover is that partnership schools are performing pretty well."
Ms Parata is adamant New Zealanders have not being misled about charter schools by the use of two different measures.
But she said she was looking to introduce one standard measure - the one state schools use, in the interests of consistency.
"I want there to be a consistent system, for the purposes of reporting to the government, which is about role-based, which means everybody who is enrolled at that school counts and how well did they do, versus only those who sat NCEA."
Education officials told a select committee yesterday they were working to fix the way charter schools report so a transparent and accurate picture of their pass rates can be presented.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/ ... -into-line
To give you an idea of why more should be made of this, a 60% pass rate at L2 actually makes you the worst school in the country. And suddenly, the reason why the government went out of their way to remove the charter schools from any of the scrutiny applied to state and private schools and make them OIA-exempt becomes clear. Our tax dollars at work, everyone!
If you're wondering how they changed the 60% to 100%, there are some underhanded means. Vanguard has a remarkably high number of exclusions and suspensions, where students are either permanently or temporarily removed from the roll and there's a fairly good chance that any kids pegged as no-hopers are quietly withdrawn from various standards they're failing.
And next time you want to criticise the PPTA or NZEI for having a go at charter schools, shut your mouth forever, because you have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.