Nat/act/nzf 2023

[Balance]

Raft of curve balls here?
Economists at work.

"Brian Easton says evaluating the impact of social policies will be very difficult but the government does not seem to be doing much real evaluation"

https://www.interest.co.nz/public-po...very-difficult

Did Brian ever ask the same question between 2017 to 2023 when Cindy was going wild, squandering the tens of billions of dollars on social policies?

[Balance]

Trust woke Stuff to try (yet umpteen time again) to create discord where there is none :

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350...er-performance

Everybody but everybody knows that when you get such praise for a ‘resigning’ CEO of an entity which has failed to deliver that it is part of the settlement process. Andrew McKenzie should hang his head in shame for the failures of KO under his charge. Good riddance to garbage.

[Balance]

Similar story on the herald.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kainga...NXJHHBCCWIBCU/

Simon should be canned too if he thinks Andy did an amazing job. His rationale is that Andy built thousands of state houses... well Christ mate, if I have access to easy and unlimited lending I could pay over the odds and build a bunch of dwellings too. No experience needed!

If Andy was so amazing, and there were no issues (like the no evictions policy etc) then they should have been begging him to stay on! But they didn't, he was pushed out.

It would be part of the settlement process - insisted by Andrew 'No Eviction' McKenzie so he can look for his next gig.

Here's Andrew McKenzie caught lying about KO freely using debt to outbid private developers, driving up the cost of land :

https://www.national.org.nz/kainga-o...lect-committee

[Balance]

Remember how all the wokesters argued against a mobile phone ban in schools proposed by National?

Deadly silence from the wokesters and critics (the same ones who argued against boot camps) now that schools are finding that the ban makes a big difference to students doing much much better in their studies.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/...MBODKDJ5HPJNY/
Paywalled

[Bjauck]

Remember how all the wokesters argued against a mobile phone ban in schools proposed by National?

Deadly silence from the wokesters and critics (the same ones who argued against boot camps) now that schools are finding that the ban makes a big difference to students doing much much better in their studies.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/...MBODKDJ5HPJNY/
Paywalled

Many “wokesters” have argued for phone bans at schools. With the exception of Green Party voters, it has wide support apparently. Phone bans are one way to intervene to help improve a school’s culture and attentiveness of pupils. Ensuring pupils are well fed at lunch is another.

This item from 2019 interviewed a cousin of the former PM, Radne Ardern, who was Head of English. They implemented a phone ban. Academic results have improved.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/cellph...ectid=12227005

[Balance]

Many “wokesters” have argued for phone bans at schools. With the exception of Green Party voters, it has wide support apparently. Phone bans are one way to intervene to help improve a school’s culture and attentiveness of pupils. Ensuring pupils are well fed at lunch is another.

This item from 2019 interviewed a cousin of the former PM, Radne Ardern, who was Head of English. They implemented a phone ban. Academic results have improved.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/cellph...ectid=12227005

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/...-is-unworkable

Really? Wokesters arguing for phone bans?

[Bjauck]

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/...-is-unworkable

Really? Wokesters arguing for phone bans?

School Heads and Principals are woke? That is quite an assumption and not one that I would make. Even if we assume that they are woke, it does not mean all woke people are against the ban, whatever definition to the word “woke” you choose to use on any particular day.

The Principals Association do indeed make a good point. Behind any broad policy decision, there are the practicalities of enforcement to consider too. If that is being “woke”, then everyone surely should be “woke”.

[Marilyn Munroe]

About the rail ferry controversy.

If the ferry capable of carrying rail wagons is withdrawn and not replaced, what will be the effect on distribution in New Zealand?

I speculate the extra costs will see a review by manufacturers and warehouses of New Zealand operations. Crossing Cook Straight where either a door to door truck operation or transshipment is chosen will incur extra costs.

They may conclude it's not worth the bother and shift to Australia treating the North and South Islands as Tasmania 2 and Tasmania 3.

Boop boop de do
Marilyn

PS. An old joke;

Scene: Raul ferry cafeteria.

Passenger:"Is this fruit cake fresh?"

Steward: "Yes madam, any stale fruit cake is sent to the foundry at Hillside Workshops to be recast."

[Daytr]

ACT is not joining the party on obtaining revenue from social media platforms.
Social media platforms are willing to pay influencers and podcasters but not news outlets.

ACT is on the outer here and even Labour largely supports the bill. The main error of concern and Labour is right on this, it is left to the Minister to decide who pays. Powers similar to that as they want in the FastTrack legislation.

It appears the Government has forgotten their place, one of policy setting, they are not executives, they should not be able to pick and choose, as it is open to influence and corruption.

But overall I commend the approach on getting the platforms to pay.

https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/07/02/m...evenue-stream/

[kiora]

Meanwhile in Aus from a X green supporter
"The Greens are housing and ecological disasters"
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/202...ical+disasters