Mole News

Lawyers round on Tribunal funding

A group of lawyers says the Crown shouldn't be in charge of funding the Waitangi Tribunal.

The Human Rights Lawyers Association complained of what it called a power imbalance between the Crown and Māori groups.

The lawyers said there was an inherent tension because the Crown must contribute funds to Māori in order to prosecute claims against the Crown.

Mitch Morgan: The Man Who Saw The Future

In 1949 a gentleman named Eric Blair published a book that was destined to open the eyes of the world to techniques employed in the art of social engineering; techniques that were used to control the opinions and actions of citizens who remained in a state of blissful unawareness that their thoughts were being covertly manipulated.

The author adopted the pen-name of George Orwell and his novel entitled ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ remains among the worlds’ best-sellers to this day - and the adjective ‘Orwellian’ has become synonymous with official deception and the falsification of recorded history by a totalitarian state.

Barend Vlaardingerbroek: Naiveté Royale 2015 vs. Rivers of Blood 1968

The extent to which [radicalisation] is happening is … alarming … And particularly in a country like ours where you know the values we hold dear. You think that the people who have come here, born here, go to school here, would imbibe those values and outlooks.
- Prince Charles in a BBC interview last month

We have a sarcastic riposte in Dutch when someone indicates that s/he has finally twigged to something already widely known – “the child is waking up”. It seems a highly appropriate rejoinder to the prince’s naïve utterances so I’ll just call him ‘Charlie’ from here on.

Bryan Leyland: “Things you know that ain't so” - nuclear radiation

As the American humorist Will Rogers said: “It’s not what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.” 

Low levels of nuclear radiation are dangerous.

Mike Butler: Amalgamation and race

Hastings Against Amalgamation campaigns on four points – that amalgamation for the five councils in Hawke’s Bay would increase rates, increase debt, reduce representation with powerless local boards, and introduce race-based spending through an appointed Maori board.

I had a phone-call from a Napier councillor who thanked us for campaigning against amalgamation but asked us to stop talking about the Maori board because it upset some people. An earlier email from another person suggested we were “playing the race card”.

Karl du Fresne: God put the Rimutaka Hill there for a reason

On Monday night I went to a public meeting in the Masterton Town Hall. The hall was full, which might have something to do with the fact that not a lot happens in Masterton on a Monday night and a meeting in the Town Hall provides an exciting diversion. 

On the other hand you might say this was the beating heart of local democracy, even if most of the heads in the hall were grey.

Bruce Moon: Before 1840

It is a curious fact that there are many part-Maoris today (though certainly not all) who have remarkably good memories about their alleged sufferings since 1840 but completely blank minds about what happened to them any earlier.  It is not hard to work out why this should be but more helpful perhaps to assist them in remembering a bit more about their earlier days.

Matt Ridley: GM crops - the scientific argument's over

The European Parliament votes tomorrow on whether to let countries decide their own policies on growing genetically modified crops. The vote would allow countries such as Britain to press ahead because of hard evidence that such crops are good for the environment, good for consumers and good for farmers; and let countries such as Austria continue to ban the things despite such evidence. It’s an alliance of the rational with the superstitious against the bureaucratic.

YOUR VIEWS - from the NZCPR.com website

THE RISE OF WIMPY SPORT

A recent report in the New Zealand Herald described how the Howick Pukuranga Principals' Association had decided on a Fair Play interpretation of children's sport in which the coaches could rearrange and intermix the two teams if one team was winning by too much.

Frank Newman: Opposing Amalgamation

10 good reasons to oppose local government amalgamation:

Mike Butler: Amalgamation cons by the pros

A proposal being steadily pushed on to Hawke’s Bay residents is to absorb the councils of Hastings, Napier, Wairoa, and Central Hawke’s Bay, plus the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, into one super council with five local boards, and a Maori board, with the headquarters in Napier.

Amalgamation is a central government initiative, with similar proposals in Northland and Wellington at the same time as the Hawke’s Bay push. I presented the case against amalgamation to 54 people at a public meeting at the Havelock North Community Centre yesterday.

Bryan Leyland: “Things you know that ain't so” - solar power

As the American humorist Will Rogers said: “It’s not what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.” 

 The solar power industry only exists because deluded governments all over the world  believe that it will make a significant difference to carbon dioxide emissions that, they believe, cause dangerous global warming. As a result they have been conned into providing subsidies of 3 to 5 times the cost of conventional power.

Viv Forbes: Strange Allies in the War on Carbon Fuels

What great cause could unite Prince Charles, President Obama, the Pope, the Arab Oil sheiks, the United Nations, the European Union, the Russians, the Chinese, Pacific Island Nations, most undeveloped countries, the glitterati of Hollywood, left-wing politicians, unrepentant reds, government media, the climate research industry, Big Oil, Big Gas and the Green Blob. It must be something posing a clear and urgent danger to all humanity?

No, the crusade that unites them all is the War on Carbon Fuels, focussed mainly on that most vilified target, coal.

Reuben Chapple: The Waitangi Tribunal - A Vote of No Confidence

It is widely believed that Waitangi Tribunal Reports issue only after rigorous historical investigation of Treaty claims.

These findings then make their way into media reports, onto Government websites, and percolate throughout our education system as apparently authoritative, objective information.

But what if Tribunal Reports were one-eyed rewrites of New Zealand history and not worth the paper they are printed on?

Ron Smith: Fighting Islamist Extremism

Has the war on Islamic extremism got anything to do with us?  Specifically, should we contribute to any military action against the so-called Islamic State and its outliers?  

This, of course, is a multi-faceted question.  What are the grounds that might justify such intervention?  What contribution could we actually make?  What are the prospects for success for the operation that is presently envisaged?

Lindsay Mitchell: 'War on the poor'?

The weekend's Auckland protesters are styling their latest slogan after UK counterparts. The UK Labour Party officially launched a 'stop the war on the poor' campaign last year.

It's a powerful, catchy rallying-cry but what is this 'war'?

Sue Bradford talked on TV this morning about "ruthless" housing policies.

Karl du Fresne: Doing nothing is not an option

It’s hard to think of a more challenging conundrum than the one posed by the Islamic State.

Labour leader Andrew Little was right last week to describe Isis as evil. It’s a word seldom heard these days because it implies a moral judgment, and moral judgments are unfashionable. But “evil” is the only way to describe men who coldly behead their captives, then amp up the shock factor by burning one alive.

Bryan Leyland: “Things you know that ain't so" - DDT

As the American humorist Will Rogers said: “It’s not what we don’t know that gives us trouble, it’s what we know that ain’t so.” 

“Things that you know that ain't so"

“DDT is dangerous and banning it was justified.”

In her book, “The Silent Spring" Rachel Carson claimed that DDT was seriously reducing wild bird populations in spite of the fact that the evidence showed an increase since the introduction of DDT. 

Mike Butler: Hastings resists amalgamation

As decision time looms with the proposal to merge the five Hawke’s Bay councils into one super council based in Napier, a new group has formed in Hastings to fight amalgamation. Hastings Against Amalgamation is holding an initial meeting at the Havelock North Community Centre on Tuesday, February 24 at 7pm, to plan the next step should the Local Government Commission opt to proceed with amalgamation.

That next step is to collect around 4400 Hastings signatures to trigger a poll on the issue.

Frank Newman: Property headlines

It was a big news week for property owners last week. The items are of particular interest have been  comments made by the Reserve Bank governor about interest rates, and a new 10-year fixed rate  mortgage has been offered by a major lender.

Firstly, the Governor's comments. Graeme Wheeler has poured an ice bucket of water on recent media speculation that the next more in Reserve Bank interest rates could be down. In a recent speech, in his typically measured way, he said a cut in the Official Cash Rate was very unlikely. What it boils down to is the economy does not need stimulus - it is in good shape and there are already a number of positive influences: