No Right Turn

No Right Turn I know a lot of people are concerned at the relentless volume and vitriol of the attacks and attempts to undermine our elected government.It was hard enough for them in 2017 when Winston responded to the Dirty Politics leaking of his super errors by National by forming a coalition with Labour . . . → Read More: No Right Turn

EXTREMISM: ‘Splintered realities’: How NZ convoy lost its way

Source: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/hijacked-the-inside-story-of-how-nzs-convoy-lost-its-rudder

Days of protesters’ chats reveal the inside story of how New Zealand’s convoy was hijacked by the far-right fringe, Marc Daalder reports

Special report: The convoy wasn’t supposed to end this way.

What organisers hoped would be a mass movement shutting down the nation’s capital until vaccine mandates were removed has devolved into . . . → Read More: EXTREMISM: ‘Splintered realities’: How NZ convoy lost its way

Ihumatāo Land Protection

All around the world we see scenes of conflict over land issues. Of sovereignty. If we turn on talkback radio we here absolute rubbish from idiots like Sean Plunket telling us Ihumatāo is about revolutionaries trying to overthrow the system and trying bring down capitalism. And idiots will buy this line of utter shit. . . . → Read More: Ihumatāo Land Protection

Herbs Release Anniversary Film

Willie Now

Long ago… when I was a budding photographer I had a go at doing some portraits for some friends. It didn’t work out that well so I concentrated on making exposures, candid portraits of people taken doing their everyday stuff, unaware of the camera, and much more revealing that any posed shot I could conjure up. One of those early projects was when Willie Hona was trying to break out. I knew him through Niki Hona who was the sister of my old mate Robbie Van de Lisdonk. . . . → Read More: Herbs Release Anniversary Film

Proud To Be A New Zealander?

This is the country that led the world in equal suffrage, and stood up to the might of the United States to make a principled stand on nuclear armed warships entering our ports. When the French government were conducting atmospheric tests in the Pacific Islands and used their military to engage in acts of violence against New Zealanders with the courage to protest our government sent a naval frigate with a cabinet minister on board to protect our countrymen. This is the country where a Labour government denied visas to a rugby team to play apartheid sport and when a National Government supported apartheid sport this is the country where over a million people stood up to be counted. In fact on every important issue of principle over several generations New Zealanders have stood up and taken a decent stand and have demonstrated to the world that we are capable of thinking for ourselves and expressing our own point of view, even if it is at odds with others. . . . → Read More: Proud To Be A New Zealander?

The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum

It wasn’t just the railways that got wrecked by this kind if thinking… every public service that could be opened up to private enterprise had the vultures come in for a feed. The slogan was always “efficiency”. “It’s more efficient if it’s run as a private enterprise” Except it wasn’t true. It was a lie. It was a lie told by people who wanted to make a profit providing those services. . . . → Read More: The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum

Poorer Benefits For All

So anyway I went and had a chat with Paula Bennett and about 50 of my fellow Nats in Waiuku this morning. Paula was fizzing about her new welfare reforms. Contraception, drug testing, making lampshades from tattooed skin etc. She did her best to assure us this was in the best interests of those involved and would save us lots of money if Treasuries predictions turned out correct. There’s a first time for everything you know. Well I had to tell her that as a member if the generation of hard working Kiwi Mums and Dads that were happy to help her when she needed it we wanted her to know what an absolute pleasure it was to be able to answer her call for help. . . . → Read More: Poorer Benefits For All

It’s Moments Like Those You Need Mintos

In 1981 I knew little of sports in South Africa, or racism in sport in general. The NZRFU inviting an apartheid team to tour New Zealand in 1981 changed that for me and a lot of other people. There are a lot of arguments that still rage today over the 1981 tour, but all that proves is that racism in sport is divisive. Towards the end of the 1981 tour I was so impacted by what I had seen that I had brought a 35mm camera and had started taking photographs and developing them in a darkroom in the bathroom. By the time the tour was over I had a job as a photographer. . . . → Read More: It’s Moments Like Those You Need Mintos

What Would You Say?

The GCSB said the law was ambiguous and confusing in relation to what it’s powers were over spying on New Zealanders. Really? 14. Interceptions not to target domestic communications Neither the Director, nor an employee of the Bureau, nor a person acting on behalf of the Bureau may authorise or take any action for the purpose of intercepting the communications of a person (not being a foreign organisation or a foreign person) who is a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident. That looks as clear as dog’s balls to me, but I’m not an intelligence person. . . . → Read More: What Would You Say?

Shadow Of Doubt

I hadn’t taken much notice of the Crewe Murders to be honest as the trials unfolded, but you couldn’t really ignore the efforts of the Thomas retrial committee as they fought to free an an innocent man. Mum was a wardsmaid at Middlemore while Thomas was hospitalised during his imprisonment. I remember her coming home to Buckland Road one night and telling me ‘He is innocent, I can tell by his eyes, he couldn’t have murdered anyone’ That was good enough for me. . . . → Read More: Shadow Of Doubt