Open Mike 17/09/25
Open Mike 17/09/25
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6:00 am, September 17th, 2025 - 67 comments
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Today's Posts (updated through the day):
Understanding the shooting of Charlie Kirk
Oh Robert Redford! To be handsome, cool, and liberal.
Sigh.
The good news.
Scumbags ! zionist/fascist/nazi. Fuck them and their supporters!
A UN report concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. As usual Israel responded by accusing the authors of being antisemitic and being Hamas proxies.
One of the authors of the report, Chris Sidoti, gave his view on Israels response. (bluesky vid)
Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide in Gaza, according to the "most authoritative assessment" to date.
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry (CoI), established by the UN Human Rights Council, concluded that Israeli authorities "intended to kill as many Palestinians as possible" and have committed the crime against humanity of extermination.
The report cites direct targeting of civilians, including children, and mass killings in "far larger numbers compared to previous conflicts".
It also found Israel deliberately inflicted life-threatening conditions by blocking food, water and medicine — actions "calculated" to bring about the "destruction of Palestinians".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-16/israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-un-report-says/105780230
Local hasbarists have been spreading these images.
Last month, the Israeli government launched a paid campaign on social media, claiming there is no famine in Gaza. It released a video showing food at restaurants and markets full of fruit and vegetables. “There is no famine in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie,” the video says.
It is true that today you can see markets and shops with full shelves in southern Gaza. You can see crates of cucumbers and tomatoes, sacks of flour, cartons of eggs and bottles of oil. There are even cafes and restaurants serving pizza, drinks and improvised desserts made from whatever the market offers.
[…]
These sudden reappearances of commercial goods are not random. They are not meant to feed the population, but to flood the markets with just enough products to be filmed and photographed amid the global pressure and pleas.
Once inside Gaza, the goods pass through several hands and a chain of intermediaries of Israeli suppliers who set inflated prices from the start, merchants who pay bribes or “protection fees” to armed groups and speculators who hoard supplies to resell later. By the time food reaches the shelves, it has appreciated in value so much that it has become a luxury item to be put on display rather than consumed.
These moments, these carefully timed “entries” of goods, have become weapons in themselves. Israel knows that the vast majority of Palestinians are now unemployed and fully dependent on aid to survive. Its cruelty is not only in the bombs or the blockade but also in the way it toys with our needs by allowing a few goods to enter, just to taunt us, to torture us.
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/9/16/here-is-the-reason-why-markets-in-gaza-are-full-while-we-starve
That triggered a memory of something similar I had read years back….now a terrible updating by people who IMO, are so similar.
So it seems voters are souring on both National and Labour leaders – see link below.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/573257/voters-souring-on-national-and-labour-leaders-rnz-poll-reveals
I'm guessing they are souring on National due to their performance not meeting voter expectations, but why are they souring on Hipkens?
Could it be due to lack of policy?
Apparently, it rained a lot during polling week and everybody was grumpy.
And the All Blacks lost.
On a serious note. I was looking at a Labour press release today – see link below
https://www.labour.org.nz/news/release-luxon-serves-up-higher-food-prices/
And what disappointed me was apart from Barbara Edmonds stating "Labour will prioritise real action on the cost of living" (which is great) there was no detail at all about what that "real action" would entail. Nor, when could we expect to see results of thus said "real action"
Hipkins also released one on the same issue – see link below
https://www.labour.org.nz/news/release-national-is-making-the-cost-of-living-worse/
And his didn't even state anything about what Labour would do to improve the matter.
So I'm thinking if this disappointed me, it may be disappointing others?
it's been explained to you quite a few times why major political parties don't release policy detail at this point in the electoral cycle.
I'm not asking why major political parties don't release policy detail at this point in the electoral cycle.
I'm asking you if you think the lack of policy (and thus, what they would do to correct things) is a reason for the souring of Hipkins support?
Does a dip from 23.3% to 23% support constitute much of a ‘souring’?
What do you think is the reason for the souring of Luxon's support?
I'm guessing they are souring on Luxon due to his performance not meeting voter expectation.
Things are bad out there and many I talk to blame this government and the last
Imho, your guess is on the money – Luxon's PM Act rings hollow.
Labour and Hipkins are supine.
The shock is this:
Why aren't Labour at 40% and above with the economic recession and sliding polls?
And part of the answer is a weak leader who has no policy.
Indeed, Ad.
It’s a mistake to think recession = automatic boost for the opposition. History shows crises often help incumbents, as voters stick with the devil they know. As Niall Ferguson argued in The Cash Nexus, “the relationship between prosperity and government popularity is largely illusory.”
And we’re still a long way out. Most people don’t really tune into politics until 2–3 months before an election. The real question is whether Labour can cut through once voters start paying serious attention in June/July.
If they are souring, then it is an anticipatory souring. People know why Labour is not releasing policy now, but they expect to be disappointed when they do finally get to hear it. This isn't irrational, it's consistent with past experience.
In that situation I would suggest they develop vote wining policies on two big voter issues to release now and try to largely get by on them.
Them being, health and the cost of living.
Going early also gives them time to tweak them if early feedback is bad
Here’s the same old dilemma on display: either you’re incredibly gullible and naïve, or you’re brazenly disingenuous and trolling. Which one is it?
The Disappointman.
So I'm thinking I'm an 'other', and it's not disappointing to me.
But we've been here before – less than a month ago
Releasing it late gives Labour less chance to defend attacks. While giving less time for voters to take it all in.
It's far easier to take it in when highlighted as individual issues arise in the media.
Additionally, leaving it late allows the right to fill the void with all sorts of bad speculation on what they (Labour) will do
“All sorts of bad speculation on what they (Labour) will do” might help the CoC – ‘our’ govt by the sorted, for the sorted.
But only if the CoC stops doing such a god-awful job for ‘everyday Kiwis.’
I'm giving you good reasons on why Labour should release policy.
This should be Labour's election to win as National suck. Yet, the polls are pointing to it being a tight race.
Imho, your ‘reasons’ are not strategically sound, and your aim of getting Labour to release policy 15 months out from a general election is (un)remarkably aligned with the CoC – govt by the sorted, for the sorted.
You say: "Imho, your ‘reasons’ are not strategically sound,"
What is your reasoning for that?
Mountain Tui was categorically wrong.
Labour did not become a successful movement waiting for anyone to tell them what to think.
They were really clear about what they were going to do. The only time this wasn't the case was 1984 and 1987.
Ha, as long as Labour has them out there first, that will publicly shame National (helping Labour over the line) while seeing Labour's policy put in place.
Win, win and win for Labour
So if that is the best argument MT has got, obviously reading his post would be a waste of my time.
Obviously it's up to you what you read – voluntary, as it were
Everyone is entitled to an opnion, and to change it, but I didn’t get where I am today…
While also giving the right far more time to cement all that bad speculation on what Labour will do into voters minds
As I wrote @4.1.2.2.1.1, imho that's only going to work if the CoC stops doing such a god-awful job for 'everyday Kiwis', bearing in mind what Willis was saying less than two years ago:
National can (and IMO most likely will) make things worse but at the same time still paint a vote for Labour as being twice as bad.
Labour come across as being scared to release their policy when they should really be using it to their advantage.
If the Nats want to make fools of themselves, then let 'em. The CoC is govt by the sorted, for the sorted – 'sorted' is all that matters to them.
That reads like an attempt at a sorted meme to me.
I thought for a moment the apostrophe above had been misplaced, but then I remembered we had two PMs, or was it three.
Reported yesterday. Food prices are rising much faster than wages – see link
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/573196/food-prices-keep-crunch-on-household-budgets
And in August it was reported:
The pre-tax earnings and profit percentage earned by Foodstuffs North and South Island in 2024 remained higher than almost all global competitors including Walmart – see link below.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/business/360782346/foodstuffs-posts-world-leading-margins-kiwi-grocery-costs-stay-high
Back in March, Nielsen's Advertising Spend Report revealed Foodstuffs topped the list of their top 20 NZ advertisers for 2024 – see link below
https://stoppress.co.nz/news/nielsen-reveals-nzs-top-advertisers-in-latest-report/
With total supermarket advertising spend totaling a $194 million in Australia for 2024 (see link above) it got me thinking.
It is largely known PAK'nSAVE is the country's cheapest supermarket overall. So do we really need them continually telling us this via their marketing? I don't think so.
IMO, it would be far better for consumers and PAK'nSAVE to ditch (or largely reduce) their advertising spend and use those savings to further lower costs. Which will benefit consumers and encourage more to shop there.
That's not going to work, those profits include highly paid managers, pointless rebranding, lobbying etc that we pay for.
This gets solved when theres the political will to do so as the duopoly has stitched up NZ with their property holdings preventing serious competition.
Hand wringing is you will see with this coalition.
It could work. But they would have to be willing.
They have to be willing….ha ha ha ahh good one chairman thats classic.
If a politician brought it to the media's attention there could be some public pressure applied to help sway them.
But if we just laugh it off, then the jokes on us.
Everyones well aware of the gouging, service reductions etc and still further consolidation is being sought.
It's resolved via statutes to bolt in the competitive framework and undo their preventative measures.
In a countdown shopping with our kids late last year and it came to twice what they reckoned it'd cost in Oz with many common items.
The coalition will do nothing imo so Willis gets to bang on every so often as she's good at that.
So you prefer to laugh off something that could potentially bring prices down soon in hope for statutes to bolt in the competitive framework?
Breaking them up will put costs on them and who do you think will end up paying for that?
International competitors don't seem too interested and who can blame them with the high cost of power (with no guarantee of supply) high rates and insurance why would they?
Moreover, this will all take far too much time to see results and that's even if it actually produces anything good at all
Simply observing the CoC's laughable failure to tackle the cost of living crisis – they really are govt by the sorted, for the sorted.
Kia ora… are they still allowed to propertylock to prevent competition? That was one of my pet hates but I believe it is now legislated against or ComCom reportable.
I was talking a year or so back to the owner of a newly built local supermarket (New World). I asked how things were going : he said things would be great if it wasn't for the interest that they had to pay.
I imagine there would also be ground rent and rates on all the land that they use for car parking.
Perhaps it's not a case of the supermarkets profiting from high prices, but the banks and landlords.
Former WaPo cartoonist Ann Telnaes' latest.
https://anntelnaes.substack.com/p/half-staffs-and-mandated-mourning
Luigi still faces federal charges that carry a possible death penalty.
The judge overseeing the New York state case against Luigi Mangione dismissed terrorism charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson but allowed other charges, including second-degree murder, to stand.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/article/luigi-mangione-latest-new-york-judge-dismisses-terrorism-charge-allows-murder-count-to-stand-125151529.html
The USA gets a lot of things wrong but they also get somethings right
New post up on the potential motives of the alleged Charlie Kirk shooter, and wtf is going on in the US and UK.
https://thestandard.org.nz/understanding-the-shooting-of-charlie-kirk/
We are a quarter of the way through the 21st century and we have this relic from last century advocating for… wait for it,,, coal!
Apparently the electricity market needs more investment according to this dinosaur. Contact are obviously paying out to their shareholders enough as the directors have been granted a $350,000 pay rise.
Obviously keen business minds to sell a product that is a necessity and that they don't add value to.
Jones is right, it is time to relationships the electricity sector.
I posted this the other day, Geoff Bertram demystifying the ‘market’.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019004317/expert-feature-let-s-talk-energy
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/companies/energy/contact-energy-chair-says-electricity-market-not-broken-ahead-of-report/7JCP7Z2IZ5EAHDON4T6EICRGVY/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2019004591/contact-energy-increases-total-board-can-be-paid-by-dollar350-000
…
relationshipsrenationalise…So obvious really. Contact chairman is right it works just fine for them, ka-ching, and that is the problem.
Plenty of savings in reducing duplicated/triplicated systems, unrequired boards, management layers etc.
Flatten the bugger back to the NZED model and get cracking on distributing generation for better diversity, lake Onslow, more wind/solar while we can.
The longer it's left the worse it gets as they load up the balance sheets to pay dividends on profits they didn't make…ka ching !
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/573243/priests-end-protest-outside-finance-minister-s-office-after-32-hours
One suggestion for Nicola Willis is to give them a few dollars to buy ice cream, as that will melt their resolve and shut them up for at least three years.
And that, folks, is as close to empathy as she and the national party can muster for the civilian population in Gaza.
I want someone to ask the CoC how many more children need to be murdered before they grow a spine.
Finally, Ecan ! We (well some of us) have been warning about Nitrate in NZ's groundwater for years….Now some preventive action would be good !
Unsurprisingly, Govt Ministers wank about "gimmicks and stunts"
While burbling this !?
And sure enough..their main priority revealed.
Greenpeace is also calling on ECan to do more
Also very much related…
All of which explains why ECan was known to many in Canterbury as "ECan't".
I see that Federated Farmers, aware of which way the wind is now blowing, is calling for water conservation orders to be dumped:https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360817325/federated-farmers-lobbies-government-quash-water-conservation-orders.
Water is a public good that the farming sector, with government encouragement, is quietly privatising.
Not only in Canterbury : ) Further to my Nitrate emergency link….I wonder who were the "vote was nine for, seven against." ? I had previously known of Lan Pham and of course Eugenie Sage. (Both NZ's Environment friends)
Re your link on FedFarm's quashing water conservation.As usual, its all about the money.
There was this I had seen years back, the entitled arrogance…..still, he did eventually come unstuck (even if it was just the speeding !)
More depressing news from farming as it should not be done: https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360826722/large-bay-plenty-dairy-farm-company-fined-59500-dirtying-waterway
They just go on and on. Clearly, the business model is "Pollute for Profit".
Note too that fines are never paid in some cases, as a Stuff reporter found out: https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360518645/fines-environmental-offending-never-get-paid
I’ll bet they never pay their speeding fines either; it’s just too inconvenient.
Dirty Dairy. And I note the Warnefords had just… carried on after the previous court case…
I also wonder how many on this list…just carried on?