National Thus Far

[Ab]

Put it this way, I'm reasonably active in some brown spaces online - like, indigenous communities - and the general reaction there is "OH YAY A WHITE PERSON TRAVELED FROM EUROPE TO COLONISED LAND AND LECTURED THE WORLD ON SHIT THAT INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT FOR FUCKING YEARS, IT'S SO GREAT THAT A WHITE EUROPEAN CARES ABOUT IT BECAUSE THAT MEANS IT'S IMPORTANT ALL OF A SUDDEN"

[sidbo]

That seems awfully petulant.

I'd have thought more voices is better, regardless of who spoke up first. Anything that draws more attention and focus is surely a "good thing"?

[Ab]

There's an intersectional overlap between environmental/feminist/indigenous subcommunities where petulance gets pretty real.

[Lightspeed]

Yeah, I get that, there are many, many layers of bullshit we could tease out of the situation.

And still, all of that is eclipsed by the pressing concern of OMG, OMG, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE but hey, make sure you eat McDonalds, get woke kids, let's all fly to Japan for some rugby, you can afford that debt.

Yes, I get we're not all going to die. Many will only suffer horribly. Some may even enjoy some relative comfort. And that could be us right? So quit it with the alarmism.

Everyone getting behind a young white girl in a small fit of catharsis was only a matter of when.

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

Everyone getting behind a young white girl in a small fit of catharsis was only a matter of when.

Yeah I do think we're getting closer to a tipping point of change & she just happened to be a status quo challenging voice appearing at the right time to ride the momentum wave.

[Ab]

I disagree. But maybe that's because I'm just a tired Gen Xer.

Nothing has changed, nothing will change, because the powers that be got to be powerful under the current system therefore the current system is the best because if it were not the best the powers that be wouldn't be in power, so the powers that be don't want change.

Shit, we have a young Labour PM and her statements on climate change lately are basically "climate change is a great opportunity for free trade to help make money". What the actual fuck.

We even have the GREENS in Parliament and they don't want anything to really change. Because doing everything in our power might mean listening to the science on genetic engineering, and Thou Shalt Not.

TL DR? We're fucked.

[fixed_truth]

For real change there needs to be an electoral mandate which there isn't yet. We're getting there but it takes people having (& not after it's too late) the realisation that shit, this is a real threat.

[fixed_truth]

This is an example the kind of pandering politics around climate change that is a problem. We believe in acting on climate change but only so far as it doesn't upset voters.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-...l-and-worrying

[Ab]

Why do you hate farming families and hardworking Kiwis, doing it rough, feeling it at the pump?

[Cyberbob]

Originally Posted by Ab

I disagree. But maybe that's because I'm just a tired Gen Xer.

Nothing has changed, nothing will change, because the powers that be got to be powerful under the current system therefore the current system is the best because if it were not the best the powers that be wouldn't be in power, so the powers that be don't want change.

Shit, we have a young Labour PM and her statements on climate change lately are basically "climate change is a great opportunity for free trade to help make money". What the actual fuck.

We even have the GREENS in Parliament and they don't want anything to really change. Because doing everything in our power might mean listening to the science on genetic engineering, and Thou Shalt Not.

TL DR? We're fucked.

As an Elder Millennial, we fully recognize that while the people in a position to change things are the people benefiting from the way things are now, things won't change.

We're hoping that by the time Boomers die off because they're still working in their 70's and 80's, we'll be too busy with the aging workforce moving in with us, and our kids never leaving the nest, just as we should be planning our own retirement, but the younger Millennial's will be in a position to make meaningful policy changes and take pragmatic action. That'll be just in time for Gen X's to starve the economy because they underestimated how much they'd have to save for their retirement, and it'll be too late to change the trajectory we're on.

TL DR? We're definitely fucked.

[DrTiTus]

Experts warn we have only 12 years left until they change the dates on global warming again (satire)

There is no climate emergency — 500 experts

Climate models unfit for purpose - Dr. Mototaka Nakamura

Originally Posted by IPCC (2001) report Chapter 14, Section 14.2.2.2.

In climate research and modelling, we should recognize that we are dealing with a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore that the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible.

Worst case, you've got 15-30 years to find a new home if you live at sea level on a coastline. If you can't manage to find a new home (or put your things on high shelves and get rid of your carpet) in 15-30 years, then I'm sorry, you are the weakest link, goodbye.

[Ab]

we are dealing with a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and therefore that the long-term prediction of future climate states is not possible

that quote is not subjectively meaningful unless the authors' definition of "long-term" is known. Ten years? Ten thousand years? Ten million years?

TBH sea-level rise in and of itself isn't something I'm really worried about. That's just one of the dominos of climate change disaster, downstream from the warming but upstream of the shit that I worry will actually fuck us.

The things that make me worry about sea-level rise are things like "billions of people live within a few metres of sea level, and the current refugee crisis will look like paradise when those billions of people up and move to where the people with right-wing political movements don't want them to move to" and "there's enough toxic 21st-century chemical and nuclear infrastructure within a few metres of sea level to sterilise the oceans if that shit ends up underwater".

The climate change stuff that REALLY terrifies me is stuff that my dumb linear monkey brain doesn't easily grok. Like, "the average air temp increases one more fraction of a degree to enter the exponential growth range of some fungus I've never heard of but which lives only in bee guts, and overnight every bee dies" and agriculture ceases and we all starve to death after civilisation collapse and cannibalism.

[Lightspeed]

M-maybe we can live off mushrooms?

[Juju]

I'm moving to the South Island partially because skiing.

My white privileged middle class feelings will be hurt if no snow.

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

M-maybe we can live off insects?

FTFY

[Ab]

Well thanks to industrial pesticide overuse, they're all dying too.

[DrTiTus]

The most essential staple food crops on the planet, like corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and sorghum, need no insect help at all; they are wind pollinated or self pollinating. Other staple food crops, like bananas and plantains, are sterile and propagated from cuttings, requiring no pollination of any form, ever. Further, foods such as root vegetables and salad crops will produce a useful food crop without pollination, though they may not set seed; and hybrids do not even require insect pollination to produce seeds for the next generation, because hybrid production is always human pollinated. Many of the most desirable and common non-hybrid crops, like heirloom tomatoes, are self pollinated, which is what makes their cultivars stable.

I think the "bee problem", while important, is also overblown in terms of impact on feeding the planet (I could be wrong). I've ordered a hive + leaf-cutter bees kit (https://beegap.co.nz/ as mentioned on Stuff) anyway, because I enjoy being outside in my garden and growing food, and it can't hurt to have more bees! There's actually shitloads that hang around the apple trees at certain parts of the year. I'm not sure if they're leaf-cutters or if it will become a "turf war" around here with multiple varieties, but I guess I'll find out! I've wanted a hive for a while, but didn't want to go full on bee-keeper with the local club. Thanks for the reminder Ab

[Lightspeed]

OIC, it's for wild bees. Looks cool.

[Lightspeed]

Simon Bridges' officials claimed failed tech scheme would be 'transformative'

As much as I'd like to point and laugh at Bridges over this, this seems par for course in any government IT initiative.

[Lightspeed]

Unpaid fibre tech faces deportation

At least we gots our fast Internets!

[pxpx]

Clearly the fault lies with John Key

[Lightspeed]

John Key? Pfft, as if. He made it clear his government weren't responsible for anything in NZ.

Certainly the fibre roll out wasn't their plan, deregulation wasn't their plan. The National government spent its time on the sidelines puzzled about why things happen.

Right, pxpx? If you disagree I'm sure you'll offer your own insight. /tui ad lolz

[pxpx]

Huh? So you agree the fault lies with John Key? He was PM during that time that Chorus was permitted to subcontract in order to hit the targets for the rollout without proper governance/oversight of said subcontractors.

Anyway have a read of the Chorus annual report for the actions they've taken to try and stop their supply chain issues.

[Lightspeed]

Like I said, through design or happenstance, it's not clear what John Key's government was responsible for, whatever the outcome.

All one can do is point to outcomes.

[fixed_truth]

Experts: National's law and order proposals sound good but have no substance
You could even take out the words 'law & order' and you'd have an accurate National Party motto.

Good to see media doing their job this time.

[BoyWonder]

How's Kiwibuild going?

[fixed_truth]

Kiwibuild has been reset and changes made with Labour admitting it was failing.

Overall Labour’s not doing too bad considering the Winston factor. I’m hoping next year it’ll be just them & the Greens so NZ can get back on track even faster.

[Lightspeed]

NZ teenagers hit new lows in reading, maths and science tests

Buh-buh-buh-but National invested records levels of funding into schools, figures that were completely honest and genuinely represented the resources schools and students had access to.

[Ab]

Australia's even worse - what's going on in these two countries?

[pxpx]

PARENTS (and the cyclic nature of poor education outcomes)

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Ab

Australia's even worse - what's going on in these two countries?

Who are you willing to listen to? There are plenty of voices out there with something to say on the matter.

[Lightspeed]

SFO files criminal charges over National Party donations

[fixed_truth]

Simon Bridges rules out working with NZ First after election
This is an interesting roll of the dice. It might attract some soft NZF voters but that assumes NZF voters aren't happy with NZF in government as they've got a lot their way so far. But yeah if NZF dip under the threshold then Nats + Act vs Labour + Greens would be very close.

[blynk]

Yep, risky but really the only option.
Peters was (very unlikely) to ever go back with National. So Bridges may as well have put the line in the sand.

I think it will only work if they can get NZF out of parliment, if NZF get back in, then its likely to be a left win.

[fixed_truth]

Labour could go big-brain & cancel this move out by doing a deal in Northland. Hell, Nortland's been buttered up enough over the last few years.

[Ab]

...which helps national. the “if you vote Labour you’re really voting for Winston” line. The dude is toxic and relying on him for victory is a shitty position to be in.

[Lightspeed]

As voters we've got a choice of coke and pepsi, with options of flavoured shots. But we'll still be drinking coke (it's the other fools that drink pepsi.)

[Ab]

Agreed. While tied to Winston Labour is basically a centre-right party. Fuck all difference between the two majors now.

[Lightspeed]

I think Labour are less cut-throat than National, but that might just be while they depend on the Greens.

[fixed_truth]

In terms of positive change I'd much rather have a somewhat hindered Labour govt. than a National government with one foot stuck in outdated neoliberal ideology and making things worse.

Of course in saying that something like Labour 43 Greens 7 would be a much better scenario.