Word of the day

Zeugma – a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses; the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words usually in such a manner that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one; is a rhetorical device that links two words or phrases using a word that fits grammatically or logically with only one.

Sowell says

pic.twitter.com/1wkJ15J7dT

— Thomas Sowell, The Genius of… (@AlanWolan) May 30, 2024

 

Woman of the day

Woman of the Day, one of the four Boston Martyrs, Mary Dyer of Somerset died by hanging OTD 1660 in Boston, Massachusetts, aged about 48 for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony. Her real crimes? Standing by her friends – she only become a Quaker… pic.twitter.com/fadiOzMBtH

— The Attagirls (@TheAttagirls) June 1, 2024

Quotes of the week

I was raised in luxury by two highly educated policy analysts/managers/chief executives, but I was never given the luxury of being naïve to the world around me and what it really thought of me as a half-caste.

Too Māori for some, not Māori enough for others. I knew that old blind before I could read. –  Haimona Gray

To her ilk I am a mistake, a blemish on our entire race. Not because of any crap about not being raised in Te Ao Maori, it’s never been about that, but because I am pakeha at all. 

I was born with an original sin, one I will never be absolved of. – Haimona Gray

Sadly, when it comes to this important debate around how Maori children being abused should be handled, hate and personal animosity are overpowering adults from acting in these children’s best interests.

We’re seeing and hearing nasty divisive things when we should be trying to find practical solutions.

It is bitterly ironic that the disappointing people leading the former Māori Party are the ones most championing racial division.

This is a party Dame Tariana Turia founded to fight against the divisive anti-Maori rhetoric she was seeing at the time. It is a denigration of her legacy that the current co-leaders are now using this party to cut people out of Maoridom.

To divide us, not unite us.

When people say children deserve to understand their whakapapa and the beauty of their Maoridom, I see it. Up to a point.

When people say children deserve safety above all else, that good intentioned and harmless upbringing, I see that too. None of this should be an either/or proposition, and yet it is being framed as such.  – Haimona Gray

First, colonisation and urbanisation displaced Maori from their whakapapa, now it is fellow Maori – ones born to a higher caste – that seek to do exactly the same. – Haimona Gray

I believe the future for Maori can be bright if we can allow ourselves to grow beyond the old ways of a chiefly caste system. Of calling people with whakapapa ‘not Maori enough’ for the sin of disagreeing with their historical rulers. Of crabs in a bucket.  – Haimona Gray

The real solution, beyond all this side show and playing Maori off against Pakeha and against each other, is painfully obvious. 

The issue with our state care system is that it is chronically underfunded and relies on the goodness of a small number of households who aren’t well supported. 

It’s that bloody simple. You spend the money to make facilities better – to provide better training, to keep good people running services, to keep monitoring tight – all of this becomes academic. 

I believe Karen Chhour means well, but isn’t going to solve enough being so narrowly focused. 

I believe this version of Te Pati Maori, on this issue and many others, actively doesn’t mean well. They are picking up the Harawira baton of racial division and are only gassing up people who share this hateful mindset. 

It’ll end in tears, just not theirs.  – Haimona Gray

A scientist’s political and social values may, of course, influence her selection of topics to study — that is perfectly legitimate. But those values should be carefully put to the side when evaluating the evidence. The goal of the scientific endeavour is to find out how things really are, not to confirm how we wish they were.

Many decisions that we must make collectively — about anything from educational methods to pandemics to climate change — need to be based on scientific knowledge: we require detailed factual evidence about how children learn to read, how viruses spread, and how the earth’s oceans and atmosphere behave. But although this scientific information forms the essential background for public policy, it doesn’t determine that policy, since policy decisions also involve values, and tradeoffs between competing values. But whatever your values, it still behoves you to have as accurate an understanding as possible of reality, to inform your policy choices. (If you don’t, you risk implementing policies that are counterproductive as assessed by your own values.) And in a democracy, every citizen has the right, and should have the opportunity, to do the same.  – Alan Sokal

Social and political values may play a role in this last aspect — telling us which topics are most important to investigate — but they should play no role in the evaluation of which contributions on that subject are fit to publish. That evaluation should be based solely on the scientific quality of the research, not on whether we find its results congenial. 

This, anyway, has been the official policy of the scientific community for the past three centuries — implemented imperfectly, to be sure, but nevertheless functioning as an important regulative ideal. But times have changed: now ideology threatens openly to corrupt the truth-seeking enterprise that we call science.  – Alan Sokal

The point is that somewhere along the way the mindset of keeping as much of your money as possible was stolen and replaced with the idea that there is always a cause, idea, disaster or group that can use it more than you.

Working for your money and keeping it is actually a calculation that leads to growth and success. It’s an incentive. It’s not fashionable of course to talk about money, or making money, or keeping your money. –  Mike Hosking

Even people who give away their money enjoy the freedom of having earned it in the first place and having the choice as to what to do with it.

Tax is not choice, it is theft. In a small selection of cases it is broadly acceptable because we recognise the role of the state and we recognise the need for collective services.

Where it’s all gone horribly wrong is it’s turned into an industry and the outworking of that industry has been shown these past few months in the almost continuous gnashing of teeth from those that argue there is no money for tax cuts and they have a list as long as any arm you want to produce of people more deserving than you.

What the last six years has proven, and this is why the rules of engagement have to be changed, is that there is literally no end to handouts. – Mike Hosking

We’ve been bailing people out, giving free money, cheap loans, backing dumb ideas, oversubscribing to folly and itches and indulgences.

Look where it has us – in a gargantuan fiscal mess and still whining for more.

Regular ordinary everyday New Zealanders get it, because we’re the ones who earned it.

The beneficiaries, literally and figuratively, are the ones who make the headlines because they know the trick is up and the scam is busted.

The money tap come Budget Day is, if not being turned off, at least tightened a bit. – Mike Hosking

And I’m an atheist. However, for some time now, I have been wondering if atheism has failed us.

I am not the first person to conclude that human beings are a religious species, that homo sapiens are born with a God-shaped hole. And that nature, abhorring a vacuum, and in the absence of conventional religion, fills said hole with other au courant bags of ideas. Anything will do. Climate change, environmentalism, gender ideology, the me too movement, indigenous rights, and it’s most recent manifestation, pro-Palestinian liberation for young people who wouldn’t have been able to find Palestine on the map six months ago and still might struggle to place Gaza. Sometimes these quasi-religious movements intersect as in the case of Queers for Palestine, or as one wit put it, chickens for KFC.

Why do I say these issues are substitutes for religion? Because they come with their own irrefutable ideology, their own priestly class to interpret the holy doctrine and their own willingness, nay eagerness, to expel apostates and extinguish alternative views – especially those who cast doubt on the infallibility of the group’s position. – Yvonne Van Dongen 

Observing the religious fervour of those deep into the latest mania has prompted me to wonder if the atheist project has not so much foundered, as well and truly failed. It wasn’t so long ago that atheism was cool. Seriously cool. The final rung on the intellectual ladder of religious quests. Who could out argue Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris or Daniel Dennett?

But brilliant though these four horsemen of New Atheism were, they did not account for humanity’s essential nature – that of the God-shaped hole. Atheism, it turns out, is not enough. Human beings, it seems, are doomed or, if you prefer, destined, to seek purpose and meaning, and lacking religion, often lurch from one cause or meta narrative to the next. – Yvonne Van Dongen 

American free speech author Jonathan Rauch, a recent visitor to these shores as a guest of the Free Speech Union, has come to the same conclusion. It’s why his next book will tackle religion even though Rauch is himself a self-described gay Jewish atheist.

Nevertheless he says he and other secularists need to recognize that the moral formation and the meaning, upon which our democratic institutions rely, comes in large part from religion, and that the state can’t provide meaningful substitutes in this realm. – Yvonne Van Dongen 

Rauch is on record as saying that the decline of American Christianity threatens America’s pluralistic democracy. He is not actually arguing for a religious resurgence, acknowledging that religious faith remains one of the world’s most divisive and volatile social forces. Instead it would be preferable to have an accommodation with this deep human need, all the while rejecting the fanatical religiosity of groups like al Qaeda or the tyrannical secularism of a country like China.

Rauch is a fan of apatheism, being a mashup of apathy and theism. This is more of an attitude than a philosophy. Rauch describes it as ”people who feel at ease with religion even if they are irreligious; people who may themselves be members of religious communities, but who are neither controlled by godly passions nor concerned about the (nonviolent, noncoercive) religious beliefs of others.”

Religion without the fury of fundamentalism or the chilly soullessness of secularism maybe. – Yvonne Van Dongen 

When I think of the various protest, or activist, movements of late one deeply troubling observation is becoming abundantly clear – there are those in New Zealand who genuinely believe that violence is acceptable when it comes to their cause.  The classic, ‘the end justifies the means’.

 This is the belief of zealots, fundamentalists, and of course, terrorists.  Such people and groups are so morally certain of their position that they consequently feel enabled to act against all and any who oppose them.  Those who disagree with them are so wrong, so in error, that removing them by force is appropriate.  Naturally, this is a mindset at odds with a properly functioning democracy. – Simon O’Connor

Ultimately, we all hold strong views on various matters.  But for most of us, our convictions on such matters manifest in robust discussion, debate, or the pursuit of legislative change.  We do not, and never will, turn to violence.

And so we should take very careful note of those in our society who are accepting of violence to further their cause or supporting those who act violently to achieve their ends.  It is perhaps a harbinger of things to come for whatever next cause they feel drawn too.  Such zealots are always a small group proportionate to the population, but acts of violence are an amplifier.

Violence is not acceptable.  In a democratic society such as ours, it is better stop such moves towards violence early on rather than letting is spread. – Simon O’Connor

Ricardo Menendez March and teachers. 

Let me join a couple of dots. And the glue for the dots are standards, or lack of them. 

If you don’t have standards you end up with teachers who can’t pass NCEA Level 1, and you end up with people like March using the F-word in Parliament. 

The F-word is not the end of the world, but it is indicative of the modern day outworkings of an institution that, despite whatever your political leanings, had an element of decorum and civility. 

Now it’s full of thieves, swear words and cowboy hats.

No standards. 

When you suggest or infer anyone can teach, what you end up with is what we have got – a system everyone knows and accepts is broken and yet has done nothing about.  – Mike Hosking

Look at poor old David MacLeod last week. It was hardly the crime of the century and if the paperwork had been with the Greens he would have been given the week off on full pay and nothing would have happened. In National he got sacked.

Luxon is driven by standards. You set them high and keep them high. It leads to better performance, hard work, and it singles out the aspirants from the can’t-be-bothered’s.

What holds teaching back, what allows the Genter’s, March’s and others to behave the way they do, what stops crime dropping, what stops climate protesting kids staying in the classroom, is a lack of standards.

Dropping standards emboldens bad behaviour. It lets intent fall by the wayside and success become a scarce commodity. We hide by being average, ordinary and lazy amongst the crowd because the easy way out will always attract a crowd.

That’s the value of leadership and what happens if you don’t have enough of it. When you’re surrounded by it, it’s normal.

Otherwise you end up like we have.

So much of this country these days is what a lack of standards looks like.    – Mike Hosking

Our ad in today’s Herald that Stuff refused to publish, but have subsequently agreed to run. The Government must urgently unwind the 18,000 person bureaucracy growth seen over the past six years. pic.twitter.com/hsEcyJYtBt

— New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union (@TaxpayersUnion) May 28, 2024

Protest and organising grassroots movements are crucial in a liberal democracy. Tomorrow we will see an expression of this. But to be clear, identity politics is antithetical to free speech. Freedom of thought and speech, once elevated above the individual and to the abstract group is worthless, and used to suppress the very voices of dissidents in the midst. – NZ Free Speech Union

Racial separatists in New Zealand have become significantly more strident of late, demanding undemocratic power and funding, along with greater control over anyone identifying as Māori. It all sounds scarily similar to the unhinged ranting of many of the world’s destructive despots. With this perilous state in mind, I ask our leaders to please take more care with their language.

Lumping New Zealanders into “Māori” or “non-Māori” categories is both lazy and misleading. This approach implies that those who cannot or choose not to identify as Māori are a less important, homogenous group that can be collectively relegated. Politically, this has already resulted in the “nons” having fewer rights in governance, legislation, public funding, and employment. – Fiona Mackenzie

Meanwhile, those identifying as Māori are certainly not clones of each other with one world view or way of doing things (despite what the activists claim); neither are they of one ancestral bloodline or living distinctly different lives from all other New Zealanders.

So, the binary division is artificial and absurd. It totally ignores our country’s history of migration and social mingling, and completely overlooks the healthy interconnectedness and interdependence of all communities within New Zealand.

The use of “non-Māori” is also dangerous. It positions Māori culture as the norm against which all people are measured. Rather than fostering unity and collaboration, this usage suggests a hierarchical relationship, creating barriers and fostering animosity in our society. Such tactics have been employed by many historical figures seeking to exert control over populations by delineating clear boundaries of exclusion and inclusion. – Fiona Mackenzie

For New Zealand’s sake, it is essential that our leaders and policymakers adopt language that promotes inclusivity, respect, and recognition of diversity in our country. They can reject the belittling qualifier of “non-” and instead promote New Zealanders’ common humanity, shared experiences and love for this country, thereby fostering a sense of unity and belonging for us all.  – Fiona Mackenzie

The really s**t thing about being young is that you haven’t been through stuff yet. The first time it happens is the worst.

I’ll give you an example of heartbreak. When you get your heart broken for the first time, you’ve got no defences because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know how it feels, and you trust. . .

The horrible thing about older people, maybe your parents or other people who care about you, is that when they say, ‘You’re going to be okay, and this will make you stronger,’ and, ‘You were so brave to love in the first place,’ all this feels so unhelpful.

When you get your heart broken a second time it might be just as bad, but it’s painful in the knowledge that you recovered once and that life went on. That you laughed again and enjoyed music again, and that’s the difficulty with context.

When I was 14. . . I hated school, I wasn’t popular. Everything now that I’ve made a career out of I thought was a negative. I hate to think of people unhappy being teenagers. . .  But I also know it’s part of being happier later.  – Sarah Pascoe

Comedian @sarapascoe tells a young festivalgoer about the lesson she’d give her 14 year old self. pic.twitter.com/pgaKeBUuqK

— Hay Festival (@hayfestival) May 28, 2024

 

These tax cuts are well overdue for the hard-working Kiwis who grew resentful under Labour about how much was done to help beneficiaries, while they got nothing. For just that signal alone, the Budget works well for National.

The tax cuts are well overdue full stop. We have gone 14 years without our tax brackets being adjusted. National’s Steven Joyce had them pencilled in but Labour won the 2017 election and stopped them.

There was nothing noble in Labour doing that. All they did was rake in more and more tax every year from hard-working Kiwis by stealth. It didn’t look like they were taking more because nothing changed. 

But fiscal drag meant the average income went from below $48,000 to $76,000 – and because tax rates didn’t change, average wage earners who used to pay a maximum 17.5 per cent in tax were now paying 33 per cent. –  Heather du Plessis-Allan

‘Beads and blankets’ buying votes

There is so much wrong with what is alleged here:

A Te Pāti Māori MP and the marae she once ran are at the centre of claims that private information collected during the census was used for political campaigning.

Stats NZ, the Government’s official data agency, is now investigating after a whistleblower from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) came forward with a series of allegations relating to Manurewa Marae.

The whistleblower also laid a complaint with police last week.

Takutai Moana Natasha Kemp stood down as the marae’s chief executive last year after narrowly beating incumbent Labour MP Peeni Henare by only 42 votes in the election’s Tāmaki Makaurau race. . . 

The probe comes as a number of former marae workers have alleged that:

Hundreds of census forms collected by marae staff were photocopied and retained; and data from the forms such as personal contact details, household occupancy and birth dates was entered into an online database and sent to the Waipareira Trust. Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere runs the social services charity and is chief executive of Whānau Ora, and denies this.

• They believe that information was then used to target Māori electorate voters in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate.
• They also allege that Marae staff who delivered census forms also included enrolment forms for voters to change from the general to the Māori roll.

Further allegations are that:

• Participants were given $100 supermarket vouchers, wellness packs or food parcels to induce them to complete the forms.
• Visitors to the marae last year were also given $100 supermarket vouchers when they completed the forms to switch rolls.
• Attempts were made to alert Stats NZ and MSD, but neither agency acted.

Allegations of wrongdoing don’t stop at misuse of data and bribery to change rolls:

In the wake of the election, the marae was at the centre of claims it had broken electoral laws by providing food during the advance voting period. After an investigation, the Electoral Commission chose not to refer the matter to police, despite complaints from the Labour, National and Vision NZ parties.

In February, the Star-Times revealed deleted social media videos that promoted a ticketing system where voters could collect free hāngī, doughnuts, hot chocolate and coffee on providing proof of voting at the marae. . . 

That link to the SST also reports:

. . . The account also posted a live video which included footage of Kemp’s campaign vehicle, branded with Te Pāti Māori livery, and invited people to vote at the marae where an event that day would include free food.

Documents, released after an Official Information Act request, reveal the commission was first made aware of the videos in the fortnight before election day on October 14, but they remained up for the duration of voting. The videos were taken down when media first began reporting on the allegations in early November.

In total, seven complaints were made, including from Labour and Vision NZ, raising concerns about breaches of treating rules and advertising published without a promoter statement. . . 

Why wouldn’t the commission investigate such serious allegations? Kemp holds the seat by only 42 votes, that would require only 21 votes to be invalid to make it a draw, 22 for her to lose the seat.

Preying on the poor and hungry, bribing them to sign up, inducing them to vote with free food . . . If this is true it’s illegal, it raises serious questions about the election process and it also reminds me of the beads and blankets, the currency early settlers used to ‘buy’ land from Māori.

It’s the sort of behaviour that happens in countries where corruption is rife.

“This is the shit they do to poor people in Brasil. Give them a pair of sunglasses in exchange for a vote…”
My Brazilian partner after reading the articlehttps://t.co/QztLNCTLfg

— Ani O’Brien (@aniobrien) June 1, 2024

These allegations are so serious there must be a proper investigation of all agencies involved – Stats NZ, MSD and the Electoral Commission – and the processes they used.