Politics - a place to rant

Guilty as charged I've taken a few threads off topic.

Anyway at risk of being hacked, the CCP what a bunch of evil cods.

Yet to watch's Stuff's "The Long Game" doco, but imagine it was just confirm what I've thought for awhile. Kiwis are sometimes stupidly sweetly naive about how bad these fudgeers are.

Yep that's qnIntersting documentary on stuff about the CCP. Also, good to see some investigative journalism happening.

coochiee

Guilty as charged I've taken a few threads off topic.

Anyway at risk of being hacked, the CCP what a bunch of evil cods.

Yet to watch's Stuff's "The Long Game" doco, but imagine it was just confirm what I've thought for awhile. Kiwis are sometimes stupidly sweetly naive about how bad these fudgeers are.

careful you might get disappeared with that kind of talk.

I was thinking about making a focus about where sport and politics meet.

For us sport is usually a zone to relax and be entertained and politics often throws up instigations and challenges that lead to conflicts of one kind or another.

But like a relationship where the couple never fight, it usually means one person (or in this case set of values) is in control. Usually something familiar and comfortable!

Anyway I read this article from Philip Lahm which is a strange perspective for us, but also reminds me of the Soccer Tribe which is a fun book- funny, but also often on the mark.

That goes through different symbolism in football: a ritual hunt (for the goal), a medieval battle of colours, lines formed up, smoke,
tactics, big business which it’s even more now (and maybe one more I can’t think of).

In this article Lahm keeps emphasising how football is about freedom and competition. Rivalry and the desire to win produces the talent. And he casually throws in without explaining ‘Football is class struggle.’ It’s exactly what the group pamphlet was satirising in the other thread.

But he does get back to our feeling as fans for the game and the way John Oliver brings the moralism but has to watch Liverpool and the World Cup. We’re a captive audience:

Football is politics, undeniably. In my column, which has been published in more than 25 European countries for three years, I try to deal with social issues. But I share the longing for the pure game with billions of fans. Football is switching off, relaxing, exuberance. Blow the whistle at last!

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/article/2024/jun/13/football-must-play-part-defending-achievements-democracy-euro-2024

Or to put it more grimly some were saying Ukraine had to qualify because otherwise the world would forget them without something else to return their struggle to international focus. That’s something that doesn’t really fit much with Lahm’s story.

coochiee

Guilty as charged I've taken a few threads off topic.

Anyway at risk of being hacked, the CCP what a bunch of evil cods.

Yet to watch's Stuff's "The Long Game" doco, but imagine it was just confirm what I've thought for awhile. Kiwis are sometimes stupidly sweetly naive about how bad these fudgeers are.

See, this is what frustrates me about the whole argument about T-AFC. You're a decent guy but you seem to be very confused what I and similar people to me actually think. So: I absolutely despise the current Chinese regime. I might quibble about whether "fascist" is the right name for them, but they're an imperialist authoritarian regime which crushed a democratic movement in blood in Tiananmen Square 1989, more recently crushed democratic movements in Hong Kong and East Turkestan (aka "Xinjiang"), and are just itching to crush democracy in Taiwan. We might also quibble about whether the best defence against them is an alliance with the US - especially given who might be President this time next year - but those guys in Beijing are bad dudes, I don't care how many hammer-and-sickles they misuse.

This is just like the guy on Reddit who assumed we loved Vladimir Putin and was very confused to hear me say "Slava Ukraini, death to the occupiers". I don't even bother getting into these arguments usually because most people seem to be yelling about things they *assume* I believe, but actually don't an oppose.

I'm the kind of socialist who opposes *all* imperialism. The slogan of our tradition was always "Neither Washington nor Moscow". I was out there with a sign saying "Russian Tanks, Western Banks, Hands Off Ukraine: Defend Ukraine and Cancel their Debt". And Beijing is as bad as Moscow, possibly worse because they're much richer. So.

Looks & smells like Fascism to me. As some expert said in the The Long Game doco it's the most dangerous strategic environment since WWII.

Hitler & cronies tried to create a 1,000 year Reich in 10 years. China is taking the longer, smarter approach. They need a broken America first, to really fulfil their ambitions. Like the movie another Civil War.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350322040/chinas-embassy-hits-back-foreign-interference-claims-warns-journalists-not

My major takes from The Long Game doco 

There was a National MP Jian Yang, who had 10 years at a Chinese spy school

He was totally a CCP 'plant' in NZ, in the inner corridors of power.
Bridges & Jamie-Lee Ross meeting with influential memebers of the Chinese community in NZ (CCP members for sure), who stated their disappointment that Yang was never made a Minister in Govt, whilst at the same time donating $100K to the National Party.

Both major parties gulity of sucking up to the NZ Chinese business community. But Key & Bridges were the worst. Luxon also seems a bit besotted with China. "Useful idiots" as the Chinese call them. 

Peters for all his madness is the most awake to the dangers of the CCP.

There are over 230,000 people in NZ of Chinese descent, over 130,000 of them were born in Mainland China. No doubt minimum several hundred are CCP members, sprinkled throughout all levels of NZ society. Many of them would have migrated to NZ on the specific orders of the CCP. Some fearful that if they didn't, harm would come to their families back in China. 

1920s/2000s = largesse on the back of cheaply printed money, presenting an artificially ballooning, false economy
1929/2009 = resulting economic shock
1930s/2010s = rise of populism as a result
Then comes... not good things

Political problems and war are driven by the money printer and our dysfunctional economic system. 
Fix the money, fix the world. 

Can we rant about local politics on here, too?
WCC and Wellington Water have shafted me, in a big way. 
I even voted for Whanau (fix the pipes my arse), how naive.
My faith in government and bureaucracy has been shattered.

Political incentives are capped at 3-4 year terms. 
Effective long-term solutions to critical issues take a lot longer than that. 
Modern career politicians will never have the courage to implement solutions that will outlast their term, or even life, the game just ain't built that way. 
The incentives are the problem. Incentives come from money and economics, not moral justification or being a "good person". 
Fix the money, fix the world. 

newzealandpower

Can we rant about local politics on here, too?
WCC and Wellington Water have shafted me, in a big way. 
I even voted for Whanau (fix the pipes my arse), how naive.
My faith in government and bureaucracy has been shattered.

Incredible that you had faith in the first place.

I like that the word faith was used, it was a great comment, I think it's very symbolic of where we are at. 
Politics in the 21st century is starting to look a lot like religion did right before it separated from state. 
I feel we are entering into a period similar to the Enlightenment, where scientific, technological thinking begins to usurp badly incentivized and corrupted politics. 

In terms of American politics, I think this cartoon sums it up pretty well

IMG_0627.jpeg 91.29 KB

Buffon II

In terms of American politics, I think this cartoon sums it up pretty well

IMG_0627.jpeg 91.29 KB

The irony was, when Biden first got in, I thought that at his age, he'd be a "filler" and give the American people a chance to find more youthful candidates to represent their respective parties. You know, someone around 40-60 age group with some life experience but not like what the cartoon suggests. Americans have forsaken that chance or opportunity and now they are going to have 4 more years of regret - Both Democrats & Republicans. It's like watch those two old codgers up in the Balcony in the Muppet Show.

American politics is so depressing, there are so many unlikeables in the mix

Procrastinixing

American politics is so depressing, there are so many unlikeables in the mix

Don’t look now, but…

Also, and this is the tricky bit, a bit like watching Christiano Ronaldo’s football, seeing where the power is and filtering out the endless bollocks and fluff and sycophancy. I can’t do it, tbh. 

I think underneath the hoopla there’s some relatively traditional politics taking place- people delivering pamphlets, going to meetings, getting out the vote, people wanting more funding and priorities where it will affect them etc etc…and while the new tech bros and others are the hot flush, I don’t think they hold a candle to entrenched old money or core corporations. 

But yeh the potential for a slow rolling coup is- it’s happening and happened. And then we’re getting into the depressing bit. 

But there’s so many things their society has accepted, it’s hard to tell if it’s a feature or something imposed from the top to bottom. 

But the first thing happens is undercutting the state’s ability and legitimacy to be our collective way of solving problems. Then blaming the state after knee capping it, while ensharktification occurs. So as I was saying, don’t look now…

For example I may be wrong, but I can’t see the cybertruck being an essential thing because of the non-crumple element. That’s a safety feature developed and agreed upon internationally. It’s disruption, but I can’t see it being long term continued. 

The solar electrified house by Tesla is more interesting. But it requires large personal investment and long long term stability. And reasonable weather. 

In things you love to see, the Tories got monumentally crushed.

They've left a massive mess though, by pretty much all metrics the UK is substantially worse than when they took power 14 years ago.

Biden needs to be put out of his misery now. There is absolutely no way he is fit for office, certainly not for a potential four more years.

horrific gaff calling Zelenskyy Putin!!!

He also called Harris ''Vice President Trump'".

Too many gaffes now. Just damaging himself and the Dems.

Politics is a cult of personality here, but voting on a person rather than a party makes it hundreds of times worse over there. If you look at the track record of the "Biden administration" then it's clear there is a good team there, even if Biden is just a figure head. I'd wager if you change the person at the top, the team would be just as competent but if Biden hung around, or they resorted to weekend at Bernies, it wouldn't make much difference. The team within the administration is doing a good job.

Oh no Joe. I think its time to go. 

Biden speaking into the Drive through communication Box

"I'd like a Happy meal please?"
Response
"Sir this is a Car Wash".

As all of us have who have elderly relatives know this syndrome doesn’t go away. They just get steadily worse. Biden seems to have deteriorated markedly in the last six months. What’s he going to be like in four months time at the election let alone four years time as President if he wins. My bet is he will be replaced by Harris by the end of the month.

I've always liked Biden. I'm to the right of centre, but if I was unlucky enough to be an American I'd vote Dems every time for the Oval Office.

However Biden is just easy fodder now for the orange toupeed one.

Unsure on Harris, but yipe they need to make a change and very soon.

I think the challenge is that Biden has always had a stutter, so that makes it seem worse. Both candidates seem to be in cognitive decline, but Trump masks it better with energy and more confidence in his speaking.

One thing that brings their age home is Bill Clinton is younger than both candidates yet was president 30 years ago.

Lets be brutally honest here. A big part of the world wishes the shooter had been successful. Surprising in many ways it's taken this long for an attempt to happen.

And unfortunately after that event even if the Democrats get rid of Biden and replace him now, no one now has a chance of beating him

This is proper fckt

What's scary is senior people in the republican party are using this to rile up their base, they should be de-escalating things because there could easily be retaliation.

Edit: Apparently the shooter is a registered republican.

Country is a cluster fudge

Biden and the Democrats have been egging on the nutters for years.
 

coochiee

Lets be brutally honest here. A big part of the world wishes the shooter had been successful. Surprising in many ways it's taken this long for an attempt to happen.

Both sides have been egging on nutters. Then heavily influenced by them. 

kwlap

Both sides have been egging on nutters. Then heavily influenced by them. 

I don’t mean to imply Leggy is a blind partisan, but one side is heavily pro-private arsenals, anti-government survivalism and issues hit lists of politicians with targets. I don’t agree that both sides have been egging on the nutters at all. That’s frankly a load of crap.

That perfect photo did rather remind me of this odd business:

IMG_0841.jpeg 670.29 KB

and this came out yesterday about a Russian attempt to kill a German citizen.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1wej84e9l7o

The photo reminds me of the organised PR of the chap in antlers at the coup attempt. A defiant Trump unhurt apart from a little blood saluting. 

This is par for the course of dictatorship 101. 

And Luxon is our most American PM, impressing in California with his baseball skills. I’d rather be watching from a distance for some time!

I’d feel safer if we shut our borders and emptied all the life boat properties tbh. 

What a horrid mess and a horrid bunch. 

kwlap

Both sides have been egging on nutters. Then heavily influenced by them. 

Doesn't matter who said what in the past (my opinion on who's been egging on who is the complete opposite of Leggy). For the good of the country they should all stop with the violent rhetoric and bashing each other and just talk about policy. 

Probably a controversial comment. But could the shooting have been a set up. I mean multiple shots, and there were dozens of people sitting behind Trump in the firing line, where did all the bullets go. Especially the one that supposedly grazed his ear.

Ryan

kwlap

Both sides have been egging on nutters. Then heavily influenced by them. 

Doesn't matter who said what in the past (my opinion on who's been egging on who is the complete opposite of Leggy). For the good of the country they should all stop with the violent rhetoric and bashing each other and just talk about policy. 

American are all about drama though. And they love it. That's were reality TV got its beginning. This is all just next level stuff.

Ranix

Probably a controversial comment. But could the shooting have been a set up. I mean multiple shots, and there were dozens of people sitting behind Trump in the firing line, where did all the bullets go. Especially the one that supposedly grazed his ear.

1 person dead and another couple injured. There's a slow motion video that I saw of Trump tilting his head as he's talking and the bullet flying past him. That slight movement saved his life.

Ranix

Ryan

kwlap

Both sides have been egging on nutters. Then heavily influenced by them. 

Doesn't matter who said what in the past (my opinion on who's been egging on who is the complete opposite of Leggy). For the good of the country they should all stop with the violent rhetoric and bashing each other and just talk about policy. 

American are all about drama though. And they love it. That's were reality TV got its beginning. This is all just next level stuff.

Not to this extent they don't, if they don't simmer down this could escalate and either their democracy collapses or they go to civil war, either way it's dreadful for us and the rest of the free world.

There's the existential threat of the climate crisis that we need countries like the US to take a leadership position in, and if they keep politicising everything they won't do it.