The Anti-Targ

We require ID, but it's called an easy vote card and it's mailed to everyone who is on the electoral roll for every election, And everyone over 18 is automatically registered, and if you forget it you get to cast a special vote anyway. Still the country regularly votes in both left and right govts, but right govts more. Australia has compulsory voting and it votes in govts of both left and right. I don't like voter ID that puts any kind of barrier to voting, but it appears from the least disenfranchising countries the end result over time isn't all that much different. You'll get govts of both left and right stripes. And I guess it's been two weeks, so time to preach again. IMO left/progressive govts are going to be increasingly rare until they stop believing in the deficit myth.

One assumes there is support in some quarters for ethnic cleansing. Problem is it's really genocide that's needed if the aim is to permanently rid Gaza of all Palestinian presence, and given it would remain an irritant that means the West Bank population must also be obliterated. If you merely relocate people to a place they don't want to be there will always be a strong desire for return. The Jewish people themselves know this given the many centuries of longing to return to the Holy Land. The tricky bit is the 7.2 million Palestinian refugees not in Gaza or the West Bank, how to eradicate them needs a bit more planning.

Lol if it wasn't so tragic. So there are people who unironically think all out war will not increase the number of people willing to become terrorists? Worked so damned well with Iraq and Afghanistan. Got rid of the head of Al Qeada in dramatic and much celebrated fashion. We got ISIS for their troubles. The US and its friends keep assassinating heads of terror orgs and yet it seems to have little effect. It's almost like demonising and oppressing whole populations makes them not like you very much and creates people willing to do bad things. When are people going to learn that Islamic terror isn't a snake, it's both a hydra and a worm. Cut off a head and two grow back. Slice up the body and each bit grows into a new worm. Peace is the way to kill the hydra and the worm, but it seems a bunch of people persist in believing it's war that will do the job. Violence begets violence. In nature positive feedback loops pretty much always end in an explosion, I think that is also true about human conflict. If someone doesn't break the cycle what we're seeing now is just a prelude to something much worse. For those thirsty to see certain people suffering, it won't just be the one's you want to suffer who will suffer.

Right or, relatively, left if you want to be in govt for a decent amount of time in a capitalist country you have to pander to corporates. True left has no shot at power anymore.

It's why Biden just announced moving dope from Sch I to Sch III, no doubt all will now be forgiven because young people have such short attention spans.

Hmmm, never tried with marmite...how dare your impugn my honour by suggesting I eat that Aussie muck! To be completely honest the marmite/vegemite issue splits families here and then there are marmite factions with NZ vs UK marmite. I'm in the NZ marmite faction, my sisters is all about vegemite. My default toast is Vogel's a NZ wholegrain brand, it gets crisp and resists soggyness after being toasted and has a great nutty flavour. Question on cooking baked beans: do you add butter to the beans while cooking? My whole life I never did, but my fairly new daughter-in-law was horrified that our family didn't. It makes the beans richer, but not sure it makes much difference (or is necessary) when on a well buttered piece of toast. I can see doing it if having it without toast.

For me, most pleasure for least effort/skill is baked beans on toast. Still a pleasure to eat after 45 years of having it semi-regularly.

Insanely calorific usually = insanely delicious.

Ordinary folk never want war and never call for war, they are propagandised into it by people who have or want power and see an advantage in starting or carrying on war, and who stand to lose if peace breaks out all over the place. It has always been thus. The motivations are many and varied. It's curious that @Bironic doesn't mention the US, when the US certainly has the power to throw a blanket on the fire. Right now it would seem to be to the distinct electoral advantage of Biden to make Israel cool their jets, so why isn't he? By definition a plan carried out by more than one person is a conspiracy. Every country or group mentioned in your post requires at least two people to conspire to achieve their objectives. So rather odd that you say my post is conspiratorial. Maybe you think I'm being all deep state, illuminati conspiratorial. Why look for shadowy organisations to blame when the ones in front of our eyes are right there not even trying to hide.

Hmmm, interested to know the unique features of a Sri Lankan curry. In the backwater of the south pacific we barely know the difference between north and south Indian cuisine.

The only winner in that exchange is those who want to keep the region unstable for whatever reasons, that have nothing to do with the interests or safety of the Israeli, Palestinian or Iranian people.

For a former president to not be subject to vindictive prosecution by the opposing party the immunity would have to be for every alleged crime ever before, during and after leaving office. Otherwise if there was some kind of vindictive motive the party in power could just frame the former president for a crime committed while not in office, so that means a former president could become a crime boss after they leave office (having gone through the training of being a crime boss while in office) and they would be untouchable. Sound logic with no flaws at all.

US electoral politics on the IP war is for the birds. No one in power or in a position to potentially be in power has a viable solution and I question whether there are many who even want a viable solution. The US doesn't care about Israel for Israel, it cares about Israel for the USA, and they are not the same thing. By extension the same applies to Palestine. What best serves US interests in the minds of what your political (and military-industrial) leadership see as the US's best interests? I am not convinced that it is a lasting peace that serves their interests, so perhaps don't look for it from that quarter.

This might be a good demonstration of how useless the ICC is and a clear demonstration that without a police force courts and justice systems might as well not exist. If you're going to have an ICC you need an IPF, if you're not willing to have an IPF then don't bother with an ICC.

Ah, so that's where they expect to get the poll bounce, detain the people. Doesn't matter if any flights actually take off the govt can now say that the "process" has begun. What's more evil: A cruel govt being cruel to people; A cruel govt expecting to get a bounce in approval rating for being cruel because they think people are as cruel as they are; a cruel govt actually getting a bounce in approval for being cruel proving that, yes, people are as cruel as the govt is hoping they are?

Is there some retirement advantage to being a member of a party rather than an independent for the final couple of months of a term? Or does Labour get some per-seat public funding for the election, which would motivate Labour to accept any and all defectors?

I've never used Hello Fresh, but this is one aspect of it that I like. My pantry and fridge are packed with 3/4 full ingredient packages and jars because I want to make something one time and have not got back to making that thing again. To be fair to myself a lot of the things I have a go at are unlikely to ever feature in a Hello Fresh box for you to make, like turnip cakes. So I have little choice but to buy more ingredients than I need. At least the turnip cake recipe called for the use of a whole daikon, so there was no waste there.

Nothing to do with the possibility of the seat switching to Labour or LDP this election? Genuine question since I have no idea if this seat is in play (though with polling at the moment almost every Tory held seat is in play).

In a society than at least nominally values free speech and free assembly any crackdowns on non-violent protests on an issue that is very much alive in the politically active public consciousness are going to have the opposite effect of what the authorities intended. You have to be an authoritarian state where you can arrest, imprison, torture and execute the organisers and leaders to put real fear into the followers if you want to shut that sort of thing down. The USA isn't that...for now.

If one was to try to set up a system of govt from scratch that sought to put wise people with that had interests of the common good at the center of their motivations a party political system would be the furthest thing from what such a system should be. No matter the party, you won't get enough wise people who care more about other people than their own power and advantage to establish a government that is for the people.

Is the lesson here that the way for protest to be effective is by adding a few death threats? https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/04/26/drag-queen-reading-group-cancels-nationwide-tour-amid-protests/ How about the police take some action against the people making death threats? Or are death threats only actually a danger when made by progressive groups?

Damnit, it hasn't been two weeks yet. I won't go full rant then, just say pay to nationalise rail with new money.

The link between interest rates and inflation is complex and depends a lot on debt and savings in the private sector. If there are a lot of savings out there higher interest rates will be net inflationary, because it's putting more money into the system. Right now the RBA is paying $billions in interest to banks because the inter-bank overnight exchange accounts (can't remember the correct name for them) for most banks are flush and the RBA is not forcing banks to buy bonds to takes liquidity out of those accounts and make banks pay interest via overnight borrowing. With the current plentifulness of cash in those accounts every interest rate increase is just RBA stuffing more money into bank's coffers. If the policy of letting banks maintain high balances in those counts continues then the only way to slow the flow of money is to lower interest rates.

Is Raynor a prospect to replace Starmer while Labour is in Govt in a way that won't wind up with Labour losing the subsequent election? I know very little of her or her personal politics, but the impression I get is that she's proper Labour in both the social and economic sense.

When people put the welfare of those living dying and suffering thousands of km away who they will never meet ahead of their own education, then you actually have a movement that might achieve something. I think student strikes and protests opposing crimes against humanity and inadequate action on global warming, if prolonged and sustained, can be effective. It does mean there need to be a clear message that resonates with the wider public though.