Q+A get 2 interviews with the PM each year, this is Chippy’s first and it’s great broadcasting by Jack,
Jack presses him hard on some big questions and Chippy answers while also giving some real insight to the kind of NZ he wants to fight for.
His support of Ukraine is really solid and I think if China supports Russia, we will have a serious trade war on our hands, which is a threat and risk I don’t think anyone is factoring in yet.
Chippy is clearly wanting a far more muscular foreign policy, that is why Andrew Little as the new Defence Minister.
Jack says Chippy won’t appear on the cover of Vogue, he argues it’s time for a ‘Ginger’.
Jack pushes him on co-governance and representation, Chippy argues the term has become radioactive and argues he is still looking at 3 Waters and intends to make changes.
Jack challenges him hard on ethics and Chippy pushes back hard by pointing out when he is wrong he admits it.
The difference between Jacinda and Chippy is Chippy can throw a punch.
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Is it true is or is it fake news, that Crusty the Frown aloha Chris Luxon with the charisma of a clogged drain pipe and plummeting favourability ratings, has been doing his bit to pitch in with some elbow grease, to help with the cyclone clean up, by flying over badly affected areas in his private jet, dropping pamphlets outlining Nationals on again off again tax cuts for those on the highest marginal rate, while sipping martinis, and having his toes massaged by his bank manager, and sending txts to his favorite Kowloon tailor, ironing out details for his swearing in suit, made of the finest fabric, woven from some extinct animal?
I’m not so sure.
All I know is that National won’t be changing it’s spots, and if they are put in charge of the cyclone response, then they will act the same as they did after the Christchurch earthquake, which was to underfund the rebuild, consent to shonky repairs, underfund EQC payouts, and ignore anyone uninsured, and go along with private insurers underestimating valuations of damage, and not payout for years in the hope that claimants would die trying, forcing the worst affected to go to court just to get it put right.
Who to trust, Chippy the working class boy from the Hutt, or the smiling gold watch salesman.
All of that is oh soooo true..
In Chch EQC had been allowed to run down over the years by successful Governments but employed people to do the job of getting an initial damage claim underway .So mistakes were made but the formation of the Red Zone was a master move to allow many people to avoid insurance hassles and move on . The uninsured made their own decision to take the risk and unfortunately paid the price .We got a great Convention Centre and the Metro Sports would be up and running if Woods had not got involved .
With the clean up after Gabrielle contract today have said they cannot continue working for free but to date Noone from this Labour government has offered financial assistance
On the issue of China support for Russia is hypocritical considering that Ukraine is supported by the West militarily in a conflict that was largely started by NATO the US. The west was dismissive of China brokering a peace agreement between Kyiv & Moscow but the Chinese have done one extra and secured a peace arrangement between Iran & Saudi Arabia arch rivals no thanks to the US.
The US M.E foreign policy has caused havoc and chaos in their region for decades even pitting these two regional powers against each other. Remembering that Saudi Arabia is a british imperialist project taken ova by the US creating the apparently unbreakable alliance which lead to the Petrodollar in the 1970s an important pillar of US power. The Chinese aren’t fucking around either and have taken the fight to the evil hegemony the US empire. The US soft power war institutions (Rand Corp) has predicted a war with China by 2025 because after that period China will become unstoppable in their region and globally aswell.
The Dissecting and murder of CIA asset Jamal Khashoggi in their (Saudi Arabia) Turkish embassy on 2 October 2018 is part of this incremental purge from US hegemony apart from CIA assets trying unsuccessfully to kill and oust the young prince MBS in 2019-2020 with unreported trouble happening in the palaces of Riyadh. Also the targeting and murder by Trump of Iranian revered ‘General Qasem Soleimani’ in Iraq 7 January 2020, is part of this war being fought clandestinely.
Chippy IMO needs to be careful on what this support for Ukraine looks like and not over committing ourselves to a losing conclusion. China interest in the M.E region goes back centuries with its silk-road trading route through Iran. In recent years China has invested billions in Iran’s blue water navy in the Homus straights also globally securing major gas infrastructure projects and trades extensively with the persians. The Saudis share the same geography as the Iranians and have finally come to the conclusion that working with Iran is in their best interest unlike its relationship with the US.
Iran is a military superpower it has the capacity to defend itselfs. The 40+ years of sanctions imposed on the persians has effectively turn this cultured important country to figure out its own military prowess. Peace is better than war anytime and if the Chinese can show the world how to be a responsible global peacemaking citizens than what the problem?
The old chestnut that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was started by NATO and the US is wearing a bit thin, don’t you think?
PJ, how is it an old chestnut when the conflict only just begun? The US NATO with its color revolution facilitating the overthrow of a democratically elected Ukrainian President ‘Viktor Yanukovych’ in 2014. Meanwhile during those 8 years the US NATO were arming the Ukrainians knowing that they had neo-nazis in their ranks (Articles before 2021 show neo-nazis in Ukrainian army).
Then Sleepy Joe got elected in 2020 he ratcheted up the rhetoric on Ukraine then the following year Feb 24th 2021 war broke out what a coinkydink don’t you accept? Remembering his son Hunter Biden nefarious dealing and drug fueled episode’s not to mention the laptop fiasco, these people don’t have Ukrainians best interest that reflected in continuing arming the Ukrainians fighting the Russian for their (US) geo-political and strategic gain.
The Yanks have their fingerprints all ova this charade in Ukraine it not rocket science and warmongering supporters of US hegemony such yourself should pause for a moment and take a moment before considering poking the bear causing an irreversible WW3 with a nuclear powered state.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cohen-ukraine-commentary-idUSKBN1GV2TY