From all of us at The Daily Blog, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
May you all enjoy time with your whanau and reconnect with those you have quarrelled with.
Good will to all and peace on Earth.
Share the harvest of your year and always remember there are so many fellow human beings in far worse conditions than we are here in New Zealand.
We are the lucky ones dear comrades, we are the blessed.
Next year we are launching the first major redesign of the Blog since its creation 14 years ago in time for the Election so that TDB remains an essential resource for the wider Left as we gear up to defeat this terrible Government.
If you value having an independent news voice and are in a position to contribute – please do so here.
Donate via Stripe or directly into our account 12-3065-0133561-56
Enjoy the festive season. See you in election 2026.
Yes – we are truly blessed to live in New Zealand, enjoying a level of security and opportunity that many in the world do not. Much of this can be traced to Christianity and the values it has shaped—both in its religious form and in the secular principles that grew out of it. Even where those values are expressed in secular terms, they arise from the same underlying metaphysical foundation. Merry Christmas to people everywhere.
More can be attributed to the Pasifikanization of our colonizers.
We’ve mostly chilled y’all the fuck out with our humble values and non violent attitudes and protests toward ingrained racism and assimilation policies inherent in the christian Westminster system of governance and judiciary.
Be thankful sectarian violence and bloody retribution isnt our thing. There is a reckoning due but also a reconciliation following.
Y’all are welcome to become Pasifikans by birth or by nature.
Wishing all a happy Christmas and look for the good so happiness and relaxation give your worried minds a positive break for a few days. And may there be many other short, happy breaks next year to liven the year for you as we work on towards better times.
After a financially disastrous last 12 months, a few days’ reprieve is welcome. We have seen religion and war go hand in hand and as you say those that believe in the incredible mighty flying wizard have been conned. The Bondi slaying but just another example. Looking forward to late 2026 for a change of government so as to bring equal opportunity in pay equity, social inclusion and media representation, although the NZ Herald is clearly right wing propaganda alongside Newstalk ZB. Happy holidays Martyn.
Martyn – Thank you for this blog
Firstly I hope you all had a lovely Xmas Day – I did. Although I still am, and always have been a Jacinda Ardern supporter I didn’t realise how revered she was and STILL IS! I asked one of my daughters to give me her book which came out 3/6/2025. She went to six shops and they were all sold out. On her last store one was on hold and the storekeeper phoned the person to be told she had found one closer to her home – so she got that one. WHAT DOES THAT TELL US? Clearly, despite the threats and nastiness from the RW misogynisitics and ZB trolls et al, she is still as popular as ever. So why, when we compare her with Luxon? Because she loved New Zealand and New Zealanders! She has a heart and soul, and it’s not all about her it’s about us and our country. She isn’t an I, ME, MY person. Luxon is all about Luxon, his narcissistic ego, his ‘expected’ Knighthood! Luxon couldn’t give a rat’s ar$e about NZ or its people!!! That’s the huge difference. Jacinda come back and save us from this current tyranny. Clearly many of us still love you and appreciate all you did for us when you were “thrown” into the lion’s den. We don’t deserve the likes of this CoC – they are the worst we have had to endure in my life-time. We want to go back to living our lives in a country that honours and respects ALL of us not just the wealthy. I don’t care if you think this is finger down throat stuff – it’s as clear as day to me.
Happy New Year Patrize. Jacinda must not come back, the monsters hiding behind the human faces will keep trying to diminish her. And the warped confused will not treasure the proper value of her being and doing. She has come back to us Patrize, keeping a safe distance from the firing line so to speak; she has put out a book, and made a film.
Now she has done her bit and we have the education and values, and examples from other countries and history to make a new democracy that works, in which we can all work at something and be part of. We need an enlightened, intelligent, practical, capable, fairly well-running nation, responsive to the requirements to maintain ourselves and the supporting land. But we have to find people who think things through, are honestly committed to a system we have chosen, and don’t worship money but see it as an enabler, that must be used cautiously. Importantly, not undertake large projects with large debt amortised over decades making it seem affordable. We can rely on the probability of the future being difficult and unprofitable; so it is irrational to take on debt we will be unable to repay. Madness!
Now we need to look beyond fashion and pretension just enjoy and work together in a lifestyle that is achievable and enables initiative. I suggest that the coming trend to promote is a return to ‘shabby chic’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabby_chic
It’s around being creative with old stuff which will have an arty, unique, lived-in look. No longer will we see in house-advertising, the large kitchen living room with central bench, table, stools, lights from high ceilings, set in a warehouse size living area. People will make their own design for low cost. But they won’t be in garages or leaky houses, might be tiny ones.
I have envisaged an estate of individual tiny houses with fenced in small lots, in a park setting and community facilities for regular meetings, music sessions; a certain expectation of tidiness and individuality mixed would make a dynamic attractive living area, with some central open space. Near to facilities, school and transport; with mediation system where interaction is required. There are some already – more, more are needed, and belonging to co-operative groups to build civil responsibility.
Think globally and act locally for a start. The orcs are out there, spreading their giant shadows to overtake us all. The financiers will go on playing their money game, gambling to the end. Those who can know themselves, look out for others, help their family but reach out for similar other people with practical good intentions as caring, loving individuals, helping each other – extended families, this could go on and manage to take the human spirit on beyond the machine and system-oriented people using earth’s needed resources to be tourists in the world and space.
Can we do it? Who has the best most likely visions that would enable good people to live humanely. The aim is to high-jump over the bar, not crawl under it then expire.
An Olympics to the bottom we will be on if you don’t join with others for something that is good for human living and freedom of thought but also self-controlled and allowing for personal restraint to become strong enough to be a future. If you can find the book Commune by Olive Jones – 1970-80 near Nelson good about difficulties of change and the personal disciplines and the group ones to take. PaperPlus had it.
Then Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, free up thinking and plotting brain cells’.
John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids sets up a recognisable theatre of action and a human response, and his other books show his practical, inventive mind and humane nature. John Christopher is interesting, questing put scifi if searching. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Christopher
Or Cynthia Voigt’s imaginative young adult books in series: Makes use of imagination, female becoming thinking and strong – good for all-age adults male female or mixed:
The Kingdom series
1 – Jackaroo // The Tale of Gwyn (Sep-1985)
2 – On Fortune’s Wheel // The Tale of Birle (May-1990)
3 – The Wings of a Falcon // The Tale of Oriel (Sep-1993)
4 – Elske // The Tale of Elske (Oct-1999)
Thoroughly agree with your comments, Patrize.
There has been one small blessing this Christmas season however, which shouldn’t be overlooked.
Someone may correct me, but I think we have been spared the annual Christmas photo of the Luxury Luxon family in their new pyjamas.
Yes, we long for a leader who actually likes us. We are sick of the hateful trio, all with their personal self-aggrandizement agendas. Three males full of arrogance and taking every opportunity to undermine and belittle the people of this country.
We do not deserve them but so many of us still appear to be easily distracted by the opening of new shops and malls, real estate exaggerations and mis-information, circuses and bread in the form of popular restaurants and holiday hotspots led by influencers. None of that matters. The govt. we elect does matter and many people need to stop for a moment and actually think about that before the next election.
The ‘I’m right, Jack’ attitude of many is extremely selfish and makes NZ very vulnerable to future take-overs and environmental degradation. They might think they are all right, but we all have to breathe, eat and drink fresh water and be able to find shelter.
This Christmas, have some thought for those who aren’t as ‘All right’ as yourself and be prepared to vote with them in mind, next year.
Thank-you Martyn and everyone involved with TDB. You bring a gleam of sanity in an increasingly unpredictable and shallow country.
On the theme of Joy – Joy to the World.
From Ireland 2023 with Irish verve – just right tempo for now and what an example of how to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmT6pjeQXOA
Seems like half a city is here and a wonderful performance with lyrics as well. This is the joy we need to last us through 2026 to a happy ending of a slightly better government which is a necessary step at the present. Some new words, ridding a curse, very suitable.
Slower and more traditional but from a Welsh male choir – surely the best singers ever! Turn sound up perhaps to hear well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NZoFmROIkA
Dec 24, 2018 Aberhonddu & District Male Voice Choir singing Joy to the World at Brecon Cathedral (north of Cardiff Wales also has Jazz Festival)
and from the Mousehole (Cornwall) Male Voice Choir plus community -doing good.
2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSjS5uo2HFQ
Joint concert of Penzance Orpheus Ladies Choir and Mousehole Male Voice Choir on 28th Dec 2018 in aid of the 3 Villages Youth Project.
And for sound effect – carols in a sewer hole! Including carols in Welsh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhM_robV5h8
Caroling in the Deep: Welsh choir sings in the Super Sewer
2019 Members of Côr Y Boro Welsh choir near London Bridge descended down the tunnel shaft at Dormay Street in Wandsworth…
A selection for the hopefully festive season.
Thank you Greywarbler. You find some interesting things. Do you warble a few bars yourself at all?
My husband’s cousin (sounds like an Ogdon Nash nonsense poem) belongs to a choir in Cardiff where their Christmas Concert is always sold out.
I was reading about what is sometimes thought of, as the best Christmas carol ever written. O Holy Night. Written as a piece of poetry by an unreligious Frenchman who asked a Jewish man, a writer of operatic music, to put it to music. It immediately became very popular but the church decided after a while that it wasn’t in the spirit of the church and wasn’t suitable. What did that mean? Probably more to do with the 2 writers and the lovely idea of communing with God quite successfully while standing outside on a dark night looking at stars, breathing the cold air and feeling alive. Ordinary people kept singing it despite the ban.
Eventually it was revived after the Franco Prussian war where soldiers on both sides are reputed to have had a 24 hour truce after one stood up and began singing this lovely song.
Thank goodness. Sung fast it has a definite Gilbert and Sullivan feel to it.
Sung slowly, it is mystical and haunting.
As a break from political rants, a bit of carol singing and/or singing in a choir must be one of the best therapies for our mental health, whatever our religious feelings.
For a nation and a world weary of lies and posturing politicians, singing and creativity are what we need.
NZ should do politics like the Irish and Jacinda would be a worthy President
Happy FSM nativity day, roughly 380,000 years after the Big Bang (approximately 13.4 billion years ago) when flour and water spontaeously combined, during an event known as recombination, an era when the universe was transparent but had no stars to produce light, making the FSM forever invisible.
Happy Hanukkah from one middle eastern religion rooted in middle eastern culture to another. Peace on earth to all men and women where allowed.
Yeshua was Brown – Nice
Where’s my comment?
Didn’t you storm off in a temper tantrum while proclaiming you were never coming back because you were starting your own blog? And yet here you are bitching about not having your comments posted. You appreciate the irony of your tantrum now right?
The Daily Blog – without countryboy swear word laced posts – this blog started having an more positive vibe, which is a great thing.
The Daily Blog – without countryboy swear word laced posts – this blog started having an more positive vibe, which is a great thing.
@Nathan Balance is the thing. We must look for and present positives, while being aware of the vast amount of negatives there are, unpleasant, unsettling to read, hear , know. So have to cook the politics and admin analysis well and stir right or the pavlova will never rise rightly. You have to raise your cooking skills – if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen and sit in the garden or the winery enjoying the view,
Greywarbler – Review countryboy posts, they are full of hate and insults, not insight…Balance does not mean letting online trolls free range, balance is hearing out all sides of a debate/issue…
Yes Nathan, but balance includes the acceptance of those who have noticed all the things that you are willing to debate on, probably for ever, and that person has felt despair and anger and concern so deep it makes them swear. You demean him if you are calling him a troll. Trolls don’t bother in general, to write screeds about the degrading of society and country, particularly about the poor and and physical workers.
Countryboy, I don’t know him, was apparently living amongst people who were ruining the whole environment -social, economic, physical and doing it for their own enrichment in money and power. And in doing so undermining and spoiling the natural systems and the community they live on, not live in.
I think countryboy became killer white t-cell and that might be an indication of his state of mind and anxiety. You just sound soft and complacent, the Monty Python victim being tortured with hard hits from a soft cushion. All this is conjecture but I have acquired some sensitivity and understanding over my many decades.
This afternoon I listened to the Concert program and heard two sopranos recordings made in 1907 and 1913, one was Nellie Melba. And we could do clever stuff then. I thought that I wish we could go back to then, before WW1 and all the other ghastliness and start again with true hearts. I can understand countryboy’s disgust with so much; you are too sanguine, as many of us have been and are now proceeding to verging on the sanguinary.