These unprecedented events occurred at the same time as Hagley Park in Christchurch hosted a pair of part-day concerts for younger people. Soccer too predominates the horizon. These entertainments form the heart of our nation’s worldview. The significance of “hard force” and “deals” among those who can solidly project it, casting aside even those (like Ukraine) who are directly in the firing line, seem utterly foreign. How to wake up this slothful crowd of mere consumers our population has become might just overshadow anything Luxon and Co. have imagined their ‘policy making’ to be, let alone its concrete execution. Dear Winnie; your lone voice is echoing once more … The consequences of deafness are incomparable to what you had to contend with.
The global economy is becoming increasingly complex . With complexity comes entropy and by association and increasing energy requirement to “maintain” the networks creating this complexity. Much of what we are seeing will be blamed on politics but this is just how energy scarcity manifests. We look across the fence at our neighbours and covet what they have.
China for years has sought places around the world where it might gain access to resources, from Dafur to Zimbabwe, from Peru to now Cook Islands. Trump’s “mineral deal” sought with Ukraine is part and parcel of this complex spheres of influence world fast developing. Little NZ had better figure out how to participate before the choice is made for us.
Together with the dramatic change in America’s foreign policy stemming from the President’s Ukraine policy it has put a 3% cat amongst some “incredibly benign environment” pigeons. Denmark is the latest to increase its defence budget and even PM Luxon has indicated an increase for NZ. “We’ll try to get as close to 2% as possible” is lukewarm at best. 2% is the absolute minimum. Three frigates will cost about $10 billion. Add crew costs to that plus the rest of the Navy and the other two services and you’ve got something north of 2.5%. Current budget is under $5 billion. Note that the new Poseidons cost $2.3 billion, the C130s $1.5 billion. Also note that Labour has said we should look at an ice breaker (and they are absolutely right on that). It’s a whole new world.
What a load of scare mongering. Just a fortnight ago the Australians were flying "provocative" reconnaissance flights in the South China Sea, and 2 US destroyers sailed through the Taiwan Strait (this straight is 160km wide) so were essentially sailing through Chinese territorial waters. Was this reported with any alarm in the NZ/Australian media? No, because we are obedient puppies to the US war machine that has decided now to turn its full attention to the Chinese (and away from Europe).
I "love" the way our MSM lurches from one crisis to the next: Covid, Ukraine and now China, without missing a beat. Like lambs to the slaughter...
These unprecedented events occurred at the same time as Hagley Park in Christchurch hosted a pair of part-day concerts for younger people. Soccer too predominates the horizon. These entertainments form the heart of our nation’s worldview. The significance of “hard force” and “deals” among those who can solidly project it, casting aside even those (like Ukraine) who are directly in the firing line, seem utterly foreign. How to wake up this slothful crowd of mere consumers our population has become might just overshadow anything Luxon and Co. have imagined their ‘policy making’ to be, let alone its concrete execution. Dear Winnie; your lone voice is echoing once more … The consequences of deafness are incomparable to what you had to contend with.
Oops! By “Winnie”, I am NOT referring to any LIVING person of that name …! Cast your minds back to the 1930s.
The global economy is becoming increasingly complex . With complexity comes entropy and by association and increasing energy requirement to “maintain” the networks creating this complexity. Much of what we are seeing will be blamed on politics but this is just how energy scarcity manifests. We look across the fence at our neighbours and covet what they have.
China for years has sought places around the world where it might gain access to resources, from Dafur to Zimbabwe, from Peru to now Cook Islands. Trump’s “mineral deal” sought with Ukraine is part and parcel of this complex spheres of influence world fast developing. Little NZ had better figure out how to participate before the choice is made for us.
Together with the dramatic change in America’s foreign policy stemming from the President’s Ukraine policy it has put a 3% cat amongst some “incredibly benign environment” pigeons. Denmark is the latest to increase its defence budget and even PM Luxon has indicated an increase for NZ. “We’ll try to get as close to 2% as possible” is lukewarm at best. 2% is the absolute minimum. Three frigates will cost about $10 billion. Add crew costs to that plus the rest of the Navy and the other two services and you’ve got something north of 2.5%. Current budget is under $5 billion. Note that the new Poseidons cost $2.3 billion, the C130s $1.5 billion. Also note that Labour has said we should look at an ice breaker (and they are absolutely right on that). It’s a whole new world.
Elephant in the Kiwi living room. Sooo many Kiwi elite have $$$$$ tied up in China. Just look at Parliment.
What a load of scare mongering. Just a fortnight ago the Australians were flying "provocative" reconnaissance flights in the South China Sea, and 2 US destroyers sailed through the Taiwan Strait (this straight is 160km wide) so were essentially sailing through Chinese territorial waters. Was this reported with any alarm in the NZ/Australian media? No, because we are obedient puppies to the US war machine that has decided now to turn its full attention to the Chinese (and away from Europe).
I "love" the way our MSM lurches from one crisis to the next: Covid, Ukraine and now China, without missing a beat. Like lambs to the slaughter...