Smithiesm

What is it going to take for countries to start pulling out of the World Cup?

Why would national teams risk the lives of their players, managerial staff, other staff, and their families?

What supporters from other countries are willing to risk their lives?

#FIFAWorldCup2026 #CancelTheWorldCup

UK: Prince Andrew arrested.

South Korea: Former President Yoon sentenced for life.

Brazil: Former President Bolsonaro serving a 27-year sentence.

USA: President Trump demands $10 billion payout from taxpayers.

Science is not truth.
Science is finding the truth.

When science changes its opinion, it didn't lie to you. It learned more.

I love technology. I've always loved space flight and computers, I loved electronics, and I was so excited for the future.

But everything good we made was grabbed up by a few shitheads who wanted to take what we all did for humanity and cash in. They didn't even make it, they just stole it.

Swiss Olympic bobsled commentator broke a century of neutrality and spent the entire run of the Israeli bobsled team recounting all the pro-genocide remarks and social media posts by Adam Edelman, one of the apartheid state athletes.

Absolute legend. More of this in sports please!

‘Many people will be quite shocked’ by the cost to fix NZ, minister says With infrastructure crumbling, and being literally washed away by yet another summer storm, the Government is set to release its infrastructure plan.

New Zealand is badly unprepared for what climate change is going to bring in the coming years.

This is just a taste of what’s to come.

www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

China - installs 5GW renewable every week
UK - cues up 1.3GW new wind before 2029
Ukraine - installs 1.3GW solar in a year during war
New Zealand - Installs 45% profit margins for gas addicted cash cow gentailers

#nzpol

IF YOU'RE UNEMPLOYED IT'S NOT BECAUSE THERE ISNT ANY WORK JUST LOOK AROUND: A HOUSING SHORTAGE, CRIME, POLLUTION; WE NEED BETTER SCHOOLS AND PARKS. WHATEVER OUR NEEDS, THEY ALL REQUIRE WORK. AND AS LONG AS WE HAVE UNSATISFIED NEEDS, THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE. SO ASK YOURSELE, WHAT KIND OF WORLD HAS WORK BUT NO JOBS. IT'S A WORLD WHERE WORK IS NOT RELATED TO SATISFYING OUR NEEDS, WORLD WHERE WORK IS ONLY RELATED TO SATISFYING THE PROFIT NEEDS OF BUSINESS. THIS COUNTRY WAS NOT BUILT BY THE HUGE CORPORATIONS OR GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRACIES. IT WAS BUILT BY PEOPLE WHO WORK. AND, IT IS WORKING PEOPLE WHO SHOULD CONTROL THE WORK TO BE DONE. YET, AS LONG AS EMPLOYMENT IS TIED TO SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROFITS, THE WORK WONT GET DONE.

the Black Panthers were right

Erica Stanford:

In addition to ensuring wealthy foreigners from US, China, Iran, Saudi, Russia etc can get residency without staying here, we are also going to deliver a favourable tax carve out for them so they don't have to pay taxes they can't "afford" #NZPolitics #nzpol

"It's just weather ... weather changes."

- Minister Mark Mitchell

After noting the unusually high number of States of Emergency we've had in recent times.

He's quoted as saying this today

"I mean it's tough because we're in the midst of a recovery after the last weather event that came through. There's nothing we can do about the weather, we've just got to make sure that we're well prepared," the Emergency Management Minister told Ryan Bridge TODAY.

"Got to make sure we're well prepared" says the representative of the very same government that raided the $6B National Resilience Fund to give landlords a handout.

When I tried to put $100,000 in the budget to purchase scientific data on how increased heat and flooding would effect our city, I was mocked, ridiculed, and bullied on the public record by my fellow councillors because we "couldn't afford" it. A hundred thousand dollars.

*looks into camera*

'Threat to life': State of emergency declared across entire region as low rapidly deepens People are strongly urged to take this seriously and prepare now.

Tragically I think 11 people have already died in Aotearoa this year because of extreme weather. We need to reduce our emissions and invest in climate adaptation with urgency. But naturally, this government is instead pursuing coal mines and an LNG terminal. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/weather-l...

What the PM said at Waitangi was wrong | E-Tangata “When the prime minister spoke at Waitangi he set out a terribly distorted view of the country’s founding document.” — Carwyn Jones.

“At Waitangi this year, the prime minister structured his speech around the three articles of Te Tiriti, and explained what each article says and means.

The problem is that he was just plain wrong, writes legal scholar Carwyn Jones.” #NZpol e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-...

What the PM said at Waitangi was wrong | E-Tangata “When the prime minister spoke at Waitangi he set out a terribly distorted view of the country’s founding document.” — Carwyn Jones.

“When the prime minister, Christopher Luxon, spoke at Waitangi last week, he set out a terribly distorted view of the country’s founding document, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Here are some of the things he got wrong.” #nzpol e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-...

'Nakedly political': No rivals considered for Judith Collins' new job The outgoing minister was the only person considered for Law Commission president - with no recruitment process and no others candidates.

“Judith Collins was the only person considered for the role of Law Commission president - with no recruitment process, no selection panel and no rival candidates.”

Meritocracy in action white rightwing NZ style. #nzpol

Tamer Nahed 𓂆🇵🇸 @Tamer_Alnoaizy BlueSky is one of the worst platforms I have ever dealt with. Within seconds of creating a second account, after my first one was shut down just two days after it was created, my account was closed again. This happened despite the fact that I hadn’t posted anything or followed anyone. I was only in the process of adding a profile photo, yet I received an email claiming that my account was “spam” and that it was “causing harm.” What kind of logic is this? The painful truth is that the account was shut down the moment it became clear it was created from inside Gaza. It seems we are no longer allowed to write or speak about what is happening to us here. They are not afraid of content itself, but of our voices and the reality we carry with us. Millions are spent to silence these voices and to erase the truth. I am exhausted by this platform and by how our photos and videos, which document real suffering, are treated as “violations of community standards,” as if pain itself has become a crime. What is happening is not simple moderation or policy enforcement. It is an attempt to erase our existence and bury the truth. And honestly, this is shameful and unbearably painful. [the original poster has included two screenshots showing the email from bluesky admin informing him that his account has been taken down for being 'spammy, inauthentic or disruptive to users'. it's the standard boilerplate you get when they take moderation action.] 2:45 PM · Feb 10, 2026 https://twitter.com/Tamer_Alnoaizy/status/2021234178461704409

palestinian journalist posting on twitter that his bluesky account was immediately taken down purely because he was in gaza. all palestinian accounts are assumed to be spam.

Time to end the enshittification of New Zealand I live in the great green heartland of New Zealand; a biologically ruined grassy waste created to serve cows. And when out in this countryside – dead rivers rich with brown foam, man-made fountains of...

“If we want a de-enshittified country and the ability to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate, we have to embrace this reality. The Coalition cannot be allowed another term, & if Labour will not voluntarily be aspirational and transformational, they must be forced into it.” #nzpol
#plans

A screenshot from Bernard Hickey's "the Kaka" newsletter that reads "It's also choosing to pay for the LNG terminal through a type of hire-purchase 'lease' agreement that increases the $1 billion up-front cost to $2.7 billion over the 15-year life of the facility, even though it may never be used if there is no dry year." https://thekaka.substack.com/p/why-not-spend-27b-on-solar-and-batteries

So these dipshits won't fund a *pair* of ferry terminals that'd get used several times a day, but will fund an LNG terminal that *might* get used once in a blue moon?

One terminal, for the same price as two, and with zero (0) ferries?

Why not spend $2.7b on solar & batteries instead? Govt to pay up to $180m/year or $2.7b over 15 years to lease LNG re-gasification plant, paid for by $15-$30 'levy' per household per year. That $2.7b would build four Benmore Dams worth of electricity

'Essentially, what they’re doing is putting a new tax on every New Zealander’s power bill to subsidise an expensive sunset industry. This is a political choice this government is making.' Alva Feldmeir

#nzpol

thekaka.substack.com/p/why-not-sp...

'Strategic energy security asset': Govt reveals plans for $1b LNG import facility Luxon warned New Zealand is experiencing swiftly declining gas supply.

Put solar panels on state houses. You could probably do the lot for $1.5b, would reduce energy costs for those least able to afford it, increase our grid resilience and save about the same amount in energy costs overall.

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/...

WHO membership doesn’t threaten NZ’s sovereignty – walking away from it would The World Health Organization is a global body, but decisions affecting New Zealand are made in Wellington, not in Geneva.

Helen Petousis-Harris's piece on how the WHO is vital for New Zealand just nails it. While I am here, can I also just say that @helenp-h.bsky.social is a national treasure. theconversation.com/who-membersh...

Shane Jones shut down NZ involvement in 'road map' away from fossil fuels Australia signed up to the 'road map', but Shane Jones did not want New Zealand to join.

National party Minister kowtowed to the loudest mouth in the room, again. #NzPol

To those saying, "but the Greens will split the vote":
1. Things have changed.
2. It's not the Green's fault that Starmer has the Merdas Touch (turns everything to shit)
3. When the Greens offer the only inspiring option, perhaps we should see the Labour candidate as splitting the vote.

This make you uncomfortable? Good! Because this isn’t history, it’s reality and what ICE has normalized.

NZ in talks with US on Trump minerals deal

Breaking: the Government is negotiating with the US to provide access to our critical minerals, while a memo before the Waitangi Tribunal says a backdoor deal violates obligations to Māori

This should be headline news across every outlet in the country. This deal happening in secret - let alone directly involving us in a fascist war machine - should be criminal, fuck.

NZ has fallen into a 'crisis and response' pattern on climate disaster, experts say. Billions have been spent on storm recovery since 2023, while key climate adaptation funding and planning tools have been cut.

My story looking at last week’s storms

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...