Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks. It be
follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
It's time for all the attitude, all the opinion, all
the information, all the debates.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Of theists, now.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
The Layton Smith Podcast powered by News Talks.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
It be Welcome to podcasts two hundred and sixty two
for October thirty, twenty twenty four. I was just twelve
weeks ago that we spoke with power engineer Brian Leyland
on electricity supply inadequacies. But his concern has since deepened,
so we update and consider whether nuclear power deserves more attention.
(00:48):
And it hits up me as it does. Last year
when we were in London, Christian Smith, whom I am
closely related, podcasted on life in London for young New
Zealanders in particular. It was appreciated by a large number
of people. Media commentary recently seems to suggest that the
young are fleeing Britain. Have things changed since July twenty three? Well,
(01:13):
yes and no, and Christian's got plenty to say. Now
I don't really need to point out that from today
there is one week to the most important election, If
not ever, then certainly in our lifetimes. There are some
people who are bored with it or don't like it
around interested. I feel sorry for them, to be honest,
because this is an incredibly, incredibly important election that affects
(01:37):
the whole world and that includes US. So at the
back end of two six two I'll drop in some
aspects of this election that are worthy of attention in
my opinion, But first COVID inquiries that are getting attention
on both sides of the Tasman and Britain and the
US and elsewhere. And I choose to quote Robert McCulloch
(01:59):
who guessed it on podcasts two fifty one. McCulloch is
a professor of economics at Auckland University who has the
ability to be a brutally honest well in his opinion
and be offensive in his criticism to some, including some
good acquaintances of mind as it happens, it is though
(02:21):
a case of free speech, like it or not now
in his blog down to Earth Kiwi, the Australians make
it official. Labour leader Hipkins, aided by his henchmen in
the mainstream media, wrecked New Zealand's economy by ordering vaccine's
late and destroyed trust in our government. I think it's
more to it than that, to be honest, but nevertheless,
(02:42):
this is his opinion and I shall air it. Days
after this blog released its two minute COVID Inquiry, which
I argued Labour leader and former COVID nineteen minister Chris Hipkins,
together with former PM A Dern and Health Chief Ashley Bloomfield,
ordered the COVID vaccine late, which crushed the New Zealand
economy and smashed trust in government as it forced them
(03:06):
into an over reliance on lockdown. In twenty twenty one,
the Australian COVID Inquiry has released near identical findings, almost
word for word, and briefly the first wide ranging inquiry
into the nation's pandemic. This is Australia Response has found
delays procuring COVID nineteen vaccine cost lives and delivered a
(03:27):
thirty one billion hit to the economy. In New Zealand's case,
it was a fifteen billion dollar hit, which is why
our health system is now underfunded, infrastructure crumbles and teachers
are underpaid. Then if we swing to his closing, New
Zealand does not need to waste more money on COVID inquiries.
(03:48):
The Australians have done ours for us. It matches what
this blog argued in twenty twenty one, as evidenced by
our writings and radio interviews, maybe more than any other institution.
Our mainstream media Radio New Zealand One News, Herald, News
Hub and stuff, should take a look at themselves and
(04:08):
ask why they sold out kiwis by not objectively scrutinizing
the New Zealand government during those times. So there is
more after the mail room, the back end of the
mainstream media at its place in the world. And while
there is so much more than we can deal with,
we'll do our best to point out a couple of
(04:30):
interesting factors now in a moment. Brian Leland Laighton Smith.
Brian Leyland is a consulting engineer with the experience in
all aspects of the power industry, and that experience covers
(04:52):
over fifty decades. We last spoke with him only twelve well,
I say only twelve weeks ago, because it seems like
it was only about five or six, but in podcasts
number two hundred and fifty I think it was, And
now we're doing two hundred and sixty to Brian appreciate
your time and appreciate even more your input the subjects
(05:17):
of electricity supply in this country. When we spoke twelve
weeks ago, you were disturbed, but now you are even
more concerned over the continued supply and reliability of electric
power in this country. Correct.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
Correct, We.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
Scraped through the shortage because it rained just in time.
The legs were at a lower level than they've ever
been before, and if it hadn't rained, we would have
had blackouts. But even then we had shortages that led
to shutdown in two industries, So in a way we
did have blackouts, but not affecting the consumer. So we're
(06:00):
in a serious situation now.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
The MDAG, the market developed an advisory group that existed
between twenty seventeen and February of this year, has what
do we call.
Speaker 5 (06:13):
Them past it's had a look at als degeneration going forward,
and it's all based on some very dubious assumptions.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
All right, now you've gone through this and it must
have taken you some time. You've drawn up some conclusions
on your part, and so you've posed some questions. Shall
we run through them or some of them?
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Yeah? I think that's a good idea right.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
So, starting at the top, a basic assumption is that domestic,
industrial and commercial consumers will be happy to make major
changes in their behavior. For domestic consumers, most of the
changes will save less than a few dollars a day.
For commercial consumers like officers and shops that need to
reduce consumption will in most cases lead to losses in
(07:01):
sales or productivity. So what is your question?
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Okay, just a little bit of background.
Speaker 5 (07:09):
The assumptions behind all this are but we haven't gone
that generating capacity and therefore the consumers are going to
have to respond otherwise we'll have blackouts and they're looking
at having a massive response from consumers. So question is, so,
in the real world evidence from New Zealand or overseas,
(07:32):
consumers will be happy to change the way their home
or business runs to save a small amount nol thritty cost.
And the answer appears to be absolutely not. They'll do
a bit. And in the days when we made good
use of water heating, we could reduce our load by
five or ten percent just overpeak them on periods, but
(07:54):
not enough to make a difference to a dry year,
not enough to make a difference to the situation where
the wind doesn't blow for several days.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
And we get those days now.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Another indeed, another assumption is that people will be happy
to plug in their electric car and have the system
deplete their battery whenever the system is in trouble.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
Well, as far as I can make out, there's no
evidence anywhere in the world of this being a substantial
contributor to demand side management. And I can't imagine that
people would want to risk having their battery flat when
they get up in the morning just to safe make
a few dollars selling pounds a year to the system.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Well, that that's being reflected, it makes sense. Yeah, that's that's.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
Reflected in in this In this next observation, another assumption
that sales of electric vehicles in New Zeala are going
to increase rapidly. Yet the evidence indicates that now that
the subsidies have been removed, the enthusiasm for electric cars
has largely died away. Is that is that correct?
Speaker 5 (09:07):
Yes, that's dire, and I've got figures to prove it.
Electric car sales this year were hardly greater than last year.
And what you need for electric cars to be a
success is something like a fifty increase year on year
on year, and it's not happening anywhere in the world.
(09:30):
And you must always remember that electric cars would not
exist but the government mandates and subsidies.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
It isn't.
Speaker 5 (09:42):
An industry that would exist in a competitive situation.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Let me throw it a personal observation here. It's my
belief that part of the reason that is tied up
with all this is that they want us out of
cars anyway. They want us out of cars and into
in the public transport, in the walking and on bikes
and scooters and what have you. And they've made some
(10:10):
progress in places like well, you've got your fifteen minute
hounds that are developing around the country. I'm not sure
how many there are, but there are some. But I
always revert to Auckland, to Auckland Central for an example,
where they've screwed up shockingly, disgracefully and very badly just
to boot and wreck the city.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
Yeah, yeah, I know. The whole thing's crazy.
Speaker 5 (10:36):
And if you're looking to get people out of cars,
and what you've got to do is provide them with
a convenient door to door transport, and people are now
developing electric self driving taxis that will do that job,
and you know, the whole industry is waiting there to
go ahead. Self driving is going to come sooner or later.
(10:59):
You won't get people back into buses in the way
that they expect, but you will get them into a
self driving speaking their self driving service.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You'd have to have a lot of them though.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
Oh yeah, yeah, okay, we went with with with great interest.
Now worldwide, the evidence is that more wind and solar
power connected to the system, the higher the power price,
Australia being a perfect example. I think I think wholesale
prices increased in Australia for about four cents to what
(11:37):
about triple that?
Speaker 5 (11:39):
Yeah, yeah, pretty well, that's that's a characteristic that seems
to be all over the world. They are always saying
the wind and solar are the cheapest, and what they
really mean is at the station gate that cheaper, but
by the time you've paid for backup and transmission and
all the other costs they impose on the system, it's
(12:01):
very expensive. So it's basically nonsense to talk about wind
and solar being cheap.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Okay. Now, the group that being the market Developing Advisory
Group under the auspices of the Electricity Authority, the group
assumes that in spite of the declining income from wind
and solar power when it is abundant and needs to
be dumped and causes a price crash, generators and developers
(12:29):
will continue building wind and solver. Now that to me
seems to be nuts. Why do they believe that many
of the consented products will be built in spite of
the obviously declining economics as we get more and.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
More of them, Because they're ignoring the realities of the
power system. And I think the people who've been involved
in this report don't have a good understanding of how
the power system works. The basic underlying problem, I think
is that there is a whole amount of groupthink amongst
the people in Wellington and among the senior people in
(13:09):
some of the generating companies, and they all believe this
and it's become an article of firm belief, and there's
not enough people involved with experience of the power system
who will point out that there's serious problems with it.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Just a quick word on geo thermal good.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
We are developing more, and we should, but there's a
limit to how much we can develop. We don't quite
know what the limit is, but it's certainly good.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
Is it likely to be hindered by other groups?
Speaker 5 (13:46):
Probably if they spread out into new fields. All the
fields are being developed were identified years ago as promising
or better than promising. But there are other areas where
there may be a good resource which needs expiration drilling, right,
and there may be objections to that.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Now, all these these questions, and there are more, but
we've touched on I think the main ones. All these
questions need responses. So is there anything in place or
are you following any lines of shall we say, pursuit?
Speaker 5 (14:25):
I it is a formal letter to a member of
the electricity authority what you've got in front of you?
Speaker 3 (14:33):
But only one member?
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (14:38):
And I can't say I can't and will not say
who it is. No, that would be wrong, all right?
Speaker 3 (14:44):
But is that one member in a position to be
able to influence the.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Authority reasonably high? Up?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Okay? This will be shall we say interesting? Now? There
is the other subject that I'm very keleen to talk about,
albeit probably briefly, is nuclear energy. And I've been I've
been keeping an eye on Australia and there is a
there is a what i'd call a major shifting attitude
(15:14):
in Australia from from people who were waking up to
the fact that nuclear is the answer. And there is
a There is also a what shall I call it
a quote, and it doesn't matter who said it, but
it was somebody of appropriate authority that without nuclear there
(15:36):
will be no net zero. You want net zero, you
have to include nuclear.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Has that applied to New Zealand? Two?
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Do you think?
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (15:48):
Even geothermal imits carbon darkside, so jeering amounts, some feels
quite a lot and some not very much.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
All right, what about this? What about this? This this
one question, and it's an obvious one, very obvious because
it's been around forever, that that is likely to have
an influence on members of the population, and that is
nuclear safety. How far have we advanced enormously?
Speaker 5 (16:21):
And the fact is that in the Western world, no
nuclear station has killed anybody from radiation. Three Mile Islands
has cause of station to be shut down on a disaster.
You've got more radiation from spending a couple of hours
in Grand Central Station, which is made of granite whichmits radiation. Fukushima,
(16:45):
According to the International Sensus, nobody has or will die
of radiation from Fukushima, yet they shut down lots of
nuclear stations. The whole thing's crazy. It's seriously safe. It's
something like a hundred times safer than the next major
(17:06):
generating technology, certainly safer than large stamps.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
They're very dangerous.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Well, my sister lived very close to three Mile Island
when it happened, and she her husband and the two
little kids who jumped in the car and left, as
did so many other people. Yeah, and then I can't
remember now how long it was before they moved back,
but they certainly did and seemed to have suffered no
(17:37):
ill effects.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Of course they wouldn't. They've probably probably less radiation than
what you've got from a long airline trip. What did
you go about.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
Yeah, if you go up further up in the sky,
you get more radiation. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
No, it's the problem is that according to the rules,
they're not reality. Six thousand milli seabirds will kill you,
none will not hurt you, and three there and will
half kill you. So the more of it, the more dangerous.
Is The reality, which is well proven and well established,
(18:17):
is up to about three thousand, two or three thousand
millisivers are harmless. And the proof of that is medical radiation.
When you get radiated in some cancer, it's the cancer
itself is subject to a lethal dose of radiation. Six
thousand more more milionsiverts. These stuff just outside of the
(18:40):
cancer gets a very still gets a very high radiation dose.
You don't you can't suddenly cut it off. So all
the people who have radiation for cancer are radiated, also
get radiated healthy tissues, and their death rate is not
(19:00):
abnormally higher than normal. They don't die of radiation sickness
afterwards at all. Right, So the whole thing is based
on assumptions which are demonsterly not true, and it is
seriously safe.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
Okay. My response to that, if I were of such
a mind, would be to say to you that convincing
people that it's safe is not going to happen because
we won't let it happen because we don't want we
don't want nuclear in New Zealand. End of story. And
so it will be the subject will be shut down,
(19:39):
the same as matters of climate change have been shut
down by the media and elsewhere. Is that the way
you see it?
Speaker 5 (19:48):
No, I give quite a lot of public lectures on
net zero, the dream and the reality, and I usually
mention nuclear power, and I often ask the audience, which
is in the older age group, whether they think New
Zealand should be considering nuclear power, and from usually round
about a half foot they hands up. When I ask
(20:10):
who thinks we shouldn't, a few put the hands up.
It's something we should be talking about. If men made
carbon dioxide really is real and dangerous, which I don't believe,
it is the only satisfactory solution and an acceptable price
and an acceptable reliability.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
By the way, Cop twenty nine is upcoming is I
can't help but laugh because after twenty nine cops, what
improvements have they made to the world.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
None?
Speaker 5 (20:52):
Last year, we've burnt more coal than we ever had before,
and give mean us or the world, the world, the
world more coal than ever has before. Consumption of oil
and gas is still going up, and people like us
are here poverishing ourselves in a feeble attempt to make
(21:16):
a tiny change to the world's climate.
Speaker 4 (21:18):
It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
A tiny change.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Hey well, well not even that. I suggest no change,
no change, Yeah, no measurable change.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
That'll do. I'll settle to no measurables.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Well, it's it's a fascinating life. We're living at the moment.
May what's the Chinese saying, May you live in interesting times?
Speaker 5 (21:40):
Yeah, it's a curse. By the way, we're certainly living
in interesting times. There's no doubt about that exactly. And
it's going to get more interesting.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Oh, I think so, Brian appreciate it. Thank you, hips,
and we'll.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Talk you very much. We shall love you to talk
to you always. We'll talk again, Layton Smith.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
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(22:53):
always read the label. Takes directed and if symptoms persist,
see your health professional Farmer broker Auckland. Christian Smith is
a New Zealander. He's an X at least for the moment.
He lives in London. He works in London. He is
a lawyer. Spent a couple of years working for a
(23:17):
top law firm in Auckland, then went to London and
decided he wanted to be in media, so he did
some studies in journalism and now he is a lawyer
journalist and he has a family background of media. His
father is moderately successful in the New Zealand radio market.
(23:38):
Now it is fifteen months since we spoke in London.
Fifteen months and I don't know where it's gone, but
it's down the drain. And we did a very interesting
We had a very interesting conversation on the podcast and
a lot of people appreciated it. This was about life
(23:59):
in London and for expats from here moving over there. Now,
my belief is that based partly on a couple of
lines that I'll read you at a moment, but my
belief is that things have changed somewhat in the last
fifteen months, not necessarily in fact, I'll say not for
the better and by the way, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
How right am I? Well, thank you for having me back.
Not particularly not particularly right.
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Sorry. What's changed in fifteen months? I would say, having.
Speaker 6 (24:32):
Read those articles you referred to, I would say many
of the problems they talk about were there before. I
don't think much has changed in the last fifteen months really.
I think, I mean, we can come onto politics in
a minute in the sense that is a new government
after the election in July, and that will or may
bring about big, big changes, but particularly on a kind
(24:53):
of micro personal lifestyle level, not much has really changed.
Of course, the UK went through plenty of issues surrounding
the cost of living and pandemic and said over the
last sort of eight years or so, a lot of
those issues still exist. I think, perhaps of anything, what's
(25:15):
changed in the last for fifteen months is things seem
to have calmed down a wee bit. Inflation is down.
It's back down to kind of pre pandemic levels I
believe was around two percent and the most recent numbers,
which is obviously around where they target it. Cost of
living is still a big issue, but it does feel
less intense for people. I think people have adjusted, but
(25:36):
also it's easy for me to say that as a
kind of single individual not having to support a family,
the job market is I am mixed reports.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
It's all right, I think, you know, generally things are
much the same, I suppose. Okay, So the two articles
I'm talking about, we're both in the Telegraph a couple
of days apart. First one is it's time for the
young and ambitious to leave Brittain. Fly into Britain through Heathrow,
and one of the first things you'll see on getting
off the plane is a helpful sign pointing a little
(26:06):
way to the baggage reclaim. Looking ahead to the budget,
it might be worth adding a second, larger sign, abandon
all hope ye who pay tax here ahead of the budget.
The only element that appears to be in doubt is
just how much Chancellor Rachel Reeves intends to raise taxes.
By the Institute of Physical Studies thinks we're in for
(26:29):
twenty five billion pounds in tax rises. The Bank of
America suggests thirty five billion. Is this of great concern
to you and your colleagues.
Speaker 6 (26:41):
I think you can take that into two Take that
question into two parts. The first part of abandon all hope,
you know watch the situation on the ground, and the
second part being the budget. I think to the short
answer to the budget question is sort of twofold. First
of all, the government here has sort of pledged not
to raise taxes on working people. There's a huge kind
(27:01):
of ridiculous debate going on in the media at the
moment about what a working person is because the labor
government tried very hard not to mention working class during
the election campaign because that nobody really wants to talk
about class anymore apparently.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
But generally speaking, it's the.
Speaker 6 (27:17):
Budget comes out on the Davis podcast comes out, I believe,
so in many ways we're sort of floating in the
year before that. It's quite a hush hush thing over here.
Before the budget comes out. They leak a thing or
two on purpose. But apart from that, but I think
the tax rerisers look set to mainly go on businesses,
things like inheritance tax, that sort of thing. It seems
(27:39):
almost very unlikely to go on your average pay earner.
So in terms of our I me and my colleagues
concerned about that, not particularly at the moment. If you
want to take the question of abandon all faith, you
who pay taxes here or you know people who are here.
I mean that I think I think I find it
(28:01):
very hard to take a broad brush approach to kind
of economic issues in the UK. I think it's so
dependent on what you do and what you're trying to
do here. You know, if you're if you're an average
average worker, things are generally pretty tough in terms of
you know, cost of living and that sort of thing.
(28:21):
If you're running a business, I hear it's it's it's.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Very very tough. Well, what you've just said is is
pretty damn serious. I would have thought, I if the
cost of living is as high as you're talking, well,
I know it is, having having been there just fifteen
months ago, But has it noticeably gone up at all?
Since I wouldn't say, I wouldn't say in the last
fifteen months.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
I mean, I think there's a statistic that I think
is a really interesting one, which is that per capita
in the UK GDP per capita now in the UK
is closer to Poland than it is to the US.
And I think there was something I read not that
long ago that suggested that Poland might catch up and
or overtake the UK in terms of gdp per capita
in the near future. Now, I think that sort of
(29:05):
does a disservice to how well the Polish economies been
doing in the last decade or so.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
It's been doing very very well.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
But given the sort of impression that the UK has
and how it's you know, what the UK is used
to being in the world as in a leading first
world economy, I mean that says quite a lot. I
think there are major, major issues economically, and I'm not
an economist, but there are major economic issues with the
(29:35):
UK and a lot of that comes down to, you know,
I think relatively boring policy related things like planning, laws
and access and that sort of thing. But that is
where a lot of the problems arise. Well, it is
so in practically every other country in the world. As
(29:58):
you say, the budget, the budget comes out, we've after
we've done this podcast, But is there anything likely on
the budget frontline that would encourage you to go to Portugal?
Speaker 4 (30:12):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (30:12):
I see, I mean personally no, I think I think
it's worth saying that. You know, I love the UK.
I've been here for six years now and it's it's
it's fantastic. I also think it's probably important so we
might come on to this later that you know, kind
of self sort of internal naval gazing and doom and
gloom mongering amongst you know, the chattering classes say in
(30:35):
the UK it's a national and across the country it's
a national pastime.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
So sort of talking.
Speaker 6 (30:41):
About how everything is just awful and we're all doomed
is just something that has gone on in the UK
for the last eighty years.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
It just it just happens.
Speaker 6 (30:50):
So I think every time you kind of hear about
how horrible things are, probably need to take everything with
a pinch of salt in that sense in saying that
there is still a sense of gloom over the country.
In terms of you know, people want to I can
understand why there's this sort of dry for people to
move to Portugal, and that's not a purely UK thing.
You know, they're plenty of people who want to go
and do the digital nomad thing nowadays who might want
(31:12):
to go to other countries and you know where they're
more encouraged to go, like Canada, like the Netherlands where
they give them tax breaks or it's easier to get visas,
and that you know, it's you're sort of treated in
an immigration sense, you're welcomes rather than seen, as you know,
to being one of the many people who have come
in that year. There's still a sense here that nothing
(31:34):
works in the public service sector. You know, Trains are
regularly delayed or canceled. There have been strikes over the
last few years. Many of them have just sort of ended,
hopefully for good, but they'd likely a huge well, we'll see,
but that's been a huge issue.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
You know.
Speaker 6 (31:51):
It seems that no sooner has one section of the
tube been reopened after repairs, that another one has shut.
I actually I got I got an email from Transport
for London about our local tube line escalator that was
being shut for maintenance next month for three months. And
I'm not an expert, but I don't understand why one
(32:11):
escalator takes three months to fix. And you know, it's
the stories with buying a house here as well. Is
much like New Zealand. It's very hard for young people,
particularly in jobs where you know, traditionally forty years ago
it would have been fine to buy a house in
that job. There are huge issues with water companies polluting
into rivers. The NHS National Health Service is still a
(32:35):
disaster zone really, so there is the sense that nothing
really worked. I suppose that's just not that's not new
since last year, and I.
Speaker 3 (32:44):
Got the impression that the NHS is in worse shape
now than it was fifteen months ago. It's on a declaim.
I mean, I.
Speaker 6 (32:50):
Suppose you could say that that is true in the
sense that it's still headed in the same direction. I mean,
it depends which report you read and which anecdotal piece
of evidence you take, and who you're asking it which time,
whether it's in winter or somewhere or whatever.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
I mean. The new government.
Speaker 6 (33:07):
Started to review into the NAGS, which has recently completed
a kind of root and branch what's going on, what's
going on with it?
Speaker 3 (33:14):
How can we make it fit for the future.
Speaker 6 (33:16):
And the review is very damning to no one's surprised,
I think, with the least surprising thing that has come
out of government reviews ever. But you think, you know,
I know, there are obviously problems in New Zealand as well,
but things like wait times here are just extraordinary. You know,
people genuinely fear god having to go to A and
E because they know they're going to be there for
hours and hours and hours. So According to this report,
(33:40):
waiting times in A and E, ten percent of patients
wait twelve hours or more to be seen, and the
waiting times in A and E are estimated to contribute
to fourteen thousand deaths a year that could have been prevented.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
If those waiting times weren't there. I mean, that's extraordinary,
extraordinarily terrible. And yet there are people who still think
that it's the best health service in the world.
Speaker 6 (34:05):
Well, I think, I mean, I think that's interesting because
in many way the NHS is and I might have
said this last time we spoke, the NHS is kind
of the closest thing the UK now has to a
national religion, and until recently, to criticize the idea of
it was unheard of. But I think what has really happened,
and partly this was driven by the kind of wake
(34:27):
up call. Well it was worse than a wake up
call that COVID was, But there is now a kind
of acceptance that there needs to be serious structural change
and that's what the current government is saying to make
it serviceable, because it just is not working at the moment.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
Well, question is the current government, which is a left
wing government, capable of even approaching that little and succeeding. Well,
the proof will be in the pudding, I suppose. I mean,
they had this report into the health service. They're now
considering how to implement Chambers. But I think changes. But
I think that much in the same way as the budget.
(35:04):
You know, the kind of messaging from the new government
which is sort of adding to the sense of gloom
across the board is things are going to get worse
before they get better. You know, there needs to be
significant investment in not just a public services, but also
just sort of the country and the economy, and that's
going to cost money and take time, and there's you know,
(35:26):
the main message from the government is that they're trying
to get across is that enough of this quick fix idea,
Let's actually look at properly how to long term fix
the problems at the country faces, which sounds like a
very sensible approach. I think just at the moment they
are struggling somewhat to convey exactly what that will look
(35:46):
like and convince people that they know how to do it.
That could possibly be because it's exactly true, they don't
know how to do it well.
Speaker 6 (35:55):
I mean, look, I think that the honeymoon period for
the government that was elected in July did not last
particularly long.
Speaker 3 (36:01):
They have been plagued by a series of issues.
Speaker 6 (36:03):
I think it's fair to remember though, that to point
out perhaps that you know, kind of labor governments tend
to have to meet a higher standard in the public
eye than conservative governments. I mean, the UK is a
conservative country with a large sea in the sense that
I think since the war that the Conservative Party has
(36:25):
been in power for basically double the time that Labor
Party has been in power. People inherently think of the
Conservative Party as a as the party of government, and
so that means that the Labor Party has sort of
held to higher standards in general. We might disagree about that,
but I think that is generally seen as not an
(36:48):
uncommon opinion. But that means that, you know, to kind
of achieve the things they want to achieve, they have
to really make a good go of it. Otherwise people
are going to look at what, you know, in five
years time when there's another election and say you haven't
really done anything, will vote you well. And that's the
case across kind of Europe and a lot of the West,
where you know, the two major parties aren't really offering
(37:10):
much change and haven't really been great at it since
the GFC.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
The second article from the Telegraph headed a very nice
life for a lot less money. Why young people are
fleeing high tax Britain and the tax is going to
get even high by the look of it. So as
an example of a fellow called Charlie Baron who moved
from London to Lisbon last year, he wanted to leave
Britain as much as he wanted to go to Portugal.
(37:38):
And then he gets into how much it costs to
set up a company and do business and what have you,
but he talks of the advantages, the lifestyle advantages. Also,
Portugal is a country that I've heard more and more
about favorably over the last few years, and possibly possibly
(38:00):
any other country. But getting back to wine, getting back
to what you are closer to it than me, so
you might have a better idea getting back to Britain itself,
which is part of the reason that young people are
being encouraged or are fleeing from Britain. Some thirty percent
(38:22):
of eighteen to twenty four year olds want to move abroad,
according to a UGOV survey that was earlier this year.
What's more, more than a third of British people believe
that they are right too, and that young people face
a brighter future that if they emigrate. At a survey
from job a job site indeed, what would you call
(38:44):
a job site? Indeed found almost two thirds of Britain
would consider working abroad. Two thirds rise into an astronomical
three quarters among eighteen to twenty four year olds. Suggested
a widespread dissatisfaction with life in the UK. And I
could go on giving you more ugly statistics like that.
(39:08):
There's examples of couples with kids all wanting to get
out of Britain because the schooling's not so good. They
think it's probably better elsewhere. Christian, I just say that
I think I think that I've learned something recently, and
that is that. And you touched on this in a
round about way a moment ago, and that is that
it's a case of the grass on the other side
(39:31):
of the fence looking greener. But in some cases it
happens to be true. You've got friends in Amsterdam. Why
did they go there? How long have they been there
and why do they stay?
Speaker 6 (39:45):
I do They've probably been there around the same amount
of time I've been in London. I think some of
them went somewhat for family reasons, you know, they had
family there as well. But I mean, Amsterdam is an
interesting country which is much more welcomes, shall we say,
highly educates people with tax breaks when they get there
(40:07):
for the first kind of between twenty months and five years,
in an effort to bring in kind of to attract
those sorts of people Canada does. I don't know about
tax breaks, but they make visas much easier. I mean,
talking about young people in the UK wanting to move abroad,
I suppose what that survey doesn't necessarily tell us is
(40:30):
how many of them want to just go abroad for
a few years and come home like many Kiwis do.
And how many You know, what this sort of compared
to in the past. I mean, I think, you know,
British people moving abroad for a while is nearly as common,
or is perhaps less common than it is for Kiwis,
but it's still relatively common. So I mean, there is
(40:53):
a sense of the grass is always green. But again
I'd say it's dependent on what you do. I think
for many people that that issue is you know, if
you're in let's say, I don't know a marketing job,
or a public health job, or or a teacher. Your
prospects looking to the long term, you know, you might
(41:16):
be struggling when you're younger, in your or twenties, say
for salary reasons, but in the UK your prospects looking
further ahead are also not amazing.
Speaker 3 (41:26):
You know, there's not a huge.
Speaker 6 (41:30):
There's not an extraordinary kind of ladder of pay to
go up, which there might be in other countries. But
then again, if you flip that on its head, if
you're a lawyer in the UK, say your salary prospects are,
particularly if you're working anywhere to do with business law,
your salary prospects compared to most other countries are frankly enormous.
(41:51):
And you could say some of the things about anything
in the financial sector. So it really does, it really
does depend on what you want to do. I mean,
doctors is a really good example, and I think doctors
is something that I mean Australia in particular, of course,
as everyone listening will know gets right, and New Zealand
(42:11):
less so, but in particular the UK. You know, the
UK has a huge issue with doctors moving from from
here to Australia and New Zealand. I went to a
music festival in the summer with a mate of mind
who's adopted as a GP in the Hawk's Bay, and
he came over just for a holiday and we met
up with some of his friends who were doctors or
(42:32):
are doctors he met working in hospitals in New Zealand,
and they were telling me, you know, just how many
hospitals in New Zealander staff by Briish or Irish doctors,
and how many of them or their colleagues, you know,
we're no longer working in medicine in the UK that
either changed careers or moved overseas.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
And it's you know, you know, island's the same. They've
got similar problems, and.
Speaker 6 (42:59):
That's just because the working conditions in the PAYER are
frankly significantly better. And for most people it's a bit
of a no brainer, you know. I think often it's
it's from some people I speak to it sounds like
the norm is to go rather than to stay. But
again it depends on what you do, and it depends
on personal circumstances.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
What about education in the UK, I mean, there's a
there's a couple in one of these articles, who moving
to Australia from Kent. And they're moving to Australia because well,
when education came up in the discussion, they were going
to the three kids were going to a school they
were very happy with this is primary school, but the
(43:43):
prospects beyond that were very well sad would be an
appropriate word, and so they were looking forward to getting
to Australia and having the kids get a better education.
Now I could suggest to them that there's things that
they might not know, but that that would depend on
(44:04):
the advantage that they saw over what they've what they've
already got on. By the way, that couple, he's a
builder and Australia has recently changed its entry rules for
certain occupations and building building is one of them. Now,
what happens when the builders, Because you've got a shortage
(44:26):
of housing, you can't afford to lose builders in Britain.
But if they're going to find it better to move
to the antipathies or anywhere else for that matter, then
that creates a problem for you.
Speaker 6 (44:39):
Yeah, I mean, I can't say I'm a massive expert
on that or on the education system.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
I do.
Speaker 6 (44:44):
I mean Funnily enough, my two of my flatmates are
a builder and a teacher, so I talk to them
a fair amount. And I've sort of just moved over
here from New Zealand to do the sort of wee
type thing.
Speaker 3 (44:59):
I don't think they're going to be here.
Speaker 6 (45:00):
They don't, you know that their plan is to go
back within a few years, but they wanted to come
over here and you know, travel and live somewhere else
and that sort of thing. I can't say, you know
that I know how much of an issue that's going
to be with builders leaving the UK. I mean, I
would say, generally speaking, the UK is still a very
(45:22):
attractive country, and I think you're going to see a
thing where a lot of the builders, as many of
them actually already are, will come from overseas, you know.
So there's plenty of builders from other parts of Europe,
for example, in the UK who have been here since
well before Brexit, So I don't know exactly how much
of a lack there is actually.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
I couldn't tell you.
Speaker 6 (45:44):
Teachers, there's certainly a shortage of teachers, and I know
that there's significant you know, I've got a few friends
over here with teachers and their experience of schools over
here is quite different to back home. It depends if
you're talking about secondary or primary. I suppose. I think
(46:05):
a school curriculum over here is much more lightly controlled.
Is one of the things that secondary teachers say, you're
kind of told what to teach by the government. There's
much less kind of leeway than there is a New Zealand,
where you can pick from a larger variety of subjects,
and there's a much much stronger emphasis on examinations and.
Speaker 3 (46:29):
The results of those.
Speaker 6 (46:31):
You know, I've always since moving over here, I've always
been really grateful that I did my schooling in New
Zealand because the pressure on kids over here, because there's
more emphasis on exam results, and that's a large part
because of the more importance given to people going to
university and go to good universities, so that the sort
(46:52):
of stress that you see on teenagers can be extraordinary.
You know, there's huge rooms with anxiety and arex hea
and that sort of thing at high schools over here.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
But then I mean more generally, there's.
Speaker 6 (47:09):
A huge diversity and quality of schools over here as well,
which there is in New Zealand of course too, and
I can't really speak evidentially on that, but you do
hear about sort of underfunding and overwork of teachers, which
is definitely something I've seen reflected and my friends over here.
Speaker 3 (47:25):
I see though that there's a flight of a considerable
number of students, good students from school to universities in
the US.
Speaker 6 (47:35):
Now, yeah, I mean, I don't know the numbers behind that.
I mean, I know it's a thing in New Zealand
as well, of course. I mean the university is at
the moment are going through something of a crisis because
basically it's short short history of this was back in
twenty twelve the government effectively tripled university fees from three
thousand pounds a year to nine thousand pounds a year overnight,
(47:58):
hugely controversial. Lots of riots took place around that. But
because of that, the university is now kind of twelve
years later.
Speaker 3 (48:08):
Saying we need more money.
Speaker 6 (48:10):
And one of the consequences you're seeing of that is
that there are more international students been being offered places
at universities over here because they have to pay more fees.
There's not a cap on. I don't know if there
is a cap on. How high international fees can go.
But you know, as whos get more money from international students,
so there is increasing increasing pressure on local students for
(48:34):
places because of that.
Speaker 3 (48:37):
Okay, so let me just quote you this bit. For now,
young Britains are going to keep moving overseas well. They're
doing that from everywhere, aren't they. I mean it's more
I think it's more universal now than it ever has been. Liberty,
who works in international development, and Sam, a teacher, moved
abroad in August. They considered other locations Dubai, where Liberty's
(48:59):
employer has another office, or Thailand, which is a well
worn route for British teachers, but found you'd never guess,
but found Kenya offered the best combination of new experiences,
lower living costs, and perpetual summer. Let's pray as you'd
(49:20):
consider virtual summer, I can perpetual summer. I can see
the attraction of that. Yes, I can say.
Speaker 6 (49:26):
Actually, as the clocks went back this weekend and today's
the first working day where the sun went down at
hlpas four, I'm more than ready to move to Kenya.
Speaker 3 (49:36):
Okay, Well, I'd be happy to come and visit. So
there are all sorts of reasons and there, and their
frequently individual reasons, depending on people's lives and what they're
up to and who they're doing doing it with and
all that sort of all that sort of thing. But
does it leave I mean, does it let me ask
(49:59):
you this, does it leave a state or an atmosphere
of uncertainty in a lot of people's minds.
Speaker 6 (50:09):
Yes, I think very very much so. I mean, I mean,
i'd say getting sick of London in particular is nothing new.
I mean, there's a reason why so many people who
work in London often end up having a family and
settling down outside London, you know, you know, near London
and places like Surrey or Oxfordshire and then commute to London.
And that's even more so now with remote working. And
(50:30):
you know, you just have to tell by the number
of English people or British people in New Zealand, how
how long you know, how that's always been a thing.
But I think there is a huge sense of uncertainty
here at the moment. I mean an enormous amount amount
will depend on how this government goes over the next
five years, and I think most people aren't enormously hopeful.
(50:55):
You know, the reason labor one more than anything else,
was a vote against the Conservatives and the kind of
fiasco of Liz Trust and the partying and downing Street
during during COVID, and the anger that many people still
have towards peace, like Boris Johnson because of that. But
you know, there's not a great kind of economic vision
(51:19):
of the current Labor government, or of really anyone in
the UK, I mean, even the two people who are
now vying to be the Conservative Party leader, which will
be announced I think next week. You know, I'm much
keener to talk about issues like wokeism than actual economic
policy that the country desperately needs.
Speaker 3 (51:40):
I mean, you can have a.
Speaker 6 (51:40):
Conversation about how important it is to talk about workism
as well, but the lack of economic discussion is frustrating,
and I think most people don't really see the positive
path through. I mean, I would say, you know, looking historically,
the UK has always ebbed and flowed, you know, since
(52:01):
since the war and since before, you know, basically since
the end of the First World War, the UK has
always ebbed and flowed. And it will come again and
I'm sure will be a kind of easier place to
live than it is now. And it's not all doom
and gloom, and as I kind of said earlier, that
there's a national sentiment of doom and gloom.
Speaker 3 (52:20):
It's a national pastime.
Speaker 6 (52:22):
But I think that most people don't have a huge
amount of faith that things are going to be particularly
good for a while now. In saying that, if you're
a New Zealander thinking about moving to the UK, it's
still a fantastic place to be and it's all contextual.
You know, if you want to come over here and
come for a great job or an opportunity to travel
(52:43):
or try someone new, that's still there and there's nothing
stopping you doing that.
Speaker 3 (52:51):
Do Kiwi's for instance at Australians. Do they get paid less?
And I'm thinking of people like lawyers, seeing that that
seems to run in the family and the family of
a few friends and doctors if you want, or any
group that you're familiar with. Do they get paid less
(53:11):
than the UK or in New Zealand? No, less than
less than somebody of equivalent status in the UK.
Speaker 6 (53:18):
Lawyers get paid significantly more in the UK. I mean
I'm talking no, but yeah, but I mean, for a
key we to go to London and apply for a job,
would they expect or would they get offered the job
for a lower rate than what a local would. I
(53:42):
haven't really. Well, again, it depends on the situation, you know.
I know people who have come over here and now
work at really really top law firms and they get
paid the same. There's there's kind of a unity of
pay depending on your experience over here in most places.
I do also know of people who have come and
struggled more to find a job and perhaps ended up
(54:04):
working as a contractor for a long period of time,
and that mean they don't necessarily get paid as well.
I haven't heard any circumstance where where kiwis are being
paid less because they're not from the UK. In terms
of being a doctor, I mean, there are so few
New Zealand. The UK kind of shoots itself in the
foot by making it so difficult for doctors from places
(54:27):
like Australia and New Zealand and other English speaking countries
to come to the UK, by making it, you know,
having really intense kind of requalifying exams that people have
to sit, it's very rare for doctors to come over here.
It does happen, but generally speaking, doctors get paid much
worse in the UK than they do in New Zealand,
and particularly compared to Australia. But again I haven't heard
(54:48):
of any you know, having to be paid worse than
your kind of local colleagues.
Speaker 3 (54:57):
I'm just running whether I mentioned something and I will.
I know. I know of a doctor, young doctor who
has made such headway in life that he, after working
doing the rounds here at various hospitals and in Australia,
(55:19):
ended up in London, still young, and was at a
specialty hospital for a year. Upon that contract expiring, he
and he and his wife wanted to move back to
New Zealand, and they did, but before they came, they
(55:42):
were offered, he was offered an amazing contract that would
not be matched here. But they they they had plans
for what they wanted to do here and that was that.
I thought staying on there for another couple of years
would have been well worth well worthwhile. But you know it,
(56:04):
like we say, it depends on the individuals.
Speaker 6 (56:07):
I mean, it's not an uncommon thing I know amongst
people here to want to move back to New Zealand.
If you've been here a while and decide you want
to have a family and you know now at the time,
I think, generally speaking, the kind of quality of life,
particularly for kids. I mean, I don't have kids, so
it's hard to say. I'm not ingratiating how the school
(56:28):
system works, but generally speaking, it sounds like it's a
lot better, particularly if you're living in London. I mean,
I mean, it's better in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (56:34):
It is.
Speaker 6 (56:35):
You know, London's a big city. There's but plenty of crime.
I mean, it's.
Speaker 3 (56:43):
It's it's.
Speaker 6 (56:49):
Yeah, well perhaps that's true, but I think you know,
there's sort of you know, you've got better access to
the beach, to mountain hiking and mountain biking and whatever
else you want to do. Outside of New Zealand, there's
less pressure on kids. I think the kind of kids
that people seem to say generally happier, Well, don't take
(57:10):
that out if you can. I don't know if that's true,
but there is definitely a sentiment among people that I
know that they want to move home when they have
a family.
Speaker 3 (57:19):
I want to wind up on back on education and politics,
the politics involved, because there is Jonathan Turley, the law
professor from Washington who just wrote a very good book
on the importance of free speech, the indispensable right free
(57:41):
speech in an age of rage. It's good book, I've
got it, and he refers to a new survey of
more than a thousand professors showing that seventy eight percent
will vote for Harris and only eight percent will vote
for Trump. Other than a poll of the Democratic National Committee,
there are few groups that are more reliably democratic or
(58:03):
liberal For anyone in higher education, the result is hardly surprising.
The poll tracks what we already know about the gradual
purging of departments around the country of conservative, libertarian and
dissenting professors purging. It's a very ugly scenario as far
as education is concerned. Is there an equivalent situation in Britain.
Speaker 6 (58:26):
It's a difficult question. My gut would be to say no.
I mean, I think that you'd be kidding yourself if
you didn't think that the majority of kind of higher
education teachers in the UK are not left leaning as
in most Western countries. I have I know people who
(58:49):
went to university at in the US who were somewhat
taken aback at and these are people who are I
would probably describe as left wing myself, but they were.
They were quite taken aback at how how little room
there was in some places for a discussion outside of
you know, for kind of wanting to be conservative or
(59:09):
anything like that, not that they were trying to be
in that time. But in the UK, I mean I
think that, I mean, there are plenty of sort of
high profile right leaning academics in the UK, and I
don't think that it is as big an issue here
(59:31):
is in the US. And I think that's the case
about lots of things in countries like New Zealand and
the UK and Australia, where you know, we see US
issues and kind of transfer them over to our countries
without necessarily giving value to context. But I would say
that there's more of it. Ironically, in many ways, there's
more of an animosity, I think, towards the Conservative Party
(59:54):
than conservativism conservatism, So.
Speaker 3 (59:56):
You wouldn't, you know, pretty stupid people running the show.
And I think, you know, there's a certain anger amongst
many young people at a lot of the things that
have done. I mean, in particul the bricks that I think,
you know, you can have your own views on bricks
no matter what. But I think something that's.
Speaker 6 (01:00:12):
Often lost in kind of international discussion is that if
you're a young person over here, speaking of let's say,
moving to Portugal before bricks, you could move to any
country in Europe without a visa and living there for
the rest of your life, no problem. Now you need
countries like Portugal to offer you a digital nomad type
situation to do that. But anyway, I'm getting off track.
Speaker 3 (01:00:36):
Sorry.
Speaker 6 (01:00:37):
In terms of university education, no, I don't think there
is an equivalent of that. I think like many institutions,
you know, mostly young people tend to be left wing,
but I don't think there's that sort of animosity there.
But you know, I haven't been in higher in tertiary
education for a number of years now, That's what I'm
not sure.
Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
Okay, So I said that to wind up. But there
is one other thing I just want to hit you
with without warning. The power supply in Britain. I'm not
entirely sure about how reliable it is, but I wonder,
I wonder if there is an issue with power supply,
the cost of it in particular, and whether or not
(01:01:15):
there's a much greater move to move.
Speaker 6 (01:01:18):
To nuclear Yeah, a very interesting question and debate that's
going on in the country at the moment, I obviously no.
New Zealand's going through plenty of issues with that right now.
There were massive energy will increases over here in twenty
twenty two and twenty twenty three. The government kind of
(01:01:39):
ended up stepping in and subsidizing a lot because it was
just becoming astronomical. In a similar way as I know
that it's an issue in the US election at the
moment that was largely driven by the war in Ukraine
and sanctions on Russia and kind of resulting issues with
oil and natural gas coming from Eastern Europe. There is
(01:02:01):
a debate about increasing nuclear power plants. With the number
of nuclear power plants over here, I'm not sure exactly
where that is at the moment. It's sort of on
the new governments to do list. They have increased the
planning for onshore wind farms in the UK that's seen
as a huge future source of power. It's it has
(01:02:21):
become less of a discussion topic this year than it
was last year or year before, but long term, like
many countries, it's a serious issue all right now.
Speaker 3 (01:02:31):
The very last question, what's the opinion of Jacinda Adiran
in written now, I think still fairly positive.
Speaker 6 (01:02:37):
I think people over here would generally a bit flummixed
with her stepping down and then Labour's subsequent loss in
the election. But I also think that people don't give
Justina are doing that much thought over here? What about
what about oh sorry, expats?
Speaker 3 (01:02:57):
Not much.
Speaker 6 (01:02:59):
I'd say mixed, I think, I mean, I doubt it's
moved on much since last year's election, but you know,
there's still a fair amount of resentment after COVID amongst
some people. I think there's some disappointment at how her
premiership played out. But I also think there's lots of
(01:03:19):
people who are frustrated that she stood down and that
Labor was voted out. So I'd say the opinion is mixed.
But I think memories will be long for people who
felt jaded after what happened during COVID and being locked
out of the country. But you know, I mean, my
personal opinion is, you know, as we may have said
last year, I think it was will be the right
(01:03:41):
thing at the right time.
Speaker 3 (01:03:42):
But I was lucky I didn't have to come home,
and you were lucky about that too, all right, it
has been a pleasure to talk with you anytime, anytime, anytime,
all right. I'll keep it in mind, so thank you
and we'll talk soon. Enter the mail room for two
(01:04:20):
sixty two and if you'd like to write to us
latent at NEWSTALKSIB dot co dot Nz or Carolyn at
NEWSTALKSIB dot co dot Nz. So Carolyn aka missus producer.
Speaker 7 (01:04:33):
How are you later?
Speaker 4 (01:04:34):
I'm very good good. In fact, I'm feeling extra good
and you look extra good. Go for it.
Speaker 5 (01:04:40):
Late.
Speaker 7 (01:04:40):
In this from Jin judge Anthony Willie reminded us that
we live in an age where highly complacent humanity is
willingly tyrannized by increasingly self righteous totalitarians. Just recently, the
wicked leftist Australian government has canceled Candice Owen's visa in
the hopes of wiping out her shows, which have been
(01:05:01):
selling extremely well across Sidney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Now Immigration New Zealand is quote assessing her visa. I've
paid for front row tickets to Candice Owen's show in
New Zealand, so I'll be utterly ticked off if Immigration
New Zealand makes the same idiot decision Immigration Australia made
in desperate times like these, where our freedoms are being
(01:05:24):
choked to a slow death by these modern day Nazis.
I find that laughter helps. I recently discovered one of
the best stand up comedians of our times, stand up
comedian Donald J. Trump, delivered one comedic zinger after another
at the Al Smith Memorial Foundation dinner. On a more
serious note, Tucker Carlson gave one of the most powerful
(01:05:46):
speeches I've heard in history. Donald Trump's victory will be
a triumph of the human spirit. It will be a
triumph of Americans over the machine that seek to oppress them.
It will be a middle finger wagging in the face
of the worst people in the English speaking world who
are leaders. It will be a moral victory the size
of which I never thought I would live to see.
(01:06:06):
And as essential, it's so important that it happens. And
Jen goes on to say, maybe that is exactly what
an insane humanity needs. The sane comedy of a Donald
Trump presidency that makes fun of the idiots. May Trump
outlaugh Carris Hackle to become the forty seventh President of
the United States, because the world needs to laugh again.
Speaker 3 (01:06:28):
Yes it does. Layton, regarding your prediction of a Trump victory,
in the US presidential election. On paper, Trump should be
a shoe in, but the Deep State cannot be allowed
cannot allow that to happen. Trump was purposely denied victory
in twenty twenty by the unelected Deep State stooges, the
(01:06:48):
Three letter agencies, and the complicit legacy media, all conspiring
to commit the most outrageous election fraud ever witnessed. All
the swing states shut up shop and supposedly stopped counting
votes late in the evening of election Day twenty twenty,
with Trump leading comfortably. Then in the middle of the night,
(01:07:09):
massive amounts of votes all for Biden, suddenly had Trump trailing.
For anybody who doesn't know that or isn't sure of it,
it's true. The Deep State got away with this massive
fraud in twenty twenty, thus were able to install corrupt
puppet Biden as president, having miraculously received eighty one million
(01:07:29):
votes after campaigning from his basement, along with his totally
clueless sidekick Harris as vice president. I said much of
this in last week's podcast. I think from memory the
military industrial complex could breathe a sigh of relief after
a four year hiatus and get back to the business
of laundering money to politicians from the profits of the
(01:07:51):
billions of dollars worth of ammunition and weapon sales approved
by Congress to fund their endless wars. It is patently
obvious that the Deep State will be attempting all nefarious
means to stop Trump from becoming president again. They have
already carried out numerous cases of law fare with the
intent of putting him in jail. There have been two
(01:08:13):
known assassination attempts on Trump in recent months. One avenue
that the Democrats are taking this time is to steal
the election by bastardizing the overseas voter system. They have
been actively advertising on YouTube that US citizens can vote
in the election from anywhere in the world. I'm not
sure they don't do that anyway every year, but I'd
(01:08:35):
stand corrected if necessary. The problem is there is no
way of telling whether a person voting has US citizenship,
as there is no requirement to provide ID or even
a Social Security number, no requirement to have ever lived
in the state you wish your vote to be counted,
in which the Democrats hope to overwhelm the legitimate vote
(01:08:57):
in swing states with these unverified citizens emailing their votes
from overseas. The Democrats have already telegraphed their moves by
stating that votes could take days or weeks after the
US election day to fully count due to the expected
influx of these highly dubious overseas votes. Same playbook as
twenty twenty. Just keep manufacturing more Democrat votes after election
(01:09:21):
day until they have surpassed the Republican vote. Needless to say,
if the Democrats can't rig enough votes in their favor,
It'll be left to the deep State to swart Trump's
bid for the presidency, and that very likely will involve violence.
As for Trump's competition in the race to the White House,
Miss Cabbage Brain, I recommend watching Candace Owen's recent YouTube
(01:09:44):
podcast where she delves into the bloodlines of the present
Vice president. In recent months, Carmala Harris has been attempting
to blackify her heritage in some perverted attempt to appeal
to black voters. Harris has even falsely claimed in her
autobiography that a photo of her standing next to a
dark skinned house servant was a grandmother, when in reality
(01:10:05):
evidence says her grandmother was very fa skin. Well, as
you never forgets you would have had two. Cantice Owens
over several recent podcasts, says come to the conclusion that
Harris is Indian Irish. Owen's also interview judge Joe Brown
this week over two hours long, but the judge knows
his stuff and well worth watching. From David. There's a
(01:10:28):
few claims in there that given more time, if David
were on the phone, I discussed with him, but overall
it's difficult to say that anything is straight out FB.
Is that putting it delicately enough? Misproducer?
Speaker 7 (01:10:44):
I thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:10:44):
You have a.
Speaker 7 (01:10:45):
Disturbanced on the head of quite nicely right good?
Speaker 3 (01:10:49):
You had a disturbed look on your face.
Speaker 7 (01:10:52):
Ladon Craig says, I did hear a couple of responses
to my email around the COVID passes and that was
the email that you read. Was it not about COVID
passes being well?
Speaker 3 (01:11:07):
He manufactured his own.
Speaker 7 (01:11:09):
I was comfortable circumventing the system when it was established
that the job did not prevent transmission, which was actually
before any were administered. I did not get an exemption
on checking what was required. I visited a few cafes
to see how the procedure worked. Most establishments scanned, but
a number just viewed. The first pass I manufactured was
(01:11:33):
for establishments that simply viewed the pass that was a
computer generated one which was made by a year nine
school child. The name and photo were mine. After a
few weeks of using this pass, I decided to look
at how and if it would be possible to develop
a pass that could be scanned. That proved a step
(01:11:54):
too far, so I decided to borrow a friend's pass
and see what happened. I didn't think it would work,
as the photo on the pass was of a thirty
eight year old with dark hair and I am seventy five.
Speaker 4 (01:12:05):
With gray hair.
Speaker 7 (01:12:07):
What I found so and what to my amazement, was
that when they scanned, they simply listened for the approval
sound from the scanner and then simply handed back the
carden and I went. Not once was I refused entry.
I established as I entered what system was being used.
Speaker 4 (01:12:23):
Simple.
Speaker 7 (01:12:24):
I accept that some people may have an issue with
my actions. However, I'm very relaxed. As I have already said,
I only decided to do what I did when it
was established that the JAB did not stop transmission. The
draconian responses taken by the Ard Labor government was unacceptable,
unethical and outside the bounds of the New Zealand Human
(01:12:45):
Rights Act. Doing what I did also exposed another failure
of the COVID response as dictated and implemented by the
lying Ard Labor government. And he goes on to say,
does Craig thanks for your weekly podcasts in this crazy world.
It is great to hear your reasoned thoughts and common
sense debates.
Speaker 3 (01:13:07):
And as to your moments, you can apply the same verbiage.
Caroline writes, I've been catching up on your last few
podcasts and so enjoying the critical and thoughtful manner in
which you explore such landmine topics as vaccines, among others.
I plan to share my vaccine story with you in
(01:13:27):
a separate email, but I've just read this article which
encapsulates so well I thought the state of public health,
both in the US and New Zealand in Brackett. Since
New Zealand follows the American model of healthcare and a
whole holy Grail of vaccines, we are an increasingly sick population.
(01:13:48):
As the number of vaccines, especially on the childhood immanization schedule, increases,
so too does the rate of autism at other chronic diseases,
autoimmune conditions, obesity, et cetera. In childhood. For instance, in
my childhood, the rate of autism was around one in
ten thousand, with only a handful of vaccines gins. Today
(01:14:09):
there are rates of autism as high as one in
thirty seven kids, with an exploding rate of shots given
according to the childhood schedule from pregnancy up to eighteen.
Yet there are still no clinical trials comparing vaccinated with
unvaccinated children, except the Amish population in the US, who
don't vaccinate their kids and where autism is almost unheard of.
(01:14:33):
I've heard the excuse for this is that the Amish
are a genetically different population. Parents are still being gas
lit when they ask questions. Worse, they are coerced and
manipulated into vaccinating their child in the complete absence of
informed consent through a mixture of fear and guilt. Your
(01:14:53):
child could be permanently harmed or die if you don't
comply pressed onto them by medical professionals. In raggots these days,
I use the term loosely close braggets who themselves are
coerced and manipula d by public health officials and medical boards.
The loss of career career, job status, and reputation is
(01:15:15):
too much for most to bear, so they don't investigate
vaccines other than what the official NOH line is. There
are some fundamental questions or parents should ask. Firstly, where
are the independent studies comparing vaxed versus unvaxed children? Second,
where are the studies which can demonstrate how the different
ingredients in different vaccines given together up to six vaccines
(01:15:40):
and a time to my baby are safe and effective?
And where are the full list of ingredients of all
vaccines on the childhood Immunization schedule. The answer to all
the above, of course.
Speaker 4 (01:15:52):
Is none.
Speaker 3 (01:15:53):
Parents need to get informed and ask these questions of
their medical professional and firmly decline their child being used
as a human guinea pig until they're able to give
full and informed consent. I hope you enjoy the attached article. Caroline,
thank you, and if there is sorry, I should add this.
She is a retired pediatric nurse and plunket nurse, a
(01:16:16):
mother of three now adult unvaccinated children, all healthy. By
the way, now, if there is any other medical person
who wants to comment of your life, Leyton.
Speaker 7 (01:16:27):
Renton says high Laighton, a periodic listener here, I appreciate
your take on things. Thanks so much. I just listened
to your interview of Anthony Willie very good. In it,
a few references have made to the COVID idea and
era what I call the COVID crap. Unfortunately, there is
not a lot of clarity about this, even among those
(01:16:49):
who opposed and oppose all the draconian measures justified on
the basis of it. Most who took this stand, nevertheless
still accept the basic narrative that there is a virus
SARS cove two and that this virus causes a disease
COVID nineteen. The main difference between those who were for
(01:17:10):
and those who were against the measures was that the
former said the virus and disease was deadly and required
extraordinary measures to combat, including the removal of constitutionally guaranteed freedoms,
whereas the latter said that the virus is not much
different to the cold or the flu, and no special
measures were required to deal with it. Certainly not the
(01:17:33):
removal of our freedoms. I think the presumption of a
virus and the disease it has claimed it caused is
a serious error on the part of those who accept
the second opinion and severely restricts their ability to oppose
the tyranny imposed. They basically share the same view as
those they oppose. And then Renton goes on to say, later,
(01:17:55):
and he's produced a little video. He sent you the link,
which I'm sure you've got.
Speaker 4 (01:18:00):
He says.
Speaker 7 (01:18:01):
His video challenges this presumption, and I think brings clarity
to the issue. I commend it to your consideration.
Speaker 4 (01:18:09):
Pass it over and I'll give it. I'll give it
a look, Thank you, thank you. Later.
Speaker 3 (01:18:14):
We shall see you next week. You will, at least
I regime. I'm not sure about next week, to be honest,
because well on Wednesday, I'm going to be sitting downstairs glued.
Speaker 7 (01:18:26):
There may be not podcast because you're you're going to be.
Speaker 3 (01:18:29):
No, they're going to be podcast. Patrick Besham's coming.
Speaker 4 (01:18:31):
Along fabulous, And I don't know how. I don't know
quite how we're going to structure it at this point, but.
Speaker 3 (01:18:39):
We're going to a moving feast. It is a moving feast,
and it's going to be a damn good one. Thank you, missus, Brittany,
Thanks so much, Leighton Smith. Now I have to admit
that I'm pushing my deadline. Clock to include this, but
(01:19:03):
that's my fault. There is a war in the US.
It is a propaganda war. It's a war that is
aided and bettered by technology as much as anything else.
A multiplicity of media in all its high tech forms,
which lend themselves to deception, sad, wicked, and evil is
the order of the day for some at least. Let
(01:19:25):
me give you an example as an introduction, and not
from where you think it would be coming. J Badicharia,
an ab you probably familiar with, is a medical scientist.
He has written on Brownstone the most devastating report so far,
the House Report that is, the House of Representative report
(01:19:46):
on HHS COVID propaganda is devastating. The Biden administration spent
almost a billion dollars to push falsehoods about COVID vaccines,
boosters and masks on the American people. If a farmer
company had run the campaign, it would have been fined
out of existence. HIHS engaged a pr firm, the Four's
(01:20:08):
March Group, for the propaganda campaign. The main goal was
to increase cod COVID vas uptake. The strategy one exaggerate
COVID mortality risk. Two downplayed the fact that there was
no good evidence that the COVID vax stops transmission. The
propaganda campaign extended beyond VAX's uptake and included exaggerating mask
(01:20:32):
efficacy and pushing for social distancing and school closures. Ultimately,
since the messaging did not match reality, the campaign collapsed
public trust in public health. The pr firm drew most
of its faulty science from the CDC's guidance so for
Disease Control guidance, which ignored the FDA's findings on the
(01:20:55):
vaccine's limitations FDA being Food and Drug Administration, as well
as scientific findings from other countries that contradicted CDC group think.
The report details the CDC's mask flip flopping through the years.
It's especially infuriating to recall the CDC's weird, anti scientific,
anti human focus on masking toddlers with cloth masks in
(01:21:17):
twenty twenty two. President Biden's COVID advisor waited until December
twenty twenty two, right after leaving government service, to tell
the country that there is no study in the world
that shows that masks worked that well. What took him
so long? The propaganda campaign hired celebrities and influences to
persuade children to get the COVID vacks. I think if
(01:21:41):
a celebrity is paid to advertise a faulty product, that
celebrity should be partially liable for if the product harms
the people. In the absence of evidence, the propaganda campaign
ran ads telling parents that the vaccine would prevent their
kids from getting long COVID. With a collapse in public
trust in the CDC, parents have begun to question all
(01:22:02):
CDC advice. Predictably, the HHS propaganda campaign has led to
a decline in the uptake of routine childhood vaccines. That
would please some people. But so that's an example from
a different field from politics. But basically you can say
that it's all politics one way or the other. Now,
(01:22:24):
the core of my point has been contributed to by
the owner of the Washington Post. Now, I've been critical
of the Washington Post time and time and time again.
I've said things like, let's be inclusive here. I've said
things like, if you're getting your information from the Washington
Post or the New York Times, don't believe it until
(01:22:45):
it's verified by more than one other at least one
other source. Why, because they are not to be trusted
and if you wanted, if you wanted, now the evidence
for my approach to this for some considerable time, it's
been delivered by the best person that could possibly be.
I mean, I can refer to mak Levin's books on
(01:23:08):
the met there and on the Democrat Party and other things,
but this actually takes the cake, and you probably are
aware of it by now. In what is likely even
more harrowing for the co op editors at the Washington Post,
Jeff Bezos, its owner, has just penned an explainer for
his decision to not allow the Liberal Rag to endorse Kamala.
(01:23:30):
We present the opinion piece here in full. This is
shocking levels of honesty, the hard truth. Americans don't trust
the news media. The credibility gap can be bridged by independence.
In the annual public surveys about trust and reputation, journalists
in the media have regularly fallen near the very bottom,
often just above Congress. But in this year's galluphole, we
(01:23:52):
have managed to fall below Congress. Our profession is now
the least trusted of all that is journalism mainstream. Something
we are doing is clearly not working. Let me give
an analogy voting machines must must meet two requirements. They
must count the vote accurately, and people must believe they
count the vote accurately. The second requirement is distinct from
(01:24:16):
and just as important as the first. Likewise, with newspapers,
we must be accurate, and we must be believed to
be accurate. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but we
are failing on the second requirement. Most people believe the
media is biased. Anyone who doesn't see this is paying
scant attention to reality, and those who fight reality lose.
(01:24:38):
Reality is an undefeated champion. It would be easy to
blame others for our long and continuing fall incredibility and
therefore decline in impact, but a victim mentality will not help.
Complaining is not a strategy. We must work harder to
control what we can control to increase our credibility. Writing
(01:24:59):
this for the staff of the Washington Post, presidential endorsements
do nothing to tip the scales of an election. I'm
not going to go into that. It's been done elsewhere,
including on radio. I don't know how much of it, though,
has been expressed, he writes. Secondly, I would also like
to be clear that no quid pro quo of any
(01:25:20):
kind is at work here. Neither campaign nor candidate was
consulted or informed at any level or in any way
about this decision. It was made entirely internally. Dave Limp,
the chief executive of one of my company's blue origin,
met with former President Donald Trump on the day of
our announcement. I sighed when I found out, because I
knew it would provide ammunition to those who would like
(01:25:43):
to frame this as anything other than a principal decision.
But the fact is I didn't know about the meeting beforehand.
Even Limp didn't know about it and advance The meeting
was scheduled quickly that morning. There is no connection between
it and our decision on presidential endorsements, and any suggestion
otherwise is false. You can see my wealth and business
(01:26:06):
interests as a bulwark against intimate or if you can
see them as a web of or you can see
them as a web of conflicting interests. Only my own
principles can tip the balance from one to the other.
I assure you my views here are in fact principled,
and I believe my tracker are good. As owner of
the post since twenty thirteen, backs this up. You are,
(01:26:28):
of course free to make your own determination, but I
challenge you to find one instance in those eleven years
where I have prevailed upon anyone at the Post in
favor of my own interests. It has not happened. Lack
of credibility isn't unique to the Post. Our brethren newspapers
have the same issue, and it's a problem not only
(01:26:49):
for media, but also for the nation. Many people are
turning to off the cuff podcasts, inaccurate social media posts,
and other unverified new sources, which can quickly spread misinformation
and deepened divisions. The Washington Post and The New York
Times win prizes, but increasingly we talk only to TI
do a certain elite. More and more we talk to
(01:27:12):
ourselves in brackets. He writes. It wasn't always this way.
In the nineteen nineties, we achieved eighty percent household penetration
in the DC metro area. While I do not wish
to push my personal interest, I will also not allow
this paper to stay on autopilot and fade into irrelevance,
overtaken by unresearched podcasts and social media barbs, not without
(01:27:37):
a fight. It's too important. The stakes are too high.
Now more than ever, the world needs a credible, trusted,
independent voice, and we're better for that voice to originate
than the capital city of the most important country in
the world. Are more. There's more writing, more details, but
you get the picture. The Washington Post has been recognized
(01:28:00):
by its owner as being not just unreliable, but misleading
and lying. And they have been whther or not this
makes a difference, and how much of a difference it makes,
because the staff are very upset. Then we have to
wait and see. But you get the point. The verification
(01:28:20):
has been made, by the way, if I didn't mention it.
The title of the article published on zero Hedge after
colossal exodus of subscribers Washington Post, Bars Bezas explains the
hard truth about not endorsing Karmada. I may have mentioned
that at the beginning, I don't recall. According to two
sources within the paper and familiar with the subscriber exodus,
(01:28:44):
over two hundred thousand digital subscription cancelations had occurred by
Monday afternoon of this week. Not all cancelations take effect immediately. Still,
the figure represents about eight percent of the paper's paid
circulation of two point five million and it's still spreading apparently,
(01:29:06):
so you can see why the new nervousness. Whether he
was spooked into doing that or had it on his
mind anyway because he was uncomfortable with the falsehoods that
emanated from that address, I don't know. And while there
are many, many, many examples of what's going on, I
would imagine that many of you, most maybe hopefully are
(01:29:30):
aware of it and have been keeping track of it.
But let me conclude this podcast with something I mentioned
earlier I think in the interview that is the thin
blue line university professors are approaching near unanimity as a
democratic lock and written by Jonathan Turley. You'll find it
(01:29:50):
at Jonathan Turley tu l Ey dot org Jonathan Turley
dot org. He says, below is my column in The
Hill on the recent poll of university professors in this
election speaks volumes about the composition of higher education today.
Here is the column. The twenty twenty four presidential election
is shaping up to be the single most divisive election
(01:30:13):
in our history. The public is split right down the middle,
with almost every group splintering between former President Donald Trump
and Vice President Carmala Harris. There is, however, one group
that seems almost unanimous professors. A new survey of more
than one thousand professors shows that seventy eight percent will
(01:30:34):
vote for Harrison, only eight percent will vote for Trump.
For anyone in higher education, the result is hardly surprising.
The poll tracks what we already know about the gradual
purging of departments around the country of conservative, libertarian, and
dissenting professors. Indeed, the lack of political and intellectual diversity
(01:30:56):
may be turning some donors and even applicants from higher education.
With failing revenue at applications, universities are starting to re
embrace commitments to neutrality on political issues. Some, however, are
doubling down on advocacy and orthodoxy. It is an example.
In an op ed this week, Wesleyan University president Michael
(01:31:17):
Ross called on universities to reject institutional neutrality and officially
support Carmela Harris, calling neutrality a retreat cowardly if you want,
if you are another word, Ross compared Trump's election to
the rise of the Nazis and insisted that schools should
(01:31:38):
give up the popular pastime of criticizing the woke and
call out instead the overt racism. He added, without a
hint of self awareness or irony, that we should not
be silenced because of fears of appearing partisan. In my book,
writes Turny, the indispensable right free speech in an Age
of Rage, I discussed the intolerance in higher education and
(01:32:01):
surveys showing that many departments no longer have a single
Republican as faculties replicate their own views and values. So
not only are professors voting on mass for Harris, Roth
would have the schools themselves work openly for her election.
That ideological echo chamber is hardly an denticement for many
who are facing rising high tuition costs with relatively little
(01:32:25):
hope of being taught by faculty with opposing views. There
are obviously many reasons why faculty may reject Trump specifically,
but this poll also tracks more generally the self identification
and contributions of faculty. A Georgetown University study recently found
that only nine percent of law school professors identify as
(01:32:46):
conservative at the top fifty law schools, al most identical
to the percentage of Trump voters found in the new poll. Notably,
Roth acknowledged that the current lack of intellectual diversity in
higher education has become so extreme that there might be
a need for an affirmative action program for conservatives. Stop there,
(01:33:08):
because I want to throw in something else that came
into my possession by being sent to me. It's an
opinion piece from the Sydney Morning Herald on the twenty
sixth of October, headed Trump's Garden Party echoes America's Nazi
Moment by Bruce wolp Wlpe if you give you his
(01:33:32):
credentials is a senior fellow at the University of Sydney's
United States Studies Center. He served on Democratic staff with
the US Congress and as chief of staff for former
Prime Minister Julia Gillard. It's a hit piece on Trump
of the ugliest and most untruthful kind. It is littered
(01:33:55):
with falsehoods and lies. He likens the Trump rally at
Madison Square Garden to the Nazi rally that was there
in nineteen thirty nine, comparison that's been made by almost
every Democrat in the last couple of weeks. It's built
(01:34:16):
up and they think now they've got momentum, but it's
about the only thing that they have to run with.
Calling Trump a Nazi and expanding on it obestly. He
repeats the lies that are attributed to the Joint Chiefs
of Staff a million particular, who refused to deploy the
army forces to put down demonstrations in cities across America
(01:34:39):
in the wake of the murder by police of George Floyd.
We all know that story. No one has ever been
as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump. Billy told
Bob Woodwood for his new book War. Now I realize
he's a total fascist. He's the most dangerous person in
this country. Well, Milly hates Trump with a vengeance because
(01:35:00):
Trump called him out. There is no truth to the
claim that Trump is a fascist, no evidence for it whatsoever.
There are lies that have been told about comments that
Trump made about Hitler's henchmen, but they have been disowned
by other people who were president at the times. Had
never happened, never happened. It is an ugly, ugly campaign
(01:35:23):
and I can only say, may the best man win,
And as there is only one man and only one
best of anything of either, that's Trump. It's fascinating to
see the people who have who have changed sides, and
we've picked those names up over the over the over
(01:35:44):
the course of the last few months who've changed sides,
people who have been Democrats in the past and realized
that the Democrats are the major issue and gone to
join the ranks of the Republicans one way or the other.
And the next time we podcast it'll be election day,
and I can't wait for it because the role. I
(01:36:04):
know what the result is and I've mentioned it, mentioned
it last week. Trump will we and I'm thinking landslide.
I really don't think it's going to be as close
as some people are suggesting or have been, in spite
of what some polls might be saying. At that point,
I'm going to say, if you'd like to write to
us Layton at ustorksb dot co dot nz, well Carolyn
(01:36:26):
at ustorksb dot co dot nz, send you nice comments
to me and the complaints to her, and we shall
return for podcasts two hundred and sixty three next week
Huge Day. Until then, there's always thank you for listening,
and we'll talk soon.
Speaker 1 (01:36:50):
Thank you for more from us Talks B. Listen live
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