Andrew Dickens Afternoons

A new report on climate change has got people thinking about what they are willing to do. 
The IPCC released a new report that says the planet has 10 years to try and curb rising temperatures or there won't be a lot we can do. 
The BBC asked people five questions about what they are willing to do to help:
- Would you give up beef?
- Would you stop driving short distances?
- Would you move into a smaller house?
- Would you use less heating?
- Would you share your car?
Callers shared their answers, with some willing to do whatever they can, and others completely unwilling.
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So here I am back at work after a long weekend. At home things are great in the garden. My wisteria has burst into life, my sage has a beautiful display of purple flowers and my grapevine is sprouting leaves daily.
Meanwhile yesterday I was off on bereavement leave as I farewelled a friend who was a very strong influence on me early in my broadcasting career. A man who fertilised a love or words and humour. The man who introduced me to the technical nuance of Monty Python and a man who had no enemies in the whole world.
So the mixture of Spring and sadness has kept me away from the hurly burly of the news. But that said almost every moment I looked at the news there was always one word in the headlines and that word is petrol.
It shows you just how pivotal this hydrocarbon derivative has become to the functioning of human civilisation. Petrol, water, food and shelter. The four pillars of life.
For days our country has been buzzing about the price of petrol. It’s all been said and I have little to add. But I will say this.
Firstly, the price of barrel of oil goes up and it goes down. But taxes know only one way and that’s up. By taking aim at the petrol companies margins I believe that Jacinda Ardern has made a mistake because what’s sauce for the gander is also sauce for the goose. It was an exercise in blame shifting that if successful will force future governments to take similar measures with their margins. In other words is Jacinda Ardern brave enough to do what she’s asking the petrol companies to do. Well no-one is.
Nor is this a trait of a Labour government. Excise duties are scheduled years in advance by every government. Like I say petrol goes up and down but taxes only ever go up.
But as we turn ourselves insides out about the price of petrol it hid the real stories of change that this government supports. 
Firstly they released a 54 page report of how to manage our water with the aim of making rivers swimmable. 98 per cent of our rivers exist in rural areas so guess who this impacts the most. The 3000 farmers in this country are mentioned far more than the 2 million city dwellers pouring heavy metals into our seas.
Secondly the IPCC released their latest report into climate change which suggests if we don’t all change our ways completely in the next decade the children of our children will be living in a microwave.
Last night the BBC asked people on the street whether they were prepared to accept 5 changes immediately. They were asked would they cut out beef? Move to a smaller home? Don’t drive small distances? Cut down on heating? Share your car?
So ask yourself what would you do? And how worried should we be after decades of intensive dairying and cow population growth in this country how we feel about the first choice.
You may or may not believe in the impact of climate change based on human activity.  But things will change whether you like it or not and despite the fact that we are relatively clean and green in this world it may be that our cows are going to pay a heavy price. That’s worth thinking about.

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LISTEN TO GEORGE FENWICK TALK ABOUT THIS WITH TIM BEVERIDGE ABOVE
We hope you're ready to relive your bubblegum pop years because a new summer concert series is coming to New Zealand and it is So Pop.
So Pop is being billed as the "ultimate throwback pop experience", bringing the biggest names of '90s and noughties pop to the stage in Auckland for one night only.
Spark Arena will be transformed into "the school disco that you'll wish never ends" for the event.
The lineup is headed by pop favourites Aqua, Vengaboys, Blue and B*Witched.
They'll be joined by Blue hitmakers Eiffel 65 and Mambo Number 5 hitmaker Lou Bega, as well as The Outhere Brothers, 2 Unlimited and Mr President.
And just when you thought it couldn't get any more 90s, the event will be hosted by the queen of Natural Glow herself Suzanne Paul.
So Pop takes place at Auckland's Spark Arena on February 5.
A Frontier Members pre-sale begins October 11 at 1pm, and general sales begin midday, October 16. See Frontier or Ticketmaster for details.

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So the end of the week that was.
As I said yesterday Brett Kavanaugh will be a Supreme Court Justice by Monday. A job for life. One of the 9 protectors of the Constitution, the lodestone of the American democracy. The vote will be 54-45.  No-one will back off the party lines. His decisions have never been overturned by the Supreme Court. He’s a conservative but he’s not the devil.
But yesterday I said he failed the job application because he cracked under pressure. He cried, he whined, he raged, he got matters of law wrong. I called him a snowflake. I got a number of emails and texts getting stuck into me for that. One called me sanctimonious. All said how would I cope under the accusation of sexual harassment.
That’s not the point. Kavanaugh's job is a unique one. At the centre of American law and society. He will face far greater firestorms than this allegation based on vague memories from decades ago. With his vast skill, he should have mounted a better defence of himself that he did. Clarence Thomas went through much more with greater dignity. Brett will need to harden up as he has many enemies.
I want to congratulate the government on their Construction Skills Action Plan. Finally, someone got to the nub of the problems that we’ve had with construction and infrastructure for so long. The government also provides construction with a fifth of their work and so now they’re using their purchasing power to get construction back into line. Whoever pays the piper picks the tune.
They’ve highlighted an industry that doesn’t plan for the future and whose cut throat competition has meant they’ve actually cut their own throat. An industry that makes up a fifth of our economy and hires a quarter of million people but should really be hiring hundred thousand more. I think the productivity constraints in construction is a far greater threat to our financial well being than any government tinkering with labour laws
The government is often criticised for not having a clue about business and driving us backwards. Well yesterday is proof that they’re not without a few tricks of their own. You wonder why something like this didn’t happen years ago.
And finally, I can’t wait for this South Africa test on the high veldt. It should be a cracker. Next year during the World Cup I think we’ll look back at the Wellington loss and realise how valuable it was for resetting the Abs mindset. And I’m so glad for jack Goodhue. I remember a while back plumping for Ryan Crotty. A Sports dude told me I was an idiot. Crotty wasn’t first grade.  He called him a journeyman. A player without the flash. That was exactly what I liked about him. And now that sports dude is running a B and B in Bali. Enuf said. But Goodhue is the same but I think even better.
To have Sonny Bill and Jack Goodhue running at the hearts of the Boks is going to be a very exciting thing to see

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Talkback callers have reacted with rage and disbelief after a Whanganui man who attacked an 80-year-old after becoming enraged by a traffic incident was only given three months' community detention and 100 hours' community work.
Richard expressed his outrage on Andrew Dickens Afternoons with harsh words about New Zealand's justice system.
"This man deserves hard labour in jail, but that doesn't happen in this country because we are living in a mamby pamby liberal jellyfish country."
LISTEN TO THE REACTION FROM TALKBACK CALLERS ON ANDREW DICKENS AFTERNOONS

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One moment of road rage can change your life forever.
That's the experience of Toma-akino Lauaki. In 2005, he admitted to attacking truck driver Barry Fletcher with a hammer after the driver had nearly swiped him.
Lauaki plead guilty in court, and was sentenced to five years. 
He says he was under severe emotional stress at the time due to his wife's illness.
When the subject of road rage came up on Andrew Dickens, Lauaki called in to talk about his experiences.
He says that his time in jail, which was reduced to three years, was not rehabilitating because he was already aware that what he had done was wrong and it was one moment of blind rage that consumed him.
Lauaki told Andrew that road rage of any form is completely unacceptable.
LISTEN TO TOMA-AKINO LAUAKI TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVE

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It never fails to amaze me how many New Zealanders are so invested in the American political process. After all, you know the interest is not reciprocated. It’s one of the more entertaining times you can spend explaining to an American how MMP works. But I digress.
There are many New Zealanders who seem even more aware of the labyrinthine ins and outs of American politics than many Americans are. And I suppose the interest comes because the global influence of what happens in America is so great that watching the way they come to their positions is important to watch. America also believes itself to be the home of democracy ever since the revolution and their pride in the Constitution as a founding document for modern states is palpable and so American debates become debates about freedom and statehood.
But at the end of the day, the plain fact is that it is so terribly entertaining, full of twists and turns and manoeuvers and plots amongst a cast of fascinating and often flawed characters. This system is so full of nuances and complexities that you can easily be convinced that black is white and up is down.
And so we come to the confirmation of Donald Trumps latest nominee for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. It’s incredible that the story is popping up in our TV news bulletins third or fourth in but again it’s because of the salacious nature of the claims and the pictures that are coming out.
I wonder once again why we should give a stuff, but this morning I noticed an interesting thing. My son and I started talking about the situation. Now, why would a 22-year-old engineer give a toss? So I asked him.
Apparently, a lot of his mates talk about it and in well-informed ways. The rise of internet entertainment is the reason.  The new generation is the YouTube generation. They get their view of the world not from newspapers or network tv but what comes into their feeds. High amongst them are US comedy feeds and obviously, this current administration is considered comedy gold. 
So to understand the context of the humour they’re seeing my lad and his kiwi mates go off and find out what’s happening. The truth is that Jack might actually know more about American politics than New Zealand politics
So I asked my 22 year old son what he knows about the Supreme Court. He knew it’s called the Roberts court after the Chief Justice, that Clarence Thomas is the longest serving, that Ruth Bader Ginsberg is revered by liberals. He knew that Sotomayer was nominated by Obama and the first thing she said was that she was no Democrat. He knows all about Gorsuch’s nomination by Trump and the filibustering by the Democrats, the breaking of the filibustering and the vote on partisan lines 54-45.
So, what does he know of Kavanaugh? He knows that he is a conservative, that he’s been through six FBI checks to get where he’s got.  He knew he respects the Brown decision the most, the decision that stopped segregation in schools and that he doesn’t think the Roe v Wade decision is immutable.
So we talked about the current furore and this is what the Dickens family came to. Kavanaugh will get there just like Clarence Thomas did. The vote will be partisan and be 54-45 ish.
And here’s the thing. It’s not whether Kavanaugh abused Christine Blasey Ford. This hearing is not about guilt. It’s about Kavanaugh’s suitability. And he came off as a whiny, privileged, angry, emotional, immature patriarch. As Jack said. Out of a quarter of a billion people is he really the best person they could find to be part of a court of 9 people whose job is to protect the most precious and important part of American democracy. We both think the States could do better

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Should we be heading our controversial past, or keeping it on display?
The question has been raised after Gisborne City Council voted to remove a controversial statue of Captain Cook. 
While some can see why local iwi are upset over the statue, some talkback callers to Andrew Dickens have seen it as an attempt to disguise our history. 
One caller said it seems very similar to the removal of Confederate statues in America. 
However, as one caller noted, the statue is notable for being a rather inaccurate representation of the sailor.
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Gisborne's mayor is defending the removal of a controversial statue of Captain Cook.
The statue, which has stood on Tītīrangi Hill since 1969, is being moved to Tairāwhiti Museum until a new home is found.
The statue had been vandalised multiple times, and is controversial amongst local iwi.
However, Meng Foon told Andrew Dickens that the statue isn't even an accurate portrayal of Captain Cook. 
"I think at that time they received this gift from Lion Breweries that was generous at the time, and though 'Oh yeah, that's something to put up'. 
He says there is another, more accurate portrayal of Cook on the other side of the river that will remain.
The issue has drawn the ire of British tabloid The Daily Mail, but Foon says that there has been no blow back from the community. 
"They are saying it's about time we're celebrating the local history as well." 
Local designs are being considered to fill the void. 
LISTEN TO MENG FOON TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVE

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Hospital parking has been driven back into the headlines. 
Waitemata DHB in Auckland has agreed it needs to make people more aware of how they could qualify for free parking at its hospitals.
The guidelines apply in extreme circumstances, such as being the mother of a child in the Special Care Unit or if an elderly spouse is dying.
However, complaints that led to the DHB's discussion today included general parking prices - and the fact older people find it tough to afford to visit patients.
The DHB will be introducing a $50 discount for multiple entries across seven days. 
Callers to Andrew Dickens revealed their own experiences with hospital parking.
One caller said that, after having a massive heart attack, he was unable to afford the parking as he was on the benefit.
Instead, he had to find a free car park nearby and would walk to the hospital from there. 
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