Latest news with #Winter
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Tasmania Premier Jeremy Rockliff threatens snap election after Labor's no confidence motion gains support from crossbench MPs
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has threatened to call a snap election rather than resign after the opposition tabled a no-confidence motion against him on Tuesday. Three key crossbench MPs in Andrew Jenner, Craig Garland and Kristie Johnston have already indicated they will support state Labor leader Dean Winter's motion. If backed by the Greens, who held a party room meeting on Wednesday ahead of the sitting of parliament, it could see Mr Rockliff resign or call an early election. Mr Winter's fears Tasmania may go "broke" from the state government's budget and has no confidence in its plans to privatise government-business enterprises and the Spirit of Tasmania ferry replacement project which has blown out another $120 million. The Premier hit back on Tuesday night, saying the Opposition Leader and the Labor Party were "hell bent on forcing Tasmania to an early election". "An election just over 12 months since the last one. That's the last thing Tasmania needs. That's the last thing Tasmania wants," Mr Rockliff wrote on social media. He warned public servants may not be paid due to the budget not being passed yet. "But that's what a no-confidence vote would do: force Tasmania back to the polls. That's not leadership," the Tasmanian Premier continued. "That's an obsessive desire for power at any cost. Tasmania deserves better. We need to work together to build a better Tasmania." The state's Treasurer Guy Barnett last week revealed the state budget which showed projects of debt rising to almost $11 billion in four years' time. Ms Johnston told the ABC on Wednesday the Liberal government has "consistently failed" on the three issues that had been flagged by Mr Winter. "On the face of it, with the motion before us, I have no option but to support it," she said. "We want an accountable government that's transparent and acts with integrity and is responsible with our resources. "And certainly, that's not what we're getting from this government." At the 2024 Tasmanian election, the Liberals only won 14 of the 35 seats. Labor secured 10 seats and the Greens five, while the Jacqui Lambie Network and independents claimed three each.
Perth Now
17 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Premier facing no-confidence threat
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff's shaky hold on government is in danger of collapsing, after the opposition flagged a no-confidence motion. In his budget reply speech on Tuesday, Labor Opposition Leader Dean Winter said he would put forward the no-confidence motion in Mr Rockliff, challenging the crossbench to support it. Key independent Craig Garland said he would support the motion, telling The Australian the Liberal government's state budget last week that doubled state debt, the controversial AFL stadium project and the TT-Line ferries fiasco were keys to his decision. 'I'll be supporting a no-confidence motion in the Premier. I'm just sick to death of the arrogance and ignorance,' he said. Independent Kristie Johnston and Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner have also signalled support. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is facing the threat of a no confidence motion. NewsWire / David Beach Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Winter said he would move the motion as soon as he had sufficient crossbench support to pass it. 'I have tabled a notice of motion that says this House has no confidence in the Premier because he has wrecked the budget, because he is planning to sell our power companies, our ports and our public transport,' Mr Winter said. The state Greens will decide Mr Rockliff's fate, expected after a party meeting as early as Wednesday. Mr Rockliff earlier in parliament defended his government's record and rebuked Mr Winter for being negative in his reply speech, the Mercury reported. 'Well, that was a negative outlook for Tasmania,' he said. 'I mean, if you're a Tasmanian listening to that speech, of course, full of inconsistencies, hypocritical, laced with hypocrisy, but most importantly for Tasmania and Tasmanians talking this wonderful state down, a state that everyone has worked so hard over the course of the last 11 years to take it from economic laggard to leading the nation.' More to come
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Music-blaring pedicabs are interrupting Broadway performances more and more — a new bill seeks to ban them from the theater district
Broadway is increasingly being taken for a ride. 'Rogue' pedicabs blasting New York-themed earworms around the theater district are causing chaos — interrupting Broadway performances, clogging sidewalk space and forcing theatergoers to weave dangerously around traffic, according to disgruntled locals and other drivers. The issue has gotten so out of control over the last year that some actors have started ad-libbing 'Empire State of Mind' blasting from pedicabs outside shows, according to Kenneth Winter, a longtime driver and the spokesperson for the New York Pedicab Alliance. 6 'Rogue' pedicabs blasting New York-themed earworms around the theater district are causing chaos in Midtown, according to disgruntled locals and other drivers. Michael Nagle 'It happens pretty often: They park in front of the theater waiting for the show to come out, as much as an hour before the show lets out,' Winter said, noting that the culprits are 'mostly' unlicensed pedicab drivers who charge excessive and sometimes illegal fees. 'Their point is to make as much money per transaction as possible — they're like piranhas.' 6 Pedicabs seen interrupting Broadway shows outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Nicole Rosenthal / NY Post 'Yeah, you can hear it inside the theater,' Belasco Theatre security guard Pete Tarr, 53, told The Post. 'I'll be working the stage door, and they'll be coming down the street [as] this show is still going on. 'A lot of times we tell them to turn down the music, and they give us the finger.' 'The complaints have been well documented for this,' a guard at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater told The Post. '[The pedicabs] create a problem.' The growing nuisance has inspired a City Council bill, which looks to squash the 'excessive noise and regular harassment' and ban all pedicabs from within 50 feet of theaters. 6 The growing nuisance has inspired a City Council bill, which looks to squash the 'excessive noise and regular harassment' that some pedicab drivers use to target unsuspecting tourists. AFP via Getty Images 'Broadway performers shouldn't have to compete with blaring pedicab speakers,' Council Member Erik Bottcher, who is co-sponsoring the bill with Council Member Keith Powers, told The Post in a statement. 'Our bill puts some basic boundaries in place to protect the theater experience and bring order to the chaos outside the stage doors.' A spokesperson for Bottcher's office confirmed receiving 'numerous' complaints about the matter from both residents and theater workers beginning last year. 'It's a problem,' Winter, who charges a flat $35 rate, said of the noisy vehicles. But 'it's a bigger problem when they're ripping people off for $300, $400 for a 10-minute ride,' he added. Pedicab driver, John Aybaz, 26, from Turkey, admitted he blasts music to get attention from customers after a performance lets out. 'When I play the music, I'm gonna get a lot of attention from the customers,' he said, 'but I play after the show is over. Why would you play during the show? There are no customers.' 6 Pedicab driver, John Aybaz, 26, from Turkey, admitted he does blast music to get attention from customers after a performance lets out. Nicole Rosenthal / NY Post 'It's unfair to punish all of us … for the few that do that,' Aybaz added. 'Banning us from waiting outside the theaters will kill our business.' Winter said there are already laws on the books to deter nuisance pedicab drivers – and that moving their vehicles 50 feet down the street isn't a solution. 'We don't support this bill on any level, it's dumb,' he said. Instead, Winter hopes the NYPD will crack down on unlicensed fraudsters with stiffer penalties and confiscation of their vehicles. As it stands, the NYPD confiscates unlicensed cabs — but will oftentimes give them back, he said. A spokesperson for the NYPD told The Post the agency has been working to address the 'complex and chronic quality of life conditions throughout New York City,' including nuisance pedicabs. 6 Pedicab drivers look for tourists in Times Square on a busy summer night. Michael Nagle In both the Midtown North and South precincts, which encompass the theater district, there were 425 pedicabs seized and 965 summonses issued from Nov. 1, 2024 to Jan. 31, 2025, the rep said — though seized pedicabs can be returned to the owner once a summons is adjudicated. Patrons of the theater district aren't the only ones affected by the swarm of bike taxis, according to Hell's Kitchen's 45th and 46th Street Block Association President David Stuart – who argues that locals are mostly concerned with street safety. 'When theaters get out … the pedicabs are generally in the streets, and maybe the congestion that they cause forces more people into the street,' Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance business improvement district, told The Post. 6 Patrons of the theater district aren't the only ones affected by the swarm of bike taxis, according to Hell's Kitchen's 45th and 46th Street Block Association President David Stuart – who argues that locals are mostly concerned with street safety. Michael Nagle But not everyone seems to mind the commotion. 'I'm not bothered by [the pedicabs], no more than I hear sirens or any other New York atmospheric noises from the Times Square area,' said Ezra Knight, an actor performing in 'Othello' at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. 'I have heard sirens, garbage trucks, honking cars,' said David Webber, 39, who was waiting in line to see 'John Proctor is the Villain' at the Booth Theatre on Wednesday. 'This is New York: If you pay attention to the noise, you'll drive yourself crazy.' Melanie Trintin, 43, who was leaving 'The Lion King' with a friend, called the move to ban pedicabs from the theater district the 'dumbest thing I've heard all day.' 'If you can't handle the noise, please move to the country,' she said.
NBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
George R.R. Martin says he will 'never finish' next book in 'Game of Thrones' series
Winter is probably no longer coming for "A Song of Ice and Fire" series fans. George R. R. Martin, author of the fantasy novel series that led to the wildly popular "Game of Thrones" television series, wrote on his blog Wednesday that the sixth book, "The Winds of Winter," will likely not be completed. "I will never finish WINDS," Martin wrote."If I do, I will never finish A DREAM OF SPRING," referring to what would have been the series' seventh book. Martin said he "lost all interest" in the series that has been out on shelves since 1996 with the its first installment, "A Game of Thrones." He explained that while he does care about the unfinished sixth novel and the franchise's characters, he also has a passion for the rest of his work that he believes his fans "don't care about." Martin called out a few short stories he wrote long before "A Game of Thrones," such as "A Song for Lya" and "This Tower of Ashes," in addition to compilations of short stories that he edited more recently, like the 2013 cross-genre anthology "Dangerous Women." The 77-year-old author cynically wrote he is 'going to die soon anyway' and does not 'give a s--- about writing any longer.' Martin recently signed on with Lion Forge Entertainment to adapt Howard Waldrop's 1989 novella "A Dozen Tough Jobs" — his take on the Twelve Labors of Hercules — into an animated feature, news the author credited The Hollywood Reporter with breaking on May 21. "Some of you will just be pissed off by this, as you are by everything I announce here that is not about Westeros or THE WINDS OF WINTER," the author wrote when announcing the screen adaptation of his late friend's work. "It saddens me that he did not live long enough to see the film; I hope we do him justice," Martin wrote.
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Fears over Scottish Labour using 'rigged' voting system involved in Met fraud probe
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Members have already raised concerns about the online voting system being used by the party, which is part of a Met police fraud probe in England. Scottish Labour members fear a controversial computer voting programme involved in a Met police fraud probe could be used to block left-wing candidates from standing as MSPs. Anonyvoter, an online voting software, is being used by the party to pick candidates for the next general election, often alongside postal and in-person voting. But the party has previously faced calls to ban the Anonyvoter system after it was criticised by unions and candidates who lost their reselections in favour of centrist candidates in the 2024 election. Former MPs Angela Rayner' s partner Sam Tarry and Welsh MP Beth Winter instructed lawyers to challenge the party over the system's usage claiming it could be tampered with. Both Tarry and Winter had received more votes from those who attended their selection contests in person, but lost out to their rivals via the online system. Tarry called for the party to stop using Anonyvoter and said it was 'used to deselect me, rigged to change the result' while Winter called for a full investigation. Now several Scottish Labour sources have told the Sunday Mail they fear the same issues are happening in Scotland following a selection for the Dundee West constituency earlier this month. Left-wing MSP Mercedes Villalba lost out on standing as an MSP in favour of Michael Marra, who has been touted as a potential successor to Anas Sarwar. Despite winning the vote in the room Villalba lost the contest due to the online votes cast through Anonyvoter. Although the full tally is confidential the Sunday Mail understands that Marra received 'almost triple' the votes of Villalba online. Trade unions previously demanded the party stop using the system for selections after claims it could be rigged in favour of certain candidates. John McDonnell, former shadow chancellor, claimed Prime Minister Keir Starmer was on a 'search and destroy' mission to weed out the party's left wing and Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's deputy leader, has also faced similar accusations in Scotland. The Sunday Mail understands several Labour members have contacted the party with concerns about the use of Anonyvoter in Scotland. One such member said: 'I emailed our local branch secretary last month as I was concerned about the fact we were having to use Anonyvoter but I didn't get any reply. 'I know someone else who also contacted the party's leadership team directly and was told that there had been no problem with Anonyvoter in Scotland and it was being used here. End of discussion. 'People are very sceptical of the system and don't understand why we are still using it when there were such problems before.' Another member who has also raised concerns about Anonyvoter said: 'I'm worried that what we saw for the Westminster selections is now going to happen for the Holyrood ones. It seems to be already happening - just look at the situation in Dundee.' A former Labour staffer said that Anonyvoter removed 'critical oversight' from selections and said: 'I can say that in standard parliamentary selections, ballot counting is carried out by staff but with clear oversight from CLP officials to ensure transparency and trust in the process. 'With Anonyvoter, that critical layer of local oversight is simply missing. We've already seen serious concerns raised about its accuracy and flaws, most notably in Croydon where the situation escalated to the point of police involvement.' Alongside Tarry and Winter's concerns ahead of the General Election, the East Croydon Labour branch admitted there had been manipulation of member's data prior to its candidate selection and is now being probed by the Met. Anonyvoter insisted that its software was unrelated to the incident and it was Labour's own internal database that had been tampered with. Critics of Anonyvoter say that independent tellers are not given access to monitor the voting process and regional Labour figures are able to see who has voted, giving them the ability to whip up support for certain candidates among those yet to vote. The software was developed by a former Labour councillor and provided to the party without any competitive tender process in 2020. A Scottish Labour spokesman said: 'We have full confidence in the integrity of both selection processes and the use of Anonyvoter. 'Labour candidates are selected by the votes of local members who select the person they believe should represent them. 'All selections are carried out in line with rules and procedures agreed and overseen by Scottish Labour's Executive Committee.' Anonyvoter was contacted for comment.
