Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

There are growing international concerns that Russia will attempt to absbrb Belarus as part of Vladimir Putin's plans to hold on to power. Moscow Times declared over the weekend that Belarus is ready to become part of the superpower, the latest in Putin's long-running goal to acquire the neighbouring country.The comments come after a three day summit between the President and his Belarusian counterpart Alexsander Lukashenka, where Lukashenkna was reportedly attempting to assert his dominance and independence. However, whether that stops an apparently desperate Putin is up for debate. International relations expert Dr Robert Patman told Kerre McIvor that Putin clearly wants to stay in power as long as possible. "He has a constitutional problem as he can't run two consecutive terms as President, and he is now one year into his final five year term." Patman says that Putin is facing backlash over rising inequality in the country and the suppression of independent and opposition voices. "I think one of the reasons he's fearful of losing power is the ramifications if he can't determine his successor, as clearly his regime has engaged in activities which may be repugnant to a successor." Putin therefore wants to merge with Belarus, which would create a new nation state that could allow him to assume a new leadership role and carry on in power.  Patman says that it would mean that he would not have to exit the political world in 2024, when his term is currently Russia is Belarus's closest ally and the two have long since formed a nominal "union" with close trade and military co-operation.In December, Russia's largely irrelevant Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow was ready for closer integration with Belarus.According to him, this would include a common currency, shared customs services and courts. He said this was in line with a 1999 agreement to create a "union state."That agreement, signed by both Lukashenko and Putin's predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, outlines a full federation, including a new common flag, national symbols and a unified judiciary.However, Patman says that Putin risks isolating himself further if he goes through with the plan. "When he annexed in Crimea in neighbouring Ukraine, that actually made Russia more isolated in Europe than ever before."He says that Putin is likely more concerned with how a transfer of ideas to Russia's youth could affect him. That has seen Putin initiate plans to turn off the internet as a means of shutting out new information. "He doesn't want democracies to work. What he worries about is that the ideas represented by a liberal democracies will infect his own society and people will wonder why he has to be running the country for so long."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kerre talks to mental health advocate Mike King, who was last night named Kiwibank 2019 New Zealander of the Year.Drawing from his own personal experiences, King has bought the serious issues of depression, alcohol and drug abuse and suicide to public attention.Working alongside other mental health professionals, King has been the driving force of many initiatives to shift the way we think about mental health including with the Key to Life Charitable Trust and The Nutters Club.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I always wondered when the searchers and rescuers in this country would finally snap.It appears that time has come.Queenstown's harbour master and a rescue helicopter pilot based in the South, have come out and said what so many of us have been thinking for years - if people need to be rescued through their own incredibly stupid actions, they should pay for it.Two men were rescued on Sunday night after heading out onto the Kawerau River on an inflatable mattress.Marty Black, the harbour master, refused to send out a jet ski to rescue the idiots as it was too dangerous and would put rescuers at risk.Instead, a helicopter search and rescue team went out and picked up the pair at about 11 o'clock.The harbour master said he was dead against the public having to foot the bill when those who needed rescuing were at fault. He said he wasn't against rescuing them - but they needed to take responsibility for their actions.Otago Rescue Helicopters chief pilot backed up Marty Black's comments - if it's your stupidity that put you in that situation, if you were doing something that was ridiculous, then you should pay. Hear, hear.Look, accidents happen. Even the best prepared and most experienced adventurers in this country can come unstuck through pure bad luck. And search and rescue personnel are willing to put their own lives at risk in those circumstances because they know that one day, they might be the ones setting off the emergency signals.We all do stupid things - especially when we're young - and generally live to tell the tale. But personal accountability people!I was told by one of our surf lifesavers that most people, when they're rescued, walk away with barely a thank you. Very seldom do they receive a tangible expression of gratitude in the form of a donation. And that's just unacceptable. You do something so incredibly stupid that other people risk their own lives to save your sorry skin - the very least you can do is pay for the cost of your rescue.Speaking of paying, it's an outrage that a woman who the court has accepted was most likely abused, has to pay the legal costs of a convicted rapist. Mariya Taylor was driven out of the Defence Force when she was victimised by her boss.She took a claim against the Defence Force but legal niceties meant she lost the case and the rapist sued her for his legal costs. The Defence Force was going to go after her too but Jacinda Ardern stepped in and dissuaded the Force from doing so. Yes, it's his legal right to go his victim for costs and yes, the courts have to follow the rule of law, but this is - yet again -an example of the law not being justice.And finally, and I do apologise for going on, but a lot's got right up my snozz this morning, why isn't Andrew Little back in New Zealand sorting out this country's justice system and failure to protect women. He appeared at the United Nation's Universal Periodic Review in Geneva last night confessing all New Zealand's sins to the rest of the world and mea culpa-ing like the most sorrowful penitent.New Zealand's justice system is broken he said and we're failing New Zealand women. Quite right, said the rest of the countries there, pursing their lips.Shocking carry on. Dreadful treatment of Māori said Egypt, Indonesia and Russia. Sort yourselves out. Russia, for heaven's sake. Taking the moral high ground. It's a wonder the roof didn't cave in.This country isn't perfect - and certainly, we can make improvements. But what on earth is a group counselling session among UN nations doing to fix things? Hi I'm Andrew, I'm from New Zealand and we lock too many people up. Hi Andrew, you're safe here. A load of well-meaning tosh.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the audio above as BBC producer Stuart Hughes explains to Kerre McIvor what will happen next following today's defeat of the British PM's Brexit deal.The crushing defeat of Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal make a deadline extension inevitable and a soft Brexit more likely.Even a Brexit cancellation swims into view.In her response after the 432 -202 vote, the British Prime Minister said she would hold cross-party talks on Brexit if she survives a motion of no confidence tomorrow tabled by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.She is expected to do so — Conservative MPs and Tory allies the DUP are highly unlikely to join Labour in voting against her and the Government. May also - crucially - has protection from her own side: After a failed no-confidence vote in her leadership last month, she can't be challenged as party leader for a year.May said that she would return to the House of Commons next week with an alternative plan and would discuss any ideas from the cross-party talks with the EU.The decision to hold talks with other parties is significant.May's only way of getting some type of Brexit deal through is with the help of Labour MPs to counter the hardline Brexiteers.She has previously resisted building support on the other side of the fence.Before the vote, EU officials hinted that they expected Britain to request an extension to the Brexit deadline. That seems certain now.MPs have just gained more clout in the Brexit battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.