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The Government has released its Foreshore and Seabed policy. It will put the F&S into 'public domain' where it will be owned by no one. Maori will be able to take claims for customary rights over parts of the F&S to Court (except those parts that…
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In the face of total public opposition, Kerry Prendergast has backed on down her stupid 'Wellywood' sign with the airport passive-aggressively asking Wellingtonians if they have any better ideas. More importantly, it looks like National is headed for a back flip on whaling. Chris Carter has revelaed…
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Reproduced with permission from No Right Turn A couple of years ago, DPF went apeshit about the then-Labour government's Electoral Finance Act. While intended to protect democracy from the unequal influence of the rich, DPF saw it as an attack on democracy. So he vented…
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The Key Government is constantly promising us great results and actually do nothing that improves things for New Zealanders. Bill English claims that his tax cuts for tax cheats and a massive wealth transfer from the rent-paying poor to the wealthy will boost economic growth…
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The Auditor-General has found that Phil Heatley wrongly bought $1,402 worth of private goods and services on his ministerial and MP tabs. That's OK according to the PM because Heatley didn't intend to break the rules. Well, I guess that's OK then. Of course, you…
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Managed 11/10 in this week's stuff politics quiz. Just under 0 seconds. No guesses. Try your luck, if you think you can do better!
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It's great to see that Colin Espiner is keeping up with blog despite leaving the press gallery. His post yesterday is on the orchestrated smear campaign against Andrew Williams that has been building over the past year. He points out that the latest 'story' is…
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The Government has dissolved the elected council of Environment Canterbury and replaced it with an unelected commissioners. It has decided that there will be no elections as otherwise required by the Local Elections Act for ECan later this year. Instead, the region's water will remain…
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Reproduced with permission from No Right Turn. Is up here. The Regulatory Impact Statement is here. It makes for interesting reading. Just at the beginning: There are significant risks associated with the Review Group's recommendation to temporarily suspend planned triennial elections for regional councillors (scheduled…
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NatRad's Insight has the best overview of the Brownlees mining proposal that I've seen (or rather heard) from the media to date. Environmental issues reporter, Ian Telfer investigates the Government's proposal. "Mining in National Parks". You can listen on this player (experimental 1: requires Flash):-…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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According to a West Coast Times article sourced by norightturn, John Key received a $1000 donation in the form of a gold nugget from a mining company. Key has claimed that he "didn't know" whether he'd received donations from the mining industry. Now it's pretty…
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As ACT is busy self destructing, more tensions between the Nats and its other supporters, the Maori Party, are bubbling to the surface. As reported (hat tip gobsmacked in comments) by Radio Waatea: PARTY AMBUSHED ON WELFARE CHANGES Associate social welfare minister Tariana Turia says…
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The latest piece from the ever excellent Gordon Campbell has a go at the beat up of North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams. Towards the end he raises some interesting points about Auckland's new boss. Campbell writes: If the proximity of alcohol to those in power…
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Lifted from comments for wider reading by commentator acclaim.. Beneficiary bashing in this country is definitely becoming uglier by the day. It seems that Paula Bennett's attacks on beneficiaries seemingly condoned by the Prime Minister has given prejudice free reign in the country. It is…
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In his post-Cabinet press conference, John Key gave three tests that mining on protected land would have to meet to satisfy him that it ought to be permitted. Creates jobs and puts money into the local economy: Mining does not have a big pay-off for…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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It's becoming clear that National had their policy to mine on protected land all planned before the election and hid the truth from the public because they feared it would make them unelectable. Both Gerry Brownlee and John Key have admitted pre-election meetings with the…
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The eXileD has a piece on Ireland's woes and how they got there. The 1980s neoliberal revolution and dodgy deals for the Right's mates are familiar. Ireland became a tax haven for bludging international financiers. It's all come crashing down but John Key wants to…
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One of National's election promises was to close 'the gap' with Australia - sometimes this is taken to mean the GDP per capita gap, other times the wage gap. By any measure, National is failing miserably. In the December quarter, the economy finally grew faster…
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Leaky homes are a slowly unfolding disaster for the country. Someone is going to have to come up with $11bn (at least) in costs for repairs, and the government hasn't a clue as to how to handle it. Still, every cloud has a silver lining…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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What a complete failure Paula Bennett is. If you could bear to sit through her interview on Q+A yesterday, you would have heard nothing but vacuous crap completely divorced from reality and her actual policies. We learn now that not only do her policies unjustifiably…
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As always Rod Oram offers a considered approach to issues of the day. In today's Sunday Star Times he offers his analytical skills to mining, saying: New Zealand has three responses: We could tell the world we won't mine. Dig up your own country, sell…
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Andrew Williams, mayor of North Shore, is clearly a bit of an odd-ball. Getting drunk and having a wee on his council building is the kind of behaviour that voters on the North Shore may well view dimly. But it is totally beyond his power…
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Anyone who has ever seriously debated opinions with other people, especially via online forums like newsgroups and blogs, has probably developed a pretty firm suspicion that facts don't matter. I've been watching online forums since the early 1980s, reading usenet with rn when there were…
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According to a poll in the the Sunday Star Times, John Key's mining plan has turned off one in six National voters: The proposal to allow limited mining in protected conservation areas has turned a significant number of National Party voters against the government, a poll of…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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This image has been sitting around since October 2007 in a un-posted post from all_your_base awaiting someone who deserves it. I read Marty G's post today about the infighting in Act. I'm awarding it to Rodney Hide. He seems to deserve it....
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A wee typo in Fran O'Sullivan's column today: "Till now, Key has operated a rather laissez-faire approach to Cabinet management." I think O'Sullivan meant "fairly lazy". She points out that Gerry Brownlee and Paula Bennett have been allowed to go out and essentially lie to…