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How's this for insanity: the finals in the World Cup will be broadcast live on four free to air channels (TV1, TV3, Maori TV in English and Maori TV in Maori) as well as Sky. That's pretty much the definition of overkill and it has…
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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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ACT policies are electoral poison, and the inevitability of that growing realisation seems to be creating strains that are tearing the party apart. Reading the speeches of Hide and Roy to the recent party conference is like reading bad Randian fantasy fiction from another planet.…
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The National Government's latest proposals to strip away workers' protections against unfair dismissal, including extending the 90 day fire at will law, must surely put to bed any idea that this is a moderate, centrist government. Over the last few months the Government has started…
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Over at Kiwiblog ACT MP David Garrett is calling for a programme offering $5000 to poor brown people if they undergo sterilisation. Or to quote him directly: If say $5000 was paid to the likes of both parents of the Kahui twins if they chose…
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Well the discussion keeps going on, and as you know I like marking these occasions as the database steadily grows (and my backup nightmares keep increasing). The 150,000'th accepted* comment was by Lanthanide here at just after midday. He was explaining the real world politics…
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If you agree that money is power, and that power corrupts, then it follows having a lot of money may be a corrupting influence. So imagine the compounding effects of having a lot of money and being like, a Bishop, or a PM. Self-proclaimed Bishop…
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I was stuck recently by the contrast between the (most recent) ex leaders of the Labour and National parties. Helen Clark stood down on the night of the 2008 election. She soon had a new job heading the UN Development Programme. Still popular with the…
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The recession has forced tens of thousands of people out of work. There are now 276,000 jobless Kiwis. The lucky ones (only a third of the officially unemployed) can get the unemployment benefit. Now, the Government is letting inflation eat into their meager benefit payments.…
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As the SAS get into their first gunfight and criticism emerges that their LAVs aren't armoured enough to resist IEDs, John Key shrugs his shoulders and says there may be casualties. Phil Goff, on the other hand, is calling on the PM to do something…
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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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Thinking about Phil Heatley slapping those two bottles of wine on the taxpayers' credit card reminded me of something. I was at dinner with my partner, a family friend of hers, his wife, and a couple of others. At the end, my the friend was very insistent that he pay the…
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Kate Wilkinson (Minister of Labour) has opened public submissions on a review on unfair dismissal laws with the release of a discussion paper today. Details are here on the Dept of Labour website and submissions close on 31 March. It's hard to disagree with the…
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Two guest contributions on Anne Tolley's last ditch bid to sell national standards: I've just been to a meeting with Anne Tolley on National Standards. She said they consulted widely. '11,000 submissions' she said. A Principal replied he'd been invited to one meeting in which…
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The select committee considering the 3rd super-shitty bill is sitting in Parnell now. There is a protest against the Rodney Hide, and Auckland Transition Authority (basically some arseholes hand-picked by Rodney to screw the city over) vision for Auckland. There was a high level of…
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Labour's 'Axe the Tax' campaign has hit the road. Phil Goff is travelling around New Zealand explaining why Labour opposes National's plan to hike GST on everyone to pay for tax cuts that will primarily go to the well-off. It looks like it's going well.…
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Lord Ashcroft, the British Conservative party's major donor, has admitted that while he is "permanently resident" in Britain he is not domiciled there for tax status. His admission comes a day before the information was due to be released under Britain's Official Information Act. Their…
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276,000 jobless, of which 168,000 officially unemployed. 115,000 more underemployed. Big numbers, but remember that the unemployed aren't a static group being added to every day as the Key Government sits on its hands. In fact there's a continual churn of people into unemployment and…
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If you don't read Pundit you should. This article by Claire Browning, for example, is excellent. Claire points out that National is trying to get away with a huge con... John Key's broken promise, on National's parks Key promised no state assets would be sold…
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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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A survey out yesterday shows that the gap between New Zealand and Australia is set to widen in the coming year with 78% of Aussie firms planning on giving inflation or better wages increases this year, compared to just 55% here. In fact, the gap…
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The select committee on Rodney Hides vision of the Auckland Super-City sits in Parnell tommorrow. The National MPs complicit in foisting this idiotic vision of Auckland on us will be there along with the architect of these foolish assaults on Auckland's democracy - the head…
act auckland supercity democracy under attack rodney hide scoundrels
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You know, I struggle to see how the government can justify cuts to Radio New Zealand's funding after its outstanding coverage of the tsunami yesterday. While the other radio broadcasters were jammed up with bee pollen adverts and deer horn aphrodisiac jingles, RNZ had informative,…
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The Nats continue to set very high expectations for the tax changes in the Budget. Last week Bill English told a conference of wealthy businessmen that the top rate would be dropping from 38% to 33%. That's an open-ended tax cut, higher as the person's…
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When it comes to listening to the public, National promise "jam tomorrow". Don't believe them. When tomorrow comes we'll get squat instead. Two examples from the Auckland Supercity process. First, remember how Key responded to the Hikoi for Maori seats on the new Council: The…
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With true tory arrogance at the ACT conference this weekend, Don Brash has described New Zealand voters as venal and stupid. Apparently New Zealand's reluctance to destroy what is left of their society by implementing Brash's discredited crazy old man economic voodoo is a sign…
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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...