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The National Party's official blogger-- He who compared Helen Clark to Mugabe and Fiji Frank-- makes a characteristic sophisticated response to the distinguished waipiro (alcohol) expert Professor Doug Sellman. 'The arrogance of some of these experts is best characterised by this quote from Professor Doug…
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Australia is about to enter a new era in politics. They appear to have a hung parliament this morning according to the Sydney Morning Herald. With three-quarters of the vote counted, Labor, which began the night with a notional 88 seats, had lost a confirmed…
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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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In glorious Wellington weather around 2,000 people turned out to protest National's plans to put new employees on 90-day Fire at Will periods, let employers bar workers' union officials from the worksite, and let employers demand a doctors' note for just one day's sick leave…
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Our cousins on the West Island are winding up their election day soon, culminating a dramatic couple of months for Australian politics. What a roller-coaster. From the heady days of the seemingly unassailable Kevin Rudd to Julia Gillard's dramatic coup. Last night the polls put…
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Reading about Act ritualistically disemboweling themselves this week has been interesting, and has quite a few implications for the political landscape at the next election. The factor that has been attracting my attention was highlighted by Fran O'Sullivan this morning - where did those defense…
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Quite suddenly, the government has pulled the plug on the controversial $4.8 million in uncontested funding it awarded to the previously unknown Pacific Economic Development Agency in this year's Budget. It all stinks to high heaven. Just a few weeks back, Georgina te Heu Heu…
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There are a bunch of interesting little stories floating around this week that we didn't get round to writing full posts on or that we wrote drafts for but never finished. So here's a new, possibly weekly feature - Quick Bites: NZ Institute: 'Nats have…
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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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Unions are getting together to oppose the government's changes to employment law with rallies in the four main centres. Details below: Auckland - Saturday 21 August QE2 Square, 1pm Bottom of Queen St, opposite Britomart Wellington - Saturday 21 August CIvic Square, 1pm Christchurch - Saturday 21…
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Registrar of Pecuniary Interests Margaret Bazley, the country's busiest pensioner, has presented recommendations for improving the transparency of MPs' financial interests. It seems like good stuff, but it ignores the elephant in the room. As has been repeatedly shown these last couple of years, the…
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Bill English thinks he has proven that wages grew just 3% under Labour and grew 15.5% under National in the 1990s. How's he done it? By taking a ridiculous definition of wages and a very convenient timeframe. English uses the Quarterly Employment Survey's series of…
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National seems to hate teachers. Every time it is in office it attacks and belittles the profession. This incarnation of a National government is particularly bad. Over the national standards fiasco Anne Tolley has threatened school boards, bullied schools with threats of funding cuts, and…
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Something John Key did right on entering government was to appoint a science advisor, and Sir Peter Gluckman was a great choice. Maybe it's the BSc talking, but I like having science further up the agenda. But the danger with having independent sorts as advisors…
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I'm enjoying watching Rodney Hide and ACT get a good kicking. They deserve it. Rodney Hide's political hypocrisy and poverty of leadership ability have been obvious for all too long. He will forever be the perk buster who couldn't wait to get his own hands…
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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's meltdown continues, with comments from ACT founder and current MP Sir Roger Douglas illustrating that all is not well in the caucus. According to Stuff, Sir Roger Douglas is saying he is not sure he will stand at the next election. He also said…
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Kingmaker Winston Peters today dashed the second term chances of the troubled NACT government: Asked if he would consider joining a National-ACT coalition if his party got enough votes next year [Winston Peters] said; "That's not going to be a possibility at the next election."…
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Freshly returned from attending the launch of a feasibility study into building 27.5m of cycleway in Winton that is expected to create 100,000 jobs, Prime Minister John Key has announced a new plan to close the gap with Australia. "As you may remember, last year…
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It's clear now that John Key allowed one of the ministers he appointed to be bullied out of her job and replaced by a man chosen by Rodney Hide, and that he didn't even ask Hide why. As more details emerge, it looks like Hide…
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Floundering in Parliament yesterday, John Key made some wild claims. Hon Phil Goff: If the gap with Australia is closing, as he and his fellow Ministers have claimed, how does he explain the fact that in June the level of New Zealanders leaving for Australia…
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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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TV3 is reporting Winston Peters will standing at the next election... against John Key in Helensville. Those are candidate meetings I for one wouldn't want to miss! According to TV3: New Zealand First leader Winston Peters is taking the gloves off. Sources close to him have…
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Watching ACT at present must be similar to watching a red giant finishing consuming all of its helium, expel its envelope, and collapse down to dwarf star. Update: the origional docs are really fun to read - HEATHER ROY Notes for demotion caucus The Herald…
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One of these things is not like the other, One of these things is not quite the same Can you guess which one is not like the other, Can you tell me before I finish the game?
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So Rodney can't keep 4 other people on side. The liberal and authoritarian split in Act has had its blood-letting and the authoritarians have won. No longer will Act be the party of liberal ideological principle. You may not have agreed with them, but under…
act election 2011 john key national national/act government rodney hide roger douglas
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A new lobby group, the "Costal Coalition", crawled out from under a rock today. Above is their first billboard, one of several planned for a Wellington and Auckland based campaign. The billboard itself is the work of one John Ansell, of Iwi/Kiwi infamy. I'm with…
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The free-market is irrational. A number of reasons have been postulated as to why this is so (except by neo-liberal economists who think that the market is always rational) from behavioural patterns (habit), emotional decision making and other human fallibilities. A lot of the irrationality,…
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Yesterday morning, John Key expressed his confidence in Heather Roy as a minister. That was later backed up by Bill English, answering on behalf of Key in the House, who said that the Prime Minister always has confidence in his ministers, otherwise they would cease…