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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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Judged by his own terms, what has John Key actually achieved on trade? He talked big about Japan's trade barriers - no-one paid him any attention. Russian FTA talks were announced - it'll be worth just $27 million. Key's meeting with 'good mate' Obama -…
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Sick days and employees who battle through illness but with reduced productivity are costing the economy billions of dollars every year, a Treasury paper says. The Government has proposed a labour law amendment that would require employees to provide a medical certificate for a single…
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National's handling of the Auckland SuperCity process was profoundly undemocratic in a multitude of ways. Thank goodness, and the common sense of Aucklanders, that a "Labour Mayor from South Auckland" was elected to sort out at least some of the resulting mess. I've already written…
auckland supercity democracy under attack leadership len brown Maori seats
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In the last 12 months, 17 people have been killed in police chases. Many more injured. They might be criminals but they don't deserve to die. Yet the Police policy - chase anything that flees - is killing them. The carnage needs to end. The…
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The International Energy Agency's annual World Energy Outlook forecasts that by 2035 oil will cost $200 a barrel in today's dollars. That's not $200 during a price spike, that's $200 as the new normal. The world entered recession when the price went over $100 in…
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Simon Power yesterday introduced a shiny new "Criminal Procedure (Reform and Modernisation) Bill" to Parliament. The Nats are touting it as "the biggest change to the criminal justice system in 50 years". Most reaction so far has been lazily positive, repeating points from the press…
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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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So now we learn from rort-buster Pete Hodgson that Pansy Wong and her husband have been running private companies out of her taxpayer-funded electorate office. This is worse than anything I thought would be turned up by Lockwood Smith's investigation. I don't see how she…
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The dark side of the current much-heralded free trade talks is that New Zealand could end up letting foreign firms dictate how the country is run, from quarantine rules to local content laws, unless it learns the lessons of previous trade deals. A new book…
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We've seen that the current economic system isn't working, even to achieve its own goals, let alone better ones. Now, it's time to come up with real solutions. This first post in the series is about the framework for those solutions. I don't have all…
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What's so great about free trade negotiations with Russia? We export only $180 million a year to them, most of it butter. That's 2% of our exports to the US and Japan but Key's made no progress on their trade barriers. And peak oil will…
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In April this year the Law Commission published a detailed report, “Alcohol in our lives: Curbing the harm”. The report has been described as creating "a once-in-a-generation opportunity" to address New Zealand's sick drinking culture and its destructive consequences. But the Key government doesn't want…
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Will Pansy Wong face criminal charges for fraudulently abusing her MP's travel perk? Will she be forced to leave Parliament triggering a(nother) by-election and possibly even an extra early election? What will Lockwood Smith's investigation turn up? Whatever comes, at least she isn't a minister…
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The next series of Fabian Seminars will feature financial journalist Bernard Hickey of interest.co.nz and Selwyn Pellett of the Productive Economy Council discussing the need for a complete rethink of our approach to economic policy. Bernard Hickey wrote recently in a post titled "The free…
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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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TVNZ approached National media trainer and broadcast bigot Paul Holmes to replace failed National candidate and broadcast bigot on Breakfast. Holmes has apparently turned down the offer. Thank goodness. He's unprofessional, open bias and panels with John Tamihere representing the Left have made Q+A unwatchable.…
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The transcript of Jeff Rubin speaking at the ASPO-USA conference, supplied by The Oil Drum: You know, knowing the nature of the disease is usually an essential first step to finding a cure. And so too, it is with a recession. Knowing the true nature…
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According to Radio NZ "Mr Dunne criticised the Labour Party's approach to MMP politics and its relationship with the Green Party." I'm sure Labour are shaking in their boots from Mr Dunne's criticism. Perhaps "Mr 0.87%" should draw some focus here. He was marginally ahead…
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It's disconcerting to see National and its blogging lackies running smear campaigns against anyone who has what they deem to be "political connections". The government's current strategy to deal to individual opposition is find a link to Labour or the Greens and dismiss the outspoken…
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Aung San Suu Kyi is one of my heroes. Aung San Suu Kyi (b 1945) is a Burmese opposition politician. In the 1990 general election the National League for Democracy (of which she was General Secretary) won 59% of the vote and 80% of the…
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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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So we are familiar with descriptions of climate change and the likely or possible consequences of raised levels of ‘warming’ gasses. We have heard the conclusions of various scientific disciplines and heard the social/philosophical musings of the likes of Suzuki. And that’s all good, because…
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Conversation in another post has brought home to me again how little some people know about the national standards debate. The Nats and their pet blogger DPF have some people believing their line that the opposition to standards is some kind of Labour / union…
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John Key has been on holiday in Japan for the last few days ahead of APEC while the real international leaders are in Korea for the G20. Key is keen to have a 'pull-aside' with Obama but, now, disaster: the US has limited the number…
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The NBR reported yesterday morning that Murray McCully had awarded the $8 million RWC Opening Ceremony contract to Aussie firm David Atkins Creative. Over on Red Alert, Grant Robertson was rightly appalled. The story seems to be being largely retracted now, with McCully trying to…
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So our kiwifruit industry is in peril. PSA may be here to stay, vines may start being burnt today, and a $1.36 billion industry is in trouble. Last year National sacked 54 front-line biosecurity staff, and slashed the budgets by millions. The PSA (Public Service…
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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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Here is a fantastic presentation from Dr David Suzuki, about why our obsession with economic growth is suicidal. Watch it - it's pretty powerful stuff. He's the keynote speaker at the Green's Conference on Sustainable Economics. His key theme is that our obsession with growth…
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John Key got to Japan for his Apec meeting a couple of days ago, and he's been telling the Japanese they need to drop their tariffs, and the US he'd like to have a chat with Obama on the sidelines of a meeting, any meeting,…