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Hekia Parata is our Minister of Energy. She is also a shareholder in Contact Energy. Whether the shareholding is large or small, it's a conflict of interest. Her decisions can affect the value of her shareholding. The slackness displayed by Key's ministers towards these shareholding…
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The dairy industry produced 16 billion litres of milk in 08/09. The 17,000 dairy farmers got an average half million payout. So how come they only paid $26 million in tax in total? Are we meant to believe that the average dairy farm makes a…
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Bryan Gould writes: "The fact that this week's Budget will do no more than mark time should come as no surprise. We now have getting on for three years' experience of a government whose idea of managing the economy is simply to wait and see…
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There has been plenty of discussion of alternative budgets this week. Instead of cutting spending I've reviewed ways to raise income. Labour has set out an overview what they would do, with (according to Newsroom at time of writing) full policy promised well before the…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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Further to today's Keeping The Buggers Honest, John Key made a number of claims at the same press conference yesterday that do not bear scrutiny. He claimed that while there had been substantial wage growth under Labour, it had been eroded by high inflation. National…
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Good speech here from David Cunliffe to the Manufacturers and Exporters Association last night. He and David Parker both spoke and I understand their message was very well received by the audience. He outlines the principles for a good budget, and then answers the question…
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Gee, a disaster can be a useful thing. You can blame it for your pathetic record on economic management and borrowing for tax cuts. Then, you can take the credit for the jobs, growth, and higher wages created by the rebuilding. Course, you have to…
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Morgan Godfery's blog Maui Street is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Maori politics. His latest post provides a fascinating insight into the decline of the Maori Party. It's not just the polls showing the Mana Party supplanting them that should be of…
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The Nats want a quid each way in this budget. Short term doom and gloom to justify cuts and asset sales. Medium term optimism so people can feel good about about the government. To supply the optimism, John Key, Bill English and the Nats are…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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John Key is fond of saying "there is a constituency for every dollar you spend". So, having borrowed to the hilt for tax cuts for the rich, and refusing to reverse that folly, how can Key cut enough to satisfy the credit ratings agencies without…
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Fabian lecture from Rick Boven of New Zealand Institute on "The Plan for the Productive Economy" St John's Church Hall, Tuesday 17th, 6pm. All welcome. I heard Rick in Auckland, he was very good.
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James Hansen was among the first to raise the alarm about climate change, and is sometimes called "the father of climate change science" for his trouble. He's currently in New Zealand, and had an excellent interview last Saturday with Kim Hill (47 minutes, well worth…
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[Sorry to Michael Bott for taking so long to publish this, and to other whose guest posts we may have missed in recent weeks. Trouble with the email system] I spent a weekend with a team of Labour volunteers listening to the concerns of the…
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Reading Don Brash's letter to John Key and watching Roger Douglas on Q+A, I wonder if the Nats behind the takeover of ACT realised what they were unleashing. I've heard some talk that ACT won't vote for Key's Budget. Where would that leave Rodney Hide?…
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National have dug us in to a deep economic hole. We're borrowing $380 million a week, and looking at a record budget deficit. Against this backdrop Bill English delivers his third budget this week. All the softening up and punditry so far has been about…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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Good story from Rob O'Neill in today's SST. Lobbyist Mark Unsworth of Saunders Unsworth is campaigning against Pharmac, ahead of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations with the US. They want more money spent on patented drugs. Lloyd Morrison and Gareth Morgan have come to…
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Paul Krugman tells it like it is: The Unwisdom of Elites The past three years have been a disaster for most Western economies. The United States has mass long-term unemployment for the first time since the 1930s. Meanwhile, Europe’s single currency is coming apart at…
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The minor party debate on Q+A was very interesting. Rahui Katene was self-contradictory and vague, like the Maori Party always is. Peter Dunne was pathetic. Roger Douglas slammed the government's borrowing as did Russel Norman, who pointed out the other three had all voted for…
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At midday on May 27, New Zealanders will take to Queen St to spit in the face of the pathetic, racist Rightwing Resistance. Actually, the march organisers say it's to "express how we actually LOVE having diversity in our communities and we want to accommodate…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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The week that was 7 - 13 May Written by The Jackal at 9:52 AM Just as the protest flotilla headed back to the Raukumara Basin, the Brazilian oil company Petrobras announced that it had finished oil exploration work and their exploration vessel had left…
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CERA's new head, Roger Sutton, seems like a good guy. Transformative vision for Chch. Seems committed and realistic. Might just survive having to work with Brownlee. But what's with the $500K salary? He says he wanted the job. So why pay him $10K per week…
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New Zealand's Media seem obsessed with Balance or Balancing the Argument. It's fine to hear the other side of the story, as long as there is someone credible telling it. But if the other side of the story is being told by parties/people like Act…
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TV3's Campbell Live has been doing some useful reporting lately, in the run up to the budget. Over the coming week they are highlighting the rising cost of living, falling wages, life on the pension, and so on. In short, exactly the sort of stuff…
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The Nats, who claim that there's no relationship between the National Party and the Waitemata trust, now want you to believe that there is no relationship between BMW international and a BMW franchise. Yeah right. Back in the real world, it all looks pretty sus.…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...