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Open mike 09/05/2012
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Archives · 2012-05-01 to 2012-05-31 · Page 6
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Searching: posts Sorted by: newest Results: 151–180 of 200
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Birth Control
At first glance it seems strange to have Sue Bradford, a former Green MP, against what is a very 'green' policy - free contraception. There's no better way of reducing human impact on the planet and climate change etc than not existing, and - advocating…
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You can’t fix what is not broken – no need to change university councils
What exactly is the Minister of Tertiary Education trying to fix by radically changing the councils that govern our tertiary education system? In 2009 the National-led government ripped out staff, student, and community representatives from polytechnic councils and replaced them with four ministerial appointments (who…
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Contraception debate
The Government is planning to offer free long-term contraception for beneficiaries and their daughters. It's a politically complex and explosive topic. I for one have very mixed feelings about it. First I'll be clear. If there is any hint of compulsion in this scheme -…
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NRT: Strapping the chicken on prison privatisation
Despite keeping prisoners in prison too long and an escape, Serco's private management of Auckland Remand has been judged a success by the Government because it has met all the standards set for it. Sounds reasonable. Until you look a layer deeper and discover that…
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Cutting holes in the safety net
The Nats' welfare cuts will cost $500m over 4 years. Supposedly save a billion. Net saving: $125m a year. 1% of benefit costs. 1/8th of the cost of extra beneficiaries under National. Won't really save even that little. No jobs. Unemployment rising. National's problem is…
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Parcelled up and ready to sell
The Nats say they won't sell more than 49% of our energy companies and AirNZ. As if that's a good thing. As if it doesn't carve a $100m per year hole in the budget. But, it turns out its worse than that. The Greens have…
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He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy
Don't get me wrong. Apart from a couple of policies (asset sales, overseas investment, no borrowing for tax cuts), Colin Craig's politics are bad. But I like his Boscawen-like mad honesty. It's fun. He makes you wonder, as did Boscawen, how someone with such a…
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Open mike 08/05/2012
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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Still no law suit from Collins
For all her bluster, Judith Collins still hasn't sued Trevor Mallard and Andrew Little for supposedly defaming her by saying she was behind the leak of the Boag email identifying Bronwyn Pullar as the leaker of 6,500 ACC clients' details. I'm not sure how you…
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Does NZ have $400 million+ to burn?
The Environmental Protection Agency, bastard child of Nick Smith chaired by National crony Kerry Prendergast, has given draft approval to Transmission Gully. This billion dollar project returns 60 cents of benefits for every dollar spent. Worse than a night on the pokies. And that's NZTA's…
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NRT: Bringing Ports of Auckland to heel
Over the past few months, we've seen Auckland City's wholly-owned port, Ports of Auckland, waging war against its own workforce, costing the city millions of dollars in lost dividends. Now, the Auckland Council has acted, requiring its intermediate Auckland Council Investments Limited to impose "good…
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Kim Dotcom – John Banks Song
On YouTube: Published on May 6, 2012 by MrKimDotcom Amnesia is a song about the John Banks donation saga in New Zealand. For details watch this news story by John Campbell: http://bit.ly/Itv7OY Share & play the song anywhere you like - It's free. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CvRSZxqk_I
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The fateful tea party – a footnote
So much of what shapes the current political landscape traces its roots back to the fateful tea party, the meeting between Key and Banks intended to gift the electorate to ACT. It did that - and more. Cameraman Bradley Ambrose accidentally recorded a "private" conversation…
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Open mike 07/05/2012
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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House Price Inflation
It is a conventional economics axiom that increasing the money supply without a concomitant increase in production causes inflation. In the last thirty five years we have had low inflation in all, except two, commodities. Firstly, Land , and thence housing and farm prices. (The…
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Resignationwatch: constraints
Banks is deadmeat. It's just a matter of time before Key gives him the boot. Politically, he must. He has grounds, even on the limited 'ethics while a minister' test he has created. We're now just waiting for something sufficiently new that Key can use…
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Open mike 06/05/2012
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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Give the future a vote
One of the frustrating things about democracy (aided and abetted by systematic flaws in our reasoning skills) is that it in most cases it results in governments that are bad at addressing long term challenges. The need to maintain short term popularity (and the oppositional…
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Resignationwatch: questions for Key
Does he believe Banks' account of the Dotcom donation? What corroborating evidence has he or his staff sought to confirm Banks statement, particularly as more irregularities and contradictions have emerged? Ethical and legal behaviour are both requirements of ministers in the Cabinet Manual - Key…
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Open mike 05/05/2012
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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Weekend social 04/05/2012
Weekend social is for non political chat. What's on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can't we all just get along?
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Another MMP rort?
The media are doing their job, and a good job, investigating John Banks' donation history. Today's story by Danya Levy in the DomPost follows up those by John Campbell on Campbell Live and David Fisher in the Herald. The Police are presumably also doing theirs,…
act brand key democratic participation election 2011 election 2014 john banks john key leadership MMP national Privatisation same old national
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Nice work
Number of additional jobs per year needed to match population growth: 25,000 Jobs promised by National last Budget to be added in March 2012 year: 36,000 Actual number of jobs added: 20,000 Additional unemployed: 5,000 Change in number of fulltime jobs: -6,000 Change in number…
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Not for sale hikoi arrives in Wellington
The Aotearoa is Not For Sale hikoi departs from Te Papa for Parliament at midday today. There has been great turnout in towns and cities all over New Zealand. Join in if you can. Also, remember to sign the Keep Our Assets petition and get…
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Talley’s cracking
It is a fundamental injustice of our society that one family, which already has more than it can ever need, can hold 1,300 families, who have very little, to ransom just to make a little more cash. But the union makes us working people strong.…
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Resignationwatch: too many questions
Why did Banks declare as anonymous $15K that SkyCity openly gave to him, when Brown declared his donation? Why did Banks claim he couldn't remember flying to the Dotcom mansion in Dotcom's chopper when no sane person thinks that is something you would forget? Did…
act auckland supercity john banks john key local body elections
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Open mike 04/05/2012
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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1000 more jobless each week
The unemployment rate has jumped to 6.7%. Even the quarter before has been pushed up from 6.3% to 6.4%, as the picture the government has painted gets constantly less rosy. National promised us 36,000 new jobs by last March in the last Budget, but only…
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Slippery does a flip-flop
Slippery old Key said on Monday and Tuesday that he had to apply a legal test to whether John Banks should stay on as a minister. The Cabinet manual demands the highest ethical standards. Now, Key's flip-flopped: ethics are required - but only after one…
by-election corruption john banks john key local government slippery