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Christmas gifts
Merry Christmas. Well - soon anyway. I'll be going off line some time in the next few days - time to get far away from computers and news and politics for a few weeks. Looking for gift ideas? There are plenty of ways to give…
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Archives · 2012-01-01 to 2012-12-31 · Page 3
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Searching: posts Sorted by: newest Results: 61–90 of 2,214
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Sunday Reading
My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. But this week it's mainly your chance for you to share what you found this week, as I'm off overseas for a month by the time you read this. But to…
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Beyond the middleclasses
There is plenty of evidence that political parties tend to target their campaigns and policies on the middle-classes, while low income strugglers have become increasingly disenfranchised. This is strongly influenced by the tendency of the MSM to focus on the middle and upper-classes, especially in…
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The dark side
Fran O'Sullivan and Audrey Young have articles this weekend, sizing up Judith Collins as the next potential leader of the National Party. Fran O'Sullivan does a fan-girl rave, sometimes slipping into fanfic mode. The title article locates her in the fantasy scfi genre: Collins THE…
bill english Judith Collins leadership national Steven Joyce
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Open mike 16/12/2012
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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America’s gun tragedy
Heartfelt condolences to the family and friends, and the many victims of America's latest shooting incident: Connecticut shooting leaves 20 children dead At least 28 people, including up to 20 children between the ages of five and 10, have been killed in a mass shooting…
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Poverty Watch 16
Welcome to Poverty watch, a weekly update on the National government's lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. A lot of background issues and links are set out in Poverty Watch one two and three. I was planning a…
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Hone in the House
In Hone's time as the sole MP for for the party, Mana has established a clear identity. It as an identity strongly grounded in practice and activism. It particularly represents low income people, whether doing paid or unpaid work, employed or on social security. Mana…
class war hone harawira mana-party Maori Issues maori party pasifika poverty workers' rights
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Open mike 15/12/2012
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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Late night Twitter
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Weekend social 14/12/2012
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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Kia Ora Tariana
Hon Tariana Turia has announced today that she will step down at the next election. She has served as a Minister in various portfolios in two different governments. We had our moments in the past, but it was very good to be able to thank…
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Finlayson QC
So Chris Finlayson, Attorney General, finally managed to get his Bill through last month re-allowing the antiquated title of Queen's Counsel to be conferred on lawyers again. The title is worth hundred of thousands in extra legal fees you can charge with your added prestige…
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2 storms and a rocket
These days, the big and powerful players usually get most the political and media attention, while the struggles of the least powerful too often get marginalised. In a world of changing climate, resource depletion and long financial decline, people living in coastal areas and on…
climate change disaster economy Left pasifika peak oil poverty trade us politics
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Get your asset sales petitions in
If you've got any asset sales petitions hanging about, quickly send them in to the address on the bottom (Roy Reid, PO Box 27110, Wellington 6141). The Keep Our Assets coalition are shortly to send in the petition for the Electoral Commission to start verifying…
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Shearer Says
A year to remember One year ago today [received yesterday] I was honoured to be elected as the 13th Leader of the Labour Party. Labour has a proud tradition as a progressive force in New Zealand life, and I am humbled to be part of…
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Turia’s legacy
Tariana Turia's on-again off-again retirement is on-again. She will not be standing in 2014, and is looking to her "legacy": Turia going, legacy staying Maori co-leader confident Whanau Ora policy will survive after she quits in 2014. Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia will not stand…
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Open mike 14/12/2012
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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National’s 12 days of Christmas
Grant Robertson in the Christmas adjournment speeches yesterday gave a great list of National's terrible 2012 gifts to Aotearoa. For the twelfth day of Christmas National’s gift to Kiwi folk, twelve Hekia stuff-ups, eleven diplomats a leaking, ten cronies conspiring, nine paper boys crying, eight…
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Bad news govt: it must be recess
The House went into recess yesterday, and today we seem to have a rush of stories that are bad news for the government, and it's policies. As well as the whole Collins shoddy way or dealing with the Binnie report on the issues of David…
business crime Economy jobs Judith Collins local government national/act government paula bennett workers' rights
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Campbell on Collins
I (r0b) am a bit too buried in the end-of-year rush to have researched this well enough to write a competent post on the topic. But it's worth discussing, and (as usual) Gordon Campbell has a thorough and insightful account. Here's some extracts, go check…
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A country to love: a country to fight for
In the MSM-supported mainstream of parliamentary politics it's been a year of the battle of the men, as NZ becomes more divided and unequal. Gender equality in the political landscape, like economic, income and life-style equality in NZ, has been going backwards under the NActUF…
child welfare class war Economy greens labour mana Metiria Turei news poverty quality of life
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A-G’s SkyCity report looming over Key
A typical Auditor-General report takes 3 months. "Larger and more complex" ones take 6. Metiria Turei's complaint about the way SkyCity was chosen for an international convention centre in a 'pokies-for-convention-centre' deal has been going 8 months. Clearly, what they've found has non-trivial implications for…
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Open mike 13/12/2012
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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Shearer on fine form
David Shearer was on fine form in this speech yesterday, rounding up the year with thanks to Parliament's workers, greetings to the opposition "family", a friendly dig at the Press Gallery, the year of "Partial Recall" and memory dot gone, and finally the serious business…
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NRT: Reported back
No Right Turn on fixing the problem of when two holiday days fall on weekend. The Transport and Industrial Relations Committee has reported back on David Clark's Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill, with the National majority recommending it not be passed. The…
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Bare your soles for child poverty
From the Child Poverty Action Group: Bare Your Soles For Child Poverty The public, media and politicians are urged to “bare their soles for child poverty” in a rally on Parliament grounds at 1pm on 12 December. The lunchtime rally is intended to raise awareness…
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Will the Maori Party make a stand for kids?
I've been critical of the Maori Party over the years. I think they've sold out their principles and their supporters to be seat-warmers in government. But if this is the issue where they choose to make their stand, then they will have proved me wrong.…
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Another Parata f*ck-up
What I like about Hekia Parata is that's she's proof that image doesn't always triumph over substance. The Nats thought that as a good-looking Maori woman she ticked all their PR boxes. But, she's been a PR disaster because she's arrogant and ignorant. She keeps…
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Open mike 12/12/2012
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...