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The Auditor-General's report catalogues a dirty deal hatched between Key's office and SkyCity execs to give SkyCity more pokies 'in return for' a convention centre. It shows the bidding process was a farce and reveals that the whole 'trade-off' is a con. SkyCity wants to…
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As you all know I haven't been the biggest cheerleader for Labour in recent times. And let's not beat around the bush. I still have my concerns. But there's a real opportunity on the near horizon. There's hope for Labour yet. While the plan for…
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We knew from overseas that military-style boot camps are expensive, don't reduce recidivism, and breed sadistic violence towards inmates. It's not just overseas experience; these were all reasons we got rid of borstals. Hell, a basic understanding of human psychology tells you putting young 'bad'…
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As an anonymous Herald scribe puts it this morning: Of all the decisions fumbled by Education Minister Hekia Parata last year, the post-earthquake plan for Christchurch was perhaps the worst. And the Nats are just determined to keep making matters worse for those affected. It…
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I'd like to add my voice (r0b) to those wishing No Right Turn a very happy "birthday". I/S is one of the hardest working, sharpest bloggers out there, and ten years of blogging is an amazing contribution. Long may you continue to keep the bastards…
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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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http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=GJI4kC1MIAY The attitude of production over safety that led to the Pike River tragedy is still rife in New Zealand. People are being injured and killed in our forests at five times the rate of the UK. This video tells the story of one of…
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As widely reported, Chirstchurch schools find out their fate today. Parata is due to speak at noon, but some decisions are known already with stuff announcing that at least four schools will be merged. This is going to be a difficult and traumatic process for…
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While Rodney Hide is trying to stimulate a further round in the old right wing sport of union bashing (this time the teachers), the teachers' unions continue to do great work, and two Global union federations are planning a campaign against global violator of workers'…
activism class war education International music Unions wages workers' rights
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I'll confess I had felt an inkling of sympathy for Richard Prosser over the "wogistan" comments. Not for the comments themselves of course but because I imagined he was simply a bigoted buffoon who had brought a whole lot of strife down on himself with…
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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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My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn't fit in anywhere (no linkwhoring). This week: Billionaire interest…
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The Greens have revealed that National has spent $26m on asset sales so far. They haven't even sold anything yet! They haven't even really begun the sales process! And they've wasted $26m of our money. The bill's going to get a whole lot longer if…
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There are many similarities between the political situations in Britain and NZ. In both cases we are well in to a tory government that came to power with a popular new leader, facing an ongoing world economic crisis. In both cases the governments adopted 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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In comments Ad proposed this interesting taxonomy of Kiwi social types. It's an exercise that takes place in the context of social inequality. It's unfair, it's highly damaging, and it's at it's highest level ever in NZ. Ad wrote: "my intent was to broaden out…
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In recent posts in this series we've focused on the Children’s Social Health Monitor 2012 Update Report, see the the full report (pdf) here. Today we'll carry on with a look at the remaining Economic Indicators. UNEMPLOYMENT RATES No surprises here: Firstly, research suggests that children…
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There's a book I've heard about that I'm hoping helps push the inequality awareness barrow a little further this year. Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis by Max Rashbrooke is due out in May. The ideas surrounding the inherent unhealthiness (social, but also actually physical &…
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Yesterday I rather shamelessly threadjacked one of Irish's posts on a Colin Espiner column in the direction of the Universal Basic Income idea. In this post I want to also shamelessly filch from Gareth Morgan's book The Big Kahuna, specifically Ch.5 "The Five Big Issues"…
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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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So Aaron Gilmore returns as ex-speaker Lockwood Smith heads to London. His Prime Ministerial ambitions can finally continue... Ever since Lynn wrote his sad goodbye to Aaron after he was knocked out on special votes at the last election, we've been waiting for his return. …
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Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here. We've all been giving Richard Prosser such a hard time this week, but he's actually done us a favour. Thanks to Prosser's intemperate language and offensive views…
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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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Don't you love hearing the rich say the working poor can't have more pay? The faux concern that higher wages cost jobs from the same people who support huge executive pay packets and tax cuts? If you really believed higher wages meant fewer jobs, you…
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From I/S at No Right Turn: Unconstitutional and dangerous That's the Ombudsman's view of National's plan to exclude its charter schools from the Ombudsman's and Official Information Acts: The bill exempts partnership schools from the Ombudsman's Act and the Official Information Act, but Dame Beverley Wakem…
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What's up with the Treasury and Reserve Bank presenting clearly trumped up, fake numbers to pretend the economy is doing better than it is? Wheeler was caught out claiming the banks weren't excessively profitable by international standards - they are. Treasury said private electricity suppliers…
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The Nats like to accuse their critics of "the politics of envy", so in the spirit of fair play I think it's fair to characterise their raison d'être as "the politics of greed". It's all about the money, making more money, and never mind the…
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For those of you who've missed it Colin Espiner is back on the NZ interwebz with a new Stuff blog, the (rather earthily titled) Bull-Dust. Colin was a bit of a pioneer of journalist blogging in New Zealand. He was, I believe, the first Gallery…
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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 Herald reports that the Supreme Court will not meet the Government's timetable for its decision on the Maori Council's challenge to Asset Sales. It may only delay things a couple of weeks, but it all adds pressure to the Government's timeline - every little…