"“We had an 83-year-old man walking in here to vote for the first time in his life,” she said from near a polling station in Tsuut’ina Nation, near Calgary." The article is about under estimating the number of First Nation voters, so ballots ran out…
At last one of Crosby Textor's client states is turning left. In Canada it appears that the conservative Government of Stephen Harper is on the way out and not even Crosby's advice to wedge the electorate using blatant dog whistle racist tactics has worked. Justin…
I try to avoid commercial television and radio. Too many egos and the commercial agenda is too transparent. This is why I believe state media has such an important role to play. Radio New Zealand for instance does a very good job in providing in depth…
Obesity is a difficult topic to write about, so some quick preliminaries. First, people have a lot of natural variation in healthy body shapes and types, it is perfectly possible to be "fat" and healthy. Second, obesity is in part a socioeconomic issue and a…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Yesterday I wrote about our lack of influence on Australia on the detention and deportation of Kiwis. Today Key is trying to dress up Aussie platitudes as scraps of progress. But Labour MP Kelvin Davis is taking action: Christmas Island 'just like a prison' Mr…
I hear that National is planning something quite radical for next year’s Auckland’s local body elections. There are plans for a new regional vehicle, Future Auckland, to contest various elections in the super city. The reason for the change is that National understand how important Auckland is…
There has been plenty of chatter recently over a Goldman Sachs report. Here's one example summary: GOLDMAN SACHS: The GFC is back Remember the 2008 financial crisis? Well, it’s back. The financial disaster, which started seven years ago with the US real estate and investment…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
For the observers of the continued disaster that is Cameron Slater, here is a snippet observed in the High Court list for tomorrow that someone observed and told me about. First call... That has to be yet another new action from Matthew Blomfield against Cameron Slater…
I have spent a few hours been chasing the bug that has been causing people to go into moderation automatically. Found it, killed it, and I thought I'd share it with you. It was in Wordfence, a great security program for the site. Essentially it is…
The last fortnight has not been a great time for Labour when it comes to the TPPA. But I wonder if a couple of imprecisely worded comments have had far too much read into them. And if the left and the media have fallen into…
The Australian detention and deportation of Kiwis is a nasty business. The latest example in The Herald this morning is a shocker: Australia dumps tetraplegic Australia extradites wheelchair-bound Kiwi under controversial new law. A tetraplegic sent to New Zealand after 36 years living across the…
At the same time as New Zealand's multilateral leadership efforts fail in security, trade, and the environment, we reserve our true global leadership effort for Rugby. We're on the Security Council warming the seat. This New Zealand government has made the most spectacular bungle of…
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Scoop broke the story last week - MP Judith Collins "Brand Ambassador" For Car Dealer. Lovely euphemism, "Brand Ambassador", don't you think? Almost as good as The Herald's "Brand Insight". Money rules. But I digress. Stuff followed up the story yesterday - National MP Judith…
In the pages of The Standard there is one journalist who has generated or been referenced in more posts than any other. Today John Armstrong published his swansong at the NZ Herald. He is losing his long battle with Parkinson's disease. Like most things that John wrote, it is…
"Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland in search of our better selves?" - Mad Max, 2015 After the 2008, 2011, and 2014 national defeats, and through many specific losing campaigns since, it's not unreasonable to slip from melancholy to utopian unreality. In…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
So John Key and the new Oz PM are having a chat today and good ol' JK will be mentioning the issue of "New Zealanders" who are being detained for deportation after a prison sentence. People who are being detained in police stations without exercise or…
Has John Key had a wank recently? I don't want to know. I'm pretty sure you don't want to know. But apparently this is a question we ask in the media nowadays. Remember when the office of PM used to have a little dignity? I…
Helen Kelly has stepped down from the Council of Trade Unions. She's helped thousands over workers over the last eight years as President. (The Hobbit dispute, CMP lockout, Auckland port dispute, Talley's Affco lockout, Pike River, the forestry health and safety campaign etc etc etc.) Here's…
Read it here And for those who dismiss her arguments with ad hominem and the ridiculous "she never supported a single FTA", let me remind you a Judge agreed with her arguments. Oh, and Wayne Mapp? You never opposed a single FTA, so you and…
Yesterday there was another draw of member's bills, and Labour (leaders!) had the best of it. Here's I/S at No Right Turn: Drawn A ballot for four member's bills was held today and the following bills were drawn: Education (Restoration of Democracy to University Councils)…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …