There is this really famous Simpson's clip where Homer tries to vote for Barak Obama in the 2008 election but instead the voting machine records a vote for John McCain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLPcvVljB8 Of course the Simpsons predicted all sorts of things, like Donald Trump becoming President,…
It is often said that the role of the Opposition in the House of Representatives is to hold the Government to account. One of the other important roles of the Opposition is to represent the people and this does not mean only their supporters (i.e.…
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 …
Graham Adams has written this interesting article in Noted about Simon Bridges's current predicament. He refers to Simon Bridges' acknowledgment that things have been rough for him and his reference to being in the "eye of the storm". This was a very poorly chosen metaphor. Bridges…
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 … And because it is the weekend ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnhXHvRoUd0
The content of this post comes from an article in Foreign Policy magazine by Jason Hickel that's titled Why Growth Can't Be Green. I read it in light of New Zealand having a Green Party that talks of a Green Economy while signing itself up to…
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 …
I'm no killjoy, but I'm itching to chuck my first Lime scooter into a skip. I've seen a ton of them this week, often being ridden by people clearly having terrific fun. I've also seen some demented usage; the woman with the leg in plaster…
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 …
While the Jami-Lee Ross saga has quietened down as National hopes, there are many issues raised that have not been resolved including the central question of political party donations. Whether the $100,000 donated by Chinese-born New Zealand businessman Zhang Yikun to the National Party was…
There are no neonicotinoids in the jungle of Puerto Rico. There are no fertilisers in the jungle of Puerto Rico. There are no swathes of cleared land. As the Washington Post writes - (here's a non-Washington Post link for the same article) If Puerto Rico…
I assiduously ignored all the hullabaloo that was erupting around Jamie Lee Ross and the National Party up until I twigged to something about the National Party having been behind the alleged sectioning of Jamie Lee Ross. I asked a question or two about that…
I was impressed with National's uber confidence yesterday. Sure they might have had a week from hell and a poll result confirming that they were no longer the biggest party and their support was waning and they had no friends but their line that it…
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 …
This morning on Morning Report Simon Bridges spouted some words. Connected with reality they were not. Despite all economic data saying otherwise - strong government books and growth - we're in an "Economic downturn". And the government is "failing" and "weak". Projection much? Only one…
Although the final results are not in yet it looks like the Liberal party has lost the seat of Wentworth. The best New Zealand comparison I could come up with would be if the National Party lost Helensville or Labour lost Mangere. The young gifted…
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 …
We return to Pollwatch for the first time this quarter with almost two months since our last political poll, and a major scandal on our hands. If you'd like the raw figures, head on over to One News for the text or video versions of…
The October TVNZ Colmar Brunton poll is out. The last poll, in August, had National on 45%, Labour on 42 and the Greens 6 and NZ First on 5. This time, it's a horror show for National: The Tories have plunged to 43% Labour are…
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 …
Oil politics is going to dominate New Zealand politics once petrol gets to $3 and $3.50 a litre. Oil politics has poisoned not only geopolitics, but the way human moral judgement operates. Saudi Arabia perversely envisages a cure. They want to start this at the Future Investment…
Just a short post to cover the latest events of the Jami-Lee Ross saga. The media reports are that he has been committed under the Mental Health Act and is receiving treatment. Radio New Zealand has the details of what can be expected from here:…
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
We’ve written a bit about Labour Day over the years – see the archives for the origins, history, and importance of the day. Enjoying your weekend? Thank a unionist!
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 those of you who haven't caught the news, the media is reporting that Jami-Lee Ross has been taken to an Auckland facility to treat a mental health problem. I'm going to be focusing on that angle of the story in this post, and largely…
I was talking to friend last night (he’s a scientist) and he was telling me how there’s an idea within some quarters of the scientific community to take CO2 from the atmosphere and ‘chuck it’ down into the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Which is…