Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, September 19th, 2012 - 60 comments
Notice how the only people who “believe” John Banks are the ones who haven’t (and won’t) read the police report? What do we call it, when someone deliberately avoids the reality that everyone knows exists?
Written By: - Date published: 6:04 pm, September 18th, 2012 - 61 comments
Mitt Romney just blew it.
Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, September 18th, 2012 - 35 comments
Yesterday the ‘sphere was all a-twitter with reaction to John Armstrong’s rant at “parasitical bloggers”. On this and many other topics, do yourself a favour, go read Gordon Campbell.
Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, September 17th, 2012 - 175 comments
With proposed ETS changes National is abdicating our responsibility on the world stage, and sending the bill to the taxpayers. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment calls it ‘a farce’. It’s cowardly, it’s weak, and it’s shafting the working Kiwi.
Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, September 15th, 2012 - 36 comments
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week: Shearer’s education speech stirs up the debate, the Greens start Champions for Children, and the Nats are in denial…
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, September 14th, 2012 - 21 comments
“When you take a long-term model, there’s no place to hide”. Interesting, don’t you think, the issue – the only issue – that the Nats have chosen to take a long-term model of?
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, September 14th, 2012 - 126 comments
Yesterday’s national hui on water rights has resulted in the best possible outcome for Maori, a decision to present a unified front in the face of National’s divide and rule tactics.
Written By: - Date published: 10:12 pm, September 13th, 2012 - 38 comments
Brownlee and Parata announced school closures and explained the rationale. Now they’ve backed down and they’re trying to blame a Ministry mistake. This was the quickest U-turn in the history of politics. Update: And this morning it seems that closures and mergers are back on again – does anyone know what is going on?
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, September 12th, 2012 - 12 comments
National would like us to believe that it is the party of sound business management. How sound is it to spend $114 million on redundancies, while simultaneously running up a $910 million bill on external consultants?
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 pm, September 11th, 2012 - 33 comments
The Greens have started a new programme – Champions for Children. We should all sign up. We need to make alleviating child poverty the election issue of 2014.
Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, September 11th, 2012 - 44 comments
If Europe can ban incandescent light bulbs, if America can legislate to require 54.5 MPG fuel efficient cars, why can’t New Zealand make some progress on energy efficiency?
Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, September 11th, 2012 - 57 comments
Shearer’s speech on Sunday has sparked the discussions that this country needed to have about education, about poverty, and about the sad link between them. With every statement the Nats show how deeply in denial they are about these issues.
Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, September 10th, 2012 - 86 comments
Shearer has set out some bold new ideas for education. Key is clinging to failed national standards. Shearer’s views are well supported by the successful Finnish model, while Key’s are condemned by failures in the UK and USA. Does the evidence matter?
Written By: - Date published: 2:46 pm, September 9th, 2012 - 115 comments
David Shearer’s education speech today was excellent in every way. Core Labour values, a sound understanding of the issues, significant concrete policy, and the promise of more to come. “Under Labour, the world’s best education will be available at your local school”.
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, September 8th, 2012 - 64 comments
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. In relevant news this week a study estimates the cost of child poverty in NZ to be $10 billion per year.
Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, September 7th, 2012 - 181 comments
A stinging report from the Ministry of Education condemns the proposed use of unqualified teachers in charter schools. The Nats won’t listen because the Nats don’t care about the quality of education, they only care about privatising it.
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, September 6th, 2012 - 115 comments
It’s easy to see why Key has forbidden National MPs from attending the national water rights hui – he’s playing divide and rule with Maori. More difficult to understand is the Maori Party’s craven decision to stay away. Hone Harawira condemns them in the strongest possible language.
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, September 5th, 2012 - 53 comments
There are perfectly good reasons that NZ as a country should remain GM free. And we should stand up and say so in the face of inept and blatant lobbying from the GM industry.
Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, September 5th, 2012 - 18 comments
David Clark’s opinion piece in The Herald – “The PM’s cleaner deserves more pay” – makes for welcome reading…
Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, September 4th, 2012 - 37 comments
At the recent Republican Convention a clearly befuddled Clint Eastwood spent 12 minutes haranguing an empty chair that was supposed to represent Barack Obama. Check out Jon Stewart’s take…
Written By: - Date published: 6:50 am, September 4th, 2012 - 52 comments
It is two years since the first big Christchurch earthquake. For far too many families the aftermath lingers on…
Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, September 3rd, 2012 - 24 comments
The National – Conservative dream ticket for 2014 suffered a bit of a setback in the weekend, when Colin Craig pronounced Key “too gay for Helensville”. Note – this post is not satire.
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, September 2nd, 2012 - 32 comments
Author Greg Muttitt writes on Iraq and Big Oil. A very useful contribution to our understanding of the forces shaping the geopolitical landscape and the likely shape of the coming energy conflicts.
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, September 1st, 2012 - 104 comments
A weekly post on the status of poverty in NZ, and a list of the National government’s responses, or lack thereof. To date the government has not set any target for reducing poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, August 31st, 2012 - 20 comments
Conflict between support parties. The government without the majority needed for legislation. The Nats’ economic plans in turmoil. Thank goodness the country is in such safe, steady hands.
Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, August 30th, 2012 - 165 comments
How they voted, some wise words on the range of christian belief, and credit to John Key.
Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, August 29th, 2012 - 81 comments
Bennett (playing the distraction card) is pushing her drug testing policy again. I have a question for the supporters of this policy which remains unanswered…
Written By: - Date published: 7:06 am, August 28th, 2012 - 91 comments
Two high-profile conscience votes are coming up in Parliament over the next two days. It will be interesting to see the breakdown of who votes which way on the issues. But the level of malice expressed by some of those opposed to marriage equality is disturbing.
Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, August 27th, 2012 - 55 comments
Mitt Romney has hit a new low by adding fuel to the loony “birther” flames.
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, August 26th, 2012 - 13 comments
NZ is well served in the range of online offerings that are exploring beyond the fringes of the mainstream media. Welcome to a new player, Bernard Hickey’s JOURNALISM.ORG.NZ.
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