The Standard

Author Archive

Better late than never

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, May 16th, 2012 - 27 comments

His policies (such that they are) aren’t working, his government is now being questioned, his economy is stuck in the doldrums, so naturally Key is looking for someone to blame. The media!

The only growth industry

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, May 15th, 2012 - 29 comments

I guess we should give credit to National, in this time of economic stagnation, for the one and only growth industry that they have accomplished.

True ‘cost’ of Mondayisation deliberately hidden

Written By: - Date published: 5:02 pm, May 14th, 2012 - 8 comments

An interesting press release from David Clark, sponsor of the “Mondayisation” bill.  It looks like the process of constructing the official advice on this matter was deliberately biased.  Why?

Gay marriage – what is wrong with us

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, May 14th, 2012 - 38 comments

Gay marriage looks set to become a “key election issue” in the Obama vs Romney presidential contest. How utterly depressing.

Warming to Shearer

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, May 13th, 2012 - 88 comments

Labour has gambled on Shearer’s broad real-world experience and appeal to the electorate. Over time the contrast with Key, who is now well and truly just “another bloody politician”, will be more and more pronounced.

Compulsory vaccination

Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, May 12th, 2012 - 341 comments

It is the Nats’ belief that those on a benefit have fewer human rights than the rest of us. They can simply be told what to do. So now we have a compulsory vaccination debate.

Worst Spin Ever

Written By: - Date published: 10:51 am, May 11th, 2012 - 35 comments

According to John Key voters rejecting austerity is good news for the government, high unemployment is a sign of confidence in the economy, ignorance is strength, black is white, and he has a bridge to sell you.

A moan at 3 News

Written By: - Date published: 2:40 pm, May 10th, 2012 - 11 comments

Hey 3 News –  I know there’s a lot of pressure to churn stuff out and so on.  But, even so, surely you can do better than this.

Seriously extreme and nutty

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, May 10th, 2012 - 82 comments

Amongst all the topical chatter about the Conservative Party there was one comment that I think we should get on record for future reference.

Contraception debate

Written By: - Date published: 1:48 pm, May 8th, 2012 - 96 comments

The Government is planning to offer free long-term contraception for beneficiaries and their daughters.  At one level its a sensible idea.  But it comes with too much baggage attached.  The Nats have already made such a mess of it that they can’t make this proposal with any credibility.

The fateful tea party – a footnote

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, May 7th, 2012 - 61 comments

So much of what shapes the current political landscape traces its roots back to the fateful tea party. But at the personal level, there was some welcome news for cameraman Bradley Ambrose recently.

Give the future a vote

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, May 5th, 2012 - 93 comments

How to we improve the consideration of long term issues in the political process? How do we build in incentives to take these issues seriously?

National’s big win

Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, May 3rd, 2012 - 86 comments

Such was the magnitude of the Nat’s “big win” in 2011 that Key has to wake up every morning and do the numbers. His government hangs by a rotten thread. That rotten thread is John Banks.

Euthanasia bill

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, May 1st, 2012 - 136 comments

Maryan Street’s “End of Life Choice Bill” has triggered another round of debate. A recent poll shows public support for legalising voluntary euthanasia at an all time high. It’s a question of “when” not “if”.

Rhetoric and reality: Key’s principles

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, May 1st, 2012 - 42 comments

In 2008 John Key was loudly telling us about his high standards and principles. The Banks case is yet more proof that it was all a prattle of empty rhetoric.

Decriminalising pot?

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, April 30th, 2012 - 96 comments

With pot related arrests down by half over the last eighteen years, the police have been accused of “decriminalisation by stealth”. It’s probably time to have the debate properly.

More willful ignorance on charter schools

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, April 29th, 2012 - 27 comments

Armstrong tries to downplay the risks of charter schools. To do so of course he has to (as the PM so often does) denigrate the science that he wants to ignore.

Rumours just the usual mischief

Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, April 28th, 2012 - 38 comments

It’s understandable that the right wingers, feeling a bit punch drunk from the factional succession squabble going on in National, would try and distract attention by spreading some mischievous rumors. Good to see them officially laid to rest.

An arrogant PM

Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, April 26th, 2012 - 41 comments

Ignoring public opposition, attacking the media, “advising himself” to do whatever he wants, it doesn’t add up tp a very pretty picture.

Just one teeny problem…

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, April 26th, 2012 - 72 comments

You’d think we’d draw some obvious conclusions from the Arctic melt. Apparently not though. We’re in a hole, but we’re going to keep digging…

Dumbing down search

Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, April 24th, 2012 - 18 comments

Do we really want search results tailored to our mood and intelligence? Are we going to take the most powerful aggregate of information ever assembled by humanity and bend it to our cognitive biases?

Gaming industry whistleblower

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, April 23rd, 2012 - 8 comments

Very interesting article on Stuff yesterday, about ex cop Martin Legge and the information that he has on the practices of the gaming industry in NZ. Someone is trying to sweep this case under the carpet. They shouldn’t get away with it.

Economic genius

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, April 22nd, 2012 - 41 comments

Behold the economic genius of John Key.

Key’s Waterloo

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, April 20th, 2012 - 62 comments

It’s a bit rich for Key to claim that there were no credible alternatives to the back-room deal with SkyCity when he shut down one alternative proposal and ignored four others. But now the facts are coming out. Key has “advised himself” into his worst public relations fiasco yet.

Christchurch rental crisis

Written By: - Date published: 3:31 pm, April 18th, 2012 - 61 comments

According to Gerry Brownlee it isn’t happening.

Ideological blindness on education

Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, April 18th, 2012 - 49 comments

The Nats are determined to ignore the evidence on the harm caused by charter schools, just as they are ignoring evidence on the damage done by national standards. This willingness to harm kids, as incidental pawns in their ideological games, really pisses me off.

SkyCity’s incoherent excuses

Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, April 18th, 2012 - 82 comments

Yesterday we were treated to a bizarrely incoherent media blurt from SkyCity. I guess trying to defend the indefensible is taking its toll.

Shine some sunlight on lobbying

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, April 17th, 2012 - 17 comments

A Green Party bill proposes bringing some transparency to political lobbying. National is expressing support to the select committee stage – will they support it all the way?

Losing the debate on global warming

Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, April 15th, 2012 - 155 comments

The facts don’t seem to matter when it comes to our understanding of climate change.  As the evidence grows stronger and stronger, so too, apparently, does public skepticism.

Brain drain getting younger

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, April 15th, 2012 - 82 comments

Oh great. Now we’re losing Kiwis overseas straight out of high school…

Another asset sale lie

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, April 14th, 2012 - 99 comments

The Nats promised to sell no more than 49% of any given state owned assert.  Now they’re trying to get cute with semantics and effectively remove all limits.  

Unfortunately for them their previous promises are on record and very clear.   Hey Peter Dunne – are you going to vote for this latest lie?