The Standard

Author Archive

Time for a Government

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, October 18th, 2011 - 38 comments

Last election it was “Time for a change”.  After three years of incompetence and inaction, our priorities should be different this time…

Occupy Aotearoa

Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, October 17th, 2011 - 137 comments

Part of a worldwide phenomenon, the Occupation has reached Aotearoa New Zealand. Anyone who thinks that they know where all this will end is fooling themselves.

ABs vs Wallabies

Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, October 16th, 2011 - 37 comments

Here we are again.  This time its ABs vs Wallabies 9:00 pm at Eden Park.  May the best team win (but it better not be Wallabies!).

Pure politics

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, October 15th, 2011 - 42 comments

3News reports that: Key dismisses Goff’s oil drilling moratorium as ‘pure politics’.  He’s right.  But not in the way he thinks.

Occupation showdown

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, October 15th, 2011 - 17 comments

By the time this post appears a showdown will have taken place in New York.  Check out the morning media, there should be plenty of coverage of events as they unfold.

In praise of volunteers

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, October 14th, 2011 - 14 comments

Thanks also to the volunteers who are turning up in their hundreds for the Rena cleanup effort. We’re lucky to live in a country with such a generous and active volunteer tradition.

Champions of free speech MIA

Written By: - Date published: 2:17 pm, October 13th, 2011 - 78 comments

It’s the one week anniversary of Bomber Bradbury’s appearance on RNZ’s the Panel, and his subsequent shameful banning from same. The usual media commentators have been conspicuous for their silence.

Key’s Katrina

Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, October 13th, 2011 - 213 comments

One of the turning points of Bush’s presidency was the failed non-response to Hurricane Katrina.  It’s starting to look now very much as if the wreck of the Rena is John Key’s Katrina moment.

Lower the voting age?

Written By: - Date published: 2:10 pm, October 11th, 2011 - 47 comments

Mana has proposed lowering the voting age.  I’m in favour.

Famous liars

Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, October 11th, 2011 - 10 comments

No wonder politicians get such a bad rep.

Censoring criticism of Key

Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, October 10th, 2011 - 145 comments

Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury has been banned from appearing on RNZ after strongly criticising Key’s behaviour in the throat slitting incident (video).   Rumour now has it that Key is intending to sue Bradbury for defamation.  Listen to the audio and judge for yourselves.

ABs vs Argentina

Written By: - Date published: 4:37 pm, October 9th, 2011 - 14 comments

The ABs play Argentina tonight, 8:30 pm at Eden Park.

Banned for criticising Key

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, October 9th, 2011 - 151 comments

John “throat slitter” Key behaved disgracefully in Parliament this week.  But apparently criticising him for it will get you banned from RNZ.

Our own oil spill

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, October 8th, 2011 - 15 comments

If we can’t deal with a small oil leak from a grounded ship, what are we doing planning deepsea drilling on a grand scale?

The Herald ban

Written By: - Date published: 3:22 pm, October 7th, 2011 - 27 comments

Speaker Lookwood Smith is getting a lot of flak for his decision to punish The Herald for publishing a photo (taken in violation of Standing Orders) by banning their reporters from Parliament for ten days.

Doldrums

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, October 7th, 2011 - 48 comments

Looks like the RWC isn’t going to be the economic stimulus that we hoped.  We’re stuck in the doldrums, and (just like in England) the government’s austerity  programme is exactly the wrong response.

A PM but not a leader

Written By: - Date published: 7:27 am, October 6th, 2011 - 124 comments

In the last few days Key has refused to accept responsibility for NZ’s credit downgrades, stated that he is “not concerned in the slightest” about his possible breach of electoral law, and used an unfortunate incident in Parliament to launch an ugly attack on Labour.  John Key is no leader.

Will Bill English heed his own warning?

Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, October 5th, 2011 - 18 comments

Will double dipping double downgrade Bill English have the guts to heed his own warning?

Nats’ retrospective surveillance backdown

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, October 5th, 2011 - 27 comments

The Nats most recent attack on democracy – the Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill –  was outrageous in many ways.  It was almost universally condemned, and now Labour has secured significant concessions.

Downgrade aftershocks continue

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 4th, 2011 - 54 comments

The credit rating downgrades have been quite a political earthquake, and the aftershocks are going to continue for some time.

Occupation 2 – 700 arrested

Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, October 3rd, 2011 - 16 comments

The Occupation, now into its third week, seems to be growing.  As is the Police response.  In the latest development police have arrested more than 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge.

A week of polls

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, October 3rd, 2011 - 70 comments

What a bizarre week of polls. The Fairfax poll and the Roy Morgan polls both showed swings from National to Labour. The TVNZ poll and the TV3 poll did not. (Hey TV3 – that’s some pretty sloppy writing!)  In other news, Key finally equalled Helen Clark’s peak rating as preferred PM.

Game on

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, October 2nd, 2011 - 56 comments

The weeks of the RWC were supposed to be a politics-free zone. Bread and circuses.  It hasn’t turned out that way, as both Armstrong and O’Sullivan point out in weekend opinion pieces.  The credit downgrades have dropped a bomb in the middle of the political landscape. But I think that both are wrong in expecting any action from the Nats.

Gap closes in latest Morgan poll

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, October 1st, 2011 - 86 comments

Like the recent Fairfax poll, yesterday’s Roy Morgan shows a significant swing from National to Labour.

Your PM at work for you

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, October 1st, 2011 - 19 comments

Another in what looks like becoming a regular series.

Nats warn of credit downgrade

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, October 1st, 2011 - 17 comments

The Nats have indulged in a long series of boastful posturings and dire warnings about the risks of a credit downgrade, many of them as recently as August 10th.  Now that they have suffered not one, but two separate credit downgrades, Mr Smile and Wave has some explaining to do.

VTM Bill passes – rejoice!

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, September 30th, 2011 - 101 comments

Grateful citizens rejoiced this week at the passage of the VTM (Voluntary Taxation Mechanism) bill.

Occupy Wall Street!

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, September 29th, 2011 - 39 comments

Have you heard of Occupy Wall Street?  If you are one of the 99%, you should have…

Decriminalisation debate damaged

Written By: - Date published: 2:31 pm, September 28th, 2011 - 17 comments

Some day this country needs to have a proper debate about decriminalising marijuana. Don Brash’s politically ill-advised blurtings on the topic have damaged the prospects of such a debate.

Gap closes in latest Fairfax

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, September 28th, 2011 - 56 comments

The latest Fairfax poll has the Labour – National gap closing a bit.

The last student protest?

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, September 27th, 2011 - 55 comments

One of the big stories last night was the anti-VSM protest at Auckland Uni.  Was it the last one we will see in NZ?  That would suit the Nats very nicely – sheep will be so much easier to fleece…