Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, September 26th, 2011 - 45 comments
John Key is ridiculously negative on seemingly any proposal raised by a perceived political opponent. Which is a pity, because there are issues facing the country that need a bipartisan consensus.
Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, September 23rd, 2011 - 53 comments
As most of the headlines this morning focus on the crumbling world economy, it was interesting to hear Bill English on RNZ. Among various inane comments there was one interesting gem, when English called for higher taxes…
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, September 23rd, 2011 - 56 comments
Several commentators have suggested recently that the Greens have crossed some kind of “credibility threshold” and are poised for a strong performance in November. Is this the year of the Greens?
Written By: - Date published: 6:07 pm, September 22nd, 2011 - 30 comments
So here we are then. “Roaring out of recession”. Or – not.
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, September 22nd, 2011 - 58 comments
It’s a bit of a worry that the PM seems to be clueless about the complexity and interdependence of the world economy. Bill English needs to take him aside and paint him a picture.
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, September 21st, 2011 - 53 comments
Economist Paul Krugman argues that governments the world over need to wake up to the fact that they’ve been trying to solve the wrong problem.
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, September 20th, 2011 - 38 comments
Two news snippets yesterday seemed to me to capture the essence of John Key PM. First, his response to recommendations about super, and second his prognostications on the Christchurch insurance market.
Written By: - Date published: 1:50 pm, September 19th, 2011 - 49 comments
We’re going to need a lot of innovation to survive the coming decades. Today’s innovation is a simple modification that at least doubles the energy output of a wind turbine. Brilliant.
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, September 19th, 2011 - 109 comments
Today Labour released another substantial policy, a plan for recovery in Christchurch. It’s a policy that works for ordinary people, and a much needed helping hand for displaced red-zone residents.
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, September 18th, 2011 - 114 comments
Why are the young so disengaged from the political process? 2011 is shaping up to be even worse than last election.
Written By: - Date published: 6:03 pm, September 17th, 2011 - 115 comments
From the miscellaneous bits of news department – a particularly grim Roy Morgan poll, and the announcement that Sue Bradford is standing for Mana against Paula Bennett in Waitakere.
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, September 17th, 2011 - 64 comments
The warnings on the economy are coming thick and fast now, both globally and nationally.
Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, September 16th, 2011 - 16 comments
When it comes to making any kind of effort to saving the planet from catastrophic climate change I guess being even a “fast follower” was just a little too ambitious for the Key government.
Written By: - Date published: 6:16 pm, September 15th, 2011 - 198 comments
It turns out that the high price of milk is your fault. No – really.
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, September 15th, 2011 - 82 comments
The government’s handling of the RWC opening and the resulting chaos has been both incompetent and insulting to Auckland. “Seizing control” is simply adding insult to injury.
Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, September 14th, 2011 - 50 comments
The government has been cutting funding to universities, and the effects are beginning to show.
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, September 13th, 2011 - 70 comments
The Child Poverty Action Group has released yet another shaming report on child poverty in NZ. The Nats’ cuts to Working for Families are making matters worse. If the election doesn’t return a Labour government, then we’re going to have three more years of inaction punctuated by brief ritual hand-wringing over each new report.
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, September 12th, 2011 - 30 comments
The Stuff interview of John Key in the weekend was better than your average puff piece. Interesting that Key doesn’t even try to defend his record on its merits.
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, September 11th, 2011 - 92 comments
McCully is Minister for the RWC. He claimed the government had done “their best” and assured Auckland that the transport systems were ready to go. He was wrong in every respect. In the aftermath of the fiasco McCully now needs to front up and get three things right…
Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, September 10th, 2011 - 111 comments
The RWC public transport fiasco was not a good look for our biggest city, and not a great advertisement to the world.
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, September 10th, 2011 - 20 comments
A recently retired Republican Congressional staffer speaks out on the Party. He doesn’t pull any punches…
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, September 9th, 2011 - 64 comments
If a corporation can have the legal rights of a person, why can’t the environment can’t have the legal protections of a person too?
Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, September 8th, 2011 - 133 comments
RNZ had the news this morning that the schools most strongly opposing the nonsense of “national standards” – the Boards Taking Action Coalition – have decided to change their tactics.
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, September 7th, 2011 - 69 comments
National is the party of middle aged white guys, but according to their chief spinster we shouldn’t care…
Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, September 6th, 2011 - 63 comments
Once again recent headlines prompt me to ask if in 2008 we really chose a brighter future after all.
Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, September 5th, 2011 - 56 comments
“Happy” anniversary Christchurch. And with it comes a broken promise, and an interesting legal decision.
Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, September 3rd, 2011 - 48 comments
Remember those thundering editorials and opinion pieces chastising Labour for focusing on trivia instead of the substantive issues?
Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, September 2nd, 2011 - 73 comments
With echoes of 2002, Nicky Hager has delivered a potentially explosive book in the run up to a general election.
Written By: - Date published: 1:33 pm, September 1st, 2011 - 92 comments
This afternoon Labour released a substantial policy package targeting youth unemployment. Once again the public is being offered a choice between Labour’s realistic response to a significant problem, and more do-nothing smile and wave.
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, September 1st, 2011 - 44 comments
Fran O’Sullivan calls on the government to act on Christchurch. Good luck with that. This is not a government of action. It is the wrong government for these challenging times.
Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, August 30th, 2011 - 51 comments
The estimate of the liability for costs of the Christchurch quakes has just been more than doubled. Thank goodness or the foresight of the first Labour government who set up the EQC in 1947.
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