National has agreed to lower the drink drive limit. Over 2 years ago they blocked a Labour amendment to do exactly the same thing. Their dithering has cost 7 New Zealand lives by their own measurements – 7 lives unfulfilled and families faced with unnecessary grief.
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: al-Qaeda, drugs, women, the US shutdown and how Fox News ruins science. Followed by a lot of swearing.
That would be Steven Joyce describing university councils, but he could be describing any democratic governance.
There’s a way of giving people bad news called in PR circles a shit sandwich – basically you give people something happy and fluffy, then the bad news, then something happy and fluffy so you can brush on past it.
Tell our government they shouldn’t sign such far reaching international agreements without public consultation. It’s not democracy and it’s not right. Also: celeb video.
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: google vs death, poverty vs policy, freewill, temptation & prejudice, and humans vs climate change.
John Key: “I don’t think New Zealand should rush to become a republic. It may happen one day, but I can’t for the life of me see the benefits of it other than you get to spend a lot of money electing heads of state as opposed to the government appointing one.”
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the last fortnight. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: happiness, income, Germany (election today!), and the US security services. Not to mention why time-travellers can’t kill Hitler. (Bonus extra-large edition with more videos and pictures!)
As a special handy guide for political journalists I include a summary of John Key’s understanding of the inner workings of the Labour Party:
One from each side of the politician-journalist relationship, both from one article…
According to the latest Roy Morgan: If a National Election were held now the latest NZ Roy Morgan Poll shows that a Labour/ Greens alliance would win easily. Yes, a leaderless Labour with Greens help would apparently defeat John Key.
I was discussing with some friendly folk and they were saying how much the Labour leadership contest is making Key look like a lame duck PM.
All the media is about appointing his successor.
I’ve cast my vote. It was as simple as 1, 2, 3, <submit>. If my first choice doesn’t get it, I’m very hopeful that my 2nd preference will. It’s my vote, not media pundits that will count. So why do pundits keep suggesting that Shane Jones will get to decide whether David or Grant will be the next leader?
Labour yesterday announced the 6 candidates standing for selection to be the Christchurch East candidate in the impending by-election. All are locals, and there’s no Clayton Cosgrove despite early rumour-mongering. It looks a talented list.
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: 7 links.
A short explanation for Shane Jones on why trying to game the system in preferential voting isn’t a good idea.
Things I didn’t get to this week, from Christchurch earthquake anniversary to Kim Dotcom.
Russel Norman’s let the cat out of the bag with a series of tweets: “We’ve done it!! Citizen initated referendum on asset sales is on! #fb” and “OOps, there was an embargo on the CIR result until 1pm which I didn’t realise until after I tweeted. Apologies to Clerk of the House”
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: a right pot-pourri.
There seems to be a desire from political correspondents for a Labour stitch-up. Vernon Small wonders whether this might cause a revolt from members – and fair enough too, we want our say!
Then it’s a bad law. Who does John Key think is going to interpret the GCSB law other than lawyers from the Law Commission, the Human Rights Tribunal, the Privacy Commissioner etc?
As inspired by Toby Manhire…
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: capitalism, fraud, Guantanamo, the internet, Geek Week and a naked-rights hiker.
Percent of Auckland City Mission food recipients who are working: 25%
Percent of New Zealanders with not enough money to make ends meet: 15
Percent unemployed: 6.4
World incarceration rate: ~130 per 100,000
NZ incarceration rate: 197 per 100,000
Number of times in 2012 that John Key appeared on Radio Sport: 44
Number of times in 2012 that John Key appeared on National Radio: 4
It doesn’t suit the Labour Party narrative – and indeed it’s not their espoused philosophy – but every now and then National can’t help but be “hands on”. We’ve had the South Canterbury Finances in the past (won’t somebody think of the shareholders!), but this week was a real doozy for it, between Fonterra, Tiwai Point and Chorus.
So the economic data is out and unemployment is up and wages are flat – the lowest rate of wage increase since 2010. 45% of employees didn’t get a pay rise.
The reason the stats overall aren’t worse is the big increase in employment in Canterbury, as the government relies on an earthquake-led recovery. The number of unemployed is still up 46% since National took office. That’s 48,000 Kiwis who would rather be working.
Still waiting for that Brighter FutureTM.
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: Climate change, the TTP, inequality, the NSA, unions and feminism.
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: the problem with Gen Y, Big Data and surveillance, part-time work, happiness and pessimism and Australia’s political culture.
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: Prism, sick leave, female voters, and weeing during a filibuster.
So John Key has today re-announced the Auckland plan, albeit delayed. So the Central Rail Link is on. There’ll be a 2nd Harbour […]
“If an information technology project costing more than $10 million goes off the rails, the buck will now stop with Government chief information officer (GCIO) and Internal Affairs boss Colin MacDonald.”
If one needs any more reason to worry about the government’s GCSB bill, here is the latest news from the UK: police there […]
Today’s stuff Dilbert cartoon seems very apt.
