Melissa Lee concedes in Mt Albert
A full 3 weeks before the vote, National candidate Melissa Lee has publicly accepted that she is not going win the Mt Albert by-election. In […]
Guest post
National’s “supercity” policy lies
Remember – March against National’s undemocractic supercity Monday 25th, noon, Queen St Interesting to look back at National’s local government and Auckland policy before the election. […]
Last night’s Super City meeting
I attended the Paula Bennett-John Carter Supercity meeting yesterday evening in Kelston. This was one of the hastily arranged series of meetings arranged […]
Your Views hits new low
The Herald is currently asking its readers: “Is a conviction appropriate for punching a child?” Seriously, what the hell is wrong at the […]
The second time as farce
History repeats they say. Isn’t it starting to feel like the 1990s all over again? We’ve got a National government facing a grim […]
Government for the people?
The Herald recently ran an excellent piece by Dr Emma Davies and Elizabeth Rowe (from the Institute of Public Policy at AUT) – […]
All the misinformation fit to print
The Herald are currently running a poll asking ‘[s]hould people facing charges punishable by less than three years imprisonment be able to be […]
TVNZ stuggling to accept the election result
I must say, TVNZ’s belt tightening is certainly having an impact on their journalism, at least in the online presence. It was one […]
Going Backwards II
A recent piece in the New York Times highlights the absurdity of going backwards with the apparent reorganisation of the Families Commission around […]
Big numbers, Crazy ideas
Most of us work for a living, and worry about money measured in tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars. For myself, I find […]
Joyce Trashes Mt Albert
Yesterday the long wait for a decision on the Waterview Connection somewhat ended. The full picture will become more obvious today, once NZTA […]
What would Key the Investor do?
Here’s a question for Mr Key but you can play along too. What if you could buy into an asset that performs well […]
Bosses ‘using recession’ to squeeze staff
Well that didn’t take long. Bosses ‘using recession’ to squeeze staff: Bosses being accused of using the recession to exploit workers by driving […]
Another nail in the neo-liberal coffin
Neoliberal economic policy has taken a bit of a beating lately. Unregulated financial markets have exploded spectacularly and the wreckage is dragging the […]
Whatever it takes, except anything
A reader has spotted that Hide wasn’t the only minister telling porkies in Parliament yesterday. Fortunately for Bill English, he’s too smart to […]
On the shootings in Napier
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I express my condolences towards the victims in the Napier shootings and the families of everyone […]
Bad or not too bad?
The latest unemployment figures look better than expected but appearances may be deceptive. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is up to 5.0%, lower […]
School support staff fighting for a fair deal
Cut public spending then we can have tax cuts! It’s such a nice, appealing slogan when you say it fast without engaging the […]
Suspending the Cullen Fund
Bill English seems set to suspend the government’s contributions to the Cullen Fund. Here’s a little-known fact, one that Bill English probably doesn’t […]
The RTF tries another RUC rort
Tony Friedlander of the trucking lobby and architect of the famous ‘truck strike’ (remember that? man that was weird when you think about […]
The real hustle
National introduced legislation yesterday that will create a 10% bonus for voluntary repayments of student loans. Repay $1,000 above your compulsory repayments, get […]
Israel and Gaza on a Summer Mind
I think I can safely credit Israeli foreign policy with ruining my summer. If you’re the empathetic type it’s hard to go to […]
When liberals become illiberal
Much as I disagree with those who oppose the freedom of same sex couples to marry, I also can’t stand those that attack […]
We deserve better
Duncan Garner on TV3 News According to the poll, 52.6 percent of voters agree the cuts should be cancelled, 37.9 percent say they […]
Another one bites the dust
And so another of John Key’s “big ideas” is shown to have been costed by monkeys. Treasury study suggests fibre plan will fall […]
David Farrar on referenda and consultation
rOb comments on David Farrar’s sudden conversion to not needing a referendum on the Auckland super-city, when DPF’s previous history is to always […]
Zimbabwe leads the world
It seems that Zimbabwe is, after all, a world leader. Mugabe’s government which followed the IMF and World Bank’s neo liberal plan for their […]
Where’s my pony?
Umm, some posts we get sent are a bit quirky. Enjoy. _____________________________ OK. I’ll confess. I’m one of the ones who fell for […]
National has blown it
National cannot be blamed for the current financial crisis and recession of course. But they can be blamed for their short sighted and […]
There’s optimistic and there’s just wrong
John Key has a habit of speaking much more bluntly to foreign media than he does to us. In his interview with the Financial […]
The brand cult of Air New Zealand
As someone personally involved at the Air New Zealand cabin crew dispute I can tell you it’s been pretty nasty for everyone involved. […]
Dom hits rock bottom, starts digging
Ray White, the renowned philosopher from Greytown, had a letter published by the Dominion Post on Monday wherein he says “I think it is […]
Rob Thomas: Taking the Local out of Local Government
A long contribution from someone in centre of the local body issues in Auckland. Despite its blatant electioneering, it is interesting enough to […]
Memo: Re: Torture
“You know what is in room 101, Winston. Everyone knows what is in room 101” The release last week of four memos from […]
Johnny plays general
This morning on Breakfast, Key said we’ll send in troops to Fiji as part of a multi-national force if need be. At the […]
How did we miss the sweet spot?
This fascinating article (with many links) describes some of the radical technologies America is considering to address the urgent problem of global warming. […]