Guest Post: Sneaky and sudden Government move on genetic engineering
A guest post on a Government attempt to change the Resource Management Act to prevent local councils from restricting the planting of genetically engineered trees.
Guest post
Guest Post – What is Little’s vision for New Zealand?
A guest post from Ad following up from Mandy Hager’s recent post on Andrew Little exploring the question on what should be Labour’s, the Green’s and New Zealand First’s vision for New Zealand’s future.
The Responsibilities of Government
The death of Emma-Lita Bourne is not just a personal tragedy for the family: it is an event that should make New Zealand angry with the powerful people in our society who control the purse strings. They are responsible for condemning thousands of children to life-threatening conditions. And they are doing it in our name!
Housing Bubble
There is always a need for rental properties and the idea that there is not enough supply again comes from the inability for people to purchase housing themselves. This swells the demand above and beyond. So should the Government try to stop people becoming landlords? Of course not. But to raise the standard of living that a landlord must provide will slow demand and give better housing
Dunedin climate consultation meeting
“It was an emotional meeting and I felt in turns angry, frustrated, helpless, very sad, and disillusioned. I also felt privileged to be in the company of so many knowledgeable, passionate people.”
Deborah Russell: Preliminary thoughts on the Government’s new tax
Deborah Russell is a senior lecturer in taxation at Massey University and was Labour’s candidate in Rangitīkei in the 2014 general election. In this post she sets out her preliminary views on National’s new tax.
Campbell Live – Day of Action
Protests in support of Campbell Live, today (Friday) in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Marvelous!
Deborah Russell: does New Zealand actually have a capital gains tax?
A guest post by Deborah Russell responding to Government claims that we already have a capital gains tax on the sale of land.
Our Iraq war policy explained
The government is doing a poor job at explaining our Iraq war policy, but never fear, we have the answers.
Megan Woods: Democracy isn’t “risky”, Minister
Nick Smith’s latest pronouncements on ECan are an insult to Cantabrians – and a chilling precedent for any other regional councils who step out of line.
Mike Sabin has a prominent chin – A poem for Northland
Mission Accomplished
“You gotta hand it to John Key: the timing is perfect. On a slow-news Friday at a time when the media is falling over itself to hype the cricket world cup, the last veil drops to reveal al Jaafari and his request for assistance.”
Guest Post – Waitangi Day, build a bridge and get over it
A Guest Post by David Meech presenting an irreverent view of Waitangi day, and New Zealand history and culture.
Orewa – 11 years on
Has it really been 11 years since Brash’s infamous Orewa speech? Yesterday Gareth Morgan gave a very different kind of speech there…
Guest Post: from a Fairy Godmother
How can young unemployed people get help in finding a job, when they have been trying to get one for some time?
New Zealand Betrayed – Again
A guest post from BLiP on Labour’s support for the “terrorism” legislation.
SISters are doin’ it for themselves
Got me smiling about no laughing matter!
Sale of social housing stock won’t save costs
Hamilton City Council currently has plans to sell of its remaining pensioner housing stock. It already sold off a block of them in 2012. Of those sold, only 12 out of 53 units are available for seniors to rent at affordable rates. This is because 27 were sold as there was no social service provider able to buy them. So now Council want to sell the rest.
Moving away from the politics of fear
Politics from a position of fear is never going to be successful. Politics based on conviction and the ability to put forward a sound argument is a much better strategy. Yes, anyone selected is going to be subject to attack. But there’s no point in allowing that to cloud our judgement.
Leadership Election: Candidates Start Painting Themselves Into Corners
InsideOut has a look at the current state of the labour leadership campaigns. Predictably they plump down on the side of a particular candidate. But they do point to various issues with all of the campaigns.
Collective bargaining? Yeah right …
JAmooches continues their analysis of the effects of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. Today the focus is on the provisions that negate the requirement for the parties to act in good faith bargaining, in particular for being able to conclude collective agreements.
A encomium for Nanaia Mahuta
I know Nanaia reasonably well, having worked with her at a regional level in the Labour Party. Her level-headedness, the way she can grasp complex problems and find solutions, her ability to connect with everyone, her ability to stay positive and focused and to find a way through are skills that are desperately needed in the Party right now. [Updated]
To arms!
We are about go to war partnered with multiple armies, none of whom is a champion of any of our democratic values of fairness, equality, human rights, or impartial justice. Meanwhile one in ten of us is about to be evicted from our state house home and put into the streets. Labour’s leadership candidates are silent in the media..
Q&A with Andrew Little
I’d like to say thanks to the Standard for hosting me today. I’ve always enjoyed robust political meetings and I’m a firm believer […]
A Little Goes A Long Way
Finally confirmed as a Labour List MP, Andrew Little is mulling over a tilt at the leadership. This is good news for the party. Cunliffe is a busted flush and Robertson is too bland to win voters back. Labour needs a circuit breaker. A Little may go a long way.
Taxpayers support Mr “Small Government”
If ACT were made up for a show like “The Thick of It”, or “Veep”, they would be dismissed as too ridiculous and extreme for the audience to swallow…
A paean about Grant Robertson
Like many on the left, I was disillusioned with the election result. It felt pretty hopeless on election night that John Key could romp home to victory on the back of dirty politics. But there is hope. Here are my ten key reasons why I am voting for and supporting Grant Robertson to be our next Prime Minister.
Hello National, bye bye breaks …
Our guest poster has a look at the Employment relations Amendment Bill that National will attempt to sneak through during Labour’s leadership primary. This bill is clearly targeted at those employees who are most vulnerable. It reinforces the Nat’s slow and steady but effective chipping away of employee’s rights and will really resonate with its core constituency
Pick up the ball
In the spirit of new badly needed Left Unity. The Left opposition needs to start setting the agenda. First “feed the kids” needs to be picked up. Second the corporate welfare for Solid Energy needs a lot of scrutiny. So does the the state funding of oil exploration.
The last five days
An accident… Then an odd thing starts to happen. Instead of helping the survivors and securing the scene, the rescue crew start fighting amongst themselves. How did the crash happen? Was it was the driver’s fault? What was the main cause of the accident?
The importance of voting from a young woman’s perspective
A guest post from a young woman who cast her vote today.
Blue on the polls
Landline polls are a traditional gripe for lefties. But this election polls look seriously out of whack with reality. Is National at 55%, 50%, 48% or 46%? But it’s always far too large for a party at National’s current stage in the political cycle. Just unbelievable and highly unlikely.
Tories! Scared of Internet/Mana? I have the solution …
Labour are going to lead the next Government. So what’s a Tory voter to do to keep the damge to a minimum? If the possibility of Hone Harawira and Laila Harre being Ministers in the Cunliffe administration is keeping you up at night, then Te Reo Putake has the answer.
Careering to the right
“Dirty Politics” and “The Hollow Men” have revealed the extent of the National party’s nasty internal war over the past decade. Cameron Slater is merely one of the noisier but dumber sock puppet weapons in use against National’s centre and moderates. Looking at the actions of Simon Lusk using his sock puppet is more revealing…
Aaron Bhatnagar – I barely know the guy
BLip has a look at Aaron Bhatnagar and his role in the disgusting events documented in “Dirty Tricks”. In particular the way that Judith Collins seems to have rewarded her crony Cameron Slater’s mate on the taxpayers purse.
Rob Gilchrist On Nicky Hager
Unmasked by Hager, former activist and police spy Rob Gilchrist says “It may come as a surprise but I have the utmost respect for Mr Hager, He doesn’t write ’baseless allegations’, ’what-ifs and fanciful speculation’ Mr Hager is also not a ‘conspiracy theorist‘, he’s just extremely good at finding conspiracies.”