Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, February 15th, 2016 - 85 comments
Claire Robinson has analysed press use of photos during the 2014 general election campaign and has concluded that the major newspapers exhibited substantial bias in favour of Prime Minister John Key.
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, February 14th, 2016 - 32 comments
Recent campaign videos from Bernie Saunders and from Hillary Clinton provide interesting contrasts on who the candidates are targeting. Which approach is best?
Written By: - Date published: 12:07 pm, February 13th, 2016 - 21 comments
In Australia Stuart Robert has been dumped from Cabinet for mixing Ministry and personal business on a trip to China. Imagine what would happen if a Minister did that over here?
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, February 12th, 2016 - 49 comments
Family First’s Bob McCoskrie has released a research paper that essentially concludes that the anti smacking bill and not child poverty is responsible for the plight of children deteriorating over the past decade.
Written By: - Date published: 3:28 pm, February 11th, 2016 - 21 comments
Two recent international incidents show that the resistance to meaningful action on climate change has not given up. In the USA Barak Obama’s climate change policies are under attack in the Supreme Court. And in Australia CSIRO has decided to get rid of all of its climate change scientists.
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 pm, February 10th, 2016 - 16 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, February 10th, 2016 - 83 comments
Stuff is asking the employer of Josie Butler, thrower of the fake sex toy at Steven Joyce, if it will take disciplinary action against her for protest activity taken while she was not at work.
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, February 10th, 2016 - 56 comments
It has become clear that John Key’s recent SOTN speech was delivered to an audience that paid for the privilege of attending.
Written By: - Date published: 9:28 am, February 7th, 2016 - 11 comments
The Whitehead report into the circumstances surrounding the failed waiver of diplomatic immunity for the Malaysian attache charged with sexual assault charges has been released and blames the incident on an inadvertently worded email. But questions remain about why Murray McCully only took active steps after media broke the story and the effects his reorganisation of MFAT has had on its ability to do its job.
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, February 2nd, 2016 - 6 comments
The State of the Nation speeches provide an interesting start to the political year. John Key’s speech borrowed Labour Green policy that until now the Government has consistently derided and tried to present it as a “kickstart” while Andrew Little’s tertiary education policy announcement has received almost universal support and National is struggling to work out what attack lines to use.
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, January 28th, 2016 - 21 comments
New Zealand used to be rated as the least corrupt country in the world. Over the past couple of years we have dropped to second and now to fourth. The cynical way that the Government handles OIA requests is the main reason for this occurring.
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, January 27th, 2016 - 40 comments
John Key has announced that National will bring forward funding of Auckland’s inner city rail link. The decision is welcome but it should have been made years ago.
Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, January 26th, 2016 - 163 comments
National is the master of micro changes to policies which give it the appearance that it is being hard on beneficiaries. But in extreme cases the policies produce ridiculous results. Such as the 89 year old war veteran who lost his superannuation and was forced to beg after had an arrest warrant issued for trespass.
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, January 22nd, 2016 - 98 comments
The Sustainability Council has reported that passing the TPPA may result in corporate claims for compensation against sovereign states that adopt policies to address climate change. And details how references to climate change were washed out of the text of the TPPA during the negotiation process.
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, January 19th, 2016 - 342 comments
Ngāpuhi kaumātua and spokesperson for Te Tii Marae Kingi Tairua has announced that because of the lack of consultation if the TPPA is signed the Government will not be welcome at Waitangi.
Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, January 17th, 2016 - 82 comments
The Herald has printed an opinion piece by ex ACT candidate Robin Grieve Robin Grieve which claims that the IPCC has said we have nothing to worry about climate change when a cursory reading of the report suggests otherwise. What is it with the quality of Herald opinion pieces presented by former ACT candidates?
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, January 15th, 2016 - 29 comments
David Farrar has criticised AUSA for refusing to publicly endorse a Pro Life Auckland offer of assistance to solo mother students and thereby stopping assistance occurring. There is one problem though, AUSA did nothing of the sort.
Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, January 13th, 2016 - 154 comments
The Bank of Scotland has advised advised its clients to brace for a “cataclysmic year” and a global deflationary crisis.
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, January 12th, 2016 - 94 comments
Stephen Joyce has had published an opinion piece in this morning’s Herald which extolls the virtue of free trade and ignores the pitfalls. Such as those shown this week when TransCanada sued the US Government for rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline contract.
Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, January 10th, 2016 - 46 comments
A recent New Matilda article discusses why at a time of increasing productivity the need to work has increased and not decreased.
Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, January 9th, 2016 - 249 comments
This morning’s Herald contains a story about a young man who with a family gift has managed to purchase eleven houses over the past five years and can afford to pay World of Warcraft all day.
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, January 6th, 2016 - 113 comments
David Shearer has disagreed with the Greens that New Zealand should suspend negotiations on the free trade agreement with Saudi Arabia until it improves its human rights record.
Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, January 5th, 2016 - 103 comments
Overnight there has been further turmoil on the Chinese Stock exchange with stocks plummeting 7% before trading was stopped. And things may only get worse when a 6 month ban on trading by major stock owners is lifted.
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, January 4th, 2016 - 76 comments
In the US of A the armed invasion of a State Building by a group determined to hold onto the building has been met with no response from the police.
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, January 3rd, 2016 - 52 comments
Jeremy Corbyn has recently experienced his 100th day in office as Labour Leader. And despite many predictions of his untimely demise the impression is that he may just hold on and make a difference,
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, January 2nd, 2016 - 306 comments
New research from Morgan Foundation suggests that poverty can be alleviated by increasing incomes and that the beneficiaries will be children of poor families not vendors of alcohol and cigarettes.
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, January 2nd, 2016 - 56 comments
On December 17, 2015 the Government released a series reports suggesting that New Zealand is complying with Kyoto Protocol obligations. A dig into the reports confirms however that the compliance is in name only and is for spin purposes rather than a real attempt at addressing the world’s most pressing problem.
Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, December 29th, 2015 - 88 comments
Some random musings on what happened in New Zealand’s media this year.
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, December 28th, 2015 - 99 comments
Helen Clark is considered to be to be a front runner for the position of next United Nations Secretary General. But Kevin Rudd is also being talked about as a candidate. And if his previous behaviour is repeated it could be an interesting contest.
Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, December 24th, 2015 - 189 comments
AFFCO clearly lacks any sense of a christmas spirit when dealing with its workers.
Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, December 20th, 2015 - 211 comments
Rachel Stewart has penned an opinion piece highlighting John Key’s avoidance of serious media in preference to engaging in rude, crude and highly unattractive stunts on commercial radio.
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