Amy Adams has more explaining to do
Further questions have arisen about Amy Adams’ involvement with decisions relating to Canterbury water and in particular the decision to extend the term of the existing commissioners.
Environment
Power of an informed public
The West Auckland Peasants Film Club FB page says: “The greatest threat to freedom and well-being everywhere is corporate ambition: the greatest threat to corporate ambition is a well-informed public”. This week the PFC is showing, I Am (Dir. Tom Shadyac) – how to get such information seen more widely?
Amy Adams has some explaining to do
Amy Adams is now facing questions of conflict of interest after details have been published that land and company shares she owns may increase in value because of the proposed Canterbury Irrigation Scheme.
Invermay: Meddling Joyce Ignores the Evidence
My brother has posted across at Red Alert on Steven Joyce’s bungling oversight of AgResearch’s current $100 million restructure. The Crown Research Institute […]
LB: Government Spin and Hidden Secrets
This National led Government has seriously mismanaged things and is desperate to hide the true effects of its governance over the last five years. I half suspect many of the retiring National MPs are jumping ship because they don’t want to be around when the proverbial hits the fan. National have carefully constructed showy facades that hide flimsy realities
Polity: Fizzy drinks: Tax or no tax?
There has been some discussion recently about whether we should tax fizzy drinks as a threat to public health. Otago University public health people say yes. Various anti-tax groups say no. Here’s Rob Salmond’s 2c worth.
Some interesting arguments
CANA: Bathurst hits its own “perfect storm”
Coal Action Network Aotearoa has this characteristic story of the problems with the cost structure of opportunistic mining in NZ. The current world price of the coal found on the Denniston Plateau has sunk considerably below Bathurst Resources’ stated break-even price and shows no signs of rising. What is the bet that NZ is going to wind up with another unwanted hole in the ground as a shell company gets folded up?
Russel Norman’s Campaign Conference Speech 2014: Going Solar
The text of Russel Norman’s speech to the Green Party Conference given today.
Positive Things
Change becomes embedded when it emanates from and across many quarters and traditions.
Muddying the Waters
Dave Hansford contrasts the way that France handles its usage of waterways by farmers with the unsustainable degradation of NZ farmers. For that matter with the way that farming in the France is targeted at high value rather than commodity factory farming. Let’s have the really tough conversation: is a low-value, mass-market business model really the best we can do? Are cheap, anonymous, industrial commodities our finest work? And are they worth the hidden cost to farmers, taxpayers and the environment?
Role of Government
Governments are holding on to their traditional roles and functions, but the world has changed. We need something else.
NZ Herald watch – history repeats
The NZ Herald has a long history of opposing Maori resistance and supporting colonisation. It has always been right wing with a strong commercial focus & MO. Yesterday it censored news of Waitangi Day protests. Today an editorial spins in slippery style, for the Govt’s failing PowerCo sales.
Australian hissy fit at supermarkets
Australia again. I wish they would adopt an honourable and fair stance to New Zealand instead of using us whenever they want to gain advantage for themselves or throw a hissy fit. Now they are discriminating against our food exports in two large supermarkets, one of which has a large store ownership here.
Myths of Waitangi Day – & Hikoi
The ratings driven MSM beat up dramas and conflict in relation to Waitangi Day – they continue to circulate myths about the Day. Morgan Godfery has blogged about those myths. Meanwhile, the hikoi to protect our seas and land continues. [update: Rachel Smalley]
Send gummy bears to your representatives
Last night Lyn was regaling me with an advertisement on amazon for a 5 pound bag of “Haribo Classic Sugar Free Gummy Bears” with its 643 product evaluations. In this fine example of online consumerism, all appeared to agree that these really were some of the tastiest snacks around. In fact they were so good that many were suggesting that they got sent to all members of congress. Should we do the same for MPs? Then they might get the concept behind food labelling
Here’s an idea! Clean energy…
Anadarko fails to find commercially viable oil in Taranaki, and is now moving on to waste even more time, money and resources in the Canterbury basin. This is a big fail for John Key’s casino capitalist, speculative economic policy. And a fail for NZ’s people and environment. [update: Hikoi]
Sea Shepherd v the Institute of Cretinous Research
The Sea Shepherd fleet and the Japanese Whaling fleet are again engaged in battle on the south seas over the right to kill whales. The Institute for Cetacean Research’s spokesperson Glenn Inwood has claimed that the Sea Shepherd is totally in the wrong and the Japanese are completely within their rights. But how credible is this?
State of Nations
This post isn’t a ‘contrast and compare’ piece on the policy announcements of National, the Greens and Labour. Enough to say that National are pursuing privatisation while both Labour and Green are at least trying to do good things.
Shame about the reality of the bigger picture then.
Opposing the PM’s statement
The PMs’ statement todaywas a bit of a fizzer: lacking ideas, a lot of waffle. Some opposition speeches were more inspiring, & laid out some real alternatives: like the speeches from Cunliffe (on fire), Norman (inspiring), Ardern (animated) & Harawira (real people; real struggles).
xkcd: Global Warming
‘Reclaiming Our Children’s Birthright’- Metiria’s speech
Metiria Turei delivered a very strong, inspiring, and well-targeted speech yesterday. She reclaimed fractured values of inclusive, collaborative communities. She framed inequality as the issue for the coming election; the Greens’ education hub policy central. Labour, NZEI responded favourably.
Less (inequality) is more….
John Key seems to be trying to fudge the evidence of the damaging inequalities in NZ. I recap Bunji’s 2010 series of posts on The Spirit Level showing the benefits of a more equal society. Will this be addressed by Cunliffe and Turei this long weekend?
A little exploration?
On the pipers, the dancers and the great unwashed.
Spot the difference! Stating the nation
[Updated] Speeches: Key (today ZB Transcript). PM’s speech – untruths, misdirections & corporatisation of education – comment added. Cunliffe on Monday, on greater opportunities for all Kiwis. Metiria Turei’s speech, Sunday – will talk education, environment. Peters responds to Key. Greens response – education. Cunliffe’s Stand-up – audio.
Deep sea oil drilling
Deep sea oil drilling is in the news. Labour’s position is to require increased environmental standards and drillers would have to display an effective ability to clean up any disasters. The Greens would prefer to leave the oil in the ground. If there is a change of Government this year resolving this issue will pose a fascinating test of the parties.
A big gay rainbow the true cause of the UK’s unusual weather
It is quite an achievement for a sitting MP to be considered to be too nutty for the UKIP. But David Silvester has achieved this dubious distinction by claiming that adverse weather events in the United Kingdom are the result of legalising same sex marriage …
State housing: bursting the “market” bubble
The inhumane (un)affordability of housing in NZ, especially in the cities of Christchurch & Auckland, is beyond crisis point. The answer is not letting the “market” (aka the wealthy and powerful) decide. As Utah shows the solution is more state housing.
UBI (2) Why should we push for a UBI? (Universal basic income).
Why a UBI?
Firstly. To overturn some paradigms:
That a great many people should lead poor and constricted lives, so a very few can be rich.
That ordinary people are disposable economic production units.
The politics of food: Oxfam report
Some MSM reports crow about positive economic indicators, & decreases in the time people spend on benefits. Such statistics fail to show inequalities, & struggles of people on low incomes. An Oxfam comparative international report on food security is not good news for NZ, or the world.
NRT: Dirty dairying and moral culpability
There seems to be a divide in kiwi farming at present. On one side those just after a quick buck based on dirtying the cheap resource of water held in common. On the other generational family farmers. The result is a classic tragedy of the commons problem that we will be paying to clean up for many generations.
Down among the women: limits of ‘growth’
The GDP measure fails to account for life sustaining activities outside paid employment. Women do the majority of such unpaid work. A gender blind approach to financial crises is socially and economically destructive. An alternative, cooperative social and economic model would attend to gender and other diversities.
UBI (1). Memes and Paradigms.
Those growing up after the 80’s will find it hard to imagine the paradigm shift, that was the rise of Neo-liberalism, in the 80’s, in New Zealand. The colossal untested experiment, it really was, and the huge shift of wealth from the lower and middle classes to the richest of us.
Oil Free Otago’s day of action
Oil Free Otago is holding a weekend of action and discussion on an oil free future.
Its not easy being Green
There is an important debate for both Labour and the Greens to have about the level of cooperation they should display this year. Some commentators have suggested that the Greens will be sidelined and that the battle will be between Labour and National but this is MMP and every vote counts. The goal for progressives has to be to increase the overall left vote.
