Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, June 4th, 2014 - 71 comments
The media is trying to suggest that Labour is opposing the Green’s proposed Carbon Tax policy. This is a gross over dramatisation of the situation. Labour has in the past supported a Carbon Tax, has a policy formation process which prevents policy creation on the hoof, and prefers an ETS even though it is slightly more complex on the basis that it is slightly more effective in allocating costs and benefits across the board.
Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, June 2nd, 2014 - 129 comments
The Greens have released their climate change policy and are proposing that the ETS is scrapped and a carbon tax imposed in its place. This is a proposal that in the past Labour has supported. The ETS was only agreed to because New Zealand First would not agree to a carbon tax. Second time lucky?
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, June 1st, 2014 - 228 comments
Russel Norman is tipped today to announce the proposed scrapping of the ETS. It is clear that it is not working. But what do we do instead?
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 31st, 2014 - 74 comments
It’s the Green Party Conference this weekend. Metiria Turei was on RNZ yesterday morning, talking about how the main focus for the conference will be on policies. Speeches will be streamed live online from the conference today & tomorrow. Update: summary of today’s speeches. Healthy Teens policy.
Written By: - Date published: 2:37 pm, May 18th, 2014 - 4 comments
No Right Turn turns his attention back to the hapless ministerial fool , Simon Bridges. It turns out that when he approved oil exploration in our biggest forest park without realising that he had, it was also what his advice had been. MoBIE simply didn’t consider if the oil exploration and presumably the eventual exploitation would conflict with something as economically vital as tourism. In fact, they appear to have ignored all other claims and uses of the land.
Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, May 17th, 2014 - 40 comments
Marama Davidson, is on the Green Party list & is a candidate for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat. Davidson is a really promising up-coming politician. She is committed to working for people, communities, the environment, democratic process, & strongly supports wahine, Māori & young people.
Written By: - Date published: 1:18 pm, May 14th, 2014 - 26 comments
As has been long anticipated under current conditions, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet *will* melt with a more than average 3 metre rise in world sea levels. The only remaining question is how long it will take to melt. No Right Turn explains points out the slowly unfolding disaster…
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, May 13th, 2014 - 10 comments
The Green Party will do a pre-budget economic policy launch: livestream here 11am 11.30am-12.30pm.They are pretty adept at interacting with Kiwis via social media, and on TV. They are grounded in grassroots activities, that link to their policies aimed at making life better for low-to-middle income Kiwis. [Updated#1: got start time wrong: #2 policy here – Green Investment Bank; news reports]
Written By: - Date published: 6:57 pm, May 10th, 2014 - 22 comments
Labour has reached across the political divide and offered the government a host of actions to help those in Christchurch who have been victims of ongoing flooding since the quake.
There are some things that politics should be put aside for. Helping the people of Christchurch is definitely one of these things.
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, May 9th, 2014 - 225 comments
Whether it’s Judith Collins, Michael Woodhouse or the Cabinet Club/s, National Party fundraisers, target the wealthy base they represent. In the process, boundaries are blurred between mainstream politics, exclusive private spaces & personal relationships.
Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, May 7th, 2014 - 17 comments
We still don’t know why Joyce is pushing on with the move to shut Invermay, Dunedin’s impressive AgResearch centre, but it’s still not too late to stop him and the AgResearch board. Last week, one of the biggest breeds of sheep, Texel breeders voted no confidence in the AgResearch board. The petition continues to grow. Dunedin is […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, May 4th, 2014 - 27 comments
An NZ Herald article about Mai Chen’s book on Auckland Council, supports big power, big money, big competition, and economic activities focused on anything but the production of material needs and wants. It ignores the struggling precariat living with housing, income, transport and energy poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 9:47 am, April 30th, 2014 - 12 comments
Largely overlooked yesterday, the Green Party launched their “Conservation in Our Backyards” policy. Focusing on protecting New Zealand’s socially and environmentally rich biodiversity, it provides a means to act locally in countering the current track towards global social, environmental and economic destruction.
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, April 27th, 2014 - 41 comments
The strength of the left: working together…. from the flaxroots. I agree with the parts of David Cunliffe’s speech to Young Labour where he talks of the importance of working together and mobilising the grass roots left in order to win the election. He is speaking about the Labour Party, but his words are equally true for the wider left
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 21st, 2014 - 14 comments
Greed used to be regarded as a major sin. Now it is often seen as either trivial, or, in Gordon Gekko’s words, “Greed is good”. Greed has become a religion, focused on the sacred “economy” and its “market” of (allegedly) “invisible hands”. Greed fuels inequality and undermines democracy. Democracy needs a more critical public sphere and media.
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, April 20th, 2014 - 41 comments
On Al Jazeera NewsHour this morning, there were two reports on environmental issues in different parts of the planet: stories of the tension between pursuit of economic “growth” and the destruction of the environment. In both countries, there are attempts to develop renewables, without changing the whole system.
Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, April 16th, 2014 - 2 comments
No Right Turn on the Environmental Reporting Bill that has the watchdogs up in arms. Listening to Amy Adams last night going on about how transparent and open to public scrutiny regulations are made me wonder what bloody universe she lived in – bizarro world perhaps?. Submissions on the Environmental Reporting Bill are due on Thursday.
Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, April 15th, 2014 - 34 comments
Catastrophic climate change can be averted without sacrificing living standards according to a UN report, which concludes that the transformation required to a world of clean energy is eminently affordable. “It doesn’t cost the world to save the planet,”. The average cost of adapting to climate change next year is less than $30. Remember that next time Bill English stands up in Parliament threatening economic Armageddon if we try and do anything about it.
Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, April 13th, 2014 - 47 comments
David Cunliffe today announced that Labour would fund research into Kauri Dieback disease to the tune of $20 million dollars over ten years if elected, in stark contrast to the current Government’s position which is to discontinue funding.
Written By: - Date published: 3:55 pm, April 9th, 2014 - 11 comments
When looking at Simon Bridges – a purported government minister. You have to remember that he is damn sloppy even for a politician. But oh so typical of his usual muppet behaviour is that he wasn’t aware that he was opening up our biggest forest park for oil and gas exploration. Of course it could just be National’s bulldoze anything for a little immediate profit….
Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, April 9th, 2014 - 90 comments
National is starting to talk about adaption to climate change rather than addressing greenhouse gas output. And greenhouse gas output is projected to increase in New Zealand by 50% over the next decade.
Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, April 6th, 2014 - 83 comments
Auckland Against Poverty protest the Young Nats Ball and Paula Bennett’s war on the poor. Steven Joyce is cynical about the polls. A Stuff poll shows everything that is wrong with the media’s poll beat ups.
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, April 4th, 2014 - 53 comments
Mana Party candidate Annette Sykes has been developing an effective organisation in her electorate. Her speech at the TPPA rally laid out its threats to livelihoods in the Bay of Plenty. Her views on the Internet Party will be listened to when discussed by the Mana Party.
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, April 3rd, 2014 - 22 comments
All of us, in our diversity, can make a big impact this election year. Time to end the “neoliberal” tyranny! Crime stats are celebrated masking the continuing impact of income & social inequalities. Rogernomics fractured gender politics & rape crisis intiatives.
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, April 3rd, 2014 - 40 comments
Two days after the IPCC has warned us of the threat posed by climate change and Simon Bridges has announced a huge block offer of parts of New Zealand and much of its territorial water. This will include the pristine waters off Auckland’s west coast, home of Maui’s dolphin. In a world that has to address its consumption of petroleum you have to question if it is worth the risk.
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, April 2nd, 2014 - 51 comments
No Right Turn notes the typical response from politicians to the Fifth IPCC Assessment report. Perhaps that promoting legislation with a penalty of long prison terms for political negligence would help? It sounds like a good way for lazy politicians to retire. After all the law recognises negligence as being a criminal action in other spheres – why not for our political servants?
Written By: - Date published: 4:51 pm, April 1st, 2014 - 20 comments
bsprout has found out that quite a number of children didn’t have bikes. It shook his middle class perception that all New Zealand kids must have access to a bike. People using them for transport to get to work as they no longer have a car or can’t afford to repair one. While cycling is obviously a healthy and practical choice of transport many are obviously doing it because they have no choice. A fraction of the roading money would provide people with transport to go on them…
Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, April 1st, 2014 - 12 comments
The International Court of Justice has ruled that the Japanese yearly slaughter of whales is not for the purposes of scientific research and is illegal.
Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, April 1st, 2014 - 65 comments
The latest IPCC report has been released and not only are scientific views on the existence of climate change hardening, but the effects are becoming more pronounced. Meanwhile ACT has described action to try and save the planet as “moral exhibitionism” and has said that not improving the ETS is a bottom line for any future coalition with National. If you need any reason to work to get rid of this Government this has to be it.
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, April 1st, 2014 - 48 comments
The Kapiti Expressway is one of the National government’s RONS projects: it makes no sense economically. It is destructive to the environment and the local communities. The NZTA is attempting to run roughshod over ancestral lands, including that of writer, Patricia Grace. She is taking a stand.
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, March 30th, 2014 - 62 comments
Three interrelated articles dealing with how far from Scientific Reality Republican Politicians are, how peak oil may just be around the corner and how deconstructing motorways can improve inner city areas.
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