Greenpeace protesting oil conference in New Plymouth
Greenpeace protestors are blockading an oil conference in New Plymouth. “If we’re to have a future, oil can have no future.”
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
John Key’s legacy of lies
Even then, local “journalists” were just parroting overseas reports despite having a major vanguard for the post-truth epoch playing out right before their very eyes
Hit and Run
The book’s synopsis, background, and Q and A from Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson.
People’s Commission on Public Broadcasting and Media
Is having a strong, independent media an essential part of a functioning democracy? What is the role of the ‘Fourth Estate’ in today’s world? Are the media doing a good job of keeping citizens informed?
People’s Commission has its final workshops in Auckland, and how to submit online
Nothing to fear, nothing to hide
Todd Barclay has chosen to co-operate fully with the police investigation into his actions by getting a lawyer and refusing to say anything to them.
Unpopular PM
Bill English has premiered at 25% in TV3’s preferred PM poll. Even incumbency can’t make Bill look popular.
Labour’s Māori electorate MPs will not be on the list
In breaking news, Labour’s Māori electorate MPs to stand as electorate candidates only (not on the list).
OECD: NZ growth model reaching its environmental limits
New Zealand is about to reach the limits of growth.
Classy
National’s ill advised attacks on Jacinda Ardern have shriveled in the sunlight, leaving only their reliably suggestible lunatic fringe / Mathew Hooton. The more they rant, the classier she looks.
National’s water problem
The Government’s timid backdown on water charging is placing it in a very uncomfortable position.
“Dumbing down a generation”
An excellent piece by Simon Collins in the weekend Herald. NZ’s educational scores in international comparisons are locked in a downward spiral. National’s ideology has failed, while we ignore successful models.
Nat branch chair calls for “corporal punishment”
Bill English should have spoken out to dissociate his party from Price’s archaic views. Why hasn’t he?
NRT: “Too hard”
No Right Turn: “The real barrier to National … acting on this is because that “no-one owns water, first come, first served” policy disproportionately benefits one group and allows them to profiteer from a public resource while destroying its value to others. That group is farmers – and they donate to the National Party.”
Nicky Hager announces new book release
Nicky Hager’s latest book is to be launched this Tuesday at Unity Books in Wellington.
Nats’ attack on Ardern – Day 3
They were still digging themselves deeper yesterday. The latest attack tells us more about National than it does about Ardern.
Climate change – beyond the politics and the maths and the fear
Climate change is the most important issue of all time. Beyond the politics and the maths and the fear there is simply doing the right thing.
Nats’ attack on Ardern backfires
National’s nasty, obvious, hamfisted attack on Jacinda Ardern has backfired on them big time.
Andrew Little’s speech on housing
Excellent speech from Andrew Little in Parliament yesterday, on the government’s willful blindness to the housing crisis.
Parata overrules Bennett – consent not taught in schools
In the followup to the rape culture protests, Hekia Parata has overruled Paula Bennett, and consent will not be taught in schools.
Breitbart Bill
Who has been feeding Bill English the latest alt-right attack language?
“All show and no substance”
The attack on Ardern as “all show and no substance” is a curious one for a party that was led for so many years by John Key.
Murdoch on the tax-cut striptease (NSFW)
Bye John!
Key’s act was was well and truly blown, and he’s moving on without, I suspect, a backward glance, at a job that his heart was never really in.
Some flaws of the Resource Amendment Legislation Bill
The Resource Amendment Legislation Bill is being debated in Parliament this week. It is a total re-write of the Resource Management Act 1991. It has some good points in it, but it also includes a number of matters which will have a severe impact. This is a critique of those points.
National’s flawed RMA ripoff still failing
Maori Party Co-Leader, Marama Fox, is playing hardball over Nick Smith latest attempts to weasel out of commitments on the deeply flawed RMA changes that National has spent the last few years trying to find any support for in Parliament. The bill is crap. The Maori party should just drop it regardless how many baubles they think they will get from it.
Nick Smith is a disgrace
In a functioning democracy Nick Smith’s handling of the Resource Management Bill should result in him losing his ministerial warrant.
Cat Among the Pigeons
Nicolas Sturgeon to seek the authority of the Scottish Parliament to agree the details of a Section 30 Order that will allow the Scottish Parliament to legislate for an independence referendum.
There are no surpluses
There are no surpluses in NZ right now, not in any real sense. There is only debt, negative externalities and deferred costs.
Anthony Rimell – why I am standing for Parliament
Anthony Rimell is Labour’s candidate for the Ilam seat. In this post he sets out the reasons why he is standing for Parliament.
Call to teach consent in schools
Yesterday evening saw a well attended rally at Parliament to protest rape culture in NZ, and call for the teaching of consent in schools.
Marwick on dirty politics, leaks and the OIA
Marwick: “The other thing you can deduce from a three year battle over access to correspondence is that the most senior politician in the land probably had something to hide.”
English flogging National’s one-trick pony
Never mind the record debt, the dropped contributions to the Cullen fund, the housing crisis, rising poverty, the deteriorating health system, the costs of quake rebuilds, the filthy water, the need to prepare for climate change – never mind all that, have an election bribe!
Justin Lester: Why Wellington, why Labour, and how did he make conference cry?
Via Noted, the Mayor of Wellington talks about his city, his mayoralty, and why he’s Labour.
Andrew Little on The Nation
A good interview with Andrew Little on The Nation. Among the many topics covered, Little stated that all pledges can be funded without raising taxes.
What should Labour and the Greens do in Ilam?
Christchurch Councillor Raf Manji has announced that he will be standing as an independent against Gerry Brownlee for the Ilam seat in Christchurch.
Community groups abandon Smith’s water forum
Will Nick Smith get the message and set in place a realistic consultation process and safe standards, or will he persist with a plan so bad that no one wants to be associated with it?