Double the quota
Labour joins the campaign to double our refugee quota.
Politics
political parties
The sock puppets, the media and the UBI
Labour’s discussion of a possible UBI is still generating debate.
Postcard from the “brighter” future
Evidence of growing poverty hitting “mid-decile” schools.
Angry politics
Is our political culture getting more angry and aggressive? If so, why?
Job cuts and the future of work
Two headline job losses today underline the importance of Labour’s Future of Work.
A quick question (again)
“More than 2400 benefits suspended since 2013”. I have a quick question…
Key wants to turn New Zealand into a haven for the 1%
Fran O’Sullivan has spilt the beans. John Key thinks that overseas terrorism and by implication climate change are good for the New Zealand economy and that the country should not do anything about overseas corporates paying low tax rates because investment will occur. And he wants New Zealand to become a haven for people overseas fleeing from terrorism and climate change. But only if they are wealthy.
Easter Sunday
Labour’s Ten Big Ideas
National’s only idea this term has just been shot down by the public. Meanwhile Labour has been thinking about the future and the issues that confront NZ.
Meet the new flag…
… same as the old flag.
Key didn’t take the country with him.
Now let’s get back to the real issues.
Nat MP runs over TPP protester’s foot
Nat MP Chester Borrows has injured a TPP protester with his car. Not the first time this sort of thing has happened.
The media treatment of Labour’s UBI discussion paper
John Key and an array of National sock puppets have misrepresented Labour’s UBI proposal as party policy and as being very expensive when it is not party policy and when a variety of different potential forms have been raised for discussion.
Future of Work Conference
Labour’s Future of Work Conference is under way. There is a page with information and live stream here.
Looking to the future – planning to adapt and protect people – this is work a government should be doing. In this case, a government in waiting…
House Tales.
If ‘home is where the heart is’ then what’s the story when everything’s heartless?
Teapot tapes – Key backs down over Parliamentary Services payment
John Key’s office has announced that he will now pay the agreed damages from private sources.
Exclusive: Tea Pot Tapes released
Now that the Key tea pot tapes defamation case has been settled and John Key has accepted that Bradley Ambrose accidentally recorded the content of Key’s discussion with John Banks the original tape can now be released …
Here we go again – from leaky homes to porous pipes
As if leaky buildings was not enough, New Zealand’s lax standards and lack of inspection may be contributing to new problems in the Building Industry.
Can We Trust Winston Peters?
Recent polling makes it clear that neither National or Labour can win power without the support of NZ First. So should the left be worried that Winston Peters will take his party back over to the blue team?
Guest Post: Government’s multi billion dollar lies
Amakiwi analyses why foreign corporations are hurting New Zealand’s economy and questions why they should be allowed the estimate their profitability.
National tricky on climate change aid
TVOne has discovered that National’s preposed climate change aid spend announced at COP21 would result in a reduction in the amount spent compared to previous years.
Preliminary RM results: NZF jumps to 9%
New Zealand First rises 3% to 9% in the latest RM, for their best RM result in the last year or two.
National admits the ETS is broken
Paula Bennett has conceded that the Emissions Trading Scheme is not working and that the two for one scheme which halves the cost of carbon credits for major polluters will be phased out. But when?
Fear is a Man’s Best Friend
It’s been an intense day or two for Andrew Little. But he’s still feeling better than John Key. Why? Because Key’s got the fear.
Andrew Little on the farming crisis
Andrew Little’s speech in Parliament yesterday on the dairy crisis.
The “jihadi brides” lie
Remember the “jihadi brides” – part of last year’s beat-up about the risk of terrorism in NZ? Yesterday the central lie in the story was revealed.
Key fiddles while dairy industry burns
The dairy crisis is escalating with a further drop in prices occurring overnight. And John Key has chosen to defend the Government’s handling of the crisis by attacking Andrew Little. He would be better off explaining what his Government is doing to address what is becoming a crisis.
Safe As Milk
Labour is calling for an urgent summit of the dairy industry players to avoid the looming bankruptcy of one in ten farmers. National’s response? Crisis, what crisis?
Labour considering Unconditional Basic Income
As with capital gains tax, the political left is kicking off a very important discussion for NZ.
Could National lose Whangarei?
National are nervous about losing the safe electorate seat of Whangarei. Something tells me that the NATs will be fighting back hard come 2017.
Go, technology, inequality, the future of work
Miscellaneous Sunday morning meanderings on technology, inequality and the future of work.
Wee Todd Barclay may have a wee problem
Clutha Southland National MP’s employee dispute has escalated with a police inquiry into the possible secret recording of a staff member being conducted.
The Gun Club
In the wake of the shooting of four police officers in Kawerau, it’s time NZ had a cold, hard look at our gun culture. We need an inquiry that addresses both legal and illegal gun ownership. But there’s a related matter that also needs looking at …
Iain Lees-Galloway on the end of zero hour contracts
Iain Lees-Galloway’s speech celebrating the end of zero hour contracts with a special thanks to the Unite Union, the Council of Trade Unions, the Greens and New Zealand First, Marama Fox, even Peter Dunne, and even Michael Woodhouse.
Nats think “pretty legal” is good enough…
… but the courts may beg to differ.
Health Ministry lost the plot and heads should roll
The Health Ministry committed to spending $18m that they didn’t have on upgrading their own offices, and tried to claw the money back from the underfunded DHBs trying to deliver health care to NZ. And that seems to be just fine with Minister Coleman.
Fonterra faces liquidity issues as rivers of “white oil” dry up
Pundits, most residing in the National Party, just three years ago predicted the economy would surf high on “rivers of white oil” flowing from the dairy industry, but they now have cow pats splattered on their faces as Fonterra today announced another payout downgrade and signalled liquidity pressures.