Written By: - Date published: 4:25 pm, January 20th, 2015 - 20 comments
I/S – “the Financial Markets Authority knew about almost 4,000 crimes and never bothered to prosecute any of them”…
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, January 20th, 2015 - 97 comments
Nick Smith today announced proposed changes to the Resource Management Act. It is likely he will resuscitate the reforms that were stalled after Peter Dunne refused to support them last year. ACT’s David Seymour has said he will support the changes even though he did not know what they are. Treasury are to release a paper with proposals for change. Updated lprent – yep National stupidity reprised.
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, January 20th, 2015 - 131 comments
Yesterday it was announced that Auckland is the ninth least affordable city in the world requiring 8.3 times their average wage to buy a home. Reducing regulation hasn’t worked, otherwise more than 20 homes would have been built under the 2013 fast track accord. The problem is a shortage of affordable housing.
Written By: - Date published: 10:44 pm, January 19th, 2015 - 241 comments
Winnie Biyanyima of Oxfam is one of six co-chairs at the Davos World Economic Forum. She says her role is to challenge the powerful elites, and she goes armed with a new report that shows that on current trends by next year the world’s richest !% will hold more wealth than the other 99%. She’s got some good ideas on what to do about it too.
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, January 19th, 2015 - 75 comments
We’re not good at learning from history.
Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, January 16th, 2015 - 15 comments
It makes for great reading and throws the net wider than last time… just Check it out here
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, January 16th, 2015 - 136 comments
The continued rise of rheumatic fever is an indictment of our society.
New figures show that there is no quick fix for diseases of poverty.
Your move, National.
Written By: - Date published: 1:49 pm, January 13th, 2015 - 78 comments
For family reasons he is stepping down… Nothing to see here says Chris Finlayson, great guy who did a great job. For national’s supporters of course there is far more importance in receiving speeding fines Woodhouse is moving quickly to say the enforcement is ambiguous. It appears that he sees a universal right to speed and kill people…
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, January 12th, 2015 - 109 comments
The Authors of The Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm.
Written By: - Date published: 4:07 pm, January 11th, 2015 - 223 comments
You’d think that with all the WW1 commemorations going on at the moment it would make us more vigilant about our freedom and security, not sleep-walking towards another Holy Crusade (in the name of the God of Money and Father of Fossil Fuels), seduced by slick liars and the gods of commercialism and greed.
Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, January 10th, 2015 - 62 comments
bsprout on the Local Bodies blog, provides a case study, specific to Southland. At the same time, it outlines a more general pattern that can be seen in many places, each with their own local circumstances.
Written By: - Date published: 1:59 pm, January 9th, 2015 - 64 comments
Whatever the reason for a person’s disability if it is to such an extent that they cannot work we condemn them to a life of subsistence living with a big pay rise when, and if, they reach retirement age to 65% of the average wage!
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, January 8th, 2015 - 596 comments
It is a shocking story to wake up to. A murderous act in a beautiful city. Condolences to those close to the people who were killed, and to the people of Paris and France. It is not a justification for the anti-democratic, invasive extensions to the surveillance state.
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, January 7th, 2015 - 46 comments
A long, fascinating piece by Glenn Greenwald on The Intercept this morning.
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, January 6th, 2015 - 146 comments
Charlie Mitchell of the Dominion Post has analysed John Key’s formal speeches since 2007 to see what has from time to time been uppermost in Key’s mind. The results are interesting to say the least.
Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, January 2nd, 2015 - 275 comments
Yesterday, on Outspoken at RNZ, Craig McCulloch interviewed Jeanette Fitzsimons, Gareth Morgan and Metiria Turei on the future of the Green Party. Morgan wants the Greens to shift away from “scary” economic policies. Turei and Fitzsimons explain why not.
Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, January 1st, 2015 - 35 comments
Happy New Year! Some songs for the times.
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, December 28th, 2014 - 67 comments
The Sunday Star Times has revealed today that the inquiry into Mike Sabin started before the last election and that senior National figures knew about it. And it appears that two private members bills he drafted have disappeared. The questions has to be asked, why is he still the chair of Parliament’s Law and Order committee. And when did John Key find out about the allegations?
Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, December 27th, 2014 - 218 comments
Politics has traditionally been men’s business. Gradually women have come to be given more space in this sphere of public activity. However, there are still strains of traditional masculine values evident in political activity, organisation and debate. How much does Key trade in
bloke-iness?
Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, December 26th, 2014 - 132 comments
What does religion without God look like… Sounds unlikely but Atheists the world over are meeting in!”churches” to indulge in religious-esque rituals
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, December 25th, 2014 - 12 comments
A message from the throne of the right honourable, but close enough to touch it, Sir, John Key.
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, December 24th, 2014 - 71 comments
The smug middle class National voter seems oblivious to how close they are to financial hardship…
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, December 24th, 2014 - 12 comments
Sky City wants the taxpayer to help cover the increased cost to build its new Auckland convention centre. They agreed to build the convention centre in return for the government giving the casino a licence extension and allowing it to operate more gaming machines…. So…
Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, December 23rd, 2014 - 143 comments
Left wing politics in New Zealand bends most of its attention and energy inwards onto the nation state. This is of course understandable because traditionally Parliament has been the prime locus of power. But no longer; two quite distinct forces are at work to change this picture. The first is globalisation. We are in its second […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:53 pm, December 22nd, 2014 - 59 comments
Two prominent New Zealand men voiced their opinion on a serious aspect of life in New Zealand this year, let’s rate them…
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, December 22nd, 2014 - 33 comments
A new report shows that Steven Joyce’s MBIE fiefdom is failing miserably. Meanwhile the MBIE is under fire for the major cost blow out of the Sky City Casino deal – another deal with Joyce’s imprints all over it.
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, December 22nd, 2014 - 215 comments
Northland MP Mike Sabin is facing a police enquiry and a by election is possible.
Written By: - Date published: 1:43 pm, December 19th, 2014 - 70 comments
Feminism is a reaction. A position. A belief that women should, by right, be entitled to all the same ‘privileges’ as men: fair pay, high quality free education, control of their own money (and bodies), freedom to choose who to love and how to act. Freedom of movement, association, dress, beliefs. Respect as an equal. Opportunity. Equity in decision-making. A voice.
Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, December 19th, 2014 - 56 comments
The government has failed to tackle NZ’s on-going housing crisis. Fuel/energy poverty is increasing, with a higher proportion of households unable to afford any heating. More Kiwis are renting than in the 2006 census, & more Aucklanders live in over-crowded households.
Written By: - Date published: 6:32 am, December 19th, 2014 - 113 comments
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Written By: - Date published: 6:22 am, December 18th, 2014 - 247 comments
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
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