Another day, another bullshit Family First/Curia poll
Oh look, once again Family First’s rhetoric fails to match its reality.
Social issues
The Human Cost
The funeral was a very full house and hard. You may have even seen it on Campbell Live; The Herald gave it front […]
TS quote of the week
The poor tend to be understood as the rational inferiors of the well-off, to the extent that political arguments now largely revolve around their management rather than their representation.
NRT: Was Devoy’s appointment unlawful?
No Right Turn asked an interesting question yesterday about how the appointment of Susan Devoy was made.
..it is highly doubtful that Devoy meets that statutory criteria for the office she has been appointed to. The advice on her appointment should make very interesting reading…
Cunliffe off to a flyer in revenue
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The revenue portfolio looked like a big step down for Cunliffe but already he’s made a mark as the parliamentary voice of a business/union coalition against Dunne’s stealth taxes. The result: humiliating backdowns for Dunne, a stain that may threaten his hold on Ohariu, and Cunliffe and Labour on the side of the winners.
Good poll for Shearer
The latest Herald Digipoll is mixed news for the left, but good news personally for David Shearer. Even John Armstrong is cautiously impressed…
Democracy needs straight answers to straight questions
The current Speaker in the House, David Carter, is a disaster. Yesterday he let the government get away with avoiding providing serious answers to important questions: a government ploy? Russel Norman has complained. Democracy needs the government to be held to account.
Punitive, anti-beneficiary Bill- opposition needed!
The Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill second reading is first up on the provisional order paper for today. It is a further step in Paula Bennett & NAct’s vicious, punitive, bennie-bashing campaign. MPs are urged to vote against it!
The difference
Key hid his Tranzrail shares while asking questions about Tranzrail because he’s a sneaky, avaricious bastard.
Banks filed a false election return keeping his big money donors secret because he’s corrupt.
Shearer forgot to declare his UN Bank account because he’s a bit of a munter.
Time will tell which the public tolerates more.
Polling merry-go-round
The Roy Morgan polls continue their mad merry-go-round, and we bloggers continue to get too excited about it. The latest RM projects a win for Labour / Greens.
Selling out our education
Profit-driven private sector cowboys are damaging the reputation of our education system. Naturally, National wants to make matters worse by subsidising foreign owners of profit-driven charter schools. Brilliant.
NRT: Insanity
I/S at No Right Turn on the insanity of scrapping the home insulation programme.
Smokefree? Then Cut the Crap!
Apparently the government is concerned for the general health of people in New Zealand. Apparently, an expression of this concern is the roll out of policy initiatives that will result in New Zealand being smoke free by 2025.
Flogging a dead horse
Irrelevant fringe group “Family First” really only has one drum, so I guess that they have nothing better to do except continue to beat it.
Unspeakable secrets of the Aro Valley
I’ve just been alerted to the fact that Danyl from the dimpost has a novel out called Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley.
Akl Unitary Plan: the good, the bad & the debatable
The Draft Auckland Unitary Plan has much to commend it. It focuses on resource management, responds to the reality of climate change & aims for a more dense but ‘liveable’ city. It has weaknesses, embraces destructive “growth” and raises questions: e.g. about affordable housing & environmental management.
1 in 10 houses being bought by overseas buyers
A survey of real estate agents has revealed that 9% of house sales result in the house going to an overseas buyer. Half say they plan to come and live here – that leaves 5% going to overseas investors. For some reason, the BNZ is trying to pretend that’s a small number. I find it a staggering number. Until now, I would have guess maybe 1 in 50 house sales went to overseas buyers.
National’s war on Auckland
Phil Twyford is the Labour MP for Te Atatu, and Labour’s spokesperson on Housing and Auckland Issues. He is also asking the same questions that many Aucklanders keep asking as they watch a succession of government ministers trying to valiantly advance backwards into Auckland’s past with no obvious purpose.
Two Things
David Shearer won’t rule-out asset buy back (at cost), and a great blog post on “Climate Change: The New Normal”
Novopay: debt collection
Apparently quite a few teachers got tempted from the fold and voted for John Key in 2008… it’s hard to imagine many of them wanting to do so after the Novopay debacle. But Novopay seem determined to make sure of it. Not content with failing to pay large numbers of teachers, it’s now persecuting those it overpaid, even when they give the money back.
Shearer signed up for sale
On Morning Report this morning there was a clip of John Key (in Brazil) saying that David Shearer had signed up to buy […]
International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day; the fight for equality still has some way to be won…
Key’s Venezuelan snub
John Key’s decision to not attend Hugo Chavez’s funeral is a snub of a major trade partner at a crucial time. Remember, this junket’s justification is that, for some reason, Key’s presence in these countries will improve trade. But, in snubbing Venezuela, he is insulting our largest export destination in South America. Venezuela matters more than all the countries Key is visiting combined.
Auckland housing: Brown vs Smith
Nick Smith, of the forked tongue, is challenging Auckland council’s plan for affordable compact housing. It will do nothing for housing affordability, transport, the environment. It is undemocratic, over-rides the council, and will enrich developers.
The Stealth Dismantling of Environmental Protection
To a first approximation the protection of the environment in this country is managed by two distinct entities; inside the Conservation estate it falls to […]
Mustn’t complain
I know we’re meant to make do with what we have. Sometimes wonder what we would have if a couple more MPs had thought beyond themselves, given the party membership the choice. Here’s two guys. One talking Labour values, recognising injustice arises from an unjust system. The other looking at a half mil house will touting affordable housing.
$425,000 for scapegoat
That’s how much we’re paying for Lesley Longstone‘s being forced to resign on 19 December last year, hidden in the Christmas rush. At […]
TPPA: US, corporate dominance – let’s do ACTION!!
TTPA talks under way in Singapore. Jane Kelsey leads critical discussion in NZ: Obama skewing the agenda in favour of US corporates; pharmaceuticals, internet, copyright & more; John Key’s dodgy figures. In Aussie today, a seminar on the TPPA & corporate dominance over women’s rights & health provisions.
Novopain protest Tuesday!
Nationwide protest against the Novopay fiasco tomorrow Tuesday (early!). Check here for details of a protest near you…
Gender and the census
The 2013 Census is pretty limited in its treatment of gender. Unfortunately, there’s no practical way to make your feelings heard this time around.
Stand back! The English language is evolving! GAY evolving!
Family First’s arguments against basic human rights continue to be absurd – now apparently we’re all going to forget what “husband” and “wife” mean.
Ageing population
A British report on the implications of their ageing population structure highlights, yet again, the lack of any planning on this issue from the Key government…
Caption contest
Greens announce non-racist policy; 3News decides to make it racist
Yet again, Patrick Gower digs deep to find a story where there really isn’t one.
“Minister for Small Things”
Yesterday, David Cunliffe,on Peter Dunne’s Student Loan Amendment Bill, & the related inter-generational swindle, labelled Dunne as “Minister for Small Changes” & “for Small Things”. Dunne further showed his support of the “neoliberal” swindle, with a couple of tweets on non-residents buying NZ property, smearing the Greens as racist.