Phil Goff: The Leader Emerges
Phil Goff made an excellent speech yesterday. One that showed far more direction, and a lot of promise for going forward. Hopefully Labour […]
Social issues
An understanding of class
Here’s John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett in the classic “An Understanding of Class”, a lovely commentary on one of the pillars […]
Child friendly
The Labour conference this weekend is expected to release new “policy directions”. One of them is out already — and it’s good. What could make more sense than putting children first?
The failing polls..
An article in The Economist looks at the failing basis of polling techniques in the USA. It isn’t that much different to the circumstances here.
“The proportion of those called who end up taking part in a survey has fallen steadily, from 35% or so in the 1990s to 15% or less now, according to Mr Keeter. Reaching young people is especially difficult. Only old ladies answer the phone…”
Lessons for Labour?
As the dust settles on the local body elections, what are the lessons for Labour? Especially, of course, “the big one” in Auckland. Len Brown, a “Labour Mayor from South Auckland”, beat Key’s anointed candidate for the right. What lessons can Labour take away? How does this shape the 2011 election campaign?
NoRightTurn: Nats let IHC burn
The government is refusing to step up to save IHC providers that are insolvent due to a recent court case that resulted in IHC carers being awarded hundreds of millions in back wages. The government is washing its hands, even though it is the primary funder of the services. Will the Nats let IHC collapse or will they use this to bring in their corporate mates?
The dark side of our society: Intoxication reigns supreme
The Sunday show last week featured the Prescription for Change campaign of Dr Albert Makary. Dr Makary has set out on a mission to drive social change surrounding the culture of binge drinking within our country. He hits his audience with hard facts, some disturbing trends, and presents everything in a way worth listening to.
Principals join Standards opposition
The New Zealand Principals’ Federation has launched their campaign against the Government’s National Standards. The weight of informed debate lies against the Standards achieving what they are purported to deliver. A growing number of education practitioners want the Government to go back to first principles and revisit the design of the Standards.
To be “a bit more like a New Zealander” means _____?
So after all that hoo-ha I did have to think for a while what it means to look and sound like a New […]
Paul Henry: Gone
TVNZ have announced the resignation of Paul Henry. John Key’s going to have a LOT of angry rednecks on his case over this […]
10/10/10
Today is 10 October 2010, a significant date for two serious reasons. And one silly one!
Paul Henry’s jokes about women, deaf people and infant deaths, proudly brought to you by TVNZ
Here’s a compilation from TV7’s Russell Brown from April this year, highlighting the value for money taxpayers get from paying Breakfast Bigot Paul […]
Disaster tourism
The Christchurch earthquake required the suspension of democracy nationwide for 18 months. But Key had time to take a week in Hawaii. And the Social Development Minister is able to go off on a ‘study’ holiday in the US. And Gerry Brownlee, who needed all those powers to rush through laws, has spare time to intervene in The Hobbit dispute.
Tilly Solley
Hot on the heels of massive cuts to Early Childhood Education Tolley has formed a taskforce to ‘take a look at the provision of ECE services‘. That’s hot on the heels of a similar taskforce to have a gander at why the National Standards won’t work. Has the goose ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you should think before you act?
Fire Paul Henry activism update, Boycott TVNZ Advertisers campaign gearing up
India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has summoned the New Zealand High Commissioner in New Delhi to please explain Paul Henry’s ultra-racist outburt […]
Murray “The Meddler” McCully
Our Minister for Sport now gets to pick the teams. He’s pushing out two of our best ever Olympians from coaching, because Murray knows best.
Yet more of Paul Henry’s racism, proudly brought to you by TVNZ
More anti-Indian racism from Paul Henry… and Paul Henry being racist about hispanics (you can tune out through the middle, but listen to […]
Analysing Henry’s ‘apology’, TVNZ & Key’s mishandling
We’ve had a lot of coverage of the issue of TVNZ’s bigoted host but I want to chip in with a few points: Paul Henry’s ‘apology’ is in fact a calculated dog whistle to bigots, the blame for Henry goes to a deeper rot in TVNZ, and we have seen prove positive of John Key’s complete inability to lead and stand up for what’s right.
Banks desperate
As it goes down to the wire in Auckland, John Banks’ desperation is on full display. It’s not a pretty sight. Banks seem to have nothing to offer but negative campaigning, personal attacks, and South Auckland dogwhistles. He deserves to lose.
Fabians on privatisation
Fabian Society seminar tonight in Wellington:
“Are there any new arguments for privatisation?”
5:30-7:30 at Connolly Hall, Guildford Terrace.
NZ’s new racist international image, proudly brought to you by TVNZ
Here’s some of the international coverage of New Zealand that Paul Henry’s racist outburst against our Governor General Anand Satyanand has sparked. In […]
Sack Paul Henry – protests at TVNZ
Join the protests this evening outside TVNZ in both Auckland and Wellington calling for Paul Henry to be sacked.
AUCKLAND: 5pm, TVNZ HQ, 100 Victoria Street West
WELLINGTON: 5pm, TVNZ, 86 Lambton Quay
Quick thoughts on Henry’s “apology”
So he’s apologised to the Governor General personally but not to the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who he has described as […]
No rest for team Brown
The weekend headlines make it seem like Brown has the Auckland Mayoral election all but won. That’s an invitation to self-defeating complacency. Team Brown needs to keep up the hard work — it ain’t over ’till it’s over.
Paul Henry: we all pay for his unending bigotry
New Zealand’s most infamous anti-Ambassador Paul Henry has shamed us all once again. On TVNZ’s Breakfast this morning, Henry asked John Key (at […]
India: Ignorance at a distance
It’s been pretty painful watching the media coverage of the Delhi games buildup over the last few weeks. What a lot of xenophobic nonsense we’ve been served up.
ECE cuts hurt kids & parents
Early childhood education is great stuff. Those first few years shape a child’s future more than any other. Getting into learning and into socialising early on leads to huge rewards later in life. Parents can go back to work if they want or need too. For every dollar spent on ECE, society gets 13 back in benefits.
Banks and the South Auckland bashers
John Banks has made bashing South Auckland part of his campaign “strategy”. That didn’t work out so well for Melissa Lee, and it won’t work out so well for others that are now trying the same tactic…
What will future generations condemn us for?
This question is something that has been on my mind for some time. In this article, Kwame Anthony Appiah, a philosophy professor at Princeton, sets out four examples of current policy that he believes those in the future will look back and say “What were people thinking?”
Something odd in crime stats
The crime stats are not good news. Homicides are up, violent offences are up, sex offences are up, harassment and related offences are up, drug offences are up, public order offences are up. Oddly, though, the total number of offences is down (by 0.1%). The decrease is all down to a 25.6% decrease in recorded fraud offences. What’s up with that?
Quick question
Why does our Minister of Tourism always take his holidays overseas?
John Banks – another Melissa Lee
John Banks has been slagging off South Auckland. Ooops. That’s the same mistake that Melissa Lee made in the Mt Albert by election. The same mistake deserves the same fate. Banks cannot credibly operate as mayor of the SuperCity.