National’s solution to poverty – make people even poorer
National MP Jo Hayes has advocated for the reduction of poverty levels by making poor people even poorer.
Social issues
Slapdown
Jacinda Ardern has publicly slapped Shane Jones down for blatantly racist comments by requiring Immigration Officials to reverse a policy change that was adversely affecting Kiwis who have recently entered into arranged marriages.
Police London-wide ban on Extinction Rebellion actions ruled unlawful
“The landmark judgment upholds the peoples’ fundamental right to peaceful protest and prohibits the Police from any such future ban”
Farage – thorn in the side of the UK Conservatives
Nick Kelly is a former NZ trade union leader and NZ Labour activist. He is a co director of Piko Consulting, and currently lives in London expanding Piko into the UK. The below was originally published on Nick Kelly’s blog
TWP – sorted?
A guest post from Chrissy Thomas on Te Whare Pounamu, Dunedin Women’s Refuge.
Trickle down fails yet again
Despite its continuous failure to work over the past 40 years trickle down remains a favourite justification by right wing administrations for allowing unfettered greed.
No Social welfare handouts for multinational corporations
Rio Tinto is practising further brinkmanship and have reportedly sent in a closure team to assess the viability of Tiwai Point and no doubt seek a Government handout. Is it time to say no and provide cheaper cleaner power to the country instead?
Twitter announces end to paid political advertising
Jacinda Ardern’s campaign against harmful social media has had an effect with Twitter deciding to ban political advertising on the grounds that internet advertising brings significant risks to politics.
Can’t Simon Bridges prove a double negative
Simon Bridges has announced new National Party policy to take benefits off gang members and their families if they can’t prove they don’t have illegal income or assets.
Small start to inflated bullshit.
I was reading one of Chris Trotters reflections which looked at the Corrections Amendment Bill 2018, that just passed its 3rd reading. “Putting The Check In Right-Wing Prisoners’ Mail”. It sounded odd and oddly lacked detail. I came to the conclusion taking press releases at face value without thinking was a very bad idea.
Brittle cities
It is pretty hard to miss a variety of cities around the world going nuts for apparently minor offences.
Truth, boomer memes and the next election campaign
Thanks to Facebook’s lax attitude to fact checking it appears that the next election campaign is going to be a rough one.
British Justice tortures Assange
Craig Murray reports on the horror of Julian Assange’s treatment by British so-called “justice.” Read it and don’t weep. You can see why Murray resigned from the UK foreign service; their diplomacy is just as bad.
Dog whistling Housing Corp tenants
National has announced that it will put an end to a “state house for life” if it gets into power next year. But its rationale is not only cruel but based on a faulty understanding of the local reality.
Parliament votes to give disabled people the right to a good life
Before we get to talking about the right to die, can we please have a conversation about the right to live?
Sneaky Simon somersaults on support for Terrorism Bill
National has welched on a promise to support the Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill so that it can play politics with law and order issues.
Zero Carbon Bill reported back
The Zero Carbon Bill has been reported back largely unchanged. But National has a series of talking points that suggest it will not cooperate with the passage of the bill into law.
NZ First Youth drags party screaming and kicking into 20th century
At New Zealand First’s weekend conference the party’s youth wing has forced the party to rethink its ultra conservative view on pill testing services being offered at festivals.
Reality kicks in for US trolls.
It has been an interesting few days looking at political reality kicking in on politics and the net in the UK and the […]
Why unions won’t give up on Fair Pay Agreements
The CTU has launched a campaign to raise awareness about a discussion paper released by the Government on fair pay agreements amongst media comment that government support may not be secure.
Australia gets tough on climate change activists
Following on from Weka’s post yesterday concerning attacks on the right to protest in the United Kingdom, Australia has also shown a concerning tendency to attack and undermine that most important of rights.
“Extinction Rebellion blanket ban chilling and unlawful”
Amnesty International condemn police blanket ban on Extinction Rebellion protests in London.
Burning down the house
Why is it that conservative politicians throughout the world engage in rhetorical attacks on laws that in many situations actually serve important purposes?
Goff returned as Super City Mayor
Preliminary results suggest Phil Goff has been returned as Auckland Super City mayor.
National’s extreme gang rhetoric
National has engaged in some extreme rhetoric concerning gangs which is not reality based.
About the $7.5 billion surplus
The announcement of a $7.5 billion surplus for the last fiscal year combined with a $5.5 billion surplus the year before proves once and for all that Steven Joyce’s claim of a $11.5 billion deficit in Labour’s costings was bollocks.
National’s plans to torment poor people leaked
National’s plans to torment poor people for political gain have been leaked.
On ‘free speech victims’.
Good to see that the courts upholding the right of venues to decide how they are able to use their facilities and assess risks. There is no ‘free speech right’ in our law including the Bill of Rights Act that overrides owners assessment of risk. The rights that are in the BoA are not exclusive – anyone can express their opinion peaceably – including protesters like myself at the doors of bigots.
The Government’s Economic Development Plan
Last week the government launched its Economic Development Plan, arguably late but with lots of useful initiatives.
Fonterra, again
Why New Zealand – and its government – need to engage much harder about Fonterra.
Unrelentingly negative
National has chosen to attack Jacinda Ardern on her trip to New York for doing too much and not enough at the same time. It seems to be a pattern.
Civilian offers a bleak look at our future.
The Civilian ‘reports’ in “Trump repeatedly asked Ardern if New Zealand gives asylum very often”. Oh shit! We need to reverse National’s large donation policy and proactively and preemptively pass a law against bolthole refugees.
The Greens on the need for rental law changes
Marama Davidson: renting has to be a valid way of life.
Fairy tales of eternal economic growth
Greta Thunberg has spoken at the UN Climate Change summit and has warned the world that it is stealing the dreams and hopes of young people through its failure to address climate change.
National’s rhetoric problem
National has displayed a concerning level of rhetoric this week involving a misrepresentation of the GDP figures and the attacking of a board appointee who cannot respond.
No Right Turn: Against facial recognition
“we should be outlawing this intrusive technology and the tracking it enables and entails.”