National’s policing problem
National is facing increasing public concern about the ability of the police to do its job properly.
Social issues
Motels are not state houses
It’s almost as if deliberately running down state housing stock doesn’t make the need for homes magically go away – who could possibly have predicted that?
Scots git on Q+A
I went to Q+A yesterday in search of political comment and was astonished to see John McTernan aka “Malcolm Tucker without the charm” given ten minutes to burble. McTernan promotes himself as a former political adviser to Blair and Gillard, but his last real job was chief of staff to Jim Murphy who led the Scottish Labour Party to oblivion in 2015.
Spinoff series – rent week
While much of the coverage of the housing crisis focuses on buyers, the situation facing renters is just as bad. Last week The Spinoff ran an excellent series on renting in NZ: “It’s getting desperate out there”.
NZ is number one – for domestic violence
It’s great that the government is planning some action on this shameful situation. It’s a pity that they are treating the consequences, not the underlying social problems that contribute so much to the causes, and it’s a pity that it’s taken so long.
“Dumbing down a generation”
An excellent piece by Simon Collins in the weekend Herald. NZ’s educational scores in international comparisons are locked in a downward spiral. National’s ideology has failed, while we ignore successful models.
Nat branch chair calls for “corporal punishment”
Bill English should have spoken out to dissociate his party from Price’s archaic views. Why hasn’t he?
What are we America now?
Last night ONE News had an important exclusive on Syrian-born Kiwis who say they are being subjected to “intrusive and unnecessary searches” at our border, including demands to pass over social media passwords. This needs an investigation, and if some officers are crossing the line, it needs to be dealt with quickly.
Fix our tax law!
Multinationals exploit our tax laws to pay no tax in NZ. Matt Nippert has been doing great work on this, and his latest this weekend on Apple is a powerful example. Planned changes to our laws don’t go far enough. We need to fix this. What’s the downside? What’s the delay?
The media prepares for Key’s final hurrah
With John Key’s imminent departure from Parliament attempts are being made by the media to sum up his reign as Prime Minister.
Reducing substance abuse – what actually works
If, instead of macho posturing (like the “War on P”), we wanted to actually tackle substance abuse, we would be looking at what actually works. Interesting case study in Iceland.
What’s going on at the BBC?
And now for something completely different.
Andrew Little’s speech on housing
Excellent speech from Andrew Little in Parliament yesterday, on the government’s willful blindness to the housing crisis.
#Trumpcare
The proposed Republican replacement of Obamacare will, surprise surprise, result in lower benefits, reduced coverage and a tax cut for the wealthy.
National’s flawed RMA ripoff still failing
Maori Party Co-Leader, Marama Fox, is playing hardball over Nick Smith latest attempts to weasel out of commitments on the deeply flawed RMA changes that National has spent the last few years trying to find any support for in Parliament. The bill is crap. The Maori party should just drop it regardless how many baubles they think they will get from it.
Free market efficiency in health – not
The idea of free market efficiency is not nearly as powerful or universal as its (often fanatical) proponents would have us believe. The sorry state of the USA’s health system is yet another compelling example of its limitations.
Call to teach consent in schools
Yesterday evening saw a well attended rally at Parliament to protest rape culture in NZ, and call for the teaching of consent in schools.
RIP Murray Ball
A tenant’s tale
“And when I saw that article in the NZ Herald this morning , in light of whats been happening to so many New Zealander family’s having to sleep in cars and the like over the past few years – I thought ”FUCK IT !!”… Im going to say something.”
No Mana, Māori Party
The Māori King’s comments reveal a much bigger crisis within Māori politics.
Roads not health
A new coalition protests health under-funding, while the cost of the holiday highway blows out. Our government has its priorities all screwed up.
The gender pay gap – grandstanding but no action
A new report has some really interesting findings on the gender pay gap. Paula Bennett engaged in a bit of grandstanding, but it rings completely hollow given National’s history on the issue.
Happy International Women’s Day.
NRT: The banality of evil
I/S at No Right Turn: “This is where National’s cuts and austerity have taken us: to a place where Corrections tortures and abuses people because it is the “cheapest” way of managing them.”
Future state abuse victims
What to do with the helpless anger generated by such a statement?
Social investment meets the surveillance state
First they came for the budgeting services. Now we know that every social service agency has to provide clients’ private personal data to […]
There are no fascists in New Zealand…
A confluence of circumstantial evidence is all you ever get when you’re dealing with cryptofascists.
The social damage wrought by homes as commoditites
A recent UN report highlights the waste of treating homes as commodities. It should sound awfully familiar in the NZ context.
Encouraging Signs
A refreshing shift in NZ’s political environment.
English reckons the collapse of NZ’s housing is “a good problem to have”
In every case a failure to plan, a failure to deliver, and a glib attempt to fob off the victims of his government’s failure.
Free speech vs hate speech
Auckland Uni is in a difficult position – a classic dilemma with two important principles at stake.
Who would have thunk that Government’s approach to housing is inadequate
Radio New Zealand has reported on a review of the Government’s housing policy which described it as fragmented and lacking a robust plan but it took intervention by the Ombudsman to have the review released.
Two editorials on immigration
Two very contrasting opinion pieces on racism, housing, jobs, and the immigration debate.
English hammered on ‘druggies’ smear
English will be worried that he got hammered like this, when Key got away with all sorts of insults and lies. And if you think your fellow Kiwis are useless workers you’re doing it wrong.
Off the track
Off the Track is the 10th State of the Nation report from The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit. Many of the markers routinely analysed for the report currently suggest we are not heading in the best direction for New Zealand as a whole. The Auckland Fabians have a lecture by Alan Johnson on the report on Thursday in Auckland.
Homeless crisis hidden in plain sight
Bill blames the blowout in emergency housing grants on the “hidden homeless”. Hidden only from those who will not see. Hidden only from a government that deliberately chooses for political reasons not to collect the relevant data.
Bill’s bigoted drug reckons vs the evidence
Some folks Bill knows are telling him stuff and he’s basing immigration policy on it. The facts say otherwise. Bill English is full of shit and it’s time that more media called him on it.