John Key’s Paradise
This really happened. Contains crimes against music, dance, fashion, and irony. Also some recent headlines from “John Key’s Paradise”…
Social issues
Be afraid!
Reports of an unconvincing “domestic terrorism” plot, and of further illegal GCSB spying.
Standing Rock update
The Standing Rock water protection movement continues in the face of increasing state violence.
Post-truth post-ethics
The McCully / Sheepgate thing is just the latest in a long line of “morally flexible” Nat fiascos. In a world where truth or ethical standards mattered this government would have ended long ago.
David Cunliffe announces his retirement from politics
David Cunliffe has announced that he will not be standing for Parliament at the next election.
Sunday Poetry
Slam, Tourettes and Sam, Le Guin as a man.
Rigged
Maybe Donald Trump’s claims that the election results are going to be rigged deserve more consideration.
Tax-cuts or… Education
National’s dangling tax cuts, but there are far more important things to be spending public money on. Today: Education.
ISIS Crisis
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says our training mission to Iraq is undergoing a transformation. We were warned when the troops first went that the mission was always intended to be looser than Brownlee publicly claimed at the time. And so it has turned out to be.
Fabian Event – 5th Labour Government – 30 October Auckland 1pm
All are warmly invited to hear Sir Michael Cullen, Hon Margaret Wilson, Hon David Parker, Mike Williams, and Dot Kettle reflect on the experiences of Helen Clark-led three-term Labour government – its achievements and its legacy and discuss its lessons for the future. Sunday 30 October 1pm-5pm Owen Glenn Centre, Auckland University, Grafton Road. Please register here.
Police launch moral crusade against old people
Police subjected a group of elderly people attending a meeting on assisted dying to random breath tests so that they could collect the identities of each person who attended.
US Election Discussion Post 27/10/16
Today’s post for all random comments and links on the US election.
Meth and housing
Why has Housing NZ ignored repeated advice and misused meth tests to evict tenants? RNZ: “Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said Housing New Zealand had caused a huge amount of harm by knowingly misusing the guidelines.”
Blogs and Activism
What contribution can a blog make to activism?
Tory MP resigns on point of principle
No, not in NZ, of course. With bonus notes on a “grotesque folly”.
Take a lesson from the All Blacks
The Japanese proved decades ago that shared ownership – involving workers in management – is a highly successful and productive model. Seems that it works for the All Blacks too.
Tax-cuts or… Housing
The government is proud of their surplus, which at 0.7% of GDP isn’t quite as dramatic as the 9% of GDP deficit they […]
Darren Watson 2 John Key 0
The Court of Appeal has ruled that Darren Watson’s Planet Key song should not have been banned during the 2014 election campaign.
Clinton vs Trump: Debate 3
We’re almost there, folks! The third and final presidential debate kicks off this arvo. Will Trump turn it around? Will Hillary bother turning up? Will Fox News beome a legitimate news outlet now that they’re allowed to run a debate? All will be revealed at 2 PM this arvo.
DHBs telling porkies about junior doctors’ strike
Junior doctors are speaking out against the misinformation being spread by DHBs.
Heck Yeah! Hekia Parata to Leave Parliament
Hekia Parata is to leave Parliament next year. The bad news is that she is probably going to stay on as education minister till then.
Fifth Labour Govt – Challenges and Lessons
Michael Cullen and Margaret Wilson will speak at the Fabian Society Seminar “5th Labour Government – Lessons from a time of Challenges” at Owen Glenn Centre, Auckland University, Grafton Road on Sunday October 30 from 1-5pm. Mike Williams, Dot Kettle and David Parker will be on the panel. Everyone welcome to discuss and debate. Guaranteed to be interesting – details inside.
One Billion Dollars
Treasury papers just released show National’s Housing Infrastructure Fund to be everything you expected it to be: a quickly cobbled together headline.
Tax-cuts or… Health
Health – particularly mental health – is underfunded, resulting in strikes over patient safety and units shutdown due to staff shortages. And unnecessary deaths. So why is the government even thinking about tax-cuts when our services need investment?
The Age of the Bitch.
– time for misogynists to feel our anger.
unCOOL
In August Hekia Parata announced her new COOL solution, that distinctly isn’t what it says on the tin.
Now’s your chance to submit your feedback on her proposal.
National’s HCNZ cash problem
On Thursday National announced a really big budget cash surplus but it became apparent that Housing Corp has a really big cashflow problem.
There is no surplus
In Year Eight of this National government, the idea of a budget surplus is a joke. They’ve promised it for nearly a decade. They’ve fiddled the books. The truth is, there is no surplus.
RIP Helen Kelly
Helen Kelly, NZ’s most prominent trade unionist, has died. A battler to the very end, Helen will be greatly missed.
Housing Corp is running out of money
Housing Corporation is forecast to run out of money by next February if urgent action is not taken.
Trump continues to get massive popular traction – why?
After Trump’s worst week in the campaign so far he attracted a capacity ~8,000 strong crowd to hear him speak in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., including thousands of women. What’s going on? Maybe it’s the fact that a hundred million Americans are essentially flat broke in an economy that the MSM repeaters keep insisting is recovering well, and anti-establishment feelings are running very, very high.
Nothing’s Going to Happen.
A wee reflection on our psychological fuck-edness.
Solidarity with junior doctors
Junior doctors taking strike action are being bullied and threatened that they’ll harm their careers.
Water and community
In coming together around a common need to protect water and land, community forms.
Clinton vs Trump; Debate 2
Round 2 of the Presidential debates. Trump is on the ropes, can Clinton land the knockout blow? Certainly, there’s a lot of Republican Party grandees hoping Hillary puts them out of their misery. Seconds out at 2PM, NZ time.
UPDATE: Obama nailed Trump’s real issue a few minutes ago; it’s insecurity. Video in post.
UPDATE 2: LIVE STREAM now in post.
International Days of Prayer and Action with Standing Rock
What we know is coming largely from outside the mainstream. Which is how it should be.