Guest Post – Waitangi Day, build a bridge and get over it
A Guest Post by David Meech presenting an irreverent view of Waitangi day, and New Zealand history and culture.
Social issues
A calculated feeding of the beasts within
The social democracy of my youth has radically collapsed into our current culture of individualism, privatisation and personal greed.
Orewa – 11 years on
Has it really been 11 years since Brash’s infamous Orewa speech? Yesterday Gareth Morgan gave a very different kind of speech there…
What did Key know about Sabin’s issues?
Now that Mike Sabin has resigned attention is on what John Key knew and when.
Queensland and Northland
The conventional wisdom re the Queensland election late last year was ”that converting (Labor’s) current tally of nine seats into the 45 needed for a majority will be a bridge or more too far.” Anastascia Palaszczuk was obviously not conventional but was wise enough to dare to win on community issues. A community-issue based campaign in Northland could also spring a surprise here.
Charity is illegal in Florida
PM’s science award winners on the sell-off
“The Government’s continuing attempts to divest itself of state housing overlook the enormous benefits to society which these homes produce in alleviating severe housing shortages. They were built up by successive generations of New Zealanders, and to “sell them off” under the pretence of efficiency is a disservice to all of us, whether we’re homeowners or renters.”
The Northland by-election
A by-election is imminent – so how does Labour win in a safe National seat?
National MP Mike Sabin resigns
UPDATED: Northland MP Mike Sabin has resigned.
Questions on Key’s housing sell-off
Key’s state house asset sale policy doesn’t make sense at any level, and the questions are piling up…
NRT: An untenable position
I/S at No Right Turn on the Mike Sabin situation. “For the sake of propriety and the integrity of our justice system, Sabin must be stood down”…
John Key’s housing announcement
John Key’s housing announcement contained very little new information. Work has been put in for the past couple of years in developing the policy. The net effect will be that the Government will have more money for other capital projects not related to emergency housing. It will keep its fingers crossed that charities can pick up the slack. And the risk is that not one new house will be constructed at a time of intense need.
Taxpayers Union Press Release on Eleanor Catton
The Taxpayers Union has responded to Eleanor Catton’s comment that New Zealand is dominated by money hungry politicans who do not care about culture by demanding she pay back funding used on her six month residency. Way to prove her point boys.
Imperator Fish: A clarification
Sexist right-wingers are lining up to abuse Eleanor Catton for speaking her mind. The odious Sean Plunket is the worst, calling Catton a “hua” (sounds like and sometimes defined as “whore”). Imperator Fish responds…
Labour’s plan vs National’s plan
The choice is clear.
Polity: Key deluded on housing progress
Rob Salmond at Polity on Key – “Is he deluded, or is he being deliberately misleading?”…
investing in social cohesion
experiences of solidarity and support can be found across the planet. they aren’t particularly hard to find, these many instances of kindness and humanity. so why does it feel like we live in a world that is incredibly hostile?
Eleanor Catton on NZ
Award winning author Eleanor Catton has expressed her disappointment and anger with politics in general and the government in particular.
can we just ignore it?
somebody says something stupid about muslims. then it has to be picked up by every media organisation who rush around for comments. of course they’ll find some muslims who will be angry and upset, given the serious stupidity of the comments. then the media report how OUTRAGED those muslims are, as well as interviewing the original culprit to give more air to his views.
Number of Reported Child Abuse cases have dropped
For the first time in ten years, reported cases of child abuse have declined. Minister Tolley and I are in agreement, that the […]
Nick Smith’s RMA reforms – low cost housing in Epsom?
Nick Smith has given his housing speech and blamed Auckland’s housing crisis on the RMA. A Treasury commissioned report, based on discussions with developers, has put dollar figures on what the RMA is allegedly costing. The logic of the analysis is that by reducing urban design standards we will make housing more affordable. Updated with link to Rob Salmond Polity post.
Open mike 22/01/2015
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Open mike 21/01/2015
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
NRT: Our financial laws mean nothing
I/S – “the Financial Markets Authority knew about almost 4,000 crimes and never bothered to prosecute any of them”…
RMA reforms … be very afraid
Nick Smith today announced proposed changes to the Resource Management Act. It is likely he will resuscitate the reforms that were stalled after Peter Dunne refused to support them last year. ACT’s David Seymour has said he will support the changes even though he did not know what they are. Treasury are to release a paper with proposals for change. Updated lprent – yep National stupidity reprised.
Where have all the houses gone?
Yesterday it was announced that Auckland is the ninth least affordable city in the world requiring 8.3 times their average wage to buy a home. Reducing regulation hasn’t worked, otherwise more than 20 homes would have been built under the 2013 fast track accord. The problem is a shortage of affordable housing.
Top 1% own 50% of world wealth: Oxfam
Winnie Biyanyima of Oxfam is one of six co-chairs at the Davos World Economic Forum. She says her role is to challenge the powerful elites, and she goes armed with a new report that shows that on current trends by next year the world’s richest !% will hold more wealth than the other 99%. She’s got some good ideas on what to do about it too.
War Begets War
We’re not good at learning from history.
Shortlist for GCSB Chief announced
It makes for great reading and throws the net wider than last time… just Check it out here
No quick fix for diseases of poverty
The continued rise of rheumatic fever is an indictment of our society.
New figures show that there is no quick fix for diseases of poverty.
Your move, National.
GCSB Head, Ian Fletcher resigns
For family reasons he is stepping down… Nothing to see here says Chris Finlayson, great guy who did a great job. For national’s supporters of course there is far more importance in receiving speeding fines Woodhouse is moving quickly to say the enforcement is ambiguous. It appears that he sees a universal right to speed and kill people…
Open mike 12/01/2015
The Authors of The Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm.
The Hypocrisy of Hate
You’d think that with all the WW1 commemorations going on at the moment it would make us more vigilant about our freedom and security, not sleep-walking towards another Holy Crusade (in the name of the God of Money and Father of Fossil Fuels), seduced by slick liars and the gods of commercialism and greed.
Local Bodies: Neoliberal Economics Limits Food Choice in Southland
bsprout on the Local Bodies blog, provides a case study, specific to Southland. At the same time, it outlines a more general pattern that can be seen in many places, each with their own local circumstances.
A Punitive Climate of Fear
Whatever the reason for a person’s disability if it is to such an extent that they cannot work we condemn them to a life of subsistence living with a big pay rise when, and if, they reach retirement age to 65% of the average wage!
Charlie Hebdo: ‘… and not give in to fear’
It is a shocking story to wake up to. A murderous act in a beautiful city. Condolences to those close to the people who were killed, and to the people of Paris and France. It is not a justification for the anti-democratic, invasive extensions to the surveillance state.