Written By: - Date published: 9:34 pm, October 7th, 2009 - 12 comments
Jonathan Coleman insists that there is nothing wrong with the Immigrant Advisers Act that restricts anyone giving any advice on immigration matters to registered advisers, against reasoned protest from Helen Winterbottom and others. David Farrar at Kiwiblog thinks this is a wrong call and I agree. Instead of insisting on shutting down any and all […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, October 7th, 2009 - 3 comments
Rob Fyfe isn’t the only business leader calling for socks to be pulled up over climate change. High powered companies appear to dropping like flies from the US chamber of commerce, on account of its anti-climate action stance. The lobbying powerhouse has been fighting an Environmental Protection Agency initiative to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, a […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, October 6th, 2009 - 23 comments
There is a very revealing quote from John Banks in the weekend’s Dominion Post where he talks about his campaign strategy: Uptown, Auckland Mayor John Banks, a former police minister and radio talkback host, is doing his best to soften his public image. “If I wear my policy on my sleeve, I won’t get elected. […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 pm, October 4th, 2009 - 1 comment
An interesting take on the Crafars from Bernard Hickey in the Herald. He starts off: The Crafar Farms tragedy is a microcosm of many of the things wrong about our business and investment culture. Then goes on to say: We believe land is the best investment always. We are happy to load up with debt, […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:58 pm, October 3rd, 2009 - 9 comments
Colin Espiner also writes in yesterday’s blog: The Government was slow off the mark in sending a minister up to Samoa. While Labour quickly dispatched two MPs, Winnie Laban and Chris Carter, as late as Wednesday McCully was still saying he saw no point in going up there. It took a couple of gentle digs from […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, October 3rd, 2009 - 26 comments
Remember “Education cuts don’t heal”? That was the rallying cry during the last National government. Looks like we might be needing it again this time round. National’s 2009 budget was a very mixed bag for education, but it turns out that it only narrowly avoided being worse – much worse. Seeking to save $50m in […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, October 2nd, 2009 - 28 comments
There is an astounding editorial in today’s business newspaper The Independent (not online) titled Foolish idea spirited away. Commenting on the recent 11pm closing time fiasco for Auckland restaurants and bars, the paper slams Banks’ leadership saying, ‘the embarrassing back down by Auckland City Mayor John Banks on proposed liquor-law changes doesn’t bode well for […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, October 2nd, 2009 - Comments Off on “Caped crusader’s plan flawed”
That’s the headline from today’s editorial in the DomPost. Th DomPost starts off: The last time this Government got into real trouble it had controversially made much-married former Winz boss Christine Rankin a families commissioner and selected a tyro to contest, almost unaided, the Mt Albert by-election Justice Minister Simon Power did his best caped-crusader […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, October 1st, 2009 - 25 comments
National has released its proposals for election law. Labour has criticised the $10,000 level above which donations must be disclosed as too high. National Party campaigner David Farrar gets very defensive on Kiwiblog every time people argue for a lower level in the interests of transparency. Farrar estimates that you need to give at least […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, September 29th, 2009 - 35 comments
There’s a grim irony to Bill English’s career. Despite being regarded as competent and having a Cullen-like role as the heavy-lifter in this government, he has also been at the centre of the worst National screw-ups of the last decade. As Minister of Revenue, he was heavily involved in the sale of Wellington Airport, which […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, September 27th, 2009 - 18 comments
This week John Banks took his faltering super mayoralty campaign to the Takapuna Rotary Club on Auckland’s North Shore. Banks tried to butter up the locals by talking about the time he was elected to the Birkenhead Borough Council waaaaaaaaaay back in 1977 (hint: you’re almost at retirement age Mr Banks time to step down). […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:24 pm, September 26th, 2009 - 10 comments
John Key has repeatedly said Bill English did not have a”pecuniary interest” in the house he lives in in Wellington with his family. It was apparently the Richard Worth test No 1 – Bill told him so. The Auditor-General’s website deals with the issue of pecuniary interest in offering guidance to Local Authorities regarding conflicts […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, September 25th, 2009 - 35 comments
Herald reports that AG will make preliminary enquiries into English’s housing payment. This follows a suggestion in today’s Business Herald that his credibility is affected by ongoing questions and the AG should investigate.
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, September 24th, 2009 - 28 comments
This was always a favourite of mine.
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 24th, 2009 - Comments Off on Drinking Liberally Wellington and Dunedin
**Wellington** Today – September 24, 2009, from 5.30pm. The Southern Cross Abel Smith Street Phil Saxby on drug law reform *Dunedin** Tuesday September 29th, 2009, from 7pm CIRCADIAN RHYTHM <– we’ve changed venue! St Andrew St Green MP Sue Bradford
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, September 23rd, 2009 - 47 comments
You’ll remember that in the Budget National decided to suspend payments to the Cullen Fund, which is designed to help fund the future cost of superannuation. At the time, John Key and Bill English said we were losing money on the Fund and we couldn’t afford to borrow to put money into it. They compared […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, September 23rd, 2009 - 2 comments
What more can one say. Read it and weep for our country.
Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, September 21st, 2009 - 7 comments
From Paul Krugman’s review of Skidelsky’s latest book on Keynes: “At research seminars, people don’t take Keynesian theorising seriously anymore; the audience starts to whisper and giggle to each other”. So declared Robert Lucas of the University of Chicago, writing in 1980. At the time, Lucas was arguably the world’s most influential macro-economist; the influence […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, September 18th, 2009 - 2 comments
In the second part of our double header for Drinking Liberally this month we’ve got director of Rethinking Crime & Punishment Kim Workman to come and talk about justice policy. When: 7pm TUESDAY 22 September – (not our normal Wednesday night) Where: Galatos – 17 Galatos Street, Newton (just off K road) – free entry […]
Written By: - Date published: 4:03 pm, September 14th, 2009 - Comments Off on DL Auckland: The Republic
Drinking Liberally is on again in Auckland this Wednesday, with guest speaker Lewis Holden of the Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand speaking about their new book, The New Zealand Republic Handbook. When: 7pm, Wednesday, 16 September Where: Galatos, 17 Galatos St, Newton, Auckland [hat tip: No Right Turn]
Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, September 10th, 2009 - 31 comments
Former National Party leader Dr Don Brash and Auckland Mayor John Banks love making the big bucks. And what better way to do it than hitting the most vulnerable in society. Today the National Party stalwarts are after mental patients. The Herald notes: KiwiSaver targets mental patient An Auckland woman is dismayed her 25-year-old son […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, September 9th, 2009 - 53 comments
An email doing the rounds of the women’s networks found its way to me today. It’s link to an article about the late Sophie Elliott, fomerly of Otago University and the essay she wrote on equity and and equality. Sophie may have been heading to Treasury the week she was murdered but when you read […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, September 2nd, 2009 - 4 comments
Not surprised to see that the Government has confirmed the Drinking Water Subsidy Scheme is being put on hold and reviewed. The subsidy aims to improve drinking water supplies in small communities of under 5000 people, and improve life for the 9% of the population whose current supply is sub-standard. Those of us living in […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, September 1st, 2009 - 16 comments
Seeing as Zet’s taken to writing serious posts these days, I thought I’d try my hand at a few wee gripes: – I see Larry Baldock’s still crying about the stupid, leading question on the smacking referendum being ignored, while Family First continues to run full page ads in the newspaper whining that the Government […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, August 29th, 2009 - 51 comments
The Conservation Minister, Tim Groser is quoted today: “If you can extract wealth from that [conservation land], that’s what we should do.” Stuff and goes on to label any opposition to this clear intent as ’emotional hysteria’. While it was obvious that Brownlee was indulging in dishonest double-speak with his ‘stocktake’ earlier this week; we […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:16 pm, August 25th, 2009 - 18 comments
I’m surprised that the Maori Party have rolled over so easily on the issue of Maori seats on the Auckland council. I will be even more surprised if the Maori people follow suit. Because they have every right to be angry. Remember what Key said of the Hikoi? The hikoi was sparked over the dumping […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, August 25th, 2009 - Comments Off on Drinking Liberally Wgtn – Thursday
Drinking Liberally is taking place again in Wellington this Thursday with guest David Shearer. He’ll be talking about his experiences overseas and on the campaign trail in Mt Albert, and how he intends to apply the lessons he has learned to his time in Parliament. When: 17:30, Thursday 27th August. Where: Southern Cross, Abel Smith […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, August 20th, 2009 - 22 comments
Mr Key is off in Australia this week promoting further measures to bind the two countries into a single economic market, and slash red tape on trade, investment and business, and to shape the two economies into a force that can team up to position themselves for the world after the global economic crisis.. Well […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:19 pm, August 16th, 2009 - 19 comments
Reading the Herald on Sunday piece about this senior political figure in the domestic violence dispute, I’m surprised his party hasn’t made him step down yet. I know that he has a right to fair process in the legal issue but from the facts that are public, it’s hard to see how he hasn’t crossed the moral […]
Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, August 14th, 2009 - 68 comments
For just a moment today, perhaps set aside a little time for reflection on, or to lift a glass and toast those New Zealanders who are ‘one of us’ and not ‘one of them’. Ivor Lloyd Richardson, Silvia Rose Cartwright, Leonard Ramsay Castle, Witi Ihimaera-Smiler, Nigel (Sam) Neill, Vincent O’Sullivan, Ranginui Walker, Cassia Joy Cowley, […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, August 14th, 2009 - 74 comments
In the wake of a rather nasty piece of ‘satire’ on another blog earlier this week, I’ve been thinking about over-population. It’s a pretty sensitive topic, and one that is easily derailed by the kind of ‘forced abortion’ scaremongering that Farrar practices so well. I’m intending to write a more substantive piece later today on […]
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