Written By: - Date published: 5:54 pm, May 10th, 2009 - 21 comments
There is an interesting paper by Mai Chen in NZ Lawyer Online about the pros and cons of the referendum on MMP that National has promised by 2011 – “Is the MMP referendum likely to result in electoral reform?” The current position is that MMP has managed to operate effectively in the NZ environment. Both […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:31 pm, May 8th, 2009 - 2 comments
Colin Espiner writes: “Another thing that’s being clearly signalled is that Labour’s previous spending promises in health and education won’t be honoured in the Budget. That $3.4 billion of spending Labour planned for 2009/2010… At the same time, Key and English are at pains to say that health and education spending will increase – and […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, May 8th, 2009 - 65 comments
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I express my condolences towards the victims in the Napier shootings and the families of everyone involved. As someone who grew up in Napier, it hits very close to home. Chaucer Rd, where this is all taking place, is right in the heart of Napier, one of the […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, May 1st, 2009 - 23 comments
Well the other shoe has dropped, and Michael Cullen has now left parliament. His valedictory speech is classic Cullen – best line (re his new role at NZ Post) “When I attacked National last year for swallowing so many dead rats little did I think that some might see me as one of them.” Anticipating […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, April 28th, 2009 - 52 comments
And so another of John Key’s “big ideas” is shown to have been costed by monkeys. Treasury study suggests fibre plan will fall short: A study commissioned by the Treasury has warned it would cost between $5.3 billion and $10.4b to connect three-quarters of New Zealand homes with fibre-optic cable using the Government’s preferred active […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, April 28th, 2009 - Comments Off on Drinking Liberally Auckland – the future of Auckland governance
Join all your favourite lefty liberal drinkers at Drinking Liberally Auckland When: 7pm, Wednesday 29 April Where: London Bar – corner Queen and Victoria Streets, Auckland CBD Who: you and like-minded left-wingers. All welcome. This month’s speaker is Mayor Len Brown talking about the opportunities and issues arising out of the Government’s proposal for restructuring […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, April 27th, 2009 - 56 comments
With the Government openly preparing the public for spending cuts in the upcoming Budget, No Right Turn reminds us that there are alternatives – rather than cutting services and harming the poor, we could always raise taxes on those who can most afford it. The state of New York is doing this, hiking state income […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, April 27th, 2009 - 20 comments
The Government’s response to the recession so far has been to curl up in a ball and hope it will go away. Incredibly, while the economy is shrinking, the Government is destimulating it further by cutting public services. The excuse they give is that if the Government doesn’t reduce its borrowing, the credit ratings agencies […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, April 24th, 2009 - 11 comments
Umm, some posts we get sent are a bit quirky. Enjoy. _____________________________ OK. I’ll confess. I’m one of the ones who fell for Key. I switched my vote to National. Why not? A brighter future, tax cuts, rainbows, nice smiles, ponys for all, being a loud [sic] to smack my lightbulb to my heart’s content. Why […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:15 pm, April 23rd, 2009 - 28 comments
After the success of the meetings about the super-city in Waitakere and Manakau yesterday, here are a few more of interest in date order. We will issue reminders when they are due. From the notice on the Grassroots Labour site about a public meeting in Waitakere. Time April 27, 2009 from 8pm (now correct time) […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:21 pm, April 20th, 2009 - 19 comments
I agree with the title of the Herald’s editoral today: “Let citizens have say on Super City“. Unfortunately, the editoral itself is wishy-washy. Aucklanders do deserve to have a say on the super city proposal. They should get to vote yes or no on the supercity in referenda before anything is set in stone. In […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 17th, 2009 - 39 comments
Peeking through the OECD policy brief there were some interesting issues when looking at the short-term economic issues over the next few years. As usual Granny Herald in their usual editorial policy of supporting NACT has it wrong. On their front page article they said… The economy is in for a long and deep recession, […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, April 16th, 2009 - 38 comments
The Herald covers some of the donations to parties and candidates before the election. One of the big donors was the Road Transport Forum, the trucking lobby, who were behind the famous ‘truck strike’. They’re getting value for money eh? National’s Transport Minister Steven Joyce has taken half a billion out of public transport and […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, April 15th, 2009 - 8 comments
Remember when John Key used to say “New Zealand has a growth problem, not a debt problem”? He doesn’t say that anymore, which is a pity because we do have a growth problem, not a debt problem, but the Government is acting like we’ve got a debt problem that needs to be tackled first. Yes, […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, April 14th, 2009 - 26 comments
The Maori Party MPs always read from pre-prepared speeches in the House. Here’s one they might like to read on Budget Day: We refuse to vote for more money to lock up poor Maori and poor Pakeha. We voted against National’s reactionary crime laws, now we will vote against the money to fund them. We […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, April 11th, 2009 - 31 comments
Rob Fyfe, CEO of Air New Zealand has seen a pay rise of 93%. The Herald reports that before his pay was frozen in July, Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe nearly doubled his pay – his package rising from $1.61 million to $3.1 million. With the economy in freefall and people’s jobs increasingly at risk […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, April 9th, 2009 - 3 comments
If you’re not fleeing the city for the long weekend like every other sane person, Drinking Liberally Wellington is on at the Southern Cross tonight with guest Metiria Turei. What: Drinking Liberally Wgtn When: Tonight, April 9, 2009, from 5.30pm. Where: The Southern Cross, Abel Smith Street Who: Good left-wing jokers and jokeresses like yourself. […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:03 pm, April 3rd, 2009 - 2 comments
Metiria Turei is at Drinking Liberally next week. Thursday, April 9, 5:30 at Southern Cross. Nice new logo too. Meanwhile, here’s Andrew Little from last week.
Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, March 28th, 2009 - 12 comments
Seeing some of Rod Emmerson’s cartoons in the Herald over 2009 thus far, you’d think we were into the Right’s nightmare of a fourth term Labour-led government. With Helen Clark’s new position at the U.N of course she’ll continue to be in the news. But on Thursday all Emmerson could offer us was an image […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, March 26th, 2009 - 21 comments
If the definition of PC is doing things because they fit an ideology, not because they make sense, then it’s clear National and ACT are pushing their own PC agenda. It’s out with successful and value-for-money programs like Mission-On. For a small cost now in helping kids develop healthy eating habits we will save ourselves […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:33 pm, March 22nd, 2009 - 16 comments
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark when senior journalists like Fran O’Sullivan feel that they have to provide public relations advice to National’s errant Ministers. It isn’t as though there aren’t enough PR people already in the Beehive to reinforce whatever John Key said about “phone-throwers or “temper tantrums” at Cabinet last Monday. […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, March 22nd, 2009 - 7 comments
Queenslanders yesterday elected Labor under Anna Bligh to a fifth term in government. Anna Bligh now becomes the first woman to be elected as Premier in Australia – Joan Kirner and Carmen Lawrence were both appointed after the resignations of Peter Dowding and John Cain respectively, and Anna became Premier in Queensland when Peter Beattie resigned. […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, March 20th, 2009 - 20 comments
I’d always thought Westies were the type to do things their own way, so this seems more appropriate in light of today’s RNZ interview discussed in the following story from Tane…
Written By: - Date published: 1:06 pm, March 19th, 2009 - 10 comments
The Electoral Commission has released the third party spending returns for the 2008 election campaign and it looks like for all National and ACT’s fears that the $120,000 third party cap would stop groups from being able to express themselves, only the Council of Trade Unions came close with a spend of around $100k. Other […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, March 15th, 2009 - 10 comments
Earlier this week, I posted on the feud that erupted when the Daily Show criticised CNBC and the business media. Last night, CNBC’s Cramer came on the Daily Show. The results were funny and informative about how the financial crisis was allowed to develop. “We’re both snakeoil salesmen to some extent but we label it […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, March 11th, 2009 - 8 comments
There is one job area where it’s no expense spared for the taxpayer – public relations in the Beehive. Michelle Boag tells the story here. Michelle has now joined the PR firm Momentum, where Jenny Shipley is a director. There’ll be enough moolah in that rolling maul to take the sharp edges off the recession. […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:50 pm, March 10th, 2009 - 3 comments
Just a reminder that Drinking Liberally is on in Auckland again after a hiatus of 5 months. It is just the thing to warm you up now that the Fiji weather has departed. REMINDER: Drinking Liberally is on 7pm tomorrow (Wednesday) night. Speaker is Rod Oram on global economic crisis. London Bar, corner Queen & […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:33 pm, March 2nd, 2009 - 13 comments
Labour leader Phil Goff will now be speaking at DL Christchurch this Thursday. Therese Arsenau has moved to a later date. When: 7pm, March 5 Where: Goodbye Blue Monday Who: Phil Goff and a who’s who of Christchurch lefties and don’t forget DL Dunedin’s first event is tomorrow, March 3. When: 7pm, March 3 Where: The […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, March 2nd, 2009 - 15 comments
There was a conference going on in the south of the city, and the Prime Minister, the Cheshire Fat Cat, and his cronies were busy creating jobs. The conference was a large one, but they were all crowded together in one corner of it: ‘No room! No room for the unemployed!’ they cried out when […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, March 2nd, 2009 - 17 comments
The debate around whether we should go through with National’s tax adjustments (they’re only cuts for the rich, they’re increases for middle and low incomes) has re-ignited as the commentariat suddenly cottons on that they are unfair and unaffordable, thanks largely to Fran O’Sullivan. As always, we at The Standard like to try to inject […]
Written By: - Date published: 4:18 pm, February 27th, 2009 - 8 comments
I’ve just got an email on the launch of the Drinking Liberally chapter in Dunedin: Come raise your spirits as you raise a pint as New Zealand’s network of progressive drinking clubs arrives in Dunedin. Drinking Liberally is an informal, non-programmatic gathering of like-minded left-leaners, an opportunity to share you ideas while you share a […]
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