Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, January 1st, 2014 - 252 comments
In 2014 the New Zealand Left must have more on its agenda than “win power”. We should want to create a better New Zealand, and doing that is about so much more than economic policy (which is also, obviously, important). It has to touch everything. And it’s going to take people working in different areas on different parts of the plan to make it all happen.
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, December 31st, 2013 - 23 comments
These are the most commented on posts for 2013. They presented an interesting mix, some showed a strong consensus forming while others involved intense and unresolved debate.
Written By: - Date published: 2:07 pm, December 30th, 2013 - 8 comments
Normally we’d put “ImperatorFish: ” because, well, the post come from that site and from the fertile satirical mind of Scott Yorke. But in this case it is clear that someone else must have written the post. They couldn’t get the sequence of events right and they admitted to an act that a lawyer (such a fine upstanding and moral part of community) would never admit to. Has Scott has been hacked? And why does it sound like actual Cameron Slater writing on one of his better days.
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 30th, 2013 - 230 comments
Here & in the UK: food poverty, increases in queues to foodbanks, in diseases of poverty, a crisis in affordable housing, & struggles & insecurites of the working poor. But poverty denialists blame the poor, smear beneficiaries, & talk of (always-around-the-corner) “brighter futures”.
Written By: - Date published: 5:04 pm, December 28th, 2013 - 15 comments
If we look at the google impressions and click throughs onto our site, someone could probably write a sociological paper on exactly how many hidden perverts there are that the right wingers in the council are reflecting. I have to say that that I am quite pleased that we had poor click through for the “bevan chaung naked/nude” queries.
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, December 28th, 2013 - 47 comments
John Key’s great idea for job creation – his cycleway project – has produced some benefits, but is a patchwork production. Some sections will be user pays to fund maintenance. Meanwhile the job creation benefits have been limited.
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, December 27th, 2013 - 136 comments
It should be the name of a group from a bizarro version of the 1960’s. But no, it is what passes for the governance of the Auckland City Council these days. There is our mayor with his wet dick. Then we have the five perverts who are busy emoting faux outrage whilst quietly forgetting that we elected them to help run a city. Dick Quax, Cameron Brewer, and the handful of other perverts in council can play with that aspect of their lives on their own time.
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, December 27th, 2013 - 90 comments
The cult of the super rich, cheer led by the uncritical echo chamber in the MSM. Those struggling in poverty receive a few crumbs of charity, promoting superficial “good will” by those indulging in the orgy of consumerist excess. Underlying causes & solutions are ignored.
Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, December 27th, 2013 - 60 comments
A review of the Standard’s ten most popular posts for 2013.
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, December 23rd, 2013 - 159 comments
David Cunliffe has now been Labour leader for 100 days. This marks a good time for reflection on what has happened and how well he has done. And a chance to have a look into the future and predict what may happen in the next 12 months.
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 pm, December 22nd, 2013 - 42 comments
Today’s Herald editorial gets one thing right – a media pack has turned on Len Brown. But it’s not gutsy journalism – it comes straight out of the Rupert Murdoch playbook. Len’s latest sin is his upgrades – EY says they total $32,000 for 64 occasions. That’s $500 an upgrade, which seems a lot on top of what Len paid. The report does not detail how this total was arrived at, and I cannot find any example of any journalist asking questions about it.
Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, December 22nd, 2013 - 12 comments
The Fairfax Political Team has released their annual list of prizes for some of the most and least deserving efforts in politics this year. There was intense competition for Wally of the Year and somehow they did not think that John Banks deserved this award. But I am not so sure …
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, December 20th, 2013 - 116 comments
It’s looking like Team John Key is trying every PR spin trick in the book to gain an advantage for the election next year. Does he have anything to offer Kiwis other than bash, spin and photos ops? And McGehan Close? The underclass?
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, December 20th, 2013 - 240 comments
Cameron Brewer apparently forgot to file a declaration of interests in 2012 which should have included details of a four day junket to the Gold Coast paid for by Mediaworks. Dick Quax forgot to file returns in 2011 and 2012. Is an investigation required?
Written By: - Date published: 10:03 pm, December 19th, 2013 - 91 comments
It was the best of times in Wellington today. Council workers will get a living wage, and parking wardens will become council employees so they will get decent pay also. It was the worst of times in Auckland as the right-wing Scrooges having failed to remove Mayor Len Brown took it out on their workers by overturning his call for a living wage for Council staff.
Written By: - Date published: 3:17 pm, December 19th, 2013 - 141 comments
John Key’s attacks on Hone Harawira for his trip to South Africa were hypocritical: an attempt to smear a significant political opponent, and divert from the governments failings & its gradual falling out of favour with many (potential) voters.
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, December 19th, 2013 - 264 comments
Today’s Council meeting will no doubt develop a great deal of heat but little light. And then hopefully everyone can settle down and working on the real job which is to create Auckland into a great city.
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, December 17th, 2013 - 193 comments
On their usual friday bad news dump (such a large amount of it these days), the National government dropped this clanger. Greenpeace was right and John Key is a moron when it comes to geology and evidently about risk assessment. We held it over to get past the National’s Monday morning bad news clutter.
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, December 16th, 2013 - 100 comments
It never fails to amaze me that supposedly experienced and professional (ie, paid) political figures routinely reaffirm a fairly deep sense of stupidity.
Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, December 15th, 2013 - 138 comments
A Herald poll this morning has Labour on 40% with many expressing concern with the asset sales programme. And John Key displays a disturbing lack of numeracy literacy.
Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, December 14th, 2013 - 187 comments
No Right Turn has a view on Len Brown accepting nearly $40,000 in undeclared complementarities from the hotel industry. How many of these were from SkyCity? And who else has been getting them?
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, December 13th, 2013 - 187 comments
The no asset sales petition results are out and two thirds of the votes are against asset sales.
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, December 13th, 2013 - 57 comments
A month ago John Key was embarrassed in the House by David Cunliffe over the failure of the Government to contribute to the compensation of $3.41 million ordered by Judge Farrish to be paid to the Pike River families. Yesterday’s deal saw this amount being paid and the charges against Peter Whittall being withdrawn. An embarrassing political issue was shut down by a decision not to continue with a prosecution. Are you concerned?
Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, December 12th, 2013 - 97 comments
Right wing, excuses reasons, for not doing anything about children in poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, December 12th, 2013 - 47 comments
Fresh from his comedy career on Letterman, his rolling over puppy imitation for Warner Brothers, and other such high profile appearances. John Key has now taken to reprising the role of “The Man with No Name”. Milly the kitten is better known..
Written By: - Date published: 7:36 pm, December 11th, 2013 - 109 comments
And the results are bouncing around. Labour is down 3.5 and the Greens are up 3.5%. And the two blocks are neck and neck …
Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, December 10th, 2013 - 54 comments
Confronted with a protest about the government’s lack of action on child poverty, John Key’s response is: “So yeah, they just protest because that’s all they’ve got to do all day.” As though protesting – participating in our democracy – was a particularly unimportant thing to do. Also, if the people he was writing off […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, December 10th, 2013 - 172 comments
With ACT’s imminent demise, the Conservatives appearing to be decided flakey and National losing its free market credentials by engaging in crony capitalism the temptation to set up a new political party on the right is increasing. And you can be assured that money will not be a problem.
Written By: - Date published: 6:35 am, December 10th, 2013 - 138 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike …
Written By: - Date published: 6:24 pm, December 6th, 2013 - 85 comments
After today’s platitudes, it’s worth remembering where Key stood on apartheid when it mattered.
Written By: - Date published: 11:12 am, December 6th, 2013 - 158 comments
Nelson Mandela’s death in South Africa has been announced.
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