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Vampires can't exist. It turns out that their existence would contradict ours. Here's the maths to prove it: "Let us assume that a vampire need feed only once a month. This is certainly a highly conservative assumption, given any Hollywood vampire film. Now, two things…
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DPF and the National Party have made much of a Helen Clark quote unearthed from her conference speech in 2000 on tax cuts. I've just read it on Kiwiblog and was puzzled by the elipsis in the middle. DPF writes: "Tax cuts are a path…
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Bloomberg reports that Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner under New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani who withdrew his nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security, has been charged with fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy. Kerik once led the largest U.S. police department. Giuliani…
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About a year ago I discovered the TED website. It's rapidly become a staple in my internet diet. From their 'about' page: TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. The annual…
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From Ruth Dyson's press release: The latest Household Labour Force Survey quarterly results from Statistics NZ confirm the Labour-led government's employment policies and responsible economic management, says Social Development and Employment Minister Ruth Dyson. "The record low level of unemployment of 3.5 per cent is…
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There's a new Roy Morgan poll today, and it's good news for the left. Gary Morgan says: "The vote for the Labour Government has surpassed the 40% mark for the first time since January. Conversely, the vote for John Key's Nationals (45%) is at its…
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All election addicts are casting their eyes to what is happening in other countries & especially over in Australia and in the States. The US political teams lead the way on the integration (and spend power) of web resources & but as this article points…
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Evan Thornley is a member of the Upper House of the Victorian State Labor govt. He spoke recently at the NZ Labour Party conference about Labour values. He helped set up the internet based campaigning organisation GetUp! which now has over 200,000 members. He's big…
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Crown Prosecutor Simon Mount is rumoured to be replacing Bob Clarkson for National in Tauranga next election. Which is a bit rough considering Bob won the seat off Winston last time round. But you can't blame them - the man can barely feed himself, let…
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Chris Simpson has suddenly gone as manager of the National Party, and Steven Joyce and Jo de Joux are back. According to The Hollow Men they are the team who ran the hidden campaigns with the Exclusive Brethren and the racing industry in the 2005…
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The Solicitor general has decided against allowing prosecutions under the Terrorism Suppression Act for all 12 people referred to him by the police and is making an announcement in Wellington now to that effect. According to Newsroom: He says the key reason he is not…
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It seems the suggestion of "Deutschland uber alles" as a campaign song has got National's General Manager Chris Simpson the boot. I also hear that there's no love lost between him and Judy and apparently it's a matter of madness. One of them thinks the…
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Chris Knox had a good piece in the Dom Post today explaining why he wrote Labour's new campaign song. Here's an extract: Good grief! I've gone and written a campaign song for a mainstream political party! Could I possibly be the same Chris Knox who…
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Watching party conference made me think of this old ad - when it all lines up great things can happen. Fortunately for Honda they didn't have to contend with Len Richards on the set...
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Some people just never learn. After National's conflicting statements on bulk funding the other day you'd have thought they'd get their messages in order, if not their policies. But take a look at these comments from Alan Peachey in Parliament yesterday: Hon Marian Hobbs: Has…
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Following on Tane's post yesterday, it looks like Ger's in trouble with his Nat bosses over his comments that National would back the law around Parliamentarly spending if Labour shortened the period under which parties come under the spending limits in the Electoral Finance Bill.…
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It looks like Herald journo Audrey Young needs to go back to the basics and check a few facts before going to print. Reporting on the Labour conference and the performance of Chris Knox's song Audrey's blog says: "What you won't get on the recorded…
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It's not often we're wrong, but we're right again. Gerry Brownlee dropped a clanger in Parliament today when he admitted that National's opposition to electoral finance reform isn't to do with the drafting problems, nor is it to do with anonymous donations. It's about being…
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University of Otago political studies student Geoffrey Miller has set up a blog about the ACT Party, called Douglas to Dancing. It seems to take a rather academic, non-partisan approach and looks like it's got some interesting stuff. Turns out former ACT MP Gerry Eckhoff…
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Regular readers of David Farrar's National Party blog will be aware that it's been in a bit of trouble lately. Aside from the setting up of robust left-wing opposition in the form of The Standard, Kiwiblogblog and others, DPF's had to contend with an increase…
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powered by ODEO Written by Chris Knox, the song should come with a warning. Having heard it once, you're unlikely to be able to forget it. Download it here (MP3 - 2Mb). Lyrics below. It's a Better Way with Labour Chris Knox We're a part…
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A mate just sent through this pic from the Labour Party conference. That's EPMU president Don Pryde on the left and fellow Dunedinite Chris Trotter on the right, apparently caught as they were heading for the bar. The resemblance is uncanny.
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It's happened again. The Nelson Mail reports that: National MP and former principal Allan Peachey has broken ranks with front-bench colleague Katherine Rich over education policy, arguing in favour of the bulk-funding of teacher salaries... The Tamaki MP and associate education spokesman... publicly endorsed the…
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An interesting piece in yesterday's Molesworth and Featherston (off line): Labour will pick a fight over workplace law reform. Trevor Mallard is in there to promote a message of 'higher wages through better industrial law' along with a scare campaign that says National will cut…
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NZCTU economist Peter Conway makes a good point about National's spin in his latest Economic Bulletin. After highlighting the shonky statistics behind the party's attempts to inoculate the 1990s with its "Joanna Average" story, he goes on to point out how disingenuous the party is…
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Newstalk ZB reports that failed Dunedin Mayoral candidate Olivier Lequeux has put his name forward to challenge the Labour selection in Dunedin South. According to ZB: Mr Lequeux says Labour approached him to put his name forward. He is now in Auckland meeting with party…
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John Key made a speech to the Police Association today proposing a whole raft of new police powers, ranging from banning gangs to taking DNA samples from anyone who is arrested, regardless of whether they're found guilty or innocent. To justify these proposed new powers…
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In the wildly twisty turny inverted think of Rodney Hide it is both possible to say all violence is wrong and that smacking isn't violence so that's OK. Mr. Hide's October media release states: "violence in any circumstance is unacceptable" In May Mr. Hide stated…
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Following a perfectly sensible Cabinet reshuffle story tonight, TV One News must have had this weird rush to the head because they sent an English (really silver spoon English too), white, tie wearing suit to interview the good people of South Auckland to find out…
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