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I don't know what it is about the word "Labour" that the right finds so hard to understand. David Farrar has a piece up today attacking the Labour Party for backing the Telecom lines engineers, who are members of the EPMU. The crux of his…
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The Herald has an exclusive claiming that National will go with ACT and reject the Maori Party over the issue of Maori seats on the Auckland supercity council. The Herald doesn't present any rock solid evidence to back up this claim but it's pretty obvious…
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One of the most powerful conservative Christian fundamentalist groups in America is Focus on the Family. This group has an impressive organisation, income, media presence and influence (summary). They also have an agenda which has been colourfully described as follows: Focus on the Family A…
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Recently, Bill English has been trying to make excuses for not doing anything about the spiralling numbers of unemployed. He says that the practically full employment* of recent years was a mirage and people who are becoming unemployed should know "their jobs were unsustainable". It's…
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In the 1980s and early 1990s, during the Right's neoliberal economic revolution, New Zealand's economic output per person stalled - growing just 0.01% per year between 1984 and 1992 - and fell behind Australia's economy, which grew 1.84% per person a year over the same period. Between…
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The issue of Maori seats on the supercity council has inevitably exposed the contradictions inherent in this government. The Maori party wants 'em. ACT won't agree. Which way will Key go? With Hide. Why? Because Hide's the only willing to hurt the government to get…
act auckland supercity maori party Maori seats national/act government
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I can't say I'm all that surprised about the results of the 'smacking' referendum. As any good pollster will tell you, if you ask a leading question you'll get the result you want. And that's exactly what we got. Contrary to what the beating lobby…
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I got along to the Greens' sold-out screening of The Age of the Stupid last night. It's a powerful movie, perhaps a bit disjointed at the start but it builds to a conclusion that really hits home. You can't watch it and not come away…
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Tony Ryall had his chance in the big chair yesterday, sitting in for the Prime Minister in Question Time. A chance for self-promotion, naturally. So the first question was from Jackie Blue to Ryall on elective surgery numbers: Dr Jackie Blue: What reports has the…
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Rodney Hide has said that having Maori seats on the Auckland Supercity council would go completely against his party's principles. So, he would refuse to be the Minister of Local Government taking a Bill through the House that includes Maori seats on the Supercity. He…
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The polls are still fine but National are looking a wee bit crispy round the edges right now. Nice Mr Key has a lot on his plate (hat tip).. Check out the rap sheet: - a recent humbling by election loss - a minister sacked…
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Vernon Small's pieces on tax in the Independent and Dom this week have been interesting. He provides a good overview of the issues around a land tax, capital gains tax, and raising GST. He points out that most economists argue we should tax things that can't…
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Interesting times for Key. Rodney is trying to wag the dog over Maori seats. He's also trying it on over the "smacking referendum" (memo to Rodney, you can only throw your toys out of the cot once). The "No" vote organiser "sickos" are already planning…
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You've heard about the Telecom dispute. But while a lot of the focus has been on what it means for the lines engineers involved, an equally important issue is what it means for the future of our country's infrastructure. Because basically, this whole dispute is…
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This just in from a reader... Constituent: [On Obama's healthcare policy] "Why are you supporting this Nazi policy?" Barney Frank: "On what planet do you spend most of your time?... You stand there with a picture of the president defaced to look like Hitler and…
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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…
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Good on Chris Hipkins. The other day, he wrote: "National won the last election quite comfortably. Kiwis are fair minded people and will be willing to give them a fair go at the job before they pass judgment. I expect that will be reflected in…
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An email leaked to 3News suggests that Rodney Hide is holding the government to ransom over denying guaranteed Supercity representation for Maori. The email - reportedly from a senior National Party MP and sent to the whole caucus - reads, in part: Clearly we are…
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Open Parachute has a post Evidence, not lawyers about that well-known writer of political fiction, Ian Wishart, issuing a press release saying that he is preparing to sue the Chris Barton at the NZ Herald and Gareth Renowden at Hot-Topic. As Open Parachute says The offensive…
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Brian Edwards gives his take on our "Photo-op PM". Demonising Key hasn't and isn't likely to work for Labour. It doesn't accord at all with the public perception of him (as evidenced by the polls) and it positions Labour as negative and nitpicking right at…
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Key, Mr Ambitous when it comes to cycleways and Job Summits, says that reducing carbon emissions from developed countries like ours by 2020 to 40% below 1990 levels, which the scientists say is mandatory if we want to avoid run-away climate change, is "too ambitious". Fair enough,…
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Apart from when it's customary, at maiden speeches, valedictories, and the Budget, it's a rare speech that warrants a standing ovation in Parliament. Phil Goff got one yesterday for his speech on the urgent debate into the deployment of the SAS to Afghanistan. The text…
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There's been an attempt to force Peter Goodfellow, the brand new President of the National Party, to step down. The move came from the party's board, worried that negative news around Goodfellow would damage the party if he hangs around. However, it looks like John…
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The Government's Tax Working Group has proposed increasing GST to 15-20% to pay for cuts to income tax. I'm not automatically against GST or even raising it, if it's part of the right package. Here's the issues as I see them: Points in favour of…
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Here is Bill English in the cocktail tapes talking about Working for Families: "the reality is if we had been the government, with the surpluses they had, we would have done something similar, like Working for Families... there's a set of inevitable problems, it's like…
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An excellent post from Idiot Savant (reproduced with permission) on the cost to taxpayers of subsidizing polluting industries. I haven't noticed the mainstream media reporting this critical aspect of the governments climate change proposals. Too hard for them to grasp perhaps? Climate change: An illustration…
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A lot of right-wing beliefs can be traced back to a few core values. Two apply to the DPB debate: a penny-pinching self-centredness a moral viewpoint that good people prosper thanks to hard work and, therefore, anyone who isn't prosperous is the author of their…
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In 2002, John Key (then a free-speaking backbencher) told the Sunday-Star Times: "We've seen enormous growth in the number of people on the DPB, and where people have been, for want of a better term, breeding for a business" Of course, it wasn't true that…
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I'm proud to be a Kiwi, and I've always enjoyed celebrating the successes of our tiny country. It's not often that I feel ashamed of our role in the world. But our National Government's position on greenhouse gas emissions is a disgrace. It's not just…