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Brand Key
We got this in from the 'sod and we like it so here's the guest post we swore we'd never give him (taking the piss out of Ian Wishart didn't count). 'Sod, don't let it go to your head. Brand Key, or the cultural logic…
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Archives · 2008-06-02 to 2008-06-08
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What’s Behind Key’s Cheesy Grin?
Ever since Labour's budget was released, John Key has been talking cheese. I've been wondering why all his talk of blocks of cheese has been making him smile with such a big big grin. Well, a check of MPs' financial interests sheds some light. Slippery John is making a bundle…
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Bubbles and empty spaces
John Key's policy vacuum is such a joke that even the ad-men are using it for comic material. Have a listen. powered by ODEO lprent: There seems to be a problem At ODEO. Stored local in link below. John Key - Bubbles
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Video: Dr Cullen at Drinking Liberally
We just received a video of Michael Cullen's speech to Drinking Liberally on Wednesday from one of the attendees. It's well worth a look. Everyone who was there that I have spoken to since was hugely impressed because Cullen spoke from his roots, from his…
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Key greets high school students, Vulcans
Before you bag him, give it a go yourself, it's harder than it looks. It's a little known fact that Spock took years to perfect the Vulcan salute and sparked more than his fair share of diplomatic interplanetary incidents during that time.
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Quote of the week
On John Key's visit to Waitara High School yesterday: Ms Gellen said Mr Key's visit had been excellent and the students had got a lot from it. "They are now more aware of who he (Mr Key) is. "Some said they weren't going to vote before,…
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Peters refuses to answer your questions
In the final of our 'Interview the Leaders' series, we asked Winston Peters three questions submitted by readers. Damian Edwards from his office promptly replied that Peters would be answering no questions from political blogs. So instead we've provided answers to your questions in the…
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Who is the Listener listening to?
Here's an interesting piece from Otago University student magazine, Critic - "Who is the Listener listening to": Substance does not always equate to sales. [Editor] Stirling admits that during the 2005 election, their eight 'political covers' bombed. Yet there are perennial features that seem bigger sellers…
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Introducing the Standard Week
We know that if you miss a couple of days of The Standard you can have 15 posts to read. Even though we try to keep posts pithy, it can be too much to catch up on. So, we're happy to introduce the Standard Week. On…
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National policy vacuum becoming a joke
A reader just alerted us to this. When John Key went missing in action on Sunrise what did the "Allstars" suggest he was up to? Watch to find out...
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How Obama did it
Time has a special report on how Obama "become the first Democratic insurgent in a generation... to knock off the party's establishment front-runner". Obama's Chicago headquarters made technology its running mate from the start. That wasn't just for fund-raising: in state after state, the campaign turned…
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Down Under Feminists’ Carnival
Hoyden About Town have just written to let us know that they're hosting the first edition of the Down Under Feminists Carnival. They're calling it a "spectacular buffet of feminist writing" and we're sure it will be. The Down Under Feminists' Carnival is open to feminist submissions…
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17-year-old disses Key on Bebo
The Taranaki Daily News reports: National Party leader John Key was at Waitara High School, where he pushed his party's plan to spend $1 billion on "super fast broadband". This would allow pupils to access his Bebo and Facebook pages at a fraction of the…
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Into the void: examining National’s ‘policies’
National's so-called policies are laughable. National says it has released '14 policies' (14! wow! anyone would think they were planning to run a scout troop not a country) but six are just to adopt the existing policy. And the others, well - * Setting national standards in…
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Many liberals, many drinks at Drinking Liberally
Drinking Liberally last night was another raging success. The crowd was about 80, lots of new faces and good fun had by all. Given an open brief, Michael Cullen went back to his roots. He talked about social democracy and what it stands for; what…
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OCR unchanged
The Reserve Bank has left the Official Cash Rate unchanged; no-one expected a rate cut this early. It's encouraging that Bollard has firmly signalled that interest rates will be coming down this year despite projected inflation reaching 4.7% in the September Quarter. There's no use…
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A World Environment Day Carol
Garth George surprised me today, and a welcome surprise it was. Here's an extract from his article - I decided that in this week's column I would have a bit of fun at the Greens' expense in the wake of their annual meeting. But since…
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Drinking Liberally tonight
Just a reminder that Drinking Liberally is on again this evening. See youse there. WHAT Drinking Liberally WHEN From 5.30pm, Wednesday June 4th. WHERE Southern Cross, Abel Smith Street SPEAKER Michael Cullen, Deputy Prime Minister CONTACT wellington@drinkingliberally.org
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Obama clinches nomination
Thank God that's over.
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Food Police State fails to eventuate
Remember the tories and the Kiwiblog Right getting all flustered about the ‘Food Police', when guidelines were announced to control junk food in school tuck shops? Remember how this was the Nanny State at its most perverse and surely one step from us all being…
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Ward sees sense
Good on Mike Ward for finally seeing sense and stepping aside, allowing Greens co-leader Russel Norman to enter Parliament replacing Nandor Tanczos. Norman is rapidly establsihing himself as a very good media frontperson for the Greens; being in Parliament will enhance his role. Only the…
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Scott McClellan on the Daily Show
Last night on the Daily Show Jon Stewart interviewed Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary who has come out and accused the Bush administration of a "culture of deception" and of maintaining a "permanent campaign approach" to governing rather than making the best…
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How much did Key pay for his seat?
It's funny the stories you hear when you're out in the provinces. I was up in Auckland over the long weekend and came across someone who told me the story of how Key became involved in National. See, Key was never political growing up and…
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Labour re-opens Botany
Brenden Sheehan, the high profile spokesperson for the Muliaga family has withdrawn as Labour's candidate in Botany. A press release put out by the party says Brenden's chosen to pull out in order to give his time and energy to a seriously ill family member.…
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Foreign media owners slash journo numbers, again
The New Zealand Press Association, owned by APN and Fairfax, has announced it is slashing its journalists from 55 to 48. In election year, they are reducing the parliamentary bureau from five to four. They are even sacking their only (yes, only) South Island reporter.…
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Advice for future aides
Those interested in the political situation in the States will be wanting to read the new book written by Scott McClellan (former White House press secretary), with potentially some lessons for operators in NZ. This piece in the Washington Post suggests that the people who should read it the most…
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Treasury dreams of cheap oil
This is the graph of the oil price forecasts Treasury used to underpin its fiscal model for the Budget. It assumes that oil would touch $115 a barrel US in about July this year before easing off to a long-run level of $100 a barrel.…
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Polling companies confirm reputations
Another pair of TV polls, another embarrassment for Colmar Brunton as their poll goes widely out of line with the others even as TNS/TV3 is confirming the established trend. Still, neither of the polls looks great for the Left. National would govern alone under either…
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Regrets? I’ve had a few
Is Don Brash trying to help or hinder John Key? A revealing couple of articles (a news story and a feature) in the Sunday Star Times in which the former leader - full of self pity and self loathing in equal measures by the sound…
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Bo Diddley RIP
Rock'n'roll pioneer Bo Diddley has died of heart failure, aged 79. Here's a little something to remember him by (ignore the crazy Dutch guys):