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Poor old Nick Smith. Not only is he stuck peddling long-disproved lies about ACC but now it seems he can't even get a simple procedure like sacking Ross Wilson right. According to the Sunday Star Times Smith hadn't managed to properly sack Wilson by midday…
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National's 9-day fortnight will save only 2-3% of the jobs that are expected to be lost in the recession. It's a trifling investment of only $20 million. It makes no effort to get workers into training. But the deep, dark secret is it is geared…
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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…
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Fresh on the heels of allegations ACC has blown-out and is likely to decimate New Zealand's credit rating, Accident Compensation Minister Nick Smith has revealed he has evidence of the public insurance scheme's involvement in the assassination of loved American President John F. Kennedy. The…
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Newstalk ZB reports: The Prime Minister is keen to open the door to foreign investors. In a speech to the Act Party conference today, John Key said a review of the Overseas Investment Act will be announced by Finance Minister Bill English next week. The…
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I've been meaning to write something about the private prisons bill for a couple of days as it's a recipe for barbarity. But I've decided there's no way I could do a better job of it than I/S has at No Right Turn, so I'm…
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Gordon Campbell's pretty scathing of Key's nine day fortnight scheme in his latest article at Scoop, describing the announcement as a sign workers will have to bear the brunt of the recession. Plainly, workers are going to be the first people over the side of…
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A leak reveals more words banned by National/ACT : strategy blueprint engagement socialisation collaboration co-ordination We're destroying words - scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We're cutting the language down to the bone.
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Over the last week or so the Government, and Nick Smith in particular, have run a dishonest PR campaign to undermine ACC and soften up the public for cuts and eventual privatisation. In response, the Council of Trade Unions has put together a helpful fact…
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If there's one thing that strikes you about John Key's post-cabinet press conference this week, it isn't the scintillating prose or erudite diction. It isn't even the brilliant plans brimming with enthusiasm, intelligence and vision. What's remarkable is that the guy looks exhausted. He's been in the job…
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The Dominion Post has this column on Fridays called the Diary [offline*]. It's written by some anonymous staffer and is supposed to be a witty and irreverent take on minor happenings over the last week. We're clearly getting under someone's skin there, because this week…
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A link in the comments led me to ballon juice You Have To Be Shitting Me. It refers to a article at boston.com Now-needy FDIC collected little in premiums WASHINGTON - The federal agency that insures bank deposits, which is asking for emergency powers to…
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Question 1. Which of these are 'front-line' staff and which are 'back office'? a) the extra staff members for National and Maori Party MPs that the government has just found money for? b) the fines collections officers the Ministry of Justice is firing because the…
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We've heard a lot of panicky comments in the last few weeks about a 'cost blowout' at ACC. We're told there is $22 billion in liabilities with $12 billion unfunded. That sounds bad, but what does it actually mean and what's really happened? ACC used…
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Good to see Emerson's back in form.
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The Service and Food Workers Union has launched an online email campaign to urge Sealord Chairman Robin Hapi to reconsider axing 180 workers in Nelson. The other 400 have have been threatened with pay cuts or else they'll face the sack as well. And this…
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Last week, Jon Stewart poked fun at the media who cheer-led the housing and stockmarket bubbles and are now blaming the people who took on subprime mortgages for the financial crisis. They bit back with hilarious results. Jon is interviewing Cramer today, it will screen…
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The wheels are starting to come off National's PR campaign to undermine ACC as more and more people notice the gap between their spin and the reality. This morning's Dom Post has an interesting article [offline*] where the managing director of actuaries Eriksen & Associates…
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Morning Report asked Paula Bennett why the public sector had been cut out of the 9 day fortnight scheme this morning and her answer was that it was for businesses that have been hit by the effects of the recession and the public service doesn't…
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The 9 day fortnight scheme has finally been announced but I've got a few questions: Why do the taxpayer and the worker have to pay but the employer not? What about free training? Surely that would fit with the productivity argument National's been making? Does…
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I'm always amazed at the intellectual hoops the neoliberal right will jump through to try and deny low income workers minimum wage increases. David Farrar has a piece up today highlighting the case of Honduras, where they've apparently raised the minimum wage by 60% in…
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The sensationalist tone of media releases regarding the financial situation at ACC has ignored the causes behind this so called ‘blow out'. The investment losses have been a big part of it but there is also a rising accident rate stemming from our ageing population and climbing obesity…
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Yesterday Tane did an excellent post speculating on links between the Sensible Sentencing Trust and GEO Group. GEO Group derived from the notorious Wackenhut Corrections and it now wants to run privately run and publically funded prisons in NZ. In the US, the GEO Group…
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In his blog today Colin Espiner points out how National has quickly moved a lot further to the right than they portrayed themselves as pre-election: After following the script for the First 100 Days to the letter, National is now branching out into things that,…
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The opening night of the Pasifika festival at Western Springs in Auckland will be proceeding. After a funding shortfall the Auckland City Council cancelled the traditional Pasifika opening night. But the Pacific Islands Board Auckland City (PIBAC) and the Pacific community rallied together and last…
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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…
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Just received this from the Wellington Drinking Liberalites: Just a last minute reminder, tomorrow is the third Drinking Liberally of 2009, featuring the new Green MP, Kevin Hague. Kevin was formerly the Chief Executive of the West Coast District Health Board and has served as…
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Brian Rudman has a good piece this morning on the Earl of Auckland's backwards-looking decision to reinstate a "ridiculous regime of titles dating back to feudal times". The best quote's from Sister Pauline (herself a Distinguished Companion of the NZ Order of Merit): I can't believe…
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This is good. Here's what ACC's ads might look like once National's had its way with it: [Hat tip: Clarke in the comments]