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Phil Goff has managed to defy the critics and make himself relevant. His speech on ACC and his criticisms of National's backroom deals with the Maori Party got praise and draw a contrast between Labour and Key's government, with Labour on the right side of…
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The Sunday Star Times reports that police have been passing private information about staff members onto Air New Zealand via the official information act. According to the story a flight attendant was picked up over the legal limit on the way to work, went home…
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No, I haven't abandoned my resolution to be less political on Sundays quite so soon. This post is about smells. Specifically, the effect of certain smells on behaviour. How's this for fascinating: Clean Smells Promote Moral Behavior, Study Suggests People are unconsciously fairer and more…
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Unbelievable. John Key has opened the environmentally destructive Whangamata Marina. This was a battle between rich property developers, against the serious concerns of local Maori, surfers, and environmentalists. Key has come down firmly on the side of his rich mates. But not only that, he's promised…
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Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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What a strange little editorial in the Herald today. It's a typical spin piece that tries to frame John Key's shoddy behaviour in not meeting the Dalai Lama, despite his promise that he would, as a good thing. The title shows just how willing, desperate even,…
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The pro-child assault lobby spent $500,000 trying to manufacture the biggest march in New Zealand history up Queen St today. The reports say fewer than 5,000 took part. Oh dear. What does that work out at? More than $100 per marcher? Gee, if you'd offered me that much I would have walked…
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The world is full of natural experiments in different forms of government. Bolivia is one to watch: Bolivia re-invents democratic socialism... On December 6, Bolivia will hold a general election where Evo Morales, the first Indigenous President in South America will no doubt be re-elected.…
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Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up...
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Ohmigod, after Red Alert informed me that the National MPs had started a blog, I nearly died!!!!!!! And after I'd finished that and resurrected, I went and had a look at it. Yep, I was right. These buggers know nothing about what blogging is about.…
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Lance Corporal Joe Glenton is facing prison after speaking out at an anti-war rally. A British soldier was arrested on Monday for speaking out at an anti-war rally and refusing to return to fight in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Joe Glenton has been charged not just…
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In a speech to National Party members yesterday John Key read out a list of everything the government has done in the last year. Talk about weak, when the public disgruntlement with this do-nothing govenment has reached a level where they're resorting to 'not even,…
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Reproduced with permission from No Right Turn for a viewpoint on the process of policy formation. This morning, Labour leader Phil Goff announced that he was abandoning the NeoLiberal consensus on monetary policy, with the aim of getting a monetary policy that works for the…
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It looked like a duck. It walked like a duck. It quacked like a duck. Turns out it was a duck. The "Plain English" advertisements were effectively party political broadcasts on behalf of the National Party. (Hardly surprising, as they were coauthored by English and…
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I'm really happy that Phil Goff has taken monetary policy up as an issue. The current system - a puritanical neoliberal model set in place twenty years ago - has never worked particularly well and has now become a major threat to this country's ability…
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Tomorrow the Christian Right are holding a self-styled 'March for Democracy' that's been bankrolled to the tune of $500,000 by Auckland property developer Colin Craig. I'm sure you'll have seen the TV ads, the newpaper full-pagers and the slick PR campaign. They're even paying for…
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Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up...
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The Fed Farmers have used Goff's speech on monetary policy to have another whinge about beneficiaries, who they reckon are somehow to blame for the high dollar that's crippling our exporters. Weird, I know, but then that's the Feds for you. The dogwhistle term they're…
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Hat tip: Labour.
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National has released its petroleum strategy. It appears they plan to further lower our already low royalties to encourage foreign oil companies to come here, dig up our finite our reserves as fast as they can and make off with huge profits. Just about the…
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Great cartoon from Barry Deutsch at Lefycartoons.com Lifted from Joe Hendren
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Classic, I was just saying yesterday that Key is probably concerned about focus testing turning up 'do-nothing', 'weak' and 'visionless' memes and today he's got a little puff piece in the Dominion Post that purports to lay out his "vision". Of course like every other…
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A reader alerted us to this petition that was presented by National's Paul Hutchison to Parliament on Tuesday: Petition of Nathan James Ngatai and 1050 others Requesting that the House of Representatives ensure that legislation is passed to make public displays of nudity and profanity…
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Did you see Brain Rudman's article in the Herald yesterday? The quote says it all: It just reminds you what an absurd debate this is. Still at least we're not arguing over whether 'working dogs' should be microchipped any more.
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It's great news that Phil Goff is urging a rethink of the way monetary policy is conducted in New Zealand. For too long interest rates (and hence inflation, unemployment, and house prices) have been the blunt tools of monetary policy. And for too long workers,…
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A couple of days ago I raised (again) the question of why we don't see more experts, scientists and academics contributing to public debate. Well here's one example where they are doing so: Docs say emissions trading scheme will hurt Kids Senior doctors today said…
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Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Over to you...
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Well I missed it. We rolled past the 4000th post at the end of October. A bit unexpected, it was too early by my reckoning and I wasn't looking for it. We're now at post 4154 so well on the way for the next milestone.…
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This is Nick Smith in Parliament yesterday, replying to a question on Treasury's re-calibrated $50 billion costs of Nationals ETS Bill: Hon Dr NICK SMITH: That number is a fantasyland number. Let me tell the member why. The member opposite wants to give great credence…
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In Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story (which is excellent, btw) he refers to two 2005 Citigroup memos about ‘plutonomy' economies and political structures designed with the primary purpose of further enriching the rich. They're stunning, not only for their frank admission that capitalism favours…