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There's a nasty strain of racism that runs deep in ACT these days, since the socially conservative types like Rodney Hide, John Boscawen took over from the social and economic liberals like Roger Douglas. Anti-Maori racism is the dog-whistle that underlies their 'tough on crime' rhetoric. In it's entire history,…
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One of the best pieces I've seen about the idiotic minister of broadcasting Jonathon Coleman wanting to starve or bend National Radio into the level of stupidity that the NACT's prefer. Rosemary McLeod writing "Quality radio easy target for the barbarians" in the Sunday Star…
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You have to double-check every 'fact' the Nats tell you. Bill English, for example, has been lying about Labour's record on growth and, when he was called out on it, he came up with another lie to cover himself. For the last couple of weeks, John…
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Don't go to the beach. There's a Tsunami warning in progress for the whole coast. Listen to Radio NZ, or follow the updates on Newsroom. The first surges have now passed (9:50am). They were small, but larger surges are following, and are expected to continue…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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No, it's not one of the Nats or their hangers-on. It's Shane Jones. Following revelations that National ministers have been essentially stealing taxpayer money by using their ministerial credit cards for prohibited purchases, Jones has recounted an incident from his time as a minister. When…
john key labour national/act government parliamentary spending
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Fran O'Sullivan agrees with my theory on the real reason for Phil Heatley's resignation and the reason why an excuse was invented. The real reason was what amounts to Heatley's theft of taxpayer money by using his ministerial credit card, and the receipt excuse was invented…
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It's time for the National Party to issue an abject apology to the nation... for the 1992 Building Regulations that directly led to the astounding public crisis we now face. Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson told the Weekend Herald the official $11 billion figure…
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We received this guest post about half an hour after John Key announced his cycleway. At the time, the very sensible criticisms it raises were ignored by an enamoured media. How prescient it looks now, on the anniversary of the Prime Minister's Jobs Summit. According…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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A burst of 'popular' culture to mull over the weekend, with the Guardian providing comment on the upcoming Alice in Wonderland. According to Xan Brooks : the films of Tim Burton are not so much released as laid on, staged and mounted like lavish masked…
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Human Rights Commission: Super city consultation a mockery Press Release by Human Rights Commission at 11:42 am, 26 Feb 2010 The short time frame of nine weeks (including the Christmas-New Year holiday break) for submissions to the third Auckland governance bill makes a mockery of…
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Press statement from Phil Twyford on the powers of the local boards in the Auckland SuperShitty. Local Boards will choose the colour of the carpet, says Labour The Government has failed again to deliver on its promise to empower local boards in the Auckland super…
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Is this the real reason Telecom called their new network XT? Seriously though, this text book case of how not to run a business has got well beyond a joke. When the 111 call system fails lives are at risk. Add Telecom to the list…
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The Council of Trade Unions has pointed out a glaring hypocrisy in Tau Henare's pointless bill requiring unions to hold secret ballots before strike action (I say 'pointless' because unions already hold secret ballots). From the media release: Peter Conway, CTU Secretary, said that at…
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Nothing like a good IT stoush, particularly of the David and Goliath variety. Greenpeace has blown the whistle on Facebook's use of coal to power its new data center in (note: renewable-rich) Oregon. The supposedly forward-looking social networking site picked this energy dinosaur (and the…
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Russel Norman has an ironic adjunct to the 'storm in a wine glass' (as one wit on RNZ called Phil Heatley's resignation): I have been calling on central govt to consider sewerage systems as important infrastructure and financially support communities like Whangarei to upgrade them.…
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I'll try just sticking to the observable facts of the Heatley affair, rather than relying on any of the Nats' word on events that took place out of the public eye in the lead up to his resignation. Phil Heatley is adament he didn't resign…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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The Electoral (Administration) Amendment Bill, ostensibly drafted to bring about a merger of the Electoral Commission and the Chief Electoral Office, would allow Simon Power to appoint a new Chief Electoral Officer and new Electoral Commissioners for the 2011 election. This is wrong. These officials…
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I'm about to start sweeping the blogroll for dead or moribund sites over the next week. The general rule is that I mark sites private if the recent posts are inactive for more than 3 months (or I can't read the site). If anyone wants…
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Great to see David Cunliffe confront Bill English. After Cunliffe pointed out that the economy grew by an average of 3.2% a year under Labour compared to 2.6% in the 1990s under National and -2.2% last year under National, there was this question: Cunliffe: how…
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No Right Turn covers the latest UMR poll on MMP: A UMR poll [PDF] on MMP has found 49% support for the current voting system, and only 42% support for changing it. As before, support for democracy was higher amongst women and young people, while…
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According to a Guardian poll today, public conviction about the threat of climate change has declined with the proportion of adults who believe climate change is "definitely" a reality dropped by 30% over the last year, from 44% to 31%. Overall around nine out of…
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Stuff is reporting Heatley's resignation has come because two bottles of wine were accidentally listed as food and beverage rather than simply beverage. I don't buy that. Not at all. The idea that a minister would resign (or be pushed) for so little is absurd.…
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According to Stuff Housing Minister Phil Heatley has resigned and the PM has rushed back to Wellington to hold a press conference. Apparently MP spending records for the last three months of last year were released this morning. Coincidence? I guess we'll just have to…
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The Dom has a story about Benjamin Easton, an activist for keeping Manners Mall in Wellington traffic-free, boasting that he is on the dole so he has time for his activism. The guy sounds like a bit of a dick, frankly, and WINZ has called…
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Auckland is being stolen from the people who live there. Bernard Orsman, writing at The Herald, seems to have had enough. He's come out swinging. On January 22nd: Local democracy lost in transition, critics warn Concern is growing over what critics see as erosion of…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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David Farrar obviously lost it today. In a post called "Anonymous Smears" he is upset about Eddie pointing out Murray McCully and his mining shares. There wasn't an value known when the post was written, so Eddie reasonably asked if there was a conflict of…