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The New Zealand Herald has never been shy of attacking blogs for their lack of journalistic standards and editorial rigour, but given some of the paper's recent work you've got to wonder who they think they're kidding. Take today's piece by Dita De Boni pontificating…
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Oh for crying out loud would the media please stop fawning over Steven Joyce. So far everything he's touched has turned to pus with roading projects that fail cost/benefit analysis, the gold card fiasco, the PR fiasco over Radio NZ cuts and now the really…
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Just a quick question: Why is John Key giving $300,000 to the All Whites' World Cup campaign when they're already making a $6 million profit from the $10 million they get for qualifying? I like a bit of football but that doesn't mean I blindly…
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During Question Time yesterday, Metiria Turei exposed National's plan to subsidise mineral exploration by foreign companies in the most important parts of our national parks. John Key refused to confirm Turei's information but couldn't deny it. Clearly, the Nats had been planning to slip it…
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Bill's at it again. He can't defend his own pathetic record on the economy - 2.2% fall in GDP, still rising unemployment, falling wages, GDP per capita still falling and not expected to return to pre-recession levels until 2012 according to NZIER and Treasury -…
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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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We're used to Key and his ministers hiding from their duties. Now one of them has taken it to a new level. Journos wanted to ask Pacific Affairs Minister Georgina Te Heuheu about the rumours her ministry is getting the chop. At the sight of…
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The recent recession represented a spectacular failure of unfettered capitalism. We never felt the full force and completeness of that failure because the worst was averted (or more probably just delayed) by vast injections of Government bailout money. Capitalism was rescued by good old fashioned…
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Stuff.co.nz's decision to turn an anonymous, politically-motivated smear from an ACT Party activist into a front page tabloid screamer is gutter journalism for sure, but it's only the latest example of a worrying trend. The story is here. I'm not going to dignify it with…
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Anne Tolley put out an odd media statement on Friday. She reckons Trevor Mallard, opposition spokesperson for Education, dominated two public meetings in Auckland on her Government's unpopular national standards policy. Which begs the question, was she actually all there at either meeting? At the Onehunga meeting…
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Felix can hardly contain himself at the prospect of National's tax changes: Woohoo!! Told you my mate Mr Key would be able to deliver a 'north of $50 a week' tax cut. And you all said he wouldn't. So who's looking stupid now eh? I…
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Yesterday, the Dompost had this to say about public perceptions of science: Science might be finally emerging from the shadows, its non-sexy status having long been reinforced by an often scientifically ignorant public, suspicious of the work many scientists do... How will the May Budget…
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The New Zealand economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s were largely a failure. This can be seen from the large negative divergence post 1984 in New Zealand's real output per capita in comparison to Australia, our usual benchmark. New Zealand's comparative position vis-Ã -vis unemployment…
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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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Paul McMahon My Granddad grew up in Te Aroha near Tui Mine and spent a lot of time on the slopes of Mt Te Aroha and in its bush. But mining on the western slopes of the mountain ruined a large swathe of the land…
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I didn't actually realise that the fact Andrew Little is considering standing for Labour in New Plymouth in 2011 was news to anyone. He hasn't announced any definite intention yet and Labour hasn't asked for nominations but Little has been open about his hopes to…
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First it was the Wellywood sign, now it's a statue of a guy standing in a giant pile of manure while holding aloft a golden testicle. And you thought the only Mayor that delighted it making their constituency look stupid was Tim Shadbolt. Please, please…
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Lorraine Kerr is the President of the NZSTA (New Zealand School Trustees Association). NZSTA is an organisation that supports School Boards of Trustees. Kerr is a woman who supports the National Party. She has used the Association to pen several articles in support of National…
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The Herald has a little shock piece on child offending: "5-year-old sex offender on crime list". Of course, what the offence was isn't mentioned and there's good reasons why children aren't held legally responsible for their actions. There is an interesting sentence though: "Although the…
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Forest and Bird has obtained information that Prime Minister John Key and Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee are looking to mine Paparoa National Park (the park of the famous Punakaiki blowholes), Great Barrier Island, and areas surrounding the Thames township. [Forest and Bird] Spokesman Kevin Hackwell…
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"No taxation without representation" was the slogan of the American revolution. American colonists felt deeply aggrieved that taxes were imposed without their involvement and without proper democratic representation. Colonists expressed their feelings by tarring and feathering tax collectors. They were so aggrieved that they went…
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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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My absence this weekend from moderation and posts has partially been because of going to the excellent Fabian seminar today. However it has largely been due to trying to get a workable search system running. One that didn't bring the whole server crashing around my…