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Can someone explain to me this 'deepening the stockmarket' line that the Right uses for privatisation? I consider myself reasonably well informed on these issues but I just can't see the value to the country of the government selling public assets to a handful of…
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In this RSA Animate, radical social theorist David Harvey asks if it is time to look beyond capitalism towards a new social order that would allow us to live within a system that really could be responsible, just, and humane? This is based on a…
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A while back I suggested that I might do the occasional Sunday post on good news, a change from the usual diet of politics, policy, and depressing news. So here's some good news - the success of an amazing solar powered aircraft: Solar plane lands…
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Minor bits of "people news" this weekend. Andrew Williams has thrown his hat in to the ring for Supercity mayor. Andrew Williams: I want to be Super Mayor North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams is standing for the Super City mayoralty, promising to inject his own…
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Normally I can't stand reading Kerre Woodham or the Herald on Sunday. Both encapsulate the lowest common denominator of the 'news' that is trivial and banal. However I have to agree with Kerre's 'analysis'* today in the Herald on Sunday - "'Party central' has all…
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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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Kiwi* Dad Michael Fay and his wife Sarah announced today that they would be keen to invest in any SOEs the government privatises. "My old mate David Richwhite and myself made $500 million off the last round privatisation." said Fay, "It was a great success.…
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This guy writes what I would aspire to write if I had the time and the cojones. For a lazy Saturday morning rant, read on. -- r0b Waltzing at the Doomsday Ball Capitalism is dead, but we still dance with the corpse By Joe Bageant…
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Last week The Herald ran this interesting piece: Rent to start flowing for iwi land Thousands of tenants in Auckland's CBD face rent rises from next year as hundreds of millions of dollars worth of waterfront land begins returning income to its Maori owners. Leasehold…
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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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It seems John Key is now belatedly wading in to look at whether it's at last time to cut Andy Haden loose as a Rugby World Cup Ambassador. Apparently it was ok for Haden to talk about "darkie quotas" in the Crusaders and still remain…
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Anne Tolley is on record. She told the Principals gathered at their annual conference that rather than run to the media that they need to talk to her directly. Lets see some of those who have voiced their opposition to Nationals Standards so far: 38,000…
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The ODT has obtained a report from the Crown Law Office via the OIA, which rather diplomatically suggests there will need to be some very "carefully worded" specifications of the arrangement to merge Archives NZ into the Department of Internal Affairs. It states the Chief Archivist will require "protection…
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Some topics always generate passionate debate - contentions issues relating to deeply held personal beliefs that cannot be shifted by reason. Abortion is one such topic, in the news again recently, and discussed in Julie's post here at The Standard. Like the burden of bearing…
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Emmerson's take on Party Central at The Herald:
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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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Newspaper and magazine readerships continue to plummet despite the end of the recession. The mags have taken a big hit. Nearly all of them are down. NBR and Investigate are typical having lost 10% of their readership over the last year, on top of losses…
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God knows what the National Standards are designed to do - it can't be to lift achievement. Even the Minister says that is not the case. It can't be to identify those behind - schools already do that. Anyway there is no money or extra…
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I'm interested in comparisons between systems that operate via "central command and control" vs. those that operate via "cooperation and emergent consensus". A classic example is the comparison between a corporation like Microsoft and the Open Source movement (see "The Cathedral and the Bazaar"). Football…
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Pete Bethune has had his sentence for bogus charges laid by Japanese whaling interests suspended. My warm congratulations to Pete and his family. They've suffered a lot of distress over the past few months as Japanese extremists called for Bethune's execution - all because he…
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Auckland Transport Blog saying the bleeding obvious about the aggrandizement project that appears to be Steven Joyce's grand vision for the future of transport in Auckland. If he was concentrating on reducing the road toll on this stretch of road, there are simpler and cheaper…
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Is $175 an hour to hire a clown a good deal? Because you and I might think we are paying $350,000 a year plus expenses for a Prime Minister but it seems not. Key spending his time opening a pizza place in China reminds me…
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The Herald has a headline article on John Keys "Party Central". But their cartoon really said it all. The question is:- How many 'good' ideas does it take before John Key manages to get one to actually work?
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The common wisdom is that first-term governments never go early. After all why would you cut short your period of mandate and lose valuable months of your carefully planned policy programme? But then again this not a usual government. Not even two years into their…
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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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Stuff reports that under Minister Phil Heatley, Housing NZ will manage additions of only 275 houses for each of the next two years. Under the previous government 8000 state houses were added between 1999 and 2008. In a recession, with household budgets stretched, state provision…
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I had to laugh at this comment by Mako about my least favorite wingnut... More desperate anti-Brown smearing from Slater. His latest allegation is that 'Looney Len' wants every school to plant 500 trees a year. A waste of our precious education budget! he wails.…
auckland supercity blogs humour local body elections making shit up
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Not long after The White House Correspondents' Association met with Obama's Press Secretary to complain about limitations on their access, The White House launched its own weekly video blog. Presidential administrations have always tried to harness new communications technologies to shape a favorable image, says…
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No one really believes in pure capitalism, least of all capitalists, bankers and the like, who run screaming to the state to bail them out when things go wrong. "Privatise the profits, socialise the losses" - it was ever thus. Pure capitalism eats everything around…
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John Key is claiming that we need to defend our shores against a coming wave of boat people by buying into a detention center in Timor. I don't know whether he's trying to flank Winnie or whether he's just shooting off at the mouth after…