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Former ACT MP Deborah Coddington isn't a journo anymore. Shot her reputation with the infamous 'Asian Angst' piece. Just does opinion pieces now. Strange, then, to see her by-line on 2 Herald articles attempting to vindicate disgraced conflict of interest judge Bill Wilson. Turns out…
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The Hobbit 'crisis' is all about money. It's about the producers of this long-troubled production, who are in financial difficulty, wanting to minimise their up-front costs. The mark in the con is the only one with cash to offer on the scale they need -…
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No Right Turn asks some questions about the behaviour of the Independent Police Conduct Authority in deeming the release of information about unlawful behaviour by the Police as "not in the public interest". There are few safeguards on the police - perhaps the main one…
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The Secretary for Education Karen Sewell has just had a minimum pay rise of $30,000p.a. Ironically the same 4% that teachers are after. Here is some maths for Mrs Sewell. Her 4% is 30,000 dollars. 4% of a teachers salary of around $65k is $2,600…
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Prison Officers and Police should be clearly distinguishable in their roles, their responsibilities and their appearance. The message that accompanied the recently announced revamp of the Prison Officers' uniform is a misrepresentation of the severity of change that has been enacted. I have no doubt…
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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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With all of the shit flying around the hobbit dispute it I decided to ring a few contacts and find out what's actually happening. And I've got to say it's a bloody labyrinthine situation. On October the 13th Actors Equity, SPADA, the CTU and Gerry…
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Right-wing insider Fran O'Sullivan makes an interesting comment about the government and the Hobbit in her column today: Key will try to pull off a solution. It will inevitably be a commercial one that could result in New Zealand taxpayers giving Warner Bros an even…
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by Colonial Viper NZ is no longer the same wealthy western nation which used to generously give foreign aid to poor underdeveloped, commercially backward countries like Singapore and which kept apparent economic pace with its far larger neighbour, Australia, until the Rogernomics reforms of the…
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"Socially and economically liberal" is an old saw now but it's one that has described the Labour party quite accurately for the last 25 years. After all they are the party that introduced Rogernomics in the same breath as legalising homosexuality, who built the arts…
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Lost in all the fuss this week, this interesting press release: Labour policy is Maori Party policy Press Release: The Maori Party Last weekend’s Labour Party policy announcements sounded so familiar that for a spilt second I thought a Maori Party conference was taking place…
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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 was not until last night that we received confirmation of the retraction from SAG, NZ Equity and AFTRA through press reports. Warner Brothers Entertainment spokesperson lprent updated: The above is incorrect - it was New Line Cinemas who said that, not Warners.
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The Herald is reporting that Warner brothers and SAG had settled the Hobbit dispute on Monday (US time): ...a series of emails between Warner Bros and the Screen Actors' Guild (SAG), sighted by NZPA, showed the two parties were discussing the wording of a press…
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Vernon Small had an atypically disappointing piece in the Dom the other day that basically concluded everyone must be happy in New Zealand because the 20,000 protesters who turned out on October 20th did so peacefully and legally, whereas in France there is rioting in…
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When Justice Bill Wilson failed to recuse himself from a case involving his business partner whom he owed quarter of a million dollars, Attorney-General Chris Finlayson didn't want to investigate telling fellow National MP Colin King “Justice Wilson is a mate of mine and there’s…
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I don’t believe that the ‘crisis’ over the Hobbit has all been a set up from the start but Peter Jackson and Warner Bros have clearly used the situation to their advantage. This has been a troubled project for years and the producers' are keen…
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Every time I think John Key can't get any more cynical and hypocritical in his messaging, he manages to take it to a new level: Key: Pay hike 'noose around students' necks' There is no new money to offer teachers a bigger pay increase unless…
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I mentioned this in an earlier post but I think it's worth repeating: If Peter Jackson needs stable industrial relations on the Hobbit all he needs to do is employ his workers as employees (probably a mix of full-time, fixed-term and casual). Preferably on a…
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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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Things are quickly turning to custard for National. The economy is going south fast and Key's Teflon-coating is so damaged the mainstream media is openly saying we deserve better than a 'smile and wave' PM. The Nats' strategy - try to convince us nothing is…
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One of my biggest disappointments of the Hobitt dispute has been watching the way in which Russell Brown has been so quick to take sides against the actors union. Today he was at it again and, as much as I dislike cut and paste posts,…
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National's bully-boy tactics continue. Young people are trying to voice their concern to the select committee that is looking at the extension of the Fire at Will law to all workers. The Nats on the committee don't want to listen so they're bullying submitters and…
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The poll numbers - Labour + Green equals 44.5% vs National + ACT at 50% according to the latest Roy Morgan. A year ago that was LG = 34.5% and NACT= 59%. Those numbers suggest that 240,000 voters have shifted from Right to Left in…
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10,000 protesters against National/ACT’s undemocratic Supercity 50,000 protesters against the mining of Schedule 4 land 22,000 protesters yesterday nationwide against National’s attacks on work rights and wages 150 protesters in Levin when Key came to town against his cuts to health services 200 protesters in…
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Over the last couple of weeks Actors Equity has been quietly negotiating for a minimum standards contract for the Hobbit. Things were looking good. So good in fact that the union had agreed to withdraw advice to their members that they don't sign. They even…
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In three short years John Key and National have gone from economic bravado, to failure, to lies, excuses and whining. The Nats are desperately trying to spin excuses for their failure. How did we get here? Let's take a stroll down memory lane. The recession…
bill english economy jobs john key labour monetary policy national
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Most of the text of an excellent piece by Gordon Campbell on central government's reaction to the local government elections. -- r0b Central vs Local Government The Key government now seems to feel it has a vested interest in the failure of both Len Brown…
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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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I'm generally a fan of Gareth Morgan, but boy his facts are wrong in yesterday's Herald column, and those false premises lead him to really bad conclusions. Basically, Morgan is trying to argue that we have to let foreigners buy our assets because if we…