The response to two recent posts here at The Standard (yesterday, and the day before) have shown what a contentious topic the minimum wage is. So it's timely that yesterday also saw the release of the CTU's summary of research on Minimum Wage and Jobs:…
Reprinted from No Right Turn: Climate change: Farmers can afford the ETS Phil Goff's announcement over the weekend that agriculture will be brought into the ETS has met with the usual response from farmers: whining. They can't afford it. It will bankrupt them. We should…
National are bleating about Labour's Research & Development tax credit - largely because as they have no economic plan of their own, so they can only talk about other parties'. It's a sad sight after 2.5 years of government. Having worked all my life in…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
Steven Joyce has been forced into a embarrassing back-down on giving a regulatory holiday to companies who won contracts for the Government's Ultra Fast Broadband plan. But, you guessed it, Joyce is going to let the Commerce Commission sort things out. The very Commerce Commission…
Here's a stunning headline from the Herald on the glamour of working at SkyCity casino: Flea collars for SkyCity staff Perhaps next they could introduce compulsory de-lousing baths at the end of each shift?
Dear Don, I saw your letter week before week; the one to John Key resigning from the National Party. John Key mentioned that he didn’t plan on replying to you; a bit rude, really. But given you did send the letter to every media outlet…
"The worst display from a Prime Minister since the schnapps election" - that's what a journo said about Key the other day. No, it wasn't about him being a multi-millionaire who gave himself tens of thousands of tax cuts opposing a fair wage increase for…
The Herald reports some interesting comments made by prominent scientist, Sir Paul Callaghan: Kiwis choose to be poor, laments top scientist Kiwis are poor because they choose to be, says Sir Paul Callaghan, one of the country's top scientists. This assertion was part of a…
I just love seeing fat, rich men who have received massive tax cuts paid for with borrowed money like John Key and Phil O'Reilly saying that a $15 an hour minimum wage is unaffordable (Key also says governments can't raise wages, yet he claims to…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
The latest Roy Morgan poll is not good reading for the political left. Support for the government is at 57.5% (up 1.5%): National Party 53% (up 0.5%) Maori Party 2% (unchanged) ACT NZ 2% (up 1%) United Future 0.5% (unchanged) Support for opposition parties is…
John Key thinks he can smile and wave his way through the worst natural disaster this country has faced. It's a stunning dereliction of duty: "Our good friends in the Labour Party, who want to exaggerate everything, run around telling you the worst sort of…
The Nats think the unemployed are lazy. John Key reckons they need "a kick in the pants" to get them back to work. Paula Bennett reckons their harsh reforms mean that "the dream is over" for beneficiaries. For some, such as sickness beneficiaries, or parents…
Labour's pledge of a $15 hour minimum wage is worth more than any tax cut - $66 a week net to a full-time minimum wage worker. The right is crying it'll hurt the economy and destroys jobs. That's rubbish. In particular, the history of changes…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
I've been to many meetings recently that have been about or interested in Len Brown's new Auckland Plan. Quite diverse meetings, of quite diverse communities. The opinions have been nowhere near as divergent, and one issue is constantly at the forefront: Public Transport. At an ethnic forum…