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ABs vs Argentina
Not much of a rugby fan myself, but we ran posts for the All Whites' big games, so it seems churlish not to for the All Blacks. As I'm sure everyone and their dog knows, the ABs play Argentina tonight, 8:30 pm at Eden Park.…
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Archives · 2011-10-03 to 2011-10-09
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Searching: posts Sorted by: newest Results: 1–30 of 48
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The denial machine
Hat tip to Joe90 in comments, and source article here.
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Chart o’ the day: failed gambit
Herald poll
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Banned for criticising Key
As heard on Mediawatch this morning (audio link, around 26:30 in the audio) Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury has been banned from RNZ's "The Panel", and indeed from any appearance on RNZ, after strongly criticising Key's behaviour in the throat slitting incident (video). Bradbury was accused of "an…
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Laissez-faire disaster management
National's handling of the Rena oil spill is fitting into the same depressing pattern as Pike River and Christchurch - hands off, leave it to the private sector, ministers trotting out excuses rather than leading. We're even getting the mandatory Key photo-op today, doubtless accompanied…
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Unfortunate names for bands
While avoiding the noise pollution from Eden Park over the gully last night, I found C4 playing a sequence of unfortunately named bands... After watching something called Death cabs for Cutie, they played something from Bush. Despite their unfortunate name, which admittedly is enough to…
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Open mike 09/10/2011
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...
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Rugby
Just flicked on TV1 to see what's happening in the rugby. Host is a man who pushed his partner down the stairs. Kicked her as she lay. Broke her back in 4 places. Cause he's 'famous' he got off with only 300 hours CS &…
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Farrar poll sounds ACT’s death knell
National Party pollster, sorry, right-leaning independent commentator David Farrar has been polling in Epsom and the results are not good for the Right. Epsomites are pissed off with their seats being used as a backdoor for ACT into Parliament. They don't like the gall of…
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National: Building a blighted future
Since the nutters on the right at the sewer (otherwise known as the kiwiblog comments) seem to have a thing about billboards (probably because they can't handle actual politics or actual policy). So to keep them entertained and running around like headless chickens rather than…
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Containership Rena
The stranding of the Containership Rena on Wednesday morning, occurred in clear fine weather which has persisted for 3 days now. This clear weather is due to deteriorate starting today with a change in wind direction around midday. It is expected that by the middle…
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Returns on investments
When John Key was elected to power in 2008, he was estimated to have a personal wealth of about 40-50 million dollars. Since then, he's collected an annual salary of $400,000 - worth all the more since the tax cuts increased the net figure by…
accountability assets class war john key leadership national tax
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Our own oil spill
Last year the world's attention was focused on a huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, and the environmental disaster that unfolded. Not long after that Brazilian oil giant Petrobras started explorations for drilling in our own Raukumara Basin. Naturally concerns were raised about…
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Open mike 08/10/2011
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...
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The Herald ban
Speaker Lookwood Smith is getting a lot of flak for his decision to punish The Herald for publishing a photo (taken in violation of Standing Orders) by banning their reporters from Parliament for ten days. It seems pretty clear that Smith has gone overboard on…
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Weekend social 07/10/2011
Weekend social is for non political chat. What's on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can't we all just get along?
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Losing the class war
The median ('typical') Kiwi income has fallen 6% under National after inflation. It's worse if you're Maori - 16%. And if you're PI? 21%. That's more than a hundred dollars a week. It's a disgrace. In fact, ordinary people's incomes have shrunk faster than the…
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The mask slips
Here is Key making the throat-cutting gesture to Labour after a man tried to jump into the Debating Chamber. He displays a total lack of concern for the man and anyone else. Here's how the video plays out: It opens just as the man is…
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Doldrums
Looks like the RWC might not be quite the economic salvation that we hoped. Some have profited, but others have not, see: Restaurants starve amid Rugby World Cup joy, and Smarting retailers hope for late surge during Rugby World Cup. Overall the news is not…
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None so blind
National's economic credibility was shot to pieces last week when Fitch and Standard & Poor's gave them 'not achieved' marks. Less than a quarter of the OECD has been downgraded. New Zealand is one of them. All is not sunny in this brigther future. But…
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Open mike 07/10/2011
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...
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Whose side are you on?
The PM gets paid $400,000 a year. That's $45 an hour whether he's in Hawai'i, talking about his cat, or sleeping. His cleaner, Sosefina Masoe, gets $13.50 an hour. Key has rejected calls to lift the minimum wage for workers like her to $15 an…
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Steve Jobs, 1955-2011
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died today at the age of 56.
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Palin not running
After months of playing coy, the latest from the the land of the Tea Party is that Sarah Palin will not be running for president. Read her letter here, it begins: October 5, 2011 Wasilla, Alaska After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided…
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Over-promise, under-deliver: whaling
Remember when Key had a super-duper secret plan to end whaling? Turned out the 'plan' was to restore commercial whaling as long as they promised to stop some time (the draft 'phase-out' plan didn't actually have any reductions in it). Well, over-promise, under-deliver Key's made…
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Climate change killing Tuvalu & Tokelau
The low-lying island nations of Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared water emergencies and parts of Samoa are rationing water. Climate change has raised the sea level so that what little freshwater lens the islands have has been reduced. Higher temperatures evaporate more of it. Climate…
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A PM but not a leader
In October last year I wrote a post called A PM but not a leader, focusing on Key's lack of character and leadership with respect to then current events (Paul Henry's racism and Key's kowtowing to China). Fast forward to today and things are getting…
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Open mike 06/10/2011
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...
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Opportunist
A man tried to jump into the Parliamentary Chamber today at the end of question time. Yelling something about WINZ, Paula Bennett and John Key, he was caught at the last moment by guards. I have a feeling there's a sad story behind that. Something…
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Vale atque ave
Three Labour MPs gave their valedictories last night; Lynn Pillay, Pete Hodgson, and Jim Anderton in that order. Jim's career path in political employment was a bit roundabout, Lynn's the shortest (she'll kill me for that!), and Pete's the longest. All have made a huge…