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It is a conventional economics axiom that increasing the money supply without a concomitant increase in production causes inflation. In the last thirty five years we have had low inflation in all, except two, commodities. Firstly, Land , and thence housing and farm prices. (The…
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Banks is deadmeat. It's just a matter of time before Key gives him the boot. Politically, he must. He has grounds, even on the limited 'ethics while a minister' test he has created. We're now just waiting for something sufficiently new that Key can use…
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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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One of the frustrating things about democracy (aided and abetted by systematic flaws in our reasoning skills) is that it in most cases it results in governments that are bad at addressing long term challenges. The need to maintain short term popularity (and the oppositional…
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Does he believe Banks' account of the Dotcom donation? What corroborating evidence has he or his staff sought to confirm Banks statement, particularly as more irregularities and contradictions have emerged? Ethical and legal behaviour are both requirements of ministers in the Cabinet Manual - Key…
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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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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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The media are doing their job, and a good job, investigating John Banks' donation history. Today's story by Danya Levy in the DomPost follows up those by John Campbell on Campbell Live and David Fisher in the Herald. The Police are presumably also doing theirs,…
act brand key democratic participation election 2011 election 2014 john banks john key leadership MMP national Privatisation same old national
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Number of additional jobs per year needed to match population growth: 25,000 Jobs promised by National last Budget to be added in March 2012 year: 36,000 Actual number of jobs added: 20,000 Additional unemployed: 5,000 Change in number of fulltime jobs: -6,000 Change in number…
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The Aotearoa is Not For Sale hikoi departs from Te Papa for Parliament at midday today. There has been great turnout in towns and cities all over New Zealand. Join in if you can. Also, remember to sign the Keep Our Assets petition and get…
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It is a fundamental injustice of our society that one family, which already has more than it can ever need, can hold 1,300 families, who have very little, to ransom just to make a little more cash. But the union makes us working people strong.…
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Why did Banks declare as anonymous $15K that SkyCity openly gave to him, when Brown declared his donation? Why did Banks claim he couldn't remember flying to the Dotcom mansion in Dotcom's chopper when no sane person thinks that is something you would forget? Did…
act auckland supercity john banks john key local body elections
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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 unemployment rate has jumped to 6.7%. Even the quarter before has been pushed up from 6.3% to 6.4%, as the picture the government has painted gets constantly less rosy. National promised us 36,000 new jobs by last March in the last Budget, but only…
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Slippery old Key said on Monday and Tuesday that he had to apply a legal test to whether John Banks should stay on as a minister. The Cabinet manual demands the highest ethical standards. Now, Key's flip-flopped: ethics are required - but only after one…
by-election corruption john banks john key local government slippery
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Last week, the IMF warned that oil prices will double over and above inflation in the next decade. The Greens crunched the numbers and say that means we'll be paying $5 a litre for petrol in 2022. Can you guess what Brownlee's reaction was? Head…
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The sheer volume of ill-informed commentary about National's "big win" after the last election was mind boggling. Stuck in old FPP thinking? John Key fanboi-ism? Unable to see past the two big parties? Whatever the cause, it was all such a crock. In reality National's…
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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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ACT Party President Chris Simmons - who opposed the Brash coup that lead to John Banks being ACT's sole MP - 'accidentally' dropped Banks right in it on Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint. He said "[Banks] made the suggestion to Dotcom" to split his donation into…
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There's the facts, the questions and the legal opinions. Today in Parliament John Key stuck to his lack of interest in detailed questions, and blind adherence to Banks' reliance on legal opinions. He even alleged that the Labour Opposition agreed with these opinions. Not likely.…
accountability act brand key john banks john key national national/act government you couldn't make this shit up
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National's going to cut access to the student allowance - which most self-supporting students can't get and isn't enough to live on - and up the repayment rate on student loans, which is basically a hike on your graduate tax. These measures won't save much…
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A very interesting article on the BBC - the financial formula that ruined the world. Well, that's a bit sensationalist, but it's a formula that allowed intuition to be taken out of "options" trading and computers to move in. And with the "understanding" of the…
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Baby boomers strike again. In 1989, University fees for domestic students in New Zealand were less than $300. Moreover, for many students, 90% of that cost was met by the government through a fees grant. NZUSA has a very good history of fees in New Zealand. But I…
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OK. I'm officially confused. Is National plummeting or holding? Is Labour gaining or falling? Are the Greens becoming the second party or slipping back? 5 polls: 5 different answers. The best poll is Left 48% vs Right 44.5%. The worst: 41% vs 52%. Either the…
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For the first time under this National government, average wages and salaries actually rose (2%) faster than inflation (1.6%), so in the last year people are ever so slightly better off - I think congratulations are in order! Of course the rise doesn't remotely match…
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For the first time in 3.5 years, Lockwood Smith didn't preside over question time yesterday. The hapless National backbencher Eric Roy took his place resulting an awfully convenient farce. Key refused to answer questions, going so far as to say he wasn't responsible for who…
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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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Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here. The Government has introduced into Parliament a series of amendments to the Immigration Act, in an effort to keep out illegal immigrants. John Key announced…
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David Cameron was livid over being called back from a campaign by former Conservative Speaker John Bercow to explain why he has not referred Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt to the official appointed to deal with breaches of the Ministerial code. Cameron has expressed confidence in…
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A by-election in Epsom. If ACT or National win, the Right retains 61 votes. But, between resignation and swearing in typically takes 3 months during which the Right would have 60 v 60. Legislation fails on draws. Asset sales, SkyCity, welfare cuts, even the Budget…