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It looks like PoAL is gearing up for another go at their workers as the one year carry-over from the collective agreement runs out. As Matt McCarten points out: In two weeks the wharfies union's employment agreement lapses. The term of the document actually expired…
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My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere (no linkwhoring). This week:…
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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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It must be the new tabloid format. Or perhaps Steven Joyce talking about the death of print news. On Friday John Drinnan highlighted APN-internal media spats speaking of "Frenemies"; today John Armstrong launches forth at so-called bloggers Gordan Campbell and Bryce Edwards. Armstrong's article does…
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Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on the National government's lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. National used to talk about "the underclass", but talk is all they ever did. During their four years in power poverty…
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The government recently released a figure of $78 billion as the 'lifetime cost' of the benefit system. That number is the estimated answer to the question: 'how much would we have to have put aside now to pay for the expected future cost of benefit…
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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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Today's Dilbert...
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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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It's a regular gripe of mine about our media that they don't establish facts. I don't find the "he said, she said" reporting style in the slightest bit helpful, and indeed encourages us, the public, to see all news as gossip and reduces our respect…
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John Key is wrong, John Banks has broken the law. He just did not get prosecuted. The return of donations he signed and submitted in 2010 is false, as the Police have stated. He should now correct it, or he is still in breach of…
accountability democratic participation electoral commission Ethics john banks john key local body elections police
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Somebody get me a Tui's billboard please: Benefit tally 'not an excuse for hard line' Finance Minister Bill English denies the Government will use a $78 billion valuation of the lifelong cost of benefits as an excuse to get the public to buy into a…
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John Banks is trying to blame the Police for the fact that the transcript of his 3-hour interview with detectives over his campaign donations was held back from the OIA release of the Police file. Another lie. It was Banks' choice for the transcript to…
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Yesterday's national hui on water rights has resulted in the best possible outcome for Maori, a decision to present a unified front in the face of National's divide and rule tactics. Tracy Watkins at Stuff reports: Maori speak as one on water rights A 1000-strong…
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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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Hot on the heels of the chaotic back-down over class sizes, I think we've just witnessed the quickest U-turn in the history of politics. In early coverage: Thirteen Christchurch schools set to close The Government is set to close 13 Canterbury schools and merge another…
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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. * Average taken from figures from 2008-2009 to 2010-2011 financial years. Source ** Child Poverty Action Group’s estimate of annual cost to provide…
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So the current people on benefits (superannuation excluded) will cost $78 billion over the course of their lifetime. 5% is to people on the unemployment benefit, because National can't organise an economy to provide jobs. But largely we're paying for those unable to work (sickness…
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Some excellent myth-busting via Facebook. What isn't a myth is that there are 80,000 more people on benefits under National. As with their economic management (which is integrally related) their management of the welfare system has been a complete disaster. They've given people no option…
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Puddleglum at The Political Scientist has written an encyclopedic and scathing critique of the Nats' dictatorship in Canterbury. Some extracts below - but go and read the whole post here. ECan, the government and the ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’ It is hard to understand why…
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Over 2,200 children, according to the Government's estimates, will end up living in households with their already meager benefit incomes cut in half under National's plan to punish families who can't afford to or don't want to send their children to supposedly voluntarily early childhood…
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The Police Report into the Banks.com affair, which Labour has distributed to the media, is a gold mine. Banks is shown to be a liar and completely unethical. It's a huge report and things will keep being discovered, but here's some of the remarkable points…
auckland supercity corruption 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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In July, I requested the Police file of their investigation into John Banks so-called anonymous donations. It arrived today. The key to their conclusion is as follows: 38. Further analysis in respect of the evidence collected in the investigation established that the return was wrong…
accountability corruption democracy under attack election funding john banks john key local government
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Gerry Brownlee on the traumatised residents of Christchurch: Brownlee lashes out at quake 'carpers and moaners' Gerry Brownlee has reportedly hit back at criticism from quake-affected Christchurch residents by calling the complainants moaners who have time to "buggerise around on Facebook all day". ... The…
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Fresh from having to delay the sale of Mighty River for 6 months because of sheer incompetence and on the back of hundreds of jobs losses in our largest employing sector - manufacturing - Key went overseas to boost our exports. His Russian FTA talks…
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Families will lose half their Working for Families payments if they don't put their kids in ECE or make sure they have the Well Child checks, under reforms to be announced by Paula Bennett the next time National needs a distraction from its failed economic…
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National is the party of stupid, short term thinking. It's evident everywhere, even in areas of supposed Nat strength like sound business management. Consider for example the abject folly of sacking a bunch of staff, and then running up $1bn in consulting fees: Govt depts…
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So the government is announcing the "lifetime cost" of social welfare payments today to soften the ground for cracking down on beneficiaries. By coincidence they're also in the process of rushing through changes to the emissions trading scheme that will cost the taxpayer billions of…