Russell Brown at Hard News has already said what needed saying about today's Herald on Sunday's lead story: Some reprehensible bullshit EXCLUSIVE, trumpets the Herald on Sunday’s front page lead story today, HIDDEN ROOMS IN MAYOR’S NEW OFFICE. ‘What secrets are concealed in Len Brown’s flash…
Judith Collins debuted this morning as a columnist in the Sunday Star Times. It is an interesting concept. I am a bit of a purist and always thought that the fourth estate should be kept away from the politicians. It is bad enough that corporate…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlZPjL5HWHY From the Coal Action Network On December 7, people at beaches across New Zealand will put their heads in the sand in a collective tribute to the Key Government’s lack of action on climate change, and its ongoing threats to the New Zealand environment…
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the…
I kid you not. Tim Groser and National have a plan to solve global warming so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel. The plan apparently is the only game in town and it is hard line. And according to…
"Mainstream" media has (in general) a structural right-wing bias because it (in general) reflects the interests of its owners, who are of course well off. If you have ever felt the need to know who owns the NZ media and pulls its strings, take a…
A recent Stuff article made me reflect on the treatment of scientists in New Zealand. It is a measure of the strange state that our world is in that merchant bankers hold power and scientists, who must rank as the ultimate truth seekers, are undermined and attacked. The story…
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the…
Reposted from No Right Turn Overnight, The Intercept spilled the beans on AURORAGOLD, the NSA's programme to hack the world's cellphone providers. They spy on cellphone operators to gain knowledge of network architecture and vulnerabilities, and deliberately introduce vulnerabilities into new technology (something which exposes…
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?
Earlier this year Farmwatch investigated pig farming in New Zealand. We filmed horrific conditions and animal cruelty on several farms in Auckland and Christchurch. On one farm workers kicked and stomped on piglets. They beat a sow to death with a sledgehammer. It took more…
This year we have seen proof of the SIS used for political purposes. How many other organs of the state have been politicised? Two days ago David Parker raised the issue in Parliament. The specific context was questions about the SFO investigation where Parker made…
This is a brutally honest piece by Karl du Fresne, first published in the Nelson Mail and Manawatu Standard, then on his blog. Please go read the whole piece, well worth it, but some extracts below: Stop bullshitting us, prime minister ... Over the past…
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the…
I miss Fred Dagg - John Clarke's latest is a purler. "New Zealand ... is an egalitarian nation made up of well over four million rugged individualists and naturally gifted sportspeople and is run on alternate days by the government and whoever bought the national…
Key is falling apart before our eyes. Perhaps out of a sense of solidarity, Gerry Brownlee has decided to join him: Army not preparing for Iraq deployment, Brownlee Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee is denying the army's been told to prepare for a deployment to Iraq.…
Yesterday, John Key gave us some advertising in the house. At question time about the Dirty Politics revelations that Jason Ede of his office had been writing blog posts that went up under Cameron Slater's name at Whaleoil (see video in "Is John Key on the…
So despite the vast amount more funding (5x more per pupil) to charter schools, 1 of the 5 first, Te Kura Hourua ki Whangaruru, is failing abysmally. The Government has previously said that all their problems were fixed, or being fixed - but they clearly aren't.…
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the…
So John Key reckons the decile 1 & 2 principals he talks to say that hardly any kids at their school need lunch. Campbell Live & Kids Can seem to only find school principals who say that lots of kids need lunch. So maybe John Key…
Dirty Politics is gradually having its effect. Key's teflon coating is now well and truly scratched and the rust is showing through. The right continue to claim that the election result showed that Dirty Politics had no effect and that National's return to power was…
Why do I want to know about Bronagh's private 30th wedding anniversary gift to John Key? The PM is in trouble and trying to get fluff out to distract from his recent repeated lying, make people think more nicely of him (see also: JK's son's…
Why not go sign the petition.... To: The Governor-General, Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, Please take immediate steps to call for the establishment of a high calibre, non-partisan Royal Commission to investigate the inner workings of government in New Zealand and recommend…
Key and his government are ramping up their powers to spy in us all, one of their justifications is that if we the people have nothing to hide we have nothing to fear. Yesterday in Parliament John Key declined to release his communications with Cameron…
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the…
You have to wonder if David Farrar is also being paid by the smoking lobby to attack plain packaging - he posts on it frequently. His latest quotes Australian research which the Melbourne Age describes as pushed by the smoking lobby. The post also links…
From I/S at No Right Turn. Just the beginning The Key/Kitteridge Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill isn't even law yet, and the SIS are already planning their next power grab: The Prime Minister has signalled the Government will look to introduce much tougher security laws after a review…
Respected commentators are now talking seriously about the likelihood that Cameron Slater has dirt on John Key (probably in the form of the record of their communications) that he is using to influence the PM. Why else would Key stay in touch with and defend…