I am a real fan of Mediawatch on Radio New Zealand. The show always provides cutting edge insightful commentary on all things media. The show in the last week had this fascinating story about the world debating champion being pitted against a computer in a…
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This post is a place for positive discussion of the future. An Open Mike for ideas, solutions and the discussion of the possible. The Big Picture, rather than a snapshot of the day’s goings on. Topics rather than topical. We’d like to think it’s…
I’d known for quite some time that something wasn’t quite right. I had many tests done and consulted many specialists. Friends, family, neighbours, work mates, and even complete strangers at Pack ‘n Save they all gave me their personal opinion for free, which I really…
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Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
On Wednesday GCSB chief Andrew Hampton told a Select Committee there was absolutely "no pressure" publicly or privately on his decision to block Huawei. On Thursday US Secretary of State Pompeo publicly warned that "United States would not be able to partner with or share…
Simon Bridges is the most tone deaf National leader since Donald Brash and will share one further similarity with him, he will never be Prime Minister. Big call I know but I am prepared to make it now. Essentially because his judgment is so awful.…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Everyone who's talking politics right now is talking about what's in the Tax Working Group's recommendations, mostly the capital gains tax. Let's talk about some things related to the recommendations, but not their proposal specifically, although it's a decent start that I would wholeheartedly support,…
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
This has now been released. Radio New Zealand has this summary: "Tax the capital gain on sale of land, shares, business assets, intangible assets such as intellectual property. Tax to be imposed when the asset is sold, and levied at the seller's marginal tax rate.…
Britain has an interesting political system, one that in many respects we share. As well as the formation of effective new parties like that of the Labour party or the Unionist party at the start of the 20th century or the UKIP more recently, it also…
Three Tory MP's have joined the 8 Labour party rebels aligned in the so called 'Independent Group'. Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen have savaged Theresa May’s handling of the Brexit negotiations, claiming that the Tories had shifted further to the right, adopting Ukip…
I feel like I should be getting myself a tinfoil hat. Because the investigation into a crime scene where 29 Kiwi workers died should have been pristine. But for some strange reason it wasn't. From Conan Young at Radio New Zealand: Documents released by the…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
There is this radical subversive group engaged in the undermining of the Kiwi way of life and advocating that we forgo our way of life and eat less red meat, drive more efficient cars and catch public transport more regularly. Who is this group? Is…
Bernie Sanders has announced that he will be seeking the Democrat nomination for president in the next election. From the Guardian: Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont whose 2016 presidential campaign helped energize the progressive movement and reshaped the Democratic party, has entered the…
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Like two buses coming at once after you've waited an hour, we have the second poll of the year. Unlike last time, it's not a sexy poll, it is rather the workhorse poll that confirms what you wanted to know, and that things weren't quite…
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
In a welcome development, the Prime Minister has signaled that they will seek to tax digital companies from overseas. The commentary from the Monday post-Cabinet press conference from the Prime Minister is worth listening to in this NZHerald piece. Minister of Revenue Stuart Nash indicates…
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Another poll, another solid result for the Labour led Government. The 1 News Colmar Brunton poll suggests a 2 party left government with a 6-8 seat majority. LAB 45% (+2), GRN 6% (+1), NZF 3% (-1) NAT 42% (-4), MAO 1%, ACT 1%, TOP 1% …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
There have been lots of recent comment about how the Government is mucking up the relationship with China. The evidence is somewhat scant. There was the Air New Zealand plane that was turned around. This has been mentioned by Audrey Young and others and Simon…
I wonder how many people saw this article over the weekend. It is about the difficulties workers have getting money owed after winning employment grievance cases. I confess that I’m an on line reader, and this article is a reminder that I must go…
Call the cops. Someone may have hindered the investigation of the cause of the Pike River fatality by hiding evidence, And it was potentially vital evidence that showed that the explosion occurred in an electrical cabinet that was tragically totally unsafe for the conditions. From…
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