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A long contribution from someone in centre of the local body issues in Auckland. Despite its blatant electioneering, it is interesting enough to post here for a slightly different (and milder) slant. The lack of any effective role for the proposed local boards that makes…
auckland supercity democracy under attack democratic participation local government
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John Key on criticism that the Government is arrogantly ramming through its Supercity plans without consulting Aucklanders: "The Government is not so arrogant that it won't listen to the submissions that are made before or during the select committee process," Mr Key said yesterday.* If…
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"You know what is in room 101, Winston. Everyone knows what is in room 101" The release last week of four memos from the legal team of the George W Bush administration confirmed what many already knew. That they were using torture. Anyone who has…
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Uncanny spoof of John Key. Has all of the mannerisms...
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I suppose the Herald means for us to recoil in horror at the headline "$325,000 bill to save 57 jobs" but I'm fine with it. Look at the alternative - 57 families taking a major hit to their incomes, with all the consequences for health, education,…
economy employment national/act government wages workers' rights
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This morning on Breakfast, Key said we'll send in troops to Fiji as part of a multi-national force if need be. At the same time, McCully was on National Radio refusing to countenance any such deployment. Key also said we'll send more people to Afghanistan if there's an…
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From Newsroom: The bi-election for the Mt. Albert seat vacated by Helen Clark is set to be held on Saturday June 13, according to an announcement today by Prime Minister John Key. UPDATE: Key dates in the Govt release. Update 2: Isn't it "by-election", "bi-election"?…
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The Government announced two nine day fortnights today. Interestingly, they're refusing to tell us who one of them is. From the Government's press release: Ms Bennett confirmed today that Oamaru-based Summit Wool Spinners and another manufacturing firm, which wishes to remain anonymous, had joined the…
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I agree with the title of the Herald's editoral today: "Let citizens have say on Super City". Unfortunately, the editoral itself is wishy-washy. Aucklanders do deserve to have a say on the super city proposal. They should get to vote yes or no on the…
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Cycling is a great way to travel, so it's great that the government is going to back more cycleways around the country to make the experience safer and more enjoyable for cycle tourists. But the new plan will only see a national network completed in…
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This fascinating article (with many links) describes some of the radical technologies America is considering to address the urgent problem of global warming. ... global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air ... One such extreme option…
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Why are the questions in citizens-initiated referenda always written by idiots? You want people to vote for your cause, right? So frame the question so people who agree with your position tick the 'yes' box. Simple? But they keep getting it backwards. Remember the first…
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I know it's not The Standard's style to follow the media in the disgusting practice of turning real people's lives into soap opera but there is a political aspect of the Veitch saga that is worth commenting on. 30 years ago, a story like this would have…
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This post was originally published last year but it's relevant in the light of the naive comments from McCully on Q+A today about China cooperating with New Zealand on aid to Fiji. _________________________________________ Liberal democracy (ie. democracy where there are truly competitive elections) is the…
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Head of the Unite union, Matt McCarten, writes about the Synovate lockout and how foreign-owned businesses try to exploit New Zealand workers: [The] owners offer workers essentially nothing above the minimum wage then expect everyone to roll over and accept it. The normal threat is…
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The best news source in America, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, interviews the woman responsible for making sure their bailout money is being spent well. Illuminating and a little scary. In the second part she puts this whole financial crisis in a historic and…
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Unlike some of the other Standard writers, I don't usually find Fran O-Sullivan too bad but her reporting of Key's trip to China has been disappointing. Here's how she describes Key's failure to stand up for human rights: "Key is also quite pragmatic on human…
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Brian Rudman has a piece in the NZ Herald looking at the good side of the Auckland reorganisation. The potential for pooling resources. This was one of the reasons that there is widespread support for some kind of reorganization of Auckland into a single political…
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This morning I picked up the local newspaper out of the mailbox - Harbour News. On the front page was this extraordinary editorial - "Who stole our Voice". The editor of the Harbour News tears Rodney Hide and the NACT government a new excretory orifice.…
auckland supercity democracy under attack national/act government
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One of these things is not like the other... One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other... Can you tell me before I finish the game?
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A reader writes: $30 million for an expo pavillion? Sounds a bit steep. Why, John Key could could build you a cycleway 60% of the length of New Zealand for that price. Seriously though, Key's going to spend 50% more on a pavillion than he's…
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The current financial crisis originated in America with a wave of defaults in "sub prime" mortgages. The excellent presentation found here covers a lot of data in a lot of detail (step through the slides), and shows why there is more pain ahead in the…
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Peeking through the OECD policy brief there were some interesting issues when looking at the short-term economic issues over the next few years. As usual Granny Herald in their usual editorial policy of supporting NACT has it wrong. On their front page article they said...…
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Five months in office and ministers are already so aloof and out of touch that you can read things like this in the media almost without raising an eyebrow: The Government says it will listen to the wide range of concerns about its plans for a Super…
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(click the picture for the video) Why would Worth visit the Sandhu family to whom he was a stranger and who had nothing to do with his portfolio? What did he say to them? Why would he introduce himself as the Minister of Internal Affairs to the family?…
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We should expect National as the political arm of business to surround itself with dirty money and conflicts of interest. As a self-proclaimed social democratic party Labour has no such excuse. So: - What is Labour's education spokesperson Chris Carter doing accepting election donations from…
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In two days, John Key will be bouncing from cloud to cloud on his way back home from China. With him on the plane will be a group of businessmen that Fran O'Sullivan (in shockingly bad taste) calls the 'gang of seven'. These include: the…
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The Herald covers some of the donations to parties and candidates before the election. One of the big donors was the Road Transport Forum, the trucking lobby, who were behind the famous 'truck strike'. They're getting value for money eh? National's Transport Minister Steven Joyce…
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Remember when John Key used to say "New Zealand has a growth problem, not a debt problem"? He doesn't say that anymore, which is a pity because we do have a growth problem, not a debt problem, but the Government is acting like we've got…