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Search · 2009-08-24 to 2009-08-30
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Stopping the thugs
The Sunday Star Times reports that Sue Bradford's security has been stepped up following a series of death threats being made against her via blogs, email and twitter. I'm not surprised. Just about every poster at the Standard has had threats made against them by…
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Hijacked by climate change?
Richard Black, environment correspondent for the BBC News website asks an interesting question - Has climate change hijacked the wider environmental agenda? If so, why? And does it matter? He a number of leading environmental thinkers for a BBC Radio Four documentary, Climate Hijack. He says:…
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To my friend
We haven't talked lately and that has partly been my fault. Just doesn't seem that we share as much in common now that you have moved away to a more succesful life in your new job. What happened to the carefree person I used to…
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The F word
It probably isn't possible to have rational discussion about the F word. It has been trivialised by overuse as a meaningless term of abuse. But in its real meaning it is an important word, and some people are taking it very seriously just now. So…
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Rape and Pillage
The Conservation Minister, Tim Groser is quoted today: "If you can extract wealth from that [conservation land], that's what we should do." Stuff and goes on to label any opposition to this clear intent as 'emotional hysteria'. While it was obvious that Brownlee was indulging…
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Guardian readers’ standup: the winner
Last month, the Guardian launched their first YouTube standup competition. They've put up their findings here: In the end (and it was close, going to a final count with fellow judges Sarah Millican, Guardian arts editor Melissa Denes and head of audio Matt Wells), our winner…
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10-20% Pure New Zealand
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Top 10 reasons why Key’s visiting New York
10. I got lost on my way to Afghanistaniania. 9. It's much more fun than running the country. 8. Textes from Kevin Taylor told me to. 7. I've got some National Park lignite to sell. 6. I'm on safari, hunting the elusive scuttlebug. 5. My…
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Trippin’
How's this for some positive spin? Australia is coming off worse in the battle for trans-Tasman tourism, with New Zealand reporting a record surge in the number of visitors in July. The number of Australians who crossed the Tasman for a holiday last month was…
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Minority Report
National is attempting to re-write the Emissions Trading Scheme. The new version it has come up with through the special select committee would be weaker than the already weak version Labour passed. But they've got a numbers problem. ACT won't ever vote for doing anything about climate…
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Who do you think you’re fooling, Kate?
"I'm not going to resign" - Kate Wilkinson It's one of the truisms of politics that when you're a minister and you say you're not resigning, it's only a matter of time until you are. Kate Wilkinson's behaviour has been almost universally disgraceful- the Kiwisaver debacle,…
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Labour finally on board?
I was shocked but not surprised to hear that National are considering opening our National Parks up for mining. At the same time, I can't help but feel an unfortunate sense of deja vu. Labour's Conservation spokesperson David Parker is quoted by 3News today as…
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100% Pure Opencast
This must be Minister of Tourism John Key's idea of a sick joke. Letting Gerry Brownlee run rampant and declare NZ National Parks are now open for mining will not only destroy our natural heritage, but seriously harm our tourist industry. What a legacy to…
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Transport: on the wrong track
The government's 3-year transport spending plan is out. Where's all the cash going? Surprise, surpise it's state highways. We're going to spend $1.5 billion a year on state highways and just $300 million on public transport. Meanwhile, oil's above $US70 a barrel and staying there,…
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Reaching out to the ‘No’ vote
I must confess that Key's position on the repeal of s59 has puzzled me from the moment he started cooperating with the Labour government to get it passed. It's a principled and evidence based position in stark contrast to his usual ideological blinders and populist…
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Collins’ smear backfires
Excellent piece by Patrick Gower in the Herald today on Judith Collins' attempt to smear Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon. Collins has leaked part of an OIA (which she's so far refused to release to Labour) which she says shows "union bosses" are "living a…
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Contract and converge
There's a limited amount of carbon emissions we can make as a world in the coming decades if we are to avoid runaway climate change. So, how to fairly share the remaining 'safe' emissions that can be made over the next 50 years? The solution…
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S59, an opening for Winston?
In 2007, 113 MPs voted for the Bradford amendment to s59 of the Crime Act. Eight voted against it. One of them was Winston Peters. Flash forward to 2009. The referendum has shown widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo - it's dissatisfaction based on myths…
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Apply the brakes, before it’s too late
The real estate agencies and the newspapers, both of which have an interest in a booming property market, are predicting that housing prices will surge over the next three years. Apparently, houses will go up 11% this coming year and 24% over the next three years. Let's…
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NDU catches govt lying
This morning the National Distribution Union put out a statement saying the Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, had refused to attend an executive meeting on the absurd grounds that Telecom lines engineers belonging to a different union, the EPMU, had recently been on strike. In…
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Basher bill puts pressure on Key
John Boscawen's private members' bill to amend s59 of the Crimes Act has been drawn from the ballot. Essentially it would take us back to square one in the smacking/child assault issue. The bill would allow parents and adults to assault* children for the purposes…
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Hoist with his own petard
Last week, Tony Ryall used his time in the big chair for, surprise, surprise, a little preening. He decided to take credit for the 12,000 more elective surgeries conducted fiscal year, a year in which Labour set the budget and Ryall was only minister for…
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Beating lobby loses the plot
Beating lobby spokesman Larry Baldock appears to be losing the plot now that it's dawned on him that his gaming of the smacking referendum question has left him with no mandate for a law change. In a press release titled "Democracy in danger?" Baldock rants…
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Rodney and John roger Rodney
Maori seats? Who cares eh? If democratic process is ignored to override the Maori, who cares? But what if it's some nice Pakeha? The Government is going to slice Rodney council in two. The North half goes to Kaipara. The other half goes into…
auckland supercity democracy under attack national/act government
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It’s not OK, resign
The judgment in the case of 'high-profile political figure' involved in a domestic violence dispute has come back. Cameron Slater has published parts of the judgment, which declines to issue a protection order because the couple are no longer together but does hold that his…
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If you believe in it, put something on the line
It's a strange day when you're praising Tau Henare. But at least he's standing up for Maori seats, unlike the pathetic display from Pita Sharples. Henare's email brought to public attention Hide's bullying threat to resign over the seats. Today, he kept up the fight having…
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Our Political Blogosphere
Denis Welch educating the broader public about the New Zealand political blogosphere on RNZ's 9 to Noon today with Lynn Freeman. A pretty fair synopsis and well worth a quick listen. (9:19 mins total)
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The smiling snake bites
The Herald editorial is pretty scathing of Key's Government for rejecting Maori seats on the super-council but I have to take issue with this par: The Cabinet's decision to reject Maori seats on the Super City Auckland Council is a retrograde step that undoes much…
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Stopping family violence: must do better
Shocking to see these figures: Almost a third of Kiwi women and one in five men will experience violence and abuse at the hands of their partners. The statistics are in a report made public today that will guide a crackdown on family violence. We…