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Here's the first question from the House today: "1. CRAIG FOSS (National—Tukituki) to the Minister of Finance: What does the latest GDP data show about New Zealand's recent growth performance? Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) : Revised GDP data up to the September quarter…
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Here's John Key explaining why sickness and invalid's benefit numbers are increasing (and, hence, the need for some good old fashioned National beneficiary-bashing): "the previous government encouraged a move off the unemployment benefit into those categories, which aren't work tested" You've been caught out on…
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Colin Espiner: "Is that uranium I can smell on John Key's breath? Or was there simply too much garlic in the lamb rack the prime minister cooked for his wife on Valantines Day? Go on, laugh. But both seem to be legitimate topics of journalistic…
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You know how the world has been through the worst financial crisis in decades? You know how countries like Ireland and Iceland who had made themselves into financial hubs via tax breaks for banks are now deep in the crap with burgeoning debt and unemployment?…
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Having decided to do a post about politics for once, National Party pollster David Farrar attacked The Standard and No Right Turn over our pieces on the distribution of income and how low and middle income people won't be getting promised compensation for GST increases…
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There's a demo at Parliament today to protest against the Government's ACC bill, which raises levies, cuts Kiwis' entitlements and paves the way for privatisation. If you're in the CBD make sure you head down in your lunch break. MARCH AND RALLY FOR ACC 11.30am…
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Tabloid trash mag Woman's Day has being paying someone to follow Alison Mau and her family to take pictures to fuel their prurient interest in her personal life, according to a statement by Mau on TVNZ's Breakfast. In her statement Mau pleaded for Woman's Day Editor…
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There's a few things about Key's story regarding his shares in Jackson Mining that don't stack up. First, he says Jackson Mining was just an Aussie gold mining company when he bought them and that they didn't get involved in uranium until a merger that saw become part of a…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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National and the Maori Party are having yet another round of crisis. Once again the Maori Party is threatening to collapse the coalition over a policy. This time it's Key's insistence that non-Maori be included in Tariana Turia's bizarre Whanau Ora plan. Once again, we…
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Julie Fairey at The Hand Mirror has posted a follow-up on the curious tale of how National's Dr Jackie Blue "had told the Herald that Nathan's job ended because of an office merger with new National MP Sam Lotu-Iiga, when actually they both still have…
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- We all know Mike Smith, former priest and ex-boxer, but did you also know he was General Secretary of the Labour Party for many years? Welcome aboard, Mike - National's education standards are one of John Key's six policy initiatives that will supposedly see…
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Whanau Ora is a terrible idea. It is the beginning of the privatisation of social services, wrapped in a cloak of Maori-centred solutions for Maori. The Maori Party and the National Party can't agree over (among many things) whether Whanau Ora will be open to…
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We market ourselves internationally as "100% pure New Zealand". That's a powerful claim and a powerful brand, but also a fragile one. A bubble that is easily popped. Stupidly, the actions of the National government seem likely to damage the brand, and with it the…
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Last week, I looked at Key's tax reform promises and concluded he was promising over $5.3 billion of income and corporate tax rate cuts paid for with, at best, $3.6 billion of extra revenue from GST and housing investment. Key has explicitly promised that no-one…
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The Standard has been sent copies of documents (1,2,3,4) released under the Official Information Act which show that one of National's first acts in government was to trim a Conservation Park at the request of a mining company, ignoring local concerns and official advice, to…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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You may have noticed that The Standard looks a little different from the last time you logged in. That's because today we're launching The Standard version 3.0, and with it a new legal entity to own the site called, inventively, The Standard Trust. So, why…
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The Economist has been looking at the failures in the financial markets at assessing risk. They have quite a lot of material available. But here are some audio visuals that are of interest*. Note: These clips are all in iFrame which may not display/play where…
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Matt McCarten asks "are we still in love?" with John Key after a year of do-nothing government and a promised 'step change' that is really just favours for National's rich mates. If the views of people on McGehan Close, Key's famous 'underclass' street are anything to go…
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Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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Tracy Watkins awards the first week of Parliamentary politics this year to Phil Goff, and points out that it's as much due to his and Labour's much improved performance as it is to Key and National's shambolic, over-promise, under-deliver governance. "It is rare for an…
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There will be up to 15 minutes of maintenance around 5pm. I have to shove some directories around to better structure the server filesystem. The site will have to be off while that is happening. Unless I'm mistaken, everything is back to normal after my…
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National love to tell us what we want to hear. Among their many pre-election policy lies they waxed lyrical about the value of education, before effectively cutting funding in the budget. On Adult and Community Education (ACE), Bill English was particularly supportive: Community learning has…
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Protests are taking place around the country today against the National Government's miserable 25 cent increase to the minimum wage. From Unite: The National Government have shown their contempt for low paid workers in New Zealand, by throwing 25 cents to those on the minimum…
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Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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Update: Link's dead but I found this trailer on youtube
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This is pretty classic. Found it on one of The Standard's old posts. I think we'll be seeing a bit more of this image around.
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Relating to what I wrote yesterday about the Right and much of the media being largely blind to the existence of those of us on low and middle incomes, here's an interesting piece from the New York Times: The folks in the upper-income group are…