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Fighting back against privatisation
The Government's privatisation by stealth agenda continues - from ACC to Whanau Ora to mining to PEDA to water. And the fight back is gathering strength.
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Search · 2010-06-21 to 2010-06-27
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Aussies mull ethical market signal
The Aussies are currently investigating the creation of an ethical quality mark which would be provided to products from supply chains free of labour, environment and animal exploitation. The recommendation is: A new Australian Ethical Quality Mark should be devised, with a budget allocation of…
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Beware the politics of gender
I was appalled to read about an increasing trend in 'honour killings' in India - prejudice at its most loathsome. A recent article the Guardian highlighted a recent case where a young husband and wife, and her young cousin were killed, 'each shot twice in…
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Beware the young advisers – they reflect their masters
An interesting parallel between Kevin Rudd and the Key government's leadership style surfaced in our papers this weekend. On Saturday, Tracy Watkins had this to say in the DomPost: Dislike of the Australian leader seems to have reached legendary proportions in the three years since…
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Open mike 27/06/2010
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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Govt to slash jobs in health and education
Before the last election John Key promised the public service would be capped, because that's what Kiwis wanted. That promise is now lying in tatters as jobs in education and health are to be slashed. 3 News reports on State Services Minister Tony Ryall's announcement…
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Crock of the Week – “The Medieval Warming Crock”
Andy said in a comment It is possible to accept that there are issues with the science, in particular the Hockey Stick, and still be aware that continued emissions of greenhouse gas emissions may cause us problems. I was thinking about writing a response. But…
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Crock of the Week – ‘Climategate’
Peter Sinclair in Crock of the week uses some old classic movie and TV footage to debunk the 'climategate' myth. Quite simply this hack of the e-mails hasn't changed any of the science of climate change and is as ineffectual as most of the anti-science…
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The anti-education government
John Key and the Nats are an anti-education government. Everywhere you look education is under attack. Pre-schools: The Nats have slashed funding for preschools, a brutal blow to children and families. Many pre-schools are considering dropping out of the "20 Hours Free" scheme. Schools: National's…
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Yet more abuse of Urgency
This week, the Government slammed through the Policing (Involvement in Local Authority Elections) Amendment Bill. It lets Police stand for local elections under the same rules as other public servants. Is it a good idea? On the one hand, people should be allowed to stand…
accountability democracy under attack democratic participation local body elections Parliament police
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Open mike 26/06/2010
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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Schools’ boycott spreads
Just a few days ago I wrote about schools in Dunedin and Invercargill refusing to participate in National's flawed, damaging "national standards" process. Well it seems that the boycott is spreading: National Standards Press Release: Auckland Primary Principals' Association After significant deliberation, APPA recommends that…
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That’s… odd
I was looking through the physical versions of this weeks' newspapers for something yesterday. I don't normally do that and I saw some bloody odd stuff. In the Dom on Tuesday, they said the PM had asked his staff if he could stay in South…
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Auditor-General shoots down Nats’ Brown smears
Behind in the polls and losing the face to face debates, National's handpicked man for Auckland Supermayor, John Banks, is in deep trouble and unable to match Len Brown. So in a desperate attempt to stop bleeding votes, they did the political equivalent of BP's…
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The ETS is a price signal
There's a rising crescendo of protest about the costs of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS): Taxpayers face $1b Kyoto liability - authors Emissions scheme could cost NZ up to $5b Scoop Images: Emissions Trading Scheme Protest ... and so on. All too often the commentary…
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Open mike 25/06/2010
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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Widening movement for monetary policy reform
It's good to see a consensus forming in the Left that change is needed to monetary policy, and it's excellent to see so much agreement from the Right. Currently, the Reserve Bank manages monetary policy by moving the Official Cash Rate in an attempt to…
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Congratulations Julia Gillard
It's been a big day for Julia Gillard. Up late last night with Kevin Rudd and John Faulkner, the ALP's elder spokesman, doing one of the hardest things in politics which is to front up and tell someone that you have worked with closely that…
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All Whites game 3
So, apparently there's another game on for the All Whites tonight. Kick-off at the user friendly hour of 2am. Predictions anyone? Guess I have to stay up for this one. Go the All Whites!
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Finlayson’s false declaration confirmed
Well, this is pretty embarrassing for the Attorney-General Chris Finlayson. He's the (big g) Government's top lawyer, and he's just been taken to school by one of those former teachers in Labour's ranks that National is always mocking. Yesterday, Trevor Mallard showed that Finlayson had…
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New Australian PM
Kevin Rudd is gone, and Australia has its first female PM. Stuff reports: BREAKING NEWS: Julia Gillard is to become Australia's first female prime minister after Kevin Rudd stood down as Labor leader at a caucus meeting this morning. Ms Gillard, not Mr Rudd, will…
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Edwards: Goff totally loses the plot
A government whose raison d'etre is furthering corporate interests can be pretty damned incompetent and still do okay, because corporate msm do the PR for them. And in return for this government favouring corporate interests over all else we've seen countless examples of NACT committing…
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British austerity budget
The first budget from the new Tory-LibDem government is a shocker: Budget 2010: Pain now, more pain later in austerity plan • George Osborne delivers £40bn austerity budget • Controversial rise in VAT to 20% from January George Osborne has imposed austerity measures on every…
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Open mike 24/06/2010
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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Rudd for the chop, Gillard to take the reins
The Australian Labor Party caucus is meeting this morning for a leadership vote. PM Kevin Rudd has lost the support of the powerful Australian Workers' Union and an array of the ALP's factions to Julia Gillard. It's been a dramatic fall for Rudd, who was…
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Public holiday on All Whites win?
The All Whites series of draws has gripped the country's imagination in a way that even the All Blacks' demolition raid in Ireland and Wales can't match. A win (and conceivably a draw if I read the pool numbers right) in the game against Paraguay…
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What would you have done, Prime Minister?
A very strange statement from Timaru financier Allan Hubbard in this story from the Herald after his company had been put into statutory liquidation by Justice Minister Simon Power: Power said on Sunday there was not adequate documentation of loans made on behalf of 407…
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The media
Today's xkcd. What do you think?
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Free speech zones
National is no big fan of free speech. They have a long history of heavy handed attempts to stifle dissent. The recent fuss around Chinese security's assault on Green MP Russel Norman raises yet another example. Instead of defending a New Zealander and a fellow…
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Credit card scandals & false economies
This weekend I heard an MP confide that they had missed a Tuesday of Parliament because they had an important public meeting in their constituency to attend that evening. They could easily have flown to parliament for the day, but did not want to be…