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A UMR poll shows that 40% of Kiwis support paying an earthquake levy to help pay for the Christchurch rebuild. 22% prefer more borrowing, and 29% want spending cuts. Asked just whether they supported or opposed a levy - 57% supported it. Yet the Nats…
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Watching Simon Barnett mouthing some cliched pap in front of photogenic rubble in an ad the other night, I got to thinking about how the earthquake has been treated as a stage by celebrities and the government to advance their own agendas. The ad came…
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Back before the 2008 election John Key pretended to be interested in the "underclass" for a while. With news now that a starving boy was found eating cockroaches, and that impoverished elderly are eating catfood, the plight of the underclass is getting nothing but worse…
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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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It seems the stench of the decision to remove the right to a jury trial from those arrested in the 'Terror Raids' has even risen into the nostrils of usually conservative members of the intelligentsia. Not only did (judge) Winkelmann suppress her reasoning for her…
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Today's Herald carries a story by David Fisher about the poverty that is rapidly reappearing in New Zealand. Because it's the HoS the lead hook is a story of children living in such poverty and neglect they ate cockroaches but this is only the sharp…
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Judith Tizard won't take Labour's vacant seat in Parliament. It's the right thing to do. It's only a quirk that we should be looking back to a list written in 2008 to fill a seat for 6 months now. Tizard and the next four on…
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The economy, shall we say politely, is facing some difficulties. The global financial crisis (combined with a drought) sent us into recession; but we had zero net crown debt, so the government was ready for lean times, like the squirrel with nuts stored for winter.…
economy education privatisation public services same old national
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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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A new Horizon poll suggests that Pita Sharples' majority in Tamaki Makaurau has been slashed by 80% and he could be overtaken by Labour's Shane Jones. There's a bit of scuttlebutt that Willie Jackson might run for Hone's new Left/Maori Party (if it gets off…
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More Christchurch black humour (or maybe "brown" humour?)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6-knLM7MZA
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Truthout is one of my favourite sources of political commentary in America. Visit, read, donate, discuss! Here's a beautiful rant from one of the editors. The Truthout page is missing at time of writing, but the piece is reproduced in full here. As America leads,…
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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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Weekend social is for non political chat. What's on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can't we all just get along?
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"Workers lose in two-speed recovery" is the headline of an interesting article in today's Business Herald print edition, sourced from "The Economist." Living standards are declining in recovery because the share of income going to profits has far outstripped wages. Most people are not feeling…
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The CTU is launching a new campaign today as part of their ongoing Fairness At Work. Things Just Got Tougher is about the new employment laws that start today, April 1. You may have seen the newspaper adverts or heard the radio ads. Here are…
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In the last Budget, National cut the corporate tax rate to 28%, which costs $400 million a year and comes into effect today. It also cut $200 million a year from early childhood education and tertiary funding in the same Budget, while borrowing billions. When…
budget 2010 debt / deficit education public services science tax
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We have had some routing problems this morning with several networks used by our provider in San Diego. The problem have been ongoing with the network links appearing and disappearing from the perspective of NZ and aussie (there is less of a issue from overseas…
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I take polls with a healthy grain of salt. I take polls of "business confidence" with a whole salt shaker. None the less, this latest poll expresses concerns that seem to be well founded: NZ business confidence plummets New Zealand business confidence plummeted this month,…
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Today National has a terrible April Fools for workers around Aotearoa: - The 90 day fire-at-will law extends to all workplaces. The EPMU is putting in some good work to get this excluded from many workers' contracts, but the vulnerable will still be targeted by…
business employment minimum wage Unions wages workers' rights
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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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In a raucous public meeting in Timaru last night, John Key said "The entire time I've been Prime Minister I've had Treasury in my office week after week, month after month telling me South Canterbury Finance was going bankrupt". So, why did National sign SCF…
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Canterbury Enabling Act II Back in September, in response to the first Canterbury earthquake, Parliament effectively made Gerry Brownlee a dictator, granting near-absolute power to suspend or amend laws as he saw fit to aid recovery from the earthquake. While the powers have not yet…
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A dirty deal requires dirty lies. You know your opponent's stand is dishonourable when they resort to spreading lies and promoting falsehoods about your position. The government's Acting Energy and Resources Minister in attacks on opponents to deep sea oil drilling has been caught out…
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Efforts to cool the nuclear fuel rods in Fukushima's No 2 reactor have failed. The rods have become molten and it appears some have melted through the steel reactor core into a concrete layer. Two dangers now arise: radioactive chemicals created by the concrete reacting…
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Bill English is running a new line, contrasting "necessities" with "nice to have". For example: More public servants face the axe In a speech to public servants yesterday, Finance Minister Bill English stepped up his warning that some programmes and departments were luxuries the country…
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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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Key and English are trying to soften us up for big public service cuts this budget. They tell us it'll just be 'nice to haves' and that the private sector will step in to fill the gap when they cut too close to the bone.…
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The police have been heavily criticised for their handling of the 2007 Urewera "terror" raids. Now the legal system is making matters worse: Urewera raids cases to be heard without jury The 18 people arrested during the Urewera "terror" raids have been denied a trial…
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I see there is a call for "heroic" student loan holders overseas to help pay for the Christchurch earthquake. When I first saw this I thought it was an interesting idea then I saw that the IRD has set up a page and a process…