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The December quarter employment statistics are out. And there's a big jump up to 6.8% unemployment. 11,000 people lost their jobs, 8,000 became "unemployed" and 3,000 others left the workforce altogether. The labour force participation rate (the number of people of working age, working) is…
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That wannabe Crusher Collins. Can't crush a car. Can't save money on double-bunking. Tried to do it cheap. Now the bunks need $2.6m repairs. She reminds me of this bully at primary school. Seemed big, impressive, scary. Until we learned he couldn't tie his shoelaces.…
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The same old formula has played out again: National appoints an expensive, hand-picked working group (this time, the Savings Working Group). The working group comes up with predictable and disappointing recommendations. National rejects extreme recommendations out of hand, making it appear moderate, and does what…
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By the time this is posted Yasi will have hit Australia. There will be massive damage, and probably loss of life. Most New Zealanders will have friends or family in Australia, perhaps in the areas affected. I'm sure our thoughts are with our cousins over…
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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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Periodically I run a scan to identify network parasites that are sucking up our bandwidth and processing resources in excess. Of course I leave the benign parasites that provide search facilities alone. Like the ubiquitous googlebot and its other benign brethren. But I stomp on…
admin blogs humour inoculation interweb scoundrels Spying The Standard
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So I reckoned the election would be in July. That's because July would have been a good call. And I thought Key and his wee crew were good. Turns out they're locking in November 26. That's a big mistake, he would have had the opposition…
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So John Key has flip flopped and decided to rule out working with Winston Peters again. He's trying to portray that as a principled decision, about running an "aspirational" government. "Nothing has changed since 2008. My reasons for ruling him out then still stand." "He's…
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Darn, we sneaked past the 7000th post without my noticing at the end of last month. We passed 6000 posts on August 25th last year. So we did that thousand in 160 days. It is pretty good considering we had summer in the middle and…
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The PM has called a surprise press conference. According to Vernon Small at Stuff: Prime Minister John Key has called a surprise press conference at Parliament at 12.45pm today at which he is expected to call an election. Our political staff believe he will name…
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Our Deep Throat in the press gallery (Rob Hosking) leaked us a copy of the admittance test. Q4) Which of these stories is newsworthy? a) Greying MP dyes hair b) Fat MP a little less fat c) PM supports dictator against popular uprising d) PM…
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December 2007, John Key, speaking to Carolyne Brooks-Quan said: "We would love to see wages drop". Key tried several conflicting excuses, including that he was talking about Australian wages (which became a mini-meme). But actions speak louder than words. Yesterday, we had more confirmation that…
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So, in America a federal enquiry has now confirmed what we already knew. The New York Times reports: Financial Crisis Was Avoidable, Inquiry Finds WASHINGTON — The 2008 financial crisis was an “avoidable” disaster caused by widespread failures in government regulation, corporate mismanagement and heedless…
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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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Today is the day that Anne Tolley's $400 million dollar cut to early childhood education bites. A sector which delivers $13 value for every $1 invested is really going to hurt. Centres themselves are having different responses: 90% of centres are definitely raising fees -…
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I don't think the global economy is out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot. But pundits are talking up any sign of "recovery" as good news. Here in NZ for example: Brighter economic times ahead Cheer up Kiwis, because 2011 is looking…
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Judith Collins is an utter failure. She calls herself 'Crusher' but hasn't crushed a single car two years after promising to. Crime has gone up under her watch and police deaths have increased despite her claim that the Taser would make them safer. So, there's…
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The early childhood education cuts have hit - families will face an average $20-$45 a week increase in the cost of sending a kid to kindy. And Anne Tolley is signaling more to come. But it's not just the education of the next generation that's…
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In a poor attempt to make it look like NACT are actually doing something about New Zealand's incredibly high rate of bio-diversity loss , and warnings that our forests will soon be silent Nick Smith has introduced a National Policy Statement on Biodiversity whilst NACT…
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Yesterday Queen of Thorns laid out her thoughts on how the left lost touch with feminism. Today she's talking about how to get the whole rigmarole back on track. Part Three: identity politics kicked Chris Trotter's dog But don't think Trotter reserved his scorn just…
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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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Like many of you, I stopped watching Breakfast after Paul Henry left* but an alert reader sent me this interview with John Key on the show yesterday. It's the one where he makes weak excuses for not Mondayising public holidays but, before that he says…
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John Key says he needs 'advice' on Mondayising ANZAC Day and Waitangi Day. The fact is the move would be right and popular but his business mates are too cheap to pay an extra 4 days every 7 years. Key's just playing for time. Key…
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At his 'Blue-Green' conference Nick Smith talked up the Nats' environmental credentials. Proclaimed a marine reserve ... where commercial fishing will still be allowed. And pushed new air quality standards from 2013 to 2020. That will cost 635 lives and a million sick days. Smith…
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Russel Norman followed Phil Goff and John Key's state of the nation speeches with the annual Greens state of the planet address. The capital gains tax initiative grabbed headlines but there's a lot more going on beneath the surface. As we face myriad economic and…
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I had set my mind to writing this article a few weeks back after IrishBill said some charming things to me on my own blog. Then, because this is how the Universe works some days, the very issue came up on Kiwipolitico when Pablo sought…
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I read a good book over the break. Here on Earth: An Argument for Hope, by Tim Flannery (author of The Weather Makers). I was immediately attracted by the subtitle. Ever since the failure of the Copenhagen summit on climate change I have been less…
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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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Is it just me or is the idea of our Prime Minister joking around with Tony Vietch (a guy who threw his fiance down the stairs before kicking her in the back) about celebrities he'd like to shag just a little creepy?
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Continual growth in the use of resources is not possible. Society and the economy has to be structured to allow a steady state economy where resource use is within sustainable limits. Our present monetary and economic system relies on growth to work. Having a tangible…