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Apropos of nothing in particular, one of my favourite poems: BLAZING FRUIT (or The Role of the Poet as Entertainer) by Roger McGough During dinner the table caught fire. No one alluded to the fact and we ate on, regardless of the flames singeing our…
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Gerry Brownlee promised the West Coast a stimulus package. "The government" has now ruled that out. John Key never fronts bad news (see: Christchurch's hopes of still hosting RWC games) to keep his nice-guy persona shiny, but in this case no-one wants to front it.…
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The Sendai Earthquake cut the power supply to the pumps at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. With no cooling water being pumped through the reactors, the nuclear fuel rods heated themselves until reactor 1 melted. But it should have been OK. The containment building should have…
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A comment from a foreign national in Japan caught my attention last night. She was a language teacher in a school and remarked that she was in the safest possible building as schools in Japan have extra earthquake reinforcement, ie over and above the building…
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Faced with the choice between short-term stability offered by a military strong-man or the long-term stability that would emerge from a democratic revolution, the West has long backed dictators in key resource supplying third-world nations. As the West backs away from saving the Libyan rebellion,…
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The government has released 8 papers on its view on a 30-year blueprint for Auckland. The plan isn't to be released for another 11 days, but National are impolitely putting its view out first. And what a twentieth-century view it is. One of an ever…
auckland supercity public transport same old national transport
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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 8.9 Richter-scale earthquake has struck just off the coast of northeastern Japan. At a depth of just 24km and only 60km offshore, it released 8,000 times more energy than the second Christchurch earthquake. The Kurihara seismic station recorded a 7 on the destructiveness scale,…
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In the UK they have a referendum in May as to whether to keep First Past the Post, or move to Australian-style Preferential Voting (or as they call it "Alternative Vote"). Here's a quirky explanation of the problems with FPP using members of the animal…
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As we wait to see what Saudi Arabia's 'Day of Rage' will bring and if it will send oil prices into the stratosphere, some economists, including our Reserve Bank Governor, are trying to pretend we're not in the midst of an oil shock and there…
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Apparently Christchurch Labour MPs will be putting out their bulletin daily. Here's the second update from Clayton Cosgrove (Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central). In future you can get to them here. CLAYTON COSGROVE: This morning Christchurch…
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Last National government: split Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. This National government: merge Agriculture and Fisheries. In times of economic recession and disaster National know the really important things to focus on - like changing the titles of departments. Just as long as they keep…
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With the Government's most useless Minister, Pansy Wong, gone under a cloud of corruption and replaced by a new MP who has been labeled by some as a future Nat leader, we might have hoped that the Women's Affairs portfolio would get some decent treatment…
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Last week I wrote about Christchurch rentals as a potential flash point for conflict in the aftermath of the quake. Mayor Bob Parker has now expressed his concerns in the strongest possible language: Rent hikes 'looting by another name' - Parker Landlords who hiked rents…
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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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Speech: Hone Harawira Marine and Coastal Area Bill - Second ReadingHone Harawira, Te Reo Motuhake o Te Tai Tokerau Tuesday 8 March 2011 Tena koe Mr Speaker, and may I please begin my first formal speech in parliament as Te Reo Motuhake o Te Tai…
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The Labour Party’s Christchurch electorate MPs - Clayton Cosgrove (Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central) - are today starting a regular bulletin designed to keep people in their electorates and media informed about what is happening at…
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Facing a housing shortage in Auckland now and a massive rebuilding programme in Christchurch to come, the Government has announced the biggest public building initiative since World War 2. Thousands of unemployed young people will be paid to train as apprentices in building trades and…
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The Reserve Bank has this morning slashed interest rates by 0.5%. This is good news for mortgage-owners as the major banks have dropped their floating rates by the same amount. It is less good news for drivers as this will continue the slide of the…
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So it seems that we're to have a visit from Prince William. As might be expected from a PM who restored our archaic "honours" system, John Key has been positively gushing at the prospect: Prince William will address the thousands of people expected at next…
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National selected a Welfare Working Group that would give them the benefit recommendations that they wanted - a little to the right of Genghis Khan - but even they could see how much quality Early Childhood Education is needed, devoting a part of their report 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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Update: since I wrote this post last night, Key and Brownlee's double act has continued, with Brownlee making up an excuse for Key's comment that 10,000 houses will be bowled. Brownlee claimed the number came from an EQC aerial survey at about the same time…
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There was a good piece in the last Herald on Sunday about the cost of living. The Nats know they are very vulnerable on this fundamental issue. They've been pedalling the lie that "the vast majority" of us are better off since their tax swindle.…
class war cost of living dpf economy making shit up national
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Last week, John Key said that, due to the earthquakes, "from June to June, my guess is that we’ve lost $12 billion in GDP". Later, he said it was $15b over 4 years due to the quakes. Now, Treasury says most of that $15b is…
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I/S at No Right Turn has done more excellent work. He's revealed the official advice Kate Wilkinson was given on the minimum wage. The advice says there is a trade-off between jobs and the minimum wage, but even an increase to $15 an hour would…
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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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Apart from the first post a short while after the earthquake happened, I've not written about it. Partly because I've been busy with other stuff but also because I've been waiting and hoping for the government to do what governments (left or right) do in…
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Update: the Stuff article failed to mention the vital fact that Mateparae is stepping down from the GCSB before becoming G-G. It says "Prime Minister John Key said there was no conflict of interest with Mateparae remaining on at GCSB". But the Herald explains he'll…