What we're fighting for in Afghanistan New Zealand currently has around a hundred troops in Afghanistan - 38 with the SAS in Kabul, and the rest as a Provincial Reconstruction team in Bamiyan. So far the deployment has cost us three lives [in combat]: Lieutenant…
We're witnessing, once again, the results of a government whose disaster management is focused on keeping blame off itself, rather than acting. It bears remarkable resemblance to their approach to economic management. National didn't cause the natural and economic disasters it faces but its handling…
There was some great fun on twitter yesterday with the hashtag #keylines. Here's some samples: @petrajane: @RobbCarrNZ: Heard John Key said in the house yesterday if Labour is elected the 2012 apocalypse is more likely to happen #KeyLines @juliefairey: John Key heard from somebody that…
NZ vetoes the last ocean The Ross Sea is the last significantly unexploited ocean on the planet. It is free of pollution, invasive species, mining and overfishing. Currently, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the international body in charge of Antarctica's…
It's been a bad week for John Key: 3News has him caught out lying (excellent video) about what Standard and Poors said about his double downgrade of the economy. An economy that's 3.6% smaller and $37billion deeper in debt than when he took it over. The Standard has his office caught lying that…
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The level of outrage about brand Key's freebie ad on Radio Live hasn't died away. Tapu Misa wrote about it in yesterday's Herald. Bomber Bradbury was sacked from RadioNZ for mentioning it. Key's staff spun to media that the show was ok if he didn't…
It's a suggestion that comes up every now and again. Here it is in its current incarnation: Lower voting age: Mana The Mana Party is calling for 16 and 17-year-olds to be allowed to vote. The current voting age is 18 but Mana says young…
Pat Brittenden at Average Joe has written insightful post on the level of understanding that Don Brash has about the treaty issues he has been addressing in Act's "one law for all" policy. Dr. Don Brash has pulled out of a debate on Treaty issues…
The Internet is great for politics as a forum for discussion and a place for organising and mobilising but don't let it replace the real action, which is out in the streets. We're going to do a series of flyers for readers to print off and distribute,…
The threat of invoking defamation is a standard tactic to intimidate those who can't afford the legals bills to shut their mouths. Such threats are sometimes known as strategic lawsuits against public participation or SLAPPS. My understanding of Lange v. Atkinson (2000) and the qualified…
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John Key's economic credibility was shattered by the double downgrade. Now, his personal credibility has been lost after he claimed that Standard & Poor's said a Labour government would lead to another downgrade. S&P could not have been more blunt: "At no stage have we…
The lies keep flowing as National desperately tries to limit the damage from the double downgrade. First, it was 'doesn't matter' - Treasury says it does. Then, "hey, it's just private debt" - the agencies' reports say otherwise. Then it was just an international problem…
Buried in Friday's Herald's media section was a big political story. After John "Moonbeam" Key had his hour of talking about his cat while the country was being downgraded, Radio Live responded to the complaints of this blatant and illegal political favouritism by offering to…
Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury has been banned from appearing on RNZ after strongly criticising Key's behaviour in the throat slitting incident (video). Bradbury confirms the ban in this post: Banned from Radio NZ for criticizing the Government Folks, the rumors are true, I've been banned from Radio NZ for…
Herald political editor Audrey Young reports: Ratings agency Standard and Poor's has contradicted a claim by Prime Minister John Key that a credit downgrade would be more likely with a change of Government in New Zealand. Mr Key was questioned in Parliament last week by…
Who said this on the double downgrade: "We have this ongoing challenge of a negative investment balance - the profits and dividends that go back to the foreign owners of New Zealand assets. We need to generate the kind of savings that will help New…
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Not much of a rugby fan myself, but we ran posts for the All Whites' big games, so it seems churlish not to for the All Blacks. As I'm sure everyone and their dog knows, the ABs play Argentina tonight, 8:30 pm at Eden Park.…
As heard on Mediawatch this morning (audio link, around 26:30 in the audio) Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury has been banned from RNZ's "The Panel", and indeed from any appearance on RNZ, after strongly criticising Key's behaviour in the throat slitting incident (video). Bradbury was accused of "an…
National's handling of the Rena oil spill is fitting into the same depressing pattern as Pike River and Christchurch - hands off, leave it to the private sector, ministers trotting out excuses rather than leading. We're even getting the mandatory Key photo-op today, doubtless accompanied…
While avoiding the noise pollution from Eden Park over the gully last night, I found C4 playing a sequence of unfortunately named bands... After watching something called Death cabs for Cutie, they played something from Bush. Despite their unfortunate name, which admittedly is enough to…
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Just flicked on TV1 to see what's happening in the rugby. Host is a man who pushed his partner down the stairs. Kicked her as she lay. Broke her back in 4 places. Cause he's 'famous' he got off with only 300 hours CS &…
National Party pollster, sorry, right-leaning independent commentator David Farrar has been polling in Epsom and the results are not good for the Right. Epsomites are pissed off with their seats being used as a backdoor for ACT into Parliament. They don't like the gall of…
Since the nutters on the right at the sewer (otherwise known as the kiwiblog comments) seem to have a thing about billboards (probably because they can't handle actual politics or actual policy). So to keep them entertained and running around like headless chickens rather than…