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The stranding of the Containership Rena on Wednesday morning, occurred in clear fine weather which has persisted for 3 days now. This clear weather is due to deteriorate starting today with a change in wind direction around midday. It is expected that by the middle…
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When John Key was elected to power in 2008, he was estimated to have a personal wealth of about 40-50 million dollars. Since then, he's collected an annual salary of $400,000 - worth all the more since the tax cuts increased the net figure by…
accountability assets class war john key leadership national tax
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Last year the world's attention was focused on a huge oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, and the environmental disaster that unfolded. Not long after that Brazilian oil giant Petrobras started explorations for drilling in our own Raukumara Basin. Naturally concerns were raised about…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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Speaker Lookwood Smith is getting a lot of flak for his decision to punish The Herald for publishing a photo (taken in violation of Standing Orders) by banning their reporters from Parliament for ten days. It seems pretty clear that Smith has gone overboard on…
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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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The median ('typical') Kiwi income has fallen 6% under National after inflation. It's worse if you're Maori - 16%. And if you're PI? 21%. That's more than a hundred dollars a week. It's a disgrace. In fact, ordinary people's incomes have shrunk faster than the…
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Here is Key making the throat-cutting gesture to Labour after a man tried to jump into the Debating Chamber. He displays a total lack of concern for the man and anyone else. Here's how the video plays out: It opens just as the man is…
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Looks like the RWC might not be quite the economic salvation that we hoped. Some have profited, but others have not, see: Restaurants starve amid Rugby World Cup joy, and Smarting retailers hope for late surge during Rugby World Cup. Overall the news is not…
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National's economic credibility was shot to pieces last week when Fitch and Standard & Poor's gave them 'not achieved' marks. Less than a quarter of the OECD has been downgraded. New Zealand is one of them. All is not sunny in this brigther future. But…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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The PM gets paid $400,000 a year. That's $45 an hour whether he's in Hawai'i, talking about his cat, or sleeping. His cleaner, Sosefina Masoe, gets $13.50 an hour. Key has rejected calls to lift the minimum wage for workers like her to $15 an…
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Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died today at the age of 56.
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After months of playing coy, the latest from the the land of the Tea Party is that Sarah Palin will not be running for president. Read her letter here, it begins: October 5, 2011 Wasilla, Alaska After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided…
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Remember when Key had a super-duper secret plan to end whaling? Turned out the 'plan' was to restore commercial whaling as long as they promised to stop some time (the draft 'phase-out' plan didn't actually have any reductions in it). Well, over-promise, under-deliver Key's made…
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The low-lying island nations of Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared water emergencies and parts of Samoa are rationing water. Climate change has raised the sea level so that what little freshwater lens the islands have has been reduced. Higher temperatures evaporate more of it. Climate…
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In October last year I wrote a post called A PM but not a leader, focusing on Key's lack of character and leadership with respect to then current events (Paul Henry's racism and Key's kowtowing to China). Fast forward to today and things are getting…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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A man tried to jump into the Parliamentary Chamber today at the end of question time. Yelling something about WINZ, Paula Bennett and John Key, he was caught at the last moment by guards. I have a feeling there's a sad story behind that. Something…
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Three Labour MPs gave their valedictories last night; Lynn Pillay, Pete Hodgson, and Jim Anderton in that order. Jim's career path in political employment was a bit roundabout, Lynn's the shortest (she'll kill me for that!), and Pete's the longest. All have made a huge…
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Once again, the Greens have the best billboards and a great policy platform. But the really clever bit is their positioning. A lot of people don't like National's policies and don't want them having a majority. They like Labour's policies but not the personnel. Enter…
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Will double dipping double downgrade Bill English have the guts to heed his own warning? Finance Minister Bill English has conceded stronger economic growth might make New Zealand's current account deficit worse as company profits go overseas. Mr English says the extent of foreign ownership of…
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The national icon suddenly announces that the future of the thing we pride ourselves is at stake. Some big mean foreigners are going to take if off us. Oh no, oh no! Fortunately, there's a solution. It just requires a few tens of millions of…
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The Nats most recent attack on democracy – the Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill – was outrageous in at least three respects. (1) It was an attempt to rewrite the verdict of the Supreme Court. (2) It was retrospective lawmaking which (except in benign cases such as…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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John Key's relentless optimism is designed to make the country feel good, and to feel good about him - that nice man Mr Key. It doesn't, however, solve our large economic problems. We're yet to hear the sunny-side of Dan Carter's injury (that 'Colin Slade…
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A clever billboard from Labour. Apparently it has Kiwiblog's knickers in a bunch, so it must be good!
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Bill English didn't foresee the first downgrade of the country's credit rating since the last time he was a minister but he can see some things coming. Here's an interesting admission from Double Dipton (or should that be Double Downgrade?): "That gap is almost certainly…
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The credit rating downgrades have been quite a political earthquake, and the aftershocks are going to continue for some time. If I was to quote from every interesting article this post would be a mile long, so I'm going to force myself to quote from…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...