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Earth Hour
OK - so we're a bit late with this - but it's Earth Hour, 8:30 - 9:30pm NZ time. The lights go out for an hour, in a symbolic call for action on climate change. Last year: "More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135…
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Search · 2012-03-01 to 2012-03-31
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Searching: posts Sorted by: newest Results: 1–30 of 206
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Confused? A guide to the letters & leaks in the Nats’ Civil War
The ever-growing list of letters, emails, and leaks in the National Party Civil War, that started off as an apparently apolitical privacy breach by ACC, is getting hard to follow. Here's a summary of the various documents and their ramifications - so far. I'll go…
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Punching above our weight
We in NZ like to tell ourselves that we "punch above our weight". John Key aspires to it. Journalists get all excited when America flatters us with the phrase (and others about our "close friendship"). This great clip from Danish TV puts it all in…
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It’s safe to get off the fence now, Len
The PoAL management looks as incompetent and divided as the Nats after their 'bullet-proof' contracting out plans were shot down by the Employment Court and a director resigned publicly admonishment management's strategy. Time to use that bully pulpit, Len. The workers have won this fight…
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Open mike 31/03/2012
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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POAL falling apart
Things are not going so well for Ports of Auckland. Judge Travis has stated that they are arguably in breach of the Employment Relations Act. The full ruling is here, and a summary of some of the key findings here (Thanks Frank). Then there is…
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Weekend social 30/03/2012
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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We need “operation 9” to suppress the bookies
Evidently the people at iPredict don't like being called "bookies" or being described as "opening a contract" on someone. We are now being targeted by this shadowy organisation. Judith Collins to sue The Standard The contract will be closed immediately at $1 if Ms Collins…
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Beached as bro
Within minutes of Simon Lusk's name being linked to the leaking of the Boag email, a message came through on the tip line - Slater is going feral over Lusk's name being mentioned. And well he might, Lusk is Cameron Slater's meal ticket. After a…
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Participate: Stop Asset Sales and Welfare Reform
Friday 13th (April) - a scary day as submissions close on 2 major government bills. Firstly: the Mixed Ownership Model Bill. If we want to stop Asset Sales, as many submissions as possible would be a good start. So click on the link to submit.…
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Collins’ dilemma & lameduck Key
Judith Collins' behaviour might strike some as strangely aggressive. Some might even suppose she wouldn't behave like this unless she was in the right. But let's put ourselves in her shoes. She wants to be leader. She is now embroiled in a scandal that could…
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Suing the taxpayer
Now I think suing 2 Labour MPs isn't the smartest political move. It keeps your scandal in the spotlight for months, reminding the public about the affair, and have them sour on you. You might win, in theory, so you might make Mallard and Little look…
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Open mike 30/03/2012
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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Key people
I don't think that it's a coincidence that several of the people named in the Sovereign insurance letter as being part of Bronwyn Pullar's support team are also people that were critical in bringing John Key into the National party when he returned to New…
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Key linked to Pullar claim
Close Up tonight led with the allegation, based on a leaked document, that John Key (and other prominent Nats) were listed as supporting a $14 million dollar insurance claim by Bronwyn Pullar in 2007. Check out the Facebook posting here, and Close Up here. Key…
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Blinglish’s Treasury not so hot
Treasury must have been pleased to get one of their own, Bill English, as its head. Now they can tell other departments how they should be run, oversee massive cuts to them - all safe in the knowledge that they'll continue to have fat budget…
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Caption Competition
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Your life, your choice
The right to choose to end our lives is back on the political agenda with Maryan Street's private member's bill on euthanasia going into the ballot. If it's drawn, it will be the third time in 17 years such a Bill has come up. The…
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NRT – Unqualified crony Isaac gets charter schools job
Pure cronyism III Last month, ACT's John Banks claimed to have appointed ACT-crony Catherine Isaac to head the charter schools implementation committee. Then, when questioned about it, he was quick to say that the appointment was "not confirmed" and that no appointment had officially been…
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Cost of the Ports of Auckland fiasco
Bloggers seem to be asking the best questions on the cost of the POAL fiasco. Here's NRT: Asleep at the wheel How much has the Ports of Auckland dispute cost Auckland's ratepayers? As the ultimate owners of the port, you'd expect the Auckland Council to…
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You know you’re in trouble when: The bookies open a contract on you
One of the amusing things in my mailbox this morning was a link with new contracts at iPredict looking at the possible political casualties from the ACC/Pullar leaks. Looks like the contracts opened yesterday and have had minimal trading when I wrote this post. You…
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Unanswered questions
Why did Collins print a copy of the Boag email? Who else saw it or was informed of its contents? If she didn't give the information to Lusk or Slater, how did it get to the Herald? It is interesting that Slater and Lusk, under…
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Mfat’s cuts cost $9.2m
Mfat is spending $9.2m a year on 30 strong razor gang cut diplomat jobs ($300K per razor gang member). It's a ludicrous waste of money. As Goff notes - McCully's splurging on 'back office' contractors in the razor gang to cut the 'frontline'. 49 of…
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Open mike 29/03/2012
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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They eat their own
ACC denies leaking Bronwyn Pullar's name. It's not credible that they would act so high risk and so politically. Boag and Pullar clearly didn't leak it. So, that leaves Collins and her office. Collins denied leaking the email to the media ... but leaves a…
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Come back, we were just measuring GDP wrong!
100 jobs a day were lost in January and 1000 people a week left New Zealand for Australia last year but it turns out it was all a mistake! David Farrar has discovered that we measure GDP slightly differently from Australia and if we use…
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Joyce for National leader?
Ipredict reckons there's 60% odds Key won't be National leader in 3 years. Whether you think that's too low or high, it brings an important fact into resolution - the next National leader is in Parliament, probably a minister right now. People talk about Parata…
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Workers’ victory over incompetent PoAL management
Ports of Auckland must pay the permanent workers among the union members it had illegally locked out. PoAL suddenly changed tack yesterday and now says the lockout isn't for health and safety but because there's not enough work (thanks to the weeks of industrial action…
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Blood sport
Judith Collins has twice told the Prime Minister that she didn't leak Bronwyn Pullar's information. But who else could have? The internecine fighting within National is heating up with Michelle Boag saying "When you can't send a communication to a Government minister without fearing that…
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Open mike 28/03/2012
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...