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Last week, the IMF warned that oil prices will double over and above inflation in the next decade. The Greens crunched the numbers and say that means we'll be paying $5 a litre for petrol in 2022. Can you guess what Brownlee's reaction was? Head…
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The sheer volume of ill-informed commentary about National's "big win" after the last election was mind boggling. Stuck in old FPP thinking? John Key fanboi-ism? Unable to see past the two big parties? Whatever the cause, it was all such a crock. In reality National's…
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ACT Party President Chris Simmons - who opposed the Brash coup that lead to John Banks being ACT's sole MP - 'accidentally' dropped Banks right in it on Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint. He said "[Banks] made the suggestion to Dotcom" to split his donation into…
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There's the facts, the questions and the legal opinions. Today in Parliament John Key stuck to his lack of interest in detailed questions, and blind adherence to Banks' reliance on legal opinions. He even alleged that the Labour Opposition agreed with these opinions. Not likely.…
accountability act brand key john banks john key national national/act government you couldn't make this shit up
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National's going to cut access to the student allowance - which most self-supporting students can't get and isn't enough to live on - and up the repayment rate on student loans, which is basically a hike on your graduate tax. These measures won't save much…
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A very interesting article on the BBC - the financial formula that ruined the world. Well, that's a bit sensationalist, but it's a formula that allowed intuition to be taken out of "options" trading and computers to move in. And with the "understanding" of the…
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Baby boomers strike again. In 1989, University fees for domestic students in New Zealand were less than $300. Moreover, for many students, 90% of that cost was met by the government through a fees grant. NZUSA has a very good history of fees in New Zealand. But I…
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OK. I'm officially confused. Is National plummeting or holding? Is Labour gaining or falling? Are the Greens becoming the second party or slipping back? 5 polls: 5 different answers. The best poll is Left 48% vs Right 44.5%. The worst: 41% vs 52%. Either the…
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For the first time under this National government, average wages and salaries actually rose (2%) faster than inflation (1.6%), so in the last year people are ever so slightly better off - I think congratulations are in order! Of course the rise doesn't remotely match…
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For the first time in 3.5 years, Lockwood Smith didn't preside over question time yesterday. The hapless National backbencher Eric Roy took his place resulting an awfully convenient farce. Key refused to answer questions, going so far as to say he wasn't responsible for who…
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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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Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here. The Government has introduced into Parliament a series of amendments to the Immigration Act, in an effort to keep out illegal immigrants. John Key announced…
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David Cameron was livid over being called back from a campaign by former Conservative Speaker John Bercow to explain why he has not referred Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt to the official appointed to deal with breaches of the Ministerial code. Cameron has expressed confidence in…
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A by-election in Epsom. If ACT or National win, the Right retains 61 votes. But, between resignation and swearing in typically takes 3 months during which the Right would have 60 v 60. Legislation fails on draws. Asset sales, SkyCity, welfare cuts, even the Budget…
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Voluntary euthanasia is a debate that keeps coming back. Authors here have touched on it several times (e.g. here, here, here). There are strong arguments on either side (for the record I am strongly in favour of legalising euthanasia). The latest round of debate has…
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According to 3 News, Kim Dotcom paid two cheques of $25,000 each into John Banks' campaign account in a bank in Queenstown. Duncan Garner says this would show up on Banks' bank records as "anonymous". So how did Kim Dotcom get TeamBanksie's account number? Two…
accountability act brand key elections national privatisation
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Rhetoric: on donations to Winston Peters, John Key 2008: "It is no longer acceptable or credible for Helen Clark to assert a facade of confidence in her Foreign Affairs Minister and to fail to ask the plain questions of him that she has a duty…
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John Key has refused to sack John Banks saying "The test is, did he breach the law or not? If he hasn't, then he's not guilty". That has never been the standard ministers are held to. Ministers are required to uphold "the highest ethical standards".…
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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...