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Labour's hands on approach to economic management focused on boosting manufacturing stands in stark contrast to National's failed record of big promises and no delivery. Manufacturing is our largest employer. It has lost 25,500 jobs under National. National has been pushing mining for four years. It employs 6,000…
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Pagani wrote it. Robertson cleared it. And Shearer uttered it. To summarise; those living by sickness entitlements are probably dodgy b’stards. Nice. Before I go on, I should be clear that this post isn’t some insightful fiction along the lines of this post by Imperator…
accountability benefits david shearer grant robertson labour Politics welfare
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Consider two Ministers and their attitude to privacy. First, Judith Collins: Minister furious over ACC's privacy stance ACC Minister Judith Collins wants the state insurer to start sacking staff who breach a new "zero tolerance" policy on privacy breaches. A furious Ms Collins has revealed…
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One of the big issues highlighted during the course of the Ports of Auckland dispute (which, by the way, is ongoing) was the ability of a few ideologically driven board members and managers to act in bad faith and pursue tactics that were incredibly damaging…
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From their fundy page: Wellington Rape Crisis needs to raise $55,000.00 before 1st April 2013 to keep our doors open. Otherwise we will be unable to sustain our essential services for survivors of rape and sexual abuse. This year is the 35th year we have…
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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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Fresh ideas to grow a stronger manufacturing sector, on top of the major changes Labour has already signalled, such as capital gains tax, r & d credits, universal kiwisaver, increase to the minimum wage, honesty about superannuation and a willingness to change fixed ideas about…
capital gains david cunliffe david parker Economy exports jobs minimum wage monetary policy superannuation wages
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It seems the Standard is off the Paganis' Christmas list. John Pagani tells the Listener that he much prefers Kiwiblog because it "has a more reasonable tone than, say, the left blog the Standard, whose idea of political is embittered and angry and it’s therefore…
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I look forward to Trevor Mallard and Andrew Little calling Paula Bennett as a witness in their defamation suit with Judith Collins. Bennett openly admits doing what Collins has sued Mallard and Little for accusing her of doing: using ministerial powers to leak the private…
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TEDxAuckland will be here in October. Press release... Speakers in this year’s line-up include physicist, decathlete and political advisor Sean Gourley; change development specialist Paul Wood; physicist and pursuer of the Higgs boson ‘god particle’ David Krofcheck; materials and biomedical engineer Michelle Dickinson; internationally recognised architect Andrew Patterson; director of…
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The Australian Government has won a Supreme Court case on its plain packaging law. The tobacco companies are now planning to take it to the WTO. I hope Gillard responds to the law suit with a letter along the lines of: "Dear Cancer-mongers, Consider yourselves…
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What a mess of a week Paula 'out of her depth' Bennett is having: Found to have breached the rights of a beneficiary who dared to speak out against Bennett's cuts to a training allowance, which Bennett herself used while a solo mum. Caught out…
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So, let me get this straight. Debt is bad. So bad, in fact, that the Government is willing to sell assets that produce higher returns than its cost of borrowing to free up money and avoid taking on more debt. That would actually increase government…
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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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Thanks to Rob Salmond and Josie Pagani, it is now clear that Labour's pitch to the centre is an intentional strategy. That is helpful as now perhaps we can have a reasonable discussion about how well it's working, and what else might work better. Certainly…
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Frank Macskasy over at Frankly Speaking writes some very long posts that are often full of interesting information. This one does a good analysis of the recommendations from the Electoral Commission and various party positions on it. On the way through he has a good…
act conservative party dpf election 2014 electoral commission electoral systems greens john banks mana maori party MMP national nz first political parties Politics united future
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Paula Bennett has abused her position as a Minister. We've been waiting for the hearing to conclude for a long time. Here's the ruling at last, courtesy of Stuff. Media statement on Paula Bennett privacy complaint Wednesday, 15 August 2012, 12:17 pm Press Release: Human…
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I've got a new rule. If I'm reading any political 'analysis' and the author commits argument to moderation fallacy, I stop reading right there. So I don't know what John Armstrong wrote after his third sentence yesterday: "The competing choruses of those who say it…
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There has been a lot of discussion on the direction Labour is heading and the direction it should go. There have been some very valuable contributions by Mike Smith, Rob Salmond, Jordan Carter and Josie Pagani. I don't have much to add to this other…
activism blogs community democracy david shearer democratic participation labour uncategorized
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Privatising our power companies means higher power prices for everyone (even "mums and dads"). This makes obvious sense - private companies are all about profit. And there's data to back it up. Labour and the Greens have been pushing the message that private power companies…
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Transport spending has always been paid for out of road taxes. But National's roads to nowhere cost too much and road user tax revenue is stagnant because traffic volumes are responding to high petrol prices. They've added huge top ups from general tax but it's…
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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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My father was a dog-trialler, and a very good one - 2nd in the 1947 New Zealand Championships with Speed. As a kid, I loved going to the dog trials, where I heard a lot of dog-whistles, and Dad won a lot of short-head competitions.…
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I find myself on the Standard again defending the principle of Democracy against the same old arguments. Most of the objections apply to any system which allows the public a say in Government. As again we have the party in Government telling us, "We won…
democracy under attack democratic participation political alternatives political education Politics
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Idiot/Savant at NRT on the need to reform the Terrorism Suppression Act. An Admission Back in 2002, in the wake of 9/11, Parliament passed the Terrorism Suppression Act. The Act brought us into line with international law on terrorist financing and bombing, but it also went…
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So, Key's over in Maine watching his kid play baseball (and, shush, taking the rest of the week off for another overseas holiday). Whatever. The thing that gets me is that he can't help but lie to tell people what they want to hear. He's…
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National Party campaign designer John Ansell and Invercargill-based racist Louis Crimp are planning a $2 million campaign to whip up racial hatred between Pakeha and Maori. I don't think people will be fooled, even if anyone publishes their material. We've moved past the Owera days.…
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Lowering the threshold to 4% is a step in the right direction but why not go further? Getting rid of coattailing is negative in theory but in practice could stop anti-democratic gaming by major parties protecting tiny client parties. Abolishing overhangs is bad - it…
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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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I have spent the better part of 17 years - eight of those as a paid organiser for the Labour Party - practicing the ancient art of alchemy; turning supporters into volunteers, volunteers into members and members into activists. I have recruited hundreds of union…