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Bennett’s reforms aim to cut the costs of government spending on welfare. But what this means is that more of the necessary caring and service work in NZ will be unpaid, or underpaid. It doesn’t mean people will necessarily work harder or longer. It’s a…
benefits capitalism employment paula bennett unemployment welfare
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Key has said we all have to wait and see what is in the Neazor Report on the GCSB spies' illegal spying on Kim Dotcom.* He won't even answer basic questions like: 'what section of the law did the GCSB breach?' Funny that Key's so…
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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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There is something well and truly stinky wafting from the 9th floor of the beehive. I think the rot set in with Key's TranzRail lies, and was well and truly established after Bill English's housing rort. When the Nats were allowed to get away with…
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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 week has started badly for John Key. Yesterday we learned that National are down in the latest political poll, and today we hear that…
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A couple of days before it was surely all going to come out - very messily and very publicly - in the Dotcom court case, Key has revealed that his spies illegally spied on Kim Dotcom. But, beyond that, Key won't tell us anything apart…
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With Key's willful ignorance on Banks' police report and the GCSB's activities, and "brighter future" becoming a cruel joke as the job losses rack up, a new National slogan is in order.
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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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So Key knew about the GCSB's 'unlawful' actions for a week before he bothered to tell us. He happened to know that this Monday state owned companies would be announcing they were causing the loss of 500-600 jobs (including contractors). A terrible story for the…
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A couple of encouraging polls. Here in NZ, the Labour / Green block continues to chip away at National - and has now taken the lead (pending margin of error of course). The latest TVNZ poll has National 45% (down 3) Labour 34% (up 2)…
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Welcome to National's economy: Kiwirail has just announced 158 infrastructure and engineering job losses, and this afternoon Solid Energy will probably announce the loss of 300 jobs at Spring Creek, and 200-250 elsewhere. This on top of the swathe of job losses in Huntly and…
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Reprinted with permission from Dave Kennedy (bsprout) at Local Bodies. Hekia Parata has released the first statistics available from the collection of National Standards data and was able to claim that 76% of children in years 1-8 were above the Standard for reading, 72% were above the…
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Great Body cartoon in the Herald today:
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The Righties are wetting themselves because the national standards supposedly show higher results in larger classes. Of course, you can't compare data between schools with any validity - "they are not moderated, so one school's "well below" may be another's "at" or "above"" writes the…
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Paula Bennett on Q+A: "I don’t think that every child actually needs to be in early-childhood education" says Bennett. There will be cases where parents can do just as good or better job for their child (especially if they're not working anyway) Yet, her policy…
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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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Felix Marwick, in comments at Public Address, raises some concerning behaviour: I was trying to draw a distinction between what I regard as genuine blogging; opinion and news gathering involving individual research vs blatant plagiarism dressed up as opinion/news. Forgive me if I get a…
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I reckon my theory that the tobacco industry's stupid 'agree/disagree' ad campaign is actually just a way of chucking millions at cash-strapped media outlets to buy their silence (and even backing from Granny) has been confirmed. By one simple fact. The new TV ad, which…
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My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere (no linkwhoring). This week:…
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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 Roughan has a whinge about Campbell Live's coverage of the Christchurch school closures in today's Herald. Poor John pines for the days when Paul Holmes was broadcasting rightwing bullsh*t nationwide every evening. How I miss Paul Holmes. He had the rare ability to empathise…
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When parties that claim to have a social conscience end up propping up right-wing governments it doesn't usually end well. Here is the Lib Dems leader Nick Clegg, apologising to his supporters for breaking a core promise. He has been subtitled for honesty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_3Bqh8ZBAg Background…
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Welcome to Poverty watch, a weekly update on the National government's lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. A lot of background issues and links are set out in Poverty Watch one two and three. In related news this…
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Watch this clip, starting at 45s for 15s. John Key on the impoverished Chatham Islands, holding a huge crayfish. He says 'big as a horse, freshly cooked, $80 a kilo.' He kisses the cray, then looks at the camera and says 'jealous?' Christ, what a…
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So the first 'ropey' National Standards data is slipping out. It may not bear comparison, and not be moderated or indeed standardised, but Hekia Parata can now divulge the great wisdom that National's StandardsTM provides: In shock news, apparently Maori and Pasifika children aren't doing…
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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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Clean green 100% pure New Zealand? Or the only nation in the world to vote against measures to stop the extinction of the world's rarest dolphins? The Hector's dolphins in the seas surrounding John Key's electorate are the world's rarest, and their close relatives the…
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John Key is one kind of Wizard all right - a Wizard of Oz. He can make people disappear there. Duncan Garner rips in to him: It's a long way from what John Key was saying in 2008 - when he stood in Wellington's 36,000…
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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?