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The Police Report into the Banks.com affair, which Labour has distributed to the media, is a gold mine. Banks is shown to be a liar and completely unethical. It's a huge report and things will keep being discovered, but here's some of the remarkable points…
auckland supercity corruption john banks john key local body elections
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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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In July, I requested the Police file of their investigation into John Banks so-called anonymous donations. It arrived today. The key to their conclusion is as follows: 38. Further analysis in respect of the evidence collected in the investigation established that the return was wrong…
accountability corruption democracy under attack election funding john banks john key local government
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Gerry Brownlee on the traumatised residents of Christchurch: Brownlee lashes out at quake 'carpers and moaners' Gerry Brownlee has reportedly hit back at criticism from quake-affected Christchurch residents by calling the complainants moaners who have time to "buggerise around on Facebook all day". ... The…
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Fresh from having to delay the sale of Mighty River for 6 months because of sheer incompetence and on the back of hundreds of jobs losses in our largest employing sector - manufacturing - Key went overseas to boost our exports. His Russian FTA talks…
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Families will lose half their Working for Families payments if they don't put their kids in ECE or make sure they have the Well Child checks, under reforms to be announced by Paula Bennett the next time National needs a distraction from its failed economic…
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National is the party of stupid, short term thinking. It's evident everywhere, even in areas of supposed Nat strength like sound business management. Consider for example the abject folly of sacking a bunch of staff, and then running up $1bn in consulting fees: Govt depts…
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So the government is announcing the "lifetime cost" of social welfare payments today to soften the ground for cracking down on beneficiaries. By coincidence they're also in the process of rushing through changes to the emissions trading scheme that will cost the taxpayer billions of…
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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 Greens have started a new programme - Champions for Children. See their press release, and 3 News coverage: Greens want your help to end child poverty The Green Party is calling on ordinary New Zealanders to join a new campaign to tackle child poverty.…
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The inaugural Money Week has just ended. A week of events and activities to raise awareness about how people can better manage their money (if they have any) and get help to do so. With so many financial instruments out there all prostituting themselves for…
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Talk fast, shoot the messenger, and spin like a top. That's Joyce's style, trying to defend the indefensible; National's neglect of New Zealand's manufacturing industry. He tried it on the Nation a couple of weeks ago, and again on Morning Report this morning. Amidst all…
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If Europe can ban incandescent light bulbs, if America can legislate to require 54.5 MPG fuel efficient cars, why can't New Zealand make some progress on energy efficiency? After all, these days we don't have a lunatic leader of the opposition who would rant something…
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Shearer's speech on Sunday has sparked the discussions that this country needed to have about education, about poverty, and about the sad link between them. With every statement the Nats show how deeply in denial they are about these issues: Labour says New Zealand needs…
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The paper mill at Kawerau is halving its production, and its workforce. Another hundred plus jobs gone. Meanwhile, Norske Skog, which owns the mill, is expanding production at its paper mill in Tasmania. The expansion, part-paid for with government money will allow Australia to produce…
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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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Shearer gets some traction with a policy that neatly targets parents' concerns about education, hits a link in the poverty cycle, and is third way enough that National can't really object. And what happens? National runs a little beat up on how Shearer's masters thesis…
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Headline in the new Herald website. That's all of us.
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The Nats' lines on the citizens-initiated referendum on asset sales are very weak: 'we don't care because we have a mandate' and making up stories about invalid signatures. Those lines will only hold until the petition is certified by the Clerk of the House later…
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While Labour and the Greens are laying out concrete policies to tackle poverty and its consequences that lead to life-long problems (child payment and home insulation from the Greens, food in schools and reading recovery from Labour), National MPs are acting as slum landlords, refusing…
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In case you missed it in the weekend, on Sunday David Shearer gave an excellent speech on education, which has been (as far as I can tell) universally positively received. The headline items are free food in low decile schools, and extending the reading recovery…
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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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David Shearer's policy of free meals for low decile schools is a bloody good one - there are too many kids that are going to school hungry and suffering setbacks because of it. But remember, this should only be seen as a stop-gap measure. The…
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David Shearer's education speech today was excellent in every way. Core Labour values, a sound understanding of the issues, significant concrete policy, and the promise of more to come. This is the kind of speech that I as a Labour Party supporter want to hear…
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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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Something's missing from Labour's position on asset sales. It's what it will do with the partially privatised companies (if the sales do go ahead despite Treaty issues and the dearth of economic rationale) when Labour is once more in government. I understand why it cannot…
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(From the Greens' Facebook page) In related news, I see Steven Joyce has met with Solid Energy and the Spring Creek miners. He's got a solution: not a dollar to help the mine stay open. Instead, he says the workers could go work in Christchurch.…
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No Right Turn on the Nats' continuing contempt for democracy. Extended As expected, National has decided to extend ECan's dictatorship for another three years, until 2016. And as the Minister's press release makes clear, the reason is control of water and denial of the rule of…
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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. The facts are pretty simple. Poverty (and inequality) were falling (albeit too slowly) under the last Labour government. Now they are on the rise again, in fact a…