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I haven't seen a copy of The New Zealand Truth for many years. But I guess that it has been going down the toilet under the impact of modern media channels. But now it has really started heading for the sewer - Whaleoil has been…
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Housing New Zealand is going to build some affordable houses in Christchurch and then sell them. It's not a bad idea. In fact, if it were done right and en masse, it should have been a centrepiece of National's empty 'affordable housing' announcment. But I…
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Sugarbags have become a symbol of the DIY response to unemployment in the 1930s Depression. Foodbanks are now a symbol of the struggle to get by on low incomes in a consumer society. Lately there have been claims that Labour should return to core values…
activism class war democratic participation history poverty socialism vision
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The comments of Secretary for Education Lesley Longstone, have provoked some discussion recently: "The system is still underperforming for Maori learners and Pasifika learners, and learners from communities with significant social and economic challenges. While our education system continues to underperform for these learners, we…
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I'm sure that the thoughts and condolences of Kiwis are with all those in the North American region who have been affected by Sandy, particularly those who have lost family and friends. Like many, I have friends and colleagues in New York and New Jersey…
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National are economic failures. Unemployment is up two thirds under their watch (from 97,000 to 162,000) and still rising. Household incomes are falling behind inflation. Manufacturing firms are closing up and making workers redundant. People are fleeing to Aussie in record numbers looking for jobs and decent wages…
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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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No Right Turn on the overthrow of local democracy in Canterbury... National's tyranny So, its out there in the open: National explicitly suspended Canterbury's democracy because they feared voters would vote to protect the environment from rapacious farmers: The Government suspended democracy and restricted legal action…
democracy under attack local body elections local government national water
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At the start of the month the Police acquired a range of new powers: New police search and surveillance law in force New police search and surveillance laws have come into effect [on 1st October]. The Search and Surveillance Act, which was passed through Parliament…
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It's fine not to agree with someone's politics. It's fine to weigh up the attributes of one prospective leader against another and decide that one is the better choice. But the Anyone But Cunliffe clique didn't do that. They literally wanted anyone who wasn't Cunliffe.…
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It was almost funny listening to Bill English on Checkpoint. He had identified all, or at least most of, the problems with housing in Auckland: in short, nobody's building affordable houses, the prevelance of bespoke houses pushes up prices, and speculative capital raises them even more.…
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The US Presidential election is close. Really close. The political futures markets favour Obama about 2 to 1 but polls of the nationwide popular vote and the polls in key states, such as Ohio and Virginia, are essentially tied. Enter the October surprise - Sandy,…
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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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Bugger the environment - who needs it? That's the message from National. Domestically, they'd rather that we didn't know: The Government is stopping the five-yearly State of the Environment report. Put together by the Ministry of the Environment, the report is the largest stock-take of…
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The Pacific has become a major site of the struggle between the US and China for international dominance. The NZ government seems to be playing both sides, while Key is personally more aligned with the US (his Hawaiian hideaway, salivating at the thought of meeting…
australian politics business defence economy overseas investment tourism trade
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Listening to the Nats on housing affordability, it's pretty clear that their only plan is to allow more sprawl. So, let's say this clearly: sprawl is expensive, not cheap, and it is not lack of housing but over-investment in house price speculation that leads to…
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The latest Roy Morgan also includes a poll of what people think is the single most important issue facing New Zealand.It makes informative reading. Jobs is the largest: 1 in 5 consider it the most important issue (we can safely assume it's in the top…
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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 Maori Party conference finished yesterday. There were several articles (mostly from Audrey Young) reporting different stories arising from the conference. It's not good news for the Maori Party. Party seeks help from 'Maori Dotcom' Maori party members are crying out for a "Maori Dotcom"…
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Unfortunately I don't think the latest Roy Morgan is a rogue poll. But I also don't think that it's the result of David Shearer's GCSB fiasco as the electorate doesn't tend to make up its mind on single issues. Rather, I think that the electorate…
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On Planet Key there are no toilets. Natural body processes are considered irrelevant and nature only exists in the highly tamed and controlled form of a golf course. No wonder, then, that the government and its cronies are disconnected from the natural rythms associated with…
babies capitalism child welfare climate change david cunliffe ETS families Gerry Brownlee workers' rights
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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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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. This week, two very…
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This is something of a response to Zetetic's post, which in some part I agree with - BAT's ads are just stupid. And too long, especially since half your audience already know if they agree or disagree with it five seconds in. (And I think…
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The latest Roy Morgan poll has Labour down 4.5% to 29%. There’s no way to varnish it, this is a very bad poll for Labour, particularly for David Shearer. Yeah, it’s just one poll, and it does come off the back of the GCSB tape…
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The bad news they expected to hear. The Greymouth community got the news it had been dreading yesterday. Solid Energy has decided to mothball the Spring Creek mine, making around 220 workers redundant. This is devastating news for the miners and their families. It also…
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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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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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I've just seen the cancer-mongers' latest ad against plain packaging In the ad, an eyeless person trying to buy booze looks horrified when there's no logos and colourful labels on the beer bottles. Some of the bottles read 'I don't mind if alcohol is next'....…
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Detective Inspector Grant Wormald and his Organised and Financial Crime Agency appear to be a rogue police unit that thinks it's above the law. They acted illegally in the Dotcom raid, they had GSCB illegally spy on Dotcom, Wormald appears to have committed perjury by…