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Open mike 18/04/2013
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Search · 2013-04-01 to 2013-04-30 · Page 4
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Best (so far). The bill passed well.
Surprise... Maurice Williamson http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XCA8CA2hUoQ Damn. That speech was good, clear and as daft as I tend to find marriage (but if Lyn wants one then I willingly grasp it - at a registry office please?), he best espoused my view. update1: By contrast Winston Peters played classic…
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Mondayisation Bill passes
As expected David Clark's private member's bill to "Mondayise" holidays passed its final reading this evening. The vote was 61 to 60 with National and ACT voting against. This is quite a coup for David Clark - not often that an opposition member gets a…
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Mini “W”
George "W" Bush's history (a fake WMD scare and legislation to intrusively monitor his own citizens) was arguably repeated as tragedy (in Tony Blair's Britain) and is now, as predicted, being repeated as farce. John Key is morphing into Mini "W" before our eyes (ht…
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Marriage equality: living with prejudice
It's looking like the marriage equality law will pass it's final reading in the House tonight. It is a measure of how things have changed, indicating sexuality and gender prejudice are on the decline. I've never been into marriage, one way or another. However, the…
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The view from Australia
Sometimes a certain distance gives the clearest view. A piece on PM John Key from Australian newspaper The Telegraph (ht Blue in comments). All Blacks only light as Kiwis search for hope MORE than 600,000 New Zealanders - almost 15 per cent of the Long…
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Key’s power price record
Spooked by tomorrow's joint announcement by Labour and the Greens on policy to cut power prices, National is trying to claim they have solved the problem. Get real. In the past year, household electricity prices rose an average of 5%, that's over six times the…
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Open mike 17/04/2013
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 genuinely have no clue”
Finally, John Key comes clean. Watch this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kYV-lrOMgFY Interesting though, how "can't remember" has become his default answer.
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The Greens, electricity & sustainability
Stuff's report about the joint Labour-Green electricity announcement on Thursday, says that the policies of the parties will have similarities and differences. Today, Shearer and Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said they would hold a press conference on Thursday. "The reason we're doing this is…
climate change cost of living david shearer greens labour privatisation Privatisation public transport russel norman sustainability
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Feed the Kids – Big Breakfast
As previously noted, Mana is running an excellent campaign to Feed the Kids. Tomorrow the campaign is running a Big Breakfast event to feed 2000 kids. This will be from 9am to 12 noon at the Otara Leisure Centre, 115 Bairds Rd, Otara, Auckland (not…
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Labour’s electricity reforms will be bold
As covered here yesterday, Labour has signaled that they intend to reform the electricity market so as to lower prices for consumers. The initial announcement signaled little detail, and the usual critics and spinsters squawked as usual that Labour wouldn't or couldn't deliver. Well they're…
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Bombing victims
Sincere condolences to the injured, and to the families and friends of the victims killed in the Boston Marathon bombing. Sincere condolences to the injured, and to the families and friends of the victims killed in other bombings worldwide (from the last month alone): Multiple…
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Telecom’s little dictator
Telecom's $1.3 million a year CEO has announced a pay freeze and told workers who don't like it to "talk to the human resources team about your options" - ie fuck off and quit. Course, he won't notice a year's pay freeze - real workers…
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Pull the other one, it’s full of sarin
New Zealand is, famously, a nuclear-free country. We're also signatories to the Chemical Weapons and Biological Weapons Conventions, which outlaw them. So, if you're looking to learn about weapons of mass destruction, New Zealand's the wrong place to go (hint: start at Wikipedia). It's laughable…
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A float with no %name%
The Nats have spent $48.7 Million of our money "preparing" Mighty River Power for sale, and they couldn't even get the very basics right. Toby Manhire posted this story last night: Would you buy shares in a company that can’t run a mail merge? Mighty…
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Open mike 16/04/2013
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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Weapons of mass distraction
I knew John Key was getting desperate, but really? Weapons of Mass Destruction? How stupid does he think we are? Key's claim that New Zealand websites have been hacked by terrorists looking for the secrets of WMDs is such an obvious beat-up that even Hillary…
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GCSB changes – outrageous anti-democratic
Key has announced major changes to the GCSB roles that will include assisting business, the SIS and the police in spying against Kiwis. This is outrageous. There are good reasons why there has previously been a separation of the roles of the GCSB (spying on…
accountability class war democracy under attack International john key slippery Spying
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Asset Sales: Orcon
It was announced today that Government-owned Orcon was sold off last Friday. A group of NZ investors have bought it off SOE Kordia. There's been speculation since last year that it was being readied for sale (I've meant to write a post on it a…
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Seeking a wormald to the truth
John Key defends the rising questions about his roles in the Dotcom business, and his relationship to the GSCB and its current director by saying that: My reputation matters to me because I am honest and I am upfront As highlighted by Anthony Robins in…
accountability copyright International internet john key law slippery Spying telecommunications us politics
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Nat leadership speculation
I didn't see Key's Q+A interview on Sunday, but it seems to have been an interesting one. Speculation about the leadership of the Nats appears to be growing: Mr Key said speculation that he would be replaced as the National Party leader before the next…
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Key and Thatcher’s ghost
An insightful cartoon. Not enough room to mention - drive up unemployment, drive down wages, slaughter manufacturing, pin all your hopes on oil discoveries (at least that bet paid off for Thatcher).
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Caveat emptor 2
Labour's put out a release saying power prices are too high and "signalling that the future Labour Government will make changes to the sector so that New Zealanders considering purchasing shares in Mighty River Power, which go on sale tomorrow, are aware of that before…
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Open mike 15/04/2013
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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Clueless hicks?
I live in Wellington and like it. I've just visited Auckland for a party, and it was fun for a day and a half. We dealt with the traffic via buses and some kind friends. But I did meet some Aucklanders unusually riled up about…
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Defence Force Members Are Workers Too
The Court Martial of Flight Lieutenant Dan Pezaro by the NZ Defence Force is making me uneasy. The internal Court of Inquiry into this accident hinted at major disfunction within the upper reaches of the Forces in terms of health and safety. On my reading…
class war defence employment uncategorized Unions workers' rights
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Networks of influence
Under under John Key's watch, the GCSB has become more focused on commerce and intellectual property issues (as I previously posted and reinforced by this speech last month by Ian Fletcher). The GCSB has also become more integrated with the domestic intelligence services (SIS). The moves towards…
accountability business capitalism democracy under attack film internet john key slippery Spying telecommunications trade us politics
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Open mike 14/04/2013
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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Dress code
Ummm - what? The privacy breach staged by blogger Keith Ng last October was the most impressive and daring of them. Ng dressed as a beneficiary, wandered into a Work and Income office and demonstrated that the department's corporate network could be accessed from public…