Pop out for an evening of 48 Hour Film heat screenings (etc.) and get back to find that all hell has broken loose! There are multiple leaks coming from within National. To help us all keep track, here are the different stories in play (so…
Well, its not taken long for the counter-strike. After Judith Collins' main brain, Simon Lusk (better known as the cogent Whaleoil) went public last weekend threatening backbenchers that their careers would be short if they didn't back Collins' leadership bid when Key goes. Now, documents…
As of this afternoon United Future is no more. That's because the party can't reach the 500 member threshold required to maintain its status as a political party. Which means John Key's government is reliant on a man who has lost his party, a man…
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?
Yesterday in Question Time in the House, Green MP Holly Walker put a telling series of questions to the Chairperson of the Social Services Committee (Peseta Sam Lotu-Liga). The Questions were about the National government rushing through the submission stage of the Housing Accords and Special…
The Nisbet cartoons (in the Marlborough Express and The Press) caused a lot of fuss yesterday. For the record, here they are: Oh my aching sides. Race relations commissioner Susan Devoy said: Ms Devoy said the Marlborough Express cartoon was offensive and…
I've been meaning to write something on Andrea Vance's very good piece on Simon Lusk. It tells us a lot that we already know: Lusk is the brains behind Slater; Lusk was involved in the demolition of Gilmore; and he's very tight with the Collins…
Today - by 5pm - is the last day to submit on the draft of Auckland's Unitary Plan. Generation Zero have made it easy for you with a quick submission form. Live in Auckland? Have your say...
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We don't have any particular permission to reprint posts from The Hand Mirror, so here are just a couple of extracts, and a recommendation to head on over there and read the whole thing: A response to the Can't Feed Don't Breed Brigade On Monday…
In the documentary based on Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, Klein stated: We are witnessing a transfer of wealth of unfathomable size. It is a transfer of wealth from the public hands, from the hands of government collected from regular people in the form of taxes,…
Peter Dunne's already been caught out being inconsistent around the leak of the GCSB report. He said all ministers were interviewed; but only he was. He said the leak happened while he was overseas (note: not a direct denial); but it happened the day he…
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"The Auckland that never was" in my view is the most interesting chapter in Chris Trotter's "NO LEFT TURN". It details the Ministry of Works' post-war plan outlined in a document The Shape of Things to Come ...in which the government promised to electrify Auckland's…
You can get all excited over every poll you see from people who poll a handful of times a year. You can try to read meaning into every bump and dip to fit your narrative, even if the 'movements' are just statistical noise. Or you…
The draft unitary plan, while not perfect, is a key part of making Auckland the most livable city. The plan is a progressive document: we know urban sprawl hurts the poor and creates worse health, social and economic outcomes. Generation Zero have put together an…
The documentary The Shock Doctrine (2009)aired on Maori TV last night. It is based on Naomi Klein's book of the same name. This presents a convincing and well-supported argument of the way "neoliberal" have been imposed on countries since the 1980s by capitalising on a…
So, the latest Fairfax poll isn't flash for Labour and it's the same old story of leadership. But don't get too excited there's no 'trend' in the Fairfax - they've polled just three times since the election. We also know that most pollsters have been…
Colin Espiner reckons that the Nats are split on food in schools: Prime Minister John Key has already addressed the argument that having the taxpayer fund breakfast for kids lets parents off the hook. He told TV3's Firstline this morning: "There's an argument that's put…
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The government's expansion of the KickStart breakfast programme run by Fonterra and Sanitarium is better than nothing. Credit where it's due - which is mostly to those who have highlighted this issue so effectively: the Office of the Children's Commissioner via special report (and other…
Which is larger? The $2b in tax cuts National gave the rich? The$100m that National has spent on asset sales so far? The $50m that National has lost small corporate 'mum and dad' investors in Mighty River so far? The $40m in taxpayer funding that…
Interesting news yesterday: Mighty River's 'mum and dad' investors included companies The 113,000 so called "mum and dad" investors who bought Mighty River shares earlier this month included companies, trusts and investment institutions, Treasury has confirmed. ... Treasury also confirmed that all investors who bought…
Dear John and David, It is ultimately the government's responsibility to ensure parents and their families to get sufficient income (from jobs and/or benefits) so that they can afford to feed their children. PS: There is already Hone Harawira's Bill that all parties should…
From Vice magazine: VICE: What do you think about the media reaction to the Woolwich murder? Glen Greenwald: Media outlets reacted pretty uniformly to the attack. They reacted the way that media outlets typically do to these kinds of incidents, which is by simply stating…
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Good to see a case where Labour is clear about repealing some of National's damaging law changes: Labour will repeal damaging RMA provisions Labour will repeal any provisions of a new Resource Management Act which undermine environmental protections, says Labour’s Environment spokesperson Maryan Street. Speaking…