The concern and debate over the loss of funding to the Problem Gambling Foundation has focused a lot on the PGF's opposition to the SkyCity deal and the government's, especially Peter Dunne's, possible role in the de-funding decision. Powerful pokie trusts & non-transparent manipulations However,…
Radio New Zealand has reported this morning that since 2008 the number of power disconnections has soared at the same time that hardship grants by WINZ for electricity and gas are falling. Work & Income made nearly 7,000 fewer hardship grants last year than in…
Scott Yorke at Imperator Fish generously allows us to repost his posts. In this case he has been performing satire at the expense of one of our more colourful commenters (at least I hope it is satire). 6:08 am I had a dream last night,…
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In the ongoing saga about the Problem Gambling Foundation, No Right Turn points out that the Salvation Army were unaware that the Ministry of Health had decided that they would take over as the national provider. They hadn't even applied for it. It appears that…
Rob at Polity points out National's intensely unstrategic view about investments and asset sales. It is almost as if they wanted to waste taxpayers funds eh? “Buy low, sell high” intones the finance industry. Search out a down period in the market, biding your time.…
Apparently one of the most important things in our world today was that Key cracked a joke: "You can now convert New Zealand dollars into renminbi, if you are of such a mind to do so. So, life after politics, I might go back to…
bsprout at LocalBodies has a look at the hysteria about polls over the last few weeks. In an earlier post I questioned the danger of reading too much into polls and predicting elections based on a couple of polls months out from an election. Many commentators were…
The Herald this morning had another puff piece on beloved leader John Key. The paper is starting to resemble a North Korean propaganda sheet such is its blind regurgitation of beloved leader's musings. So what does John Key want to work towards when he leaves…
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I've been thinking about politics, assumptions, and justice. I sat in on a recording of The Egonomist on Friday - thanks for having me there, guys! - and we discussed some of the issues and reactions to Sarah Wilson's articles on WINZ, specifically the backlash…
OK in an effort to preserve open mike for other discussions as well the Herald is reporting this morning that Dotcom says he has signed up one sitting MP for his new party. So who is it? I suspect that Karol has it right that…
Recently Australian PM Tony Abbott decided to speak to a group of 14 year olds who were visiting Parliament. Unluckily for him this particular group of 14 year olds were very sophisticated and asked him a series of questions which neatly skewered four of his…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike ...
No Right Turn looks at one reason why Yahoo moved from the UK to Dublin. Escaping the ubiquitous and ever increasing surveillance requirements of paranoid "security" agencies who appear to only be interested in protecting elites rather than citizens. As it is, it is already…
New Zealanders have every reason to join next Saturday's (29 March) Day of Action against TPP. It's an agreement being strongly pushed by various major US multinationals, including those of the motion picture industry, computer industries and "Big Pharma". This article on the website for…
As reported on TV3 news a few nights ago, John Key said that "I have a very strong sense of how precious children are..." The children, that is, of Chinese consumers who are buying milk powder... As for kiwi kids, well...how precious are they, John?…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike ...
So we allegedly have a "rockstar economy" with NZ's economy coming out of the recession and everything looking pretty rosy? Well, that's the NAct news that too often gets repeated by journalists in the mainstream media (MSM). So let's hear it for another chorus of…
The original of this post is here at Polity. The news this morning has all kinds of finger pointing between Hekia Parata, Derek Fox, John Key, the Kohanga Reo trust board, and others. Why are so many people pointing fingers all over the place? Because…
This is awful. The government has cut funding to the Problem Gambling Foundation, and National MP Tau Henare says on twitter it is because the PGF "criticises" too much. Apparently National doesn't like it when a charity set up to minimise problem gambling has an…
The Herald Digipoll released on Tuesday caused some consternation to the Labour Party. With support dropping below 30% I am sure that more than a few MPs took a deep breath. But there is something wrong with the figures. The swing in Auckland was for…
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This post first appeared here at No Right Turn and has been reposted it to allow it to be commented on. From an environmental economics perspective, mining is a wealth transfer, shifting public wealth (in the form of minerals in the ground) into private profits…
Making sure every rental property is a warm, dry home should be a no-brainer in the 21st century. Parliament will shortly get the chance to vote on my Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill. The vote will sort the parties for whom this is a genuine belief…
Election years are funny things. The most accomplished of politicians can make mistakes. And amongst National's cabinet there have been a few recent examples. Firstly Crusher Collins self combusts. Her lack of judgment in engaging in activity while on an official trip to China to…
One of the more irritating traits of National politicians is their bone-headed and short-term obsession about being rentiers selling raw and lightly processed raw materials offshore. Sure it is great in the short-term for the seller of the rights to those raw materials, but it…
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Firstly from David Cunliffe: The next Labour Government will give the forestry and wood products industries the policies they need as part of Labour’s plan for an economic upgrade, Labour Leader David Cunliffe says. David Cunliffe announced new policies today at the ForestWood Conference 2014…
So Taiwan’s ruling KMT is fast tracking a ‘Cross-Strait Agreement on Trade in Services’ with China in spite of the main opposition party, as well as 70% of Taiwanese according to some polls, wanting the Agreement reviewed line by line. In response, the Parliament building…