Our export-led economy is a rock-star according to those on the right. Australia kept us going, and now, despite the EU still spluttering, we can fly because China will buy all our milk powder. Which we can keep making more of without destroying our 'clean…
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This post was originally posted at Local Bodies by bspout. It is a pretty good summary of National's spins away from reality. This National led Government has seriously mismanaged things and is desperate to hide the true effects of its governance over the last five…
David Cunliffe had a trust set up for campaign donations. The structure kept donors anonymous and was within electoral rules, but was a bad look. He named three of the donors and paid the other two back. Total donations equaled $17,800 with $8,300 of that…
The original of this post is here. Universities are back in session, and in staff rooms around the country faculty are again trying to design classes that meet the government’s mandatory minimum pass rates. If Universities (and Polytechs, Waananga, and others) do not meet a…
The official theme of International Women's Day this year is "Inspiring Change". It's a little vague, a little aspirational, not too confrontational - fairly typical for this kind of awareness-raising exercise. But it is 2014, and it's an election year, and the way we talk…
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If you want to donate money to someone extraordinarily wealthy who wants to suppress freedom of speech and bully opposition MPs into silence here is your chance. What else can I say ... Update: It has been pointed out to me that the wording on…
Tony Holman's op ed piece in the NZ Herald today adds an important perspective on the Auckland Council CCOs currently under review. He is concerned that the CCOs are a trojan horse that is part of a 2 step movement toward privatisation of Auckland assets.…
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Radio New Zealand has reported that John Key is refusing to release the advice he claims clears Judith Collins over her conflict of interest. And is now claiming that the Cabinet rules are " just a guideline anyway" In the meantime Collins was a no-show in…
One of the most effective political videos that I have seen from a country that is coming to specialise in them. I'm unsurprised that it went completely viral. It was a great description by Green senator Scott Ludlam of all of the ways that Tony…
We passed 700 thousand comments sometime today over our last 6 and a half years. I was going to have a whole pile of statistics ready for the occasion. However a dose of flu caught me on friday after threatening for the whole of the…
Was Paddy Gower’s little hatchet job on TV3 News last night the final straw that broke the camel’s back? Was for me. Bomber makes some good observations. Paddy says: “yesterday Cunliffe admitted to two trusts”, yet the ICSL trust is not new. It was…
This week I decided to stop watching TV3 News because the rightward spin is making me too dizzy. Among a Nat government skewed mainstream media, TV3 News stands out as producing the most blatant right wing slant. And amidst their coverage, Patrick Gower produces the…
The National led government is continuing its war on the poor, with the on-going dismantling of state housing. Glen Innes has been the public face of the real agenda - to acquire prime real estate for the private market. At the same time state house…
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Martyn's got a post up over at the daily blog documenting some of the blatant lies Key has told that have been repeated without criticism by the media: 1: Key claimed on Firstline that Cunliffe had been to TVNZ for a Labour Party meeting at…
On Children's day Labour went out and asked people what their dreams for Kiwi kids were. David Cunliffe read some of the responses out in Parliament today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l66aQrBoebE
John Key has stated that Judith Collins was cleared by the Cabinet Office of any conflict of interest, with respect to her visit to Oravida in China: a company for which her husband is director: Justice Minister Judith Collins has been cleared of any conflict…
By Susan Nact and Tracy Whatshite The Taxpayers Union has hit out at Prince George for wasting tax payers money by accompanying his parents, The Prince and Princess of Cambridge on their Royal Visit to New Zealand. Spokesman for the TPU, Jordan Williams lashed out…
In a surprise move Conservative leader Colin Craig has announced that he is suing John Key in defamation. Lawyers for Mr Craig, who leads the Conservative Party, have written to Mr Key asserting that recent comments made by Key and reported in the NZ Herald…
Judith Collin's endorses a company, Orivida, that her husband is a (presumably paid) director of. That same company has previously made political donations to the National Party. That's a conflict of interest. One that's particularly sharp given the previous use of John Key's image to…
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After having the past five and bit years with National's negative policies about anything to do with new technologies, it is really nice to see some effective red-tinged morning ideas appearing on the sky's horizon. Of course that they were accidentally released because of a…
When I first heard a labour staffer had accidentally sent Amy Adams' office a document on ICT my first thought was "here we go again." But then I heard Adams' weird and defensive interview on Checkpoint. So I took a look at the actual paper…
No Right Turn succinctly points out the impact of the International Monetary Fund changing its mind on the adverse effects of inequality in the economic sphere. A case of an accumulation of facts overriding dumb ideology. We've known for a while that inequality is bad…
Colin Craig has announced that he has commenced proceedings against Russel Norman, or at least I think this is what he has done. From his press release: Craig Continues Push for Honesty Colin Craig today advised that the defamation claim against Russell Norman will be…