Cat Among the Pigeons
Nicolas Sturgeon to seek the authority of the Scottish Parliament to agree the details of a Section 30 Order that will allow the Scottish Parliament to legislate for an independence referendum.
There are no surpluses
There are no surpluses in NZ right now, not in any real sense. There is only debt, negative externalities and deferred costs.
Anthony Rimell – why I am standing for Parliament
Anthony Rimell is Labour’s candidate for the Ilam seat. In this post he sets out the reasons why he is standing for Parliament.
Call to teach consent in schools
Yesterday evening saw a well attended rally at Parliament to protest rape culture in NZ, and call for the teaching of consent in schools.
Open Mike 14/03/2017
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Daily Review 13/03/2017
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Marwick on dirty politics, leaks and the OIA
Marwick: “The other thing you can deduce from a three year battle over access to correspondence is that the most senior politician in the land probably had something to hide.”
Welcome newsroom!
The shiny new newsroom website is now up and running. They have a strong team, and a great first scoop on the sale of falsely labelled “free range” eggs.
English flogging National’s one-trick pony
Never mind the record debt, the dropped contributions to the Cullen fund, the housing crisis, rising poverty, the deteriorating health system, the costs of quake rebuilds, the filthy water, the need to prepare for climate change – never mind all that, have an election bribe!
RIP Murray Ball
Open Mike 13/03/2017
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Justin Lester: Why Wellington, why Labour, and how did he make conference cry?
Via Noted, the Mayor of Wellington talks about his city, his mayoralty, and why he’s Labour.
Climate change, weather bombs, and the infrastructure that we need
The effects of climate change are here, now, playing out in the flooded north. We should be preparing, we should be hardening critical infrastructure like Auckland’s fresh water supply. Instead of building – you know – more roads.
A tenant’s tale
“And when I saw that article in the NZ Herald this morning , in light of whats been happening to so many New Zealander family’s having to sleep in cars and the like over the past few years – I thought ”FUCK IT !!”… Im going to say something.”
Open Mike 12/03/2017
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Andrew Little on The Nation
A good interview with Andrew Little on The Nation. Among the many topics covered, Little stated that all pledges can be funded without raising taxes.
What should Labour and the Greens do in Ilam?
Christchurch Councillor Raf Manji has announced that he will be standing as an independent against Gerry Brownlee for the Ilam seat in Christchurch.
Community groups abandon Smith’s water forum
Will Nick Smith get the message and set in place a realistic consultation process and safe standards, or will he persist with a plan so bad that no one wants to be associated with it?
Open Mike 11/03/2017
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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
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No Mana, Māori Party
The Māori King’s comments reveal a much bigger crisis within Māori politics.
Daily Review 10/03/2017
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Nick legged it
Remember how the move of Nick Leggett to National was supposed to be some big disaster for Labour?
TOP climate change policy
Morgan’s TOP climate change policy is out, and it commits to “net zero carbon emissions by 2050”. There’s lots to like…
Racist campaigns and attack ads
A couple of racist groups seem to be hawking their wares recently. Unfortunately this may herald the start of a dirty election, dragged down by well funded and unaccountable pressure groups.
Open Mike 10/03/2017
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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Daily Review 09/03/2017
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Roads not health
A new coalition protests health under-funding, while the cost of the holiday highway blows out. Our government has its priorities all screwed up.
Who will Bill English attack next?
Fresh from insulting voters, English has now taken to insulting political parties. Perhaps he doesn’t want to be in government any more? Or is he just losing it completely?
Dick of the year
Yesterday, on International Women’s day David Seymour chose to attack Metiria Turei for what she was wearing.
Open Mike 09/03/2017
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For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
International Women’s Day, 47 years on, how far have we come?
Test of a speech given by feminist icon Sandra Coney on the state of the feminist movement in 2017
Daily Review 08/03/2017
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Household debt
The IMF warns that our household debt is far too high, as desperate tenants start raiding the Kiwisaver accounts to pay the rent.
Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed
Some very quick initial thoughts on expected reactions.
2040? The robots will have taken over
Bill English’s new super plan falls between 2 stools. The super cost crisis that he’s trying to summon up, is before 2040 if it exists. The solution was the Cullen Fund. By 2040 you’re just adding yet another Baby Boomer cost onto GenX and the millenials, and there’s going to be a shortage of jobs anyway, without adding 65 & 66 year-olds to our dole queues.
The gender pay gap – grandstanding but no action
A new report has some really interesting findings on the gender pay gap. Paula Bennett engaged in a bit of grandstanding, but it rings completely hollow given National’s history on the issue.
Happy International Women’s Day.