The Chilcot report
The Chilcot report is out and it’s more damning of the decision to invade Iraq than expected.
Happy Birthday Labour – 100 Years!
Open mike 07/07/2016
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 …
Daily Review 06/07/2016
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 …
Clinton off the hook
The FBI is not recommending that prosecutors seek charges against Clinton. Her pre-ordained path to the Whitehouse just got a lot smoother.
The housing crisis and Key’s combustible pants
2007 Key vs 2016 Key on the housing crisis. Someone is telling lies!
Social bonds negotiations collapse
The Governments attempt to incentivise the provision of social services by greed has failed with the first proposed social bond failing.
Housing bubble inflating faster – Key’s panic now obvious
The housing bubble is inflating faster than ever, and Key is visibly panicking. His political problem is insoluble and his electoral problem is about to get worse.
Open mike 06/07/2016
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Daily Review 05/07/2016
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 …
National’s strike-breaking fail
The Police want no part of the Nats’ plan to use them as airport security. Perhaps instead of bungled attempts at strike-breaking the Nats should consider – dealing fairly with aviation security staff concerns?
The silence of the lambs – media (not) on McCully
Interesting discussion on the silence of the lambs. Where have all the journalists gone?
Chilcot report – Blair’s bad week
Even before its release the Chilcot report is drawing attention to the hubristic warmongering that will forever stain Blair’s time in office.
Is Democracy peaking?
Has traditional democracy’s power peaked and will it be replaced by a social media generated consciousness?
Farexit
UKIP leader Nigel Farage has announced that he is standing down as leader. Although he will continue to be a Member of Parliament of the very institution he campaigned for the UK to leave.
Open mike 05/07/2016
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The Chrematistic Camel
So this post is about a suite of frameworks not to adopt if the goal is to avoid 2 degrees of global warming.
“Died at some point in the recycling process”
Imagine taking shelter on a cold night and ending up crushed or asphyxiated to death in a compressed cardboard recycling bale.
Daily Review 04/07/2016
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 …
A week at Te Puea Marae
Unlike our “government”, Te Puea Marae is trying to do something practical for the homeless. Madeleine Chapman spent a week volunteering there, and wrote about it for The Spinoff. Note that The Warehouse will match donations made through Spinoff.
#Sheepgate – The Compensation payment for the claim that did not exist
The Nation has been doing some digging into #Sheepgate and last weekend broadcast its results. There were some findings that if confirmed should result in McCully’s cabinet career being ended. Not to mention a potential Privileges Hearing to decide if he has misled Parliament.
National to seize privately owned land
National is now proposing to extinguish private property rights and seize land. Cue political and media outrage? Yeah right.
Open mike 04/07/2016
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Billion dollar boondoggle
In an effort to be seen to be doing something about a housing crisis that they say doesn’t exist, the Nats have offered to lend councils $1 Billion that they can already borrow. Homeless families will also be offered a free deckchair on the Titanic to re-arrange as they please.
Aussie – governed by a lame duck
I suspect we are looking at a lame duck government in our biggest trading partner. While we wait for their next early election, we’re likely to see either not much happening at all, or a series of quixotic gestures aimed at bolstering uncertainty and reinforcing the need for “stable government”. (updated)
Open mike 03/07/2016
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Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi …
Updating post to cover the Australian election results.
Morning update: the Electoral Commission has Labor leading in 72, 67 ahead for the Libs, with 7-9 seats still in play. The Greens and others may have up to 5 seats. Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch have hoovered up the redneck vote and will both be elected to the senate. Counting has stopped for the time being.
National costs you $100,000 from your retirement fund
If you’re an average worker the actions of the National government have reduced the value of your KiwiSaver fund at retirement by about $100K.
UK Labour now what?
What will happen to the UK Labour Party? The chances of a split into a pro Corbyn activist based and Union based Labour Party and a MP dominated careerist party appear to be very high.
“Post-truth” politics (and false equivalences)
Interesting pieces recently on “post-truth” politics. They rightly tear strips off Key and a government that lies and denies reflexively and at all levels, and has been doing so for eight long years.
Open mike 02/07/2016
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C’mon Aussie C’mon!
The Ocker Election is coming down to the wire. The polls are neck and neck and the senate looks set to be a mess. Labor need 19 seats and the Liberal party needs a miracle in the upper house. C’mon, Aussie, C’mon!
Update: Early results have the coalition down, but not down enough. Currently 57-56 to the coalition. 76 needed.
Update 2: Labor doing unexpectedly well in Queensland, Nick Xenephon wins in SA.
Update 3: Lib deputy Julie Bishop is reduced to calling Labor “liars” over Medicare. The fear is showing.
Update 4: Coalition 62. Labor 60. West Australia about to start reporting.
Update 5: Coalition 69, Labor 62, Greens 1, Others 4.
Daily Review 01/07/2016
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Generation Zero – Zero Carbon Act
“We’re not going to wait around for our politicians to do the right thing any longer; we’re going to draft a bill ourselves with help from experts and collaborators, and work to get all political parties to support it and pass it through Parliament.”
Boris Johnson’s HQ as the EU referendum results came in …
Rumoured to be satire …
Another Lifeline cut
— Deborah Russell