The Mother Budget
There are budgets and there are budgets. And for all the presence or absence of bright ideas, there’s a budget that threatens to subsume all others…
Daily Review 26/05/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas 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 …
Budget Live
Live coverage of the budget starts around 2pm.
Well that was boring.
Pre-budget reading
Budget day! Here’s a little light reading to get us started. Write your own line for the budget!
Paid parental leave bill progress towards anti-democratic veto
Sue Moroney’s bill to extend paid parental leave passed its second reading last night – bravo to all those who supported it! The Nats’ threat to veto is profoundly anti-democratic, overriding the will of Parliament.
Open mike 26/05/2016
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 25/05/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas 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 …
Bennett’s housing “announcement” is a re-announcement and a lie
Paula Bennett’s “big” housing “announcement” today is a re-announcement with a twist of lie.
Newshub poll – Key’s government has failed on housing
Quite apart from falling to his lowest level ever as preferred PM, the Newshub poll had more bad news for King John.
The Government thinks that poverty is the fault of the poor, and some budget advisers
The Government is planning to change funding for budgeting services and to require providers to become “financial mentors” rather than “budgeting advisers” as if this will improve things.
Bennett admits she was wrong
Paula Bennett has basically apologised to Parliament for claiming that National would create 3,000 new social housing beds when all that it was doing is funding existing beds to make sure they did not disappear.
Budget choices – ignoring domestic violence refuges
Green Party MP Jan Logie: “The Government has made it clear that more funding for refuges will not be in this week’s Budget.”
Open mike 25/05/2016
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 24/05/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas 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 …
Newshub poll – Key falls to lowest popularity
Latest Newshub poll shows little change in the party standings and Winston still kingmaker. It also shows that Key “plummets” to his lowest level ever.
Caption competition
Apparently the housing crisis surge is a figment of our imagination
Nick Smith thinks that the recently developing housing crisis is a figment of our imagination.
Another strong piece from Little
Andrew Little had an excellent piece in The Herald yesterday: “It’s always about choices, and National has made some terrible ones”.
William Gibson on Donald Trump
William Gibson of Neuromancer fame thinks that Donald Trump may be the real American fascist deal.
Nick Smith 0.75% successful on Auckland housing!
One year later Nick Smith has delivered three quarters of 1% of his promised 430 ha of new Auckland housing land. The Brighter Future strikes again.
Open mike 24/05/2016
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 23/05/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas 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 …
Latest Roy Morgan Poll
The Latest Roy Morgan poll result has been released with both National and Labour recording a significant improvement in support. But Winston is still the king maker …
Trump overtakes Clinton on average of polls
For the first time Trump has overtaken Clinton on the average of polls. But don’t panic just yet.
Grant Robertson’s pre-budget speech
Grant Robertson has just delivered his pre-budget speech. One takeaway message: “Labour’s finance spokesman Grant Robertson says Labour will set out a tax package before the 2017 election to set out how it will raise revenue to address issues in education, health and housing”.
Guest Post: Dancing to the Neo-Liberal Songbook
In a guest post, regular commenter Tony Veitch takes some learnings from Noam Chomsky’s latest documentary Requiem for the American Dream. The neo-liberal plan has been in place for over thirty years. How come we’re only just starting to understand it?
Little’s $50 a week message getting through
A great reception for Little’s speech, and a take-home message that resonates well.
Open mike 23/05/2016
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 …
Budget 2016 – the real deal
Each budget day the CTU produces an analysis based on what it means for working New Zealanders.
Andrew Little’s pre-budget speech
“If there is one thing I am clear on it is this: the next Labour government will not tolerate poverty in New Zealand in the 21st century.”
Structural injustice
Structural injustice alive and well in NZ.
Greenhouse emissions taskforce
With news that NZ’s greenhouse emissions are at a 25 year high the announcement of a new taskforce “to provide advice and ways in which we can drive down our emissions” is as welcome as it is overdue.
Open mike 22/05/2016
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 …
Climate change: time playing tricks
A recap of the 2006 climate change documentary “Dimming the Sun” featuring NASA’s Jim Hansen. Time has definitely not been kind to us.
Dodgy Niue deal back in the headlines
Good of the hotel to keep the Nats’ dodgy deal in the headlines. Andrew Little has called their bluff – of course.
All aboard the charter schools gravy train
Charter schools are pretty nice work if you can get it, no wonder groups are lining up. But there’s no evidence that they are good for education.