Open Mike 18/02/2016

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Back Stabbers

The National Party Caucus is split and divided over John Key’s vanity project, the flag referendum. For the first time, there have been leaks to the media directly from within Team Key. The signs are ominous for the PM.

Daily Review 17/02/2016

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Open Mike 17/02/2016

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Daily Review 16/02/2016

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This is not the growth you’re looking for

There are different views on The Standard about growth and whether we really need it. But here’s one bit of growth that really seems pointless to me: that achieved only by increasing the number of people. Because if we’re only increasing GDP by increasing the number of people, as we are currently, we’re loading up the environment and we’re not even individually getting any richer for it.  Thanks National.

Open Mike 16/02/2016

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Twerking For Daddy

As if the second round of booing in a week wasn’t bad enough, John Key got royally trolled by a young BGO attendee on Instagram. Then the Herald bizarrely decided her selfie of the PM with his hand tantalisingly close to her hair was a genuine BGO good news story. But wait! There’s more!!!

Daily Review 15/02/2016

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Open Mike 15/02/2016

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Syria escalating

Turkey has started shelling the US backed Kurdish forces that are fighting against ISIS. What could go wrong?

Sanders v Clinton Campaign ads

Recent campaign videos from Bernie Saunders and from Hillary Clinton provide interesting contrasts on who the candidates are targeting. Which approach is best?

Open Mike 14/02/2016

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Open mike 13/02/2016

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Daily Review 12/02/2016

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Key’s Bitter Legacy; Gareth Hughes Nails the PM’s Vanity.

The Green’s Gareth Hughes delivered a blistering speech in reply to the PM’s statement to the House. It begs the question ‘what will Key’s lasting legacy be?’. A failed flag referendum? Poverty? Inequality? Corruption? Selfies with AB’s?

As Key’s star fades, the less he seems to have left us to remember him by. What was the point of him anyway?

Open mike 12/02/2016

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Daily Review 11/02/2016

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Establishment appointed Council protects Establishment

So National’s appointed ECan (undermining democracy since 2010) has decided that leading business man Hugh Fletcher & Chief Justice Sian Elias shouldn’t be fined for their cows sh!ting in a lake. National were accused of taking voting rights so they could favour dairy over Christchurch, and this seems a good example. Canterbury has suffered enough – it needs democracy back.

The battle over climate change continues

Two recent international incidents show that the resistance to meaningful action on climate change has not given up.  In the USA Barak Obama’s climate change policies are under attack in the Supreme Court. And in Australia CSIRO has decided to get rid of all of its climate change scientists.

Northland Fishing Competition

Winston Peters has stitched John Key up again, this time hook, line and sinker. When Key lied in Parliament about the Northland MP’s supposedly leisurely lifestyle, Peters offered a challenge: provide some evidence or donate $100k to charity.  Will cowardly Key take the bait?