Banks let down by the Crown (but not the judiciary)

I support any decision he makes to lay a complaint with the NZ Law Society against the taxpayer funded prosecutor/s who made the decision to breach their obligation to the Court and to hold the AG’s feet to the fire regarding a rigorous investigation of the withholding of the memorandum.

TPPA and sovereignty

Grosser has confirmed that the TPPA (if it ever happens) will contain “ISDS” provisions that could limit the scope of our sovereignty by allowing foreign corporations to sue NZ.

Budget 2015 – A reactive budget

A panicked response to the Auckland property crisis. A welcome (albeit inadequate) adjustment to benefit rates. Public pressure is forcing action on the Left’s political agenda. Still no surplus, and no one believes the projected one next year. A reactive budget – there is no vision.

Open mike 21/05/2015

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 20/05/2015

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.

ILO – 75% of world jobs insecure

Only a quarter of the world’s workers have permanent jobs. A worldwide trend away from secure jobs risked “perpetuating a vicious circle of weak global demand and slow job creation” that has dogged many countries since the 2008 crisis, the ILO reports. Decoupling of wages from productivity has led to a loss of aggregate demand the report estimates at $3.7trillion.

And they’ll be grateful!

Bill English tells us that the promise that they won the election on – that they’re the only Masters of Finance who could balance the government books (because that’s all that’s important…) – now isn’t at all important to the public.

And Bill tells us: they’ll get their surplus when I give it to them, and they’ll be grateful for it.

Young Labour and sex change ops

Young Labour has proposed that there is public funding for hormone replacement therapy and gender reassignment.  Jonathan Coleman described the proposal as “absolutely nuts” but it then emerged that there is already some public funding for this treatment.  And the media tried to suggest that some off the cuff comments by Labour MPs is evidence of division.

Polity on Housing

Rob had a couple of great posts on National & Housing yesterday, as they are all over the place on it. Still trying to point the finger at Helen Clark because average house prices in Auckland rose $219,000 in the 9 years of the last Labour government; but it’s no longer crisis after a further $313,000 rise in 7 years of National.

National literally want to hide the costs of inaction on climate change

We the people only learned of Treasury projections on the costs of inaction on climate change (up to $52 billion) because someone screwed up a redacted document. We were never meant to know. And National’s Minister for Climate Change Issues statement on the matter is that Treasury should have done a better job of hiding this vital information from the public.

Open mike 20/05/2015

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 …

Tolleyisms

We haven’t cut their funding, there’s just been a change in their contract = We’ve cut their funding $4.8 million

Daily review 19/05/2015

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.

John Banks; Conviction Quashed

John Banks has been acquitted of electoral fraud and his re-trial has been abandoned. Kim Dotcom has once again failed to follow through. Banks vs Goff in next year’s mayoralty race?

Curiouser and curiouser

Creepy Key has dodged a question from the Green Party about any contact he may have had with the New Zealand Fox News Herald in the lead-up to Rachel Glucina’s hit job on the cafe worker who’s ponytail he pulled.

Herald praises Cunliffe for CGT policy

The Herald has praised David Cunliffe with changing public opinion about the introduction of a capital gains tax. And rubbished John Key’s suggestion that the announced limited tax on increasing housing values is not a capital gains tax.

Rushed policy is bad policy

National’s policy opens the door to more effective capital gains tax, thus irritating investors and their base, while probably not achieving anything in practice. The worst of both worlds. Bonus question – does this policy effectively underwrite losses when the property bubble bursts? Plus another bonus John Key lie!

Open mike 19/05/2015

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 18/05/2015

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.

Mapital Mains Max

John Key is now arguing that black is white – that a Tax on Capital Gains isn’t a Capital Gains Tax.

“Typical politician” many will say – and that shows how far John Key’s skills have fallen.

Poverty and the budget

The levels of poverty and inequality in NZ are a disgrace. Apparently the budget is to “arrest the decline”, but we have heard such promises again and again from Key.

CGT: the focus groups made Key do it

According to John Key the proposed tax on capital gains if a property is sold within two years of purchase is not a capital gains tax, there is no housing bubble in Auckland, and the proposed new tax does not represent a complete about face by the Government.

Open mike 18/05/2015

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 …

Are the left really angry?

The latest attacks on the left involves the right claiming that left activists are too angry and hurting labour’s chances in the UK as well as New Zealand.

Open mike 17/05/2015

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 …

Robbie would be turning in his grave

Simon Bridges wants to ease Auckland’s congestion by investing more into local roads and less in rail. And by the looks of things he wants to politicise transport funding in a way that has not occurred for decades.