New Greens co-leader elected today
The Green Party are livestreaming parts of their annual conference today, including the announcement of their new male co-leader at 2pm.
Stewart’s brilliant account of the significance of Campbell Live
Rachel Stewart’s piece should be required reading for anyone who cares about New Zealand.
Open mike 30/05/2015
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 29/05/2015
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.
Make a submission – Generation Zero video
Weekend social 29/05/2015
Long weekend – how are you spending yours?
Auto Kiwisaver
Nice to see English acknowledging the importance of Kiwisaver – thanks Michael Cullen, thanks Helen Clark! I certainly support default enrollment. But – isn’t this Big Government Nanny State Gone Mad?
RIP Campbell Live
Campbell Live plays for the last time tonight. With New Zealand on Air having new targets that will make support for similar shows unlikely the holding of the powerful to account is about to become more difficult.
Money for nothing and the sheep are for free
The legal suit offered as part justification for the Government paying $11 million to a Saudi businessman was apparently “off the table” at the time that Cabinet agreed to the payment. So why was the payment made? And why didn’t Murray McCully tell this to Cabinet or to Parliament earlier?
Open mike 29/05/2015
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 28/05/2015
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.
All our eggs in the dairy basket
This government has been artificiality buoyed by a diary boom, now the bust leaves us highly exposed.
Students speak on loan cap
Students speak on the lifetime limit on eligibility for student loans. This particularly affects those committed to a long term course of study, such as medical students. They can’t get loans for their final years of study. It’s crazy.
Sheepgate
It has emerged that the New Zealand Government has paid money to a Saudi businessman allegedly to settle a legal dispute that does not exist but more probably to persuade the Saudi Government to enter into a free trade agreement. Update – and maybe there was a threat of legal action but because of the actions of National, not Labour.
Open mike 28/05/2015
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 …
RIP the Alliance Party
The demise of the Alliance Party was announced today.
Daily Review 27/05/2015
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.
In Praise of Key
Hardly a comprehensive take, but in the interest of stating some obvious stuff…
Some Nats growing a spine on health and safety?
Helen Kelly and the CTU have done a great job raising the issues of workplace health and safety. Have they even got the attention of some Nats? Apparently there are delays to proposed changes as some in caucus resist.
Crosby ‘most successful propogandist since Goebbels’ – Ken Livingston
Ken Livingston talks about Lynton Crosby and neoliberalism.
Petition: Raise the age of child protection
Currently, child protection law means a young person leaves CYFS care at 17, but other state support, like housing and student allowances, doesn’t start until age 18.
Sky City redux – the house still wins
Sky City has managed to persuade the Government to allow it to build a cheaper building while retaining the same valuable gambling regulatory concessions. Update: and the Government appears to have made further contractual concessions to Sky City.
Open mike 27/05/2015
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 …
Effective political communication
Richard Harman concluded his presentation to the recent Fabian “Destination Next Progressive Majority” event by quoting the noted political scientist Bob Chapman’s remark that he had “reluctantly come to the conclusion that it was far more important for a political party to have a communication strategy than an economic policy.” I’m inclined to agree.
Daily Review 26/05/2015
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.
Fixed Term Parliaments
An argument in favour of New Zealand adopting Fixed Term Parliaments Act legislation.
Government incompetence threatens Relationships Aotearoa
Government incompetence, drastic cuts in funding and a refusal to provide a helping hand is likely to cause the closure of Relationships Aotearoa, a charitable entity that has existed in one form or another since 1949.
Campbell on the budget
Should have covered this earlier – extracts from Gordon Campbell on the budget.
Roy Morgan for May
The Roy Morgan poll out yesterday for May is pretty brutal reading for the left.
Open mike 26/05/2015
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 …
Political Strategy for a Progressive Majority
Sir Michael Cullen discussed political strategy at the “Destination- Next Progressive Majority” seminars held recently by the Fabian Society in Auckland and Wellington. He started by sharing what he used to say to his students when they were facing a test – “never forget to state the obvious.” For a progressive majority that means “get more votes than the others” – he had some good ideas how.
Daily Review 25/05/2015
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.
Is Maurice Williamson jumping ship?
Rumours are surfacing that Maurice Williamson wanted to jump ship to Act but was turned down.
Epsom has its finger on the pulse of the people
So what is important to the people of Epsom? Paul Goldsmith in his Newsletter recently told us what is important to him and suggested what might be important to us.
Mortgagee sales
A marked drop in mortgagee sales recently. Good news?
Superannuation and Government forecasts
National has again refused to consider doing anything about the future of Superannuation. Yet its policies of increasing Crown debt, stopping contributions to the Cullen Fund and attacking Kiwisaver have made a discussion about the future of superannuation more important than ever.