Open mike 09/04/2015
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 08/04/2015
This is an experimental post to see how a second open mike type post would work. 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.
West Auckland Labour meeting on housing
Details of a public meeting hosted by the West Auckland Labour MPs about housing issues to be held tomorrow night.
Blog rankings
Cutbacks for Children’s commissioner – do we care?
The office of the Children’s Commissioner is cutting back work due to funding pressure. Not that you would know about it, from the almost complete lack of media coverage.
Governments protecting paedophiles
Last week National shut down Peters’ attempt to introduce a Bill on paedophile name suppression. Presumably this was out of petty spite at Peters’ Northland victory, but in the context of the Thatcher revelations this was surely an issue that would have been worth debating.
What is happening in the National Party?
Trouble is brewing in National’s ranks. In a series of recent tweets occasional Standard commenter Matthew Hooton outlines his reasons for now opposing John Key’s Government.
Open mike 08/04/2015
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 07/04/2015
This is an experimental post to see how a second open mike type post would work. 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.
Greenpeace activists on oil rig
John Oliver and Edward Snowden on surveillance
The brilliant John Oliver on the Patriot Act and surveillance. Includes a face to face interview with Edward Snowden, and extensive discussion of dick pics.
Massive illicit bust of Edward Snowden erected in Brooklyn
A group of unidentified artists have erected a bronze patina bust of Eric Snowden on a stone column in Brooklyn. The authorities are investigating.
Dollar Parity
As New Zealand’s dollar approaches parity with Australia’s a responsible Government should be pondering the implications and acting in the country’s best interests. No such luck in Aotearoa …
Open mike 07/04/2015
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 …
Alternatives to banks
We need an alternative to fattening the coffers of Australian banks.
Trends in America
Here’s some slow Monday reading to ponder, on political trends in America.
Open mike 06/04/2015
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 …
Peak soil
No, not a typo. Just in case you’re short of things to worry about, you can add soil to the list.
Open Internet and New Zealand media companies
Spark, MediaWorks, Sky TV and TVNZ are threatening to take Callplus to Court because it, like many overseas companies, offers the ability to locals to obtain an American IP address.
Rod Oram on the RMA and spin
An excellent piece by Rod Oram on the RMA and the government’s attempts at spin.
Open mike 05/04/2015
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 …
Development of the mobile theme
Last week, very reluctantly, I coughed up the money for a development version of the mobile theme. About a quarter of our readers primarily use mobiles to read the site these days. When you add tablets it gets closer to 40%. I need to create a mobile theme that enhances the existing one for better commenting. If you have simple ideas for that, now is the time to speak.
The British Election
Britain is just over a month away from an election that looks like it will go down to the wire. And the recent leaders’ debate has displayed some very impressive leaders of progressive minor parties who may hold the balance of power after the election has been completed. In particular Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon may be able to determine who the next Prime Minister will be.
The implications of Winston Peters’ Northland win
John Armstrong in the Herald and Tracy Watkins in the Dominion Post have both written opinion pieces on the implications of Winston Peters’ win in Northland which reach very similar conclusions.
Open mike 04/04/2015
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 …
Weekend social 03/04/2015
Mmmmmm – long weekend!
California drought
The California drought gives us a case study in how the effects of climate change are going to play out.
Bill English killed Solid Energy
More economic genius from the Nats.
Open mike 03/04/2015
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
This is an experimental post to see how a second open mike type post would work. 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.
Planet Key
Turns out that “Planet Key” is not an election advertisement after all.
Government in disarray as MP’s offending revealed
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Labor Government’s majority is on a knife edge after recent revelations that Labor MP Billy Gorton had criminal convictions he did not declare to the Labor Party and after a former partner alleged that he had subjected her to sustained domestic violence.
Media Take – on GCSB and spying
Check out the most recent Media Take (Tuesdays on Maori TV), on the GCSB and the consequences of our Pacific spying.
Then they came for Child Youth and Family
The Government has appointed Paula Restock to head an expert panel tasked to review Child Youth and Family. Even now the intent appears clear, outsource functions and cut costs. But if they were determined to improve matters they should reduce child poverty.
Generous welfare makes people more likely to want to work
Evidence on levels of welfare and willingness to work suggests that yet another nasty right-wing myth is wrong. Reality and its well known liberal bias strikes again.
Open mike 02/04/2015
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 …