SkyCity a nightmare for the Nats
Far from fading away into the Christmas haze, SkyCity looks likely to be one of the defining political issues for 2015.
The state of freedom of the press in the world in a series of tweets
An English student, Daniel Wickham has in a series of tweets questioned the commitment of various world leaders who marched in support of freedom of the press to that concept.
Open mike 12/01/2015
The Authors of The Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm.
The Hypocrisy of Hate
You’d think that with all the WW1 commemorations going on at the moment it would make us more vigilant about our freedom and security, not sleep-walking towards another Holy Crusade (in the name of the God of Money and Father of Fossil Fuels), seduced by slick liars and the gods of commercialism and greed.
Rupert Murdoch on Charlie Hebdo
Rupert Murdoch has tweeted questioning if most Moslems are peaceful and saying they are responsible for extremists within their ranks.
Summer rerun: Deserted cities
I think it is a pity that the currently dominant country / culture in the world, America, has had such a short history.
Open mike 11/01/2015
The Authors of The Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm.
Local Bodies: Neoliberal Economics Limits Food Choice in Southland
bsprout on the Local Bodies blog, provides a case study, specific to Southland. At the same time, it outlines a more general pattern that can be seen in many places, each with their own local circumstances.
The difference between the left and the right
The recent handling of Charlie Hebdo by the Standard and by Kiwiblog provides a startling contrast. And neatly underlies the reality that the left wing blogs are in no way just the same as the right wing blogs despite what John Key may say.
Open mike 10/01/2015
The Authors of The Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm
A Punitive Climate of Fear
Whatever the reason for a person’s disability if it is to such an extent that they cannot work we condemn them to a life of subsistence living with a big pay rise when, and if, they reach retirement age to 65% of the average wage!
Simple message
John Key on media freedom
Yesterday John Key condemned the attacking of journalists going about their daily work and said that it was an attack on the fourth estate and the democratic principles of freedom of speech and expression. But his track record on respecting the independence of journalists leaves a lot to be desired.
Open mike 09/01/2015
The Authors of The Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm
Australian activist arrested for wearing “I’m with Stupid” t-shirt
While the west of the world mourns the murders of the journalists associated with Charlie Hebdo and protests attacks on freedom of speech in Australia the police have arrested a man for wearing a t-shirt that says “I’m with Stupid”.
On Freedom of Speech and Tolerance and Powers of Surveillance
The slaying of staff at Charlie Hebdo and the killing of two police officers will no doubt cause further debate on the extent of freedom of speech, on our relations with Muslims and on the state’s powers of surveillance and if they should be increased.
Charlie Hebdo: ‘… and not give in to fear’
It is a shocking story to wake up to. A murderous act in a beautiful city. Condolences to those close to the people who were killed, and to the people of Paris and France. It is not a justification for the anti-democratic, invasive extensions to the surveillance state.
Open mike 08/01/2015
The Authors of The Standard are now in holiday mode. Posting will be less regular and dependant on individual author enthusiasm.
Free speech and surveillance online
A long, fascinating piece by Glenn Greenwald on The Intercept this morning.
The meaning of dirty politics
One of the strategies of the right is to take any complaint levelled against them and reduce it down until it’s meaningless. Now they’re doing it to Dirty Politics.
Open mike 07/01/2015
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
A little place by the beach
2014 has been confirmed as the hottest year on record. If you own a little place by the beach you might want to ponder the implications…
What John Key actually believes in
Charlie Mitchell of the Dominion Post has analysed John Key’s formal speeches since 2007 to see what has from time to time been uppermost in Key’s mind. The results are interesting to say the least.
Open mike 06/01/2015
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Steady on
Starring John Key as Winston Churchill.
Written in a deep summer haze
I was astonished by an anonymous NZ Herald editorial on New Years day – “NZ economy is in a good place and thriving”. Obviously an inferior intellect was slow cooked in the warm holiday weather. It turned to mush and regurgitated one of Bill English’s wet dreams. Dairy prices are unlikely to rebound any time soon.
Open Mike 05/01/2015
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
UK Labour is in an interesting position
As the United Kingdom prepares itself for a general election later this year Labour and the Conservatives are neck and neck in the polls, some within Labour are suggesting that the party should move to the right.
Open mike 04/01/2015
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Save the Pohutukawa Six
Despite local opposition Auckland Transport intends to fell six prominent Pohutukawa to make way for an extra road lane with dubious transport benefits.
Open mike 03/01/2015
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
The Failed Estate: Body of the Host
The failed estate is a blogsite run by veteran Australian Journalist Jim Parker. He writes occasional but perceptive posts primarily on media issues. This current post, reprinted with permission, provides a damning critique of main stream media coverage of the Sydney Siege.
‘The future will be green or not at all’
Yesterday, on Outspoken at RNZ, Craig McCulloch interviewed Jeanette Fitzsimons, Gareth Morgan and Metiria Turei on the future of the Green Party. Morgan wants the Greens to shift away from “scary” economic policies. Turei and Fitzsimons explain why not.
Open mike 02/01/2015
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Daniel Rockhouse: “No one was there to meet them…”
A July 2013 post by Helen Kelly was about Daniel Rockhouse who survived the Pike River Mine disaster, and then rescued Russell Smith. Yesterday Daniel Rockhouse got a bravery award. Read Kelly’s 2013 post here.
Songs for the New Year – summertime!
Happy New Year! Some songs for the times.