NZ’s universities are falling down the world rankings. This should come as no surprise, because National have systematically cut funding to the tertiary sector. How stupid do you have to be to deliberately run down our universities?
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Finally confirmed as a Labour List MP, Andrew Little is mulling over a tilt at the leadership. This is good news for the party. Cunliffe is a busted flush and Robertson is too bland to win voters back. Labour needs a circuit breaker. A Little may go a long way.
There’s something obscene about the way the economic story gets framed: the figures on a page, the points on an index, the number of dollars someone can swap for a number of different-coloured dollars, when people are suffering.
If ACT were made up for a show like “The Thick of It”, or “Veep”, they would be dismissed as too ridiculous and extreme for the audience to swallow…
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I ran across this youtube video “Thirteen misconceptions about global warming” handling the basic myths used by our climate change dummies. Perhaps they should watch it before I and others have to waste too much of our time rubbishing their inane ideas.
The final results are out – National lose a seat (and their majority), Greens gain a seat, Andrew Little is safe.
Rental housing remains unaffordable for many. The problem is the greed of investors & speculators, supported by a culture in which housing investment is seen as a way to individual prosperity.
The final election results are expected to be announced today and I would not be surprised if there is a change in the makeup of Parliament.
Hone Harawira said “farewell” to Parliament yesterday, in a well attended event. He left behind him a challenge…
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Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
David Farrar is wrong. We don’t have abortion on request in New Zealand. Not literally, and not “effectively.”
Like many on the left, I was disillusioned with the election result. It felt pretty hopeless on election night that John Key could romp home to victory on the back of dirty politics. But there is hope. Here are my ten key reasons why I am voting for and supporting Grant Robertson to be our next Prime Minister.
A quiet shift in a dodgy Key govt-SkyCity deal: TVNZ land, sold to SkyCity for its convention centre, is to be used for a new hotel. Plus: non-mandated deal between Auckland Transport Authority & a US corporate – intense surveillance of Aucklanders’ diverse activities.
A request for a civilised leadership campaign by Labour President Moira Coatsworth has been described as “Orwellian” by Phil Quin. This is a remarkable choice of words to use.
Another dirty hit, this time on an Otago academic. It features most of the regular cast of Dirty Politics, and stars Jordan Williams of the “Taxpayers’ Union” (aka a front for right-wing spin and political attacks).
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The early election has meant that National has avoided the bad news of the collapse in international milk prices during the campaign period. And the Reserve Bank has finally taken action to drive down the value of New Zealand’s currency. It may be that the brighter future promised by National is not going to be so bright.
It’s the conference season in Britain. According to the Guardian, audio specialist Cassetteboy has rearranged cuts from David Cameron’s Conservative conference speeches to Eminem’s 2002 track Lose Yourself. Cameron can be heard rhyming “I’m hardcore and I know the score” with “I am disgusted by the poor” followed by “I’ve made sure we’re ready for class war.”
Clayton Cosgrove has been acting like a real old fossil this morning about Karen Price’s tweeting. It sounds like his wife must live in purdah. But many modern men live with women who actually have their own mind and use it. Apparently he also thinks bloggers are all like the sockpuppet Cameron Slater as well.. Whining fool. I have news for him. We’re independent too…
Every election Key is confronted with the issue of poverty. His response is always pure politics with no effective action, and this election has been no different. We will be here again in 2017.
Labour has announced details of the leadership contest including timing, closing of nominations, and the dates of hustings meetings.
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I’ve just been digging through the statistics for the last couple of months here at The Standard on Google analytics looking back over the last 7 years. We did pretty well for a crew who are all volunteers doing this in our spare time, a server budget now less than $300 per month and where all of us have a pile of other work to do.
One of the few bright spots for Labour in the election was the renewed support of Maori. What now for the Maori Party?
Key’s public position on sending troops to Iraq has (surprise!) changed since the election. His private position on the topic probably hasn’t changed since 2003.
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According to early reports (Twitter) David Parker is interim leader of the Labour Party, with Annette King as deputy.
The Act party, well known for rorts, dodgy deals, general corruption, and the poor calibre of their candidates, is doing it again. National gave their single novice MP an “under-secretary” position to allow Act to rort extra money from taxpayers. It also provides him with a position that is wholly unaccountable to parliament or the public via OIA.
Cameron Slater has capitulated and ended his case against various media organisations. He faces the prospect of a significant award of costs against him. There is now no restriction on the media using the Rawshark dumps the media have been apparently provided with. So far nothing has been published. Why the delay?
Key is grooming Bennett for a finance role and eventual succession. No point in Nat members making a fuss, they don’t get a say in who leads them.
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Labour’s leadership rules state that if you want to have a vote in this leadership election you need to be a paid-up member by Wednesday 1 October, 11.59pm.
Trevor Mallard is known for frequent intervention with points of order in Parliament at Question Time. His latest intervention however notified to the Herald to refuse caucus discipline is out of order. The whip’s request to caucus members to refrain from expressing their personal views at this stage of the process is entirely reasonable. No doubt at some time they will all be let off the leash, but right now unity and solidarity is far more important.
