Fuck inequality! Fuck poverty! Fuck the Nat govt!

There are sobering & harrowing stories coming out of AAAP’s Action Impact at Mangere this week. It exposes the vast inequalities & poverty existing in NZ.  Vote to end this destruction of humanity & democracy! Vote for compassion, caring & sharing! VOTE LEFT!

NRT: The Greens on transport

There’s a strong element of planning for the future here: peak oil and climate change mean the days of cheap cars (and therefore of massive motorways) are numbered. But it also reflects the changes we’re seeing now. Road usage is already dropping, while Aucklanders are crying out for a better rail system so they can escape gridlock.

Clean rivers

Labour has announced its water policy and proposed that a fair price for irrigation takes be imposed and that the country’s waterways be improved over this generation.  But Amy Adams thinks that providing clean rivers is somehow an attack on rural New Zealand.  It is strange that she thinks that clean rivers should be such a terrible thing.

Polity: Shifting ground?

Rob Salmond looks at the recent shifts in media opinion pieces. Perhaps the National strategy of getting the house to rise too early has backfired. It appears to be giving opposition parties more room to showcase their policy, more room for National to showcase its arrogance, and more time for the polls to close.

Dave Hereora RIP

I was sad to hear of Dave Hereora’s death – another like Parekura who died too young. Dave was a good man, a gentle man, and a strong man. He knew where he came from, he knew what he stood for, and all those he worked for knew he had their interests truly at heart. He wasn’t loud, but he was effective…

Our Friends in the North

It’s been an interesting few days in the battle for Te Tai Tokerau. Never mind the bollocks, people. The question for Labour isn’t should we stand aside for Hone in the north or Mana/IP anywhere else. The question is ‘do we need ’em?’. The answer is looking more and more like no.

NRT: 32,000 out of work under National

The latest Household Labour Force Survey was released today, showing a drop in unemployment. But while its an improvement, there is far less employment than when National came into office 5 years ago. That is a monumental fail.

John Key prepares for Helensville debate

John Key has agreed to attend one local meet the candidates meeting this year. The rules are however that there will be no debate, questions will be screened and candidates will only be able to refer to each other once. And silence will be demanded. What happened to the good old fashioned election political meeting?

Counting the cost – long time dying

How much longer do we have to live with this”neoliberal” nightmare?   It should have died with the global financial crisis, caused by the unfettered greed of the banksters & socially callous.  “Paying the Price” on Al Jazeera; AAAP Mangere Action Impact this week.

Message from Christchurch: Send Help Now

Power has been concentrated into the figure of one man – a man who has in recent weeks shown that he thinks he is above the rule of law. You might think your one vote doesn’t make much of a difference – but it is everything to us here. Another three years of National and Brownlee, and we might not have a vote at a local level at all.

Positive Policy on Youth Employment

Other than fixing child poverty, there’s probably no more important policy than this. Labour will commit $183 million to a comprehensive Youth Employment Package designed to reach 24,000 young New Zealanders.

Christine Rankin is standing in Epsom

The Conservative Party’s Christine Rankin has announced that she is standing for the Epsom seat.  This will add an extra degree of chaos to what is already an interesting battle.  But will she help the National candidate or the ACT candidate?

ACT’s voodoo economics

ACT has announced its corporate tax policy and a cut in the rate from 0.28c to 0.125c in the dollar is promised. There is a slight problem. The figures do not add up.

Hang onto our land – it’s all we’ve got left

Steven Joyce says Labour’s opposition to the sale of 13,800ha Lochinver station to Shanghai Pengxin is based on “xenophobia.” It’s not, its basic economic sense. The benefit from our land should stay here. And Joyce’s open door has seen rail wagons bought cheap and fixed dear by Chinese workers at the expense of good local jobs and crucial Kiwi skills. Labour is simply standing up for New Zealand. It’s the right thing to do.

The view from Russia

Long time commenter, grumpy, has had this post from a russian friend explaining his view on what has been happening in the Ukraine. As this event has excited considerable comment over the last few months, this will probably be a good discussion post.

Polity: Herald on regional roads fiasco

The National Government’s $212 million plan has Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee explicitly admitting that it is a massive pork-barreling for government MPs with public funds, and explicitly tells people to piss off if they don’t like it.

National and the Kiwi aversion to arrogance

Simon Bridges has spent $237,000 of taxpayers money to wine and dine and house eleven oil executives.  And Tim Groser, Murray McCully and Claudette Hauiti have spent up large on the taxpayer tab.  Way to reinforce the born to rule feeling National.