Out of the Loop
As I’ve previously pointed out, John Key’s National government only serves the privileged elite.
But their policy of only favouring the favoured few is not only venal, it’s really stupid economics as well.
NRT: An economic upgrade?
No Right Turn reacts to David Cunliffe’s speech on Friday. “…one thing is clear: we need to move our economy away from a focus on milk. Our environment can’t sustain it, and its not delivering for anyone other than a narrow class of wealthy farmers.” “… rich economies have multiple sources of income. And they consciously develop them through industrial policy.”
Polity: The Greens’ draft list
Rob Salmond at Polity looks at the draft Green party list. “The Greens have released their draft party list today, in advance of a party member STV vote. The top 20 is…”
Closing the Gaps – Education & work
Simon Collins article on reducing inequalities for Māori & Pacific people. Māori and Pacific youth have become significantly disadvantaged in employment. However, the article supports charter schools, without examining how such neoliberal intitatives are ultimately damaging for Māori & Pacific people.
Hekia Parata wants to punish poor schools
Yesterday Hekia Parata floated the idea that funding of schools should be based on measuring the periodic change in academic standards. This is a retrograde proposal which almost inevitably would penalise poor schools and worsen educational standards for many. Today she has been trying to dampen down the idea and has emphasised that it will not be considered until after the next election. A better reason to vote this Government out I cannot imagine.
Open mike 17/03/2014
Happy Saint Patrick’s day. 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 …
Tony Abbott is an idiot
Tony Abbott’s Liberal Government has acted to undermine New Zealand’s push for a United Nations declaration that it is in the interest of humanity that nuclear weapons never be used again under any circumstances. Having the option of killing millions of human beings and devastating major urban centres either by way of a first strike or a retaliatory strike is obviously something he thinks should be preserved.
Russel Norman on consumerism & happiness
An interview provides an insight into Russel Norman’s working class background & frugal, anti-consumerist outlook. Combines well with Metiria Turei’s working class background – which has motivated her campaign against child poverty and inequality.
Open mike 16/03/2014
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 …
Officials’ dinners off in China
Fran O’Sullivan thinks that the only reason why Collins is still a Minister was Key’s need to save face in his impending visit to China. I think Key may have got a better reception from Xi Jinping if he had followed the Chinese leader’s example of taking a hard line on dinner-table corruption and sacked Collins.
Power of an informed public
The West Auckland Peasants Film Club FB page says: “The greatest threat to freedom and well-being everywhere is corporate ambition: the greatest threat to corporate ambition is a well-informed public”. This week the PFC is showing, I Am (Dir. Tom Shadyac) – how to get such information seen more widely?
Guest Post – What is Shane Jones doing?
A guest post on Shane Jones and what effect his recent behaviour is having on Labour’s election chances.
Open mike 15/03/2014
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 …
Tony Benn 1925-2014
Sorry to hear that Tony Benn has died today, at age 88. He came from an aristocratic background, but became part of the UK Labour Party’s “radical” left. He spoke for Unions, people power and democratic process, and against neoliberalism. [Update – Tony Benn quotes]
No excuse for WINZ’s mistreatment of people in need
Yesterday one woman’s story blew the lid on our government’s treatment of beneficiaries. Sarah Wilson’s post on her ongoing struggles just to get […]
Weekend Social 14/03/14
Space for non-political chat and communication.
David Cunliffe’s speech to the New Zealand Institute
Speech notes from today’s address to the New Zealand Institute. “Trickle-down economics and its neoliberal parentage have failed New Zealanders and left many of our emerging businesses starved of investment capital and skills. The opportunity gaps have widened and there is no clear, shared strategy to a high value, high income future. That’s something Labour will change. We want an economy that works for all New Zealanders.”
ImperatorFish: A statement from Shane Jones
[probably satire] This statement has been reposted from ImperatorFish and is believed to be a work of satire by Scott Yorke (who generously allows us to reproduce his posts). However with Shane Jones, one can never be too sure what is truth and what is fantasy. Shane Jones or a reasonable facsimile thereof takes on why he isn’t going to attack the terrible Green party again (to the nearly universal chorus of “dickhead”).
NRT: A global cyberwar against everyone
The latest NSALeak: the NSA is deliberately spreading malware on a massive scale to spy on everyone. This isn’t the sort of targeted operation they aimed at Belgacom – its effectively a global cyberwar against everyone. They infected 100,000 computers already, and they plan to infect millions – well beyond any possible number needed strictly for “national security”. Why? So they can pwn you
The Genesis share float – or is that share sink?
The Government is continuing with the Genesis share float. Shares with an anticipated yield of 15% are being sold to pay off debt on which interest at 5% is being charged. What sort of economic lunacy is this?
Open mike 14/03/2014
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 …
Polity: Endangered! Polls without cell phones
Here’s a pretty astounding graphic from the US about cellphone vs landline use. The US is a few years ahead of New Zealand on mobile adoption and decoupling from landlines, but Rob Salmond thinks that within 5 years we will see these kinds of proportions in New Zealand. This will make current pollsters’ policies of refusing to call cell phones hugely problematic…
Caption competition
Look forward to getting your comments on this one …
LB: Greens hit the ground running
Dave Kennedy (aka bsprout) at Local Bodies is the Green candidate for Invercargill. He posted this on Monday in response to Josie Pagani’s pundit post. It is on the preparedness of the Green party for this election It got overshadowed in the news cycle by burst of corrupt stench of self-entitled elitist behaviour from National, but is worth reposting anyway. It is going to be interesting to look at this election campaign where National is fighting two large parties on the left.
Stand up for fairness in & for NZ – TPPA, March 29
International, cronyist, corporate capitalism skews democratic processes in NZ, making it harder for the majority of battling Kiwis to get a fair go – harder to ensure all New Zealanders live in a society that works for them. The TPPA is a power-play between the US and other powerful countries. There’s nothing in it for NZ. National Day of action March 29th, 2014.
Scandals
Just a wee list to try and keep track of the current scandals our dear friends in the National party are dealing with.
Open mike 13/03/2014
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 …
Elitist Fools
So the latest from National is Judith Collins ‘promoting’ her husbands’ company and Amy Adams promoting the interests of river-polluting Canterbury dairy farms when she herself owns Canterbury dairy farms.
Naturally, neither minister can see any problem with this.
Update: And now Nathan Guy – National’s immigration minister…
Oravida employee of the month
And the winner is …
Five Eyes, One Network
Edward Snowden revelations indicate that the US NSA pressured the NZ government to make last year’s hasty changes to the GCSB and TICS laws, to enable mass surveillance. John Key sometimes denies he knows of visits to NZ by the NSA’s Gen Keith Alexander – but Key would have to approve the visits.
Amy Adams has some explaining to do
Amy Adams is now facing questions of conflict of interest after details have been published that land and company shares she owns may increase in value because of the proposed Canterbury Irrigation Scheme.
NRT: Proving my point
Last week No Right Turn argued strongly that we needed full transparency over Cabinet Office advice on ministers’ conflicts of interest, because we couldn’t trust the Prime Minister to represent that advice accurately, and we couldn’t trust secret advice to be accurate. And John Key has just proven his point: “Prime Minister John Key has admitted he misled reporters over Cabinet Office advice…”
ImperatorFish: John Key explains to the media
[satire] Let me explain. There has been no breach of Cabinet rules. This has been confirmed by the Cabinet Office. Not the real Cabinet Office, but the one that exists in the deepest recesses of my imagination. That particular Cabinet Office always gives me the advice I want to hear, and the one thing I’ve learned from all my years in this place is to always listen to the voices in my head.
Polity: “Promoting” vs “endorsing”
The Orivida mess smells worse by the day for National. Yesterday, it turned out the Cabinet Office’s advice clearing Judith Collins of any wrongdoing had failed to even look at the most important piece of the evidence – the Chinese text of Orivida’s website. It had to rush out new advice to cover that off, which Key still won’t release. That is why today John Key will spend much of question time dancing on the head of a pin…
Open mike 12/03/2014
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 …
National – pissing debt against a wall.
The deficit was $637 million dollars bigger than expected. In fact it was more than double the expected size. Why? Well mostly because of much smaller tax revenues than previously estimated. So much for the mythic recovery that National’s spinners have been pushing over xmas. We just finished paying off the mountain of debt that National gave me back in the 1970’s and early 80s. Now the shifty party of crony business morons are trying to do it to another generation.