Open mike 13/02/2014
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Is John Key a shape shifting reptilian?
Recent allegations have surfaced suggesting that John Key is a shape shifting reptilian and the Labour Party is doing a deal with Ymir, King of the Frost Giants regarding the electorate of Ginnungagap in an attempt to win the 2014 election. Is it just me or is politics getting really weird?
Dotcom’s extradition and the 2014 general election
In further news about Dotcom he has said that if the Internet Party has not reached 5% in the polls before the printing of the ballot papers he will endorse another party. An endorsement could be the difference between the left winning and losing the next election. And the Greens have raised the prospect of a Ministerial Veto of any extradition order.
Polity: Kim Dotcom’s 5% gambit
Rob Salmond looks at the implications of the Internet party failing to poll 5% and DotCom throws his support behind another party. A bidding war from competing parties? For the left this would be being both hypocritical and a bit icky. One of the reasons they worked hard to make election funding fairer in the late 2000s was to limit the ability of individuals seeking to buy government policy for cash. The right disagreed but is now caught by their own logic that it couldn’t happen.
NRT: National hates transparency
Yesterday Labour tried to put forward a Parliamentary motion calling on the government to release the draft text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement before signing it, on the simple democratic grounds that the public deserved to know what agreements were being made in our name. National refused to. The upshot: National hates transparency. It also hates democracy.
Open mike 12/02/2014
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Economy-wide benefits of Living Wage?
An interesting article by Colin James in today’s ODT on the living wage proposals and how lifting may have wider economic benefits. Whether one agrees with him or not, he is widely read, independent, well-connected and what I like most always thoughtful and forward-looking. I miss him from the DomPost.
Inequality for all
There’s been an excellent Insight on Radio NZ on Sunday / Monday, looking at the income gap and the consequences for our […]
Role of Government
Governments are holding on to their traditional roles and functions, but the world has changed. We need something else.
Local Bodies: First they ignore you
Local bodies writes on the way that National has been concentrating their personal attacks at the Greens. It is a pretty typical display by National in any election year. But you get the impression they’re going to seriously be dumpster diving for dirt this year – especially Judith Collins. National are getting desperate at their disappearing coalition partners. “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win”
The politics of nastiness
Is this election year going to be the most vicious in recent history? There’s always a bit of argy-bargy in politics, and sometimes […]
Open mike 11/02/2014
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Foreign exchange fixing “as bad” as Libor
Something that doesn’t seem to have hit the newspapers here, but may turn out to have been significantly affecting little ol’ NZ is […]
Polity: Moral mandates in Europe
Rob Salmond at Polity highlights John Key’s naivety in politics. It isn’t hard because he is a poor amateur and largely unskilled. If he ever raised his eyes from golf and photo-ops for long enough to exercise his brain, then he could look at the governments of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
Open mike 10/02/2014
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Key’s transparent gerrymander
For John Key, MMP stands for “Manipulate Members of Parliament”. Senior journalists are beginning to call him on the games he’s playing, and good on them; gerrymander entered the New Zealand political lexicon at Key’s press conference this week. Key wants to push the issues away till closer to the election, when he’ll know what his polling is telling him – I hope the gallery don’t let him.
Damien Grant thinks tax fraudsters are more worthy than beneficiary fraudsters
Damien Grant has argued in the latest Herald that those convicted of tax evasion should be treated more leniently than those convicted of beneficiary fraud even though an average tax fraud case resulting in jail may involve eleven times as much money. Obviously wealthy people are somehow better …
5 Eyes’ cyberwarfare: Snowden
Leaked by Edward Snowden, a GCHQ slideshow for a secret spy conference. It outlines methods of cyber warfare and propaganda circulation. Mainly aimed at non-5 Eyes’ countries, the methods include infiltrating blogs, DOS attacks, propaganda via social media & manipulating journalists.
Open mike 09/02/2014
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It’s past time for fair employment laws
After David Cunliffe’s state of the nation speech at the end of January, the spotlight was, appropriately, on the big policy announcement he […]
A glorious waste of money for the titillation of perverts
The fiasco of the wet dick and the perverts shuddered to a conclusion yesterday with the direct bill of around $250,000. Len Brown was strong-armed into paying $40,000 for the audit which turned up nothing much except that his wife brought a lot of hotel nights. Questions remain about who was responsible for the waste caused by the lack of scoping of the external audit. Looks like dirty politics at the ratepayers expense.
Play it again John
John Key has welcomed Tony Abbott’s confirmation that Australia would extend access to students under the Higher Education Loan Program to long-term New Zealand residents in Australia. But this policy was announced eight months ago.
Open mike 08/02/2014
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just a voice
Brief occasional updates were requested on the public meetings being held in Dunedin. I’ll be straight up about this. I’m not altogether comfortable about submitting these posts because some readers might see the meetings as being synonymous with me. They’re not. But since I’m the only person with posting rights and because it wouldn’t be be appropriate to post an opinion under ‘notices and features’…
How to replace Tony Abbott with cats
Tired of seeing Tony Abbott’s mug in web pages on Australian politics? Well help may be just around the corner …
NZ Herald watch – history repeats
The NZ Herald has a long history of opposing Maori resistance and supporting colonisation. It has always been right wing with a strong commercial focus & MO. Yesterday it censored news of Waitangi Day protests. Today an editorial spins in slippery style, for the Govt’s failing PowerCo sales.
Open mike 07/02/2014
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Geoff Bertram on single-buyer for electricity
Economist Dr Geoff Bertram will analyse prospects for the single-buyer model for electricity on Tuesday 11 February in Wellington. Bertram has come under personal attack from the Electricity Authority for his analysis of price rises for power consumers. Fairfax analyst Chalkie calls the Authority’s report a “clever fallacious and deceptive.. politically led effort to discredit the Labour/Green single buyer policy.” Extraordinary. All welcome – register with the Fabians.
Some thoughts on Waitangi Day
Some thoughts on the nature of the Treaty of Waitangi and the need to continue with the treaty settlement process.
Tuwhera mike 06/02/2014
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Australian hissy fit at supermarkets
Australia again. I wish they would adopt an honourable and fair stance to New Zealand instead of using us whenever they want to gain advantage for themselves or throw a hissy fit. Now they are discriminating against our food exports in two large supermarkets, one of which has a large store ownership here.
Waldegrave responds to ‘Living Wage’ critique
Charles Waldegrave has slammed Brian Scott’s critique of the method used to calculate the Living Wage in New Zealand. He shows Scott’s critique, and that of the Treasury, lack an informed understanding of the definition of a living wage and confuse market wage rates and welfare transfers. The living wage level was set at $18.40 per hour in February 2013. Scott’s paper has been given prominence on Kiwiblog 3 January 2014
Myths of Waitangi Day – & Hikoi
The ratings driven MSM beat up dramas and conflict in relation to Waitangi Day – they continue to circulate myths about the Day. Morgan Godfery has blogged about those myths. Meanwhile, the hikoi to protect our seas and land continues. [update: Rachel Smalley]
Open mike 05/02/2014
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Key tells untruth about Waitangi – TV3 “dishonest” story coming up?
John Key was caught out today alleging that Governor General Jerry Mateparae was jostled at Waitangi, a claim that Mateparae disputed. I wonder how TV3 will handle this?