Open mike 21/12/2013
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Caption contest
A chocolate fish and a marshmallow santa for the wittiest caption for this unusual photo.
Polity: Herald poll mirrors Poll-of-Polls
These days even the polls that have traditionally biased towards the right are moving left. Rob Salmond at Polity has a look at the latest NZ Herald poll. It is no wonder that National’s PR people including Audrey Young are spinning randomly like tops on a rough surface… National is up less than a point over Labour + Greens
First the Hone bash, then the royals
It’s looking like Team John Key is trying every PR spin trick in the book to gain an advantage for the election next year. Does he have anything to offer Kiwis other than bash, spin and photos ops? And McGehan Close? The underclass?
Ernst and Young should investigate Cameron Brewer
Cameron Brewer apparently forgot to file a declaration of interests in 2012 which should have included details of a four day junket to the Gold Coast paid for by Mediaworks. Dick Quax forgot to file returns in 2011 and 2012. Is an investigation required?
Open mike 20/12/2013
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A Tale of Two Cities
It was the best of times in Wellington today. Council workers will get a living wage, and parking wardens will become council employees so they will get decent pay also. It was the worst of times in Auckland as the right-wing Scrooges having failed to remove Mayor Len Brown took it out on their workers by overturning his call for a living wage for Council staff.
The spirit of ’81: Key’s hypocrisy!
John Key’s attacks on Hone Harawira for his trip to South Africa were hypocritical: an attempt to smear a significant political opponent, and divert from the governments failings & its gradual falling out of favour with many (potential) voters.
Showdown at Auckland Council
Today’s Council meeting will no doubt develop a great deal of heat but little light. And then hopefully everyone can settle down and working on the real job which is to create Auckland into a great city.
Cullen Fund earns more for New Zealand than Asset Sales
The Cullen fund is doing more for the country’s finances than selling our Assets. Who would have thunk it?
Open mike 19/12/2013
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NZ Herald: Disgrace to democracy
The right wing NZ Herald editors, have misused their position in the news mediascape to produce some shameless, highly partisan and manipulative propaganda. They do not have the interest of all Aucklanders at heart. More considered analysis needed. Let’s wait for tomorrow’s public meeting.
How has the year been for you?
The government & many of its cheerleaders are joining in a re-vitalised chorus of a brighter future right around the corner of “Christmas cheer”. Many Kiwis are struggling with the realities of poverty. How was your year on the inequality scale?
NRT: What happens if anything goes wrong?
No Right Turn looks at some of the past history of the company that this government trusts to deepsea drill at 1500 metres off the coast of Raglan.
They are cowboys who have a history of deliberately avoiding cleaning up their messes.
Open mike 18/12/2013
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What the frack is going on?
Taranaki Regional Council is allowing fracking waste to be disposed of on farmland because it says Alberta in Canada allows the practice to happen. The only problem is that it appears ALberta does not. What damage is Taranaki RC causing to Taranaki’s farms?
NRT: Who’s scaremongering now?
On their usual friday bad news dump (such a large amount of it these days), the National government dropped this clanger. Greenpeace was right and John Key is a moron when it comes to geology and evidently about risk assessment. We held it over to get past the National’s Monday morning bad news clutter.
Chorus insider trading?
The Government appears to be softening us up for a financial contribution to Chorus in the realm of $250 million so that it can do what it has a contractual obligation to do anyway. And TUANZ thinks that some insider trading is going on with Chorus’s shares.
Open mike 17/12/2013
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National has a big asset-sale problem
Look at how deeply unpopular National’s asset sales program is even in their own MP’s electorates. To illustrate the point that Matthew Hooten can’t read numbers, I’ve displayed it in turnout order. South Island and National held electorates generally turn out far more than Labour or Auckland urban electorates in postal votes. But most National held electorates especially provincial ones voted almost two to one against Nationals asset sales program.
Polity: Turnout in the referendum
Rob Salmond at Polity has had a look at the effectiveness of National’s deliberate strategy to discriminate against Maori and Pasifika in the […]
The Good and the Bad: NZ screen industry
The NZ government changes to NZ’s screen industry incentives is a mixed bag. Some (not fully developed) support for a sustainable NZ industry. Selling out NZ workers; bowing to Hollywood corporate, neo-colonial values.
Muppets.
It never fails to amaze me that supposedly experienced and professional (ie, paid) political figures routinely reaffirm a fairly deep sense of stupidity.
SkyCity: they’re toxic
The detail of the Ernest and Young report on Len Brown clears him of all significiant wrongdoing on the local government purse. The hotel room upgrade values are just complete bullshit for someone who had a regular family timeouts at one hotel – which did most of the almost all of the upgrades. The type of customer that all hotels want. The political question is about receiving anything “free” from Skycity.
Open mike 16/12/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right […]
Off The Pages…
…and into the world.
Herald poll has Labour at 40% because of asset sales
A Herald poll this morning has Labour on 40% with many expressing concern with the asset sales programme. And John Key displays a disturbing lack of numeracy literacy.
What happened to the working class?
In post WWII UK, working class people were gaining a stronger voice in public life. Then came Thatcher and middle class capture of politics & the media. Something similar happened in NZ. How can those on low incomes and/or from the working classes gain a stronger voice in NZ politics?
Open mike 15/12/2013
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Summer service: the real economy
The summer holiday period is a time when consumerism is rampant, contradicting the traditional Christian message . It adds pressure to those already struggling, especially those with young families. Places to support via time, donations, gifts, etc.
At least 225,000 Nats said “No” to asset sales
Rob Salmond runs the Polity blog and has given us permission to syndicate his posts. Long time readers will remember him from the brilliant posts on 08wire.org during the 2008 campaign, so expect us to often find something of interest.
Like this post looking at who voted No on the referendum. That number of previously National voters must be scaring the National party at present.
NRT: Unacceptable
No Right Turn has a view on Len Brown accepting nearly $40,000 in undeclared complementarities from the hotel industry. How many of these were from SkyCity? And who else has been getting them?
Open mike 14/12/2013
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No Asset Sales Referendum results
The no asset sales petition results are out and two thirds of the votes are against asset sales.
Turning around the books
So according to John Key, turnout in the referendum is so low it doesn’t mean anything to him (despite his government working hard to get turnout down). But he reckons it does mean David Cunliffe needs to promise to buy back the assets..?
The party I will vote for ….
… will be one that has effective policies to make a more equal, inclusive and democratic society, will seriously address the concerns of those least well-off, and not just pander to the concerns of people on (comfortable) middle incomes.Values in need of a slogan?