Auckland Council Elections out west
Some thoughts on the battles out west for seats on the Auckland Council.
1938 14
A Sunday feature – each week a random section scanned from a copy of The Standard, September 15th, 1938. Find out more here.
Open mike 18/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Be there
Poverty Watch 44
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. Last week CPAG published a report on the links between poverty and child abuse, and why current government policy is misguided. So what did the second part of the report have to say?
Cheap and nasty
Having been burned by the cheapest tender and the leaky building fiasco, the Nats say that they have now worked out that the cheapest tender is not necessarily the best. (Brilliant eh?) If only it was true that they had really learned the lesson…
Open mike 17/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Auckland Council Elections
Nominations are closed and Auckland Super City’s candidate lists have been published. Following are some comments on the Mayoral candidates. I also hope to post on the Councillor contests, where interest will be greatest.
Wellington quake
Another quake near Seddon that shook Wellington hard. Various reports of strength, probably 6.2 at 8km. Hope all are well…
Weekend social 16/08/2013
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
Statistic of the Day
Percent of Auckland City Mission food recipients who are working: 25%
Not how a democracy works
Key and his cronies have a long history of passing laws that give themselves sweeping powers and promising (honestly, truly) that they won’t use them. How many times has King Brownlee found himself in court for abusing his dictatorial powers, despite the ouster clauses in his enabling Act? Now, Key, says he won’t actually use the powers he’s getting the the GCSB Bill.
Kiwis say no to welfare-bashing
Stuff’s polls aren’t usually known for their left-wing bias. Indeed there’s a tendency for them to pitch the other way. Which is why I clicked on the results button for their latest (self-selected) poll with some trepidation. after all the question was “Should doctors be encouraged to question unemployed patients on their career goals?”
John Key – GCSB fool (or liar)
On Campbell Live, and on other occasions, John Key has claimed that critics of the GCSB spying bill were all wrong. The Human Rights Commission – wrong. The Law Society – wrong. The Privacy Commissioner – wrong. Dame Anne Salmond – wrong. Everyone else wrong – only he – John Key – and his secret advisors were right, and we the sheeple have nothing to fear.
Now in a stunning embarrassment it is Key that has had to admit that he was wrong. Or a liar.
Open mike 16/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Key vs Campbell: the transcript
The interview of John Key by John Campbell last night on Campbell Live (on the GCSB Bill), showed what a formidable spin merchant Key can be. It is important to understand Key’s MO. This is a work in progress – transcript of the first 10.44 12.27 mins. completed.
The Daily Show on Oz election
Jon Stewart is on leave, but John Oliver is doing a great job filling in on The Daily Show. Here he is enjoying some of the nonsense coming out of the current Australian election campaign.
Statistic of the Day
Percent of New Zealanders with not enough money to make ends meet: 15
Percent unemployed: 6.4
It wasn’t a dirty pipe
It wasn’t a dirty pipe. That is the claim made by veterinarian and farm performance consultant Frank Rowson, as reported by Stuff yesterday. Rowson says “This disease originates in contaminated feed and animal manure”. Let the enquiries begin – we need to be honest about the problem and fix it.
Tech Liberty on GCSB Bill
Thomas Beagle at Tech Liberty has done a great job at presenting the technicalities of the Key-Dunne GCSB spying bill – see for example: “Does the new GCSB Bill give them the power to spy on New Zealanders?”. (Spoiler Alert! The answer is Yes.)
Open mike 15/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
The opportunity cost
National spent $30m of our money to save (some of) the 800 jobs at Tiwai Point (for an extra year). People have reasonably pointed out that’s the a lot of money – especially when government agencies are routinely destroying jobs by sending work overseas over contract prices that save far less. But what about the broader picture: did the Nats consider the opportunity cost?
Paula is abusing Child Abuse Prevention Orders
Paula Bennett has recently announced for the second time, although with a new name, the Government proposal for the introduction of Child Abuse Prevention Orders. These could result in people who have been acquitted of serious criminal allegations nevertheless being under effective house arrest for an extended period. How can a party that supposedly believes in the Rule of Law trash the Bill of Rights?
Dilbert on surveillance
Child abuse
Statistic of the Day
World incarceration rate: ~130 per 100,000
NZ incarceration rate: 197 per 100,000
Submit to prevent SkyCity corruption
The SkyCity deal still needs some urgent attention from members of the public interested in getting a submission to the select committee. They close on Thursday 22 August next week. The politically corrupting influence of the gaming industry means that members of the public will have to push the politicians to stop them giving SkyCity these extraordinarily lucrative and destructive concessions for a economic pittance.
More Beneficiary Bashing
The IRD writes of penalties and interest on tax debt almost as standard – along with a chunk of the actual tax. MSD will pursue you beyond the grave to get back loans because you can’t cover your living expenses. Why are we treating people and debt so differently?
GCSB protest fundraiser success – in one day!
This Pledge Me fundraiser for protest action against the Key-Dunne GCSB spying Bill reached its target ($3,300) in just one day yesterday. It remains open for three more days – you can still donate to extend the range of the protest.
Open mike 14/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Where our Assets have gone
Labour have OIA’d a Treasury list of where the money from Asset Sales has gone. Hint: it’s mostly not schools, hospitals, or paying down debt like National said.
GCSB Bill vs snapper quota
Statistic of the Day
Number of times in 2012 that John Key appeared on Radio Sport: 44
Number of times in 2012 that John Key appeared on National Radio: 4
Another diversion – “suspected” abusers
Time for another law-and-order-tough-on-crime distraction! Look! Over there!!
GCSB diversions and won’t anyone think of the kids?
When National is on the defensive it engages in acts of mass diversion. So under further pressure about its GCSB reforms it plans an increase in Ministerial Inquiry powers that would have Andrea Vance worried, and it is proposing that people acquitted of offences involving children are nevertheless subject to draconian restrictions on their liberty.
Nat housing policy panned
Labour and The Greens are clearly setting the agenda with a strong focus on housing affordability. National are struggling to catch up. But their new policy has been met with a chorus of criticism. They are going to have to do a lot better than this.