Open mike 22/05/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
First Living Wage Council
Hamilton City looks like it’ll be the first Council to pay a Living Wage, as it fulfils its obligations as a good employer, following the likes of The Warehouse and Progressive Enterprises.
Nats’ environmental record
Long time commenter BLiP on the National government’s environmental record.
Digital democracy: Fair Deal goes global
NZ’s Fair Deal Coalition launched a new website, ourfairdeal.org, networking globally with others concerned about intellectual property & the TTPA. The FDC includes those supporting global “neoliberal” commerce, & others supporting community & public sector activities, democratic freedoms and privacy rights.
$38 on highways for every dollar on public transport
Key is busy explaining that his petrol tax increase won’t just be funding his pet highway projects – the ‘Roads of National Significance’. He says it’ll go on public transport, too. Well, yeah, maybe. But the truth is that National is slashing public transport funding while pouring massive amounts into the RoNS even as traffic volumes fall and public transport demand rises.
Then why don’t you release the advice John?
A legal expert has raised the alarm over the Nats’ latest outbreak of constitutional arrogance. So too has the Attorney General, and the media. Key says it’s all OK (of course), but why should anyone believe him when his government won’t release the advice that it has received?
Open mike 21/05/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
$2.49
That’s what Mighty River stocks closed at today. Down on their issue price within ten days.
Swivel-eyed loons
Why do right-wing leaders have such low opinions of their activist supporters?
Frozen meat
The Right’s fairytale machine makes a lot of Key’s supposed ability to charm foreign leaders and open doors for Kiwi trade. Well, the door slammed shut for meat exports to China at the end of April. National managed to keep that secret until after the budget. No wonder, it exposes the failure of Key’s international relations style.
Opposites day
I had heard that National’s internal polling was showing they were becoming vulnerable on social equity issues. For some reason New Zealanders are coming to think of them as a government that looks after its rich mates at the expense of everyone else
Yup.
It’s how they roll…
Political science
As I/S pointed out yesterday, the Government’s “innovation” agenda is nothing more than a cuts to R&D and hidden subsidies.
Today in the Herald that’s confirmed
Open mike 20/05/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
NRT: National’s “innovation” agenda
No Right Turn on National’s science funding scam. Read it in conjunction with this piece in Stuff today on falling numbers of senior students following National’s axing of the postgrad student allowance. Welcome to the Brighter Future.
1938 1
A new Sunday feature – each week a random section scanned from a copy of The Standard, September 15th, 1938.
Open mike 19/05/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Constitutional arrogance
The invaluable Andrew Geddis has yet another good post on Pundit, describing National’s latest outbreak of constitutional arrogance. Add to the long list. These are the actions of politicians who are drunk on power, and not being held to account for it.
Poverty Watch 31
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week – reaction to the budget’s lack of significant action on poverty, and CPAG’s court case on the In Work Tax Credit.
Open mike 18/05/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Weekend social 17/05/2013
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
Irony? Nah.
Nigel Farage went to Scotland to promote UKIP. What the hell was he thinking?
“Project Choice” – foisting bad faith
Air NZ has recently posted a $138 million profit. It now forecasts that it will double that profit in the next financial year, and is offering a sale of shares in the near future. So a few months after concluding a collective agreement, they’re indulging in bad faith and illegal practices. This is how you embroil yourself in keeping share prices low.
When an “accord” is not
Yesterday’s budget is a sop to affordable housing & aims to privatise state housing. Penny Hulse says the government’s related “housing accord” Bill is at odds with the agreement her council has not yet ratified. It overrides local democracy & endangers the AKL “agreement”. [Update] Waitakere News analysis
Key’s “Devil Beast” speech
A video of John Key’s “Labour is the Devil Beast” budget speech.
The gift that keeps on giving
First Collins fails the replicant test. Now Scott catches her openly plotting against her leader…
Budget summary
Nothing on poverty. Nothing on affordable housing. House prices forecast to keep rising. Attacks on local democracy. More fear into the lives of the poor (reviewable tenancies). Stealth privatisation of state housing, sorry, ‘social housing’. A ‘surplus’ of 0.03% of GDP. Weak growth outlook. $200b national debt. And a promise of 171,000 more jobs that’s just as credible as the last one.
Open mike 17/05/2013
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So. Very. Funny.
Just in case you haven’t seen this work of genius by Danyl…
Budget roundup
Budget links and reaction (updates to come).
Four years of misguided austerity have delayed any recovery.
Despite the advance publicity there is nothing significant here for families in poverty.
Caption competition
A banquet for the elite, crumbs for the poor
“When National is not selling something like Mighty River Power, it is busy selling out to the likes of SkyCity” – John Armstrong. He could have added ‘or defending the elite’s rentier profits’. To fudge the fact that National works for the elite, there”ll be crumbs for the poor in this budget. Something’s better than nothing but, unless it matches the $2b tax cuts for the rich, it’s just window-dressing.
‘That’s what the fuss is all about’
Hone Harawira challenged the Maori Party for its support of charter schools, at the expense of Maori and public education. He challenged Sharples to resign if today’s budget fails to adequately support kura kaupapa and the Manaaki Tauira programme.
Labour on MMP “consultation”
According to Labour: “Judith Collins has claimed that she ‘consulted’ with political parties but was unable to reach consensus. There was absolutely no consultation.”
Strong support for NZ Power
The Right unleashed the most brutal campaign in living memory against an opposition policy when the Greens and Labour announced the NZ Power plan to bring down power prices. They (rightly) saw it as a challenge to the whole rentier class that has been bleeding NZ dry for quarter of a century. It’s heartening, then, that the Right hasn’t managed to fool people.
Open mike 16/05/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]