Asset Sales: Orcon
It was announced today that Government-owned Orcon was sold off last Friday.
Seeking a wormald to the truth
Dotcom has promised some significant revelations from this week’s court proceedings. This morning his lawyer focused on Grant Wormald, the role of the police Special Tactics Group, and the truth. Is the GCSB is off the hook? Meanwhile, Key has been claiming he is “honest and upfront”. [Update – Key’s announced changes to the GCSB outrageous & undemocratic]
Nat leadership speculation
I didn’t see Key’s Q+A interview on Sunday, but it seems to have been an interesting one. Speculation about the leadership of the Nats appears to be growing.
Key and Thatcher’s ghost
Caveat emptor 2
Labour’s put out a release saying power prices are too high and “signalling that the future Labour Government will make changes to the sector so that New Zealanders considering purchasing shares in Mighty River Power, which go on sale tomorrow, are aware of that before investing”. In other words, ‘we’re gonna cut power prices, and the electricity companies’ profits will be hit’.
Open mike 15/04/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Clueless hicks?
I live in Wellington and like it. I’ve just visited Auckland for a party, and it was fun for a day and a half. Separately, I met some Aucklanders unusually riled up about the Government, and then read Matt McCarten in today’s Herald re Gerry Brownlee and Nick Smith on Auckland’s gridlock! One does feel sorry for the northeners. Good billboard too.
Defence Force Members Are Workers Too
The Court Martial of Flight Lieutenant Dan Pezaro by the NZ Defence Force is making me uneasy. The internal Court of Inquiry into […]
Networks of influence
John Key is into networking and schmoozing with the wealthy & influential. He’s given special attention to the entertainment industries, GCSB, intellectual property & commerce. He crossed paths with Warner’s people the year before the Hobbit dispute, but never played golf with Dotcom.
Open mike 14/04/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Dress code
I must have missed the memo on the beneficiary dress code.
Diplomacy, you’re doing it old school
Have you noticed that we have very few visits from leaders of major countries to NZ these days? I was thinking about that watching Key give himself ’10 out of 10′ for his trip to China and reading Audrey Young’s piece, which basically asks ‘what was all that in aid of?’ Key’s junkets always seem to be ‘goodwill’ visits with no real goals or diplomatic outcomes.
3D Manufacturing
It seems that 3D Printing is really starting to mature. Such printers are becoming smaller, cheaper and more capable. It’s only a matter of time before builders become obsolete. A lot can be done with the diffuse energy of the sun. Although it has a ways to go 3D printing is the next level in manufacturing.
Stand up for kids
Stand up for kids is “a campaign for parents, families, teachers and other educators who all want the best for our children”. They are holding street marches in centers all round NZ today.
Poverty Watch 27
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 we continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. In current news a new UNICEF report stresses the huge impact that the choices of governments can have on poverty. Our government quite literally does not want to know…
Open mike 13/04/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Caption competition
Weekend social 12/04/2013
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
ImperatorFish: PM vows to work on his lying
John Key is promising to work on his lying, after a series of scandals rocked his government. “These blunders threaten to do real damage to his reputation”, said one insider. “The credibility he established as a result of four years of careful and considered lying is now under threat”.
Plus a poem from Seaweed.
Images of the GCSB scandal
Check out Bryce Edward’s latest images of the GCSB scandal…
The 3D printer peril!
3D printers. Maurice Williamson thinks your family is at risk!
The stealthy dismantling of democracy
John Key’s government has been gradually dismantling NZ’s democratic processes. Various activities this week are a major part of a frightening shift: a Bill enabling mining conservation land; punitive social security Act; Key’s control over NZ’s “intelligence community”.
Leaked EQC data posted online
The EQC data leaked to a Christchurch advocate / blogger has been posted on line.
Sums it up, really
National’s 3 quarters of the way through its time at the crease now. And what has it achieved? A record debt pile. 300,000 jobless. 100,000 underemployed. Rising poverty. 1,000 a week fleeing to Australia. A new housing bubble. A record high dollar that’s killing our businesses. And falling household incomes. A list of articles on Stuff sums it up.
External review of Wellington City Council outsourcing needed
The Wellington City Council has agreed to a review of the outsourcing.
But that review needs to be independent.
Open mike 12/04/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
NRT: Paula Bennett giggles at child poverty
The government doesn’t measure child poverty, so has no way to tell if it is getting better or worse. Hilarious right? Paula Bennett certainly thinks so. “Gosh!”
ImperatorFish: A statement from the Prime Minister
The Government Security (Doing As They Please) Bill will be introduced next week, and this important piece of legislation will make it clear that our security and law enforcement agencies must operate within the framework of doing anything they want.
The Key-Fletcher trail
The PM, Fletcher, the GCSB – questions need answering: why, when, where, who? It’s all about intellectual property, global commerce and international networks. From London to Aus 2009, to NZ 2010, then down the rabbit hole to Dotcom, Hobbits & uncertain links with complex global money mazes.
Love DOC Day
Today is Love DOC Day, where lots of people are organising to visit a DOC office and give them cakes and messages of support etc. Organised by by Forest & Bird, and supported by the PSA, The Greens and Labour’s Environment Sector, today is your chance to show your disgust for National’s cuts to our Environmental protectors in a positive way. Get involved!
An analogy
Before the soft-headed repetition of the Nats’ line goes on too long, here’s an analogy. The GCSB’s justification for their illegal spying, that they knew they weren’t allowed to spy on New Zealanders but thought it was OK if they were acting on behalf of another agency that could, is like you not having a driver’s licence but saying it’s OK for you to drive if someone with a licence asks you to.
The Scoop Foundation Project
Key’s Nixon moment
Nixon famously said: “When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal”. John Key would have you believe the same thing, that when his agency, the GCSB, has been breaking the law, the problem lies with the law. No – the problem lies with the GCSB and its oversight. Watergate here we come…
Open mike 11/04/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Attention Mum and Dad investors
Labour’s Clayton Cosgrove reveals that when selling Mighty River Power shares, brokers will get twice the commission for selling to a foreign buyer. This will send ownership overseas and drive up prices for Kiwis.
Systemic privacy breaches
PM John Key reckons that there is no systemic problem with the security of the government’s data handling. He’s wrong – three separate incidents yesterday cap off a litany of recent breaches. Even Bill English now admits that the government cannot guarantee that public information is protected.