Caption contest
John Key: High dollar works for me
As a Canadian currency dealer dubs the NZ$ the “new gold”, John Key sings the praises of a high dollar
Regulate this!
If we can’t afford to buy the assets back, we should at least make clear we will regulate them severely and take the profit out of electricity companies…
Child Support (Almost) Amendment Bill: Cunliffe speech
Another excellent Cunlife speech last night, speaking to the Child Support Amendment Bill (Committee Stage Schedule 2). An “almost” Bill showing the government’s callous disregard of child poverty and single/separated (usually women) parents.
Open mike 28/02/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Charles’ valedictory
Labour has lost a fine legal mind. Good luck Charles, and hopefully David Shearer will heed your advice.
Breaking: Supreme Court dismisses Maori Council appeal
Unanimous decision by the 5 judges to dismiss the Maori Council’s appeal.
Caption Contest
Marriage equality bill progresses
Good news, as Louisa Wall’s Marriage Equality Bill progresses through select committee.
Derisory minimum wage
The minimum wage should be at least $15 per hour. A living wage is estimated at $18.40 per hour. So what have the Nats done? Raised the minimum wage by $0.25 per hour to $13.75. It’s a derisory increase. Even their own supporters think so.
Lies and sanctions
The Nats lied over the hobbit movie. What are we as citizens to do when a government deliberately and shamelessly lies to us? How can we stop this kind of barefaced lying from happening again?
Towards a more inequal New Zealand
The average CEO got a 10% pay rise last year. The average worker got 2.6%. Minimum wage workers will get 1.9% – a 25 cent an hour token gesture. And 30,000 fewer of us have jobs than a year ago and are not earning at all any more. And now we learn the finance sector sucked $440m more out of us last year – a total of $4 billion. No wonder the planes to Aussie are full.
Open mike 27/02/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
JK wants to inject life into zombie
John Key is keen that the ACT party is “regenerating” and National will be there for them. That’s if a party that registered 0%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.5% in the latest round of polls can be called “regenerating”: I’ve seen (other) zombies more full of life…
Hobbit emails show Jackson’s dodgy dealings
The government has released the Hobbit documents. The Ombudsman ordered them to. The full release is available at stuff and what stands out (apart from the insistent and narcissistic tone of every film industry correspondent) is the fact that Peter Jackson himself noted the “do not sign” advice from the union was being called off. TWO DAYS before he went public with his “evil union” story.
Low priority: pedestrians & wheelchairs
A wheelchair got caught in the rail tracks, resulting in critical injuries. Pedestrians are low priority, and people with disabilities even lower, making them/us vulnerable: poor pavements, hazardous road crossings, some inaccessible public transport… and more.
Pariah Parata
I’m starting to feel sorry for Hekia Parata. In his column yesterday Armstrong referred to her as “something of a pariah figure” in the education portfolio.
Bad taste of Sky City lingers
The reaction to the Auditor General’s report on Key’s Sky City deal is lingering in the headlines much longer than Key would like. “Corrupted process”. “Stench”. “No way to run a country”. Key badly misjudged this one.
Key shoots back(wards)
John Key is under real pressure over the Solid Energy debacle. He got out the six-shooter – aiming at a 2007 speech by Trevor Mallard to try to blame Labour. Trouble is he’s shot himself. In 2011 he said he “supported Solid Energy’s plan to dig up lignite and turn it into briquettes, saying the Government wanted companies such as Solid Energy, which is Government-owned, to expand.” Expect more shots from the lip.
Room left for Greens in Labour reshuffle
I think the Labour reshuffle is quite clever in how it signals the portfolios that its willing to give to the Greens and encourages them to set about being lead opposition spokespeople on those topics. Sure, the reshuffle has some weird stuff in it – ChCh Earthquake spokesperson a backbencher!, 6 ex-staffers in the top 10, Mallard’s ‘demotion’ that isn’t. But there’s some smarts there too.
Open mike 26/02/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Random notes on the reshuffle
A few quick thoughts on the Labour reshuffle.
Labour Reshuffle
Shearer announced his reshuffle at 1pm today
Workers’ rights: too many steps behind
I’m a big fan of the Living Wage campaign. And I really liked the Herald’s series covering the launch week. But part of that coverage highlighted a big problem that I don’t think the Living Wage campaign will reach.
The poll gods must be crazy
RIP Ralph Hotere
Ralph Hotere, one of New Zealand’s greatest artists, has died.
Return of the King?
Claire Trevett is picking Annette King to take health in a Labour party reshuffle
Open mike 25/02/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Something about deckchairs…
Word is Labour’s reshuffle will be announced tomorrow.
Working for a Living
The thing I like about the Living Wage campaign is the branding represents strongly both the problem and the solution. The Prime Minister fell into its trap when he said that the Living Wage was not a priority for his Government. The statement says it all really. The Government don’t want you to work for a living, they just want you to work.
Back to basics
Looks like we’re in for another round of nonsense in mathematics education from a bunch of politicians who know more about their own prejudices than they do about teaching and learning.
Sunday Reading
My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: Feminism, tax and juries.
Open mike 24/02/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
ACT speaks its branes
According to ex-leader Rodney Hyde’s address to the ACT conference ACT hates the poor, hates Maori, and hates the unions. As far as I can tell this is not a joke. But clearly ACT is.
What have the Nats got right?
The list of National’s failures is long – and getting longer. So what have the Nats got right in their 4 years in office? What have they accomplished? Genuine questions, Nat supporters, I’m interested to know what you think Key and co. have achieved.
NRT: Climate change – Locked out
I/S from No Right Turn describes another brick in National’s wall of stupid. “New Zealand will be locked out of the international carbon market in retaliation for our refusal to sign up for Kyoto’s Second Commitment period.”