Halting Dynamics and Shifting Inertias

Written By: Bill
Date published: - 43 comments

Like many, I’ve been somewhat bemused and not a little angered that austerity is touted as a pathway to economic recovery. Like many, I’ve come to view both austerity and bail outs simply as means to put public monies and the control of public institutions into private hands – all the while diminishing the power of citizens on both an individual and collective basis.

But why consciously destroy or abandon real economic activity in a quest for power? Why not continue to build on whatever ‘real economy’ bases of power you posses? Idle speculation might suggest a lust for power, y’know… power for power’s sake. Or a reaction to, or recognition of impending peak resources in a world of growing population.

The brighter future – now with wood

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 40 comments

Steven Joyce pops up today in the Herald to promise more jobs. Apparently, the Chinese are going to invest in wood manufacturing here because the power’s cheap. Funny, the power’s been the same price for a while and… um… wood manufacturing has collapsed 15% under Joyce’s watch. Looks like another hollow promise from the least successful economic development minister in history.

2013 – the policy year

Written By: IrishBill
Date published: - 260 comments

As our own Labour grandee Mike Smith has pointed out, 2013 is the year Labour develops its policies.

That means Labour members (and the broader left) need to start talking about what they want before conference. And what better place to have that discussion than the Standard…

Asset sales referendum is a go!

Written By: karol
Date published: - 93 comments

The Asset Sales petition has the numbers for a referendum, but need to continue to collect signatures til the petition is submitted at the end of the month.  Well done! The evidence & the majority of New Zealanders do not support the sales. Keep campaigning!

Federated Farmers want more urbanites

Written By: Guest post
Date published: - 38 comments

Federated Farmers pushed out a press release the other day calling for NZ to both have more population and to stop spreading urban areas out over farmland. MrSmith has a view on it.

Climate: last year and this year

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 142 comments

A group of people interested in climate have put out a list of the most interesting climate events of 2012, which was a year that weather made more of the headlines than usual. It is likely that it will have been just a precursor to 2013 as the northern fridge disappears and the sun flares. The one certainty is that the IPCC AR4 report got it wrong – they were far too conservative about how fast climate change was happening.

2012 cabinet report card

Written By: IrishBill
Date published: - 18 comments

After Eddie dissed the usual beltway year in review style of column/post I was a little chary about doing this one. And then I realised the good thing about The Standard is we do real world and beltway issues. So here goes my once-over assessment of the 2012 cabinet performance and what it’s likely to mean for the future.

The unreported & off the cliff

Written By: karol
Date published: - 12 comments

Over the last year some issues have been under-reported, some ignored: the climate/environment, subversive FBI activities, bankster rorts, decline of democracy, the need for new left & green politics. Some news has been overdramatised, some masks the real needs.  And the “fiscal cliff”?

Gimme sense!

Written By: Bill
Date published: - 147 comments

It’s nothing but ardent colonial nonsense to be celebrating a seasonally determined cultural event in the wrong season and about six months off […]

Lange: Old Faiths New World

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 32 comments

In the slow summer break, here’s a slow, thoughtful speech to ponder.  David Lange’s last public appearance, “Old Faiths New World”, delivered at the University of Otago on 5th August 2004.

Politics & Pleasure: TV 2012

Written By: karol
Date published: - 32 comments

We tend to rework reality, included political knowledge and understanding, into a basic (fictionalised) story structure, with villains, heroes, and values absorbed from pleasurable forms of fiction, including TV.  This is a look at the political values embedded in some popular TV dramas.

The year in review

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 68 comments

Most of the years in review I’ve seen in the couple of weeks have concentrated on gossip and rating individual MPs. Most of what matters not a jot outside the beltway. What matters is how the parties are doing in terms of progressing or thwarting the government’s policy agenda – how’s the government doing at governing? – and how polling is shaping up for 2014.

New Year: Doing the honours

Written By: karol
Date published: - 72 comments

The New Year Honours have been announced.  Some did service to the 1%, others to the 99%.  People, unnamed and unnoticed in public who provided valuable services to their communities should also be honoured.  Happy New Year!

Open mike 31/12/2012

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 52 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]

Selling NZ – in the news

Written By: karol
Date published: - 93 comments

There’s been a couple of stories in the news over the last 24 hours that could do with some scrutiny: Treasury warns of asset sales over-load; potential sale of Oceania Dairy to an overseas company to set up a milk factory in NZ.

Open mike 29/12/2012

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 45 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]

Comments at the end of 2012

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 30 comments

The average daily comments by week for 2012 are pretty healthy. 2012 was a post election year. 2012 was consistently higher than the election year 2011.

I’m pretty pleased with the comment’s growth. It looks like the policy of offloading all of the idiots to the sewer works well for steadily increasing rational dialogue on this site.

Will the real David Shearer please stand up?

Written By: karol
Date published: - 104 comments

Many want Shearer to break with neoliberalism, clearly state his politics and a new political direction.   He became leader with a compelling, but worryingly selective, back-story.  Party members want democratic participation. What of consensus-building, coercion, public services, social security, TPP, PPPs, state assets, sustainability?

Open mike 28/12/2012

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 52 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]

Mud-slinging

Written By: Mike Smith
Date published: - 232 comments

Khandallaviper asked today in Open Mike “What is characterising and feeding the ongoing divide?” when I said  our aim in setting up the Standard was not to “join Farrar in making the prospect of a Labour government the principal target for attack.” Links to Chris Trotter’s latest post on Bowalley Road, titled “Who is David Shearer?” provide a good example. Farrar slung the same mud three years ago.

From me culture to we culture

Written By: karol
Date published: - 49 comments

Today Al Jazeera News reported on the rise of collaborative consumption in Europe; from rent-a-present to car sharing.  Just an extension of Trade Me or something bigger?  How can sustainable practices of collaborative production, consumption and living be developed in NZ? [AJ Link added]

Fear factors

Written By: Bill
Date published: - 74 comments

Another in an on going non-chronological series on options in the face of global warming.

Open mike 27/12/2012

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 79 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]

Take the damn chocolates AWAY

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 24 comments

I’m about to start doing some substantial site changes. So don’t get worried if the site disappears for a few minutes at a […]

Open mike 26/12/2012

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 67 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]