Open mike 25/12/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Merry Xmas!
Or should that be Marxmas?
It’s been a bloody good year here at the Standard and we’d like to thank our readers and commenters and wish you all a very enjoyable Christmas day.
Quote of the Year: “Planet Key”
I don’t know what universe the panel is in, that judged the “zip it” one as quote of the year. The political one that has been repeated most and spawned a load of images and comments, is surely “Planet Key”?
Open mike 24/12/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Amidst th’encircling gloom…
I was going to do a retrospective, but changed my mind – the message of Christmas is one of hope. Some indicators of better times in 2013: long-time leftie Matt McCarten makes Shearer his politician of the year, long-time righties Bob Jones and Rodney Hide go hard at Judith Collins for her unconscionable treatment of Justice Binnie, and in the middle Kerre Woodham winds up on Key’s failure to deliver. Time to balance things up a bit, I think..
Minister for Oversea Holidays
Getting away this summer? Or having a ‘staycation’ and selling your leave to make ends meet? Are you “jealous” that Key’s off to Maui for 3 weeks, again? Or are you just a bit pissed off to learn that our Minister of Tourism has so far spent over 100 days overseas on holiday since becoming PM, while the average Kiwi’s had just 27 days abroad and tourism here is in crisis?
2012: “celebrity” PM – collective action
Individualism & “celebrity” PM, John Key were still strong in 2012. But, there was opposition from some (often local) groups working collaboratively: Occupy, Glen Innes protesters, MUNZ, Asset Sales referendum, AAAP advocacy activism, manufacturing inquiry, NZLP democratisation, TS nest of vipers. And 2013?
Open mike 23/12/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
John Key’s Summer
While John Key spends the summer in Hawaii, he will need to make some decisions about the future of his cabinet. Parata’s future is poised in the balance, and he is looking to move Tim Groser on later next year.
Open mike 22/12/2012
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 21/12/2012
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
I wish it could be Xmas every day…
… then maybe more attention would be given to increasing numbers of people struggling to get the necessities of life. Record queues outside Auckland’s City Mission. The Brighter Future never comes. Revisit The Spirit Level.
Apocalypse Now
Humans have a paranoid fascination with our own demise, as seen in doomsday movies. They portray our fears, hopes, politics and delusions. Children of Men: the demise of capitalism; Day after Tomorrow: climate collapse. Is today a Mayan prediction of the end or a new beginning?
NZ falling in education under Nats
Open mike 21/12/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Emerson on choices
Media Bias & Democracy I: truth to power
Democracy needs independent news media, acting in the public interest, to speak truth to power. The commercial imperatives and neoliberal capture of corporate news organisations skew their political coverage, and contribute to voter disengagement. A perfect context for Key’s government to dismantle democracy: ECAN, CERA, Auckland Council, asset sales.
Shearer Says
David Shearer’s weekly e-newsletter, this week – Merry Christmas!
We’re happy to post similar newsletters from other opposition leaders – our email is on our contact page.
The beggared neighbour
Japan just elected a Liberal Democrat government promising more jobs through a huge quantitative easing programme. The US has stated it’ll continue QE until unemployment drops below 6.5%. The effect has been to send our dollar to new highs, killing exporters and import-exposed local businesses. Contrary to media belief, Japan and the US aren’t in worse positions than us.
If
If you and I were told that (variously) our sons and daughters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews were going to be killed tomorrow, would I be right to suspect that we might sit up and take notice?
Sacred cows
An anonymous editorial in The Herald yesterday suggested that the government raise revenue by cutting the “sacred cow” of interest free student loans. For some strange reason the sacred cow of National’s tax cut bribe for the rich was not similarly offered up for sacrifice. I wonder why that might be.
Govt tries to bully Wellington Council
Wellington Council has voted to spend some time looking at a new alternative to the Basin Fly-over plan. The government’s response has been to threaten the council that other transport investment in Wellington will be scrapped unless they get their concrete monstrosity built. In related news, NZTA systemically under-estimates the costs and overstates the benefits of roading projects.
Open mike 20/12/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Parata won’t quit, Key won’t sack her
Parata isn’t the most corrupt minister Key has but she’s definitely the most incompetent. Now, the Secretary of Education has been paid out to take the fall for Hekia’s incompetence and that of her sister, Apryll, Deputy Secretary Performance and Change. Parata has maintained her reputation for nepotism being an appalling people manager. But she won’t go, and Key won’t make her.
Closing in on 500,000 comments
We’re on track to reach half a million comments before the week is out. Who will be number 500,000? As always, its nice to mark these milestones because it’s a reminder of what a big and vibrant community this is. Those half a million comments have sure made writing here a lot more fun than it would have been if no-one wrote back. Cheers.
Longstone resignation
Can’t say that I blame Longstone for bailing, she was working for a Minister who is clearly well out of her depth. Another fail for Hekia Parata, she’s the one that should be going.
Turei: Green Party retrospective
Green Party co-leader, Metiria Turei, was confident and clear on TV3, talking about their consistent, disciplined & successful year &: the RONS tax, MP pay rise, government’s poor record, the economy, printing money, jobs, equality issues and child poverty. Little on green issues. Zero on the climate. [Update] Turei RNZ interviews.
Margin of error
So, National’s still on track to surplus in 2014/15, eh? A $66m surplus. Well, don’t be counting those chickens just yet. That projected surplus is just 0.07% of projected spending and revenue that year. That makes wafer thin look fat. And it’s not exactly like Treasury has a good record predicting 2.5 years ahead. But there’s a bigger question: is any surplus worth any price?
Nats’ 170,000 jobs evaporate
In Budget 2011, National made a big song and dance over the projection that ‘they’ would create 170,000 jobs in the next four years. Leaving aside the fact that they were counting jobs from the year before in their four year total, the promise basically rested on creating 57,000 jobs this year. So, what’s the latest update on that figure? … 0.
Open mike 19/12/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
How to mess up “good” news
Trying to distract attention from the increased taxes required to maybe balance the budget one day, Key was pushing supposedly good news on health. Instead he scored a social media own goal. Ooops.
Well done
This is one of a series of posts I hope to write over the summer based to some extent or other on a recent presentation by Kevin Anderson: Professor of Energy and Climate Change, University of Manchester, Tyndall Centre.
Making you pay for their folly
Well it looks like the government has finally listened to all of the arguments about how unaffordable the Roads of National Significance are.
Their response? To tax you more to pay for their white elephant.
The spinmeister of Planet Key: Retrospective
On TV3 this morning, John Key was soothing and slick. All is well on Planet Key, and critics are delusional. He reeled of numbers and facts, but material realities of daily lives, and the suffering of people on low incomes aren’t mentioned. And asset sales?
Don’t blame MMP for Nat stupidity
Recent pieces by Bernard Hickey and John Armstrong both highlighted the problem of our aging population and the unsustainability of super – in Hickey’s memorable words we are “consuming our future”. Armstrong tries to balme MMP, but that won’t wash, it’s just the usual short-sighted Nat stupidity…
Greens pony up for a second cable
Market failure is one of the marks of our time. From unaffordable, low-quality housing to child poverty to the over-valued dollar killing jobs to over-priced broadband and failed government IT procurements, the market keeps getting it wrong. The Greens and Labour know the answer is for the Government to step in; National just turns a blind eye. Russel Norman did it again yesterday.