It turns out National’s sold off a net 251 houses since it was re-elected. The spin is that isn’t a sell-down but moving resources to where they’re needed… uh, huh…. fewer resources. Meanwhile, looks like KiwiBuild’s hugely popular. The State building affordable housing always has been. Now, if only me and my partner could afford to service a $300,000 mortgage….
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Looks like people are heading back to work. I’m always surprised at how predictable the end of year pattern is on this site. In fact I can (and do) bet server maintenance on it. This year we moved fully into the cloud but did it offshore. That way we don’t pay excessive variable costs to the Southern Cross cable monopoly to pay for searchbots.
I know I criticise David Shearer a lot, but if I sound bitter it’s just because I totally thought he would turn out to be Jesus.
… And even if I was wrong on that point, I went on to write, David Shearer was still not the best man for the job, because he had failed to demonstrate an ability to walk on water or bring the dead back to life. But I didn’t push the “publish” button, because I came up with an even better idea for a post…
Like here, Queensland’s tourism industry is hurting. Like ours, Queensland’s Tourism Minister thought it would be a good idea to holiday in a foreign tropical resort instead of supporting her local industry. But, there, the main newspaper responded with a devastating “where the bloody hell are you” attack that could sink her career. Here, not so much.
The wildfires in Australia are an immediate cause for concern. Such events will be more common as average temperatures rise. Joseph Stigliz warns of an urgent need for structural change to respond to economic decline, climate change, poverty and inequality.
I went to the supermarket and said “I want your best meat for $9 a kg”. They said I could have pre-cooked sausages or the cheapest mince for that. But I wanted good meat! So I went to other supermarkets and butchers. Some wouldn’t sell me anything for that much, none would supply the quality I wanted. They say I’m mad. But, when this business does it, they’re the victims.
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David Shearer recently picked up National’s policy of not contributing to the Cullen Fund while the Government’s in deficit but there’s nothing about being in deficit that alters the case for investing the Cullen Fund. As long as the return exceeds the Crown’s cost of capital, it’s worthwhile. So, how much have the canned contributions cost us so far? $1.2b.
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Going on previous form, Camp Shearer seem to think a successful caucus vote in February will silence all criticism of his parliamentary leadership of the Labour Party. Boy, are you all wrong.
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.
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.
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
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…
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Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
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!
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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.
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.
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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.
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”?
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It’s nothing but ardent colonial nonsense to be celebrating a seasonally determined cultural event in the wrong season and about six months off […]
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.
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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.
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.
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!
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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.
