The Only Vision….Left.

Written By: Bill
Date published: - 53 comments

Is it not strange and a bit disquieting that the parliamentary left, or more precisely, the Labour Party, is all at sea with regards vision? The vision of the left…the only vision there is for the left… is the same now as it always was. So why is the Labour Party struggling to articulate a vision? We know that the labour Party has lost touch. And we know that people are more or less disengaged from parliamentary politics. Why this should be isn’t very difficult to figure out. How to rectify the situation isn’t very difficult either.

This brighter future

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 33 comments

Growth in the December quarter was 0.3%, a third of the government’s PREFU forecast.

Quarterly GDP per capita, $95/96
Peak, Q4 2007 8,104
When Nats took power, Q3 2008 7,935
Now, Q4 2011 7,777
Brighter Future any day now

Anyone else find it odd that GDP per capita has fallen as much during the ‘aggressive recovery’ as it did during the recession?

Local Board members call for council action on PoAL

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 38 comments

We’ve received the following press release from Auckland Council Local Board members calling on Len Brown and the councilors to stand up to PoAL’s out of control management. The workers want to work and be more productive. The bosses want to screw them out of their pay to increase profits and are acting irrationally in pursuit of that goal.

Private Welfare to Work – how well does that work?

Written By: Ben Clark
Date published: - 42 comments

The government has introduced their welfare changes to parliament. In addition to making mums of 1 year-olds seek paid work in addition to raising children, it introduces private companies profiting from unemployment misery with welfare to work schemes. The UK has been trying this for a couple of years – let’s look at how that’s going…

Back to basics

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 5 comments

The Herald editorial says many “saw a more efficient and more flexible port emerging from” contracting out at PoAL. This is an oft-spouted fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening. Contracting out would not reduce time or cost to move freight. It would just reduce the downtime the port pays for amounting to a simple transfer of wealth from wages to profits.

Who leaked Pullar’s name?

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 78 comments

Nick Smith’s handpicked chair of ACC, John Judge, denies that ACC leaked Bronwyn Pullar’s name to the media after she made public the biggest leak of private data in history from the organisation. So, who did? Given the government’s track-record – Bennett vs the solo mums, Brownlee publicising Dalziel’s redzone offer – I’m betting it was Judith Collins.

Rortwatch: closing prisons to justify Wiri

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 15 comments

1,200 prison beds, 1 in 8, are empty plus the 1,300 bed reserve. Prisoner numbers are projected to keep falling. So, why are the Nats spending a billion dollars on the Wiri private prison? And where will they get the prisoners? By closing existing public prisons. Rather than upgrading what we have more cheaply they’ll let a foreign company make a profit off locking people up.

PoAL’s illegal lockout adds to Auckland’s losses

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 178 comments

The Port of Auckland’s refusal to let the stevedores return to work now that they have lifted their strike notice is a lock-out. There are specific legal requirements around strikes and lock-outs at ports and other essential services – notice must be given in writing and with 14 days’ notice. The Port’s lock-out is illegal. And it’s costing Auckland millions.

I resign

Written By: Jimmy Reid
Date published: - 13 comments

I wish to tender my resignation as Chair of the Ports of Auckland Board. I took a profitable and efficient Port and lost it millions of dollars in contracts. I spent, inappropriately, substantial amounts of money on a public relations campaign against our staff that could have been spent reinvesting in the port or returning to Auckland Council. The financial position of the Port is in a dire decline. We wish

John Key: Aussie miners’ stooge

Written By: Bunji
Date published: - 14 comments

John Key was busy last night working for the causes of Aussie miner Bathurst, “officiating” at the opening of their lobbying office, and pressuring DoC to give them concessions to the Denniston plateau and help them destroy a unique ecosystem. How much more of him can NZ’s “clean, green” image take?

Next to go – Joyce or McCully?

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 45 comments

Nick Smith is gone but you might have missed 2 other senior ministers on the ropes yesterday. Steven Joyce hasn’t bothered to do his homework, doesn’t know if his ‘mega-ministry’ will save money or cost more. Meanwhile, McCully’s shifting blame to the CEO he appointed for the Mfat mess while blowing $200K to give the ambassadors an earful in person over all the leaks.

What next at PoAL?

Written By: IrishBill
Date published: - 167 comments

Despite the court making them return to the bargaining table, PoAL Chair Richard Pearson seems to fail to understand some basic principles of employment law.

His comments on morning report suggest he’s either ignorant of some basic legal issues or still has no regard for good faith bargaining.

I’d suggest that either case indicates there’s a need for the council to step in and put some responsible adults in charge of this company.

The real questions

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 83 comments

Why did Key express confidence in Smith after reading the 2nd letter that is the supposed reason for him going? Why did he really resign, what are they trying to distract us from? How did it happen that the woman who Smith resigned over also is the person who got the largest ACC leak in history? What deal did Smith get to stay in Parliament avoiding a risky by-election?

McCully does a seagull

Written By: Mike Smith
Date published: - 14 comments

Murray McCully has been described as a “seagull Minister, one who flies in, squawks loudly, poops over everyone and flies away again.” Today in the House he squawked, pooped over his Chief Executive and flew away from any responsibility for the the  restructuring of MFAT. John Key better get his knighthood soon. The wheels are starting to come off his government.

The real Nick Smith scandal

Written By: Guest post
Date published: - 15 comments

It’s a shame Nick Smith is all over the political news at the moment for his ACC botch up because he should really be all over the news for his Better Local Government proposals.  Saying “Rates are too high. They keep rising. It’s outrageous” isn’t enough. Kneecapping local governments’ autonomy, and slowly bleeding them of the ability to invest money in anything cannot be unchallenged.

Smith makes a mess of local government reforms

Written By: Eddie
Date published: - 18 comments

Part of Nick Smith’s problem is that he doesn’t understand how to build public support for change before trying to implement it. Instead, he pulls out some dodgy numbers and tries to trick the public. This backfired in the debacle over ACC levy changes when he provoked one of the first big protests against the National government. Now, it’s happening with local government.

Citizens’ select committee taking submissions

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 3 comments

On the 1st of March a community group called Ohariu People’s Power established a Citizens’ Select Committee. This committee wants to hear the opinions of the New Zealand public on asset sales and the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). They’re taking submissions including oral submissions on Thursday for a report to Parliament.

Good for the goose…?

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 7 comments

Treasury has repeatedly proven itself incapable of forecasting its way out of a paper bag but, for some reason, that doesn’t stop it trying to tell everyone else how to do their jobs. Currently, they’re pushing for larger class sizes in the reduced education budget. Someone should ask why the education budget is under pressure but Treasury’s isn’t. Wait, someone did.

Smith to go

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 218 comments

Even 1 year ago, there would be no doubt what would happen next. He would have sacked Smith without hesitation. Has Key lost those instincts already?
Updates: won’t comment now but will this afternoon. Needs time to make some backroom deals so that skeletons stay in closets? Smith was been summoned to Wellington. Press conference at 1.45. And  He’s gone. They’re trying to downplay the reasons. What a disgrace. Full video of Key offloading Nick Smith

Class war Oz style

Written By: Mike Smith
Date published: - 11 comments

When Treasurer Wayne Swan recently took on wealthy vested interests in defence of democracy and  the Aussie fair go, he was attacked as an old-fashioned class warrior.  Australian researchers found 86% of Australians think that class exists, and they support Swan by 58% to 26%. Their conclusion – opening up the debate about inequality is a sure-fire winner for Labor.

Not with a bang but a whimper

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 86 comments

So, from a 300 police raid and headlines screaming ‘Police foil paramilitary plot’ to, 5 years later, 4 people convicted of half a dozen firearms possession charges each. I’ll admit, the SIS and Police carved a compelling narrative from their video footage but the evidence just wasn’t there and clearly the jury, like the public, just don’t trust the SIS given its track record.

Farrar discovers peak oil, nearly

Written By: James Henderson
Date published: - 101 comments

Barack Obama will be breathing a sigh of relief after David Farrar endorsed his call to end oil subsidies. It seems the 3rd oil price spike in 5 years is getting the attention of even the Right. Something, they’ve got an inkling, is wrong and rising petrol prices are here to stay. Pity that, on the cusp of revelation, Farrar opts for the security blanket of neoclassical economics.

Nats’ ACC scandal getting worse by the day

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 88 comments

Nick Smith, while Minister for ACC wrote a letter in support of the claims of, um, close personal contact Bronwyn Pullar last year after Pullar threatened to embarrass him and ACC. He says, this was in his personal capacity, even though it was on parliamentary ministerial letterhead. And what kind of coincidence is it that the largest accidental leak by ACC in history went to Pullar?

Why Labour is not shifting to the centre

Written By: Jimmy Reid
Date published: - 55 comments

Surprising title given the discussion of here and elsewhere? Yeah, I know.

But I want to contribute two things to the discussion. First, Shearer’s speech did not signal a shift in policy to the centre. Second, Labour does not need to shift to the centre in policy.