Open mike 08/03/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Dumbest journo award goes to Armstrong
Yesterday Shearer asked Key: “Is it correct that … half a dozen foreign investors could legally purchase all the listed shares?”. Key answered “No … the limit is 10 percent, 6 times 10 is 60, and the Government is keeping 51 percent”. Armstrong thinks that Key slammed Shearer. But of course 6 can buy 49% when there’s a 10% cap. Key lied. Armstrong can’t even recognise a breach of privilege in front of him.
Republican Humour
With Super Tuesday closing inconclusively in the US Republican Party Presidential Nominee race, here’s a chance to laugh at the contenders…
Dumbarse ports management and owners
Today Ports of Auckland sacked 292 employees in the pursuit of the unobtainable by the idiotic. The Ports of Auckland from the start intended to provide a conflict with the intent of sacking all the workers and rehiring them on worse conditions, saving $6m (20%) in wages a year. The amount of money saved was a pittance compared to the underlying problems the port needs to fix.
Excuses excuses
Tax revenue is down, blowing a big hole in all the government’s financial projections. The Nats are in trouble and instead of looking for solutions, they’re looking for excuses.
Every time they cut, remember the tax cuts
Police numbers are going to be slashed. Diplomats too. And nurses. All up, 2,500 jobs gone so far for $20m saved. And it turns out more than half the government’s new doctors don’t exist. Big public sector strikes may be coming. Every time you read this stuff, remember National’s tax cuts for the rich. The $1.1b for ‘fiscally neutral’ tax cuts last round alone. That’s where the money went.
Open mike 07/03/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Support for global union solidarity
Union’s have gone global in response to global financial capital’s push to drive wage costs to the bottom. Canadian United Steel Workers (USW) will meet local workers in Invercargill on Thursday at the Working Men’s Club at 8pm and picket outside Rio Tinto office in Wellington on Friday at 12:30pm. All welcome.
False economy
Nationals bungling on the economy continues to damage NZ. Even their misguided state sector job cuts have failed to make significant savings…
If these trends continue… A-y-y-y!
Here’s the trend for the past six months of Roy Morgans projected to the next election.
Asset sales petition to be launched
A petition for a citizens initiated referendum is to be launched by a coalition led by Grey Power, the Greens and Labour. I would kick off with getting every activist in Wellington to do blanket coverage of Ohariu. This is going to be a massive thorn in the government’s side. If I was Key, I would almost be praying Dunne decides to go against the legislation
Save our port
Open mike 06/03/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Villain or hero
The Nats have announced their asset sales legislation. Mum and dad aren’t at the front of the queue. No provisions to ensure 85-90% stays in Kiwi hands. Nothing to stop the companies being sliced up and sold after partial privatisation. No real way to stop one company owning more than 10%. There’s 1 vote that can stop this. It’s all down to Dunne now. Will he be the hero or the villain?
Let a garden grow
Christchurch is changed forever and there’s no going back. Let the heart of the old city become its memorial.
After Homs
In my previous post I laid out the reasons why a NATO/US intervention in Syria is unlikely, even though the alternative will almost certainly be defeat of the freedom fighters and even more mass murder by the regime. There’s no strategic gain from the Right’s perspective and many on the Left would rather see a massacre than US military action. Homs has fallen. So, what next for the rebels?
Nats’ Kim Dotcom law
Labour has obtained a cabinet paper showing the Nats’ plan to introduce a ‘two-tier’ immigration system – those with money go to the front of the queue. It’s more evidence of how everything is for sale under National – our employment laws, our power plants, our farms, our gambling laws, and, now, our immigration law. I wonder if they’ll call it the Kim Dotcom Bill.
Lazy thinking
Anyone saying there are plenty of jobs, people are just to snobby (ie lazy) to take them, has to explain why 90,000 people suddenly got lazy between 2008 and 2009 as 80,000 jobs disappeared.
We don’t know how lucky we are
Wikileaks have given us another glimpse at the reality behind the curtain of international diplomacy, and a “full and frank” assessment of New Zealand’s geopolitical insignificance…
Open mike 05/03/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Iran
Israel and the US have both been ratcheting up their rhetoric against Iran in the past few months and an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities looks highly likely. Just the other day, Obama told Iran to stop its nuclear programme or else adding, “I don’t bluff”. I really, really hope he’s bluffing. Because Iran’s ready to make an attack on it cost the world big time.
Nat revolt over Crafars sale
Remember the hagiographies after the first hundred days of National’s first term? In the second term, things couldn’t be more different. The Sunday-Star Times has printed dozens of emails it obtained (a leak?) that were sent to Key opposing the sale of Crafar farms. Many of them are brutal comments from former National supporters. Key didn’t even provide comment for the article.
Open mike 04/03/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Vodafone text info scam
Vodafone appears to be billing for at least two text scams run by the same Greek, Photis Photou who runs a Cyprus law firm specialising in shelf companies and tax business. I haven’t asked for the texts, and wonder why Vodafone is clipping the ticket for Photis and presumably themselves as well.
Weather bomb
Keep safe during the “weather bomb”. It will be good practice for the future.
Open mike 03/03/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
FIFY
Bill English: “A government can’t have a lot of impact on the job market. It is what it is.” He’s only half right.
Weekend social 02/03/2012
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
A fair go for advertisers only
National’s New Zealand becomes a scarier place by the day. Clare Curran has revealed that TVNZ ordered Fair Go staff to bear the […]
POAL back to bargaining table
4 days into 4 weeks of strikes, Ports of Auckland is back at the bargaining table. From usually docking 4 ships a day, they’ve docked 2 in 4 – 88% reduction. POAL can’t provide service. Ships are going elsewhere in our over-capitalised port system and might not come back. The Council will be screaming blue murder at the loss of revenue and business disruption. How long till management folds?
Nats happy with slave-fishing
For reasons that I just can’t fathom, iwi fishing quota-holders have decided to use their fishing rights, not to create 2,000 jobs for […]
Ryall confirms asset stripping on the cards
So, National wants to re-assure us that, when they sell our assets against our will, they’ll keep 51% and control. But, um, minority shareholders have rights and private boards have to maximise profits ahead of the national interest. If they decide to sell off the dams later they can, and the Nats won’t stop them.
National’s transport priorities revealed
Louise Upston had a patsy for Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee about a bridge replacement in her electorate (the Nats have big achievements to crow about, eh?). Upston asked about the project’s benefits. Brownlee responded “First, I would expect re-election of the local member”. Now we know what National sees at those end of those highways to nowhere – swing votes.
Open mike 02/03/2012
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Roads to nowhere
There never was a good business case for holiday highways. Now it’s even worse.
Righties cutting themselves on Occam’s razor
The Left has its fair share of conspiracy theorists – who think that, for reasons tenuously explained at best, various, often opposing, organisations are secretly carrying out massive cons and not being discovered. But we’ve got nothing on the Right. Belief that climate change is world’s most enormous conspiracy, engineered for no good reason, is an article of faith for these guys. If it weren’t so serious, it would be hilarious.