100% Key
What will Labour do?
Good speech here from David Cunliffe to the Manufacturers and Exporters Association last night. He and David Parker both spoke and I understand their message was very well received by the audience. He outlines the principles for a good budget, and then answers the question about what would Labour do. There is another one to Business New Zealand today.
Disaster politics
Gee, a disaster can be a useful thing. You can blame it for your pathetic record on economic management and borrowing for tax cuts. Then, you can take the credit for the jobs, growth, and higher wages created by the rebuilding. Course, you have to be a certain type of person to exploit a city’s suffering so.
Maori Party’s prognosis ‘grim’
Morgan Godfrey’s blog Maui Street is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Maori politics. His latest post provides a fascinating insight into the decline of the Maori Party.
His prognosis? “Grim”.
Budget castles in the air
Apparently the budget will forecast strong growth in GDP and wages, and a return to surplus within a few years. Sounds good? Well yes, but it is all based on purely hypothetical “projected growth”. Wishful thinking from Treasury analysts with a three year record of being wrong wrong wrong.
Open mike 17/05/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
The Sword of Damocles Budget
John Key is fond of saying “there is a constituency for every dollar you spend”. So, having borrowed to the hilt for tax cuts for the rich, which he refuses to reverse, how can Key cut enough to satisfy the credit ratings agencies without pissing off too many voters? He can’t, but he’s gonna say he can and leave the hard choices to his successor.
Fabian lecture Wellington
Fabian lecture from Rick Boven of New Zealand Institute on “The Plan for the Productive Economy” St John’s Church Hall, Tuesday 17th, 6pm. All welcome. I heard Rick in Auckland, he was very good.
James Hansen and other talks
James Hansen was among the first to raise the alarm about climate change, and is sometimes called “the father of climate change science” for his trouble. He’s currently in New Zealand, and had an excellent interview last Saturday with Kim Hill on RNZ. Click through for a schedule of his public lectures, and also two “Dark Ecologies” talks.
Some are more equal than others
As we wait to see just how bad the economy has got under National, and what cuts they will force on us to pay for their follies, Michael Bott’s reports on canvassing in Masterton: “I spent a weekend with a team of Labour volunteers listening to the concerns of the people. A repeated remark was, ‘‘ no matter how hard I try, I just can’t get ahead’’”
Will ACT vote against the Budget?
Reading Don Brash’s letter to John Key and watching Roger Douglas on Q+A, I wonder if the Nats behind the takeover of ACT realised what they were unleashing. I’ve heard some talk that ACT won’t vote for Key’s Budget. Where would that leave Rodney Hide? Where would that leave the Maori Party? Could we see a snap election?
There Is An Alternative
The run up to the budget has all been about cuts. How many? How deep? Like lemmings we’re accepting National’s framing, and marching even faster to our economic doom. But, there is an alternative. Instead of slashing spending, we can raise government income. Here’s how.
Open mike 16/05/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Drug-peddlers
Lobbyist Mark Unsworth of Saunders Unsworth is campaigning against Pharmac, ahead of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations with the US. They want more money spent on patented drugs.
Lloyd Morrison and Gareth Morgan have come to the defence of Pharmac.
Krugman: The unwisdom of elites
Paul Krugman on the real reasons for the economic carnage. Not social spending policies, but the daft economic policies of the right-wing “policy elites”. Our focus should not be on slashing spending, but on National’s stupid, unaffordable tax cuts.
If only smiles were dollars
The minor party debate on Q+A was very interesting. Rahui Katene was self-contradictory and vague, like the Maori Party always is. Peter Dunne was pathetic. Roger Douglas slammed the government’s borrowing as did Russel Norman, who pointed out the other three had all voted for National’s debt-increasing tax cuts for the rich.
March against RWR’s racism
At midday on May 27, New Zealanders will take to Queen St to spit in the face of the pathetic, racist Rightwing Resistance. Actually, the march organisers say it’s to “express how we actually LOVE having diversity in our communities and we want to accommodate and be inclusive”. Be there.
Open mike 15/05/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Jackel’s week that was
This week in The Jackel’s week that was: deepsea oil protests continue, Prince Charles against business as usual, child poverty, Libya, bees, onshore oil protests, US flooding, Nats prepare for cuts as we pay for their mistakes, ACC’s hardline savings come at a price, Wikileaks, and more!
The CERA salary
CERA’s new head, Roger Sutton, seems like a good guy. Transformative vision for Chch. Seems committed and realistic. Might just survive having to work with Brownlee. But what’s with the $500K salary? He says he wanted the job. So why pay him $10K per week while Cantabrians are getting their wage support cut?
Finding the balance
MrSmith argues that the need to provide ‘balance’ undermines our media. It lets well-financed or extreme interest groups skew public discourse through the fallacy of moderation – present two sides and people will tend to think that the truth is somewhere in the middle. MrSmith wants media that is unafraid to voice its opinion on what is right.
TV3 on the cost of living
Over the coming week Campbell Live will be highlighting the rising cost of living, falling wages, life on the pension, and so on. In short, exactly the sort of stuff which should be front and centre of any budget, and any election campaign.
Beemer watch
What is going to happen to the “old” BMW limos when the government gets rid of them? The franchise that just donated $50,000 to the Nats has said it wants its share of the “honey pot”. I wonder if the Nats will oblige?
Open mike 14/05/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
The Dear John Letter
This letter is getting more media attention than it deserves, because its basically Brash regurgitating his 2025 task force stuff. Key and the Nats have, quite rightly, ignored it once, and they’ll ignore it this time too.
Weekend social 13/05/2011
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
Canterbury rebuild
MrSmith argues that the government’s announcement of $42 million over four years for trades training for the Canterbury rebuild is mis-directed. He says it takes too long to train a tradesperson and the money would be better spent getting building workers back from Aussie, or keeping the ones that are still leaving.
Free speech hate speech
The free speech / hate speech boundary is always a difficult call. I’m glad to live in a country that tries to err on the side of the former. Even so, the latest bullshit from the “Right Wing Resistance” really rankles.
100% Clueless
When confronted with the scientific evidence on the hollowness of our “100% Pure” slogan John Key, as usual, tried to attack the credibility of the source. Key said “He’s one academic and, like lawyers, I could provide you others who would give a counter view”. Now the source (Dr Mike Joy) has called the PM on his clueless claim.
Key’s panda plan falls through
The second plank of John Key’s economic plan for New Zealand has fallen through. First, the ‘national cycleway’ became a scattered assortment of cycle paths that were already under construction. Now, the pandas Key was going to rent so we could get rich buying tickets to see them won’t be coming and we have revealing emails to share.
Open mike 13/05/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Choices choices
Watch Jacinda Ardern clean up Jamie-Lee Ross on Breakfast this morning. Nearly half of the National Government’s much-quoted borrowing of $300 million a week is to pay for their tax cuts. That was this government’s choice. Now their choice is that everyone else has to pay for it.
Te Tai Tokerau by election 25th June
We have a date for what promises to be a fascinating by election. The pressure is on Hone Harawira…
Jon Stephenson replies to critics
PM John Key attacked journalist Jon Stephenson, calling him not credible over his claims on SAS links to the torture of prisoners in Afghanistan. Now Stephenson has replied to his critics, in detail.
National reforms Kiwisaver – again
John Key has announced National’s third reform of Kiwisaver in 3 years, saying the government’s contribution will be cut and made up with higher minimum contributions from members and their employers. It’s an embarrassing flip-flop from the government that cut default contribution rates and shows no plan for the future.
The Kiwisaver “employer contribution” scam
The media is claiming Kiwisaver cuts will be offset by increased worker and employer contributions.
But because of a loophole in the scheme National created in 2009, employers can simply take their “contribution” out of their workers’ wages.
No wonder business lobby groups are unconcerned by the move.