Open mike 14/04/2011
Hot topics:
• legal aid changes
• and more!
Better off with National?
National is making most New Zealand households worse off – 5.3% worse off after 2 years, and it’ll be even worse once the 3rd year’s data is out. As the wage gap with Australia grows, this government is failing its “fundamental purpose”.
Footnote: legal aid.
Voting away our democracy
Just before the second Christchurch earthquake, Gerry Brownlee was being criticised for the lack of progress in recovery. People suggested what was needed was an independent commissioner to lead the rebuilding – an ‘earthquake Tsar’. Brownlee responded “the last Tsar got shot“. Now, the new CERA law makes Brownlee our Tsar in a very literal sense.
Pragmatism and the limits of patience
Bill English managed to cause quite a fuss this week with his claim that New Zealand had a “competitive advantage” due to factors like our low wage economy. Another of the factors that English cited was how “pragmatic” the public are as the Nats ram through their economic changes…
Without ambition…
A classic cover with updated lyrics of the 1980’s classic. Now we have “We have no ambition for New Zealand”. Give a big hand to the artists and start asking the radio stations and TV channels when they will be playing it.
Now we know what John Key was so depressed about in this image?
Open mike 13/04/2011
Hot topics:
• Labour’s list
• RWC payment restrictions
• and more!
Helen Kelly on the Hobbit dispute
Helen Kelly has published a full and detailed account of the Hobbit dispute.
The result is a story that leaves you in no doubt about big business’s class war on workers.
Or which side this government has taken.
Dim-Post: Gerry Brownlee to rebuild city
The Government will let us see the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority bill today, then slam it through under Urgency. Hopefully, it won’t be a repeat of CERRA, which made Gerry Brownlee our de facto dictator. In honour of this ominous event, here is a classic piece of satire from Danyl at Dim-Post.
The broadband revolt
One of the Nats’ few constructive policies at the last election was Steven Joyce’s ultra-fast broadband project. The Nats promised $1.5 Billion investment to deliver UFB to 75% of New Zealand homes within 10 years. Almost 3 years in, their proposals have just been met with almost universal rejection from industry and consumer groups.
F*ck the police
Tiki Taane arrested for singing NWA’s classic ‘F*ck the police’ when there were cops at his gig. Disorderly conduct likely to incite violence, says the Old Bill. Yeah, right. Here’s how this will play out: It’ll be laughed out of court. Collins will rush through new restrictions on our rights to ‘back the police’. O’Connor will renew call for cops to be armed.
Stop asset sales
Stop deep sea oil
Protest action by Greenpeace has disrupted prospecting activities in the Raukumara Basin by Brazilian petrochemical giant Petrobras. John Key has come out swinging for Big Business, and wants to send in the navy to sort out the protesters. But Greenpeace has it right. We shouldn’t be drilling for oil…
Open mike 12/04/2011
Hot topics:
• Damien O’Connor again
• SCF bailout
• and more!
Bill English: man of the people
The Crown BMWs are back in the news. One will have a $1000 underseat heater to keep a worthy’s arse toasty. Based in Dunedin. For “long-distance and long-duration movements”. Hmm. Who flies to Dunedin for a 3 hour drive to Dipton occasionally? Guess you need that heater against the Southern cold when you’re used to balmy Karori.
Evidence-based policy
From the Dunedin Study, to The Spirit Level, to the IPCC – there is a lot of evidence out there that our government should be basing their policy on. Let’s champion that aim.
Oil spike takes off
Get ready for another petrol increase this week. Last week, the Dubai crude benchmark, which most of New Zealand’s imports are priced of, shot up over 4% in NZD terms. Unless that rise reverses right away, petrol will have to rise past $2.25 a litre. We’re now pay $160m a week for oil imports – $2b a year more than a year ago.
No ambition for New Zealand
National came to power promising to close the wage gap with Australia. Not only have they failed to fulfill that promise but Bill English now portrays it as a good thing. His appearance on Q+A yesterday only confirms how out of touch National is: determined to sell our assets for no good reason, against our will, and happy with our low wages.
Is Joyce too big to fail?
In 2009, Bill ‘Double Dipton’ English survived a corruption scandal that would have sunk a less important minister. Key couldn’t afford to lose him. Now, evidence continues to emerge of how Steven Joyce gave his old company a sweetheart loan against the official advise. Do you think John Key will act or is Joyce too big to fail?
On Hickey on tax cuts
Bernard Hickey sets out the “theory” behind National’s tax cuts, and sums up the impact of the tax package as a whole: “Simply put, it’s not working”.
Why isn’t it working? Well the fact that the theory is nonsense probably doesn’t help…
Open mike 11/04/2011
Hot topics:
• Damien O’Connor’s blurt
• Poll results post Hughes affair
• Labour’s list
• and more!
Poverty Trap!
It’s the game played by hundreds of thousands of kiwi families each week, with more new players all the time. In Poverty Trap!, you start with an income less than 60% of the median and have to support yourself and your family within those limits. Click through to see your budget, and watch out for unexpected costs!
The smiling assassin
Two good vids. Seeing the history of Key’s ‘forgotten’ or ‘blind’ shareholdings laid out compared to how sharp he supposedly was as a money-trader is edifying. And the song is actually pretty good. Well done, NZtrillion.
Even the IMF is starting to get peak oil
Peak oil. We’ve long had warnings from scientists and greens. Right wing governments never listen to those. But recently we’ve also had warnings from organisations that you might think that any government would pay attention to. The IMF is the latest to sound the alarm.
Open mike 10/04/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
English: gap with Aussie good
Bill English has given up any pretense of closing the gap with Australia by 2025. Now, he is claiming the wage gap is a good thing and admitting higher productivity isn’t the cause of the wage gap. Meanwhile, Fran O’Sullivan slams Key and English’s ‘fingers crossed’ approach to handling financial crises.
Key caught in MediaWorks lie
Following the release of OIA documentation and questioning in the House, John Key has recanted his earlier statement that he hadn’t met with […]
Harawira / MP truce breaking?
The first cracks are appearing in the agreement between Hone Harawira and the Maori Party not to stand against each other in electorates.
It couldn’t happen here?
When I went to China on a private visit in 2008, Helen Clark sent me a text message telling me on no account […]
Open mike 09/04/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Little impact from Hughes affair, NZF on the rise
The latest Roy Morgan poll shows little impact from the Darren Hughes affair to date. We still don’t know how the investigation will play out but the poll suggests dithering leadership matters less than economic fundamentals. The big news, though, is that New Zealand First would be back under these numbers.
Weekend social
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
Caption Contest
In need of a good laugh
As it is the end of the working week many people are likely in need of a good laugh. With the budget due out next month it’s worth reviewing the words of well known comedian and magician (able to make economic growth disappear before your eyes) Bill English. Minister English cracked this opening joke during his 2010 delivery.
John Key: let me eat cake
Labour’s candidate for Wairarapa, Michael Bott, on this out of touch government: “John Key smiles and waves for the cameras in Christchurch then jumps on a plane to Cape Kidnappers to spend the equivalent of a pensioner’s yearly income on one-off novelty dining with his wife – you can’t get more different than that.”
AMI socialises its losses
Another week, another massive corporate bailout as National reaches into our pockets to aid a company. Whatever happened to free-market ideology? Isn’t failure of bad businesses healthy? When did every financial sector company become ‘too big to fail’? We’re rewarding a bad business model and punishing good ones.
Brownlee, you’re doing a heck of a job
The Nats are taking far too long to act on accommodation after the Christchurch quake. Japan accomplished more in 2 weeks than we have so far managed in 6 weeks and counting. While they build, we dither…