Just asking
It has been treated as gospel that if the Australians, for inadequately explained reasons, drop their corporate tax rate from 30% to 25%, […]
ACC levy hikes another step to privatisation
As expected, Nick Smith has imposed substantial ACC levy hikes on families. For a worker on $40,000 with a car, you’re looking at […]
Call of the week
Fitzsimons: If Barack Obama comes to Copenhagen saying ‘yes we can do much more’ will the Prime Minister say ‘no we can’t, but […]
Open mike 11/12/2009
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the […]
$100,000 for 10 hours work
No, this post isn’t about the 2025 Taskforce, it’s about Rodney Hide’s round the world holiday with his girlfriend on your dime. Heavily […]
New Kiwi blog
Sean Makes Crafts. A new blog by Morning Report host Sean Plunket, who writes about his passion for crafts. As some of you […]
Govt spending – the big lie
I’m kind of embarrassed. I should know by now never to trust a word out of Bill English’s mouth. I should have checked […]
Kill your television
So the Nats have decided to kill public service television broadcasting: TVNZ’s charter is to be repealed in a move commentators say will […]
There is power in a union
About a month ago I used the Stats NZ Labour Cost Index to come up with the approximate distribution of payrises for unionised […]
Easter trading defeated (again)
A victory for New Zealand’s 270,000 retail workers and their families last night, with Parliament voting 62-59 to reject National MP Todd McClay’s […]
Goff attacks govt on wages
Check out Phil Goff’s general debate speech yesterday on In The House, a handy new site paid for by the Office of the […]
Brownlee destroys a free market choice. Shut Whirinaki to get it back.
From the Meridian Energy web site. Meridian Energy Limited has confirmed it has suspended offering new Renewable Energy Notes under the investment statement […]
This is climate change
Climate change has melted the sea ice where polar bears catch seals. Starving, they are turning to cannibalism. Here a male bear takes the remains […]
What is Whanau Ora?
Family Commissioner Jan Pryor says she can’t give a definition of Whanau Ora, Tariana Turia’s pet programme that Pryor’s Commission will be helping […]
Open mike 10/12/2009
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the […]
No spark in Nats’ power reforms
A friend just texted: “Brownlee’s power reforms look relatively benign, what’s the catch?” It’s true, Brownlee’s reforms are just minor tinkering. The only […]
Driven to corruption
It turns out I understated the latest National ministers’ rort. Not only were the rules changed to allow ministers to have their taxpayer-funded self-drive […]
Shame on Labour for backing Goff
By Andrew Campbell Shame on the Labour caucus. If it’s true that they back Phil Goff’s Nationhood speech without reservations and therefore his […]
Yes he can
In America the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just ruled that greenhouse gases “threaten the public health and welfare of the American people”, […]
Above all that kind of thing
RNZ, Nov 6: Sean Plunket “Most commentators say you’re leadership style has been one that has sought to avoid personal attacks and name […]
Excellent question
An excellent question from Labour yesterday, using some familiar numbers: Hon Annette King: When he was reusing ‘unreliable, highly volatile, and potentially misleading’ […]
Players only love you when they’re playing
O’Sullivan“[Key] indicated that one of the reasons why he had been loath to sign up earlier for the Copenhagen event was because it […]
Open mike 09/12/2009
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the […]
Key aids English’s latest rort
Ministers are given self-drive taxpayer-funded cars for official business in their electorates (in Wellington they have crown limos at their disposal for official […]
Greens’ 10 year anniversary
The Green Party celebrated 10 years in the New Zealand Parliament yesterday. Happy birthday! It was especially fitting that the anniversary coincided with […]
Dear advertisers, ditch Paul Henry
Rather than start facebook groups and make complaints to TVNZ or the BSA about Paul Henry, someone has decided to hit them where […]
Latest Roy Morgan poll
The latest Roy Morgan shows no statistically significant changes. National at 53.5% (up 2), Labour at 30.5% (down 1.5), and the Green at 7% […]
Double standards or no standards?
Key wouldn’t say why he fired Worth, claiming he feared contaminating a police investigation. But he will trample all over a police investigation […]
Silly stories
Helmetless Hone: Keen to continue the Hone Harawira saga, One News reported that complaints had been laid over Harawira not wearing a helmet […]
Are you ‘really’ unemployed?
Governments use statistical tricks to lower the official unemployment rate. This fun video shows how many jobless people get swept under the carpet. […]
The Copenhagen editorial
Yesterday 56 newspapers in 45 countries published a “global editorial” – the same joint statement – most of them on their front page. […]
Open mike 08/12/2009
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the […]
Capitalism in its wonderful natural form.
Following on from our report earlier this year about ideal places for libertarians to go, it appears that we are now seeing capitalism […]
Summer’s arrival thanks to me – Key
John Key is still claiming credit for the drop in the number of people on the unemployment benefit that occurs every October and […]
Caption contest
Enough considering already!
When first writing about my thoughts on Phil Goff’s speech little did I realise that it was turning into an ongoing issue! Perhaps […]