Trade trumps human rights for Key
What a strange little editorial in the Herald today. It’s a typical spin piece that tries to frame John Key’s shoddy behaviour in not […]
Oh dear, what a fizzer
The pro-child assault lobby spent $500,000 trying to manufacture the biggest march in New Zealand history up Queen St today. The reports say fewer than […]
Watch Bolivia
The world is full of natural experiments in different forms of government. Bolivia is one to watch: Bolivia re-invents democratic socialism… On December […]
Open mike 21/11/09
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up…
What I did on my holidays – by [insert name here]
Ohmigod, after Red Alert informed me that the National MPs had started a blog, I nearly died!!!!!!! And after I’d finished that and […]
Fighting for democracy?
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton is facing prison after speaking out at an anti-war rally. A British soldier was arrested on Monday for speaking […]
A whole lotta nothing
In a speech to National Party members yesterday John Key read out a list of everything the government has done in the last […]
On “keeping your powder dry”
Reproduced with permission from No Right Turn for a viewpoint on the process of policy formation. This morning, Labour leader Phil Goff announced […]
Broken English
It looked like a duck. It walked like a duck. It quacked like a duck. Turns out it was a duck. The “Plain […]
Monetary policy needs to change
I’m really happy that Phil Goff has taken monetary policy up as an issue. The current system – a puritanical neoliberal model set […]
How much astroturf can you buy for $500,000?
Tomorrow the Christian Right are holding a self-styled ‘March for Democracy’ that’s been bankrolled to the tune of $500,000 by Auckland property developer […]
Open mike 20/11/09
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up…
Bludging farmers
The Fed Farmers have used Goff’s speech on monetary policy to have another whinge about beneficiaries, who they reckon are somehow to blame […]
Bikoi video
Hat tip: Labour.
NZ should follow Norway’s example on oil
National has released its petroleum strategy. It appears they plan to further lower our already low royalties to encourage foreign oil companies to […]
Cartoon: A brief history of corporate whining
Great cartoon from Barry Deutsch at Lefycartoons.com Lifted from Joe Hendren
970 words of hollow platitudes. How ambitious.
Classic, I was just saying yesterday that Key is probably concerned about focus testing turning up ‘do-nothing’, ‘weak’ and ‘visionless’ memes and today […]
F**k, an end to profanity?
A reader alerted us to this petition that was presented by National’s Paul Hutchison to Parliament on Tuesday: Petition of Nathan James Ngatai […]
What matters
Did you see Brain Rudman’s article in the Herald yesterday? The quote says it all: It just reminds you what an absurd debate […]
Goff on monetary policy
It’s great news that Phil Goff is urging a rethink of the way monetary policy is conducted in New Zealand. For too long […]
Doctors speak up against ETS
A couple of days ago I raised (again) the question of why we don’t see more experts, scientists and academics contributing to public […]
Open mike 19/11/09
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Over to you…
Damnit… I missed the 4000th post
Well I missed it. We rolled past the 4000th post at the end of October. A bit unexpected, it was too early by […]
Government of Fantasyland
This is Nick Smith in Parliament yesterday, replying to a question on Treasury’s re-calibrated $50 billion costs of Nationals ETS Bill: Hon Dr […]
Plutonomy
In Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story (which is excellent, btw) he refers to two 2005 Citigroup memos about ‘plutonomy’ economies and political […]
Teh New Zelaand Herlad
Have you noticed how many spelling mistakes there are in the Herald these days? James at Editing the Herald has: I’ve had quite […]
Laugh track
As Irish has already noted, Fran O’Sullivan has savaged John Key’s record on employment and said that Paula Bennett is “too busy puffing her own achievements […]
Fran’s got it right
For the first time ever I wholeheartedly agree with Fran O’Sullivan’s column. In today’s Herald she writes about the government’s inaction over youth […]
Key needs to face the facts
Nice Mr Key may be feeling the strain a bit. He’s starting to sound quite snippy: Meanwhile, Key has also slammed Treasury predictions […]
Nats could lose, but can Labour win?
If you had told me a year ago that, just a third of a way through its term, this government would have lost […]
ACC misdirection
It looks like the government’s sleight of hand on ACC is about to pay off. Having put up a clearly outrageous proposal to […]
PHARMAC on the altar of free trade
Yesterday John Key indicated that he might be willing to dismantle PHARMAC if it gets us a better free trade deal with the […]
Open mike 18/11/09
Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Over to you…
Suppression Orders & The Internet
Gagged The Law Commission yesterday released a report on ‘Suppressing Names and Evidence’. It’s timely given that Vince Siemer was arrested just last […]
Greenpeace to focus on poverty
The new head of Greenpeace, South African Kumi Naidoo, has pledged under his leadership that the organisation’s core focus will be the effect […]
Drinking Liberally: Phil Goff on the Sixth Labour Govt
The next Auckland Drinking Liberally features Labour Party leader Phil Goff discussing his political values and the challenges facing the Sixth Labour Government […]