Spend, baby, spend
Retailers are whining and the Herald has taken on the role of nanny-state, telling us it is our social responsibility but more stuff […]
Now that’s more like it
Screw Obama, my vote’s with the shoe thrower. Hat tip: onegoodmove
Animal right activists, farming and the police
On ABC last night there was a excellent video “Animal rights campaigner spreads message“. It is worth watching for people who (unlike me) […]
Have the police been inciting?
There is a slowly emerging twist in police spy scandal. The question of incitement and provocation from an agent of the police. Bearing […]
Mindless vandalism
The intersection of The Terrace and Salamanca Rd is the best graffiti spot in Wellington – big bare concrete wall, huge audience. For […]
Granny’s advice – spend up dearies
Economics 101: if you consume more than you produce, your standard of living is unsustainable and, unless you fix the situation, it will eventually […]
Howard Broad: Incompetent, dishonest or about to fire some people?
Let us assume, for a while, that Broad didn’t know the detail of SIG’s activities with Gilchrist If his staff were doing their […]
Obama in 1980
From Time: In 1980, when Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in Los Angeles, he was approached by an aspiring photographer named […]
Key delivers a Christmas kicking for workers
We always said that a National/ACT government would be anti-worker but I’m surprised by how blatant they are being about it. In a […]
Prison tucker
When I saw this photo of Pita Sharples tucking into a prison meal in today’s Dom Post I was hopeful it was a […]
Partial credit
Yay, more infrastructure spending during a recession. That’s the right thing to do – stimulate the economy and spend while the price of […]
Thoughts arising from the press gallery drinks
I had some good conversations with journos at the press gallery drinks. We’re often critical of the media, and sometimes specific journos, and […]
Good one Bill II
It’s good to see Bill English acknowledge the last government has left New Zealand in a good position to face the economic crisis. […]
The Big Three
I was listening to some of the old White Stripes when I got home this evening when this song came on. Given the […]
Police spied on Unite Union too
Matt McCarten, head of the Unite Union, has just released emails showing police informant Rob Gilchrist gave the police spy unit details about […]
Bludgin’ ain’t so easy
So, I’m out of work. I was employed on a contract and when it came up for renewal the boss told me business […]
Bill Ralston on police spying
Bill Ralston usually gets stirred by posters at The Standard for what he says. I’ve generally liked him after seeing him give some […]
It’s bad, what to do?
The latest Treasury economic forecasts are out and, in a continuing pattern, they not only make worse reading than the previous updates but […]
The final cut
Good one Bill
Bill English has stopped the sale of BlueScope’s Taharoa ironsands business to a Chinese investor based on the fact that it won’t bring […]
Gratitude
I haven’t commented on the maiden speeches yet (we’re doing some analysis later) but I can’t let this stand. Aaron Gilmore, the bottom-ranked National […]
Somewhat suspicious
Gerry ‘sexy coal’ Brownlee has spent today ripping apart more anti-climate change laws. Today, under urgency and without the opportunity for the public […]
Merry Christmas from National
National’s decides to hit workers in the pocket: ACC Minister Nick Smith yesterday said levies would increase from $1.40 to $1.70 for every […]
Who else are they spying on?
Gordon Campbell raises a good question in his latest Scoop column – are the Police also using paid informants to spy on mosques? […]
Time to reconsider Hobsonville
After initially saying they would cap the number of state houses, National/ACT’s Housing Minister Phil Heatley actually got informed. Despite the good work […]
Impressions of the House
First question time – the teams square off. Let the games commence. So what was the vibe? Well both sides kept getting their […]
Enough already – no more tests please
When I went to my first parent/teacher interview I was amazed at the breadth of markers against which my daughter’s performance was being […]
The limits to tolerance of the police
On discovering that her boyfriend had been spying on her and her friends for the police, and the consequent violations of her expectation […]
Be pragmatic
A fundamental of social democratic politics is full employment. It is sometimes said that work is the best form of welfare. When people […]
Garth McVicar – racist
Here’s a quiz. Can you name the one killing that has seen Sensible Sentencing’s barking mad Garth McVicar support the killer and argue, in […]
He’s a fan
Just in: Coldplay to play at Vector Arena on March 18th. No word yet on whether John Key has managed to get tickets.
Howard – some advice on what questions to ask
Yesterday, Howard Broad made statements about the targets of the SIG (Special Investigation Group) to National Radio. Interview with Howard Broad on his […]
A bad start, don’t expect improvement
We’ve seen a plethora of commentators criticising the National/ACT’s performance thus far. Colin James sums it up well: Key’s past week was mixed […]
No ReStart for Fire at Will even if unfair
So much for all National’s fine words about probation periods and job creation. Today’s Dominion reports that ReStart will not be available for […]
Shameful
And so the Maori Party’s sell-out of its own people continues. Hot on the heels of the party’s vote to take money out […]
Estonians to vote by mobile phone
Last Thursday, while our new government was making it easier for businesses to fire employees, politicans in Estonia were making it easier for […]