Search Results » Wei
-
NRT: So much for Ruataniwha
Yesterday, the Hawkes Bay Regional Coucil voted to invest $80 million in the Ruataniwha dam. Today, the board of inquiry upheld its resource consent decisions, effectively shitcanning the project. And that, hopefully, is that. Or will HBRC and the farmers demand National pass a law under urgency to allow them to pillage this river, just as they’re doing for the West Coast forests?
-
NRT: Evidence: The NSA is funding the GCSB
Last week, The Intercept published details on the NSA’s programs with partners to tap international communications cables. Most of the article focused on a program which seems to involve Denmark and Germany, with each helping the NSA to spy on the other. But buried in one of the background documents – the US “black budget” for Foreign Partner Access Project – was this titbit. It turns out that second parties in the five eyes program like the GCSB are funded from the USA. So, “our” spies take foreign money to work for a foreign power.
-
Imperator Fish: My statement to the New Zealand Herald
Scott Yorke writes a statement for Jared Savage at the NZ Herald to conceal while attacking Labour with. As we know Jared will treat this with his usual journalistic caution and therefore briefly read it before publishing. Some of it might be true!!! Labour should be able to prove a negative with no information. That works for that paragon of journalism Cameron Slater, so why should the NZ Herald miss out on the joys of getting headlines out of nothing being verified. In fact the only thing wrong is that the source isn’t National dirty tricks (John Key’s top drawer).
-
John Roughan: NZ Herald’s white elephant
There is one thing that shines through in the coverage of the biography of John Key today. It is by a veteran arselicker of the right – John Roughan, veteran editorial writer and columnist for the NZ Herald. He is someone that have have no respect for because his writing has a short-term approach to Auckland that is more characterised by stupidity and a rabid adherence to National’s partisan campaign needs. Both as an anonymous editorial writer and in his columns.
-
NRT: Climate Voter
On Monday, an alliance of environmental organisations launched the Climate Voter campaign. The aim is to get people to signal their intention to vote on the basis of climate change policy, in the hope of driving parties to compete for that bloc of support. I think this is a good thing. At the same time, it needs to get a lot more people to sign up for it to have the sort of impact it wants. These mass-signalling exercises can work. So, if you care about the climate, sign up.
-
Being media again
I’ll be in Wellington from the 4th to the 7th for the Labour party congress on the 5-6th. I’ll be on a media pass again which will relieve me of the duties that I have usually had to undergo as a delegate, like having to think too much. This will be the first congress I have attended as media. I’m expecting to have a lazy time watching others work. If you’re around Wellington, come and see David Cunliffe’s speech on Sunday. He is promising a big speech about what he and Labour will be taking to the voters this year.
-
NRT: The Jones appointment
When I first heard of this appointment, I commented that if McCully had offered Jones a briefcase full of cash rather than a specially-created high-paying job to resign, we’d call it what it is: Corruption and bribery of member of Parliament. From what I’ve seen in this release, I stand by that.
Updated: It looks like this appointment either violated the Cabinet Manual or is in violation of the State Sector Act. Whatever way you look at this, the appointment appears to broken some laws. Perhaps some journos would like to look up from bullshit from National’s dirty tricks blogger and care to investigate a real story?
-
NRT: Our misogynistic political media
In previous elections, the major parties have submitted lists heavily dominated by men, and this passes without comment. This year, Labour has submitted one with a slight imbalance (53:47) towards women. The reaction is sadly predictable. Misogynist reporting. Also incorrect, there is no gender rule. Not mentioned: Labour’s list is gender-balanced up to position 40; that slight imbalance comes from the bottom, unelectable end of the list and will not translate into caucus places.
-
Imperator Fish: Critics slam Labour list selections – again
Some things are so predicable that Imperator Fish can write about them years ahead. Like the typical reactions to the Labour list. Let us observe the predictability of the right and others to it today. Marks for any bit of originality, but don’t be surprised if there aren’t any.
-
The middle of Queens birthday weekend? Yeah right!
Ok, so according to the NZ Herald Donhua Liu is alleging that a fund raiser was held on Sunday 3rd of June 2007.
That is the Sunday in the middle of Queens birthday weekend. To say that is hardly credible is an understatement. No-one schedules fund-raisers on Sunday. They certainly don’t do it in a long weekend. And can’t the journalists at the Herald read a calendar?
Updated: This mornings Herald story looks like being more about face saving than accuracy, and the interview on Morning Report make the journalistic process at the Herald look even more dodgy. -
The police must investigate the alleged Liu donations because…
Scott Yorke makes some excellent arguments in favour of a full police investigation into the Liu saga.
-
Colin Craig to run in East Coast Bays – McCully sacrificed
In a speech today Colin Craig has confirmed that he will be standing in Murray McCully’s seat of East Coast Bays.
-
NRT: An abuse of the OIA
So it turns out that Immigration released letters from David Cunliffe and Chris Carter in support of Donghua Liu. However, the Department of Internal Affairs refused to release the letters sent by Mr Williamson and Mr Banks under the privacy and commercial provisions in the Official Information Act. This looks like a blatantly political release decision to advance the interests of the government of the day. Transparency of official information applies to everyone, not just the government’s enemies.
-
NRT: Shifted
Yesterday, we learned that the government was reviewing its future contribution to peacekeeping missions, with an eye to turning us into an American footstool. As I pointed out, this would be a major shift in our foreign policy, and one we need to stop. Unfortunately, we’re too late: Cabinetagreed to the change last October. In secret, without consulting the people on behalf of which those troops will be deployed.
-
Herald loses perspective
So apparently forgetting about signing a form letter for a constituent 11 years ago is a resignable offence now.
Update: Key memory lapses
-
NRT: A major shift in our foreign policy
No Right Turn points to potential unacceptable changes in the basis of our foreign policy and the deployment of our armed forces. A secret review of peacekeeping keeping roles revealed by an OIA request recommends that rather than going on UN missions to support peace and keep combatants apart, we’ll be taking an active and direct role in America’s wars, against the wishes of the international community and even against the wishes of our own citizens.
-
NRT: UK police spied on politicians
Police and security forces often seem to consider themselves to be beyond the law. Their propensity towards excessive surveillance of people who are following peaceful and legal paths towards societal change without any evidence is rather legendary amongst activists on the left. The impression that most activists have is that some police just don’t like their politics. However surveillance of a councillor in the UK after they have been elected and while they are monitoring police activities as part of their job does mark a new low.
-
Labour’s Kiwisaver announcement
Labour has released its Kiwisaver policy. Kiwisaver will now be universal for all workers except those earning less than a to be set level. Contributions will be gradually increased. The $1,000 Kick-start and government contribution of up to $521 a year will be retained and will apply to all new enrollments
-
Polity: Internet Party: “Ban coat-tailing.”
New Zealand’s democracy would better if we had a lower threshold and no coat-tailing shenanigans. Even without coat-tailing there remains the potential for blocs to make tiny gains by way of electorate deals, but it would ensure the end of manifest unfairnesses like the relative ACT / NZ First results in 2008. The reality is that National had the opportunity to do the right thing, and chose not to for venal self-interested reasons, and are now crying like spoiled brats because their opponents are using it too.
-
Imperator Fish: ACT’s new employment relations policy
The ACT Party today released its employment relations policy, which focuses on providing both employees and employers with flexibility in how they arrange their workplaces. “People may think they know how slavery works, but do they really? It’s an idea that has had some bad publicity over the years, but only because the right model hasn’t been tried. We believe we have developed the right model. A model that gives employees genuine choice about whether or not to become slaves.”
-
NRT: Climate change: A carbon tax in action
The Greens promised to scrap the gutted and ineffective ETS and replace it with a carbon tax. National immediately claimed that the sky would fall if we stopped subsidising polluters and allowing them to rort us. But where it is used it has done exactly what it was designed to do: reduce emissions while lowering taxes on ordinary people. National just likes polluters?
-
No Right Turn: Electoral donations, corruption, and transparency
Writing in the Herald, Fran O’Sullivan tells us what we all knew: that political donors have expectations, and want favours in exchange for their cash. She’s too polite (and Establishment) to call it corruption, but that’s what it is. Its time we forced parties to do so as well. Transparent public funding if required. If the choice is spending public money or permitting corruption, the choice is pretty clear.
-
Imperator Fish: Winning in 2014: a prescription for Labour
Scott Yorke at Imperator Fish is well known for his
incitefulinsightful analysis of many issues. However he has really really outdone himself on this clarion call forriotingclarity. It will bringwarunity to all parts of the political spectrum outside of Labour advising them on their strategy. Who can wait to read the few lines of commentary by David Farrar giving the 9th floor position as he quotes this post. Indeed! -
NRT: Good riddance to John Banks
The government has been stripped of its legislative majority and its policy programme, especially employment relations “reform”, is now in tatters. Now that Banks has going, we are seeing an extensive rewriting of history by the National government. Kind of pathetic really.
-
David Farrar badly needs night school
blogs, crime, David Farrar, education, electoral systems, john banks, john key, police, political education, you couldn't make this shit upIn Kiwiblog this morning, David Farrar appeared to be running a 9th floor pre-pump for John Banks to resign. But I was rather incredulous when I read this “I don’t think the Judge has actually helped the Government by delaying the decision on entering a conviction. Now that it is the Judge’s role to care about the impact on the Government.”. Huh? DPF badly needs to go back to do some adult education. Perhaps to night school?
-
NRT: The Greens support abortion
Removing our absurd thirty-year-old abortion law, which effectively requires women to declare themselves mentally ill to access a basic medical procedure is great. But it also addresses availability, requiring medical professionals who object to abortion to provide an effective referral, and ensuring that women don’t have to travel hundreds of kilometres for a basic medical procedure.
-
NRT: Hoist by her own petard?
One should defend the right of a politician and anyone else to be a complete dork on the net. Even Judith Collins doesn’t need two years in jail for lying to a reporter about another reporter or tweeting bullying abusive rubbish. However many would see Collins’ tweets as “part of the cut and thrust between politicians and journalists”, and they’d be right. But the fact that they would be illegal under her law shows just how awful that law is
-
Maori Party to seek leave to change Paid Parental Leave Bill vote
The Maori Party have supported Sue Moroney’s Paid Parental Leave Bill from its introduction. Then something weird happened last night. First National unbelievably blocked Flavell’s vote when he left to be at the birth of his first grandchild. Then National used the Maori Party’s proxy votes to vote down Moroney’s bill. Did National mislead Parliament? Or did Sharples buckle under the pressure and change the Maori Party vote? Updated: Leave granted and Moroney’s bill survives …
-
Kiwipolitico: The housing problem isn’t a housing problem; it’s a regional development problem
The national median house price is $415,000, a figure skewed substantially upwards by the extraordinary cost of housing in Auckland. But you can buy a three bedroom house a for a lot less outside the urban areas. There just aren’t jobs to go with them. The chart shows income and employment growth by region. The growth is just not there. Correct that, and it might correct the supply in the urban centres.
-
NRT: A committee of fuckwits
The Justice and Electoral Committee has reported back on the Harmful Digital Communications Bill. The bill attempts to outlaw “harmful digital communications” – defined as anything causing “serious emotional distress” – and imposes a regime of court orders, takedown notices, and criminal penalties. The latter would effectively reintroduce the offence of criminal libel – but only on the internet. Some sad old fuckwits in Parliament are scared of us and scared of our future.
-
NRT: For a drone-free New Zealand
It is difficult to describe how abhorrent that the concept of the US military murdering the many bystanders and even targets with drone strikes and then trying to justify their illegal actions (under both US and international law) by labelling all of those killed, injured, and maimed as enemy. It reeks of the counting the body bags of civilians mentality that has been losing them wars for many decades. But this practice needs to be constrained before it gets used by other rogue states with even less compunction that the United States.
-
The Green Party List
The Green Party has released its list for the 2014 election.
-
Tony Astle does not want progressive customers
Tony Astle apparently wants to ban some left wing politicians from his restaurant Antoines. He should get a life. Because the idea is stupid and reinforces the impression that National is a party insisting on the retention of privilege for the few.
-
NRT: The rich rort us again
No Right Turn on paying private schools and childcare as being charitable ‘donations’ and thereby trying to defraud taxpayers.
-
NRT: An agreement for the sake of an agreement
The more you look at the Trans Pacific ‘Partnership’, the more you realise that unlike the trade agreements of the past 20 years, this agreement isn’t a agreement about freeing up trade. It is about putting restraints on trade. For NZ especially, it appears that we will not receive anything from it. All it does is makes it harder for our businesses. No Right Turn looks at the latest disaster of NZ diplomacy..
-
Imperator Fish: Let’s shut down the internet
There appears to have been a hiatus in the flood of posts today. Perhaps it is because of the wise words of Imperator Fish pausing the world as they consider his wise words… And those of Speaker Carter (who appears to have a problem with most current culture).
