Search Results » bill fear
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Spy scandals – today’s required reading
Here’s today’s required reading (so far) in the ongoing spy scandals that are swirling around John Key and his fiasco of a government. Hey Peter Dunne, are you really going to vote for more GCSB spying? Really?
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The end of the media honeymoon for John Key
The Andrea Vance telephone record debacle is extraordinarily badly timed for the Government. At a time when they are trying to give to the GCSB huge powers to spy on all of us this particular incident shows us what is at stake. It has incensed the fourth estate. Key’s relationship with the press will never be the same. -
Key explains the need to spy on us all
One of the many criticisms of John Key’s spying Bill is that it isn’t needed. Well rest easy
citizensconsumers, because PM Key has laid those fears to rest. Here he is, in his own words, explaining why this violation of our basic human rights is absolutely necessary. -
Turing – so much more …
Alan Turing may get a pardon from the UK government. Turing made major contributions to the development of computing and maths, but was also subjected to damaging surveillance, suspicion and dehumanisation because of his sexuality. Nothing to hide, nothing to fear? How to promote digital democracy?
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Defending democracy – then and now
There have been strong and compelling criticisms of the Nats’ spying Bill, similar to the situation that occurred under the previous government with electoral finance. But the responses of the two governments are very different – and very revealing. Where Labour revised its errant Bill to address the criticisms, John Key has threatened the HRC with funding cuts. Predictably, the response of The Herald to the two cases has been very different too…
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War on social security: demonisation of beneficiaries
child welfare, class war, cost of living, crime, democracy under attack, human rights, jobs, john key, paula bennett, public services, same old nationalSweeping changes to NZ’s Social Security system begin today. This is a major shift from the the 1938 Social Security Act: a shift from support of those in need, to treating them as potential criminals, self-serving addicts, and malingerers. Shame on John Key & Paula Bennett! [Update: RNZ & BAF & AAAP]
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GCSB – independent inquiry needed
accountability, democracy under attack, greens, human rights, internet, john key, labour, slippery, spin, Spying, telecommunicationsA full, independent inquiry of the GCSB is needed , as argued by the Green & Labour Parties, and politics lecturer Damien Rogers. NZ First & Dunne – don’t support Key’s dodgy law changes! Key is masking political motives with spin and secrecy. [update] Campbell Live tonight – must see viewing.
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The big issues: GCSB, Dotcom
Bill English diverts attention from questions about Key’s prior knowledge of Dotcom, saying it is not a BIG ISSUE. Trustworthiness, undermining democracy, misuse of GCSB surveillance in collaboration with foreign powers, blurring commercial cyber-security with national security – just some of the BIG ISSUES covered in the GCSB hearings.
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Flooding
Noticed a lot of flooding in the world headlines recently? Me too. What’s up with that?
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Special pleading from the Electricity Authority
Dr Brent Layton of the Electricity Authority has produced a 28-page paper to refute the claims of Molly Melhuish, Dr Geoff Bertram and Bryan Leyland that “the Authority’s approach is a light-touch approach to regulating the electricity markets.” Layton says that forcing prices and asset values down will have a “chilling” effect on fearful investors. The ‘”chilling” metaphor is particularly inapt when used to defend wealth transfers from the poor to the rich.
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Nats’ environmental record
Long time commenter BLiP on the National government’s environmental record.
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When an “accord” is not
accountability, auckland supercity, bill english, class war, democracy under attack, housing, labour, local government, privatisation, same old national, sustainabilityYesterday’s budget is a sop to affordable housing & aims to privatise state housing. Penny Hulse says the government’s related “housing accord” Bill is at odds with the agreement her council has not yet ratified. It overrides local democracy & endangers the AKL “agreement”. [Update] Waitakere News analysis
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CO2 400 ppm and climbing
We have passed the dangerous and depressing milestone of 400ppm atmospheric CO2. 350.org are calling for a “relentless rise in activism” to match the “relentless rise in carbon”. After Copenhagen I no longer think that’s going to happen.
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It’s not us: it’s the big banks
capital gains, capitalism, class war, cost of living, david cunliffe, debt / deficit, economy, gst, kiwisaver, news, russel norman, same old national, spin, thinktankMSM articles show the big Aussie banks are making record profits, Kiwis can save, and Adam Smith worshiping think tanks are not to be trusted. Cunliffe & Norman said it a while back – NAct policies and government spending cuts are not the answer.
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Sunday Reading
My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: Vienna 1913, politics in our genes, burying Thatcher and failed economic theories.
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The disconnected: the future of the left?
class, class war, climate change, community democracy, democratic participation, feminism, greens, labour, Left, socialism, sustainability, Unions, welfareThe current direction of Key’s government, and the challenging circumstances of the 21st century create a need for urgent attention to the form of a new left politics; one that embraces the working class, trade union solidarity, gender, diversity & the emerging “precariat”.
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ImperatorFish: A statement from the Prime Minister
The Government Security (Doing As They Please) Bill will be introduced next week, and this important piece of legislation will make it clear that our security and law enforcement agencies must operate within the framework of doing anything they want.
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One day older and deeper in debt
There’s this almost puritan kind of myth that we’ve got so much international debt as punishment for our spendthrift ways. We ‘live beyond our means’, apparently. But it’s not true. If ‘our means’ is the money we make in exports, then most of the time, they exceed what we spend on imports. Yet, we run a $10 billion deficit as a country. Why? Because of the profit outflow.
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Two Things
David Shearer won’t rule-out asset buy back (at cost), and a great blog post on “Climate Change: The New Normal”
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How bad does it have to get?
Record breaking droughts in Australia and America, drought in NZ. Food prices rising. Worse to come. How bad does it have to get before we take action?
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The Silence is Killing Them
The NZ Forestry Sector is completely unmonitored – It is one of our most dangerous industries and no one seems to know what is going on. From my perspective it appears within officialdom and the Forest Owners themselves, no one really cares.
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Stand back! The English language is evolving! GAY evolving!
Family First’s arguments against basic human rights continue to be absurd – now apparently we’re all going to forget what “husband” and “wife” mean.
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Poverty Watch 20
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week, more from the Children’s Social Health Monitor 2012 Update Report, and poverty in Christchurch…
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States of it – Turei and Shearer
Metiria Turei and David Shearer have today given their State of the Planet and State of the Nation speeches respectively. There’s a lot of commonality, which is good. A critique of the government is solidifying and it’s centred on jobs, housing, and the environment. The Greens’ policy agenda looks heftier than Labour’s but both are heading the right way.
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Welcome to the Burdigalian
Last year, in the Arctic, atmospheric CO2 concentrations were measured at 400ppm. If you search on line for historical CO2 levels, you’ll find a lot of comments that are of the opinion that 400ppm CO2 last occurred about 800 000 years ago…or maybe just a bit longer. The implication is that since that’s well within the span of human existence it doesn’t really matter too much. It’s fine; we’ve been here before.
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Climate: last year and this year
A group of people interested in climate have put out a list of the most interesting climate events of 2012, which was a year that weather made more of the headlines than usual. It is likely that it will have been just a precursor to 2013 as the northern fridge disappears and the sun flares. The one certainty is that the IPCC AR4 report got it wrong – they were far too conservative about how fast climate change was happening.
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Apocalypse Now
Humans have a paranoid fascination with our own demise, as seen in doomsday movies. They portray our fears, hopes, politics and delusions. Children of Men: the demise of capitalism; Day after Tomorrow: climate collapse. Is today a Mayan prediction of the end or a new beginning?
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The dark side
Fran O’Sullivan & Audrey Young are awestruck by Judith Collins as ruthless Force. FO’S does a fan-girl rave, slipping into fanfic mode.Was the Binnie episode a daring bid to become the next Nat leader? Will English & Joyce respond with callous, socially-destructive manoeuvres?
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Poverty Watch 14
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week, the return of Inside Child Poverty, and the view from Planet Key…
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Gordon Campbell on Labour
It looks like Gordon Campbell has picked up on Irish’s piece on what Labour needs to do and added a few thoughts of his own. I think Campbell has a point here and it troubles me deeply. The last thing we need is for Labour’s vote to collapse in election year the same way Bill English’s did in 2002, or for the campaign to be derailed by faux pas like Brash in 2005.
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NRT: National’s tyranny
No Right Turn on the overthrow of local democracy in Canterbury…
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If it is broke, then fix it
Colin James writes good political analysis. His ODT article from yesterday resonates with me. It is time to look for a new economic model as we watch “..central banks – supposed to epitomise the straight and narrow – print money like 17th century monarchs.” as they recirculate the stupidities of the past like any National government.
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Fight the ‘War on the Poor’: Opposing Bennett’s welfare reforms.
Grant Robertson, in the House yesterday speaking on Paula Bennett’s “Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill” – First Reading, gave an impassioned speech. He said many some great points about social obligations and a mutually beneficial social contract (between the state and beneficiaries. However, will the Labour Party’s policies match up to the rhetoric?
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Planet Key, Planet Paula, and the War on the Poor
brand key, child welfare, Economy, jobs, john key, Metiria Turei, national, national/act government, paula bennett, same old nationalOver the last week, the government’s off-world set of distorted realities has come to the foreground: those of “Planet John Key” and “Planet Paula”. These worlds highlight the way Bennett’s latest welfare reforms wage war on the poor and undermine fairness and democracy.
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Conscience votes
Two high-profile conscience votes are coming up in Parliament over the next two days. It will be interesting to see the breakdown of who votes which way on the issues. But the level of malice expressed by some of those opposed to marriage equality is disturbing.
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Frankly Speaking: “John Banks: condition deteriorating”
act, conservative party, dpf, election 2014, electoral commission, electoral systems, greens, john banks, mana, maori party, MMP, national, nz first, political parties, Politics, united futureFrank Macskasy over at Frankly Speaking writes some very long posts that are often full of interesting information. This one does a good analysis of the recommendations from the Electoral Commission and various party positions on it. On the way through he has a good swipe at John Banks, who it would be safe to say, he considers to be political cabbage.
