Archive for August, 2012

Weekend social 31/08/2012

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, August 31st, 2012 - 14 comments

Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?

Shearer Says #4

Written By: - Date published: 1:13 pm, August 31st, 2012 - 57 comments

David Shearer’s weekly e-newsletter, this week on inequality, poverty and more.
We’re happy to post similar newsletters from other opposition leaders – our email is on our contact page.

Government in turmoil over spending cap

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, August 31st, 2012 - 20 comments

Conflict between support parties. The government without the majority needed for legislation. The Nats’ economic plans in turmoil. Thank goodness the country is in such safe, steady hands.

The conservative’s nightmare

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, August 31st, 2012 - 51 comments

Soon, a 18-year old gay man will be able to get married and, then, celebrate by having a drink. If Jacinda Ardern’s Bill passes, he’ll be able to adopt his husband’s child. And, if David Clark’s Bill passes – he can then earn $15 an hour at his minimum wage job! It really is the conservative’s nightmare at the moment. I’m loving it.

Big trouble for Groser

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, August 31st, 2012 - 63 comments

Suspicion is turning to Minister Tim Groser as the person who leaked information on Murray McCully’s botched reforms of Mfat. As I understand it, the suspicion is not that Groser directly told Goff but that Groser was ‘too loose’ in talking to some public servants about his criticisms of McCully’s botched reforms, who then became conduits for the information to Goff.

Open mike 31/08/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 31st, 2012 - 108 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Apple vs Samsung

Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, August 30th, 2012 - 93 comments

When businesses like Apple patent hand waving, obvious design, round corners, or software (which in a way is like patenting maths), we all lose.  I’m not pleased with Craig Foss’s “minor amendment” to our block on software patents, but I like this SMBC cartoon…

Imperator Fish Exclusive: Leaked Government Poverty Plan

Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, August 30th, 2012 - 20 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has managed to get his hands on a top-secret document that sets out in detail National’s plan to tackle the child poverty issue.

The drinking age

Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, August 30th, 2012 - 107 comments

The alcohol reforms miss the real issues and focuses on wowserism over teens drinking, instead. The Hospitality Association will be rubbing its hands at the split age suggestion. But there ins’t a growing problem with booze. Alcohol consumption is falling. 25 years ago, we consumed 140 litres of alcoholic beverages per person (including children!) per year. Today, that number is 105 litres.

Marriage equality – how they voted

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, August 30th, 2012 - 165 comments

How they voted, some wise words on the range of christian belief, and credit to John Key.

Right votes for future asset sales

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, August 30th, 2012 - 16 comments

National, Banks, and Dunne voted to keep the door open for more asset sales yesterday. Clayton Cosgrove’s Bill would have required a super-majority in Parliament or a referendum to move more companies out of the SOE Act – a necessary step in the privatisation process. Dunne in particular has promised not to support further asset sales, yet given a chance to stop them, he refused.

Alcohol distraction

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, August 30th, 2012 - 69 comments

Today MPs will have a conscience vote on the drinking age. But National won’t be moving on anything that will hurt the alcohol industry, even though action on price and advertising is what’s really needed to make a difference to New Zealand’s alcohol problem.

Update: And remain at 18 it is.

Nats hollow excuses on poverty

Written By: - Date published: 6:59 am, August 30th, 2012 - 90 comments

National has a line on child poverty to allow them to oppose actually doing anything: ‘Jobs! Jobs are the solution to poverty, not more assistance for poor kids. National is about jobs, not handouts! And we’ll get more jobs with mining!’ But their record doesn’t match the rhetoric … There are 65,000 more unemployed under National and hundreds of mining jobs are being lost.

Open mike 30/08/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 30th, 2012 - 124 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Marriage Equality and other bills

Written By: - Date published: 9:55 pm, August 29th, 2012 - 51 comments

It’s Members Night in Parliament and the Marriage Equality Bill has passed its first reading. Future Asset Sales have not been entrenched however and National are currently arguing against raising the minimum wage.

Auction for Child Poverty Action

Written By: - Date published: 6:23 pm, August 29th, 2012 - Comments Off on Auction for Child Poverty Action

Child Poverty Action Group is auctioning on Trade Me a set of three Tom Scott cartoons, originally drawn for the Inside Child Poverty documentary shown on TV3 last year just before the election. They would love you to be a part of it.

Asset Sales to pay for nearly 1.5 years of roads

Written By: - Date published: 4:06 pm, August 29th, 2012 - 8 comments

Gerry Brownlee has announced $12.3 billion of road spending over the next 3 years. Asset sales will pay for less than half of it. Does it really make sense to lose control of our strategic assets – with all the income they bring in – for just over 1 year’s worth of roads?

Sex National Standards

Written By: - Date published: 2:46 pm, August 29th, 2012 - 8 comments

Child Poverty to Increase; Key won’t care

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, August 29th, 2012 - 8 comments

The Children’s Commissioner’s expert group has recommended that things must be done about Child Poverty, and made very specific suggestions as to what should be done, including a universal child payment for under 6s.

John Key’s response to the indepth analysis of a bunch of our finest minds and Phil O’Reilly: “Dopey.”

A quick question

Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, August 29th, 2012 - 81 comments

Bennett (playing the distraction card) is pushing her drug testing policy again. I have a question for the supporters of this policy which remains unanswered…

Turning a blind eye to poverty

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, August 29th, 2012 - 117 comments

In Parliament yesterday, Metiria Turei challenged Key on his record on poverty, holding up a graph of the GINI index, showing the increase in inequality under National. Key nonsensically blamed the recession – why must it be that in a recession the poor get poorer while the rich still get richer? That’s a result of policy that protects the rich, not an inevitability.

Getting ahead of themselves?

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, August 29th, 2012 - 42 comments

If the Government still hasn’t decided whether to sell the assets, why is its stockbroker advertising them?

Could it be that the Nats’ consideration of the Tribunal’s findings is just a sham?

Open mike 29/08/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 29th, 2012 - 200 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Caption competition

Written By: - Date published: 2:14 pm, August 28th, 2012 - 53 comments

Children’s Commissioner’s report due

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 28th, 2012 - 91 comments

A guest post from Carol on the Children’s Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group (EAG) report, to be released today. We need a sustainable destination, not a life raft. Update: The report is out.

Marriage equality set to pass

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, August 28th, 2012 - 33 comments

Louisa Wall’s marriage equality bill comes before Parliament tomorrow – there’ll be a rally outside. It should pass comfortably. 61 MPs have said they’ll support it to at least first reading and only quarter of that number say they will oppose it. Many of the 30-odd undecideds will vote no but some will be voting ‘yes’. I think we’ll see about 70 votes in favour.

Conscience votes

Written By: - Date published: 7:06 am, August 28th, 2012 - 91 comments

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.

Open mike 28/08/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 28th, 2012 - 93 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Turn off turnout – National’s 2014 strategy?

Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, August 27th, 2012 - 41 comments

Depress turnout among low-income voters by changing the enrolment rules – it’s an old right-wing trick.  The Republicans are doing it in the US – it looks like National may try it on here. They should not succeed.

Romney joins the birthers

Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, August 27th, 2012 - 55 comments

Mitt Romney has hit a new low by adding fuel to the loony “birther” flames.

Living Wage event

Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, August 27th, 2012 - 2 comments

The Living Wage campaign is holding an event in Wellington on Thursday.

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