Author Archive
Key and English – best of friends.
Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, November 25th, 2013 - 34 comments
In a surprising development, John Key has taken to bringing “a friend” with him to serious media interviews. Key was accompanied by Bill English. Key justified the new approach stating that their unique “chemistry was obvious to all in parliament” and he wanted the public to know, just how well they got on. When questioned whether this was relevant and important in the lives of ordinary Kiwis he said “…frankly its one of the key platforms we will be contesting the 2014 election on”.
Press Release: Bob Jones offers help to police
Written By: - Date published: 3:51 pm, November 23rd, 2013 - 6 comments
Police have called on Bob’s expertise to establish if the crime actually happened. We now all know thanks to Bob’s expertise, that women don’t get raped unless they are attractive, dress sexy and go out beyond their front gate at night. Besides women can’t drive like a guy or have fun like a guy. Bob knows just how women think – at least better than the police?
Coat-tail of Many Colours
Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, November 22nd, 2013 - 72 comments
Te Reo Putake speculates on exactly what plan that National and John Key have to distort the MMP review and Iain Lee Galloway’s private members bill so that it allows them to stay in power. Most probably by gifting Crazy Colin and the Conservatives with several chances to get several partners into parliament while discarding the husks of their former coalition partners.
Why insurance should be a state monopoly
Written By: - Date published: 4:25 pm, November 11th, 2013 - 100 comments
The seeming purpose of having competition is to prevent monopoly pricing and excessive profits but, as Steve Keen shows, all businesses use the same pricing model with about the same level of profits. If they did use the pricing model that economists say that they should use they’d actually go broke. Having a state insurance system has a whole different economic basis.
Why the 2013 Labour Conference set course for Government in 2014
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, November 4th, 2013 - 11 comments
Ad reports on the 2013 Labour Conference and why the left should take heart for the next election.
From the Thick of It to Borgen
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, November 1st, 2013 - 109 comments
A Guest Post by Ad. He poses the question, is Labour willing to enter into a smart MMP relationship with the Green Party or is it still stuck in FPP culture?
BLip: The swearing of the Auckland council
Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, October 30th, 2013 - 18 comments
BLip is well known on this site for his ever-growing linked lists of the lies of John Key. But it appears he has been branching out into the role of reporter in this hilarious account of the swearing of the Auckland council last night that was picked out of Open Mike.
Note to Labour leader: Rudimentary thoughts I
Written By: - Date published: 12:51 pm, October 18th, 2013 - 98 comments
In a series of short opinion pieces The Black Rod examines the road to victory for Labour in 2014.
“It may upset some Labour members who position themselves to the Left in the Labour camp, but in broad terms Labour should seek to target and capture the support of those who generally consider themselves centrist. And those who would consider themselves to be an intermittent Labour voter. This is the real ground to be captured in 2014.”
Will DunnoKeyo Lead National into Next Year’s Defeat?
Written By: - Date published: 4:02 pm, October 1st, 2013 - 80 comments
Te Reo Putake starts speculating on when, how, and by whom John Key will be knifed in the back by. The question of if it is before or after the losing the next election. So far only Keith Holyoake has managed to retire as a leader of National, so after Labour’s tidy leadership changes we’re all looking forward to the political splatterfest that only National can provide.
Grant Robertson
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, September 7th, 2013 - 112 comments
In accordance with our general rules about candidates posting, Grant Robertson has sent in a guest post. He may be available to answer some questions on Sunday as Saturday is busy for all candidates.
The post will be fully moderated.
Shane Jones, the other contender for the historic Labour leadership primary is welcome to send in a similar post with the same rules.
David Cunliffe
Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, September 4th, 2013 - 267 comments
In accordance with our general rules about candidates posting, David Cunliffe has sent in a guest post. He will be available to answer some questions. The post will be fully moderated.
Other candidates for the historic Labour leadership primary are welcome to send similar posts with the same rules.
High jump and higher education – the fallacy of continuous improvement
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, August 22nd, 2013 - 12 comments
They set targets and you meet those targets, so they raise the targets. You meet them again, so they raise them again. If those targets were high jump bars, everyone watching would know you are going to miss the target at some point. That is not a failure. That is just something that is eventually beyond the very limits of your ability. However, if you are a tertiary education teacher we pretend there is no limit.
Mighty Big Gamble on Mighty Big Gift
Written By: - Date published: 8:43 pm, August 20th, 2013 - 19 comments
Hey John, how much public money are you going to pay the wealthy to “buy” our assets? (And how just desperate are you…?)
Diss Loyalty
Written By: - Date published: 6:57 pm, July 31st, 2013 - 97 comments
So, what’s with all the negativity toward the Labour Party? Why so many comments on the Standard rubbishing the leadership, running down the party’s prospects at the next election, putting the boot in to the only party with enough mass support to bring an end to the dismal Key Government? They must really love Labour?
How National plans to smash collective agreements
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, July 26th, 2013 - 43 comments
Over the coming weeks I’m going to go through each of National’s changes to employment law to show how they will make our workplaces less fair and reduce Kiwis’ pay.
The first is the change allowing the boss to refuse to negotiate a collective agreement.
Child poverty: Are we that heartless?
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, June 15th, 2013 - 34 comments
New Zealand’s issue of child poverty has lingered around for the past thirty-odd years, and although the rate is lower than it was in the 1980′s, it is by no means at an encouraging level. 1 in 4 kiwi kids live below the threshold, that’s around 270,000, equivalent to filling Eden Park five and half times with impoverished kids
Nothing moderate about National’s employment changes
Written By: - Date published: 3:41 pm, June 11th, 2013 - 71 comments
There is nothing ‘moderate’ about pushing policy that increases the power of the powerful and reduces the power of those dependent on them for a living, says the EPMU’s Rachel Mackintosh.
National’s employment changes will drive wages down and increase insecurity and poverty in this country.
The hairdo takes a haircut from the smiling assassin?
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, June 10th, 2013 - 31 comments
In politics, one week is a long time.
And for this year, the week on either side of Queen’s birthday weekend was especially interesting. And particularly hectic for some key people!
Nats’ environmental record
Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, May 21st, 2013 - 40 comments
Long time commenter BLiP on the National government’s environmental record.
“Project Choice” – foisting bad faith
Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, May 17th, 2013 - 55 comments
Air NZ has recently posted a $138 million profit. It now forecasts that it will double that profit in the next financial year, and is offering a sale of shares in the near future. So a few months after concluding a collective agreement, they’re indulging in bad faith and illegal practices. This is how you embroil yourself in keeping share prices low.
A silent war – mental health in the NZDF
Written By: - Date published: 7:36 pm, April 24th, 2013 - 11 comments
On the eve of ANZAC day, it is appropriate to read the reasons of a soldier for departing the Defense Force. There are few local organisations who spend as much resource and effort on training as the Defense Force does. It is ridiculous to expend the vast resources required to train modern non-commissioned soldiers and then to skimp on one of their primary medical needs – mental health.
An honest man?
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, April 22nd, 2013 - 65 comments
John Key has promised live on television to never lie and to always do his best. Now, four-and-a-half years later we know that was his first lie, and it certainly wasn’t going to be his last. And these are only the ones we know about. In fact, as the litany of lies still spills from John Key, it must be asked: is the litany orchestrated? – BLiP’s extraordinary list of Key’s lies.
3D Manufacturing
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, April 13th, 2013 - 125 comments
It seems that 3D Printing is really starting to mature. Such printers are becoming smaller, cheaper and more capable. It’s only a matter of time before builders become obsolete. A lot can be done with the diffuse energy of the sun. Although it has a ways to go 3D printing is the next level in manufacturing.
External review of Wellington City Council outsourcing needed
Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, April 12th, 2013 - 4 comments
The Wellington City Council has agreed to a review of the outsourcing.
But that review needs to be independent.
National’s war on Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, March 14th, 2013 - 49 comments
Phil Twyford is the Labour MP for Te Atatu, and Labour’s spokesperson on Housing and Auckland Issues. He is also asking the same questions that many Aucklanders keep asking as they watch a succession of government ministers trying to valiantly advance backwards into Auckland’s past with no obvious purpose.
Save the Trees!
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, February 22nd, 2013 - 41 comments
The Government is currently attempting for a second time to remove blanket tree protection from Auckland’s district plan. Submissions close on February 28, 2013 – Greg Presland tells us why and how you can have your say.
Labour: the democratic reforms continue
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, February 20th, 2013 - 98 comments
The focus in recent months has been on the democratisation of the leadership process. But actually, a far more important change is coming. Over the next few months, the party is going to roll out the draft policies and the proposed policy structure to a series of membership meetings. The new regional hub structure will also be explained.
Species of Kiwi
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 pm, February 16th, 2013 - 67 comments
There have been various Kiwi taxonomies – attempts to label and describe social types in NZ. In comments Ad proposed this interesting one, highlighting the tensions created by inequality. Thanks for permission to post it…
Upcoming talk on Canadian student uprising
Written By: - Date published: 3:44 pm, January 11th, 2013 - 6 comments
This Sunday hip hop artist and political activist Darius Mirshahi will be speaking in Auckland about the political situation in Canada and how the left are organising to resist Neo-Liberalism. Later he will be performing material which has lead to attention from Glen Beck and the Canadian police.
Federated Farmers want more urbanites
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 pm, January 3rd, 2013 - 38 comments
Federated Farmers pushed out a press release the other day calling for NZ to both have more population and to stop spreading urban areas out over farmland. MrSmith has a view on it.
Secretive Haast-Hollyford Highway
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, December 5th, 2012 - 15 comments
A rather secretive bid in Central Otago/Westland for what amounts to a toll road cutting through a National Park. As with the as-yet-undecided tunnel and monorail proposals, this raises the question of whether Zealand is moving in the direction of selling its most public and protected land to private developers, for their private profit-generating schemes. It will have meetings to brief as many “key stakeholders” with a “significant interest” but will include “no public meetings”.
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