Author Archive

Stable government

Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, September 20th, 2010 - 44 comments

John Key and the Nats are failing to provide the stable government that New Zealanders require – and vote for.  His coalition partners are both self destructing.  Interesting times.

Rally to restore sanity

Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, September 19th, 2010 - 10 comments

Remember Glen Beck’s “Rally to restore honour”?  Depressed about America apparently spiralling out of control into political insanity?  Me too!  But now, at last, someone speaks up for the 70 to 80% of Americans who aren’t crazy.

The Tolley Challenge

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, September 18th, 2010 - 53 comments

On Tuesday Anne Tolley, Minister for wrecking primary education, dropped another pearl.  Has there ever been a comment made by any other minister, ever, in the history of New Zealand, that is as stupid, as arrogant, as offensive, as out of touch, as brain-fartingly idiotic a statement of the bleeding obvious as this clanger from Tolley? Anything even close?

Equality of opportunity

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, September 13th, 2010 - 194 comments

“The Spirit Level” is a book with a simple message: An unequal society is a sick society.  It’s a message that has the right wing running scared, and trying to dodge the issue by pretending that they believe in “equality of opportunity”.  But across society there’s no such thing…

The next financial crisis

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, September 11th, 2010 - 42 comments

If you have some time to spare this Saturday morning, check out the documentary “Overdose” – The story of the greatest financial crisis we will ever see… The one that is on the way.

Help needed in Christchurch?

Written By: - Date published: 12:59 pm, September 10th, 2010 - 6 comments

Students are offering to help out in Christchurch.  Do you need a hand?

Right wing tantrums

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, September 10th, 2010 - 173 comments

The mind set of your typical far RWNJ (Right Wing Nut Job) reminds me of nothing so much as a spoiled greedy baby.  Never more so than after reading a couple of notable tantrums from right wing politicians lately.

Mystery rant

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, September 8th, 2010 - 32 comments

Here’s an interesting rant.  I’m not going to link to it, because I want you to spend a moment trying to work out who (which raving leftie blogger?) is the author.  So read it, and make your guess, then Google for the answer…

Yes it will

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 pm, September 6th, 2010 - 72 comments

As far as I know I am the only Standard author to have been right in the middle of the Darfield / Christchurch earthquake.  To all commenters and readers in the region – greetings, and keep safe.

No victory in Iraq

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, September 2nd, 2010 - 6 comments

Barack Obama declared the U.S. combat mission in Iraq officially over on Tuesday but said he would not take a “victory lap”. No victory? That’s quite an understatement…

Whither The Standard?

Written By: - Date published: 5:44 pm, September 1st, 2010 - 83 comments

What next for The Standard? You’re our readers, so you must like something that we do. And you probably have some ideas on what we can do better. So tell us! How best to build The Standard into a community and a voice for the left wing of NZ politics?

Reserve army of labour

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, September 1st, 2010 - 34 comments

Bill English came pretty close to admitting that the Nats are “relaxed” about our current high unemployment. Phil Goff came out swinging…

Teachers strike

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, August 30th, 2010 - 68 comments

Not content with wrecking primary school education, Anne Tolley has bought herself an unnecessary fight with secondary teachers.

The ground zero mosque

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, August 29th, 2010 - 31 comments

“The ground zero mosque” is the latest focus of and flash-point for deranged American right wing anger. The Guardian’s Charlie Brooker explains.

Another broken Supercity promise

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, August 28th, 2010 - 18 comments

Yet another broken promise on the Auckland Supercity, as ministers fail to consult on the directors of council-controlled organisations. Will The Herald stand by its earlier thundering editorial?

Standards fiasco and more National lies

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, August 27th, 2010 - 14 comments

At what point, I wonder, will National figure out that they’re in a hole over “national standards” and finally stop digging? At what point, I wonder, will National stop lying to us that the parents of insert region here are supportive of national standards?

Lost respect and trust

Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, August 26th, 2010 - 20 comments

I was wondering whether to write a post on the very odd things that outrage the tight little circle of right wing bloggers we have in this country. But MikeG in a comment at Dim Post made the point far far better than I could have.

Job queues longer

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, August 24th, 2010 - 17 comments

Contrary to the sunny prognostications of Nice Mr Key, job queues are getting longer. How much more great economic management from John and Bill can the country stand?

Crime and punishment

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, August 23rd, 2010 - 25 comments

White collar crime is on the increase in NZ. The government talks tough and postures about crime in its other forms, how will it respond to white collar crime?

Australian election

Written By: - Date published: 3:26 pm, August 21st, 2010 - 23 comments

Our cousins on the West Island are winding up their election day soon, culminating a dramatic couple of months for Australian politics. It may be that Kevin Rudd gets the last laugh…

Teacher-bashing morons

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, August 20th, 2010 - 47 comments

This government is attacking education at every level. In particular it is attacking teachers over national standards. National blogger DPF’s post yesterday was a particularly disgraceful example. Arrogant, ignorant, and full of lies.

Government NACTered

Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, August 19th, 2010 - 35 comments

Kingmaker Winston Peters today dashed the second term chances of the troubled National-ACT coalition government. Political commentator Q Werty describes this as a risky but gutsy move by the principled Peters.

Karma on the beach

Written By: - Date published: 1:52 pm, August 18th, 2010 - 28 comments

A new lobby group, the “Costal Coalition”, crawled out from under a rock today. Above is their first billboard, one of several planned for Wellington and Auckland. It’s a distasteful, damaging campaign, but National and their associated hacks have no grounds for complaint.

Final ACT for Roy?

Written By: - Date published: 7:19 am, August 17th, 2010 - 35 comments

Infighting within ACT seems to have come to a head, and pundits are predicting that Heather Roy will be sacked today, with John Boscawen to replace her as deputy. Will Roy split off and form a new party of the right? Fight ACT for that 1.5% of the vote?

Attacking NIWA

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, August 16th, 2010 - 98 comments

What do you do when you find science inconvenient to your ideology? Why, you strike it down! Burn the heretics! Or in the modern equivalent, you set the lawyers on them, and try and have the facts declared illegal.

Commentators waking up

Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, August 14th, 2010 - 38 comments

Some within Labour believe that the tide of popularity is beginning to go out on the National government. Commentators seem to be waking up too. John Armstrong takes the Nats to task for their scare-mongering on benefits. And Fran O’Sullivan, cuts to the chase – it’s the economy stupid.

Unions launch name and shame

Written By: - Date published: 7:09 am, August 13th, 2010 - 144 comments

John Key challenged the unions to “put up or shut up”. So they’re going to put up. The CTU has launched a campaign to name and shame businesses that are abusing the fire at will (90 day probation) bill. It’s a campaign based around personal stories. Heather Smith tells the first of many…

Student loan penalties

Written By: - Date published: 7:09 am, August 12th, 2010 - 75 comments

One of the worst effects of student loans is to drive young graduates overseas. What could possibly be stupider? So it’s good to see a policy from this government that is at least a step in the right direction.

Holmes truths on useless Nats

Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, August 11th, 2010 - 38 comments

In his own surreal and ultra-privileged way Paul Holmes has discovered the recession. And it seems to have shaken him up a bit. Paul cuts loose with some Holmes truths about the useless Nat government. But in claiming that there is no alternative Holmes reveals nothing but his own lack of vision…

Tory welfare bashing

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 10th, 2010 - 100 comments

If the political world can be split into Left and Right, is there any issue which is better at dividing us than welfare? Inevitably, the Tory attack on welfare has begun. The Rebstock report “dutifully deliver[s] the findings the government wants to hear”.

Iraq war profiteers

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, August 9th, 2010 - 15 comments

I regard the invasion of Iraq as one of the most shameful events in America’s history. The made up cover story about “weapons of mass destruction” was quickly shown to be a lie. It was always about the oil. And for too many of those on the ground it was always about lining their pockets with billions of dollars worth of slush money.

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