Author Archive
Our word is our bond
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, November 26th, 2009 - 22 comments
Maori Party policy on the environment: We aspire to work together to make the economy great but not at the expense of our environment. Climate change affects us all and the biggest emitters must take responsibility to change the way they do business. Any cost they pass on to consumers must encourage environmentally responsible choices. […]
National / Maori ETS now law
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 pm, November 25th, 2009 - 32 comments
So, the National / Maori ETS is now law. Waiho mÄ te WhakamÄ e Patu. Shame on those who supported this appalling legislation and the anti-democratic process used to ram it in to law.
Thickest. Minister. Ever.
Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, November 25th, 2009 - 70 comments
So, imagine you’re the Minister for Education. You’re meeting with the PPTA executive, and sometime soon you’re expecting to announce big teacher layoffs. How do you handle the situation? How about reading the executive a children’s story book! This one should be good: “The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley”. It’s a sweet little […]
ETS – last chance!
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, November 25th, 2009 - 40 comments
Breaking news. It seems that turmoil within the Maori Party may derail the ETS after all: EXCLUSIVE: An 11th hour revolt within the Maori Party is threatening to torpedo the Emissions Trading Scheme deal with the Key Government. Even if the revolt does not succeed – Environment Minister Nick Smith is hoping to secure passage […]
A plague on both your houses
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, November 24th, 2009 - 35 comments
So, as far as National and Maori leaders are concerned, it’s a done deal: “Maori Party to support ETS – bill to become law in days”. Unless (as suggested by Eddie) some Maori Party MPs remember their principles and vote against it, National’s ETS will be forced through parliament under urgency. NRT weighs in with […]
Another Key foot in mouth
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, November 23rd, 2009 - 39 comments
John Key sure is a class act. Not. Latest example*: Stadium funds: We’re not Indian-givers, says Key Prime Minister John Key yesterday said the Government was unlikely to ask for its $15 million back if the Forsyth Barr Stadium is not finished in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. … The issue of whether […]
The stench of corruption
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, November 22nd, 2009 - 6 comments
No, I haven’t abandoned my resolution to be less political on Sundays quite so soon. This post is about smells. Specifically, the effect of certain smells on behaviour. How’s this for fascinating: Clean Smells Promote Moral Behavior, Study Suggests People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments, according to a […]
Watch Bolivia
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, November 21st, 2009 - 52 comments
The world is full of natural experiments in different forms of government. Bolivia is one to watch: Bolivia re-invents democratic socialism… On December 6, Bolivia will hold a general election where Evo Morales, the first Indigenous President in South America will no doubt be re-elected. His party, the MAS, has recently released an election programme […]
Broken English
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, November 20th, 2009 - 24 comments
It looked like a duck. It walked like a duck. It quacked like a duck. Turns out it was a duck. The “Plain English” advertisements were effectively party political broadcasts on behalf of the National Party. (Hardly surprising, as they were coauthored by English and his people). Even TVNZ now admits they should never have […]
Doctors speak up against ETS
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, November 19th, 2009 - 4 comments
A couple of days ago I raised (again) the question of why we don’t see more experts, scientists and academics contributing to public debate. Well here’s one example where they are doing so: Docs say emissions trading scheme will hurt Kids Senior doctors today said that the intended changes to New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme […]
Key needs to face the facts
Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, November 18th, 2009 - 24 comments
Nice Mr Key may be feeling the strain a bit. He’s starting to sound quite snippy: Meanwhile, Key has also slammed Treasury predictions that the proposed changes to the ETS would add $50 billion to the price tag of the scheme. “The numbers from Treasury are nonsense. Treasury can’t tell us what the deficit is […]
Total shambles
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, November 17th, 2009 - 61 comments
The government’s handling of the ETS is a total shambles at every level. Even their fans at The Herald are pointing out the elephants in the room: Another sorry chapter in emissions farce It is rare that all-party select committees of Parliament cannot agree on some improvements to a Government bill even if some parties […]
Light at the end of the tunnel
Written By: - Date published: 6:56 am, November 16th, 2009 - 21 comments
We’ve been in the tunnel of love too long. (You youngsters can go look it up.) The media’s affair with our personable but apparently useless PM has been a trying time for we lefties. But I think there are glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel. Those glimmers come in the form of several […]
Is there anybody out there…
Written By: - Date published: 11:12 am, November 15th, 2009 - 15 comments
OK, this has nothing to do with NZ politics, but I’m trying to stick to my resolution not to rant as usual on Sundays. Instead I’ll sometimes post on a random interesting topic – interesting to me that is, if it isn’t interesting to you there are plenty of other threads! This article fascinated me […]
National will lose the next election
Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, November 14th, 2009 - 76 comments
Here’s a prediction for you. National will lose the next election. The reason that they will lose is that they are running a hollow shell of a government. They haven’t had a plan to deal with the recession, they have just muddled through claiming the programmes that Labour left in place as their own. They […]
Sciblogs
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, November 13th, 2009 - 4 comments
Welcome to a new NZ blog, Sciblogs. From the About: Sciblogs brings together the best science bloggers in the country on one website, creating a hub for scientific analysis and discussion and facilitating reader interaction. The website is for scientists who want to reach out to a general audience to explain their science and how […]
Stupid stupid stupid
Written By: - Date published: 3:50 pm, November 12th, 2009 - 13 comments
Our government is stupid. Sorry, it’s the only conclusion I can draw. Our government is made up of confused, muddled thinkers incapable of planning further ahead than lunchtime. It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. National have decided to “scrap the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and stop work on vehicle fuel efficiency […]
Privatising water
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, November 11th, 2009 - 21 comments
Although the topic has had a turbulent and confused couple of weeks, it seems that National want to privatise Auckland’s water supply. Govt contradicts itself on water privatisation Press Release: Green Party 29 October 2009 Statements from the Government on the issue of water privatisation are confusing and contradictory and give no assurance to the […]
Nat Green split
Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, November 10th, 2009 - 51 comments
I’ve been saying for a while now that folks should be reading Pundit. Recent excellent new author there Claire Browning has a real scoop today: After the honeymoon, divorce: Greens break up with National by Claire Browning The Greens have walked away from part of their working arrangement with the government. Jeanette Fitzsimons revealed exclusively […]
Laws needs an education
Written By: - Date published: 3:32 pm, November 9th, 2009 - 43 comments
I told myself I’d never do a post on pathetic publicity groupie Michael Laws, so here I am failing to live up to yet another resolution. Sigh. But really, this can’t pass without comment: Boys are failing, and feminism is at fault One of the great triumphs of feminism is education. It is a profession […]
Walking the talk
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, November 8th, 2009 - 5 comments
A shout out on a Sunday to a family who are walking the talk: Pastor Murray Smith preaches a message of generosity in his sermons and says people need few material things in order to live happy and fulfilling lives. So Pastor Smith, his wife, Michelle, and their three young children are giving up their […]
Guilty until proven innocent
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, November 7th, 2009 - 9 comments
We are continuing our chilling progress towards a surveillance state. The Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 is another brick in the wall. Apparently this act reverses the fundamental presumption of innocence with respect to assets (possessions, wealth). If the police decide that your possessions were gained via “significant criminal activity” you are guilty unless you […]
A tale of two Johns
Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, November 6th, 2009 - 12 comments
We were offered two very different views of John Key PM yesterday. The first by a pair of love-struck journalists. We’ll start with them. Let’s have a big hand for Garth George folks! Garth George: We should all salute our wonderful PM It comes as no surprise that John Key and National remain top of […]
Chilling
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, November 5th, 2009 - 39 comments
The Search and Surveillance Bill is making its way though the bowels of the government law making process. This is a terrible law, described by the Human Rights Commissioner as “disproportionately invasive” and “chilling“: Sweeping powers to spy, bug conversations and hack into private computers could be given to a web of state agencies as […]
Shamed by Africa
Written By: - Date published: 10:12 am, November 4th, 2009 - 9 comments
On Monday climate change negotiations got under way in Barcelona – “the final chance for negotiators to hammer out a text before December’s Copenhagen summit”. It seems that these vital talks may have failed already. Geoff Keey reports: It’s been a dramatic first day at the climate change negotiations here in Barcelona and […]
A weak leader
Written By: - Date published: 2:32 pm, November 3rd, 2009 - 16 comments
John Key is a weak leader. Currently popular (he’s such a “nice guy” you know) – but weak. Like a school teacher who has lost the respect of their pupils, Key has lost control over his MPs. And like naughty kids, Key’s MPs are starting to run wild. The problem is a lack of accountability. […]
New road user laws
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, November 2nd, 2009 - 20 comments
Remember John Key’s Nanny State rant?: I’ve had nine years of being told what lightbulb I can screw into the house, what shower I can take, what food I can eat, what things I can do, what thoughts I am allowed to have. Ahh, those were the days! Footloose and fancy free in opposition, he […]
Stuffalanche
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, November 1st, 2009 - 12 comments
I read a fun piece by Charlie Brooker in The Guardian recently: There’s too much stuff. We live in a stuff-a-lanche. I’m fairly certain I recently passed a rather pathetic tipping point, and now own more unread books and unwatched DVDs than my remaining lifespan will be able to sustain. I can’t possibly read all […]
Open mike 01/11/09
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 1st, 2009 - 33 comments
We’re trying a daily “Open mike”. This is a place for anyone to post comments on topics that might be of interest, and for any discussion following up on the comments. Over to you…
Cycleway to nowhere
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, October 31st, 2009 - 9 comments
This just in: A picture of stage one of PM John Key’s personal solution to NZ’s recession – the cycleway to nowhere! OK, just kidding. It’s one of the images from The Guardian’s photo show on “Crap cycle lanes”. View them and weep, fellow cyclists… (If you want a political angle to haggle – how […]
Open mike 31/10/09
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 31st, 2009 - 9 comments
We’re trying a daily “Open mike”. This is a place for anyone to post comments on topics that might be of interest, and for any discussion following up on the comments. Over to you…
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