Author Archive

Bill’s pants are on fire

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, October 30th, 2009 - 9 comments

Bill English claims (echoes of another Bill!) that he did not have pecuniary relations with his family trust: “I didn’t have a pecuniary interest in the trust, I never have had, I don’t now and I don’t have any other interests in it.” According to both common sense and the Auditor General he was wrong […]

Open mike 30/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 30th, 2009 - 26 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…

English condemned

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 29th, 2009 - 30 comments

Bill English stands condemned. Only in part by the Auditor General. Her report is ambiguous: The result was that the Crown was renting a property for Mr English from a trust in which he had an interest, and the arrangement was explicitly based on a view that he did not have an interest. Clearly, this […]

Open mike 29/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 29th, 2009 - 8 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…

Open mike 28/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 5:59 am, October 28th, 2009 - 19 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…

350 Day of Action – A media lament

Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, October 27th, 2009 - 42 comments

Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. We’re above that limit and we’re climbing fast. 350 Aotearoa is the New Zealand arm of 350.org, an international campaign dedicated to creating an equitable global climate treaty that lowers carbon dioxide below 350 parts per million. Last […]

Do as I say – not as I do!

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, October 27th, 2009 - 4 comments

Bill English knows a thing or two about screwing every possible cent out of the system. He gets his generous $276,000 salary. For years he received his unjustified Wellington accommodation allowance. The rules were changed so he could get an even bigger Wellington allowance as a Minister, but he got caught out and grudgingly paid […]

Open mike 27/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 27th, 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…

Send Nats to Scandinavia

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, October 26th, 2009 - 13 comments

Want to send some Nats to Scandinavia? Me too! The one above should be self explanatory. Support Sign On and send John on his way. But while we’re at it let’s send Steven Joyce to Finland! He’s making such a mess of National’s broadband plans. He clearly needs to learn a thing or two about […]

Open mike 26/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 26th, 2009 - 18 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…

Open mike 25/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 25th, 2009 - 26 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…

Labour stands up for ACC

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, October 24th, 2009 - 14 comments

So – Labour have stood up for ACC. Bravo! History repeats. In the last year of the last National government (1999) they flogged off the profitable parts of ACC cover to their mates in the insurance industry (“opened ACC to competition”). The incoming Labour government reversed those changes and re-instated ACC as the sole provider […]

Open mike 24/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 24th, 2009 - 5 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…

350 Day of Action – Saturday

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, October 23rd, 2009 - 8 comments

Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. We’re above that limit and we’re climbing fast. 350 Aotearoa is the New Zealand arm of 350.org, an international campaign dedicated to creating an equitable global climate treaty that lowers carbon dioxide below 350 parts per million.  Tomorrow, Saturday, […]

Open mike 23/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 5:59 am, October 23rd, 2009 - 8 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…

PMs and dictators

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 am, October 23rd, 2009 - 6 comments

While I might not put it quite as vividly as Zetetic, I certainly agree that Carter was very foolish to post anything comparing Key to a dictator. That sort of tactic is National Party territory, we don’t want to go there:

Open mike 22/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 22nd, 2009 - 13 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…

Clueless on ACE

Written By: - Date published: 4:21 pm, October 21st, 2009 - 35 comments

Night classes Adult and Community Education (ACE). An incredibly cost effective and valuable part of the NZ education sector for decades. The ACE budget has been eviscerated by National, cut from $16m to $3m. Effectively a death blow, most of the infrastructure and expertise will go. These are stupid hypocritical cuts, and there is huge […]

Open mike 21/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 21st, 2009 - 16 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…

Another broken promise

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, October 20th, 2009 - 5 comments

Before the election National made promises about extra resources to tackle problems in schools: Schools Policy Strengthening the Ladder of Opportunity National is determined to ensure our school system helps every child climb the ladder of opportunity. We will bring New Zealand schools into the 21st century to ensure that every child, no matter where […]

Open mike 20/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 20th, 2009 - 25 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…

National’s repeated abuse of democratic process

Written By: - Date published: 6:53 am, October 19th, 2009 - 15 comments

The current National led government clearly regards the processes of democracy is an inconvenience to which it must pay lip service, but nothing more. The first signs appeared very early, with repeated abuse of the mechanism of urgency. This got to the point that even their fans at The Herald were moved to rebuke them: […]

Open mike 19/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 19th, 2009 - 20 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…

Protests against cuts to sexual abuse cover

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, October 18th, 2009 - Comments Off on Protests against cuts to sexual abuse cover

[Pulling the following comment from Toad in Open Mike up to the front page.] If you are in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin tomorrow, please try to find the time to support the protests against ACC’s proposed cuts to sexual abuse cover and therapy. There are protests organised for this Monday 19th October: AUCKLAND: Meet […]

Intergenerational theft

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, October 18th, 2009 - 43 comments

I had a free education. Most of the politicians in this and recent parliaments had a free education. More recent students have not been so lucky. Student loans are a 10 Billion dollar burden on the young. It’s crazy – the state spends all this money to educate people in NZ, and as part of […]

Open mike 18/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 18th, 2009 - 4 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…

Key lashes out at random

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 17th, 2009 - 16 comments

Key looks like a PM under pressure. He’s started lashing out at random – never a good sign. It happened while discussing Melissa Lee’s repayment of $80,000 of taxpayer’s money that she had somehow managed to forget that she had. (Yes I know – that sort of thing happens to me all the time too.) […]

Open mike 17/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 17th, 2009 - 6 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…

Surveillance state

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, October 16th, 2009 - 22 comments

One of the most dishonest, yet most successful tactics of National in opposition was to rant on and on about the “Nanny state”. Here’s John Key fairly foaming at the mouth: 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 […]

Open mike 16/10/09

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 16th, 2009 - 32 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…

Do you want a republic?

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 15th, 2009 - 38 comments

Republicanism is a funny issue. Politicians tend to agree that it is inevitable that “at some point” NZ will become a republic, but no one is prepared to take the job on. Well, fate has tilted the table. Yesterday Keith Locke’s bill was drawn from the member’s ballot. The bill sets out a two-step referendum […]

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