Archive for June, 2009

On referenda and democracy

Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, June 18th, 2009 - 64 comments

I have to disagree with the guest post below, which argues that because citizens’ initiated referenda tend to be brought by groups peddling an interest (so what?) and often deal with complex issues we should just put them in the too hard basket and leave it to the politicians to sort it out. Somehow, that’s […]

Who pays for swine flu?

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, June 18th, 2009 - 15 comments

A lot of people (like a million people or more according to the experts) are set to get sick from swine flu or not be able to go to work because the business is shut because of swine flu. What will happen to people’s incomes when they can’t work because of swine flu? The statutory […]

Do citizens-initiated referenda hamper democracy?

Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, June 18th, 2009 - 23 comments

It’s hard to argue with the idea of referenda. What could be more democratic than citizens deciding precisely what issues the New Zealand public should consider, and taking a vote on them? Won’t that process get people thinking, encourage participation in the democratic process and make politics more accessible? Isn’t it the kind of democracy […]

Still voting yes

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, June 18th, 2009 - 86 comments

I fully understand the political reasons for both Key and Goff not voting in the upcoming referendum. Neither want to have an official position that either puts them on the side of the child-beaters and against a law they recently voted for, or that puts them on the side that may well be heavily defeated. […]

Thursday theorisin’

Written By: - Date published: 12:01 am, June 18th, 2009 - 15 comments

Great quote from Gordon Campbell: “Faced with the dying embers of the Richard Worth scandal at his press conference John Key reached for gasoline” By being secretive, Key has given members of the media a huge incentive to be the first to find out the secret and publish it. Journalists and media outlets get their kudos […]

National still hate women

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 pm, June 17th, 2009 - 65 comments

Despite women being 51% of the population, and it being women who won National the last election, they are still showing their contempt for us. State Services Minister Tony Ryall decided that pay equity isn’t important, dropping a study into why female public servants are still paid less than their male counterparts in the same […]

Baldock gets a smacking

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, June 17th, 2009 - 97 comments

The folks at The Yes Vote point to a hilarious exchange this morning between Sean Plunket and Larry Baldock on Morning Report. Challenged repeatedly to come up with one single example of a parent who has been criminalised for smacking a child, Baldock fudged, then fudged some more, and then rounded it off with some […]

Chauvel on loan sharks

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, June 17th, 2009 - 15 comments

No Right Turn has published an excellent guest post from Labour MP Charles Chauvel about his private member’s bill to stamp out loan sharks. Ever since I became an MP, an issue that I have supported is the regulation of so called “loan sharks”. Loan sharks prey on the vulnerable with unscrupulous rates of interest […]

Key chickens out

Written By: - Date published: 3:22 pm, June 17th, 2009 - 26 comments

What the hell’s going on with John Key’s leadership lately? He’s just chickened out of answering the traditional question from the Leader of the Opposition. He transferred his Prime Minister’s question down to the the Minister of Finance, making the whole thing rather absurd: Hon PHIL GOFF to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand […]

With friends like these…

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, June 17th, 2009 - 13 comments

Judy Kirk claims she didn’t show at Lee’s election night gathering because Coleman had told there was ‘plenty of support’. John Key didn’t show because of the proverbial “long-standing family engagement” and he’s passing the buck on the distinct lack of senior National figures present, saying pointedly that he didn’t organise the event. So now Party […]

‘Crusher’ running scared

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, June 17th, 2009 - 13 comments

I’ve never been the biggest fan of Clayton Cosgrove, but he’s sure got ‘Crusher’ Collins running scared on her cuts to police vehicles. Yesterday in Parliament she refused to answer a question as the Minister of Corrections, telling Cosgrove he should take it up with the Minister of Police instead. The Minister of Police, of […]

Trust me, I’m the Prime Minister

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, June 17th, 2009 - 30 comments

Some thoughts on Key’s continuing refusal to tell us why he fired Worth. First, it’s tautological to say that a Prime Minister fired a minister because he lost confidence in him. The statement provides no new information. Second, it is completely irrelevant that Worth is no longer an MP. The questions are about Key’s decisions […]

Priorities

Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, June 17th, 2009 - 27 comments

Noticed this comment in the Dom this morning [offline] about National’s decision to slash funding for night classes in the Budget: Finance Minister Bill English said the Government would continue to fund some adult and community education programmes, but had higher priorities in the current recession. Um, would that be giving $35 million to private […]

Swine flu information pack

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, June 17th, 2009 - 19 comments

It’s appalling that if you go to the Ministry of Health or Beehive websites there is nothing easy to find about how we as individuals should be reacting to the swine flu pandemic (plenty of info on the Jobs[sic] Summit though). All the experts say exponential spread is now inevitable. The government should be making […]

Tiring of it?

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 am, June 17th, 2009 - 52 comments

Duncan Garner said something interesting during the Mt Albert by-election special: “I’ll tell you why John Key came back from overseas… He came back to get the t-shirt that says ‘I’ve been Prime Minister’. It marries up with what failed National Party candidate Paul Henry said yesterday: “I have a slight nagging fear in the […]

Key’s female trouble

Written By: - Date published: 10:03 pm, June 16th, 2009 - 51 comments

Key is obviously lying about having an unavoidable commitment in Taupo keeping him from Melissa Lee’s election night do. He would tell us what it was if it were true. He would have told journos at the start that he wouldn’t be there if there really had been some long-standing commitment. Truth is he abandoned […]

Has John Key misled Parliament?

Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, June 16th, 2009 - 49 comments

On the day Richard Worth was forced to resign as a Minister, Key explicitly told Parliament the criminal investigation into Worth was the reason why he couldn’t say what had caused him to lose confidence. Hon Phil Goff: Why did the Prime Minister attempt to keep the reasons for the resignation secret this morning? Hon […]

Perspective

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, June 16th, 2009 - 71 comments

National’s line is that they are doing ‘everything possible save jobs and keep people in employment’. Are they living up to the promise? Not even close. The other week Paula Bennett was asked in the House how many jobs had been saved by initatives from John Key’s ‘Jobs Summit’. She proudly replied ‘223’, then corrected […]

Child beating lobby finished

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, June 16th, 2009 - 54 comments

Here’s a tip for the child beaters at Family Fist – if you’re going to whip up a storm of fear and misinformation about a piece of legislation you don’t like, don’t peg your hopes on waiting two years for a referendum to get your revenge. That’s just enough time for your entire dishonest campaign […]

F*ck tha police…

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, June 16th, 2009 - 18 comments

…that seems to be National’s plan as it moves to cut 10% of the police vehicle fleet (why are so many of National’s cuts 10%?). Given the politicking National and its front-groups did on law and order last year you’d think that the last thing they’d do would be make it even harder for them […]

Bullsh*t

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, June 16th, 2009 - 45 comments

During his time in parliament Richard Worth has cost the taxpayer well over a million dollars yet John Key won’t even be straight with the public as to why he’s gone. First Key wouldn’t tell us because he claimed he didn’t want to contaminate a police investigation, now he won’t tell us because, having resigned […]

Nice touch

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, June 16th, 2009 - 4 comments

Stolen from the Grassroots Labour site.

Key’s surprise for Aucklanders

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 am, June 16th, 2009 - 18 comments

Analysis by Rhema Vaithianathan, which hasn’t itself been critiqued but has seen her subjected to the typical vicious personal attacks from National, shows that the supercity will have big economic costs for the areas of most of the existing councils: • Rodney: annual regional GDP falls by up to $74 million and 270 job losses […]

Hooton’s bizarro world strikes again

Written By: - Date published: 4:16 pm, June 15th, 2009 - 52 comments

I think it’s fair to say that David Shearer’s thumping victory in Mt Albert has been widely viewed as securing Phil Goff’s leadership over the Labour Party. Any sane observer will recognise that Goff’s position has been strengthened by the victory, that the party has gained a huge boost in confidence and that Shearer will […]

Know when to fold ’em

Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, June 15th, 2009 - 40 comments

A string of high-profile stuff-ups. You were too smug and incompetent to deal with them. A disappointment to your boss. Key put a lot of faith in you. He defended you at first before cutting you loose to protect his brand. A devastating public humiliation. After which it is clear you have no political future. […]

How to write a submission on election finances

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, June 15th, 2009 - 25 comments

The National-led government repealed much of Labour’s Electoral Finance Act and is now asking the public what should be in a new law on election finances. Please take some time to write a submission backing greater fairness and openness in financing of election campaigns. All you need to do is: head up an e-mail or […]

A bribe is not a plan

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, June 15th, 2009 - 39 comments

As recently posted here, there is a vast gulf between National’s rhetoric and the reality on tax cuts. Before the election National sold its tax cut programme as the answer to every question. Tax cuts were the centrepiece of National’s economic plan and its response to the economic crisis: Key: Tax cuts are a top […]

Glitch

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, June 15th, 2009 - Comments Off on Glitch

There has been a domain registrant glitch that has had the server unavailable. Fixed now.

Democracy in Iran? Not yet

Written By: - Date published: 4:08 pm, June 14th, 2009 - 21 comments

The Iranian election was clearly rigged. Formerly quite democratic by Middle East standards. Iran’s been going backwards fast. There have been violent protests in Tehran and other cities. Put down by security forces. They’ve cut off phone links out of the country. The protestors are on the right side, generally. Pro-democracy, less religious, progressive. They’re […]

After the shake-up

Written By: - Date published: 3:05 pm, June 14th, 2009 - 16 comments

Ever growing numbers of workers aren’t playing the old game any more. Shawn Hattingh has a good piece over at znet documenting some of the moves permitted in the emerging new game. From ‘bossnappings’ in France to occupations and full workplace takeovers and the adoption of self management systems in places as diverse as Scotland, […]

Political capital

Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, June 14th, 2009 - 61 comments

John Key invested a lot of political capital in Melissa Lee. She was his hand picked candidate for the showcase Mt Albert by-election (unceremoniously pushing aside local veteran Ravi Musuku). Winning Helen Clark’s old electorate would have been a hugely symbolic victory for National, and for a while they and their pundits thought it was […]