Archive for March, 2010
Voting ban for prisoners irrational
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, March 19th, 2010 - 146 comments
Paul Quinn’s Electoral (Disqualification of Convicted Prisoners) Amendment Bill appears to be unjustifiably inconsistent with the electoral rights affirmed by s 12 of the Bill of Rights Act.
That’s the view of Attorney General Chris Finlayson, whose National Party is supporting the bill to select committee regardless.
‘Front-line’ needs ‘back-office’
Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, March 19th, 2010 - 9 comments
The head of the nurses’ union, Geoff Annals, has given a vivid analogy for why his ‘front-line’ nurses oppose ‘back-office’ staff cuts: “I’ve flown very often but I’ve never seen many staff essential to the safety of my flights. I’ve never seen an air traffic controller for example. Does that mean that air traffic controllers should be dispensed with?”
Open mike 19/03/2010
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 19th, 2010 - 39 comments
Open mike is your post. It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Nats all at sea on whaling
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 pm, March 18th, 2010 - 14 comments
In Kaikoura, John Key said commercial whaling “might be acceptable if it was acceptable to others”. You gotta love the leadership there. But you’ve also got to question what kind of two-faced game the Nats are playing because in the House, Murray McCully said precisely the opposite – that the Government opposes commercial whaling.
Fabian seminar gets big tick
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 pm, March 18th, 2010 - 19 comments
The first Fabian Society seminar in Auckland last weekend attracted a good crowd watch an participate as some of New Zealand’s top economic thinkers debated how to get the economy working for us. It has been judged a huge success. The next seminars will be in Wellington on Sunday 28 March and in Christchurch on 18 April.
Tenants already taking the hit
Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, March 18th, 2010 - 79 comments
I got a call from a friend today, thanks to National his rent is going up. I’ll call him Ned. He’s retired and rents a two bedroom home for $310 a week. He recently received a letter from his landlord advising him of a rent increase of $40 a week. He’s sure his landlord is […]
Classic Key clanger
Written By: - Date published: 3:43 pm, March 18th, 2010 - 6 comments
In this article, in which a Kaikoura Whale Watch spokesman states the bloody obvious (that if New Zealand turns pro-whaling his industry will suffer), our harpoon-wielding Prime Minister displays his usual lemming tendancies, saying commercial whaling “might be acceptable if it was acceptable to others‘. Not only is this not really English, it’s also pathetic. […]
Waihopai victory
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, March 18th, 2010 - 99 comments
The not guilty verdicts in the Waihopai spy base case is a victory for the peace movement and proof of the value of the jury system. A jury of the activists peers were able to decide that it would not be just to convict them. Strict legalism could not beat society’s innate sense of justice. Unfortunately, National is moving to restrict our right to trial by jury.
Rumblings in Nats’ base
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, March 18th, 2010 - 20 comments
There’s a danger in being a government that does nothing except pay of its rich mates, and that’s losing faith with the conservative base. Garth George is the slightly mad, always irritable voice of this demographic, so it’s worth watching as his initial love for John Key wears off to be replaced by despair (and rising anger) at Key’s failure to deliver the brighter future he promised.
Why English lies
Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, March 18th, 2010 - 9 comments
As you’ll be aware, I’ve been pretty flabbergasted by the way day after day Bill English is getting up in the House and telling out and out lies about Labour’s record on the economy only for Labour to sit there and take it. Well, I’ve been thinking about this a little more and I think I get it now. He can’t talk up his own performance – there’s nothing to skite about and it’s against his political strategy even if there were some successes to point to
‘Oh, oh’: sound of a minister floundering
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, March 18th, 2010 - 30 comments
Which minister will be next to go? Rodney Hide or Anne Tolley? If competence was a condition of keeping their job, both would be long gone. But doing a good minister has never been a job requirement in John Key’s government. It comes down to which of them makes a spectacular mistake so serious that […]
Open mike 18/03/2010
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 18th, 2010 - 16 comments
Open mike is your post. It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Cynical denialism will cost us all
Written By: - Date published: 1:21 am, March 18th, 2010 - 36 comments
David Farrar is not stupid. Like everyone with a brain, he knows that climate change is a real and dangerous threat caused by human greenhouse gases emissions. Yet he persists in making denialist dog-whistles to his readers, always being careful never to outright deny climate change himself. He and all the leaders of denialism are telling what they know to be lies to people they know to be idiots.
Lee, Joyce and Hide’s Super City “pig’s arse”
Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, March 17th, 2010 - 9 comments
In a letter to the Herald today, responding to Mike Lee’s op-ed of yesterday, Steven Joyce says:
“Contrary to what Mike Lee says, the Auckland Council will be able to appoint or dismiss any member of the Auckland Transport Board at any time.”
Problem is, Mike Lee didn’t actually say what Joyce says he did.
Hysterical media coverage
Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, March 17th, 2010 - 26 comments
Suddenly John Key is all over the place complaining about “hysterical” media coverage of National’s plans to turn large chunks of our National Parks into smouldering slag. John seems to have forgotten what “hysterical” politics really looks like. Let’s take a trip down memory lane…
A love that will not die
Written By: - Date published: 2:14 pm, March 17th, 2010 - 19 comments
I tried to write a satire of John Armstrong’s column today along the lines of the ‘Beloved Key‘ one I did the other day. But I’ve had to give it away. It’s beyond parody.
So, I guess I’ll do some serious analysis instead.
The Greatest Show on Earth: Richard Dawkins
Written By: - Date published: 1:44 pm, March 17th, 2010 - 4 comments
World Renowned evolutionary biologist and atheist, professer Richard Dawkins, presents the case and evidence for evolution. His New Book, The Greatest Show on Earth, explores the evidence for evolution and why it should be considered fact, not theory. Links to the Podcast of his talk in Christchurch.
Herald cans fact-checking, opts for dogwhistles
Written By: - Date published: 11:35 am, March 17th, 2010 - 57 comments
The New Zealand Herald has never been shy of attacking blogs for their lack of journalistic standards and editorial rigour, but given some of their recent work you’ve got to wonder who they think they’re kidding.
Take today’s woeful piece by Dita De Boni pontificating about Charles Chauvel and those screaming kids on his plane.
Wee gripes: the Steven Joyce cult
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, March 17th, 2010 - 33 comments
People like to talk about how great Steven Joyce is. But he’s not got a single run on the board.
Am I missing something or is just talking about how good you are all that’s needed nowadays?
Money for photo ops, cuts to health
Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, March 17th, 2010 - 24 comments
Just a quick question: Why is John Key giving $300,000 to the All Whites’ World Cup campaign when they’re already making a $6 million profit from the $10 million they get for qualifying? Why is there money for that while elder care and other value for money programmes are getting cuts? Looks like we’re paying for some more John Key photo ops.
Nats to pay miners to dig up national parks
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, March 17th, 2010 - 14 comments
During Question Time yesterday, Metiria Turei exposed National’s plan to subsidise mineral exploration by foreign companies in the most important parts of our national parks.
John Key refused to confirm Turei’s information but couldn’t deny it. Clearly, the Nats had been planning to slip it through in the Budget unnoticed.
More lies from English, Key in lala-land
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, March 17th, 2010 - 15 comments
Bill English can’t defend his economic record, 2.2% fall in GDP, still rising unemployment, falling wages, GDP per capita still falling and not expected to return to pre-recession levels until 2012, so he’s telling more lies about Labour’s record instead. Meanwhile, the Do Nothing Prime Minister is still daydreaming about his cycleway, which he now says will create “a lot more” than 4,000 jobs.
Open mike 17/03/2010
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 17th, 2010 - 19 comments
Open mike is your post. It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Minister flees from journos
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 pm, March 16th, 2010 - 14 comments
We’re used to Key and his ministers hiding from their duties. Now one of them has taken it to a new level. Journos wanted to ask Pacific Affairs Minister Georgina Te Heuheu about the rumours her ministry is getting the chop. At the sight of them, Te Heuheu ran away. Fran Mold reportedly said she’d never seen anything like it.
Financial regulation in USA?
Written By: - Date published: 3:51 pm, March 16th, 2010 - 24 comments
The recent recession represented a spectacular failure of unfettered capitalism. One of the main causes in America was a picking apart of financial regulations. This allowed the “innovative” products and practices that brought the system down. Perhaps America has learned the lesson. A new Democratic proposal outlines “the biggest overhaul of regulations since the New Deal”.
On the Chauvel beatup
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, March 16th, 2010 - 132 comments
Stuff.co.nz’s decision to turn an anonymous, politically motivated smear from an ACT Party activist into a front page tabloid screamer is gutter journalism for sure, but it’s only the latest example of a worrying trend.
It’s what happens when the right-wing smear machine meets an increasingly tabloid news media.
Tolley losing the plot?
Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, March 16th, 2010 - 14 comments
Anne Tolley put out an odd media statement on Friday. She reckons Trevor Mallard, opposition spokesperson for Education, dominated two public meetings in Auckland on her Government’s unpopular national standards policy. Which begs the question, was she actually all there at either meeting?
50 dollars and northwards
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, March 16th, 2010 - 14 comments
Felix can hardly contain himself at the prospect of National’s tax changes: Woohoo!! Told you my mate Mr Key would be able to deliver a “north of $50 a week†tax cut. And you all said he wouldn’t. So who’s looking stupid now eh? I mean sure, you need to bring in $180,000 a year to get it but just get off your arse and be a bit more ambitious whydontcha?
Newspapers/govt seed scientific ignorance
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, March 16th, 2010 - 46 comments
My mouth dropped yesterday when I read in the Dompost an editorial lamenting the “scientifically ignorant public, suspicious of the work many scientists do”. What shocked me was the chutzpah of the lament coming from a newspaper that fuels scientific illiteracy. Today, the Dompost has yet another anti-science, illiterate climate change denier column. Meanwhile, for all its talk, Key’s Government is cutting science jobs.
Don Brash, Rogernomics, and Huljich
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, March 16th, 2010 - 20 comments
The New Zealand economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s were largely a failure. This can be seen from the large negative divergence post 1984 in New Zealand’s real output per capita in comparison to Australia, our usual benchmark. New Zealand’s comparative position vis-Ã -vis unemployment also worsened. Poverty and social inequality increased. Australia undertook various […]
Open mike 16/03/2010
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 16th, 2010 - 22 comments
Open mike is your post. It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
- What’s up with the changes to employment law for contractors?
A new test for workers who want to challenge their employment status as contractors is on its way. Here’s everything you need to know. On Monday, workplace relations and safety minister Brooke van Velden strode onto parliament’s tiles with a fuchsia-coloured clutch, perfectly matching her signature coat. Granted, it was ...2 days ago - Inside the government’s beleaguered bid to reduce violent crime
The target for reducing violent crime is already looking shaky, just months into a five-year plan. Documents released under the Official Information Act give a glimpse of what’s been going on behind the bold claims and big promises. Just over four months into his government’s first term, all the random ...2 days ago
- Christchurch terrorist gets special status for inquest
New Zealand’s worst mass murderer has been granted “interested party” status for the upcoming coronial inquest into the Christchurch terror attack.That’s upset some in the Muslim community, including those denied government funding to attend the inquest hearing in person, who feel the terrorist’s rights are being put ahead of theirs.An ...2 days ago - Methanex job losses a blow to Govt’s gas plans
Comment: Without NZ’s largest gas user, it is unlikely the oil and gas industry would take a risk on a no doubt unpopular new offshore drilling operation The post Methanex job losses a blow to Govt’s gas plans appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 18 September
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 18 September appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Parental leave helps us help our kids help themselves
Analysis: Part of the excitement of youth is that it is a time to experience new opportunities, learn new skills, rise to challenges and develop our identities.But in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2024 the real world isn’t quite so accommodating for too many. A large and growing cohort of young ...2 days ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 18 September
The post Daily crossword, Wednesday 18 September appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Just say the words, minister: Military. Style. Weapons. Will. Remain. Banned
Opinion: Military-style semi-automatic weapons should have been banned after the mass shooting at Aramoana in 1990 The post Just say the words, minister: Military. Style. Weapons. Will. Remain. Banned appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Slow down, Mr Brown
Comment: The Government’s proposed blanket speed-limit increases will go down in history as yet another thing imposed on people that no one asked for, for example when Coca-Cola switched to New Coke or when Apple forced U2’s Songs of Innocence album into everyone’s iTunes account.After years of careful consideration, detailed ...2 days ago
- The pageants where beauty takes a back seat
Miss World is viewed by a worldwide television audience of over one billion people.“It’s bigger than the Superbowl. It is big business, and it’s a big deal,” says the Miss World licence holder in New Zealand, Nigel Godfrey.He’s been involved in that business for more than 40 years and is ...2 days ago
- NZ asked to join Taiwan Strait military sailings
The Taiwan Strait must remain free for all to traverse, Taipei’s NZ representative says The post NZ asked to join Taiwan Strait military sailings appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Weak campervan demand makes Tourism Holdings worst-performing stock
The tougher economic environment is making it harder for Tourism Holdings to get sales over the line The post Weak campervan demand makes Tourism Holdings worst-performing stock appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 days ago
- Pro-Palestinian activists hold protests to disrupt defence expo in Australia
By Efe Özkan Pro-Palestinian anti-war activists in Australia have protested in Melbourne, disrupting a defence expo set to open on Wednesday. Protesters gathered yesterday in front of companies connected to weapons manufacturing across Melbourne as police were called to prevent an escalation of the events, according to 7News Melbourne. Many ...2 days ago - New poll shows NZ support for recognising Palestinian statehood, sanctioning Israel
By Luka Forman, RNZ journalist A new poll shows a significant number of New Zealanders support recognising Palestine as a state and applying sanctions against Israel. Commissioned by advocacy group Justice for Palestine and conducted by Talbot-Mills, the poll found support for recognising Palestinian statehood and sanctions for Israel was ...2 days ago
- Added insulation costs small fraction of figure given by minister – research
The building minister says he expects the new research to be factored into the government's review looking at rolling back the standards. ...2 days ago - Call for UN sanctions on Israel to implement ICJ ruling on illegality of Palestine occupation
BDS National Committee The Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the largest coalition in Palestinian society leading the global BDS movement, has called for immediate pressure on all states to support the updated resolution tabled at the UN General Assembly calling for sanctions on Israel. The resolution is aimed at enacting ...2 days ago
- View from The Hill: The Albanese government is feeling a lot of pain from pincers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When a leader is on the back foot, small things are telling. On Monday, Anthony Albanese, who leaves on Thursday for a meeting of the Quad – comprising leaders of the United States, India, ...2 days ago
- I think my child’s weight is affecting their health. How can I best support them?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Lister, Research Fellow, Paediatric Nutrition and Obesity/Pre-Diabetes Treatment, University of Sydney kwanchai.c/Shutterstock Weight fluctuation and change in body composition with growth is a normal part of development. Apart from the first year of life, teenage years experience the most rapid ...3 days ago
- Advertising a house is ridiculously expensive in Australia – could that be affecting the property ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock Australia has long been one of the most expensive places in the world to buy a house. Now, it’s apparently also one of the costliest places to sell one. Recent ...3 days ago
- Tito Jackson was a lifelong musician, best remembered for his work with the Jackson 5
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leigh Carriage, Senior Lecturer in Music, Southern Cross University If you immediately start singing along to ABC, Blame It On The Boogie, I’ll Be There, Can You Feel It or Who’s Loving You you are a Jackson 5 fan – and for ...3 days ago
- ‘No way’ the government’s ‘one-size-fits-all’ health approach will wor...
A new study shows Pasifika children in Aotearoa are 115 times more likely to be hospitalised with acute rheumatic fever than European children. ...3 days ago
- Rupert Murdoch’s real-life succession drama is underway in a Nevada courtroom. What might happen n...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rodney Tiffen, Emeritus Professor, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney A unique court case is getting under way in Nevada this week. At stake is the future of the Murdoch empire. The case, which begins on September 17 local ...3 days ago
- Rules change for scheme which pays authors for library books
The government is making a change so authors whose books are held in public libraries will no longer have to reapply every year for payments. ...3 days ago
- Patient Voice Aotearoa delivers petition to Parliament to fix Buller Hospital staffing shortages
Patient Voice Aotearoa delivered a petition to Parliament today calling on the government to urgently fix staffing shortages at Buller Hospital. ...3 days ago
- Google is worth more in Australia than major news outlets. Here’s how it could better fund journal...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Senior Research Associate in Media and Communications, University of Sydney The Global Media Internet Concentration Project examines the concentration of the communications and media in countries around the world. The latest data for Australia have recently been released, and ...3 days ago
- China says AUKUS is ‘driven by Cold War thinking’. Here are 3 reasons it is so threatened by the...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Herscovitch, Research Fellow, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University Ever since AUKUS’ public announcement three years ago, China has been staunchly opposed to the partnership. Beijing has blasted AUKUS diplomatically and mounted a concerted campaign to challenge its ...3 days ago
- The power of one: solitary carnivores outkill group hunters
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Emerson, PhD Candidate in ecology, Deakin University Mark Elbroch, Panthera.org Earth’s majestic “apex predators” are some of the most prolific hunters in the world. But which ones kill the most? Our new research showed solitary hunters such as bears, ...3 days ago
- Justice minister’s advice to gang members who want to wear patches at home: ‘Just don...
The coalition is under fire from officials, the Law Society and the opposition for adding a controversial clause but Paul Goldsmith says the charges are easy to avoid. ...3 days ago
- Have you heard of the open source internet? The antidote to a capitalist web already exists
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dana McKay, Associate Dean, Interaction, Technology and Information, RMIT University Dan Schiumarini/Unsplash In the early days of the internet, famously, no one knew if you were a dog. The internet was a place where you could be anyone. More importantly, ...3 days ago
- Do repetitive head injuries really cause the degenerative brain disease CTE? New research questions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Fortington, Senior Research Fellow | Injury Prevention & Sports Medicine, Edith Cowan University Concerns about the long-term impacts of concussion and head injury have become prominent in recent years, particularly among participants and stakeholders of contact and collision sports. Many people ...3 days ago
- Why is it so hard to get drugs approved for use during pregnancy?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treasure McGuire, Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Mater Health SEQ in conjoint appointment as Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Bond University and as Associate Professor (Clinical), The University of Queensland Nobody wants to see another Thalidomide tragedy. The drug was prescribed to pregnant ...3 days ago
- SA company Sibaneye-Stillwater eyes New Caledonia nickel mining plant
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A South African company is reported to be the most probable bidder for shares in New Caledonia’s Prony Resources. As part of an already advanced takeover of the ailing southern plant of Prony Resources, the most probable bidder is reported to ...3 days ago
- Government’s Contractors Proposal “Designed To Lock In Exploitation”
“Our message to the Government is simple: scrap this proposal, and stop the attacks on workers and our communities.” ...3 days ago - Kyla | Takeout Kids | The Spinoff
“I almost broke my extensions again. And my nail polish came off.” | Watch the full series: https://thespinoff.co.nz/videos/takeout-kids ✏️ Kyla shares her pepeha with clients while waiting for her mum to finish up in her nail salon. In the school playground, she deals with more serious issues: love and crushes. ...3 days ago
- Screw it, build Wayne Brown’s weird bridge
It’s not a good idea, but it’s not going to make congestion worse while bankrupting the country, and that’s the best we can hope for at this point. The Waitematā Harbour drops down 29m at its deepest point, which is almost enough space to contain all the dumb ideas on ...3 days ago
- Takeout Kids: Kyla
Takeout Kids returns for season two. Meet Kyla, of Whakatāne’s City Nails. Building on the success of its 2022 launch, Takeout Kids returns for a second season, following five tamariki and rangatahi growing up in the small businesses owned by their immigrant families. The latest season features young ...3 days ago
- Health NZ / Te Whatu Ora payment system upgrade in trouble
A project to replace a system that dishes out $12 billion of health payments every year is in trouble. ...3 days ago
- Papuan aspirations at stake in divided Melanesian Spearhead Group politics
COMMENTARY: By Laurens Ikinia in Jakarta The Land of Papua is widely known as a land full of milk and honey. It is a name widely known in Indonesia that refers to the western half of the island of New Guinea. Its natural wealth and beauty are special treasures entrusted ...3 days ago
- Submissions Open For The Gambling (Definition Of Remote Interactive Gambling) Amendment Bill
The Gambling (Definition of Remote Interactive Gambling) Amendment Bill, as introduced, would amend the Gambling Act 2003 to permanently exempt class 3 gambling in the form of a lottery from the prohibition on remote interactive gambling, allowing it to ...3 days ago
- Saved from extinction? New modelling suggests a hopeful future for te reo Māori
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Miller, PhD Candidate, School of Information Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Just four years ago, experts warned te reo Māori was on a “pathway towards extinction” unless resources were put into teaching young Māori. But a ...3 days ago
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