Archive for May, 2010

Tide turns, a long way to go

Written By: - Date published: 12:52 pm, May 6th, 2010 - 28 comments

The unexpectedly large fall in unemployment is to be celebrated. It’s great that unemployment has fallen so much but 6% is an appallingly high rate of unemployment. It is not natural or normal – it only became normal under National in the 1990s and in the last year of the current government. We still have a long way to go to the sub-4% unemployment we so recently enjoyed.

Bold economic leadership… from the Opposition

Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, May 6th, 2010 - 61 comments

I’m glad to see Labour is stealing a march on the lazy Nats and building an alternative economic vision ahead of the Budget. It looks to be just the vision New Zealand needs, built on the twin planks of economic sovereignty and a fairer distribution of wealth.

British election – latest polling

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, May 6th, 2010 - 23 comments

From the Guardian today, latest polling predicts Tories on course to regain power after 13 years…

Nats show their contempt for working Kiwis

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, May 6th, 2010 - 6 comments

Yesterday, Darien Fenton’s Redundancy Protection Bill was voted down by the Government. Disgraceful. The Nats added a kick in the teeth by having David Bennett lead their side of debate with a mad, disrespectful speech. Congratulations to Darien, Labour, the Greens, Progressives, the Maori Party, and the groups representing 350,000 Kiwi workers who fought for this. We’ll win next time.

Please, let this be the peak

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 6th, 2010 - 60 comments

The March quarter unemployment rate is out today. It should be back down below 7% from the appalling 7.3% that National let it rise to. My hope is to see it fall to at most 6.8%, that’ll represent 10,000 Kiwis back into work. But Bill English has hinted it won’t fall. If there is not a serious reduction in unemployment, we will know who to blame.

DPF strikes out

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, May 6th, 2010 - 29 comments

I don’t read Kiwiblog often. DPF is capable of interesting political commentary or detailed policy wonkery on occasion, but most of the time it is editorial cut and paste jobs, troll farming, or postcards from his latest holiday. Ho hummm. Even a casual reader such as myself, however, can’t help but notice that National’s eternal spinster is having a pretty appalling week.

Open mike 06/05/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 6th, 2010 - 26 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…

Pickled Paula picked a pair of Peters

Written By: - Date published: 12:13 am, May 6th, 2010 - 56 comments

But which Peter did pickled Paula pick?

Bennett floundering over Saunders

Written By: - Date published: 5:34 pm, May 5th, 2010 - 42 comments

Apparently Paula Bennet is not aware quite who she has appointed to advise the Welfare Working Group…

Rising education costs undermine our future

Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, May 5th, 2010 - 27 comments

You might say that National’s new $50 a year graduate fee is a small thing. But it’s another discouragement for a young person who is looking at either going straight into low-skill, low-pay work or borrowing thousands to get some skills. The last thing we need to be doing is discouraging more people from going on to polytech or uni.

Collins has no answers on murder increase law

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, May 5th, 2010 - 12 comments

This is a crime bill that is not expected to deter or reduce crime and may increase murders. That’s not acceptable. It’s not even really a crime bill, it’s a stupid PR stunt that puts lives at risk. No responsible government would pass it. But this is not a responsible government. It is willing to cause more murders for the sake of appearing tough on crime.

Key’s ministers still at the trough

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, May 5th, 2010 - 26 comments

You’ll remember how Bill ‘Double Dipton’ English was caught claiming the out of town allowance for living in his family home in Wellington. As a half-arsed solution, out of town ministers are now limited to claiming $37,500 a year for their Wellington accommodation. So, how come eight ministers are still claiming far more than that?

Key “short-sighted, irresponsible”

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, May 5th, 2010 - 88 comments

Today’s Herald has a front page piece criticizing Key’s abandonment of his Middle East trade mission to return home for the funerals of the three airmen who crashed on their way to an ANZAC Day parade. Trade delegate Dr John Langley said the decision was not in New Zealand’s long-term interests and that Mr Key was […]

Open mike 05/05/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 5th, 2010 - 51 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…

Out of fashion

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 pm, May 4th, 2010 - 9 comments

You’d think Gerry Brownlee would be embarrassed after the week he’s had – yet I doubt it. We’ve ceased to have such expectations of our politicians. But is there more to it than that? Perhaps. According to Christine Rossen, we are facing ‘the death of embarrassment’, with a potential social cost.

Aussies build trains “for a living” – that’s why their standard is better than ours

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, May 4th, 2010 - 33 comments

Steven Joyce has virtually ruled out Kiwirail building its new trains here in New Zealand. The Aussies have a completely different view about government purchasing, as I learnt from my years on the Industrial Supplies Office management committee in the 1990’s. They believe in Australian jobs for Australian money.

Straw clutching on mining

Written By: - Date published: 3:27 pm, May 4th, 2010 - 28 comments

In 2000, Labour gave permission for two companies to carry out traditional gold-panning for tourism purposes on Schedule 4 land. National seems to think this is a great scandal. As if zero-impact gold-panning in rivers is comparable to gold cast mines and massive tailings lakes. They’re really getting desperate, aren’t they?

Not even miners will dig Gerry out

Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, May 4th, 2010 - 25 comments

When you’re that far on the backfoot, it’s not hard to teeter further. The CTU has today come out against the Government’s mining plans; a position even Brownlee admits is “a bit of a surprise” given the union’s membership includes miners. What’s the score now? I say time for a quick tally. We’ve got the […]

From bad to worse for workers

Written By: - Date published: 2:18 pm, May 4th, 2010 - 11 comments

While John’s off playing soldiers, things are getting worse and worse for Kiwi workers. Wages are falling for the first time in a decade. The average hourly wage was $25.80 when National came to power. Now, it’s $25.30. I had hoped unemployment would start falling about now but the signs are discouraging. Only unionised workers able to protect themselves from the storm.

Tipping point

Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, May 4th, 2010 - 12 comments

We’ve passed “the honeymoon”, we’ve passed “the honeymoon is over”, and we’re now on to discussions of “the tipping point” for the National government. Not before time.

Backlash over media favouritism

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, May 4th, 2010 - 52 comments

Tracey Watkins is less than chuffed over the way the media were used on John Key’s ‘secret’ Afghanistan trip:…Equally troubling was the control exerted by the Prime Minister’s Office over access – Key refused to make room for journalists from the country’s two biggest media companies, Fairfax and APN. Even state broadcaster Radio New Zealand was left in the cold.

My cellphone isn’t made of gold

Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, May 4th, 2010 - 7 comments

The Nats and miners have this weird freeloader argument. ‘Those protesters are hypocrites. Their cell phones and ipods and cars all use mined products. They should support us mining’. They won’t be mining needed industrial minerals. But what’s under Paparoa? Dirty coal. What’s under Coromandel and Barrier? Gold. which is nearly all used for jewellery and ‘investment’.

Open mike 04/05/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 4th, 2010 - 36 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…

Govt agencies should look at the big picture

Written By: - Date published: 1:15 am, May 4th, 2010 - 47 comments

Government bodies should base their actions on what’s in the best interests of New Zealand as a whole, even if its not necessarily best for that government body. I would have thought that was unarguable. But, oddly, the Right doesn’t agree. There’s no economic justification for their position. It seems more like a cultural cringe, a lack of faith in New Zealand.

Not a time for mixed messages

Written By: - Date published: 1:34 pm, May 3rd, 2010 - 26 comments

This is not a time for mixed messages. Phil Goff is quoted today as saying: “They [the Government] have got to back down from both Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel”. No! Labour’s position, and the position of the biggest single protest march since 1938, is no mining in any Schedule 4 land! Don’t dilute the message…

So much for ‘ambitious for New Zealand’

Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, May 3rd, 2010 - 161 comments

A new report says that building the half a billion worth of new rail rolling stock for Auckland in New Zealand would boost GDP by $250 million, improve our current account deficit by over $100 million, add $70 million to government revenue, and create 1200 skilled jobs. But the Government just want the cheapest price for the rail cars, and that means going overseas.

Why the miners are so keen on public land

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, May 3rd, 2010 - 36 comments

Most of this country’s mineral wealth lies under private land, according to the government’s own figures. So, why are the Nats so determined to override public opinion and let their mining allies dig up our precious protected lands? Simple: mining on private land means paying a lease to the owner. Mining on public land is cheaper: we’re played like chumps for bigger profits.

Protection for workers in hard times

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, May 3rd, 2010 - 32 comments

Darien Fenton’s Redundancy Protection Bill is before the House this week (provided National doesn’t cancel Private Members’ Day again). The Bill will give all working Kiwis some income protection if they lose their jobs, like people get in other developed countries. You can help make it happen.

Open mike 03/05/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 3rd, 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…

Key under attack from Left & Right

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 pm, May 2nd, 2010 - 48 comments

50,000 New Zealanders march against the mining plans of this government. For many, the mining agenda is yet another black mark against this government that has done nothing positive about the issues that matter – jobs, wages, health, education, the environment. But the capitalist elite who so desperately wanted their party in power are getting pretty pissed off too.

Collins: All talk, no crush

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, May 2nd, 2010 - 16 comments

We all know that Police and Corrections Minister Judith Collins has, for all her tough talk, failed to bring down crime, and suppressed the official advice that her 3 strikes law may increase murders. But what about the policy that got her the nickname that she revels in? How many cars has ‘Crusher’ crushed? The answer may surprise you.