Archive for June, 2010

Open mike 17/06/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 17th, 2010 - 61 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, Creech, and the Dairy Investment Fund

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 am, June 17th, 2010 - 45 comments

The media has concluded that John Key’s trust isn’t blind. It owns an investment company that is in business with Wyatt Creech in dairying. Creech was getting briefings from National on its water policy long before it appointed him to conduct an ‘independent’ review of Ecan, which resulted in the abolition of the democratically-elected council to advance the interests of dairy.

Canterbury government in exile

Written By: - Date published: 12:51 pm, June 16th, 2010 - 21 comments

Since the fall of Canterbury to the newly installed dictatorial regime, a few of the deposed representatives have escaped the closing net and set up a local government in exile. Vowing to “continue to serve you in your region”, this ragged band will fight to keep the flame of democracy alive.

Maori Party sell-out opens opportunity for Greens

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, June 16th, 2010 - 78 comments

Of the political parties in Parliament, only the Greens are likely to oppose the ‘new’ foreshore and seabed law. So, the Greens will be the only place for disaffected Maori Party voters to turn to. And why not? Their values are very similar. I expect that the Greens will make a strong play for the party votes in the Maori seats, winning over a lot of people who feel betrayed by the Maori Party.

Senator Alvin Greene?

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, June 16th, 2010 - 29 comments

Alvin Greene is an unemployed military veteran who received an involuntary discharge and is currently on felony pornography charges. He has a degree but seems a bit, um, challenged. He received 60% of the vote in the Democratic Primary for South Carolina senator, despite having no experience, no backing, and no campaign. No-one can explain it. See the Daily Show’s take:

Open mike 16/06/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 16th, 2010 - 64 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…

Questions mount on PEDA

Written By: - Date published: 12:10 am, June 16th, 2010 - 45 comments

Details on PEDA are still very thin but it is increasingly looking like public money has been hijacked to help the political prospects of National’s Pacific Islanders. The service delivery aspect of the Pacific Island Affairs Ministry seems set to be turned over to this private organisation. The lack of honest answers from the minister only deepens the suspicion that something very dodgy is afoot.

All Whites game 1

Written By: - Date published: 11:39 pm, June 15th, 2010 - 41 comments

So – anyone else sitting up watching the game? (This thread a politics free zone!)

Media milk Carter demotion for all it’s Worth

Written By: - Date published: 7:41 pm, June 15th, 2010 - 114 comments

The media had a field day with Chris Carter today. Journalists stalked Carter throughout the Parliamentary complex, ambushed him with questions on the fly, and used the footage to make ‘good’ news. I want to know why that behaviour is good enough for Carter to receive when he’s demoted, but not good enough for John Key or Richard Worth

Losing confidence in education

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, June 15th, 2010 - 37 comments

I really like my children’s school – I think they work hard to keep those young minds engaged and bodies active. I know it’s a job that is pretty demanding, and hugely important. So when I hear that three-quarters of teachers are feeling unprepared and rushed as they work to implement National’s new national standards (according to a NZEI survey) I start to feel apprehensive.

Anderton clear leader in Christchurch

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, June 15th, 2010 - 28 comments

I was quite surprised by Jim Anderton’s decision to stand for mayor of Christchurch. And I had thought that his decision not to step down from Parliament until the next election was a mistake that would haunt him in the mayoral campaign. But it looks like I got it wrong. A UMR poll shows that Anderton is preferred over Tory incumbent Bob Parker by a two to one margin.

Plunket resigns from Morning Report

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, June 15th, 2010 - 41 comments

News just in that Sean Plunket has resigned from Morning Report. It’s well known that he has had conflicts with his bosses over the years but there’s no information as of yet on why he decided to call it a day. He’ll be missed. His robust style is a rarity in this country and has […]

Foreshore ends with a whimper

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, June 15th, 2010 - 49 comments

If that is the foreshore and seabed debate effectively resolved we should all take a moment to celebrate. It will be good to have the issue behind us as a country and move on. Given the agreement between National and the Maori Party it looks like the whole debate was mostly about semantics. Meanwhile in practical terms iwi say they want the kind of rights that Ngati Porou secured – under the current Act.

Fabians Lecture tonight

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, June 15th, 2010 - 2 comments

Fabians Lecture tonight: Economics for Everyone in Auckland Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn 5:30-7:30 Jim Stanford on why the Economy is too important to be left to Economists.

Capital Fair Gains

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, June 15th, 2010 - 17 comments

At the moment the UK is debating a rise in Capital Gains Tax, from 18% to 40 or 50%. The debate is largely going on within the ruling Tory party, as their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats won several tax concessions so that they could create a GBP10,000 income tax free band. The proposed tax rise is to treat earned and unearned income the same.

Open mike 15/06/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 15th, 2010 - 63 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…

Maori Party caves on foreshore & seabed

Written By: - Date published: 12:44 am, June 15th, 2010 - 39 comments

A foreshore and seabed DEAL that amounts to little more than a symbolic rearranging of the deck chairs is not what the Maori Party was elected to achieve. The deal the Maori Party makes now is the one Maori are stuck with. That’s why the Iwi Leadership Forum is so unexcited about it. The winner here is Key, he played the Maori Party into a corner. The hagiographies will be going to print as I write.

Maori Party going to cave?

Written By: - Date published: 3:22 pm, June 14th, 2010 - 50 comments

The signals are that the Maori Party is going to cave on the foreshore and seabed. National has offered a symbolic repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act while leaving the actual law essentially unchanged. If they cave in, they will have abandoned their primary policy for the sake of power. Let’s hope they don’t. [Updated – it seems an agreement of some kind has been reached]

Accountability then and now…

Written By: - Date published: 3:13 pm, June 14th, 2010 - 22 comments

Labour holds it’s MPs to higher standards than National. This post from the archives looks at some examples. If Key doesn’t act on his profligate MPs it will be time to add another chapter.

Dangerously lax attitude to spills in NZ

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, June 14th, 2010 - 19 comments

The Deep Horizon oil spill drags on and on and the estimates of the daily leak keep growing. The oil industry has proven itself incapable of plugging an oil well leak in deep water. Yet the government is pushing ahead with deep sea drilling a disturbingly dismissive attitude towards what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico and could happen here.

The return of the Schmuck

Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, June 14th, 2010 - 16 comments

National is trying again to pass a law specifically to allow Opua businessman Doug Schmuck to annex public land. Thousands protest the Supercity, ACC cuts, ACE cuts, the abolition of Ecan, the gutting of the ETS, water privatisation, and wage freezes – the Nats just ignore them. Then one businessman can get two ministers to try to pass a law just for him. What is going on here?

Our Water Our Vote

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 am, June 14th, 2010 - 31 comments

Sunday saw another big protest against the government. An estimated 3000 people turned out in Christchurch for the “Our Water Our Vote” rally to protest National’s attacks on Canterbury’s democracy and environment.

Open mike 14/06/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 14th, 2010 - 23 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…

English, Guy, Groser, McCully, & Smith to follow Jones, Carter & Ririnui?

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 pm, June 13th, 2010 - 142 comments

Phil Goff is back in the country and, as predicted, his first move is going to be to take their portfolios off Shane Jones, Chris Carter, and, probably, Mita Ririnui for their misuse of their credit cards. The attention will now turn to the abuses of those who haven’t been punished for their wasteful and greedy use of public money – Tim Groser, Murray McCully, Nathan Guy, Nick Smith, and Bill English. Updated

Serious Humour – Greenpeace challenge

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 pm, June 13th, 2010 - 8 comments

Greenpeace are running a competition to rebrand BPs logo – have a look at the latest ideas…

Nats’ smear machine steps up attack on Len Brown

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, June 13th, 2010 - 77 comments

The National Party smear machine is stepping up its attack on soon-to-be Auckland mayor Len Brown. Worried that Key’s handpicked candidate John Banks is falling behind, the right is resorting to smearing his left-wing rival. The National Party’s David Farrar is even suggesting a “cover-up” and “fraud” at the Manukau Council. Is panic setting in at the thought of losing Auckland?

Labour concedes 2011 election

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, June 13th, 2010 - 56 comments

In a short statement outside the Beehive today Labour leader Phil Goff conceded the 2011 election to National.

Open mike 13/06/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 13th, 2010 - 13 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…

Creepy like Rodney, but intelligent

Written By: - Date published: 6:56 pm, June 12th, 2010 - 14 comments

If you have any interest in robotics or AI, or just want to be creeped-out by just how life-like the latest robots really are, you have to see this footage to believe it. It’s the spawn of DARPA’s Learning Locomotion Project and employs some very clever heuristics to allow the robot to learn how to […]

Ball back in Key’s court

Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, June 12th, 2010 - 118 comments

Shane Jones and Chris Carter are for the chop. Labour will lay down the gauntlet to John Key to apply those same standards to Murry McCully and Tim Groser. Key is desperate to avoid that, we know how lax his standards are. Maybe its hard on Jones but Labour needs to clean up its act and heads have to roll. Expect Key to squirm as he refuses to hold his ministers to account, once again.

Open mike 12/06/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 12th, 2010 - 13 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…

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