Archive for February, 2011

Reagan’s legacy

Written By: - Date published: 6:55 am, February 8th, 2011 - 24 comments

It’s 100 years since the Gipper was born. That’s right, 100 years since the ball started rolling on a project of smiley-faced neoliberalism that we’re still suffering under.

I was going to write a tribute but John Dolan does it so much better than I ever could…

25c slap in the face

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 am, February 8th, 2011 - 77 comments

So John Key thinks that a 1.9% increase in pay will cover 4% inflation, and that’s all minimum wage workers are going to get. That 25c/hour won’t add up to a litre of milk at the end of the day, let along a block of cheese at the end of the week. A person on minimum wage will now get $437.24/week after tax, whilst JK gave himself over $1000 extra per week in tax cut.

Open mike 08/02/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 8th, 2011 - 37 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 Council decides by consensus

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 5 comments

According to its Constitution ,the Maori Party Council makes decisions by consensus.  I remember consensus decision-making from my days as a community activist in the 1970’s. Nay-sayers have a veto. If Te Tai Tokerau’s representatives don’t agree, the Council can’t decide and Hone doesn’t go. Hence the co-leaders’ move to suspend him.

Michael Lhaws’ irrelevancy proven

Written By: - Date published: 2:50 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 68 comments

Yesterday, Lhaws’ SST piece called for involuntary sterilisation and reproduction licences (ie. forced abortions). Pure fascism.  Today, no uproar. Once, his stoush with some school kids was news. Now, he offers a eugenic ‘solution’ to the underclass and not a peep. He’s truly a has-been. He won’t have that SST column for long.

Hone suspended

Written By: - Date published: 2:33 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 62 comments

Hone has just been suspended from the Maori Party caucus.  Pita and Tariana have had enough and they’re cutting him off in parliament – which surely can only be a prelude to him being cut off at party level as well.

Kiwi dream RIP

Written By: - Date published: 1:36 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 34 comments

Owning your own home was the foundation of the “Kiwi dream”.  Now it seems that we’ve let that dream slip further out of reach than almost anywhere in the world.  Houses in Auckland are less affordable than in New York.  Demand in the rental market is far outstripping supply.  What should the government be doing?

No Aroha for Key

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 27 comments

Tomorrow is the first day of Parliament for the year, so I’m picking we’ll see John Key’s annual passing mention of the ‘underclass’. You remember Key’s promise to make lifting the underclass his priority, eh? Well, Key doesn’t. He has abandoned Aroha Nathan after using her for PR and now says he can’t do anything for the poor.

Key’s priorities laid-bare

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 7th, 2011 - 24 comments

When a millionaire director and a foreign corporate wanted millions in tax breaks, Key jumped to it. When SCF collapsed the investors got an average of $60K, no questions asked. But when it comes to helping the ordinary families of Christchurch and the West Coast, the Nats are nowhere to be seen once the cameras are gone.

Open mike 07/02/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 7th, 2011 - 110 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…

Waitangi up close

Written By: - Date published: 1:07 am, February 7th, 2011 - 37 comments

A personal perspective on the Waitangi celebrations. Where John Key went wrong, how Hone was out and proud, and the left’s reception. Also: an enjoyment of Maori burgers over kai moana this year.

Sunday Star’s top ten

Written By: - Date published: 4:42 pm, February 6th, 2011 - 23 comments

At a time when so much political journalism is focused on analysis of image management it’s nice to see a major Sunday paper throwing its weight behind a push for some real world issues.

Anthony Hubbard’s piece in the Sunday Star Times today looks at 10 real issues the election should focus on:

Auckland march for democracy in Egypt

Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, February 6th, 2011 - 8 comments

An estimated 500 people gathered in Queen Street Auckland, to show solidarity with the Egyptian people in revolt against the Egyptian dictatorship.

Yesterday’s march was part of international solidarity actions.

Waitangi Day

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, February 6th, 2011 - 24 comments

Is there any other country in the world with such a complex and contentious national holiday?  As an annual barometer of Maori political opinion, this year is already looking much more turbulent than the last.  Events surrounding Key’s welcome yesterday show a high level of tension and dissatisfaction with the Maori Party’s support for the government.

The everyman spin

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, February 6th, 2011 - 59 comments

More and more often Key is being reported as a product of spin – a man carefully cultivating his celebrity.

For now that means the political class will heap praise on him for “doing politics” well.

But as time goes on and the economy worsens and the only hard policy that comes out is about looking after the rich few at the expense of the many, this “everyman” schtick will wear very thin.

Hickey on the tax bludgers

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 6th, 2011 - 62 comments

Bernard Hickey looks at the tax bludgers. Labour’s plans to introduce a higher new top tax rate would raise needed tax from those who can most afford it. But it would also foster more tax bludging by the rich. Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater by abolishing the top rate, we need to eliminate the avenues for bludging.

Open mike 06/02/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 6th, 2011 - 56 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 drop 6% on privatisation announcement

Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, February 5th, 2011 - 65 comments

OK, that title is pure spin. National has dropped from 55% to 49% in the latest Roy Morgan, and Labour’s up from 29% to 34.5%. But that just shows the last poll was a rogue. Now, normal transmission, and National’s decline, has resumed. When you look at the Nat/ACT and Lab/Green/New Zealand First potential coalitions – the race is tight and closing fast.

Bloody Klowns

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, February 5th, 2011 - 80 comments

Ever been in a job where you thought you were underpayed and overworked? Ever voiced those feelings to your workmates? Either on the job, or during ‘smoko’, over the telephone or through some other electronic medium?

A Burger King employee in Dunedin has. And now, astonishingly,  faces the possibility of being fired for serious misconduct.

The too big to fail myth

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, February 5th, 2011 - 33 comments

All over the globe we the tax payer recently got stuck with a bill for trillions of dollars to bail out banks that were “too big to fail”.  Or were they?  One country, Iceland, went against the trend, and let its banks go under.  What happened next?

Open mike 05/02/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 5th, 2011 - 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 tries ‘come hither’ eyes to attract jobs

Written By: - Date published: 1:37 pm, February 4th, 2011 - 98 comments

PM Key says we shouldn’t lose confidence despite rising unemployment. Pledging to go ‘on the pull for jobs’, Key said he will prostitute NZ to any multi-national corporation and Kiwis should be willing to work for free. The PM was last seen smiling at himself in a mirror, muttering ‘Hey baby, wanna come back to my place and clean it for $12.75 an hour?’

Testing Key’s $33 billion line

Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, February 4th, 2011 - 12 comments

One of John Key’s excuses for selling our SOEs is that we need the cash to buy $33 billion of new assets over the next 5 years. Sounds like a lot, eh? It turns out the Crown spent $42 billion on new assets* over the last 5 years without selling our SOEs and even with that $33 billion of new capital spending the deficit will be gone in 4 years … I wonder what Key’s next line will be.

Big Gay Nowt

Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, February 4th, 2011 - 75 comments

It’s almost Big Gay Out time again which also means it’s time for some new images of John Key dancing with drag queens and cuddling up to lines of shirtless hunks. I know I’m supposed to admire the fact that a National party PM would take time out of his busy schedule to be seen with us homos but it’s all PR. Key’s record is true blue anti-gay.

Competent economic management

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, February 4th, 2011 - 20 comments

John Key Oct 2010: “I don’t think we should argue we are in a recession … now that summer has come, economic activity is starting to pick up.”
Building consents lowest on record * unemployment hits 6.8% * retail spending falls * We’ve had double dip recession

Is the 90 day trial “working”?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 4th, 2011 - 66 comments

The NZIER recently popped up with a study  purporting to show that the “90-day trial period” (the fire at will bill) is “working”.  The study and its conclusions have since been widely quoted.  Unfortunately the conclusions are a load of nonsense.  NZIER have committed the amateur hour mistake of seeing the cause that they want to see.

Open mike 04/02/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 4th, 2011 - 91 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…

A few thoughts on the reshuffle

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 pm, February 3rd, 2011 - 31 comments

Labour had its reshuffle today.

There’s some good, some bad and some business as usual.

Mind the Wealth Gap

Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, February 3rd, 2011 - 2 comments

The Onion, PARIS—At a press conference Tuesday, the World Heritage Committee officially recognized the Gap Between Rich and Poor as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” describing the global wealth divide as the “most colossal and enduring of mankind’s creations.”

Our election

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, February 3rd, 2011 - 68 comments

John Key has been less cunning than some thought he would be. Going for a November election, he thinks, will let him leverage off the World Cup mini-boom, and enhance running Michael Jones and Inga Tuigamala as candidates. But it means 5 months for the Budget cuts to hurt and gives us 5 more months to work. So, what are we going to do?

Unemployment Up

Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, February 3rd, 2011 - 23 comments

The December quarter employment statistics are out.  And there’s a big jump up to 6.8% unemployment.  11,000 people lost their jobs, 8,000 became “unemployed” and 3,000 others left the workforce altogether.  The labour force participation rate (the number of people of working age, working) is down to 67.9%.