Archive for May, 2011
100% Clueless
Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, May 13th, 2011 - 86 comments
When confronted with the scientific evidence on the hollowness of our “100% Pure” slogan John Key, as usual, tried to attack the credibility of the source. Key said “He’s one academic and, like lawyers, I could provide you others who would give a counter view”. Now the source (Dr Mike Joy) has called the PM on his clueless claim.
Key’s panda plan falls through
Written By: - Date published: 6:21 am, May 13th, 2011 - 24 comments
The second plank of John Key’s economic plan for New Zealand has fallen through. First, the ‘national cycleway’ became a scattered assortment of cycle paths that were already under construction. Now, the pandas Key was going to rent so we could get rich buying tickets to see them won’t be coming and we have revealing emails to share.
Open mike 13/05/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 13th, 2011 - 89 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Choices choices
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 pm, May 12th, 2011 - 40 comments
Watch Jacinda Ardern clean up Jamie-Lee Ross on Breakfast this morning. Nearly half of the National Government’s much-quoted borrowing of $300 million a week is to pay for their tax cuts. That was this government’s choice. Now their choice is that everyone else has to pay for it.
Te Tai Tokerau by election 25th June
Written By: - Date published: 2:49 pm, May 12th, 2011 - 68 comments
We have a date for what promises to be a fascinating by election. The pressure is on Hone Harawira…
Jon Stephenson replies to critics
Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, May 12th, 2011 - 12 comments
PM John Key attacked journalist Jon Stephenson, calling him not credible over his claims on SAS links to the torture of prisoners in Afghanistan. Now Stephenson has replied to his critics, in detail.
National reforms Kiwisaver – again
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 12th, 2011 - 26 comments
John Key has announced National’s third reform of Kiwisaver in 3 years, saying the government’s contribution will be cut and made up with higher minimum contributions from members and their employers. It’s an embarrassing flip-flop from the government that cut default contribution rates and shows no plan for the future.
The Kiwisaver “employer contribution” scam
Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, May 12th, 2011 - 23 comments
The media is claiming Kiwisaver cuts will be offset by increased worker and employer contributions.
But because of a loophole in the scheme National created in 2009, employers can simply take their “contribution” out of their workers’ wages.
No wonder business lobby groups are unconcerned by the move.
The “big issues”
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, May 12th, 2011 - 77 comments
John Key is whinging about how labour isn’t focusing on the “big issues”
But he and his government have been avoiding the big issues for years.
That’s not surprising given how badly they do on these big issues. But it’s still pitiful to see them whinging about it.
Open mike 12/05/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 12th, 2011 - 51 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Maggie Barry
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 pm, May 11th, 2011 - 17 comments
National have tonight chosen Mt Albert resident Maggie Barry as their North Shore candidate.
Cash for cars?
Written By: - Date published: 5:26 pm, May 11th, 2011 - 117 comments
A $50,000 donation from a BMW franchise to National?
This latest twist to the BMW saga has a real stench about it.
Hone resigns
Written By: - Date published: 5:03 pm, May 11th, 2011 - 33 comments
Hone has done what he said he would and resigned, effective May 20. There will be a by-election in Te Tai Tokerau.
Cunliffe addresses Key lies
Written By: - Date published: 4:53 pm, May 11th, 2011 - 56 comments
Key’s pre-budget speech was hugely uninspiring and mis-leading.
Cunliffe rips his claims apart.
Our dirty water
Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, May 11th, 2011 - 26 comments
John Key didn’t much like being confronted with the facts on our dirty water. He tried to pretend that everything is just fine, when it isn’t. No surprise to find this attitude mimicked in National’s policy on water. They are trying to pretend that they’re doing something when they aren’t.
Harawira vs Davis vs ?
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, May 11th, 2011 - 38 comments
Labour has decided to stand Kelvin Davis in the Te Tai Tokerau by-election. I wish they hadn’t. First, Davis strikes me as quality and you don’t tarnish quality by making it lose in front of a national audience. Look what happened to Melissa Lee, former National rising star. And Davis will lose, let’s be honest.
They cut, we pay
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, May 11th, 2011 - 49 comments
The Nats have run this country into the ground and say there’s no option but to slash Kiwisaver. The actual cuts they announce will be less than foreshadowed, and we will then be expected to be grateful. It’s the Nats’ old trick. But the reality is there’s no need for Kiwisaver cuts at all. Not while the rich keep the tax cuts National gave them.
Canterbury tales
Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, May 11th, 2011 - 16 comments
In much of earthquake ravaged Christchurch life is still far from normal. The PM’s Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman has stressed the psychological challenges facing the people of the city. If you live in earthquake damaged Canterbury or Christchurch, please share your stories here…
Open mike 11/05/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 11th, 2011 - 56 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Spat on the altar
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 pm, May 10th, 2011 - 19 comments
It was good to hear Mike Williams as the voice of the left on Nine to Noon yesterday. It is high time that someone from the broad left had the mike, to coin a phrase. Mike “spat on the altar” and had a friendly go at his mate Matt McCarten’s strategy for a by-election in Te Tai Tokerau, a kind of joust of the gurus. He thinks Matt made a mistake there, and I agree.
They made this guy the minister of tourism?
Written By: - Date published: 6:12 pm, May 10th, 2011 - 102 comments
I was wondering why Key’s team weren’t trying to milk his upcoming hardtalk interview for PR like they have with his other international media appearances.
I guess now we know…
Brownlee flexing his CERA muscle
Written By: - Date published: 3:29 pm, May 10th, 2011 - 10 comments
Is the power of CERA going to Brownlee’s head a bit? Seems he’s using it to intimidate Christchurch building owners.
But you’ll distort the price signal!
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, May 10th, 2011 - 31 comments
ACT on Campus is giving away KFC Double Downs today. I love that ACToids are always complaining that interest-free student loans are a bad idea because they encourage wasteful, inefficient spending but think that giving out free heart-attack makers is perfectly sensible.By the way, isn’t this treating?
A forest is made of trees
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, May 10th, 2011 - 36 comments
It took National some weeks to get together a line on their multitudinous spending scandals. When they did, it was rather predictable: ‘Labour’s focused on the small things’. Pretty rich coming from corgi-boy Key. No defence of the actual excesses either. But, naturally, the Herald editorial has swallowed and regurgitated the line.
How rude
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, May 10th, 2011 - 106 comments
What a lot of fuss about Titewhai Harawira and daughter heckling Tariana Turia. Perhaps those expressing outrage at yesterday’s events would do well to reflect for a while on the source of the Harawiras’ anger.
Taking from Kiwisavers & giving to the rich
Written By: - Date published: 6:32 am, May 10th, 2011 - 81 comments
John Key has confirmed he intends to slash Kiwisaver to the bone by cutting the up to $1040 a year government contribution you get as a member. Of course, this is the savings budget according to National’s spin. They’re going to ‘encourage’ savings by taking that money from Kiwisaver and giving it to rich individual savers. It’s just more class war.
Open mike 10/05/2011
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 10th, 2011 - 101 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…
Our water for sale?
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 pm, May 9th, 2011 - 17 comments
Colin James tips National’s plan for our water: ” a Crown company like that for ultra-fast broadband fibre-laying, capitalised from the proceeds of selldowns of state-owned enterprises and operating in public-private partnerships to get projects under way and then sell them on to farmers. Now where does China fit in that?”
Sounds like one disaster after the other. Decisions after the election of course.
Auckland: Submit!
Written By: - Date published: 5:37 pm, May 9th, 2011 - 25 comments
Apologies to non-Aucklanders, but this is an appeal for those in the Queen City to make sure they have their say on the future shape of our biggest city.
Len wants your input, fellow Aucklanders!
Fabians lecture
Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, May 9th, 2011 - Comments Off on Fabians lecture
“Inequality in New Zealand” with David Craig Venue: St John’s Church Hall, 176 Willis St, Wellington Time: Wednedsay May 11th, 5:30 PM
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Comment: There are times when fiction anticipates life, and dystopian nightmares become real.Who would have thought that in New Zealand, a relatively wealthy country that was once proudly egalitarian, a version of The Hunger Games would play out?That a government would cut thousands of jobs, deny desperate families emergency food ...6 days ago
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- ‘Grossly misleading to me and to the country’: the Lange-Douglas letters, unearthed
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- How many goddamn words should I be saying to my baby?
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- Remembering Young George, the barber who cut Auckland’s hair forever
Summer reissue: He earned 5c for his first cut in 1955, and $35 for his last in March. Duncan Greive recalls the life of his late barber, ‘Young’ George Dyas, who never stopped snipping. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these ...6 days ago
- Daily crossword, Saturday 4 January
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- Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 4 January
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('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, Saturday 4 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...6 days ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Ludewig, Professor and Head of the School of Humanities, The University of Western Australia The Burra Burra Mine, 1847. Samuel Thomas Gill / State Library of NSW About 20 minutes’ drive north of Geraldton, on Australia’s west coast, lies a hill ...1 week ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myron Zalucki, Professor in Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland Kathy Reid, CC BY-SA Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) appear to be declining not just in North America but also in Australiasia. Could this be a consequence of global change, including ...1 week ago
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- Te Pāti Māori co-founder Dame Tariana Turia dies
Dame Tariana Turia has died aged 80 in Whangaehu overnight.The founder and former co-leader of Te Pāti Māori suffered a stroke earlier this week and was said not to have long left.A press release from Te Ranga Tupua said she had died in the early hours of Friday morning. “A mother ...1 week ago
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Sport is a place where ‘real’ fans are often assumed to be men. Global research tells us that female fans of live men’s sport often face misogynistic and homophobic environments that include swearing, drunkenness and yelling negative comments and abuse at opponents and referees. In men’s sport, a quick skim through ...1 week ago
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