Archive for October, 2011

Losing the class war

Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, October 7th, 2011 - 73 comments

The median (‘typical’) Kiwi income has fallen 6% under National after inflation. It’s worse if you’re Maori – 16%. And if you’re PI? 21%. That’s more than a hundred dollars a week. It’s a disgrace. In fact, ordinary people’s incomes have shrunk faster than the economy under National. Their policies have driven more of what’s left to the rich.

The mask slips

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, October 7th, 2011 - 80 comments

Here is Key making the throat-cutting gesture to Labour after a man tried to jump into the Debating Chamber. He displays a total lack of concern for the man and anyone else. Key to Labour: “you should be ashamed of yourselves”. King: “What! What? we should be ashamed of ourselves?!”. Key makes gesture. King, Chadwick, “you scumbag”.

Doldrums

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, October 7th, 2011 - 48 comments

Looks like the RWC isn’t going to be the economic stimulus that we hoped.  We’re stuck in the doldrums, and (just like in England) the government’s austerity  programme is exactly the wrong response.

None so blind

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, October 7th, 2011 - 81 comments

National’s economic credibility was shot to pieces last week when Fitch and Standard & Poor’s gave them ‘not achieved’ marks. Less than a quarter of the OECD has been downgraded. New Zealand is one of them. The Nats won’t admit there’s a problem. When the statistics are laid in front of them, they say they’re wrong. In the Nats’ war with reality, we’re the victims.

Open mike 07/10/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 7th, 2011 - 112 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…

Whose side are you on?

Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, October 6th, 2011 - 212 comments

The PM gets paid $400,000 a year. That’s $45 an hour whether he’s in Hawai’i, talking about his cat, or sleeping. His cleaner, Sosefina Masoe, gets $13.50 an hour. Key has rejected calls to lift the minimum wage for workers like her to $15 an hour. Instead, the Right’s attack dogs have been trained on Mascoe for daring to speak out.

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, October 6th, 2011 - 71 comments

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died today at the age of 56.

Palin not running

Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, October 6th, 2011 - 12 comments

After months of playing coy, the latest from the the land of the Tea Party is that Sarah Palin will not be running for president.

Over-promise, under-deliver: whaling

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, October 6th, 2011 - 5 comments

Remember when Key had a super-duper secret plan to end whaling? Turned out the ‘plan’ was to restore commercial whaling as long as they promised to stop some time (the draft ‘phase-out’ plan didn’t actually have any reductions in it). Well, over-promise, under-deliver Key’s made no progress and whaling is resuming.

Climate change killing Tuvalu & Tokelau

Written By: - Date published: 9:47 am, October 6th, 2011 - 9 comments

The low-lying island nations of Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared water emergencies and parts of Samoa are rationing water. Climate change has raised the sea level so that what little freshwater lens the islands have has been reduced. Higher temperatures evaporate more of it. Climate change is also causing more frequent and severe La Ninas, which causes droughts.

A PM but not a leader

Written By: - Date published: 7:27 am, October 6th, 2011 - 124 comments

In the last few days Key has refused to accept responsibility for NZ’s credit downgrades, stated that he is “not concerned in the slightest” about his possible breach of electoral law, and used an unfortunate incident in Parliament to launch an ugly attack on Labour.  John Key is no leader.

Open mike 06/10/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 6th, 2011 - 60 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…

Opportunist

Written By: - Date published: 4:37 pm, October 5th, 2011 - 244 comments

A man tried to jump into the Parliamentary Chamber today at the end of question time. Yelling something about WINZ, Paula Bennett and John Key, he was caught at the last moment by guards. I have a feeling there’s a sad story behind that. Just as sad was Key screeching “you should be ashamed of yourself, that’s down to you guys” to Labour as the man dangled, before the DPS hustled him out.

Vale atque ave

Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, October 5th, 2011 - 10 comments

Three Labour MPs gave their valedictories last night; Lynn Pillay, Pete Hodgson, and Jim Anderton in that order. Jim’s career path in political employment was a bit roundabout, Lynn’s the shortest (she’ll kill me for that!), and Pete’s spell the longest. Most valedictories speak of past achievement. Unusually, Pete Hodgson focussed more on the future, so his valedictory became manifesto and challenge. Poverty and sustainability were the main themes – read more here.

The Greens’ clever election strategy

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, October 5th, 2011 - 97 comments

Once again, the Greens have the best billboards and a great policy platform. But the really clever bit is their positioning. A lot of people don’t like National’s policies and don’t want them having a majority. They like Labour’s policies but not the personnel. Enter the Greens: good policies, nice people, and, officially, willing to work with and counterbalance National.

Will Bill English heed his own warning?

Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, October 5th, 2011 - 18 comments

Will double dipping double downgrade Bill English have the guts to heed his own warning?

Bait and switch

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, October 5th, 2011 - 27 comments

The national icon suddenly announces that the future of the thing we pride ourselves is at stake. Some big mean foreigners are going to take if off us. Oh no, oh no! Fortunately, there’s a solution. It just requires a few tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. Sound familiar? As with the Hobbit, now with the All Blacks. We got suckered once. Will we again?

Nats’ retrospective surveillance backdown

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, October 5th, 2011 - 27 comments

The Nats most recent attack on democracy – the Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill –  was outrageous in many ways.  It was almost universally condemned, and now Labour has secured significant concessions.

Open mike 05/10/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 5th, 2011 - 97 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…

Pollyanna

Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, October 4th, 2011 - 37 comments

John Key’s relentless optimism is designed to make the country feel good, and to feel good about him – that nice man Mr Key. It doesn’t, however, solve our large economic problems.

When things look black

Written By: - Date published: 12:40 pm, October 4th, 2011 - 60 comments

English: poll downgrade coming

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, October 4th, 2011 - 12 comments

Bill ‘Double Dipton’ (or should that be ‘Double Downgrade’?) English says people aren’t focused on politics, which is why National is so high in the polls. When they focus on the main election issue of economic management, DD says the gap will close. Not exactly a strong defence of his and Key’s performance as economic leaders.

Downgrade aftershocks continue

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 4th, 2011 - 54 comments

The credit rating downgrades have been quite a political earthquake, and the aftershocks are going to continue for some time.

Open mike 04/10/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 4th, 2011 - 57 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…

Key broke law on radio show

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 pm, October 3rd, 2011 - 75 comments

Prime Minister Moonbeam clearly broke the law on Friday on the radio show he chose to run instead of dealing with the downgrade crisis. The law is clear: Key wasn’t allowed to make political statements. He did. He made a promise on broadcasting policy and gave the Nats’ first cut spin-line on the downgrade.

The right’s weird obsession with Darien Fenton

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 pm, October 3rd, 2011 - 261 comments

Darien Fenton makes a mean comment about a celebrity butcher on facebook and then apologises for it and offers to shout him a drink to make up for it.

No big deal? Well according to some hysterical righties that makes Fenton worse than Hitler.

It’s official – class war over, rich won

Written By: - Date published: 5:40 pm, October 3rd, 2011 - 15 comments

Republicans have accused President Obama of waging class war by calling for tax increases on the rich. Warren Buffet goes straight to the result and declares the rich have won. There may be more battles to come however – Buffet is in favour of higher taxes on the rich in the interests of fairness. He should have been on the Tax Working Group.

Occupation 2 – 700 arrested

Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, October 3rd, 2011 - 16 comments

The Occupation, now into its third week, seems to be growing.  As is the Police response.  In the latest development police have arrested more than 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Nats’ policy cupboard bare as crisis strikes

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, October 3rd, 2011 - 37 comments

The Nats have released no substantial policy since the Budget and look unlikely to do so. Their election strategy was clearly to keep attention away from a comparison of their policy vs Labour’s, and keep it on Brand Key. The exploding economic crisis has caught the Nats’ flat-footed. Now, they need economic ideas urgently but have none to offer.

A week of polls

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, October 3rd, 2011 - 70 comments

What a bizarre week of polls. The Fairfax poll and the Roy Morgan polls both showed swings from National to Labour. The TVNZ poll and the TV3 poll did not. (Hey TV3 – that’s some pretty sloppy writing!)  In other news, Key finally equalled Helen Clark’s peak rating as preferred PM.

The Nats’ muddle, your job on the line

Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, October 3rd, 2011 - 43 comments

As National muddles through, refusing to reexamine its economic plans after the shock double-downgrade on Friday, the job losses are starting to pile up again. It’s very reminiscent of the last recession, which we will haven’t recovered from thanks to 3 years of muddling. Can we afford 3 more years? Here’s a list of job losses in the past month.