Archive for November, 2011

Key can’t count

Written By: - Date published: 6:37 am, November 4th, 2011 - 113 comments

It’ll be interesting to see the full fiscal details from Labour today. National is planning to borrow too, the question is how much they differ by. Only $2.6b in the first term with both having net debt about $50b. That’s the alternative to selling our profitable assets to pay for capital investment. The Nats’ $17b claim is riddled with basic errors. Updated with more bad adding from Key

Open mike 04/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 4th, 2011 - 45 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…

Polls good for Left

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, November 3rd, 2011 - 80 comments

There’s a TVNZ poll out tonight and a Herald poll tomorrow morning but, ahead of them, here’s some other new polls results that point to trouble for the Nats. 27% of young people want to leave New Zealand. 82% of people oppose farm sales to foreign buyers. 24% of people will change their vote over the Rena.

Labour’s EQC policy

Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 17 comments

Labour’s EQC policy has taken the holes in the current system revealed by the earthquakes – too low cap, inequitable flat levy, non-universal coverage, lack of provision for accommodation coverage – and fixed them. On top of that, they’ve promised to give people access to their geotech info. Great policy. No wonder National’s angry.

Buy Ardern

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 37 comments

On Backbenches last night Nikki Kaye showed as an angry finger-wagger who thinks the most important issue facing the country is to keep wages down for young people. Kaye looked like a politician under pressure, and showed why she avoids debate with the impressive Jacinda Ardern.  Forward-looking and articulate, Ardern had the best lines of the night. Auckland Central could be a very interesting contest.

Dr David Suzuki message to the world

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 4 comments

This address from Dr David Suzuki to the world, delivered to a gathering at Occupy Vancouver, attracted some attention in comments yesterday. Well worth watching.

Key lied on health cuts

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 12 comments

In the TVNZ debate on Monday, John Key claimed that he had cut ‘back office’ jobs and increased health services.That wasn’t true. The fact is, funding cuts have reduced the capacity of many health services. ‘Front-line’ staff are doing ‘back office’ work as well and everything else is getting squeezed to put more money into ‘sexy’ elective surgery numbers.

Drunken Seaman John Key: borrowed $40 billion in 3 years to spend on his mates

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 222 comments

 

Greek democracy

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 82 comments

So, a government says that the people will have the say on its budget, and global markets plunge. Was there ever a clearer sign that the interests of the capitalist elite and the people are at odds, and the capitalists know it? It’s interesting that Papandreou has chosen to force a crisis and headed off a coup. Around the world, ordinary people want radical change.

A long history of lies

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 17 comments

Why all the fuss in the media about Phil Goff calling Key a liar in the TV1 debate?  It’s old news.  Key has a long history of lying (some of the video footage makes painful viewing).

Open mike 03/11/2011

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

Another win for Goff

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 179 comments

Goff had Key in all sorts of trouble on the Christchurch recovery, on Key’s economic record, on asset sales, on the GST lie. Goff was passionate on equality and got across both Labour’s vision and how that will be made real. It was notable that Key’s only strong point was when he got off his own record and his own promises and on to making up numbers about Labour’s policies. Goff didn’t have a strong rebuttal. He’ll need one before the next TV debate.

Workers locked out because won’t take 25% pay cut

Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 45 comments

Over 100 meat workers have now been locked out for 10 days at the Canterbury Meat Packers works in Rangitikei. They are told they must sign an agreement that cuts pay by 25% and loses conditions in order to return to work. Some migrant workers face deportation if they lose their jobs. It’s a disgrace; they all need our support. Here’s how you can help.

Leaders’ debate tonight

Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 55 comments

The Press Leaders’ Debate. Phil Goff and John Key. 7pm tonight.  Not televised, but streamed live.  The format can only be better than TV1!  Check it out.

I don’t know about you but the streaming is failing on me. What I did catch was Key trying to back out of his promise that redzoners wouldn’t be left out of pocket. Goff responded: “If you’re not going to do something, for heaven’s sake don’t promise it” and got loud applause. Twitter consensus is Goff is winning big from the get go.

NRT on the most important issue

Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 39 comments

NRT on the issue that is most important to Kiwis.  It isn’t the economy.

Evicting Occupy Dunedin

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 20 comments

Yesterday was a dramatic day for Occupy Dunedin.  A trespass eviction deadline of 8pm came and went, but after a big show of public support, the Occupation is still there.  Dunedin North Labour candidate David Clark lends his support to the movement.

Savings: National’s failing

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 10 comments

National have a rubbish short-term plan for Government debt: Asset Sales.

But they have no plan at all for the private debt that is forecast to blow out worse than ever under their policies. Bit like the economy in general really.

Labour up in Fairfax poll

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 62 comments

Today’s Fairfax poll shows a rise in support for Labour of 3.2%. What is particularly interesting about this poll is that the sampling period began the same day that Labour announced its “bombshell” retirement policy.

Another empty promise

Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 61 comments

National says it’ll get 57,000 more people off benefits and into work over 4 years. That would require 50% more job creation than Treasury projects. Unless you do something about the lack of jobs, you won’t get benefit numbers down. Promising the latter without doing the former is a fraud on New Zealand. Just another broken Nat promise waiting to happen.

Key priorities

Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 17 comments

Key’s biggest mistake: with all the disasters that have occurred in the last 3 years that have affected so many thousands of people he couldn’t have done anything better to improve their lives other than communicated a bit better about BMWs?

Open mike 02/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 103 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’s Drunken Sailor

Written By: - Date published: 4:37 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 42 comments

Key’s Drunken Sailor “joke” tells us a lot about his priorities…

Do you want a say in public broadcasting?

Written By: - Date published: 3:09 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 45 comments

Public service broadcasting is dying in NZ, and that’s not good enough.  Labour’s newly released broadcasting policy promises to preserve it, with the future of the system to be shaped by public debate.

Heh

Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 10 comments

Battle of the Henrys

Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 29 comments

Watching Goff and Key last night was a bit like watching Graham Henry arguing with Paul Henry…

Debate highlights

Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 70 comments

Here are my top moments from the first Leaders’ Debate. When you write them down, it’s pretty clear that Goff won all the major exchanges.

What were the top moments for you, what else did you want to see?

Business isn’t buying it

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, November 1st, 2011 - 48 comments

You’d think if the Nats could convince anyone that they knew what they were doing it would be the business community. But no, less than 35% of business owners think that the government has a plan…

Nats’ ad claims credit for Lab’s infrastructure

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, November 1st, 2011 - 51 comments

Oh dear. This is not what National needed on the back of Goff besting Key in the first debate. National’s new TV ad is on the world-class infrastructure they claim to have built. But it was all planned, funded, and mostly built by Labour. Have National accidentally revealed their real achievement: taking credit for others work?

National’s welfare policy

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, November 1st, 2011 - 48 comments

National’s got 60,000 more on benefits after 3 years. Nats’ plan: get 46,000 off in 4 years (only 11,000 into work, the rest?)
So, National’s welfare plan = 14,000 more on benefits 7 years after coming to power. Ambitious for New Zealand?
Where’s National plan to reduce corporate welfare? Like the $400m free irrigation they want to give farmers and keeping them out of the ETS.

It’s not lying, it’s ‘dinnamic’

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, November 1st, 2011 - 94 comments

According to John Key in the Leader’s Debate, it’s OK to break your promises because the world is “dinnamic”. I’ll have to try that next time I’m out late on the piss:

‘Sorry, I’m late love, yeah sorry I didn’t cook dinner like I promised. I went out with the boys and things got dinnamic … Whadaya mean I have to sleep on the couch?’

Open mike 01/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 1st, 2011 - 98 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…