Archive for February, 2012

Seething O’Sullivan misunderstands markets

Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, February 18th, 2012 - 303 comments

Fran ‘Sell it all’ O’Sullivan is fuming over the Court decision putting aside the approval of Pengxin’s application to buy Crafar Farms. She knows that Pengxin can’t satisfy the actual legal test because its bid has never been about bringing benefit to New Zealand. Its been about securing strategic assets for China. But some of her whining really needs to be pulled up.

Nats want more expensive ACC so private insurers can profit

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, February 18th, 2012 - 127 comments

Private sector competition brings market disciplines and efficiencies to bloated publicly-owned monopolies. That’s the mantra, eh? That’s the indisputable truth… right? So, how come the Nats are planning to make ACC raise its levies and pay a dividend – for the first time ever – so that private insurers can compete? And how does that benefit NZ?

NRT: And so its come to this…

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, February 18th, 2012 - 16 comments

No Right Turn on the plight of democracy in Greece.

Open mike 18/02/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 18th, 2012 - 22 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…

Participate: Green Paper on Vulnerable Children

Written By: - Date published: 5:57 pm, February 17th, 2012 - 39 comments

Paula Bennett, in her rush to action, has a Green Paper that intends to create a White Paper that may result in some legislation that she hopes will help “vulnerable children”. But, much as National have spurned attempts from other parties for a non-partisan action on child poverty and looking after our nation’s children, we […]

The Chairman doth protest too much

Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, February 17th, 2012 - 1 comment

Peter Radich, BSA Chair, absolutely rejects  “any kind of improper influence” over his controversial decision that Radio Live PM’s Hour was not an election programme. I wouldn’t accuse him of  improper influence, rather lack of competence as his judgement was completely outside the Authority’s brief.

Weekend social 17/02/2012

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, February 17th, 2012 - 11 comments

Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?

Even English’s made-up asset sales numbers don’t add up

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, February 17th, 2012 - 20 comments

Bill English admitted yesterday that his new estimate that asset sales will net $6b in revenue, $800m above book value, is just a guess – the midpoint of the previous guess of $5-7b. And that’s not all that’s made up. The forecast foregone profits are way under-estimated. Even with these fiscal frauds, English still can’t get asset sales to make economic sense.

IT isn’t free

Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, February 17th, 2012 - 172 comments

The Nats want to replace public service jobs with computerised systems. They claim that this will improve service and save money. Quite apart from the folly of destroying jobs in the current economy, they are likely wrong on both those claims.

Don’t celebrate too soon

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, February 17th, 2012 - 63 comments

National’s in retreat on every front. Its had to break its economic promises, again. Asset sales are a disaster. Ministers are exposed over the Crafar Farms, NZ on Air, and DJ Key affairs. The media’s gone off Key ever since he declared war on them. The bad stories that were getting nowhere a year ago now keep rolling. Even Mallard’s boorishness can’t halt National’s slide. But don’t celebrate too soon.

Open mike 17/02/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 17th, 2012 - 54 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…

VUW Post-election Conference

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 pm, February 16th, 2012 - 9 comments

The best contribution by far IMHO at today’s VUW post-election conference in Legislative Chamber, held under Chatham House rules, came from Colin James.  True to Colin, his paper is public, with much food for thought. My comments here too.

Disgusted by the Poor

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 pm, February 16th, 2012 - 46 comments

“The idea that ultimately the poor must help themselves as social mobility grinds to a halt is illogical; it is based on a faith for which there is scant evidence. Yet it is the one thing that has genuinely ‘trickled down’ from the wealthy, so that many people without much themselves continue to despise those who are on a lower rung.”

Holmes and other toxic commentators

Written By: - Date published: 1:50 pm, February 16th, 2012 - 93 comments

Why do we tolerate, indeed sometimes glorify, thoroughly toxic commentators and “media figures” in NZ? It’s a rhetorical question. The answer is, of course, that it’s all about the money…

Nats’ Crafar Farm kickback

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, February 16th, 2012 - 43 comments

On November 30th, after the election, National received a $55,000 donation from Oravida, a company formerly owned by Terry Lee, director of Pengxin’s Crafar Farms vehicle, Milk New Zealand. In light of National’s illegal decision to let Pengxin buy the farms despite a lack of real benefits to New Zealand, maybe we ought to examine that donation a little  more closely.

Why hasn’t Key sacked McCully?

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, February 16th, 2012 - 10 comments

If you or I or, say, an Mfat official were storing confidential work files or, worse, officially classified information in our personal email and those files were hacked, you or I or the Mfat official would get the sack for gross misconduct. So when’s McCully being fired? Or is Key’s flippant “if it was really sensitive it would be out by now” what passes for security standards in the government?

Disconnect in Urewera case

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, February 16th, 2012 - 128 comments

If the evidence against the Urewera 4 is so strong and what they were planning to do so serious, how come they’ve only been charged with a handful of minor offences? And how come the others had the charges dropped? Where are the treason and conspiracy charges? After 4 years of delays, lies, secrecy, and official fuck-ups, do we trust the cops’ evidence?

Just one fiasco after another

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, February 16th, 2012 - 151 comments

In yet another internet related act of stupidity Trevor Mallard has been busted scalping tickets to a bunch of kids.

It’s time David Shearer reined him in.

Key’s ‘sell, sell, sell’ mantra out of touch with NZ

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, February 16th, 2012 - 77 comments

The Crafar Farms decision is sensible and a correct interpretation of the law. Foreign buyers must add something that a local buyer can’t, other than a higher purchase price. Otherwise, our farmers will continue to be out-bid for our land by foreign government-backed companies that can afford a lower rate of return, and NZ will gain nothing. So, why is National rushing to change the law?

Maiden speeches continued

Written By: - Date published: 7:14 am, February 16th, 2012 - 2 comments

Felix recommended Denise Roche’s maiden speech and I can see why.

It’s good to see some strong left voices entering parliament.

Open mike 16/02/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 16th, 2012 - 69 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…

Maiden speeches

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 pm, February 15th, 2012 - 15 comments

Haven’t had time to watch many maiden speeches but of the few I saw Andrew Little’s was a stand out.

I’m sure we’ll be putting a few more up over the next few days.

“To the best of my knowledge” – yeah right

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 pm, February 15th, 2012 - 16 comments

“Not to the best of my knowledge – that is absolutely correct – I wasn’t even aware these emails existed until I heard about them yesterday” a flustered Key said in Parliament today. He didn’t know a thing about control of the programme. But his office suggested that  Radio Live get the Electoral Commission’s opinion on the show’s legality. Watch this space.

Fran O’Sullivan will be distressed over Crafar decision.

Written By: - Date published: 5:36 pm, February 15th, 2012 - 64 comments

Now there is a surprise (not). The Crafar farms sale doesn’t conform to the economic benefits required under the Overseas Investment Act.  Fran O’Sullivan is going to be distressed. The decision by the OIO and government was not in conformance with the the Overseas Investment Act. Fran waffled about everything except what was required by the Act – as our “anonymous” authors pointed out and were abused for doing so by Fran.

Journalists – pah!

Billions down the drain on roads to nowhere

Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, February 15th, 2012 - 42 comments

Gerry Brownlee has weakly attempted to fob off the decline in benefit:cost ratio of highway projects under National. ‘Sure’ he says ‘we’ve been funding projects that barely break even while high BCR spending like early childhood education gets cut, but things will turn around’. Um, no. Look at the projects National has on the horizon, […]

NRT: The nuclear option

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, February 15th, 2012 - 27 comments

Lockwood ‘small hands’ Smith is digging himself deeper into a hole that is going to destroy his legacy as Speaker over the Mojo Mathers’ right to participate in Parliamentary debate. The Minister for Disabilities, Tariana Turia, is missing in action (probably off granting more of your money to her mates). Key wants nothing to do with it. So, I/S at NoRightTurn has proposed the ‘nuclear option’.

Quick MMP review thoughts

Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, February 15th, 2012 - 18 comments

Lower the threshold and reduce wasted vote; leave it at 2-3% to make it less likely multiple one-man bands hold balance of power. Stop winning an electorate being a route to getting list seats; eliminate most dirty deals. Let List MPs run in by-elections and people stand both in seats and on lists; banning these would result in undesirable tactics from parties.

Open mike 15/02/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 15th, 2012 - 96 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 involved in Radio Live show

Written By: - Date published: 10:56 pm, February 14th, 2012 - 25 comments

Watch Grant Robertson’s question to Key today Robertson to Key on Radio Live Key didn’t know his office was deeply involved in the show that breached the Broadcasting Act? Even though he personally chose the guests? It was a matter solely between the Electoral Commission and the broadcaster? Judge for yourself.

We want our Mojo

Written By: - Date published: 4:57 pm, February 14th, 2012 - 91 comments

Making Mojo Mathers pay for the tech she needs to participate in debate is bad enough. She is a democratically elected member and the people who put her there deserve effective representation. Saying that deaf people don’t count as ‘disabled’ is outrageous. More bigotry from Lockwood ‘small hands’ Smith.

Participate: MMP Review

Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, February 14th, 2012 - 18 comments

You may have noticed the ads about The Standard for the MMP Review that the Electoral Commission announced yesterday.

Now’s your chance to have your say on what MMP will look like in the future.