Archive for March, 2012

Port thuggery

Written By: - Date published: 6:51 am, March 14th, 2012 - 168 comments

Looks like Ports of Auckland have been unlawfully passing workers’ private information to Cameron Slater.

It’s just another example of the intimidation and thuggery the port management is becoming well known for.

Open mike 14/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 14th, 2012 - 58 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…

Ministry of National Significance?

Written By: - Date published: 9:51 pm, March 13th, 2012 - 16 comments

The trailers for John Key’s Thursday speech are calling it for a ” new super-Ministry” under the command of Steven Joyce. Merger isn’t the issue – the policy direction is. If Joyce just stays focussed on roads of national significance, mines and oil wells of national significance, and casinos of national significance it will be another waste of time reshuffle. If it becomes genuinely high quality export focussed, then it may prove worthwhile. Fingers crossed.

Reining in student loans

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, March 13th, 2012 - 133 comments

Student loans will remain interest free, but the Nats are planning to rein them in “in a big way”. I guess that means that typical Nat slash-and-burn thinking will result in damaging restrictions to educational access in due course.

NRT: Judith Collins’ brazen cronyism

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, March 13th, 2012 - 19 comments

Seems Judith Collins has been cutting corners in the appointment of Wayne Mapp to the Law Commission. NRT has the story.

China

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, March 13th, 2012 - 19 comments

There’s been much wailing and gnashing of teeth over Pengxin Shanghai’s attempt to buy the Crafar farms. Justified too. I want to take a step back and look at the strategy that China is executing and the imperatives behind it. Like any successful organisation, China is seeking to perpetuate its power. That requires securing access to resources. And China’s sitting on the low-cost cash to do it.

Pull the other one, John

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, March 13th, 2012 - 81 comments

Key to Mike Hosking: “New Zealand either needs to borrow more or earn more, and I’m in the camp that we need to earn more”

‘Perks’?

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, March 13th, 2012 - 14 comments

It’s easy to attack the extra remuneration that diplomats get while on posting as ‘perks’ that can be cut. But they serve an important purpose. Diplomats and their families have to up-root their whole lives to go on posting. For diplomats’ partners, that usually means giving up their work and income. If there’s no compensation for that, then diplomats won’t be able to go.

Open mike 13/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 13th, 2012 - 76 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…

Organisational review – Auckland

Written By: - Date published: 5:14 pm, March 12th, 2012 - 10 comments

Just a reminder that Auckland’s first organisational review meeting is tonight.

Please encourage as many Labour members as possible to come along and contribute to the discussion.

ImperatorFish: Won’t Someone Think Of The Lamingtons?

Written By: - Date published: 3:37 pm, March 12th, 2012 - 6 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here.

Scott has a Guest Post from Neemish von Tartt, the CEO of For the Sake of Our Cakes Trust

Shearer taking shape

Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, March 12th, 2012 - 45 comments

It’s been encouraging seeing a bit more of David Shearer recently. His leadership is slowly taking shape

Why I think that Auckland is getting scammed

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, March 12th, 2012 - 69 comments

It turns out that the report that provided the basis for a 12% return on equity at the Ports of Auckland is based not on something commissioned by them. Instead it comes from the previous employers of the current chairman at PoA, who have previously been interested in buying ports in NZ. And the comparisons used for the ROE are spurious.

Incompetent management forces Shearer & Brown off fence

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, March 12th, 2012 - 47 comments

After months on the side-line, David Shearer and Len Brown have been forced to choose a side in the Ports of Auckland dispute by the irrational and unreasonable behaviour of the Ports management. Shearer has come out against casualisation and marched with the workers in Saturday. Brown has offered mediation between the parties.

Overseas investment must show real gains

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, March 12th, 2012 - 36 comments

David Shearer’s private member’s Bill on foreign investment is pure common sense: unless foreign ownership actually adds something substantial to the economy that cannot be supplied by local owners then all foreign investment brings is higher land prices, locking out Kiwis from ownership. Overseas buyers must bring something real to the table. A good first policy.

Open mike 12/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 12th, 2012 - 33 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…

No country for old bigots

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 pm, March 11th, 2012 - 190 comments

What is it about New Zealand media? Seems if you’re an old, privileged white man, you get a podium to say whatever nonsense you want – Henry, Laws, Armstrong, George, Du Fresne. And Deaker. The old twerp’s latest is to attack Sonny Bill Williams saying “I don’t like that he’s Muslim in a so-called Christian country”.

Some people just don’t learn

Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, March 11th, 2012 - 83 comments

POAL is on the backfoot industrially, legally, and in terms of public relations.

God only knows what kind of hubris made Gibson and his board think they could get away with attacking their workers like this.

It seems that no matter how many times these corporate ratbags get their arses handed to them by union members they just don’t seem to learn.

Dunne has no mandate to vote for asset sales

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, March 11th, 2012 - 113 comments

“What the public of New Zealand really do not like is politicians who say one thing before an election and do something else after it. And I invite every member of this House to look at every statement United Future made prior to the election and every statement subsequently and try to draw a difference” – Peter Dunne. As they say, yeah right.

Open mike 11/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 11th, 2012 - 43 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…

Port protest gone international

Written By: - Date published: 11:12 pm, March 10th, 2012 - 48 comments

The labour dispute is turning into a fiasco for Ports of Auckland. Thousands marched today through Auckland in protest, and cargo loaded by non-union labour is being blacklisted internationally. How long will Ports of Auckland stay on their self-destructive course?

Lamington’s Stupidity (and why I hate the rent-a-crowd)

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, March 10th, 2012 - 86 comments

I’m no fan of the people who threw the Lamington at Len Brown. They are the same crew who waltz into every social movement in Auckland, suck the life out of it and move on. But the only winner out of this lamington incident was the Port’s board and the (I’m sure) the self-image of the egotistical morons who threw it. It cost the Maritime Union. It belittled those of us who are infuriated at the Mayor’s response. And it was just plain stupid.

Postcards from the “brighter” future

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, March 10th, 2012 - 24 comments

Hey John – where’s our “Brighter Future”? Hey National voters – was this what you voted for?

Pressure mounts on Dunne

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, March 10th, 2012 - 127 comments

David Cunliffe turned his sights on Peter Dunne in the first reading of the Mixed Ownership Bill, pointing out that Dunne has the single vote that determines whether asset sales happen or not. Dunne didn’t like the pressure. He looked close to tears in his response. Let’s keep it up. He’ll crack. What else would he do for a job after 2014 if he votes for asset sales?

Pagani: love that workforce casualisation

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, March 10th, 2012 - 136 comments

Josie Pagani  has this to say about casualisation and the POAL dispute: On Sean Plunket’s ZB show today. Talking about the ports. ‘Casualisation’ scares us because it sounds like short hand for bad hours, low pay and no annual leave. It sounds like life in the early industrial revolution pre-unions. In some jobs it is. The […]

Open mike 10/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 10th, 2012 - 25 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…

ImperatorFish: English Says Asteroid Strike Good For Country

Written By: - Date published: 4:29 pm, March 9th, 2012 - 3 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here.

Scientists yesterday announced that a giant asteroid is on a collision course with the Earth. They predict that the huge rock will hit the southern part of the North Island tomorrow, destroying most of Wellington and leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead.

However, Finance Minister Bill English said there was no need for panic over the news.

Weekend social 09/03/2012

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, March 9th, 2012 - 16 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?

ImperatorFish: Dick Fritter’s Salute to John Key

Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, March 9th, 2012 - 4 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here.
Our latest Political Pundit column in praise of the masterful John Key – parliamentary clown extraordinaire.

Labour’s diminishing vision

Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, March 9th, 2012 - 90 comments

Our Labour activist guest poster asks where the coherence is in Labour’s communications strategy. Having a look at the lack of narrative across the Labour parties here, in Australia, and in the UK; he points to a place where narrative is done well in left politics – it is in the USA.

The press release Len Brown should be issuing

Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, March 9th, 2012 - 35 comments

A contrite Mayor Len Brown today offered his apology to Port workers for causing their redundancies by demanding higher port profits then giving them the cold shoulder. “I turned my back on the working class. That ‘we’re on a journey’ BS on RNZ was the final straw. I am donating to the workers the $2,000 they gave my election campaign, and the $270,000 3-year payrise they helped me get when I became Auckland mayor.”