Archive for April, 2012

The name’s on the cheque!

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 pm, April 30th, 2012 - 55 comments

Campbell Live showed us pictures of the Cheques by which Kim Dotcom’s company Megastuff made donations to Team Banksie 2010. How can John Banks argue that the two donations of $25,000 from Kim Dotcom’s company Megastuff Limited are anonymous when the company name is on the cheque? You could look up their address on the website. Game over, John and John.

Firewalls up in smoke

Written By: - Date published: 6:35 pm, April 30th, 2012 - 34 comments

David Cameron’s defence of embattled Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been called a “firewall” that’s failing to hold.

Cameron needs Hunt to stay or else Cameron is the next to go. It is the same for John Key.

As the stench of corruption around John Banks grows, he desperately needs him to stay or else all he loses legitimacy for asset sales and potentially his majority on the issue as well.

ImperatorFish: A Statement By John Banks

Written By: - Date published: 3:33 pm, April 30th, 2012 - 50 comments

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

On Sunday morning I made it clear to Paul Holmes on TVNZ’s Q&A current affairs show that I didn’t come up the river on a cabbage boat. I am aware that a number of my enemies are trying to catch me out, so in order to “front-foot” this matter I am making the following statement…

Decriminalising pot?

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, April 30th, 2012 - 96 comments

With pot related arrests down by half over the last eighteen years, the police have been accused of “decriminalisation by stealth”. It’s probably time to have the debate properly.

Will Dunne heed his own poll on asset sales?

Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, April 30th, 2012 - 46 comments

United Future are polling the public about their support for partial privatisation. Will Peter Dunne heed his own poll?

Classy

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, April 30th, 2012 - 37 comments

What your ruling party got up to at its South Island Regional Conference. Michael Woddhouse, list MP and failed candidate for Dunedin South, speaking at a podium behind a toilet seat with Dunedin South MP Clare Curran’s face attached. It’s witty, too. That’s what I like about it.

NRT: Catherine Isaac’s crony appointment

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, April 30th, 2012 - 6 comments

The indefatigable Idiot/Savant at NRT has been looking at the appointment of Isacc to head the Charter School Working Group. It seems to have been conducted with all the professionalism and integrity that we have come to expect of ACT.

Holiday highway even less affordable

Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, April 30th, 2012 - 14 comments

The case for the Puhoi to Wellsford Holiday Highway just got even worse. Before, officials reckoned it would return net benefits worth ten cents for every dollar spent. Now, the cost will equal the benefits – if traffic volumes double in 15 years. Problem is, traffic volumes in Northland are flat or falling in the Peak Oil Age.

Some good vision

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, April 30th, 2012 - 253 comments

David Cunliffe delivered a solid speech yesterday in New Lynn laying out some good thoughts on the state of New Zealand.

In it he’s been very clear on what’s happened to New Zealand. in the last thirty years.

Tape of ACC-Pullar meeting raises more questions

Written By: - Date published: 7:06 am, April 30th, 2012 - 47 comments

Another secret taping, another political scandal. A recording of Pullar and Boag’s meeting with ACC by Pullar appears to show that Pullar did not “blackmail” ACC as alleged. This raises serious questions about how Pullar’s name got into the public arena. And why hasn’t Collins ordered ACC to correct its version of events since its had the transcript for weeks?

Open mike 30/04/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 30th, 2012 - 146 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…

Policy for Money?

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 pm, April 29th, 2012 - 13 comments

Party donations for the 2011 general election  will be published on Tuesday . One new provision in the Act provides for the declaration of the number of donations in two bands; $1500 to $5,000, and up to $15,000. It will be very interesting to see the number of upper level donations in National and ACT particularly. They could hide Banks-type split donations from asset-sale backers.

More willful ignorance on charter schools

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, April 29th, 2012 - 27 comments

Armstrong tries to downplay the risks of charter schools. To do so of course he has to (as the PM so often does) denigrate the science that he wants to ignore.

Banks has got to go

Written By: - Date published: 6:52 am, April 29th, 2012 - 182 comments

Key should go because of his dirty deal with SkyCity. Joyce too. Collins should go over the ACC leaks. Brownlee for sheer incompetence. English for shit-eating grin every time he fails to meet his own growth forecasts and announces more cuts. Add Banks to the list. His position in now untenable. The accusations are serious and credible. His excuses and memory lapses implausible. He must at least be stood down.

Open mike 29/04/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 29th, 2012 - 102 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…

10,000+ at Auckland anti-MOM protest

Written By: - Date published: 3:14 pm, April 28th, 2012 - 87 comments

Lots of people… get down to Britomart.. Mind you Britomart is filling up rapidly. They need a few more megaphones by the look of the crowd. Penny Bright sucks at chants. 😈 Slowly moving off.  This is mining protest levels… A lot of people… Seriously slow. Walked 50 metres. Really good humoured and highly social. […]

Rumours just the usual mischief

Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, April 28th, 2012 - 38 comments

It’s understandable that the right wingers, feeling a bit punch drunk from the factional succession squabble going on in National, would try and distract attention by spreading some mischievous rumors. Good to see them officially laid to rest.

Dodgy old Banksie

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, April 28th, 2012 - 208 comments

It’s been revealed that Banks took fifty thousand dollars for his campaign from Kim Dotcom. Given the subsequent furore around Dotcom, the would be slightly embarrassing in its own right but it’s been considerably exacerbated by the fact it came in two separate payments – as requested by Banks so he could keep the donation anonymous.

Keep our assets petition is live!

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, April 28th, 2012 - 28 comments

The wording for the citizens-initiated referendum has been approved. Now, we just need to get 300,000-odd signatures. The petition form is here but the Keep Our Assets Coalition needs more than your signature, you need to help get signatures too. The Greens and Labour are signing people up for the campaign. Rallies in Auckland and Nelson today as part of the Hikoi. Official campaign launch: Wellington, May 10.

Open mike 28/04/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 28th, 2012 - 116 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…

Filleted Murdock

Written By: - Date published: 4:46 pm, April 27th, 2012 - 37 comments

Stayed up last night to watch Robert Jay QC question Rupert Murdoch at the Leveson enquiry. It was riveting – you can see why top lawyers like Jay are called silks. Murdoch denied, deferred, demeaned, derided and defended but couldn’t help himself – ended up with more damage than control. This affair has more legs than a millipede.

Weekend social 27/04/2012

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, April 27th, 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?

Aucklanders tell Nats they don’t want their MOM

Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, April 27th, 2012 - 9 comments

The Finance and Expenditure Select Committee got to hear 30 more submissions – all opposed – on the MOM bill. 1400 submissions, almost all against, but no sign the Nats are listening. Big March in Auckland tomorrow to shout it louder.

Nats’ economic failures just another excuse for cuts

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, April 27th, 2012 - 16 comments

Didn’t take much clairvoyance to see that National would fail to meet its promise of a Budget surplus by 2014/15. You’ve never seen a Finance Minister have his forecasts cut so often and look so happy about it. His failure against his own artificial target gives him an excuse to cut. His party’s ineptness to blame but we pay. Students look to be his target this round.

The reverse Midas touch: the gap with Australia

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, April 27th, 2012 - 19 comments

Remember when we elected that guy with all the financial experience because he would be able to guide us through the tough time better and close the gap with Australia? Oops.

Nat’s sell Kiwis out for their mates (again)

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, April 27th, 2012 - 188 comments

Remember way back when the government were changing the law to take rights off film workers and increase tax breaks for Warners? It was all about keeping Kiwi jobs they said.

Well it turns out that at the same time they were doing this they were also making promises to Peter Jackson that those Kiwi jobs would be given to imported workers.

Banks’ secret donation from the ‘wide boys’

Written By: - Date published: 6:19 am, April 27th, 2012 - 101 comments

John Banks has had a miraculous change of heart on pokies. He used to say gambling bosses were “wide boys” who “sucked” the people of this country dry. Now, he’s rubbed up against John Key and become ‘relaxed’ about more pokies. Maybe the $15,000 undeclared donation from SkyCity helped. A donor Banks was legally required to disclose but didn’t. Labour’s laid a complaint. Update: donation has been referred to police.

Open mike 27/04/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 27th, 2012 - 62 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…

$100m for Lizards

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 pm, April 26th, 2012 - 26 comments

John Key and Bill English couldn’t find $150million over four years for increased parental leave that would hugely benefit future children. Horrors – we would have to borrow! But they could find $100million straight away to pay international investment banks including Australian company Lazard’s to advise on asset sales that robs our children’s future and that  nobody else wants. It’s a matter of priorities – money gets money, kids get nothing.

Veolia Transport: where were the backup plans?

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 pm, April 26th, 2012 - 73 comments

I have and still do deal with quite a lot with systems in my day-job. But this…. I’m aghast at the self-evident stupidity. A power outage has shut down almost all train services across the Auckland region. The fault at KiwiRail’s National Train Control in Wellington, which controls Auckland signals and radio control, occurred about […]

An arrogant PM

Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, April 26th, 2012 - 41 comments

Ignoring public opposition, attacking the media, “advising himself” to do whatever he wants, it doesn’t add up tp a very pretty picture.