Written By: - Date published: 9:09 pm, February 28th, 2013 - 147 comments
I guess the title says it all. The latest Roy Morgan has National at 47.5% (up 3.5%), Labour 30.5% (down 4%), Greens 12.5%, and NZ First at 3%. I’m not really in the mood to piss around with analysis tonight. You’ve heard me moan about the state of Labour enough lately. But it’s not the […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:25 pm, February 28th, 2013 - 37 comments
Project code is complete and getting stamped on the hardware.
I have some time for maintenance and writing at last…. So put in your wish lists.
Oh and this is a warning to trolls. I have time to measure you and comment on your obvious lacks and deficiencies again đ
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, February 28th, 2013 - 24 comments
As a Canadian currency dealer dubs the NZ$ the “new gold”, John Key sings the praises of a high dollar
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, February 28th, 2013 - 172 comments
If we can’t afford to buy the assets back, we should at least make clear we will regulate them severely and take the profit out of electricity companies…
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, February 28th, 2013 - 34 comments
Another excellent Cunlife speech last night, speaking to the Child Support Amendment Bill (Committee Stage Schedule 2).  An “almost” Bill showing the government’s callous disregard of child poverty and single/separated (usually women) parents.
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 28th, 2013 - 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…
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 pm, February 27th, 2013 - 104 comments
Labour has lost a fine legal mind. Good luck Charles, and hopefully David Shearer will heed your advice.
Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, February 27th, 2013 - 127 comments
Unanimous decision by the 5 judges to dismiss the Maori Council’s appeal.
Written By: - Date published: 1:21 pm, February 27th, 2013 - 25 comments
Good news, as Louisa Wall’s Marriage Equality Bill progresses through select committee.
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, February 27th, 2013 - 90 comments
The minimum wage should be at least $15 per hour. A living wage is estimated at $18.40 per hour. So what have the Nats done? Raised the minimum wage by $0.25 per hour to $13.75. It’s a derisory increase. Even their own supporters think so.
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, February 27th, 2013 - 219 comments
The Nats lied over the hobbit movie. What are we as citizens to do when a government deliberately and shamelessly lies to us? How can we stop this kind of barefaced lying from happening again?
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, February 27th, 2013 - 30 comments
The average CEO got a 10% pay rise last year. The average worker got 2.6%. Minimum wage workers will get 1.9% – a 25 cent an hour token gesture. And 30,000 fewer of us have jobs than a year ago and are not earning at all any more. And now we learn the finance sector sucked $440m more out of us last year – a total of $4 billion. No wonder the planes to Aussie are full.
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 27th, 2013 - 93 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…
Written By: - Date published: 6:12 pm, February 26th, 2013 - 30 comments
John Key is keen that the ACT party is “regenerating” and National will be there for them. That’s if a party that registered 0%, 0.2%, 0.4% and 0.5% in the latest round of polls can be called “regenerating”: I’ve seen (other) zombies more full of life…
Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, February 26th, 2013 - 315 comments
The government has released the Hobbit documents. The Ombudsman ordered them to. The full release is available at stuff and what stands out (apart from the insistent and narcissistic tone of every film industry correspondent) is the fact that Peter Jackson himself noted the “do not sign” advice from the union was being called off. TWO DAYS before he went public with his “evil union” story.
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, February 26th, 2013 - 41 comments
A wheelchair got caught in the rail tracks, resulting in critical injuries.  Pedestrians are low priority, and people with disabilities even lower, making them/us vulnerable: poor pavements, hazardous road crossings, some inaccessible public transport… and more.
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, February 26th, 2013 - 20 comments
I’m starting to feel sorry for Hekia Parata. In his column yesterday Armstrong referred to her as “something of a pariah figure” in the education portfolio.
Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, February 26th, 2013 - 8 comments
The reaction to the Auditor General’s report on Key’s Sky City deal is lingering in the headlines much longer than Key would like. “Corrupted process”. “Stench”. “No way to run a country”. Key badly misjudged this one.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 26th, 2013 - 82 comments
John Key is under real pressure over the Solid Energy debacle. He got out the six-shooter – aiming at a 2007 speech by Trevor Mallard to try to blame Labour. Trouble is he’s shot himself. In 2011 he said he “supported Solid Energy’s plan to dig up lignite and turn it into briquettes, saying the Government wanted companies such as Solid Energy, which is Government-owned, to expand.” Expect more shots from the lip.
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, February 26th, 2013 - 49 comments
I think the Labour reshuffle is quite clever in how it signals the portfolios that its willing to give to the Greens and encourages them to set about being lead opposition spokespeople on those topics. Sure, the reshuffle has some weird stuff in it – ChCh Earthquake spokesperson a backbencher!, 6 ex-staffers in the top 10, Mallard’s ‘demotion’ that isn’t. But there’s some smarts there too.
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 26th, 2013 - 169 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…
Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, February 25th, 2013 - 82 comments
A few quick thoughts on the Labour reshuffle.
Written By: - Date published: 1:49 pm, February 25th, 2013 - 211 comments
Shearer announced his reshuffle at 1pm today
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, February 25th, 2013 - 30 comments
I’m a big fan of the Living Wage campaign. And I really liked the Herald’s series covering the launch week. But part of that coverage highlighted a big problem that I don’t think the Living Wage campaign will reach.
Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, February 25th, 2013 - 43 comments
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, February 25th, 2013 - 29 comments
Ralph Hotere, one of New Zealand’s greatest artists, has died.
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, February 25th, 2013 - 82 comments
Claire Trevett is picking Annette King to take health in a Labour party reshuffle
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 25th, 2013 - 84 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…
Written By: - Date published: 7:21 pm, February 24th, 2013 - 71 comments
Word is Labour’s reshuffle will be announced tomorrow.
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