Archive for February, 2013
Working for a Living
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, February 24th, 2013 - 118 comments
The thing I like about the Living Wage campaign is the branding represents strongly both the problem and the solution. The Prime Minister fell into its trap when he said that the Living Wage was not a priority for his Government. The statement says it all really. The Government don’t want you to work for a living, they just want you to work.
Back to basics
Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, February 24th, 2013 - 15 comments
Looks like we’re in for another round of nonsense in mathematics education from a bunch of politicians who know more about their own prejudices than they do about teaching and learning.
Sunday Reading
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, February 24th, 2013 - 5 comments
My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: Feminism, tax and juries.
Open mike 24/02/2013
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 24th, 2013 - 86 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…
ACT speaks its branes
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 pm, February 23rd, 2013 - 71 comments
According to ex-leader Rodney Hyde’s address to the ACT conference ACT hates the poor, hates Maori, and hates the unions. As far as I can tell this is not a joke. But clearly ACT is.
What have the Nats got right?
Written By: - Date published: 3:51 pm, February 23rd, 2013 - 186 comments
The list of National’s failures is long – and getting longer. So what have the Nats got right in their 4 years in office? What have they accomplished? Genuine questions, Nat supporters, I’m interested to know what you think Key and co. have achieved.
NRT: Climate change – Locked out
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, February 23rd, 2013 - 15 comments
I/S from No Right Turn describes another brick in National’s wall of stupid. “New Zealand will be locked out of the international carbon market in retaliation for our refusal to sign up for Kyoto’s Second Commitment period.”
Poverty Watch 20
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, February 23rd, 2013 - 11 comments
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week, more from the Children’s Social Health Monitor 2012 Update Report, and poverty in Christchurch…
Open mike 23/02/2013
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 23rd, 2013 - 147 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…
Fabian “Voyage” comes to Christchurch
Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, February 22nd, 2013 - 3 comments
Christchurch readers please open here InvitationA5_Mar2013_1 to find your invitation to this free “economic revue” at the Court Theatre, Sunday March 3, 1pm for 1:30. Speakers Bernard Hickey, John Walley, Rick Boven, Sel Pellett and Bronwyn Hayward; with Michele A’Court starting them off. Titanic-themed, how New Zealand can avoid the iceberg is the topic. All welcome.
Weekend social 22/02/2013
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, February 22nd, 2013 - 36 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?
Save the Trees!
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, February 22nd, 2013 - 41 comments
The Government is currently attempting for a second time to remove blanket tree protection from Auckland’s district plan. Submissions close on February 28, 2013 – Greg Presland tells us why and how you can have your say.
Nats’ fossil fuel bet & culture of excess bankrupted Solid Energy
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, February 22nd, 2013 - 164 comments
A look at Solid Energy’s books highlights the diseased culture of the corporate elite in this country and National’s failed bet on fossil fuels. The blistering pace that executives’ ridiculous paypackets rose at shows a culture of pocket-lining in the company. The massive expansion of liabilities in the lignite bet, which has crippled the company, was part of National’s fossil fuels strategy.
Forgotten Christchurch
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, February 22nd, 2013 - 22 comments
Today is the second anniversary of the most destructive of the Christchurch earthquakes. Condolences to the friends and families of the dead. Greetings to all who lived through it and remember. Commiserations to those who have been forgotten by this government…
Open mike 22/02/2013
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 22nd, 2013 - 87 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…
Bully Camps not the “Answer” for youth
Written By: - Date published: 6:34 pm, February 21st, 2013 - 61 comments
Boot camps by their nature are bully camps. I know some young people enjoy the test of their physical skills but for those that don’t, they work by psychological pressure. I haven’t read the text book that says kids thrive being shouted at, marched about the place and having their heads shaved, and what are we teaching them about the State? That we accept bullying? That the Government reserve the right to humiliate you?
Key lied to Parliament?
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, February 21st, 2013 - 71 comments
Breaking news, but it certainly looks like John Key has (1) made up nonsense about Sky City, and (2) lied to Parliament.
Update: Key is publicly backing down. Looks like an apology and explanation to Parliament will be needed.
Re-run: SkyCity’s convention centre would need $10m+ subsidies – MED
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, February 21st, 2013 - 15 comments
A year ago, I wrote that SkyCity was pursuing the dirty practice of ‘subvention’ – where owners of white elephant infrastructure extort governments for subsidies – for the convention centre. The msm has caught up and is reporting on it now. MED denies there will be any subvention; but Joyce says it’s all on the table. And what about the $10m+ in operating subsidies the centre would need?
Key implicated not vindicated
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, February 21st, 2013 - 22 comments
As John Armstrong puts it the AG’s report on the Sky City bid was “deeply disturbing” and “verging on banana republic kind of stuff without the bananas”. One of the competing bidders is talking about a refund of costs “wasted on a bid that was never seriously considered”. And why wouldn’t they?
Open mike 21/02/2013
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 21st, 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…
Mr Answerer
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 pm, February 20th, 2013 - 70 comments
Oh dear. Lockwood Smith was by common consent one of the best Speakers we’ve had. David Carter seems to be heading in a different direction. Lockwood required Ministers to give direct answers. Today in the House Carter gave the answer for Hekia Parata, interpreting her words to get her off the hook. He may well have put himself on one though, if that is the way he is going to go.
Leaked: draft blueprint for future recruitment to ACC sensitive claims unit
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, February 20th, 2013 - 10 comments
An accidentally-mis-addressed email from ACC’s HR department reveals much-needed changes are going to be made to their sensitive claims unit.
Family members of traitors of the Motherland
Written By: - Date published: 1:16 pm, February 20th, 2013 - 85 comments
No-one likes fraudsters, whether they’re ripping us off as beneficiaries or as suit-clad businesspeople. National’s announced some ineffectual steps to ‘crack down’ on the minor amount of benefit fraud that occurs (no similar crackdown on white collar fraudsters). But they’ve gone to far in trying to criminalise people just for being partners of benefit fraudsters.
Think tanks & global-local networks
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, February 20th, 2013 - 25 comments
George Monbiot exposes how well-funded right wing ‘think tanks’ and individuals operate through networks including the AEI, IEA & Koch. These have links to the NZ Initiative (BRT & NZ Institute). The coming DailyBlog may help challenge such influential networks and their destructive ‘neoliberal’ politics.
Sorry seems to be the hardest word
Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, February 20th, 2013 - 23 comments
Hekia Parata is in deep trouble. She has even resorted to grudgingly forcing the word “sorry” from her lips. But it isn’t even close to the apology that is needed…
That ‘ol margin of error
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, February 20th, 2013 - 32 comments
There is no sensible “political narrative” that makes sense of the two most recent polls, it’s just noise – the margin of error. But the underlying trend is still good for the Left…
Labour: the democratic reforms continue
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, February 20th, 2013 - 98 comments
The focus in recent months has been on the democratisation of the leadership process. But actually, a far more important change is coming. Over the next few months, the party is going to roll out the draft policies and the proposed policy structure to a series of membership meetings. The new regional hub structure will also be explained.
Open mike 20/02/2013
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 20th, 2013 - 175 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…
A-G reveals details of Nats’ dirty deal with SkyCity
Written By: - Date published: 3:07 pm, February 19th, 2013 - 129 comments
The Auditor-General’s report catalogues a dirty deal hatched between Key’s office and SkyCity execs to give SkyCity more pokies ‘in return for’ a convention centre. It shows the bidding process was a farce and reveals that the whole ‘trade-off’ of pokies for convention centre is a con hatched by SkyCity and the Nats. And there’s a deeper issue.
Reshuffle for unity
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, February 19th, 2013 - 229 comments
As you all know I haven’t been the biggest cheerleader for Labour in recent times. And let’s not beat around the bush. I still have my concerns. But there’s a real opportunity on the near horizon. There’s hope for Labour yet. While the plan for the reshuffle before the vote was clearly punitive things may have changed. Indeed they should have. Update: Oh dear.
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Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...3 weeks ago - Christmas Gifts: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
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- Fully recovering Australia’s threatened species would cost 25% of GDP. We can’t do it all at onc...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By April Reside, Lecturer in Conservation, The University of Queensland An endangered golden-shouldered parrot Imogen Warren/Shutterstock Australia has already lost at least 100 species since European colonisation. Across land and freshwater habitats, 1,657 species are currently threatened with the same fate. Their populations ...1 day ago
- Wellington’s secondhand bookshops, ranked and reviewed
Summer reissue: Claire Mabey assesses the browsing merits of the capital’s secondhand bookstores. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. Secondhand bookstores are extremely dangerous ...1 day ago - It’s time for the Greens to grow up – Swarbrick
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Opinion: The sad passing of Dame Tariana Turia has rightly drawn attention to the value of politicians who have strong convictions which they pursue even when it is difficult to do so. Not all of the people who have expressed admiration for her were moved to that emotion when she ...1 day ago
- Where is she now? Wendy Frew
The search for Wendy Frew takes you to Pine Crescent Park, Rosedale, in Invercargill. “Possibly windswept and interesting” to quote a Billy Connolly-ism.It’s a setting that nurtured a remarkable deep-south sporting family dynasty – one fit to rival the Bracewells of the North.Among the eight children of Karen and Colin ...1 day ago
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- Dame Tariana Turia to be laid to rest today
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- How Wellington became a cornucopia of Malaysian food
Summer reissue: Our capital is a far cry from hot, bustling Kuala Lumpur, so why is this freezing city full of excellent Malaysian cuisine? My dad once told me that there are more Malaysian restaurants in Wellington per square kilometres than there are back in Malaysia. He was completely ...1 day ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 7 January
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 7 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...1 day ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Risk & Resilience, UNSW Sydney Marian Weyo/Shutterstock If someone bumps into us on the footpath or in the mall, we’re generally quite forgiving. We instinctively apologise or step aside, and usually don’t scream at, stalk, ...2 days ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Maynard, Associate Professor, School of Communication and the Arts, The University of Queensland State Library Victoria Sunglasses, or dark glasses, have always guarded against strong sunlight, but is there more to “shades” than we think? The pupils of our ...2 days ago
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