Author Archive

National goes dirty

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 pm, September 24th, 2013 - 131 comments

It’s not been surprising to see National’s dirty tricks machine groan back to life over the last week to attack Cunliffe.

And you’ll not be surprised to know more is due over the next few days.

What is surprising is just how hamfistedly they’re doing it.

Vote!

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, September 10th, 2013 - 164 comments

You’ve seen the candidates. You know where they stand. So grab your ballots and vote!

On the affiliate vote

Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, September 5th, 2013 - 53 comments

There’s been some recent speculation on the affiliate vote. Some of it’s trolling some of it’s just plain misinformed.

That said, it’s an interesting issue, and one that I’ve a few thoughts on myself.

Some gentle advice for Labour peeps

Written By: - Date published: 10:08 pm, August 27th, 2013 - 58 comments

The contest for the leadership of the Labour party heralds a new era of democracy for the Labour party, and for New Zealand, and people are quite rightly excited about it.

As I’ve said before, this is a great opportunity to bring unity to the party and to get a head-start on the election campaign.

Unity and democracy

Written By: - Date published: 6:42 pm, August 22nd, 2013 - 190 comments

With a new leadership race there’s now a real chance to bring the Labour party together to fight the good fight against the right.

Kiwis say no to welfare-bashing

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, August 16th, 2013 - 22 comments

Stuff’s polls aren’t usually known for their left-wing bias. Indeed there’s a tendency for them to pitch the other way. Which is why I clicked on the results button for their latest (self-selected) poll with some trepidation. after all the question was “Should doctors be encouraged to question unemployed patients on their career goals?”

Fool’s gold

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, August 2nd, 2013 - 12 comments

In its submission on the Pike River bill, New Zealand’s second largest mining company has told Select Committee that workers can’t be trusted to look after their own health and safety, and everything’s just fine the way it is.

But at the same time one of their mines has been partially closed due to a safety hazard.

This gives me heart

Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, July 30th, 2013 - 61 comments

The Herald is reporting that more that 51% of Kiwis are in favour of giving beneficiaries with kid the Working for Families tax credit.

That’s right, just over half of New Zealanders polled wanted to give beneficiaries more money despite twenty years of active demonisation of beneficiaries by the right.

Who represents who

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 pm, July 5th, 2013 - 58 comments

The Herald is reporting that the SkyCity deal to increase human misery pokie machines in exchange for a white elephant convention center was done at 8pm this evening.

Unspeakable

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 pm, June 25th, 2013 - 4 comments

Just in case you don’t know, Danyl’s book, Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley, is now available for pre-order.

Personally I’m in awe of anyone that can manage to write a whole goddamn novel, especially a good one. And I reckon this will be a good one. I’ve got mine ordered – you should too.

A fighting liberal

Written By: - Date published: 2:04 pm, June 1st, 2013 - 122 comments

New Zealand voters like strong politicians. And today Russel Norman showed he’s a strong politician – a fighting liberal.

For perhaps the first time since John Key took power, someone has had the guts to stand up and blame him directly for the corrupt government he’s been running.

Dunne and dusted?

Written By: - Date published: 6:14 pm, May 31st, 2013 - 133 comments

As of this afternoon United Future is no more.

That’s because the party can’t reach the 500 member threshold required to maintain its status as a political party.

Why the Meridian sale will go ahead regardless of cost

Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, May 27th, 2013 - 57 comments

When even the notoriously right-wing NZ Herald Editorial is pleading for Meridian not to be sold (just now), you know that the government’s asset sell-down is in trouble.

But the Herald assumes that getting the best dollar possible is the plan here.

It’s not.

1/3 of Kiwis in energy poverty

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 pm, May 24th, 2013 - 89 comments

A recent survey of two thousand Kiwis show that a third cannot afford to heat their homes properly.

That’s a third of the population who are vulnerable to illness, whose children are at risk, and who are being left behind as the electricity companies continue their price gouging.

This is why we need NZ Power.

$2.49

Written By: - Date published: 7:23 pm, May 20th, 2013 - 99 comments

That’s what Mighty River stocks closed at today. Down on their issue price within ten days.

Opposites day

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, May 20th, 2013 - 38 comments

I had heard that National’s internal polling was showing they were becoming vulnerable on social equity issues. For some reason New Zealanders are coming to think of them as a government that looks after its rich mates at the expense of everyone else

Prwoperty rwights!

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 pm, May 13th, 2013 - 130 comments

Over at Kiwiblog David Farrar’s having a big cry about the Greens indicating they’d legislate against the dodgy contract this government has struck with Sky city. To David, the property rights conveyed by contract law are paramount above all other rights. Including the rights of the people of a sovereign nation to direct a government to exercise their will.

Governing for their rich mates (again)

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, May 12th, 2013 - 242 comments

Rob Stock at the Sunday Star Times reports that National plans to dump state housing on NGOs and flog land to developers.

National are governing for their rich mates again.

Caption Contest

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 pm, May 8th, 2013 - 95 comments

Well Key’s cornerstone policy, the one that many commentators claimed was him showing his mettle, has come to fruition. And it’s such a poison chalice he didn’t even have the guts to show up for the big reveal in person (spoiler: less than half the number of people who signed up to oppose asset sales signed up to buy).

Congratulations EPMU

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, May 8th, 2013 - 7 comments

The EPMU has won back millions of dollars of back-pay for workers at Tiwai point after taking a case at the employment authority.

Giving the game away

Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, May 3rd, 2013 - 180 comments

Aaron Gilmore, eh? He’s clearly finished in the National Party. Not for the view he expressed when he threatened to get a young waiter sacked, but because by doing so he’s lifted the veil on the carefully covered elitism that drives the national party’s agenda.

NZ dis-empower

Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, April 27th, 2013 - 42 comments

A year ago the nats announced massive changes to employment law. And then they went quiet.

Now with a new Minister of Labour they’ve decided it’s time to move.

Random thoughts on NZ Power

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, April 24th, 2013 - 37 comments

I’m not surprised that the finance crew are so upset about the gently social democratic policy that is NZ Power (the latest stupid claim is that it’ll mean higher mortgages). But what is surprising is the way in which they’ve made it very clear that they believe the economy should be geared toward the wealthy elite

Plunket on NZ Power

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, April 20th, 2013 - 44 comments

Sean Plunket’s piece on NZ Power wasn’t quite what I expected. After invoking the usual grim vision of the 1970s (although I swear I detected a slight wistful nostalgia) he breaks out the following conclusion…

NZ Power and the next step

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 54 comments

The NZ Power policy is the most significant break from the neoliberal political consensus we’ve seen for a long time.

Which is why it’s likely to draw a lot of fire from the elite. Let make sure there’s a lot of push back.

Weapons of mass distraction

Written By: - Date published: 6:32 pm, April 15th, 2013 - 111 comments

I knew John Key was getting desperate, but really?

Weapons of Mass Destruction?

How stupid does he think we are?

Worst. Negotiators. Ever.

Written By: - Date published: 6:46 am, March 29th, 2013 - 240 comments

First they got down on their knees for a massive American movie studio and negotiated away oodles of taxpayer dollars and our employment law for movies that were always going to be made in New Zealand…

On Dame Susan Devoy

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, March 22nd, 2013 - 393 comments

Rather than add my two cents to the debate about whether she’s up to the job or not (she’s clearly not), I’d like to point out that this is essentially Judith Collins telling liberal New Zealand it can go f**k itself.

Given this fact, the question to ask isn’t so much why put such an unqualified person in such a sensitive position so much as why does Collins feel the need to yell “look at me” so loudly right now?

Unspeakable secrets of the Aro Valley

Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, March 18th, 2013 - 5 comments

I’ve just been alerted to the fact that Danyl from the dimpost has a novel out called Unspeakable Secrets of the Aro Valley.

The right’s fear of democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 pm, March 13th, 2013 - 174 comments

Four hundred thousand people don’t want asset sales. In fact they don’t just not want asset sales they want every voter in New Zealand to have the chance to cast a vote for or against asset sales. And National wants to discredit them.

Hobbit emails show Jackson’s dodgy dealings

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.