Author Archive
Bringing it home
Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, December 9th, 2008 - 16 comments
These ads made by the ACTU to oppose John Howard’s removal of unfair dismissal rights sure bring home what National’s fire at will law will mean for working families. No wonder National wants to curtail any real debate by ramming it through under urgency. Part two is here.
Ramming it through
Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, December 9th, 2008 - 51 comments
I’ve just been informed that the National/ACT Government has put its 90 day fire at will bill on the Order Paper and could ram it through under urgency as early as tomorrow. This is frankly an astonishing abuse of our democracy. A piece of legislation that will remove basic work rights from hundreds of thousands […]
No longer at the back of the class
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, December 9th, 2008 - 17 comments
Word is National’s David Bennett will be chairing the Transport & Industrial Relations select committee. After his unhinged performance over the youth minimum wage bill (audio below) where he screamed that the bill was “communism” and that we need to protect our hierarchical society, I’m not surprised John Key doesn’t want to send the 90 […]
Kiwisaver changes
Written By: - Date published: 9:20 pm, December 8th, 2008 - 16 comments
NZPA reports that the Government is looking at reviewing its changes to Kiwisaver so that workers who don’t earn enough to get the full $20 tax credit in a revised 2% scheme are not unfairly discriminated against. The changes are expected to cost $700 million over five years. This is a good measure, and in […]
Urgency
Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, December 8th, 2008 - 50 comments
During this morning’s Nine to Noon politics segment Matthew Hooton was saying how he thought the Government’s 100-day action plan would only include policies signalled prior to the election when he let slip: “And I’m sure while there will be some complaints about one measure… er… some measures…” I wonder what that one unpopular measure […]
What to do with Treasury
Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, December 5th, 2008 - 38 comments
It’s good to see Treasury’s extreme right-wing prescription for New Zealand has not been wholly embraced by the National Party – and it’s easy to see why. While Bill English (a former Treasury wonk himself) no doubt agrees with the policy ideas and direction outlined by Treasury, he has the disadvantage of being accountable to […]
A journal for the ruling class
Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, December 4th, 2008 - 74 comments
The Herald continues its campaigning today with a puff piece about a poll that claims business wants National’s 90 day ‘fire at will‘ policy enacted as soon as possible. The policy would remove the right of any worker in a small business to appeal against unfair dismissal during their first 90 days in a new […]
Godwinin’
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, December 3rd, 2008 - 3 comments
More gold from Lyndon Hood: Blogger Still Maintains Clark Just Like Mugabe The power-sharing arrangement Helen Clark has permitted after the opposition National party’s election victory may dissolve into violence at any time, reports an anonymous blogger who continues to insist New Zealand has become exactly like Zimbabwe. There is increasing concern for the blogger, […]
Fiasco
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, December 2nd, 2008 - 68 comments
John Key’s first test as Prime Minister in a crisis is turning into a bloody fiasco, with the leader of the opposition having to tell him how to do his job through the media. Read the linked article, it’s extraordinary. For the sake of the hundreds of Kiwis stranded in Thailand, can’t John just spare […]
Garth McVicar
Written By: - Date published: 3:08 pm, December 2nd, 2008 - 68 comments
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar’s analysis of prisons today: “Under our present prison policy the inmates are basically running the prison” Why does anyone take this man seriously?
ACT snaps up Hollow Men star
Written By: - Date published: 1:50 pm, December 1st, 2008 - 5 comments
The Sunday Star Times reported yesterday that ACT had “snapped up” former Brash advisor Peter Keenan, one of the lead stars of Nicky Hager’s The Hollow Men. The Hollow Men revealed, among other things, that Mr Keenan counselled Dr Brash to campaign on populist issues such as law and order and the Treaty of Waitangi […]
CTU calls for fairer tax cuts
Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, December 1st, 2008 - 50 comments
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on National to re-jig its tax package to give it more balance. And fair enough too – despite the media narrative about National’s ‘moderate’, ‘centrist’ policies the figures show its tax package is actually incredibly regressive. In fact, you could argue it’s been explicitly designed to divert money […]
Nats scrap citizens’ jury on electoral reform
Written By: - Date published: 5:49 pm, November 28th, 2008 - 42 comments
Frogblog reports: The Green Party initiative to have electoral reform reviewed and managed by a citizens’ jury has been scrapped by the National government today. While not surprising, it does mean that electoral reform falls back into the hands of the politicians – putting the wolves back in charge of the hen house. The press […]
Basin Reserve flyover
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, November 28th, 2008 - 43 comments
Over the last few weeks I’ve heard the odd grumble in Wellington leftie circles about the proposed Basin Reserve flyover but until now haven’t really paid much attention. Nor, does it seem, have many others. The 3D artists’ projection above shows why we probably should. According to the Save the Basin Reserve campaign, the NZ […]
Kids set back children’s franchise 100 years
Written By: - Date published: 3:55 pm, November 26th, 2008 - 23 comments
The results are in from the NZ Post-sponsored Kids Voting project, and while it’s a worthy project it nonetheless shows why we don’t allow children the franchise. More than 13,000 school students nationwide took part in the project aimed at encouraging kids to take an interest in our democracy. The resulting Parliament had Labour and […]
TVNZ cancels Agenda
Written By: - Date published: 1:13 pm, November 25th, 2008 - 27 comments
No Right Turn reports that TVNZ has cancelled Agenda, New Zealand’s only in-depth political interview and analysis show: According to Dennis Welch on Radio NZ this morning, TVNZ has cancelled Agenda, New Zealand’s top current affairs show. No word on what, if anything, they plan to replace it with, but it would be interesting to […]
All the facts
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, November 25th, 2008 - 81 comments
National’s David Farrar has been running a series for some time trying to paint NZ Labour as out of step with Labour Parties around the world when it comes to their attitude on tax cuts. His intention, of course, is to portray Labour as extreme left and his mates in National as centrist and middle […]
Work choices
Written By: - Date published: 4:48 pm, November 24th, 2008 - 48 comments
Watching this new ad from the Australian Council of Trade Unions on employment law reform was kind of depressing – while the Aussies are looking forward to getting their work rights back under a new government, ours is drafting up legislation to take them away. Time for a change eh? Guess we should have read […]
X-rated
Written By: - Date published: 3:01 pm, November 21st, 2008 - 13 comments
There’s a lot of fuss about at the moment over Ayman al-Zawahri’s labelling of Barack Obama as the kind of “house negro” described by Malcolm X. It’s a rather absurd comparison, and in my view probably more a sign of Al-Qaeda’s increasing irrelevance than anything else. But as it turns out, I was listening to […]
Farmers workers protest today
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, November 21st, 2008 - 33 comments
Workers from Farmers stores in the Auckland area will take part in a ‘Skinny Santa’ parade down Queen Street today to protest against their low rates of pay and for a $15 minimum wage. Most Farmers staff are only paid between $12 and $13.50 an hour and the company’s latest pay offer would give the […]
Goff announces shadow cabinet
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, November 20th, 2008 - 44 comments
Labour leader Phil Goff has announced his shadow cabinet. As announced already Cunliffe takes finance, Clark takes foreign affairs, Hughes and Chadwick are whips. Annette King takes on social development in addition to the deputy leadership – a smart move, she’ll make mincemeat out of Paula Bennett. Ruth Dyson takes health, Chris Carter holds education […]
Delaying tactics
Written By: - Date published: 4:49 pm, November 19th, 2008 - 73 comments
The National Party’s decision to resurrect the idea of a carbon tax is one of the most cynical plays I’ve seen in a while, coming from a party that opposed a carbon tax from day one. In fact, for all their hollow attacks on Labour’s climate change record it’s been National that has campaigned harder […]
Wellington party vote breakdown
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, November 19th, 2008 - 30 comments
The Wellingtonista has a cool post up with a breakdown of Left vs Right voting patterns in Wellington this election. The map above shows party vote on a booth by booth level. The blue bloc represents National, Act and United Future, and the red bloc is Labour, Green and Progressive. NZ First and the Maori […]
A break from the honeymoon
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, November 18th, 2008 - 60 comments
While most of the big media are giving John Key his criticism-free honeymoon (“OMG! A solo mum! An Asian! And a gay chap!”) the good old ODT has seen through the centrist spin: Prime Minister-elect John Key showed a clear intention yesterday to move the National-led government more to the Right of the political spectrum […]
Trotter back blogging
Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, November 18th, 2008 - 16 comments
Chris Trotter has a new blog. Good to see he’s left those creeps over at policy.net and gone out on his own. I don’t always agree with Trotter, in fact at times I find him infuriating, but he’s a smart guy and always worth a read. Welcome back, Chris. Hat tip: Jafapete
Cabinet announced
Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 112 comments
National’s cabinet has been announced. No major surprises, though Maurice Williamson has been dumped outside cabinet and unpopular newcomer Steven Joyce has taken Transport. Lockwood Smith is speaker. More detail and analysis later, but for now the full list is over the break. THE CABINET Portfolios Other responsibilities 1 John Key Prime Minister Minister of […]
John Key’s victory parade
Written By: - Date published: 3:05 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 2 comments
No, not the one the Herald’s organising. Over at Scoop Lyndon Hood’s unveiled his own victory parade for John Key and I gotta say, it’s his best effort yet. Go over and have a look.
Key reneges on PSA promise
Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 24 comments
Well, just days after a high profile meeting with PSA head Brenda Pilott and a promise to engage with unions John Key has decided to exclude the PSA from his Task Force on the future of the public sector. The National/ACT government will instead appoint private sector consultants and private sector chairs to review government […]
Local Govt minister wants to privatise water
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 17th, 2008 - 91 comments
As you’ll have read, John Key has made ACT leader Rodney Hide his Minister of Local Government. So, what’s ACT’s local government policy? Commercial activities are best performed by the private sector because they have more incentive to innovate and deliver better services. Local government should progressively shed ownership of its commercial activities. Local government […]
Polar bear returns
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, November 14th, 2008 - 17 comments
From Scoop: The hapless polar bear that emerged during the recent TVNZ You-Tube leaders debate has resurfaced to issue a plea to Prime Minister-elect John Key. “The planet is on the slide due to climate change,” stresses the bear. “Me and my ilk are like canaries in the coal mine. But by-God we’re not the […]
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Holloway, Associate Professor, Director of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Olafur Seinar Gestsson/Getty Images The global shortage of trained nurses has been described as a health emergency by the ...3 days ago
- Deportations hampered by availability and cost of flights
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- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 20 November
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. .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-title { font-size: 1.2em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .entry-meta { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; margin-top: 0.5em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-meta { font-size: 0.8em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .avatar { height: 25px; width: ...4 days ago
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