Author Archive

No, I’ll pay, I insist

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:08 pm, September 21st, 2009 - 18 comments

So trucking companies are unwilling to pay for the extra damage that 53 tonne trucks will do. Companies trying to privatise the gains and socialise the losses? Gotta love those capitalists. And there’s Joyce telling us to harden up and cop it. Thank goodness we’ve got the Tories helping private business pocket gains at the taxpayers’ cost. […]

First we sack you then we spy on you

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:12 pm, September 20th, 2009 - 14 comments

The Sunday Star Times reports [page 4, currently offline] that Telecom has hired a private investigation company, Corporate Investigations, to spy on the lines engineers it sacked and is now trying to force into dependent contracting. That’s right, not content with ripping these workers’ livelihoods out of their hands Telecom now has them under surveillance […]

Lhaws: ‘look at me! I crave your attention’

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:42 pm, September 17th, 2009 - 32 comments

Lhaws puts on his usual prima donna act over the H which is set to leave Whanganui an uninhabitable, post-apocalyptic wasteland: “I have a constitutional responsibility to fight this decision until there is no fight left in my body. [The Geographic Board] has deliberately put Wanganui in a position where we can only resist, and […]

Wee gripes: It’s not easy being green

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:04 pm, September 17th, 2009 - 10 comments

Westpac has this ad campaign about how they’re doing their bit to reduce their environmental impact. The dumb thing is they make begin green appear unattractive. You know the ads. The kid trying to get the idiot dad who works at Westpac to be more enviromentally friendly. Dad zips up his wang after peeing […]

Whanganui

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:00 pm, September 17th, 2009 - 66 comments

Here’s something to look forward to New Zealand. Another round of that trumped up little egotist stirring racist populism to get himself in the news.

Just put it away

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 2:24 pm, September 13th, 2009 - 32 comments

I know this free condoms idea is just a remit, not Labour Party policy, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that the right has used to drive a wedge between Labour and it’s working-class base. It is a liberal idea that conservatives on the left and right will be repelled by and it creates […]

Labour needs to get back to its roots

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:00 am, September 12th, 2009 - 107 comments

Goff is using Labour’s national conference to swallow some dead rats, distancing himself and the party from the social reform agenda of the previous Labour government. Good. People like the socialist element of Labour’s agenda – retention of public assets, nationalisation of important infrastructure (Kiwirail), intervention in failing markets (eg Kiwibank), redistribution of wealth, stronger […]

Wee gripes: speakering

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 2:00 pm, September 9th, 2009 - 7 comments

John when you say ‘overtly’ you mean ‘overly’. Like on Monday when you told Paul Henry “I’m not overtly stressed..”. Sometimes, you say something like ‘we’re not overtly planning X’ when you just mean ‘we’re not planning X’. Here’s a little hypothetical test. What’s wrong with this sentence? “I’m not overtly concerned by scuttlebug from various […]

Look what I found

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:00 am, September 9th, 2009 - 25 comments

Does anyone really believe a Treasury official just happened to accidentally drop a notebook full of secrets on The Terrace then one of only a couple of dozen political reporters in the country, Julian Robins from Radio New Zealand, just happened to pick it up, read it, and realise what he had found? Pull the other one. I […]

Angry sadsack still at it

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 3:00 pm, September 7th, 2009 - 27 comments

Michael Laws: get on with your job and stop prancing around on the media stage. Laws has put out a second (yes, a second) press release justifying being rude to some schoolkids who wrote to him. Apparently, Laws can think of no better use of his time and of Whanganui ratepayers’ dollars than continuing to […]

An angry little sadsack

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:30 am, September 3rd, 2009 - 66 comments

I know a dude who went to law school. In one of his lecture theatres was this ‘old guy’ who was always whining (especially about anything to do with Maori), couldn’t keep up with the material, and always seemed intent on making himself the centre of attention. Finally, the dude leaned over to his mate […]

Capitalism, it’s not a love-in

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 5:10 am, September 2nd, 2009 - 38 comments

I find the Right’s assumption that the bosses are acting in some greater interest fascinating. There’s this unwillingness to believe that the bosses would be acting in their own interests and that what’s in their interests are often not in the interests of the rest of us. Look at the comments yesterday on the Telecom […]

Telecom and the logic of capitalism

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 6:00 am, September 1st, 2009 - 69 comments

There’s nothing like a Tory Government in power and a monopolistic corporate flexing its muscle to remind you that capitalism is all about serving the bosses and screwing the workers. This Telecom dispute. The engineers are being made redundant from their current roles already in batches. On October 1, all the jobs will be gone […]

Congratulations Maori Party

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:17 pm, August 31st, 2009 - 13 comments

Looks like the Maori Party has decided to stand by their principles and oppose weakening the Emissions Trading Scheme. Their stinging minority report rules out supporting any weakening of the already too weak ETS and calls for a far greater commitment to the environment from government: The Maori Party continues to oppose the introduction of an […]

Top 10 reasons why Key’s visiting New York

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:13 pm, August 28th, 2009 - 31 comments

10. I got lost on my way to Afghanistaniania. 9. It’s much more fun than running the country. 8. Textes from Kevin Taylor told me to. 7. I’ve got some National Park lignite to sell. 6. I’m on safari, hunting the elusive scuttlebug. 5. My contract with Crosby-Textor requires I do 3 meaningless PR stunts […]

Rodney and John roger Rodney

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:54 am, August 26th, 2009 - 18 comments

Maori seats? Who cares eh? If democratic process is ignored to override the Maori, who cares? But what if it’s some nice Pakeha? The Government is going to slice Rodney council in two. The North half goes to Kaipara. The other half goes into the Supercity. The people of Rodney overwhelmingly don’t want […]

Don’t look for help from the bosses’ party

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:14 am, August 25th, 2009 - 21 comments

Red Alert continues to get better and better. Beaumont’s latest is one of those powerful stories that deserves to be told, and Red Alert provides the platform. I’m going to be cheeky and reproduce it in full: Today at a fleamarket in Panmure I spoke to a young couple with a young daughter. The young man […]

Will Key go with Hide or Maori Party?

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:40 am, August 23rd, 2009 - 12 comments

The issue of Maori seats on the supercity council has inevitably exposed the contradictions inherent in this government. The Maori party wants ’em. ACT won’t agree. Which way will Key go? With Hide. Why? Because Hide’s the only willing to hurt the government to get what he wants. Hide says he’ll resign as minister. It’s […]

The science: too amibitous for New Zealand

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:58 am, August 19th, 2009 - 32 comments

Key, Mr Ambitous when it comes to cycleways and Job Summits, says that reducing carbon emissions from developed countries like ours by 2020 to 40% below 1990 levels, which the scientists say is mandatory if we want to avoid run-away climate change, is “too ambitious“. Fair enough, I suppose. I’m sure the laws of nature will understand. Maybe they’ll […]

Goff’s speech on deploying the SAS

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:20 am, August 19th, 2009 - 12 comments

Apart from when it’s customary, at maiden speeches, valedictories, and the Budget, it’s a rare speech that warrants a standing ovation in Parliament. Phil Goff got one yesterday for his speech on the urgent debate into the deployment of the SAS to Afghanistan. The text is here but it’s the delivery that really makes it*. Competent, […]

Keep digging

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 2:31 pm, August 17th, 2009 - 23 comments

Just noticed the interview with Garrett in the Sunday-Star Times: “Garrett, who “wore overalls and not a suit” while working as a roughneck on oil rigs as a young man, makes no apologies for being a politician that calls a spade “a bloody shovel”.” A spade isn’t a shovel. A spade is made for digging. […]

Electrical storm

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 2:27 pm, August 13th, 2009 - 40 comments

Breaking up the old Electricity Corporation into a bunch of artificially competing companies has been a 15-year failure. They’ve poured heaps of money into competing with each other (despite mostly being owned by the same people, us), they’ve under invested, and prices have gone up fast. What’s National’s solution to this failed National experiment (which […]

Uncowed

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:57 pm, August 6th, 2009 - 9 comments

Shh. Hear that sound? It’s National’s mud throwing machine gearing up again. Inevitably, they’ve released Labour’s ministers’ spending. No evidence of any rort but the big numbers work into the media narrative. It’s all about taking the focus off ministers ripping us off by taking allowances they shouldn’t and making it ‘gosh, everyone spends lots huh?’. […]

The house built on sand

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:48 am, August 6th, 2009 - 26 comments

English, now known by the moniker Double Dipton, has decided to give back half the amount to has rorted so far from the taxpayer. Rather than claim the full ministers’ allowance, he’ll pocket ‘only’ $24,000 a year for living in his own family home, thank you very much. His claim that he didn’t know he could charge […]

More snouts in the trough

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:18 am, August 4th, 2009 - 78 comments

More Nats have been exposed rorting the out of town allowance for ministers. Bludger Bill is claiming the allowance for living in his own house. The others are claiming because they felt like fancier digs. McCully, Groser, Heatley, and David Carter all own homes in Wellington but have moved out of them into more expensive […]

Do as I say, not as I do

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:59 am, August 3rd, 2009 - 38 comments

What gets me is the entitlement mentality from these senior members of Key’s government. Exactly the same mentality they claim afflicts ‘bludgers’ who get benefits and public servants. Their only response is ‘I’m entitled. I’m not breaking the rules’ English won’t even dip into his $276,700 salary to pay for his own family home. If […]

Wee gripes: spreading ignorance

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:37 am, July 31st, 2009 - 13 comments

Tracy Watkins: “productivity as a country – the amount of goods and services each worker produces and the value they add” God. Here’s a correct definition: “productivity – the amount of output per hour of work” The difference? Use Watkins’ definition and it seems if you work longer you’ll be increasing productivity. That might increase […]

Wee gripes: doublethink

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:32 pm, July 30th, 2009 - 31 comments

If you read Kiwiblog or listen to talkback radio (basically the same thing – smart guy baiting reactionaries for his political ends) then you’ll have noticed the latest line on Bennett. It boils down to ‘remember how Labour did similar things to Bennett? Like Dalziel and that Sri Lankan girl. They were bad and evil […]

Horrific and ugly

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 5:50 am, July 30th, 2009 - 19 comments

That’s what Bennett is calling the Right’s attacks on the women she released confidential information about. As if she didn’t know that would happen. As if she didn’t know that releasing this information on what seems like large amounts of money when you don’t have the facts would send every knuckle-dragging redneck, reactionary in the […]

Apologists

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 3:00 pm, July 29th, 2009 - 58 comments

Picture this: Anchor “and now we go live to whatsherface outside the High Court in Christchurch to tell us the latest in the Weatherston trial” Whatsherface “the prosecution is saying that Weatherston committed a grave breach of the Crimes Act but, look, I know of this other guy who killed someone and he was never […]

The house built on sand

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:00 am, July 24th, 2009 - 29 comments

Pick up the paper. The stories are ‘consumer confidence recovering’, ‘house prices stablising’ etc. These are taken as indications that the recession is close to over. Probably right. Weak growth in December. But that weak growth will be built on the same foundations that crumbled here and abroad sending us into recession in the first […]