Author Archive
Bush absent at Bali conference
Written By: - Date published: 5:21 pm, December 12th, 2007 - 4 comments
Al Gore has just accepted his Nobel Peace Prize for advocacy for action on climate change. In his speech he’s lauded Kevin Rudd’s immediate commitment to ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change – he did it only days after assuming office. The move to ratify leaves the United States as the only developed nation […]
Dole figures at 28-year low
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, December 11th, 2007 - 32 comments
From the Beehive site: Social Development Minister Ruth Dyson said that in December 1999, when Labour came to power, there were 161,000 people receiving an unemployment benefit. “Over 141,000 have come off this benefit since then, with just over 20,000 people receiving it now,” she said. “These numbers haven’t been this low since 1979. In […]
Greencabs – Toyota Prius taxi fleet
Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, December 11th, 2007 - 7 comments
There’s a new taxi fleet servicing Wellington and (in three days time) Auckland. The vehicles are all Toyota Prius hybrids and the company, Greencabs, also offsets the residual emissions making it, they claim, the country’s first carbon neutral taxi company. They tell me they’re also the cheapest in town – presumably because the fuel consumption […]
Rap battle: Howard vs Rudd
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, December 11th, 2007 - 7 comments
Somehow I missed this when it was originally posted. In case you did too…
KiwiSaver enrolments pass 300,000
Written By: - Date published: 4:46 pm, December 10th, 2007 - 23 comments
I wonder if the Nats still want to bin it? Remember it was only last May that John Key told Morning Report “Oh, no. No guarantees over KiwiSaver Mark II.” Here’s the press release.
Herald censors criticism
Written By: - Date published: 3:58 pm, December 10th, 2007 - 13 comments
From frogblog: The New Zealand Herald has censored part of a 200 word article that the Greens were asked to submit on campaign finance reform for yesterday’s edition. It deleted the opening paragraph that was critical of the Herald’s coverage of the issue, and replaced it with its own commentary at the end of the […]
Key pledges to sack prison and parole staff
Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, December 10th, 2007 - 53 comments
I’ve just listened to John Key’s interview on Radio Dunedin last week: powered by ODEO “I also think we need to get a lot of the bureaucracy and red tape out of the way. I don’t know if you noticed but on Tuesday a story came out saying that the core bureaucrats in Wellington [WRONG] […]
2007 Trans-Tasman MP rankings
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, December 10th, 2007 - 76 comments
So DPF’s given his predictable take on this year’s Trans-Tasman MP rankings (PDF – 150K). Now averages are one thing but more interesting is a trend that DPF conveniently ignores – While many of National’s high profile MPs are static or slipping in the rankings, Labour’s heavy-hitters seem to be lifting their game. LABOUR Clark […]
A chat and a cuppa
Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, December 10th, 2007 - 47 comments
From Scoop: “Clark first in Rudd queue” Kevin Rudd has pledged to broaden relations with New Zealand after a flying visit by Helen Clark to put “Kiwi issues” on the new Australian prime minister’s radar. In a sign of the importance placed on relations with the new Australian government, the New Zealand prime minister flew […]
Weekend selection meetings
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 pm, December 9th, 2007 - 40 comments
Two more electorates have confirmed Labour candidates. Rimutaka was on Saturday – Chris Hipkins was selected. Christchurch Central was today – Brendon Burns was selected. I’ll post some biographical details tomorrow. UPDATE: Here’s a story from The Press on Brendon Burns. Here’s Chris Hipkins’ blog with selection speech and some personal details.
Key Karaoke
Written By: - Date published: 5:20 pm, December 7th, 2007 - 53 comments
Check out this fantastic karaoke clip from Ali Ikram on Sunrise this morning. Lyrics below: I know this song might sound like “Clocks” But I assure you that it’s not Just a bunch of random notes we composed to attract your votes Sent 10,000 DVDs so you could get to know John Key PS. if […]
From the archives: who said it?
Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, December 7th, 2007 - 48 comments
In my work as a constituent MP, I have often been emotionally shocked at the dilemmas that some constituents get trapped in. However, none have matched the trauma and plight of a young married couple in my electorate who have been fighting for over two years without success for the return of their children… At […]
Do your part for sustainability
Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, December 7th, 2007 - 15 comments
The PM has launched a new website, sustainability.govt.nz challenging citizens to commit to doing one thing to help contribute to a “sustainable nation”.
Ever wonder why people call John Key “slippery”?
Written By: - Date published: 7:37 pm, December 6th, 2007 - 77 comments
Here he is being interviewed by Paul Henry on Breakfast earlier today. Key tries to slip out of answering a direct question not once, not twice, but SIX times. Notice that Key tries his pre-rehearsed “precious” line twice to start with. When it’s rejected, the slipperiness really begins in earnest. PRESENTER: Um, alright and very […]
PopSci award winner: printed solar cells
Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, December 5th, 2007 - 5 comments
Popular Science has recently announced its “Grand Award Winner” in the “Green” category: PowerSheet solar cells. ‘Imagine a solar panel without the panel. Just a coating, thin as a layer of paint, that takes light and converts it to electricity… “You’re talking about printing rolls of the stuff—printing it on the roofs of 18-wheeler trailers, […]
Gap roughly unchanged in Morgan poll
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, December 5th, 2007 - 89 comments
From RoyMorgan.com: In the second half of November support for the New Zealand Labour Government was up 1% to 35% while support for the Nationals remained unchanged at 48%, the New Zealand Morgan Poll finds. The poll also shows the Greens above the threshold on 6.5%, down 1%, and NZ First hanging on at 5%.
Huckabee and Obama lead Iowa
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, December 5th, 2007 - 4 comments
USA Today reports that Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama are the leaders for their respective parties in Iowa with the caucuses now only a month away. Huckabee’s a real danger to the Democrats. He’s a folksy ex-Baptist minister who’s timing his run well. The UK Independent has a story (also today in The Herald) on […]
National’s spin doesn’t stack up
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 4th, 2007 - 103 comments
National’s attempt to spin its way out of John Key’s DVD debacle doesn’t stack up. Here’s the official line: National’s campaign manager Jo de Joux blamed the production company. “Obviously, National relied on the expertise of the production company that put together the video and its soundtrack,” Ms de Joux said. “We’ll take all available […]
Same song? You decide.
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, December 2nd, 2007 - 119 comments
powered by ODEO National needs to come clean and stop misleading the public. The Herald reported yesterday that “National Party campaign manager Jo de Joux said the music was composed by “an Auckland artist” and paid for by the production company which produced the DVD [Production Shed.TV]”. I don’t think he’s telling the truth. National […]
Lowlight reel: Republican YouTube debate
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, November 30th, 2007 - 15 comments
Watch this clip from yesterday’s Republican YouTube debate and spare a thought for our progressive mates in the USA. I like the idea of users submitting their own questions but I’m troubled by the fact that CNN gets to choose the ones that air. The debate tended to be light on issues like healthcare, education […]
YouTube Republican debate
Written By: - Date published: 6:26 am, November 29th, 2007 - 3 comments
Should be on around 2pm our time. Time has a good background piece. The YouTube debate site has currently received around 5000 user-submitted video questions for the Republican candidates. The “winning” questions will be chosen shortly. Here’s one of the latest to Rudy Giuliani:
Google invests in renewable energy research
Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, November 29th, 2007 - 12 comments
From the NYT: Google, the Internet company with a seemingly limitless source of revenue, plans to get into the business of finding limitless sources of energy… Google said it would spend hundreds of millions of dollars, part of that to hire engineers and energy experts to investigate alternative energies like solar, geothermal and wind power. […]
Latest DigiPoll favours National, Clark
Written By: - Date published: 6:31 pm, November 28th, 2007 - 67 comments
The Herald reports that: National has hit its highest rating – 51.3 per cent – in a Herald-DigiPoll survey. Translated to votes, that would mean the party could govern alone. Labour has slipped to 13.2 points behind National, increasing last month’s 12.4-point gap… Helen Clark is still well ahead of Mr Key as preferred prime […]
Will the real John Key please stand up?
Written By: - Date published: 6:20 pm, November 28th, 2007 - 50 comments
Linda Clark: “This is a gimmick, that’s all it is. if people don’t know John Key, well he needs to come to Parliament more, he needs to be more upfront on some of the policies, he needs to take on Helen Clark a bit more, then we’ll all know the real John Key”.
National HQ deleting YouTube comments?
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, November 28th, 2007 - 42 comments
Just received this from a “concerned reader”: Just wanted to know whether or not you have also been blocked by NZNats? This morning they have deleted all comments with a hint of an opposing view, with the exception of the ‘TaneStandard’ comment. It offends me that the National Party would post a video which endeavours […]
Armstrong reviews Key’s DVD (2 out of 5)
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, November 28th, 2007 - 35 comments
Hold the popcorn. Citizen Kane this isn’t. It’s Citizen Key in a 13-minute epic saturated with more artificial sweetener than The Sound of Music and ET combined and which manages to make National’s leader look about as deep as one of The Stepford Wives. Read the full article.
Blogwhistle
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, November 28th, 2007 - 19 comments
Never one to let the facts get in the way of a little party propaganda Farrar really has become the partyline-parrot. It’s a shame he just couldn’t resist the opportunity to dogwhistle his party’s line on public servants with his meaningless and distortive post on relative growth between (in his words) “teachers and nurses” versus […]
Labor set to win in Australia
Written By: - Date published: 3:36 am, November 25th, 2007 - 37 comments
After 11 years of conservative rule, it looks like Kevin Rudd has led the Australian Labour Party to victory in Australia’s elections. All the networks have called it for Rudd and Labor. Howard has just conceded (watch the video). Howard may well lose his own seat of Bennelong – he’s trailing with over 75 per […]
Giving thanks for turducken
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, November 22nd, 2007 - 43 comments
We at The Standard would like to wish our US counterparts a very happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. Of course we’d hate to think that just because it’s not a traditional holiday here in NZ we should be in any way deterred from eating till we can’t move as is the tradition in the US – gluttony […]
Family fist
Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, November 22nd, 2007 - 25 comments
The Dom reports that “A father who spanked his eight-year-old son… for misbehaving… is one of the first to be convicted of assault under the law against smacking”. As expected, all the usual suspects are up in arms, including Family First national director Bob McCroskrie, who thinks it’s ok to hit kids and doesn’t seem […]
Just in: photo from David Farrar’s march
Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, November 21st, 2007 - 61 comments
From Kiwiblog: Okay just got back from the march. Didn’t quite go as I envisioned. You see while I have promoted the march here, I’m not one of the organisers and my involvement was purely to stroll along at the back, and see how it goes. Not a large turnout (but around what I expected […]
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