Author Archive
Cuts that could kill
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, April 26th, 2013 - 47 comments
DOC is being cut to the bone. DOC staff, Labour and the Greens have all warned that these cuts risk another Cave Creek disaster.
Colin Craig vs The Civilian
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 pm, April 23rd, 2013 - 63 comments
In which Colin Craig threatens The Civilian, thus ensuring its success…
Economic sabotage
Written By: - Date published: 12:54 pm, April 23rd, 2013 - 185 comments
Which is really the party of “economic sabotage”?
Polls and rogues
Written By: - Date published: 6:13 pm, April 21st, 2013 - 99 comments
Two polls tonight with very different numbers. They can’t both be right – so which one?
Reaction to NZ power
Written By: - Date published: 7:09 am, April 20th, 2013 - 98 comments
The Labour / Green electricity proposals picked up very significant support from Vector CEO Simon Mackenzie. Other analysts and commentators have weighed in with support, while some of the reaction from the business community has been (like the Nats) bordering on the unhinged.
Poverty Watch – Special edition on fuel poverty
Written By: - Date published: 7:06 am, April 20th, 2013 - 6 comments
Given the drama surrounding the Labour / Green electricity policy it seems appropriate for this week’s Poverty Watch to explore the topic of fuel poverty in NZ. It’s a killer, and it’s long past time that something was done.
Dunne abandons charter schools
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 19th, 2013 - 33 comments
Peter Dunne is concerned about the use of unqualified teachers in charter schools. As well he should be – the Ministry of Education has issued a detailed warning against this daft policy.
Classic Nat press releases
Written By: - Date published: 4:28 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 23 comments
The best that the Nats can come up with in response to the Labour / Green electricity reforms is juvenile posturing about Stalinist extremism and “comrades Norman and Shearer”. This from the National Party that brought you cancelled democratic elections, harsh punishments for protestors, and increased powers to spy on the people. Oh, the irony.
NZ Power
Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 223 comments
At noon today Labour and the Greens jointly announced new energy policies. “NZ Power” is big and it’s bold. It will completely restructure the way the electricity sector is run, and result in lower power prices for both domestic and business consumers.
Tough on tax cheats?
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, April 18th, 2013 - 51 comments
This government is tough on welfare cheats and soft on tax cheats, and they shouldn’t bother trying to pretend otherwise.
Mondayisation Bill passes
Written By: - Date published: 6:31 pm, April 17th, 2013 - 20 comments
As expected David Clark’s private member’s bill to “Mondayise” holidays passed its final reading this evening. The vote was 61 to 60 with National and ACT voting against.
Mini “W”
Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, April 17th, 2013 - 11 comments
George “W” Bush’s history (a fake WMD scare and legislation to intrusively monitor his own citizens) was arguably repeated as tragedy (in Tony Blair’s Britain) and is now, as predicted, being repeated as farce. John Key is morphing into Mini “W” before our eyes.
Labour’s electricity reforms will be bold
Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, April 16th, 2013 - 59 comments
A joint Labour / Green announcement on plans for the electricity sector will be made on Thursday. My prediction is that the plan will be bold.
Bombing victims
Written By: - Date published: 12:03 pm, April 16th, 2013 - 133 comments
Sincere condolences to the injured, and to the families and friends of the victims killed in the Boston Marathon bombing, and the many other bombings worldwide in the last month alone.
Nat leadership speculation
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 15th, 2013 - 107 comments
I didn’t see Key’s Q+A interview on Sunday, but it seems to have been an interesting one. Speculation about the leadership of the Nats appears to be growing.
Dress code
Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, April 13th, 2013 - 48 comments
I must have missed the memo on the beneficiary dress code.
Poverty Watch 27
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, April 13th, 2013 - 12 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 we continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. In current news a new UNICEF report stresses the huge impact that the choices of governments can have on poverty. Our government quite literally does not want to know…
Key’s Nixon moment
Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, April 11th, 2013 - 55 comments
Nixon famously said: “When the president does it, that means that it is not illegal”. John Key would have you believe the same thing, that when his agency, the GCSB, has been breaking the law, the problem lies with the law. No – the problem lies with the GCSB and its oversight. Watergate here we come…
Attention Mum and Dad investors
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, April 10th, 2013 - 91 comments
Labour’s Clayton Cosgrove reveals that when selling Mighty River Power shares, brokers will get twice the commission for selling to a foreign buyer. This will send ownership overseas and drive up prices for Kiwis.
Systemic privacy breaches
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, April 10th, 2013 - 63 comments
PM John Key reckons that there is no systemic problem with the security of the government’s data handling. He’s wrong – three separate incidents yesterday cap off a litany of recent breaches. Even Bill English now admits that the government cannot guarantee that public information is protected.
The invisible commissioner?
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, April 9th, 2013 - 63 comments
Recent ignorance of Maori custom and Kiwi culture, both at home and abroad, invited a response from newly minted Race Relations Commissioner Susan Devoy. So far – nothing…
War talk
Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, April 8th, 2013 - 125 comments
Key has put his foot in it again with talk of war against North Korea. Life was so much simpler when he was in opposition…
Youth rates – good and bad employers
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, April 7th, 2013 - 32 comments
The Nats’ youth rate wages (“for when the ‘minimum’ wage just isn’t low enough”) come in to effect next month. Some of the big youth employers are making their intentions known. You may wish to vote with your wallet.
Attack of the Knuckleheads
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, April 6th, 2013 - 97 comments
I wonder how far the knucklehead rebellion will spread…
Poverty Watch 26
Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, April 6th, 2013 - 8 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 we continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Comissioner, and in current news a World Bank report on eradicating extreme poverty by 2030.
Key needs time to get his story straight
Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, April 5th, 2013 - 130 comments
In an interview this afternoon Key said that: “There will be no more answering of questions straight away, if I need to get details”. Defensive and petulant, Key is backing away from accountability.
Drones over NZ
Written By: - Date published: 12:26 pm, April 3rd, 2013 - 33 comments
News today that American military drones have passed through our airspace. Along with our own military and police drone projects, looks like our skies are going to be getting crowded.
Falling crime
Written By: - Date published: 11:35 am, April 3rd, 2013 - 24 comments
Falling crime is good news – but the reasons are probably not the ones that occupy most of the politicians and the commentary.
Rio Tinto ups the ante
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, April 2nd, 2013 - 166 comments
Our “let’s make a deal” PM is outclassed on this one. I actually have some sympathy this time, the government is between a rock and a hard place. But while most of us worry about Southland, I suspect the Nats’ concerns will be a little closer to home…
Democracy for sale
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, April 2nd, 2013 - 43 comments
The Nats have sold favours to Hollywood, to Sky City, to Rio Tinto (work in progress), and now with the “Petrobras law” it looks very much like they’re selling us out on our right to protest too.
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