Author Archive
Auction for Child Poverty Action
Written By: - Date published: 6:23 pm, August 29th, 2012 - Comments Off on Auction for Child Poverty Action
Child Poverty Action Group is auctioning on Trade Me a set of three Tom Scott cartoons, originally drawn for the Inside Child Poverty documentary shown on TV3 last year just before the election. They would love you to be a part of it.
Turn off turnout – National’s 2014 strategy?
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, August 27th, 2012 - 41 comments
Depress turnout among low-income voters by changing the enrolment rules – it’s an old right-wing trick. The Republicans are doing it in the US – it looks like National may try it on here. They should not succeed.
Collins crushed by booze lobby
Written By: - Date published: 10:14 pm, August 24th, 2012 - 40 comments
What a craven cave-in. Lobbied by big booze, Collins has given in. Alco-pops will be left to the industry to regulate. It’s not a good look. Key wants to give the pokie industry free rein, and Collins wants to give the booze industry free rein, which means more families suffer, and more hospitals are overrun. As leaders they both get a fail.
Tribunal calls for asset sale delay
Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, August 24th, 2012 - 63 comments
Waitangi Tribunal says Government must halt asset sales until Treaty issues sorted, and Tom Scott gives a progress report. National’s wheels are coming off.
Child hardship rise a “bloody disgrace”
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, August 24th, 2012 - 60 comments
David Shearer is right. The rise in inequality under National, shown by the latest Household Incomes report from MSD, is a bloody disgrace. Good on Shearer for his robust and instinctive response. Now we look forward to seeing it reflected in the outcomes from the policy work that is going on behind the scenes.
Joyce’s voodoo politics and zombie economics
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 pm, August 23rd, 2012 - 11 comments
On The Nation last weekend Joyce insisted he was busy talking to business about export growth; he obviously wasn’t listening, as exporters’ number one problem is our over-valued and highly speculated exchange rate. He called Labour’s fresh approach to this problem “voodoo economics.” Switzerland, Singapore and Denmark? This week David Cunliffe will be on the Nation showing that the Labour economic team are alive to new ideas needed.
Gear change Labour
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, August 21st, 2012 - 56 comments
It was standing room only in Auckland last night with over 200 people packed into the Polish Society clubrooms to hear David Parker deliver a very positive message on Labour’s economic policy. Labour’s Auckland organisation is also getting into good shape. And there is more to come. Watch this space.
Hands on Labour
Written By: - Date published: 9:51 pm, August 16th, 2012 - 32 comments
Fresh ideas to grow a stronger manufacturing sector, on top of the major changes Labour has already signalled featured in a speech given today by David Parker to a union audience in Wellington. David Cunliffe was there too, and I particularly liked the discussion afterwards. The key players are receptive to good ideas and it looks like Labour will have a real alternative to offer at the next election.
Strategy and opinion
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 pm, August 15th, 2012 - 150 comments
Thanks to Rob Salmond and Josie Pagani it is now clear that Labour’s pitch to the centre is an intentional strategy. That is helpful as now perhaps we can have a reasonable discussion about how well it’s working, and what else might work better.
Dog-whistling
Written By: - Date published: 9:44 pm, August 14th, 2012 - 175 comments
My father was a dog-trialler, and a very good one. As a kid, I loved going to the trials. I heard a lot of dog-whistles, and Dad won a lot of short-heads. The political dog-whistle is a different matter.
Let’s debate political strategy
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 pm, August 13th, 2012 - 79 comments
Jordan Carter and Josie Pagani agree – there is a legitimate debate that needs to be had about whether Labour aims for the left or the centre vote. That may be where agreement stops, judging from Josie Pagani’s contribution to the debate on Nine to Noon this morning. The political strategy she expounds is however worth unpicking.
Invest in parents to invest in kids
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, August 2nd, 2012 - 7 comments
Labour’s people-centred economic policy got a huge boost last week, courtesy of the Members’ Bill lottery. Paid parental leave extended, holidays Mondayised, minimum wage raised, and assets fenced off from sale. The first two have gone to Select Committee. They are worth supporting.
Peter Davis on Social Democracy
Written By: - Date published: 3:07 pm, August 1st, 2012 - 5 comments
Dr Peter Davis on “Sovereignty, sustainable development and social justice. Priorities for social democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand,” tomorrow evening Thursday August 2 5:30 GLBT4 Old Government Buildings, Wellington. All welcome.
Why asset sales – it’s politics
Written By: - Date published: 5:06 pm, July 30th, 2012 - 20 comments
Finally the truth is out. Gaynor and Armstrong agree – National Party politics are the real reason for asset sales. They make no sense economically. They are not about debt reduction. Key’s asset sales are a political bribe – nothing more and nothing less.
Kiss and makeup
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 pm, July 26th, 2012 - 4 comments
In honour of Tony Blair and Sam Cam’s attempt at an affectionate greeting at Tuesday’s lunch at No 10, The Guardian amassed a small but disgusting collection of political leaders essaying similar tasks. Warning: not for the squeamish or fainthearted.
Milk it, dig it, drill it, sell it – for a brighter future?
Written By: - Date published: 4:54 pm, July 24th, 2012 - 21 comments
National’s internal polling is telling it people are serious about how it plans to get to the birghter future. So Joyce was wheeled out at the weekend to sell the same old story – more cows, more coal, more oil; and asset sales so we can afford schools and hospitals once at least. He also attacked Labour/Greens – maybe their polls are telling them people aren’t buying.
Labour’s review – a good job well done
Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, July 17th, 2012 - 42 comments
I’ve just got my summary report on Labour’s organisational review, emailed to me as a member from President Moira Coatsworth, with a link to the website – things have certainly got better since my day! On a quick first look, it seems to be a very good job, and a real contrast to National.
Labor Right v Greens
Written By: - Date published: 5:29 pm, July 13th, 2012 - 37 comments
This weekend the NSW ALP Conference and the New Zealand Labour Party Council will both debate and decide proposals for reform. Prospects look decidedly better on this side of the Tasman for internal reform as well as for relations with the Greens.
DomPost “a joke”
Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, July 12th, 2012 - 33 comments
Today’s DomPost says David Parker’s recent speech “criticised National for failing to boost imports and control housing prices.” That didn’t sound like David Parker. Sure enough he had put his finger on the real problem, the government’s failure to boost exports. Key’s reported “putdown” was Labour is “a joke.” One thing is certain, New Zealand’s ever-receding “brighter future” is no joke. I’d like to see the DomPost put it right. Tell us all what Parker actually said, then let us decide which party is the joke.
Light-fingered regulation
Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, July 10th, 2012 - 16 comments
New Zealand-registered shell companies are being used for big-numbers money laundering. The government has repeatedly said it will tighten company registration to prevent this, but the bill languishes down the order list. National’s big on regulating the behaviour of beneficiaries, but slack when it comes to money-launderers.
“Electricity prices, asset values, and regulation: the Mighty River Power sell-off in context”.
Written By: - Date published: 6:34 pm, July 8th, 2012 - 4 comments
Monday 9 July at 5:30pm in St John’s Church Hall, Wellington, Dr Geoff Bertram will discuss how corporatisation of the electricity SoEs has been bad for domestic consumers. Part-privatisation now may lock in prices that could never have been sustainable under proper regulation, and close off options to tackle energy poverty. Proper regulation may still be an answer.
Banks case to Police lawyers
Written By: - Date published: 10:07 pm, July 5th, 2012 - 36 comments
The Police have concluded their investigation into John Banks’ donations to his 2010 mayoral campaign. The Police legal section will now decide whether or not to prosecute. There are two tests; the evidential test and the public interest test. There is no question that if the evidence is sufficient, prosecution is in the public interest. It comes down to credibility – best decided in court.
Compliance not for banks
Written By: - Date published: 10:06 pm, July 2nd, 2012 - 15 comments
Compliance is not high on the agenda for interest-rate rigging banks, who are even now resisting any further regulation. Tapu Misa has the full story, and the right approach in today’s Herald. Alex also puts his finger on the problem in his Telegraph cartoon.
Making it here
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 pm, July 1st, 2012 - 14 comments
SST Business Editor Rob O’Neill said today: “There is a great deal of lip-service paid to “innovation” in business. What is not often acknowledged is how embedded innovation can be in manufacturing. Making stuff, or being able to talk freely with the people who do, can be a source of inspiration and great ideas for companies.” I got a lot of inspiration from Swedish Academic Goran Roos on this topic in Auckland on Friday. South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has asked him to head up their manufacturing strategy next year. We could do with someone like him too.
Rate-swapping
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 pm, July 1st, 2012 - 13 comments
Another British bank scandal – interest rate-swapping on small business loans. Banks offered small businesses supposedly low hedging insurance on interest rate movements, knew they could get cheaper rates themselves because they had better market information, and pocketed the difference as guaranteed profit. It would be interesting to know if the same thing happens here.
Target practice
Written By: - Date published: 1:48 pm, June 30th, 2012 - 8 comments
Just before the parliamentary recess National released its latest set of Laura Naude targets. They will join all the others – catching up with Australia, jobs from the cycleway, government surplus by 2014, yadda yadda yadda. I can’t think of a single target National has actually met. These targets aren’t real; they are just there to provide fodder for uncritical media.
R.I.P Uncle Jack
Written By: - Date published: 1:19 am, June 28th, 2012 - 7 comments
My uncle Jack Fleming joined the RNZAF two weeks after his brother Andy was killed flying a biplane against Zeros in Malaya. Jack’s first and last operational flight was in a Stirling bomber shot down over Germany; only one of the crew baled out and survived. Jackwas one of the 1861 New Zealanders who did not return home. Today a memorial will be unveiled in London’s Green Park to all those brave men.
Doubts over Cameron’s welfare blitz
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, June 26th, 2012 - 2 comments
That’s the Guardian headline. Supposedly designed to give the Tories “political momentum”, it is late and over budget. The Treasury is resigned to the programme costing money rather than providing savings. The LibDems won’t have a bar of it. Critics describe it as “pitch-rolling”, preparing the ground for further “reforms”. More like spin-bowling here.
Spot the difference
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 pm, June 25th, 2012 - 39 comments
There – “Cameron announces Tory plan to slash benefits.” Here – “The Government wants Work and Income to cut the number of long-term beneficiaries on a working-age benefit, John Key has just announced.” Tories normally do this when they are in trouble.
Knee-benders
Written By: - Date published: 4:31 pm, June 25th, 2012 - 20 comments
You’ll really want to know this – the queen has just updated the curtsy order. “Blood princesses” come first, so if William isn’t there Kate has to curtsy to Anne, Alexandra, and even Beatrice and Eugenie!!! Will be interesting to see how low Bronagh goes when Charles and Camilla come to spend our money later this year.
David Craig on Inequality in NZ – Winner takes all
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, June 25th, 2012 - 3 comments
This free Fabian Society seminar is on tomorrow Tuesday in Wellington at Connolly Hall in Guilford Street, starting at 5:30pm All welcome; you can register here. Will be interesting.
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