Author Archive

Better than nothing

Written By: - Date published: 2:37 pm, February 4th, 2009 - 28 comments

I’ve just had a read of John Key’s speech today announcing measures to help small and medium businesses through the recession. And my first reaction is ‘that’s it?’ 5% less provisional tax, whoopie. At the end of the year you get back any excess you’ve paid or have to pay any underpayment. At the end […]

Does that make sense?

Written By: - Date published: 1:44 pm, February 4th, 2009 - 10 comments

I know when I write a post that if two statements in the post seem to disagree someone will quickly point out the apparent logical inconsistency to me and I’ll either have to explain it or fix it. Which is all well and good. So, I thought I would do the same for Vernon Small […]

DPF and Whale make me happy!1!

Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, February 4th, 2009 - 26 comments

There’s been a story that I have been dreading having to respond to because it is so low, dishonest, and despicable. Truth be told, I expected to see it by now on Whaleoil or Kiwiblog. And I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised. In not touching this story, they’ve proven themselves a step above The Truth*, […]

First thoughts on RMA changes

Written By: - Date published: 10:42 pm, February 3rd, 2009 - 22 comments

We’ve got an expert guest post coming on National’s newly announced RMA changes. I’ve got a few brief(ish), non-expert thoughts first (which, hopefully won’t be totally contradicted by the expert making me look dumb) 1. It’s good to see that National has dropped its initial proposal of changing the definition of ‘environment’ in the RMA […]

The return of DL Wellington

Written By: - Date published: 3:16 pm, February 3rd, 2009 - 7 comments

Drinking Liberally Wellington is back for the new year. Brian Easton, one of our leading left-wing economists, is speaking. Doubtless, he’ll have some insights on our current economic crisis. And, it’s not just a chance to hear Brian. It’s also a chance to get together and talk about how we’re going to keep this government […]

Does raising the minimum wage really hurt employment?

Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, February 3rd, 2009 - 23 comments

National’s excuse for illegally* failing to complete the annual review of the minimum wage is that it wants to ensure any increase doesn’t cost jobs. So, it seems pertanent to ask, does raising the minimum wage result in job losses? Every year, the Department of Labour, presents the Minister with a regulatory impact statement with […]

I understand now

Written By: - Date published: 5:49 am, February 3rd, 2009 - 29 comments

Over the past few weeks, I and many others have been shocked by the sudden, appalling change in John Armstrong’s writing. Having long been, in my estimation, our best print political commentator, Armstrong has suddenly become confused, nonsensical, and reactionary. The man reads like a National press release. It has been sad and frustrating to […]

It’s a crime

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, February 2nd, 2009 - 36 comments

I have a crime to report. Someone has kidnapped one of our most insightful journos and replaced them with an illiterate wowser. How else to explain writing an article called “Collins must collar rising tide of crime ” when any journalist with a modicum of professionalism knows, having read the stats, that crime is not […]

Nick Smith stays mum

Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, February 2nd, 2009 - 6 comments

The Sunday-Star Times has an article on National’s proposed RMA changes. Unfortunately, it’s just Nick Smith describing the changes. And, surprise, he doesn’t mention changing the definition of environment, the crucial change (we discuss the consequences of the change here). Fortunately, it’s all online here. You can read not only the changes that National wants to […]

The Standard wager

Written By: - Date published: 5:41 am, February 2nd, 2009 - 34 comments

Today, Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson will be presenting a paper to her Cabinet colleagues regarding the minimum wage. The Department of Labour recommended a fifty cent an hour increase. Word is, Kate Wilkinson will be recommending no change. But John Key was forced to commit to unspecified increases on the campaign trail, so most expect […]

Iceland: not just a leader in cod

Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, January 31st, 2009 - 55 comments

Nicked from the Hand Mirror, who got the story from No Right Turn – hattips all round: Next week Iceland’s going to get not only it’s first female Prime Minister, but also the first openly homosexual leader in the world. And apparently the Icelanders are surprised that other people think this is a big deal. […]

The long game

Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, January 30th, 2009 - 12 comments

Last night, I heard something worrying. It was Gareth Morgan saying he can’t ‘see through’ this recession; that he can’t see the economic mechanism that will turn things around and get us growing again. He had already dismissed interest rate slashing and stimulus packages as ‘necessary but insufficent’. In the end he resorted to the […]

The praiseworthy and the pitiful

Written By: - Date published: 1:58 pm, January 30th, 2009 - 21 comments

Last year, we had The Standard Week as a regular feature on a Friday. We might resurrect that if there is popular demand but, first, I’ve been talking with some of the others and we want to try out a new Friday feature . Every week there are little comments from politicians, media, bloggers, and commenters […]

Whither the PIF?

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, January 30th, 2009 - 1 comment

I attended the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji back in 2006. The shadow of Bainimarama’s approaching coup hung over the forum but it wasn’t enough to quell the heat as we sat in our ridiculously ill-suited suits through endless, pointless meetings. Nothing was achieved and everyone clapped each other on the back for a job […]

Pedal to the metal but still no traction

Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, January 29th, 2009 - 5 comments

Another review of the Official Cash Rate, another record cut. This time, it’s a 1.5% cut bringing the OCR to 3.5%. That’s the lowest rate since the OCR was introduced in 1999.  Good news for those with floating rate mortgages (not so good for the 80% of mortgagees with a fixed rate) and an opportunity for me to feel […]

Bureaucracy cutters call for more bureaucrats

Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, January 28th, 2009 - 33 comments

Today on Radio NZ, Health Minister Tony Ryall’s razor gang for the health sector was discussed. One of its proponents argued there was bound to be bureaucrats to cut, problem is there is insufficient measurement of productivity. He said Stats NZ should invest in measuring health sector productivity better… Hmm, seems to me he is […]

Biz NZ opposes minimum wage increase

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, January 28th, 2009 - 32 comments

As we reported on Monday, the Cabinet is set to review the minimum wage. The Labour Department recommended maintaining its purchasing power by increasing the mw from $12 an hour to $12.50. Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson will propose keeping it at $12, a cut in the real value of the mw (many expect there will […]

Paving paradise

Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, January 27th, 2009 - 46 comments

We have received information that National’s plan to change the definition of ‘environment’ under the RMA in their 100-day legislation roll out will consist of removing the legal protection of a range of important parts of NZ’s environment, such as eco-systems, amenity values (e.g. the look and appearance of a landscape or townscape) and the […]

Worrying, or what I did with my holidays

Written By: - Date published: 12:47 pm, January 26th, 2009 - 59 comments

I’ve meaning to write a wee post thanking Young Labour for inviting me along to speak at their Summer School the other weekend. I’m told it’s a bit of a tradition at these summer schools to have some speakers from outside the party to give a different perspective, which is a bloody good idea. Falling […]

Wage for minimum wage workers set to drop

Written By: - Date published: 6:22 am, January 26th, 2009 - 46 comments

In the Bay Report in December 2007, John Key was quoted as saying “we would love to see wages drop“. Inexplicably, the media at the time refused to accept the report of their small town colleague. Instead, they accepted Key’s various, contradictory excuses – ‘I was misquoted’, ‘I was joking’, ‘I was talking about Australian […]

Still swilling the small beer

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 am, January 23rd, 2009 - 52 comments

John Key has written to the Remuneration Board imploring them not to increase wages for MPs and judges in the annual review later this year. Now, I’ve stated my view on this issue – on National Radio the other week and last year in this post. I reckon MPs’ wages, along with the minimum wage and […]

Time to pony up with some policy

Written By: - Date published: 6:22 am, January 22nd, 2009 - 11 comments

After three years of solid growth, the latest stats show international tourist numbers collapsing 8% last November compared to November 2007 due to the global recession.  Goldman Sachs forecasts a drop of over 5% this year and more in 2010. Like all economic projections since the world tipped into recession, these numbers are likely to be revised down […]

Holiday hackery

Written By: - Date published: 12:47 pm, January 21st, 2009 - 4 comments

I’ve long regarded John Armstrong as the best political press journo we’ve got. Not least because he’s one of the few without a transparent bias one way or the other. Not so sure about this Tory hack they’ve had ghostwriting for him this past week though. With Key’s diary having him back at work here […]

Penny wise?

Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, January 21st, 2009 - 53 comments

Health Minister Tony Ryall has followed Paula Bennett’s* lead by cancelling a conference for PR purposes**. In terms of symbolism it’s great. Even though the per-person cost of the conference was low, and it’s not like doctors would want to spend their precious time at a conference were it pointless, and the cost was only […]

Obama’s inauguration

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 pm, January 20th, 2009 - 2 comments

[I’ve taken down the streaming footage now]

What would Jehovah say?

Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, January 20th, 2009 - 39 comments

Reports from Hawkes’ Bay confirm that the Exclusive Brethren broke its rule against voting to ensure a National/ACT victory last year. The Exclusive Brethren regards the last of us ‘worldly’ types as sinful heathens destined for hell, so they try to avoid us by living in compounds, running their own schools, and not participating in activities […]

Deflation rears its ugly head here and around the world

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, January 20th, 2009 - 11 comments

Inflation, predictably, plunged in the last quarter. With the international prices of oil and other commodities coming off their record highs following the super-spike last year which pushed the world into recession, it was inevitable that inflation would be lower than it had been when those mammoth price rises were underway. This was compounded by falling domestic […]

A bouquet among the brickbats

Written By: - Date published: 10:12 am, January 20th, 2009 - 2 comments

We often criticise media coverage of politics, so it’s a pleasure to say something nice. I would love at this point to link to Martin Kay’s piece in the Dompost yesterday, but it’s not online. Suffice to say it’s a very good piece. Rather than trying to tell people what their opinions should be or concentrating on […]

Bad trips

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, January 19th, 2009 - 49 comments

I remember feeling sick to my stomach as the media childishly replayed Clark’s fall, particularly the morning Paul Henry sat there pissing himself and demanding to see it time after time. So, I won’t be a hypocrite and have a go at Key’s trip. That said, one can’t help but note John Key has made […]

Climate change laffs

Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, January 15th, 2009 - 33 comments

Easily impressed

Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, January 15th, 2009 - 24 comments

John Key in person is extremely amiable; talking to him face to face, it’s hard not to like the bugger. I guess that he hasn’t lost any of that magic on his holiday. How else could one explain John Armstrong’s piece in the Herald today? The guy sounds like he’s in love. All it takes […]