democracy under attack
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Mining & the sly dismantling of conservation protections
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, March 28th, 2013 - 32 comments
Cuts to DOC, the Crown Minerals (Permitting and Crown Land) Bill [3rd reading today], permits allowing the exploration for minerals on Schedule 4 land: here is the stealthy NAct MO in action, to undermine the strong public protests against Schedule 4 mining. [Update: the Bill is #6 on today’s Final Order Paper]
Democracy needs straight answers to straight questions
Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, March 21st, 2013 - 49 comments
The current Speaker in the House, David Carter, is a disaster. Yesterday he let the government get away with avoiding providing serious answers to important questions: a government ploy? Russel Norman has complained. Democracy needs the government to be held to account.
Auckland housing: Brown vs Smith
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, March 7th, 2013 - 53 comments
Nick Smith, of the forked tongue, is challenging Auckland council’s plan for affordable compact housing. It will do nothing for housing affordability, transport, the environment. It is undemocratic, over-rides the council, and will enrich developers.
TPPA: US, corporate dominance – let’s do ACTION!!
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, March 5th, 2013 - 38 comments
TTPA talks under way in Singapore. Jane Kelsey leads critical discussion in NZ: Obama skewing the agenda in favour of US corporates; pharmaceuticals, internet, copyright & more; John Key’s dodgy figures. In Aussie today, a seminar on the TPPA & corporate dominance over women’s rights & health provisions.
Think tanks & global-local networks
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, February 20th, 2013 - 25 comments
George Monbiot exposes how well-funded right wing ‘think tanks’ and individuals operate through networks including the AEI, IEA & Koch. These have links to the NZ Initiative (BRT & NZ Institute). The coming DailyBlog may help challenge such influential networks and their destructive ‘neoliberal’ politics.
De-regulation, de-democratisation
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, February 9th, 2013 - 26 comments
Is it just me or does the argument for a four year term of Parliament look a lot like the argument that’s presented for deregulation? It’s the same dropkicks who say that government needs to get out of the way of business to create jobs who are saying that the people need to get out of the way of government and let it govern with less ‘regulation’ in the form of elections.
NRT: Pillaging the Rakaia
Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, February 7th, 2013 - 35 comments
No Right Turn with the latest on National’s ongoing annexation of Canterbury.
NRT: Not even pretending anymore
Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, January 21st, 2013 - 66 comments
I/S at No Right Turn on the Nats’ contempt for democracy in Canterbury. Elections remain on hold so that the commissioners’ agenda can be completed without unwelcome input from urban representation.
NRT: Reported back
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, December 11th, 2012 - 9 comments
This Bill strips Cantabrians of their democratic rights and extending the Canterbury dictatorship for another three years. And why? Because given a democratic choice, Canterbury’s voters might vote the “wrong” way and prevent National’s farmer-cronies from stealing their water.
Something rotten in the state…
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 11th, 2012 - 88 comments
As an outsider watching the struggles in the Labour Party unfold, I am becoming increasingly despondent about the state of Left wing politics in NZ. Right now, NZ, and those of us who party vote Green/Mana, require a strong, democratic and solidly left wing Labour Party.
I, Vipertacus
Written By: - Date published: 10:28 pm, December 8th, 2012 - 192 comments
Just wanted to say, seeing so many of the regulars change their name in honour of Colonial Viper is awesome. That tells me this is a real community. We discuss, argue, fight, and we respect. We’re not like the disgrace of an MP who has hounded CV into silence because she can’t handle honest criticism. Proud of you lot for standing beside our own.
When ideology fails: a Dickensian Govt
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, December 6th, 2012 - 53 comments
The Key government’s sham and failed ideology of freedom and democracy can be seen in two Bills that were before the House this week. This government is increasingly autocratic and anti-democratic, while enabling the powerful to exploit and control the powerless, including children.
NRT: More dictatorship from Brownlee
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, November 23rd, 2012 - 11 comments
No Right Turn on the Nats’ contemplating yet another way to trample on democracy in Christchurch.
John Key Selling (out) New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, November 11th, 2012 - 56 comments
John Key’s selling out of NZ workers’ rights, tourism industry and identity to Hollywood, the TPP and US corporates, has reached a new low. OIA papers reveal the extent to which Warners is dictating the NZ government’s promotion of 100% Middle-earth.
NRT: National’s tyranny
Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, October 30th, 2012 - 43 comments
No Right Turn on the overthrow of local democracy in Canterbury…
“Privacy assured!” Politics, the police & surveillance
Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, October 16th, 2012 - 27 comments
Public trust in the police is at a new low. But what of the trust in our government? How much collusion is there between the police, government, spy agencies and foreign governments? However, citizens are also using the technologies of the surveillance society to hold the government and state authorities to account.
Key needs to read the GCSB Act
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, October 2nd, 2012 - 23 comments
Key says that we would all be very scared if he had control over the GCSB. That’s wrong. Key is the only democratic control on our spies and he has extraordinary oversight. Every warrant the spooks need has to be approved by Key. Is he exercising that role properly, or is he just signing whatever the GCSB puts under his nose?
Ombudsman: Government secrecy “highly dangerous”
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, September 28th, 2012 - 31 comments
The Chief Ombudsmen has attacked the government’s moves to keep official information secret, calling them “highly dangerous”. The ongoing GCSB and John Banks scandals show just how important it is to be able to hold the government – at all levels – to account.
Nat’s oppose transparency (again)
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, September 20th, 2012 - 29 comments
Well it’s official. The government has no interest in allowing you to know how your money is being spent.
That’s been made clear in their opposition to Darien Fenton’s port transparency bill – a bill designed simply to make publicly owned ports subject to the Official Information Act.
When they talk about “accountability” and “responsibility” and “the social contract”, remember they’re talking about it for you. Not for them or their powerful mates.
The Canterbury dictatorship
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, September 13th, 2012 - 15 comments
Puddleglum at The Political Scientist has written an encyclopedic and scathing critique of the Nats’ dictatorship in Canterbury.
Known unknowns
Written By: - Date published: 9:44 pm, September 12th, 2012 - 8 comments
My OIA request for the Police file of their investigation into Banks’ anonymous donations arrived today. John Key had said the law would be changed if “they could find the time.” Today David Carter found the time to say the law will be tightened before the 2013 elections.It will be very important that all the lessons from this sorry affair can be properly considered at select committee.
NRT: Extended
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, September 8th, 2012 - 25 comments
No Right Turn on the Nats’ continuing contempt for democracy in Canterbury.
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.
Nats back to censoring the press
Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, August 24th, 2012 - 102 comments
The Government has injuncted* RNZ from running a story based on a leaked Kiwirail document that shows National’s under-investment in Kiwirail will make the tracks more dangerous and less useable at a time when it is firing 200 maintenance staff. Brownlee’s excuse? “the media outlet that wanted to publish an opinion about that document was going to do so in a most irresponsible way”
On Democracy
Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, August 14th, 2012 - 97 comments
KJT defends the principle of Democracy against the same old arguments. Most of the objections apply to any system which allows the public a say in Government. As again we have the party in Government telling us, “We won the election. We can do whatever we want. A dictatorship.
Bullying schools – again
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, July 16th, 2012 - 29 comments
Threats to schools over the contents of their newsletters? The “brighter future” doesn’t like dissent.
Tabloid news
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, July 10th, 2012 - 29 comments
I know I wrote on this just yesterday, but I can’t help going on about it again. Here’s the front page of The Herald online last night…
Bye bye Local Government
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, June 25th, 2012 - 42 comments
National’s record on local government is horrific: the lack of consultation as they rammed through the Supercity, the canning of ECAN, and continued suspension of democracy in Canterbury, the pushing of asset sales on an unwilling Christchurch.
And their latest attack – the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill – will do significant damage to local democracy.
What’s in the TPPA?
Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, June 24th, 2012 - 44 comments
While we the public distract ourselves with trivia like car crushing, and focus on other important matters like asset sales, the TPPA which is quietly unfolding in the background is actually the most important ongoing political issue. It has potentially disastrous implications for our sovereignty and our future.
Nats’ pollster reveals asset sale plan
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, June 23rd, 2012 - 250 comments
National pollster and Herald columnist (I know!) David Farrar has revealed what National has up its sleeve for asset sales. No, I’m not talking about how they would put ‘mums and dads’ at the ‘front of the queue’, or any such nonsense. I’m talking about how they will attempt to de-legitimise the referendum or, alternatively, try to slam the sales through before it happens.
Nats’ unconstitutional looters’ bonus
Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, June 21st, 2012 - 101 comments
So, National expects 200,000 people to buy shares when it hocks off our assets. Call me simple but there’s 4.4 million of us, 3.3 million adults. Seems like nearly all of us won’t buy shares. But here’s the real rub: they’re talking about a bonus for the elite who can afford to buy shares and hold on to them. A gift from us to them. And National’s got no legal right to do it.
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