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Another housing policy screwup?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:39 pm, January 22nd, 2016 - 38 comments

Bennet’s proposal to incentivise / coerce state housing applicants to leave Auckland for housing elsewhere seems to have hit a snag…

The problem with free market capitalism

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:16 am, January 9th, 2016 - 249 comments

This morning’s Herald contains a story about a young man who with a family gift has managed to purchase eleven houses over the past five years and can afford to pay World of Warcraft all day.

Saudi Arabia and the free trade deal

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:47 am, January 6th, 2016 - 113 comments

David Shearer has disagreed with the Greens that New Zealand should suspend negotiations on the free trade agreement with Saudi Arabia until it improves its human rights record.

The myth of drug dependancy and poverty

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:39 am, January 2nd, 2016 - 306 comments

New research from Morgan Foundation suggests that poverty can be alleviated by increasing incomes and that the beneficiaries will be children of poor families not vendors of alcohol and cigarettes.

The great carbon credit swindle

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:47 am, January 2nd, 2016 - 56 comments

On December 17, 2015 the Government released a series reports suggesting that New Zealand is complying with Kyoto Protocol obligations. A dig into the reports confirms however that the compliance is in name only and is for spin purposes rather than a real attempt at addressing the world’s most pressing problem.

The media in 2015

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:25 pm, December 29th, 2015 - 88 comments

Some random musings on what happened in New Zealand’s media this year.

Treachery and silly season political snippets

Written By: BLiP - Date published: 7:41 am, December 23rd, 2015 - 61 comments

There’s still a few MPs “on duty”. Their function is to maintain the semblance of active government and to roll out a bunch of announcements they hope will escape full scrutiny.

Ladies and Gentlemen this is your Prime Minister

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:36 am, December 21st, 2015 - 177 comments

Video of John Key’s recent interview with The Rock.

Rachel Stewart eviscerates John Key

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:51 am, December 20th, 2015 - 211 comments

Rachel Stewart has penned an opinion piece highlighting John Key’s avoidance of serious media in preference to engaging in rude, crude and highly unattractive stunts on commercial radio.

What was National’s role in the police raid on Nicky Hager?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:35 am, December 18th, 2015 - 130 comments

Justice Clifford’s decision that the police raid of Nicky Hager’s home was illegal raises serious questions about what political pressure was applied on the police.

Obesity is a structural problem

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:20 am, December 16th, 2015 - 59 comments

Structural problems need structural solutions. Progress on this major public health issue has been set back by a decade because we elected a useless National government.

Rhetoric and reality: Nats on climate change

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, December 15th, 2015 - 55 comments

The Nats want to wallow in the feel-good rhetoric of COP21 action to address climate change. But it’s clear that they don’t intend to take the “ambitious action” they are heralding.

John Key is relaxed about COP21

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:09 pm, December 14th, 2015 - 34 comments

The Government has responded to the COP21 convention agreement with the suggestion that little will need to change. And John Key has put the likely annual cost of fulfilling our pledge at less than a tenth of the figure that Tim Groser has used.

COP21 and the implications for New Zealand

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:43 am, December 13th, 2015 - 56 comments

COP21 has set the benchmark, no greater than 1.5 degrees increase in global temperatures. But current national pledges suggest that the world is on track for at least 3 degrees. And if New Zealand’s effort was replicated throughout the world the increase would be more like 4 degrees or more. So what should New Zealand be doing?

CERT: the partial privatisation of the GCSB

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, December 13th, 2015 - 24 comments

A public private organisation with the acronym CERT was announced this week along with the new cyber security strategy. CERT’s role is to provide information to government so it can protect against cyber threats. Which is one of the roles of the GCSB.

Education mess

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:37 am, December 12th, 2015 - 14 comments

Details of a mess in tertiary education published yesterday. On top of the mess in charter schools. National aren’t very good at this.

Sua William Sio: COP21 and the Pacific Islands

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:00 am, December 12th, 2015 - 25 comments

Labour MP and associate spokesperson for Foreign Affairs (Pacific Climate Change) Sua William Sio describes the repercussions of a COP21 conference that does not agree to limiting global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees.

New Zealand wins fossil of the day award – again

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:52 am, December 11th, 2015 - 43 comments

For a small country New Zealand is certainly punching above its weight. It has been awarded a second fossil of the day award by the Climate Action Network.

Sayonara Serco

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:16 pm, December 9th, 2015 - 80 comments

Serco’s contract to run the Mt Eden Corrections Facility will not be renewed when it expires next year.

John Key’s hedge fund mate behind Teach First (NZ)

Written By: BLiP - Date published: 7:36 am, December 9th, 2015 - 195 comments

Julian Robertston, a US billionaire who made his money with hedge fund Tiger Management, Merryl Lynch’s largest customer when John Key was working there, is the man behind privatisation trojan horse Teach First (NZ).

Paula Bennett, Climate Change Minister?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:27 am, December 8th, 2015 - 68 comments

Despite having no scientific background, no relevant experience and no related portfolios Paula Bennett is the new Minister in charge of Climate Change Issues.

Key’s Xmas Reshuffle; UPDATE + bonus Winston Peters zinger!

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 7:24 am, December 7th, 2015 - 49 comments

John Key has announced that there will be a minor cabinet re-shuffle. Could this mark the return of Judith Collins? If so, what does this tell us about how the post-Key National Party will look?

Key should apologise to Tania Billingsley and Slater should be ashamed

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:24 am, December 6th, 2015 - 72 comments

The disputed facts case involving Tania Billingsley’s complaint against the Malaysian Diplomat suggests the diplomat was engaged in some bizarre drug induced behaviour and completely exonerates Ms Billingsley. John Ken will have to reconsider his petty refusal to apologise to her. And Murray McCully’s actions will be closely monitored as soon as the completed report into the invocation of diplomatic immunity is released.

TiSA reduces COP21 to a charade

Written By: BLiP - Date published: 10:04 am, December 5th, 2015 - 13 comments

That National Ltd™ is currently in the process of giving away New Zealand’s sovereignty in areas such as energy resources and related regulations, explains its contempt for the environment and the talking down of expectations regarding climate change.

#Sheepgate – but wait there’s more

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:39 am, December 4th, 2015 - 28 comments

At the same time that there is an Auditor General’s investigation into the appropriateness of the Government spend on the sheep farm in the middle of a Saudi desert the Government has announced a further spend of $2.6 million on a kit set abattoir. And the resumption of live exports by ship may be in the pipeline.