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National’s 12 days of Christmas

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 4:16 pm, December 13th, 2012 - 43 comments

Grant Robertson in the Christmas adjournment speeches yesterday gave a great list of National’s terrible 2012 gifts to Aotearoa. For the twelfth day of Christmas National’s gift to Kiwi folk, twelve Hekia stuff-ups, eleven diplomats a leaking, ten cronies conspiring, nine paper boys crying, eight leaks of personal details, 7.3% unemployment, six ACC casualties, five […]

NRT: Reported back

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:23 pm, December 12th, 2012 - 4 comments

The Transport and Industrial Relations Committee has reported back on David Clark’s Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill, with the National majority recommending it not be passed. The bill will now go back before the House, where its fate will be in the hands of Peter Dunne. Will he vote for it or not?

Will the Maori Party make a stand for kids?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:40 am, December 12th, 2012 - 14 comments

The Maori Party has publicly called on National to act on the child poverty report. Was this a token protest for form’s sake, or will the Maori Party actually make a stand for kids?

Judicial review of water ownership rejected

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:53 pm, December 11th, 2012 - 17 comments

A win for the Nats, a loss for the country. The Maori Council’s request for a judicial review of water rights has been rejected.

Doha blah blah blah

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:12 pm, December 10th, 2012 - 14 comments

The climate change talks still grind on every year, but nothing useful seems to happen as a result. The recently concluded Doha talks are no exception. By the time the Power Shift generation takes over they will be facing a near impossible task.

Poverty Watch 15

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:49 am, December 8th, 2012 - 10 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, poverty and eduction, and a special edition of Poverty Watch coming up…

Merry Christmas Hillside

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:15 am, December 7th, 2012 - 72 comments

Another sad chapter in the ongoing collapse of manufacturing in NZ. A particularly bitter chapter, because it didn’t have to be this way.

Ahead of the curve on climate change

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:35 am, December 4th, 2012 - 66 comments

Climate Change Minister Tim Groser has defended the Nats’ decision to drop out of the Kyoto treaty, describing the move as “ahead of the curve”. Quite apart from being absolutely stupid short-term thinking and a pathetic abdication of leadership, the idea that this retreat is “ahead of the curve” is a rather unfortunate turn of phrase.

Poverty Watch 14

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:37 am, December 1st, 2012 - 27 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, the return of Inside Child Poverty, and the view from Planet Key…

Cronyism

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 8:24 am, December 1st, 2012 - 19 comments

It appears that Murray McCully is up to his clique-ish ways again. He’s appointed his old mate, and Sky political lobbyist Tony O’Brien to the board of Antarctic New Zealand. What’s that you say? Lobbying doesn’t have much to do with our interests on the white continent and its surrounding waters? Neither does Pay TV?

NRT: Taking on our local tax cheats

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:37 am, November 30th, 2012 - 26 comments

I/S at No Right Turn asks why the government is letting rich multinational companies get away with exploiting tax loopholes. Here’s an idea – close the loopholes and spend the revenue on schools.

A solution to the Novopay fiasco

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:44 am, November 30th, 2012 - 33 comments

I have a suggestion.

A National attack on the environment

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 11:34 am, November 29th, 2012 - 14 comments

Anthony has already mentioned the amazing record of us winning both first and second prize in the first Fossil of the Day awards at the Doha climate talks – quite a remarkable achievement, particularly for a nation that trades on its “100% Pure” environmental credentials. Over at Pundit Claire Browning has an extensive list of […]

The elective surgery “success story”

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:14 am, November 29th, 2012 - 60 comments

In August we were sold a “success story” – the number of elective surgeries was up and waiting times were down. Last night we learned the untold backstory, with reports of complex procedures being dropped to focus on making the numbers look good. Yet another example of the Nats’ micro-management gone wrong.

I’m ashamed to be a New Zealander

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:53 am, November 28th, 2012 - 111 comments

With its head deep in the rapidly warming sands, John Key and the National government have been rolling back climate change measures. We are not even “fast followers”, we are stand-out obstacles to progress, and subject to international ridicule. On climate change they have made me ashamed to be a New Zealander. They shame us all as a nation.

A new house every 13 minutes

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:58 am, November 27th, 2012 - 82 comments

KiwiBuild has the Nats rattled. It’s difficult to oppose a program that creates both affordable housing and jobs, but they’re doing their best. One of their lines is that NZ can’t build houses that quickly. They’re wrong – here’s why.

The Auckland property market

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:29 am, November 26th, 2012 - 195 comments

The Auckland property market is back through the roof again, as well covered in The Herald this weekend. Labour’s solution is to build more houses. National’s “solution” is to complain about Labour’s solution.

Poverty Watch 13

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:28 am, November 24th, 2012 - 24 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, while National sits on its hands, Labour set out a policy that addresses poverty, housing and health…

NRT: More dictatorship from Brownlee

Written By: notices and features - 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.

In other news: the failings of Key’s government

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:57 am, November 21st, 2012 - 20 comments

John Key’s crony-capitalist, neoliberal government is failing NZ on the environment, affordable housing, and a living wage. Mana and the Greens are leading the way on affordable housing and anti-poverty campaigns. The Greens still lead the way on pressing environmental issues.

Poverty Watch 12

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:36 am, November 17th, 2012 - 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, children bear the brunt of the Nats beneficiary bashing, and Peter Dunne challenged to make good on his promises and big words…

Towards an inclusive, democratic left

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:53 am, November 16th, 2012 - 46 comments

The left needs to develop a new direction, not merely react to the ruling neoliberal discourses and policies. Under NAct there has been a resurgent masculinisation of politics, and the undermining of democratic processes. How do we work towards a more inclusive, diverse participatory democracy?

Kiwis lose jobs, Nats make jokes

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:22 am, November 15th, 2012 - 21 comments

Didn’t it make you sick to your stomach when smug Tories getting fat on quarter of a million dollar taxpayer-funded salaries get up in the House and make jokes to deflect from the dire jobs situation?* Well, I know 410,000 Kiwis who are looking for work and aren’t laughing when Key and co make jokes about it.

We have a lemming instead of a leader

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:04 am, November 13th, 2012 - 80 comments

John Key doesn’t want NZ to be a leader in the fight against climate change. Much better to be a lemming (sorry – a “fast follower”) and follow all the other lemmings off the cliff.

NRT: This week’s distraction

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:25 pm, November 12th, 2012 - 5 comments

No Right Turn on this week’s offering from the Nat roulette wheel of political distractions…

Poverty Watch 11

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:38 am, November 10th, 2012 - 5 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, another doctor warns us about poverty and disease in NZ, Peter Dunne betrays his pledge to back measures that reduce poverty, and inequality in New York exposed by hurricane Sandy.

Ignoring the warning signs

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:01 am, November 6th, 2012 - 17 comments

Among the many failures of human cognition, we’re very poor at taking account of warnings of future risk and consequence. We’ve seen two particularly clear and strong examples of ignoring the warnings in NZ politics in the last two weeks. There are many other cases ongoing…