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National’s “harder-to-vote” Electoral Bill

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 5:27 pm, January 26th, 2014 - 77 comments

There’s another sign National is getting a bit desperate at the beginning of election year 2014, as they reach in to the Tory trick-bag of voter suppression in the revised Electoral Amendment Bill reported back to the House on 18 December 2013.

Polity: The truth about the gap between the rich and the rest

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:31 pm, January 24th, 2014 - 61 comments

John Key was careful in his speech. He and his government have helped themselves and their affluent mates while screwing everyone else. It is pretty clear who has been getting the benefits – since 2010 just the households with at least a hundred thousand dollars income. The bigger the household income, the more National helps. John Key – a liar with numbers.

National – a party for wastrels

Written By: lprent - Date published: 1:08 pm, January 24th, 2014 - 13 comments

The Crown Financial Statements to the end of November 2013 show that the sale of Meridian and Air New Zealand added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the asset sales programme. Combined with the cost of the Mighty River Power sale and ancillary costs such as the Rio Tinto payout, the total cost of the asset sales now stands at $440m. National just likes burning the money of the taxpayers for no productive purpose.

Isolating change: the poverty of education

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:24 am, January 24th, 2014 - 60 comments

John Key presented one great idea in isolation instead of a full election agenda: a desperate attempt to stop the growing discontents with his government. He failed to address underlying problems. Cunliffe will outline a broader political agenda. Turei addresses poverty & income inequalities.

Spot the difference! Stating the nation

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:19 am, January 23rd, 2014 - 97 comments

[Updated] Speeches: Key (today ZB Transcript). PM’s speech – untruths, misdirections & corporatisation of education – comment added. Cunliffe on Monday, on greater opportunities for all Kiwis. Metiria Turei’s speech, Sunday – will talk education, environment. Peters responds to Key. Greens response – education. Cunliffe’s Stand-up – audio.

Welfare profiteers

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:23 am, January 22nd, 2014 - 33 comments

Paula Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms are bad enough (pressuring people into unsuitable work, or off benefits without alternative support); then there’s privatising the scheme by outsourcing enforced work placement to private companies – worse still, to overseas corporates. Devaluing & dehumanising people, communities, & nurturing activities. [Update: APM conflicts of interest]

A matter of “confidence”

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:43 am, January 21st, 2014 - 41 comments

Some say the economy often responds positively to “confidence”, while lack of it can result in some financial nose dives. But whose confidence is being highlighted in reports of NZ’ “rock star” economy? Not that of workers, beneficiaries – the precariat, say Labour, Greens.

National Breaches Crown Copyright

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:52 pm, January 17th, 2014 - 43 comments

Rob Salmond at Polity on the National Party’s use of public service videos for political ends.

Polity: English lies on impact of tax switch

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:22 am, January 15th, 2014 - 15 comments

Rob Salmond at Polity has been having a look at Bill English’s “neutral” tax change in 2010…

Bill English recently heralded his tax switch as making net tax more progressive. He lied. It actually made net tax at least $500 million more regressive.

Paula Bennett wastes taxpayers money on drug testing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:45 am, January 13th, 2014 - 108 comments

The first results of Paula Bennett’s drug testing of beneficiaries has been released. Only 0.27% of the 8,000 beneficiaries required to be tested either failed or refused to take the test. The testing is a colossal waste of money but is performing an important political role by making the Government look like it is being tough on beneficiaries.

The puppet party, the Mega party and the pro assault party

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:30 am, January 12th, 2014 - 201 comments

Politics for the year is shaping up to be very interesting. In news today ACT puppet master Steven Joyce has failed to persuade Rodney Hide to stand again for Epsom, the Conservatives are aiming to legitimise the use of violence by parents against children and Kim Dotcom is said to be ready to announce his new political party this month.

Obama’s TPPA bid to over-ride democracy

Written By: karol - Date published: 6:47 pm, January 10th, 2014 - 16 comments

There’s a tussle going on as Obama pushes to seal the deal and to limit Congress’s say on TPPA deals. But, Congress would still have more say about the deals than NZ MPs. It’s about democracy & sovereignty. It could slip under the radar over summer.

New Zealand is doing nothing about climate change

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:56 am, January 5th, 2014 - 178 comments

The latest report on New Zealand’s performance under the Kyoto Protocol is out and the news is disturbing. Net emissions compared to our 1990 CO2 equivalent emissions are predicted to treble by 2030 at a time where they should be trending to below the 1990 level. And Government policies are shown to be making little difference. Meanwhile a report by Prof Euan Mason advocates that Agriculture should be in the scheme and that with a proper price for ETS credits significant reforestation with attendant benefits could occur. And meanwhile RWNJs continue to show their belligerent lack of understanding of the science of climate change …

Caption contest

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:31 am, January 3rd, 2014 - 110 comments

Celebrity golf! Which one will get voted off the island first!? Meanwhile the world burns, the poor struggle, and the wealth gap continues to be a blight on our country.

John Key’s patchwork ‘job machine’: user pays

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:08 am, December 28th, 2013 - 47 comments

John Key’s great idea for job creation – his cycleway project – has produced some benefits, but is a patchwork production. Some sections will be user pays to fund maintenance. Meanwhile the job creation benefits have been limited.

NRT: National’s New Zealand

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:05 am, December 25th, 2013 - 16 comments

National’s New Zealand: wage-suppression through one-sided employment law. A jobless “recovery”. Cuts to state housing and to welfare. 265,000 kids in poverty. An indecent society of haves and have-nots. A government chooses, through welfare, health, education and child-support policies, whether all kids will get a good start in life, or whether their prospects will be blighted by their parents. The present government, a government of, by and for the rich, has chosen to tolerate, even exacerbate poverty, rather than impose on their wealthy supporters.

Not the brighter future….

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:46 am, December 22nd, 2013 - 32 comments

Articles in the Sunday papers online, showing John Key’s “brighter future” is only for the well off, while more people than ever are struggling to get by.

How has the year been for you?

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:42 am, December 18th, 2013 - 145 comments

The government & many of its cheerleaders are joining in a re-vitalised chorus of a brighter future right around the corner of “Christmas cheer”. Many Kiwis are struggling with the realities of poverty. How was your year on the inequality scale?

Herald poll has Labour at 40% because of asset sales

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:09 am, December 15th, 2013 - 138 comments

A Herald poll this morning has Labour on 40% with many expressing concern with the asset sales programme. And John Key displays a disturbing lack of numeracy ~~literacy~~.

Making sense of the (un)employment stats: Census 2013

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:22 am, December 12th, 2013 - 22 comments

A Statistics NZ Census quick stats page is both useful and puzzling. Nearly a 3rd of adults are not in the “labour force”, unemployment stats mask true unemployment, the young and low income women particularly are struggling, distorted occupation categories, and more….. [Update: Occupation categories]

Last day to vote

Written By: lprent - Date published: 7:11 am, December 12th, 2013 - 43 comments

This is the last day that you can vote No in the referendum on asset sales. So dig that form out, mark it and send it. This referendum vote is a clear way to send a message that even a self-serving delusional National MP can understand. Being able to form a government is not a mandate to do whatever you feel like with our assets.

Child Poverty in New Zealand

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:21 am, December 8th, 2013 - 212 comments

The Herald on Sunday this morning has produced a series of chilling articles showing that a computer glitch has caused the under reporting of abuse notifications, and a worrying increase in admission to hospital of children suffering form third world diseases. And the Children’s Commissioner had to secure funding from a private trust so that the data for this report could be collated. It makes you wonder if the Government wants to know the extent of child poverty in Aotearoa.

Why New Zealand’s educational standards are crashing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:29 pm, December 4th, 2013 - 55 comments

National’s carefully constructed Educational Policies, designed to give the impression of action but based on the transfer of riches to the children of the wealthy and the bashing of Teachers Unions, are in tatters following the release of the Pisa Report. Cuts made to Teachers Professional Standards in 2009 made against advice are obviously having an effect. And increasing child poverty must be having an effect, despite the Government’s refusal to even measure it.

Census 2013: increase in inequality

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:15 am, December 4th, 2013 - 26 comments

NZ Census 2013 shows a widening income gap: rises for the haves; more struggle for the have nots. Gains for women in education and some in the highest income brackets; more struggle for those on low incomes, especially beneficiaries impacted by Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms. Welcome to Key’s “Brighter Future”.

John Key is Rob Muldoon’s doppelganger

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:07 am, November 30th, 2013 - 64 comments

John Key is increasingly displaying that Rob Muldoon characteristic of denigrating anyone who has the temerity to oppose him. Key’s latest claim that people who opposed off shore drilling are just “rent a crowd” sorts is a classic Muldoonism.

Enrol for the referendum by the 21st

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:57 pm, November 19th, 2013 - 41 comments

If you aren’t currently enrolled or are unsure, then you will have to be enrolled in the next few days. We can shove the lie of “mandate” straight back into this National government’s lying face. Maybe when National are deprived of that silly excuse for their theft, they will stop stealing.

Air New Zealand sale starts tomorrow

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:40 pm, November 17th, 2013 - 294 comments

The Government has announced that the sell down of Air New Zealand shares will occur over the next two days.

Key refuses to pay compensation for Pike River

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:53 am, November 16th, 2013 - 120 comments

John Key this week ruled out any Government contribution to compensation ordered to be paid by Pike River to the deceased miners’ families despite a strong suggestion by Judge Farrish that this should occur. Now that the photo opportunities have finished and the effect of the corporate PR spin has worn off the Government’s handling of the issue appears to be deeply cynical and totally unjust.

Coleman’s disgracefully cowardly display

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:38 am, November 15th, 2013 - 151 comments

National’s, weird, favourite line at the moment is to say ‘we’re going to ignore the asset sales referendum and the opposition are hypocrites because they ignored the smacking referendum’. Russel Norman finally had had enough yesterday, and asked Jonathan Coleman just who had been PM when the referendum happened. Coleman’s answer was textbook cowardliness.

Groser says govt ministers in denial of reality

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 7:25 am, November 14th, 2013 - 145 comments

3news has shaken out hidden science denialists in National. This follows the disgraceful booing of Russel Norman by National MPs who did not want to hear him ‘inappropriately’ quote a Filipino official attributing the typhoon to climate change at a time apparently meant for empty platitudes. Meanwhile, the Filipino official that Norman was quoting has written to thank him.

Key rewrites history for “Crazy Colin”

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:00 pm, November 13th, 2013 - 68 comments

Answering questions on the up-coming Asset Sales referendum, John Key spoke some appalling un-truths. He is rewriting political history to suit “Crazy” Colin Craig’s possible coalition bottom lines on the “anti-smacking” law. Cunliffe finally got there in the General Debate, but the opposition was too slow in countering Key’s lies & spin.