political parties

If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:34 am, June 26th, 2013 - 91 comments

Yesterday Key actually ran the classic justification for “police state” surveillance: if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. This argument is bollocks. Here’s why…

Anemic recovery

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:49 am, June 24th, 2013 - 113 comments

Despite the heroic efforts of National’s spinsters the economic “recovery” remains anemic. We’re still behind 2007, and what recovery there is seems to be largely driven by another property bubble, and captured by a few. All National have managed is to hold us back for four years.

Poverty Watch 36

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:04 am, June 22nd, 2013 - 7 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, a debrief on The Vote: “Our kids – The problem’s not poverty, it’s parenting”. The results are encouraging!

Mana housing policy needs work

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:27 pm, June 21st, 2013 - 28 comments

Mana’s housing policy is ambitious, and leaves National’s inaction looking increasingly isolated and out of touch. But there are too many gaps in this policy as currently stated. Needs work.

Who benefits?

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:19 am, June 21st, 2013 - 42 comments

The leaderless uprising in Brazil exposes unbearable inequalities in a dysfunctional post-growth world. Extravagant sports events and expensive stadium contrast with anti-public service austerity measures. Home building lags in Christchurch, while Key looks to asset sales to fund a stadium.

NRT: Some “reforms”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:32 pm, June 20th, 2013 - 2 comments

I/S at No Right Turn is on a roll today. Here he is on the gambling amendment.

Slogan politics

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:32 am, June 20th, 2013 - 82 comments

We have an unfortunate tendency in New Zealand to reduce politics to dumb slogans. The “fart tax” was a classic example. The current case in point is “printing money”.

Christchurch East – A safe seat?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 1:21 pm, June 19th, 2013 - 26 comments

Lianne Dalziel’s decision to run for the mayoralty of Christchurch will be great for the people of the city. But this means a by-election in Christchurch East: and with National’s 2011 party vote 1000 more than Labour and the Greens combined, it’s going to be a long way from a cake-walk for any Labour candidate.

Networks of influence: Lobbyists

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:04 am, June 19th, 2013 - 23 comments

The Speaker’s list of lobbyists has doubled over the last year. “Neoliberal” & corporate entities have the balance of power. Journalists & PR merchants get more influence than the marginalised, low income & politically disengaged. Social media is a means to counter such influence. [Update: Bunji, NRT]

Dalziel for Christchurch mayor

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:36 am, June 19th, 2013 - 28 comments

As widely anticipated, Lianne Dalziel has confirmed that she will stand for Mayor of Christchurch.

Strike breaking Bill in trouble

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 3:24 pm, June 18th, 2013 - 28 comments

The Nats’ strike breaking Bill is in trouble, with the Employers & Manufacturers Association and Peter Dunne both stating their opposition. Let’s hope it’s another win for workers and for MMP.

All is not well in the VFX industry, Squires

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:57 am, June 18th, 2013 - 50 comments

Many praise Jackson and Weta for the work it brings to NZ. However, a recent US-focused survey by Scott Squires, shows how subsidies, like that for the Hobbit, plus lack of unionisation are contributing to increasing exploitation, income insecurity and competition among skilled VFX workers internationally. [Update: Squires’ response]

Manufacturing Inquiry report

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 2:59 pm, June 17th, 2013 - 83 comments

The parliamentary inquiry into the future of manufacturing has released its report today. I’ve not had time to read it, but it’s great to see a report by 4 out of parliament’s 7 or 8* parties, showing a united stance to one of our country’s biggest economic problems. 40,000 lost jobs in 4 years; the worst current account deficit in the developed world (overtaking Greece) – and a government that’s ignoring it. We need some big solutions and a combined force committed to it.

Democracy under attack

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:20 am, June 17th, 2013 - 37 comments

This National government has an unprecedented contempt for democracy. The media keeps noticing pieces of the picture, but never seems to put them all together. Susan Edmunds’ piece in the Herald on Sunday is a rare and welcome exception.

Greens attack stupid spending, rattle Key

Written By: QoT - Date published: 11:00 am, June 16th, 2013 - 54 comments

The NZ Transport Agency’s “Drive Social” programme looks like one gigantic waste of money, and the Greens are hammering it. Key’s response? “They just want everyone to cycle everywhere.” Is he looking a little tired to anyone else?

Protest at sea

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:07 am, June 16th, 2013 - 44 comments

kirk-sea-protest

Water under pressure

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:12 am, June 15th, 2013 - 38 comments

Water is becoming a precious resource, under threat from pollution, over use, population growth, & commercial profiteering. The Green & Labour Parties are very critical of Key’s government weakening the RMA in favour of commercial gains, while over-riding local government plans.

Poverty Watch 35

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:56 am, June 15th, 2013 - 4 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, a brief note about a coming episode of “The Vote” on the following topic: “Our kids – The problem’s not poverty, it’s parenting”.

Workers’ rights under attack

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:55 am, June 14th, 2013 - 85 comments

Key’s government is continuing its attack on workers’ rights, pay, conditions & collective bargaining with Jami-Lee Ross’s ‘Strike Breaking’ Bill. Darien Fenton, the CTU & EPMU say why it is wrong. All parties and MPs should oppose this and other proposed changes to employment law.

Deep hypocrisy vs government for sale

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:39 am, June 14th, 2013 - 214 comments

While it was stupid of Labour MPs to muddy the waters, the real scandal goes unremarked.

Networks of influence: Key, Peter Thiel & the GCSB

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:21 am, June 13th, 2013 - 70 comments

We don’t know how often John Key has met with Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir which developes cyber-intell systems like PRISM, & is now operating in NZ. Thiel’s involvement in NZ is extensive. He has been pursuing his “utopian” libertarian, cyber-focused agenda in NZ for a few years.

Spies and lies – can anyone trust Key?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:52 am, June 13th, 2013 - 46 comments

The angles and implications of the GCSB / PRISM / Palantir story are multiplying at a frightening rate, and only a mug would trust anything coming out from the government about it. Key is openly contradicting himself on the GCSB law, it’s farcical.

From a sinking ship

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:43 pm, June 12th, 2013 - 61 comments

Ongoing problems for Peter Dunne and United Future.

The corruption of democracy

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:07 am, June 11th, 2013 - 69 comments

Similar neoliberal, corporate-friendly, beneficiary-bashing, anti-worker, anti-democratic & big-brotherish measures favoured by the US & UK governments have been adopted by Key’s government. Prism, Thin Thread and Kim Dotcom documents, show the GCSB & SIS need to be reigned in. How to ensure a fair, just & democratic society?

Whistleblowers and services to journalism

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:00 am, June 10th, 2013 - 57 comments

Two leakers (one a true whistleblower), are in the news right now, both focused on the US-led surveillance society, operating in the interests of corporate power. And today, in relation to this, 2 journalists show the importance of the fourth estate to democracy. Kim Hill & Glenn Greenwald take a bow.

Positioning and reality

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:31 am, June 10th, 2013 - 72 comments

There’s a lot of talk at the moment about whether Labour is too close to the Greens. Lately, we’ve seen spin coming out that Labour might be able to govern without the Greens, favouring NZF instead. Meanwhile, the Greens seem happy to talk about a future Greens-Labour government. National’s leaking to Peters and Peters is playing the race card. What’s going on?

The Greens: Party democracy and parliamentary politics

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:00 am, June 9th, 2013 - 106 comments

John Armstrong follows Lusk’s plan in attacking The Green Party’s democratic change to Conference remit procedures. Isaac Davison gives a more balanced account& points to preparation for a Labour-Green government. How much bottom-up democracy can there be in a top-down parliamentary system?

Poverty Watch 34

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:01 pm, June 8th, 2013 - 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 we take a detailed look at the government’s response to the report on poverty from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. The media reaction summarised last week is correct – the government response is a joke.