political parties

MRP share offer suspended til tomorrow

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:19 pm, April 22nd, 2013 - 36 comments

The government announced about an hour ago, that it has suspended the share offer for Mighty River Power until tomorrow, while it devises a supplementary disclosure in the light of the Labour-Green NZ Power policy.

Space and density: Auckland Unitary Plan

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:15 am, April 22nd, 2013 - 8 comments

The draft Auckland Unitary Plan is massive and complex. The Auckland Transport Blog helps in untangling issues around intensification vs sprawl. The government & some right wing councillors want sprawl & to delay implementation. The Akl Council website has some cool videos visualising the planned developments. And social housing?

Nats still at panic-stations over NZ Power

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:29 am, April 22nd, 2013 - 16 comments

Can there be a greater sign of the threat that National sees in NZ Power than the fact they have put out 5 press releases condemning it in 4 days? I bet Key spends his Monday media round attacking it too. National knows they’re on to a hiding – they’re defending excessive profits over lower power prices for people. But they’re ideological bound to reject the solution.

The “socialist” vs capitalist PR war: NZ Power

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:19 am, April 21st, 2013 - 123 comments

The Key government and its allies are playing the “red scare” gambit, the Greens get to the heart of the reason for NZ Power, Parker goes Third Way, while Bernard Hickey and Matt McCarten weigh in to support the (alleged) “socialist” NZ Power policy. Bomber Bradbury adds some words of caution. [updated title]

Do the lights ever go out on Planet Key?

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:19 pm, April 19th, 2013 - 33 comments

John Key says that the Labour-Green Power policy is “barking mad” and will take people back to the power cuts of the 1970s. Another John Key brainfade, or just being “clueless”? I look at power cuts and fuel poverty since the 1990s.

ImperatorFish: Yes, Steven, this is just like North Korea

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:25 pm, April 19th, 2013 - 7 comments

Scott earnestly compares Labour & the Greens’ NZ Power to the North Korean model.

Stealth Taxers

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 10:09 am, April 19th, 2013 - 16 comments

National, far from being their idealised “low tax party” are in fact the “stealth tax party”. While they’ve lowered the top rate of tax and the company rate, helping out the wealthiest, there has been regressive tax after regressive tax increase on the smaller hidden things.

Dunne abandons charter schools

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:15 am, April 19th, 2013 - 33 comments

Peter Dunne is concerned about the use of unqualified teachers in charter schools. As well he should be – the Ministry of Education has issued a detailed warning against this daft policy.

Classic Nat press releases

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 4:28 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 23 comments

The best that the Nats can come up with in response to the Labour / Green electricity reforms is juvenile posturing about Stalinist extremism and “comrades Norman and Shearer”. This from the National Party that brought you cancelled democratic elections, harsh punishments for protestors, and increased powers to spy on the people. Oh, the irony.

The disconnected: the future of the left?

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 42 comments

The current direction of Key’s government, and the challenging circumstances of the 21st century create a need for urgent attention to the form of a new left politics; one that embraces the working class, trade union solidarity, gender, diversity & the emerging “precariat”.

NZ Power

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:02 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 223 comments

At noon today Labour and the Greens jointly announced new energy policies. “NZ Power” is big and it’s bold. It will completely restructure the way the electricity sector is run, and result in lower power prices for both domestic and business consumers.

Tough on tax cheats?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:26 am, April 18th, 2013 - 51 comments

This government is tough on welfare cheats and soft on tax cheats, and they shouldn’t bother trying to pretend otherwise.

Mondayisation Bill passes

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:31 pm, April 17th, 2013 - 20 comments

As expected David Clark’s private member’s bill to “Mondayise” holidays passed its final reading this evening. The vote was 61 to 60 with National and ACT voting against.

The Greens, electricity & sustainability

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:15 pm, April 16th, 2013 - 48 comments

The Greens and Labour are planning a joint announcement on their policies on power prices. Both parties want to bring down costs of electricity. The policies of the two parties will also have some differences. How will it mesh with Green Party policies on sustainability?

Feed the Kids – Big Breakfast

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:14 pm, April 16th, 2013 - 1 comment

Tomorrow Mana’s Feed the Kids campaign is running a Big Breakfast event to feed 2000 kids. Contact the organiser if you can help.

Labour’s electricity reforms will be bold

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:21 pm, April 16th, 2013 - 59 comments

A joint Labour / Green announcement on plans for the electricity sector will be made on Thursday. My prediction is that the plan will be bold.

Asset Sales: Orcon

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 6:08 pm, April 15th, 2013 - 8 comments

It was announced today that Government-owned Orcon was sold off last Friday.

Nat leadership speculation

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:30 am, April 15th, 2013 - 107 comments

I didn’t see Key’s Q+A interview on Sunday, but it seems to have been an interesting one. Speculation about the leadership of the Nats appears to be growing.

Caveat emptor 2

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 6:46 am, April 15th, 2013 - 104 comments

Labour’s put out a release saying power prices are too high and “signalling that the future Labour Government will make changes to the sector so that New Zealanders considering purchasing shares in Mighty River Power, which go on sale tomorrow, are aware of that before investing”. In other words, ‘we’re gonna cut power prices, and the electricity companies’ profits will be hit’.

Poverty Watch 27

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:27 am, April 13th, 2013 - 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 we continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. In current news a new UNICEF report stresses the huge impact that the choices of governments can have on poverty. Our government quite literally does not want to know…

Caption competition

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:39 pm, April 12th, 2013 - 25 comments

Sums it up, really

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:56 am, April 12th, 2013 - 134 comments

National’s 3 quarters of the way through its time at the crease now. And what has it achieved? A record debt pile. 300,000 jobless. 100,000 underemployed. Rising poverty. 1,000 a week fleeing to Australia. A new housing bubble. A record high dollar that’s killing our businesses. And falling household incomes. A list of articles on Stuff sums it up.

NRT: Paula Bennett giggles at child poverty

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:34 pm, April 11th, 2013 - 20 comments

The government doesn’t measure child poverty, so has no way to tell if it is getting better or worse. Hilarious right? Paula Bennett certainly thinks so. “Gosh!”

Security: social, financial, personal, digital

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:05 am, April 10th, 2013 - 18 comments

Yesterday more planks in the NAct raft amounting to major changes, were before the House. These undermine democracy, fairness, the security and rights of individuals, and increase hardship for those on low incomes. Ardern on Social Security. Cunliffe on child support, privacy breaches & trust.

Labour pays respect to Margaret Thatcher

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:48 pm, April 9th, 2013 - 182 comments

David SHEARER Labour Leader 09 April 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT Labour pays respect to Margaret Thatcher Labour is today paying its respects to the family, friends and colleagues of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who passed away overnight. “Baroness Thatcher was a passionate and formidable politician who loved her country. While I didn’t agree with […]

The invisible commissioner?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:57 am, April 9th, 2013 - 63 comments

Recent ignorance of Maori custom and Kiwi culture, both at home and abroad, invited a response from newly minted Race Relations Commissioner Susan Devoy. So far – nothing…

Kiwis at centre of money maze: Hager

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:03 am, April 7th, 2013 - 107 comments

Today a Nicky Hager article puts Kiwis are at the centre of the global money maze exposed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. He traces developments after Wine Box, the involvement of lawyers (including one ACT-aligned blogger), and some BNZ & ANZ staff… and more.

Poverty Watch 26

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:22 am, April 6th, 2013 - 8 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 continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Comissioner, and in current news a World Bank report on eradicating extreme poverty by 2030.

Getting there

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 7:58 am, April 5th, 2013 - 32 comments

So, the trend in the Roy Morgans continues, ever so painfully slowly to move in the Left’s favour. Since Labour recovered from its election disaster level to 30+, the Left’s support has risen at a bit under 0.2% per month, the Right vice versa. Lab+Green now outpolls National as often as not. But ‘if these trends continue’ is the most dangerous phrase in politics.