political parties

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.

Use of Teach First (NZ) illegal

Written By: BLiP - Date published: 8:02 am, December 7th, 2015 - 113 comments

To date, TeachFirst(NZ) has received more than $6.4 million dollars of public money and, as a result, has infested 18 schools with dozens of so-called “teachers”.

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.

A Labour Mayor for Wellington

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:00 am, December 3rd, 2015 - 47 comments

Deputy Mayor Justin Lester has announced his candidacy for the top job in the nation’s capital.

Mopping up the fossil fuels subsidy shame

Written By: BLiP - Date published: 8:08 am, December 3rd, 2015 - 17 comments

McClay said he could not answer the specific question because he had “been advised” no such data exists.

How convenient.

Good reviews for Little’s reshuffle

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:20 pm, December 2nd, 2015 - 80 comments

A couple of good reviews for Little’s reshuffle of the Labour lineup.

The great greenhouse gas research funding switcherooni

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:56 am, December 2nd, 2015 - 19 comments

John Key has announced an increase in funding on research into the reduction of agricultural emissions of greenhouse gasses of $20 million over four years or $5 million a year. Which is the amount the Government cut from this research two months ago.

Nats failing Christchurch and lashing out at Treasury

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, December 1st, 2015 - 128 comments

A Treasury report calls the Christchurch rebuild plan “unachievable”. Gerry Brownlee immediately springs in to action – attacking Treasury. Christchurch deserves better than this…

Labour’s reshuffle announced today

Written By: Stephanie Rodgers - Date published: 8:30 am, November 30th, 2015 - 250 comments

Who will be the big winners from Andrew Little’s caucus reshuffle – and who will be the big players taking Labour into the 2017 election?

UPDATED: With new rankings/portfolios and media release.

Jarrod Gilbert 1 – Windmills 0

Written By: BLiP - Date published: 7:09 am, November 29th, 2015 - 22 comments

About time the Police got around to becoming a “very evidence based” service. Building great relationships with academia is a sensible way to start.

Nats positioning for 2017

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:15 am, November 28th, 2015 - 48 comments

Nothing Matthew Hooton says can be taken at face value, but perhaps there are rumblings within National about 2017.

Nats campaigning with public money

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 12:22 pm, November 26th, 2015 - 45 comments

Campaigning with public money. Politicising the public service. Cabinet club is cash for access. This is a corrupt government.

RMA announcement

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:25 am, November 26th, 2015 - 24 comments

Changes to the RMA have just been announced.

Updated.

How many prospective state house tenants hate birds chirping?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:19 am, November 26th, 2015 - 46 comments

The answer is at least one.

Standing in the Shadow of the Red Flag

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 10:30 am, November 25th, 2015 - 47 comments

“Why would Goff stand for the Auckland mayoralty as an independent candidate considering his life-long commitment to the Labour Party?”

Why indeed?

Is it time for Labour to stand candidates in local elections under the party banner? And can the party lift its profile and its general election prospects by being bolder in the provinces?

ABP Branch of Labour goes into recess; all Branch Officers to resign

Written By: Colonial Viper - Date published: 7:39 pm, November 22nd, 2015 - 427 comments

Dunedin’s most active and most innovative Labour Party branch is going into recess.

Read my lips – some new taxes

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:23 am, November 20th, 2015 - 29 comments

new-taxes

National willfully stupidly blind on climate change

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, November 20th, 2015 - 98 comments

As the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warns of the risks of sea level rises and recommends action, National are clear that they will take none. They are determined to leave all the risks and costs of climate change to future governments.

Towards banana republic status

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:30 am, November 19th, 2015 - 43 comments

National has passed legislation with retrospective effect under urgency to change previous legislation also passed under urgency so that the law says what it thinks the law should have said, despite the existing law being abundantly clear.

Chris Trotter is on fire

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:32 am, November 19th, 2015 - 160 comments

“What differentiates the Left from the Right is the former’s fundamental rejection of the strongest human-beings’ proclivity to dominate, coerce and exploit the weakest. Without this proclivity, none of the economic and social systems elaborated by armed minorities throughout history could have endured.”

Indeed.