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John Key’s disdain for democracy

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:02 am, July 3rd, 2013 - 43 comments

Norman criticises John Key for showing complete disdain for democracy at yesterday’s public hearing on the GCSB Bill. Kim Dotcom is expected to provide a challenge today. Paul Buchanan is critical and argues for a full inquiry. Gordon Campbell proposes some questions. [update]: TV3 Livestream 3.30 pm [update] Dotcom -Key knew about him prior to GCSB spying on him TV3.

Focused on what matters

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:56 am, July 2nd, 2013 - 35 comments

Good to see that Key is so keenly focused on what matters. His image.

Spying against the law? Whatever…

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:03 am, July 2nd, 2013 - 18 comments

Key’s enquiry into the GCSB report leak appears to have broken the law. He doesn’t give a damn. What a clear and timely example of exactly why Key and the GCSB can’t be trusted with further powers. “Nothing to hide nothing to fear” my arse.

Key, Brownlee: Not Auckland’s friends

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:26 am, July 1st, 2013 - 41 comments

John Key’s u-turn on Auckland City Rail is all smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand stealth of the common good. Phil Twyford and the Auckland Transport Blog are skeptical. Funding? Roads over public transport? Asset sales?

National Party economics: make $2 billion, spend 5

Written By: QoT - Date published: 7:00 pm, June 29th, 2013 - 89 comments

The National Party are the good economic managers, right? So why are they spending money we don’t actually have yet?

Your country needs you

Written By: karol - Date published: 1:15 pm, June 29th, 2013 - 76 comments

Slippery John Key continues with the theft of the common weal, while the Kiwis with the least powerful voices are being neglected. Labour MPs, it’s time to get over your personality politics, your divisions and careerist maneuverings, and step up.

Show us the money

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:22 am, June 29th, 2013 - 56 comments

National’s spend-up promises in Auckland look like panicky policy on the hoof. Where is all this money going to come from? Key says they’ll just write a cheque!

John Key re-announces Len’s plan

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 3:57 pm, June 28th, 2013 - 42 comments

So John Key has today re-announced the Auckland plan, albeit delayed. So the Central Rail Link is on. There’ll be a 2nd Harbour crossing that’s tunnels. Combine it with Christchurch and Key’s spent about $10 billion this week. Bill English will be having a heart attack… but then, it’s all spending in the distant future […]

ImperatorFish: Five reasons why this potato is better than John Key

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:30 pm, June 28th, 2013 - 11 comments

1. This potato will not lie, prevaricate, or have convenient memory lapses.

No one wants Key’s convention center

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:22 am, June 28th, 2013 - 72 comments

Key’s grubby little deal on the Sky City convention center is about as popular as halitosis. Public opinion is against it, and so is the Auckland City Council. But Key will carry on regardless, because he is much too arrogant to back down.

ImperatorFish: An apology from the Law Society to John Key

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:30 pm, June 27th, 2013 - 20 comments

Dear Prime Minister, It appears that we may have made a terrible mistake. We made a detailed submission outlining our concerns about your government’s plans to increase the powers of the GCSB. But it looks like we were wrong. You have told Parliament and the media that you disagree with us. You haven’t said why, but we now accept that you know better than us. What use is all our combined wisdom when arrayed against your everyman common-sense?

“Women of Influence” awards: from the left or the right?

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:11 pm, June 27th, 2013 - 11 comments

There’s something to be said for Fairfax and Westpac’s launch of the Women of Influence NZ awards. Many women do not receive social recognition, or a fair financial reward, for their valuable contributions to society. The Fairfax-Westpac, right-leaning, individualistic awards foreground money, profits, leadership and business.

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…

Who’s Tourism Minister again?

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 11:15 am, June 25th, 2013 - 45 comments

Back in 2008, a bright new thing called John Key said that, if he became Prime Minister, he would take the Tourism portfolio. He said “it’s an industry that’s particularly important in maintaining and boosting this country’s employment levels and growth prospects” and “we can do an awful lot better”. International tourism revenue has fallen 20% since 2008.

GCSB Bill – for shame

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:17 am, June 25th, 2013 - 34 comments

The Law Society is not exactly a hotbed of leftie activism. So the supporters of this appallingly arrogant government should sit up and take notice when they speak out as clearly as this against the GCSB spying bill. Two faced Key is simultaneously claiming that the current law is both unclear and “very clear”. He needs to be called out on it.

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.

The nub of the issue

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:16 am, June 19th, 2013 - 112 comments

John Key can’t admit there’s a crisis in manufacturing. His response is to huff and puff and call people bozos. Not good enough. Here are some basic questions that Key should be able to answer…

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]

Caption contest

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:24 pm, June 16th, 2013 - 120 comments

What can one (anyone) say about this image? Well, I guess we will find out.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

The hairdo takes a haircut from the smiling assassin?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:05 am, June 10th, 2013 - 31 comments

In politics, one week is a long time.

And for this year, the week on either side of Queen’s birthday weekend was especially interesting. And particularly hectic for some key people!

Gone

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 4:03 pm, June 7th, 2013 - 241 comments

Having resigned as Minister, how long before we see a by-election in Ohariu as Peter Dunne’s credibility keeps dripping away? And will we see an early election?

Key Muldoon

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:41 am, June 7th, 2013 - 45 comments

Outrage over the Key Muldoon comparison? We thinks they doth protest too much. Not only is John Key a big fan of Muldoon, but his list of personal attacks and constitutional shenanigans has already grown more than long enough to challenge the old master.

The National government’s divided society

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:56 am, June 2nd, 2013 - 14 comments

A Fairfax poll shows an NZ divided by income inequalities & political allegiances. Little unemployment for National voters & more for opposition voters: a precariat with a high proportion of Maori & Pacific people. The right time for Russel Norman’s speech and blockupy?

Green Party for democracy

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:30 am, May 31st, 2013 - 34 comments

Yesterday in Question Time, Green MP Holly Walker challenged to government’s anti-democratic rush to enable the government to over-ride local councils on housing. Today Russel Norman challenges the Key government’s anti-democratic processes. This weekend there is a democratic Green Party conference.

Images of our time: ‘shock’ capitalism

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:03 am, May 30th, 2013 - 87 comments

As Naomi Klein said in the Shock Doctrine documentary, disorienting natural and economic shocks result in the wealth being shifted from “public hands” to the wealthiest. The wealth gap, and extent of poverty in NZ is increasingly & devastatingly marginalising good Kiwis. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson is flying high.