Hopefully, this post-legislative scrutiny will provide a chance to correct any excesses.
health
Categories under health
- covid-19 (322)
- long covid (11)
- vaccines (11)
Direct small business loan scheme is now working
Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, May 27th, 2020 - 26 comments
It was interesting reading this morning that the updated small business owner loan scheme is now working (unlike the previous guarantee through the banks version). National’s new Small Business shadow minister Todd Muller should be all over this between now and the election offering helpful suggestions. I’m going to be fascinated looking at those to see what type of small business he is trying to help…
No Right Turn on scrutiny of the COVID-19 Bill
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, May 21st, 2020 - 8 comments
The International investigation into Covid-19
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, May 20th, 2020 - 81 comments
More than 110 nations have backed a call for the World Health Organisation to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 virus outbreak.
Should Parents and Teachers Defy the Government?
Written By: - Date published: 4:02 pm, May 16th, 2020 - 66 comments
School’s back on Monday, but the medical community is still struggling to understand covid 19
Oh Sweden
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, May 16th, 2020 - 108 comments
Just when we thought liberal democracies meant real freedom was an absolute written into human rights stone, by mid-March this year almost all OECD countries had implemented the most draconian reversal of lockdowns on every single human to combat Covid19. Except Sweden. How is it working out?
Don’t infect your feline master!
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, May 16th, 2020 - 16 comments
In terrible news, our feline masters can both get covid-19, and they can infect other cats. Fortunately so far they have largely been asymptomatic apart from some big cats.
We don’t know if there can be cat to human transmission. But I suspect it is likely. Obvious implications about being a issue for breaking transmission chains.
Covid-19: may be endemic
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, May 15th, 2020 - 53 comments
Like measles, covid-19 could become endemic. Never dying out entirely. Needing to be controlled in human denser populations into the indefinite future. That is the warning from top World Health Organisation officials. Like me, they’re looking at reported research into covid-19 immunities and the picture isn’t encouraging. This is no time to be complacent.
Budget 2020
Written By: - Date published: 3:37 pm, May 14th, 2020 - 89 comments
The budget site is up and running. Some links here along with Robertson’s speech. This post may get updated if authors feel like it. Otherwise commenters can praise or criticize. Preferably constructively rather than with mindless waffle.
Viruses love liberty – they can breed more.
Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, May 14th, 2020 - 25 comments
Viruses and other diseases simply don’t care about abstractions like ‘human rights’. They just want to breed. We need a better legislative toolkit to deal with epidemics. There is only so long that a draconian state of emergency should be maintained. Like 1918 we need to start thinking about the future Health Act with reserve powers like level 2 and 1. In the meantime, we’ll deal with the virus with this imperfect act as a tool.
Jacinda is not like Muldoon
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, May 13th, 2020 - 97 comments
National has decided to play politics with Covid 19 and is opposing the Government’s attempt to pass legislation to secure level 2 arrangements. And has made the extraordinary claim that Jacinda Ardern is just like Rob Muldoon but with slogans.
Bloomfield and the empire strikes back
Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, May 12th, 2020 - 41 comments
Dr Ashley Bloomfield has responded to allegations by Simon Bridges that the government has suspended the Official Information Act and the Emergency Response Committee has made multiple requests for information from the Ministry that it is waiting for by advising publicly there are no outstanding requests for information.
Covid-19: down to L2 Thursday
Written By: - Date published: 4:37 pm, May 11th, 2020 - 44 comments
In the ongoing press conference (RNZ): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a staggered move into level 2 starting on Thursday, with schools and bars reopening later and groups limited to 10 people. and She said retail, malls, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and other public spaces including playgrounds and gyms would be able to reopen on […]
Dimwitted habeas corpus duo
Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, May 11th, 2020 - 28 comments
The well-known duo of Dermot Nottingham and Robert McKinney were the appellants in habeas corpus High Court case against Arden, Bloomfield, and Stuart-Black over the covid-19 lockdown. As was usual for this pair, the grounds that they made their case on were completely flawed, failed to be presented correctly, and make a damn good case against self-representation from vexatious litigants like them.
Covid19 is a bastard
Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, May 11th, 2020 - 128 comments
We are heading towards decision time. Does Aotearoa New Zealand loosen up and head back to a semi normal life?
UK: Too soon to end the lockdown
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, May 9th, 2020 - 17 comments
First Secretary of State Dominic Raab has said that lockdown changes being announced this coming Sunday will be ‘modest’ and ‘small’. This is hardly surprising when earlier in the week the national statistician Professor Ian Diamond said that COVID-19 infection rates could be increasing. In particular, the number of cases being reported in care-homes appears to be increasing. Adding to the pressure both the Scottish and Welsh ruled out any significant relaxation of the lockdown rules.
Parker gives Bridges a lesson in constitutional law
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, May 9th, 2020 - 175 comments
In a Facebook Live event David Parker has schooled Simon Bridges on basic principles of constitutional law. And it appears that Bridges demand that legally privileged advice be handed over is heading to the Privileges Committee.
Bridges pulls a stunt
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, May 7th, 2020 - 93 comments
Simon Bridges threw two stunts yesterday, firstly threatening to try and summons senior Public Servants to publicise confidential legal advice and then by attacking Dr Ashley Blomfield for not answering emails quickly enough despite the existence of a pandemic which the country appears to be handling pretty well.
The Green Party’s proposal on essential workers’ pay
Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, May 6th, 2020 - 45 comments
Low-wage essential workers are getting New Zealand through this crisis and continue to do so. They went to work when the rest of us were told to stay away – and people would be horrified to hear many of them barely earn enough to live on.
Trump’s not so bad: manslaughter edition
Written By: - Date published: 12:07 pm, May 6th, 2020 - 49 comments
An occasional series
Top ten things we have learned already
Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, May 6th, 2020 - 53 comments
The top ten things that the Covid pandemic has taught us as a country.
The Post Covid Blues
Written By: - Date published: 2:01 pm, May 4th, 2020 - 26 comments
No new COVID 19 cases today!
UPDATE: No change to Level 2, decision in a week.
What would President Biden do?
Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, May 4th, 2020 - 59 comments
With President Trump doing what we all expected, and killing 67,000 people and counting through chronic poor leadership, and utterly ruining the U.S. economy as well, it’s time to look at what policies the alternative candidate has on offer.
Covid-19: Important… satire
Written By: - Date published: 3:05 pm, May 2nd, 2020 - 8 comments
The latest status
Discuss…
It is a bit of a problem when this was often more accurate than the statements from many governments.
His work here is not yet done
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 1st, 2020 - 71 comments
Former Prime Minister John Key has said that under current conditions employers are going to sack 20 per cent of their workers even if the company is doing well and that employers should never waste a crisis.
Covid =/= Rogernomics
Written By: - Date published: 12:47 pm, April 28th, 2020 - 45 comments
Using neoliberal ideas to try and remedy a situation where neoliberalism is very sick indeed is kind of like pouring salt on the wound. Fortunately we have new, emerging models of how run society that can also serve us well in a covid and climate world.
Green Party: COVID-19 recovery and investment in people and nature
Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, April 27th, 2020 - 16 comments
Most of the funding will go directly to employing people – the tools needed for wetland restoration such as spades and seedlings are far cheaper than big excavators and asphalt.
Draconian Tourism or no Tourism?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 27th, 2020 - 192 comments
If overseas tourists want to visit NZ, they may have to give up a little bit of their privacy to keep all of us safe.
dear sysop: on covid-19 debt
Written By: - Date published: 3:33 pm, April 25th, 2020 - 60 comments
We put in guest posts occasionally. These days I’m the person who runs the email account and sees the general ones. Mostly I don’t give any feedback as much as anything else because a lack of time. But I should. This is the first to get that editorial attention. The topic itself is worth discussing. What is the process of raising debt for the cobid-19 economic response.
Trump’s not so bad: the inject bleach edition
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, April 25th, 2020 - 152 comments
an occasional series.
Russel Norman: Climate change is harder to visualise than coronavirus, but no less dangerous
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, April 24th, 2020 - 6 comments
Executive Director of Greenpeace NZ, Russel Norman writes about the different responses to climate change and covid-19, and the things we can learn from the pandemic.
“The government will never do that”
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, April 23rd, 2020 - 56 comments
Say it out loud: Degrowth.
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- We deserve to go to school without worrying the roof will fall on us
The Ministry of Education knew the biggest building at Wellington Girls’ College wasn’t up to earthquake safety standards, but didn’t inform staff or students they were at risk. That’s not good enough, says year 12 student Orla Sweeney. Wellington Girls’ College is an all-girls school that was considered decile 10 ...2 weeks ago - Most people approve of compensating survivors – and more findings from new polling on the abuse i...
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