Social issues

Categories under Social issues

What does this Government have against the environment

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, April 24th, 2024 - 5 comments

It is almost as if the environment was really cruel to senior members of the Government when they were kids. But whatever the reason this Government appears to be intent on wrecking the local environment with a degree of vengeance and stupidity not seen before.

It’s not a culture war, it’s a class war, and the left should be naming it as such

Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, April 24th, 2024 - 34 comments

The culture wars exist, and they are a tool weaponised in the class war.

The Liz Truss of the South Seas

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, April 21st, 2024 - 35 comments

Liz Truss’s short reign as UK Prime Minister foundered after her budget requiring borrowing to fund tax cuts was released. The budget tanked the UK economy and caused Truss’s resignation. This week amongst announcements of massive cuts it has emerged that the Government is also planning borrowing for tax cuts.

Towards Banana Republic Status

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, April 17th, 2024 - 27 comments

There is a bill before Parliament right now that has the potential of blowing a rather big hole in our reputation as an open and transparent democracy.

At least Chris Bishop sleeps in a well made bed

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, April 17th, 2024 - 85 comments

Having a decent home is a human right

Forget this Trump trial

Written By: - Date published: 1:56 pm, April 16th, 2024 - 14 comments

In the Trump felony trial now underway, there’s a yawning gap between media attention paid to this and the actual scale of the crime and its potential punishment. Trump is not indicted for trial for electoral fraud. He’s not on trial for paying a porn star for services. He’s not on trial for adultery. He’s […]

The Cass Review reader: investigations into the treatment of gender dysphoric children and youth

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, April 15th, 2024 - 144 comments

The final report is a carefully worded document designed particularly for the systems of power in charge of child health, wellbeing and safeguarding: health systems and their managers, medical practitioners and their professional bodies, MPs and government departments, and NGOs.

It’s also a damning indictment of the poorly evidence medical experiment that has been done on gender non-conforming children in the past decade. It’s likely to be the biggest medical scandal many of us will see.

National only wants to help tenants *

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, April 12th, 2024 - 48 comments

* get evicted more easily.

A sustainable environment should be a human right

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, April 10th, 2024 - 47 comments

James Shaw’s attempt to create a right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is expected to be voted down soon by Parliament. But the New Zealand Supreme Court as well as the European Court of Human Rights have shown a willingness to recognise a right to a sustainable environment that some politicians refuse to.

Back on Track?

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, April 7th, 2024 - 71 comments

National campaigned on the promise of getting the country back on track. How is it going?

Guest Post – I was wrong about rainbows

Written By: - Date published: 11:41 am, April 1st, 2024 - 13 comments

Brian Tamaki, recent victim of self/God?-inflicted burns. Don't be like Brian.

Guest post by Brian Tamaki where he shares his change of thinking about rainbows.

Hoatu he tumanako ki a rātou

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, March 21st, 2024 - 20 comments

Grant Robertson has given his valedictory speech in Parliament.

This is what happens when you give landlords a big tax cut #1

Written By: - Date published: 3:34 pm, March 20th, 2024 - 57 comments

No funds to continue to give families of disabled people

Peters gets knocked down but may not get up again

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, March 20th, 2024 - 54 comments

Chumbawamba have threatened legal action against Winston Peters for NZ First’s use of their song “I get knocked down” and have described him as having divisive, small-minded, and bigoted policies.

Uber Drivers in Court of Appeal

Written By: - Date published: 2:24 pm, March 19th, 2024 - 3 comments

Uber Drivers are in the Court of Appeal today. Uber is appealing against Employment Court decision they they are employees with worker rights. Its a no-brainer, so they are and should have them.

Tell Auckland Council don’t privatise the Port

Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, March 18th, 2024 - 12 comments

The Maritime Union of New Zealand has set up an online petition urging Auckland Council not to privatise Auckland Port and also a very helpful web page allowing people to make submissions on Auckland Council’s draft long term plan, where the privatisation proposal is being considered.

Luxon on rents – another National economic idiot

Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, March 14th, 2024 - 30 comments

I was incredulous that this lummox Christopher Luxon had ever paid attention during even a basic economics course. Landlords aren’t going to pass any cost reductions on to tenants in rent values. They charge new tenants the rental rates that the market can bear. In the absence of significiant new housing or a reduction in population, that is directly related to what tenants can afford to pay

Tax cuts for landlords will not reduce rents

Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, March 11th, 2024 - 127 comments

Recently the Government has been working out how to cut funding for school lunches for poor kids while at the same time it has also announced that it will restore interest deductibility for landlords.

Vale, Magista

Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, March 10th, 2024 - 5 comments

Respects to the falling of the Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt.

“Deliberate nuclear use

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, March 9th, 2024 - 18 comments

in a war over Taiwan” is the title of an Atlantic Council paper produced last September. They mean nuclear weapons. These are serious people; Undersecretary Bonnie Jenkins addressed them last year about AUKUS.

Open letter to Judge Glubb

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, March 7th, 2024 - 63 comments

… the assault had the very real potential to cause serious, possibly fatal injuries. 

That fact should have featured in your sentencing, if only to use the opportunity to send a message to all men who punch women, and to young men who punch anyone in the head but especially old women, that it is an extremely dangerous act.

Let them eat cake

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, March 5th, 2024 - 73 comments

David Seymour has stated that funding for free school lunches will be cut by up to half.

Dune 2 and Gaza

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, March 3rd, 2024 - 7 comments

What if life followed fiction and Gaza was explained by Dune 2? Sigh. It isn’t. 

What does the Government have against Maori health?

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, February 29th, 2024 - 12 comments

National spent much of yesterday ramming through under urgency and without a select committee process two measures which will have detrimental effects on Māori health.

Guns and gangs

Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, February 28th, 2024 - 63 comments

The Government has announced yet another tough on gangs policy involving a severe restriction on the rights of freedom of expression at the same time that gun ownership laws will be liberalised.

What’s Left?

Written By: - Date published: 12:07 pm, February 25th, 2024 - 51 comments

From Election 2023’s result through to February 2024 there has been massive loss and damage to the Parliamentary capacity of Labour and Greens. Who still has the capacity to lead? What’s left?

RIP Efeso Collins

Written By: - Date published: 4:49 pm, February 21st, 2024 - 17 comments

Very sad news today with news of Fa’anana Efeso Collins’ untimely death.

Get ready for your water to be privatised

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, February 17th, 2024 - 124 comments

The National Government’s repeal of the Three Waters Legislation and its pursuit of “new forms of infrastructure funding and financing” suggests that privatisation of water is on the drawing board.

Laura Norda strikes again

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, February 8th, 2024 - 78 comments

National has announced the cancellation of funding for Cultural Reports because of the cost and the abandonment of Labour’s plan to decrease the muster despite the cost.

The “New Zealand model” for prostitution liberalisation doesn’t work

Written By: - Date published: 6:09 am, February 4th, 2024 - 57 comments

The Women’s Rights Party New Zealand and the Women’s Declaration International – New Zealand recently made a joint submission to Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls

Coffee and Cigarettes

Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, February 3rd, 2024 - 12 comments

Coffee and Cigarettes is an in-depth study of the human condition by Jim Jarmusch.

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