Social issues

Categories under Social issues

Relentless negativity

Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, March 18th, 2020 - 57 comments

Simon Bridges has been criticised for his relentless negativity towards the Government’s urgent Covid-19 budget response and for playing politics as usual at a time when unity is required.

Is this the next GFC?

Written By: - Date published: 4:27 pm, March 17th, 2020 - 24 comments

The Minister of Finance says that we are facing the worst of any of the scenarios that they had been preparing for. In response the government’s rescue package is bigger than anything New Zealand has ever seen.

Covid-19: Back home again

Written By: - Date published: 1:49 pm, March 17th, 2020 - 2 comments

As a programmer, I’ve had a lot of experience with working from home for work, last time was about 13 years ago. Yesterday we got shifted to working from home. The toolkit has changed a lot even in the last few years. What is going to be interesting for me is to see how companies disperse their employees out in the same way over this pandemic – that will be a real test of productivity.

The right become socialists as Covid-19 bites

Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, March 17th, 2020 - 38 comments

The right, elements of which have thought the best thing to do to the state is weaken it that badly that they could then drown it in a bathtub, are rethinking and now realise that a well resourced, active and engaged State is actually a life saver.

Different responses to the Covid virus pandemic

Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, March 16th, 2020 - 105 comments

It has been disclosed that Donald Trump has attempted to buy exclusive rights to a German vaccine in development. But only for the use of the American people. Meanwhile in New Zealand there is agreat anticipation about the Government’s announced package due to be released tomorrow.

Covid-19 and a digital democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 pm, March 15th, 2020 - 20 comments

Government has for the last decade been pushing for as many government services as possible to be primarily accessed digitally rather than face-to face. Funnily enough, the one public service they forgot to push to digital is themselves. Now’s the time Trevor.

Remember March 15

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, March 15th, 2020 - 9 comments

Today marks the first anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque shooting.

Covid-19 – a political problem

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 pm, March 14th, 2020 - 103 comments

Juice Media on the essential facts about the spread of Covid-19. It concentrates on the United States, where personally I’m picking the US, by the end of the year, as being the biggest medico-political screw up world wide after Iran. Early wishful thinking and a lack of transparency cost lives. Pathetic bullshitting simply doesn’t help.

No Right Turn: Ghost homes should be used to house the homeless

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, March 14th, 2020 - 100 comments

Idiot/Savant writes about empty houses and the homeless.

How does the government handle a pandemic induced world recession?

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, March 13th, 2020 - 152 comments

With the world’s economy in turmoil and infection rates continuing to surge the responses of different countries to the crisis shows markedly different results. And the issue could be the determining issue of this year’s election.

It’s time for Auckland to work

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, March 12th, 2020 - 12 comments

2020 will now be the year that New Zealand will now rely on Auckland to get its shit together.

Coronavirus and the State

Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, March 11th, 2020 - 37 comments

A few weeks ago I slagged off the Chinese government for its response to the Corona virus and presumed that authoritarian states could never be as good as democratic states in responding to a pandemic. I want to revisit my opinion.

My reaction to a new Commissioner of Police

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, March 10th, 2020 - 15 comments

Previous readers of this site will be aware that I’m not a particularly  enthusiastic supporter of the police. I’m more in the order of regarding our current police of a necessary burden on society that could do with having considerable improvement. While I find most police members to be what I can respect. I find the organisation protects some real idiots. I pity a commissioner having to deal with this.

 

Before the massacre the State was warned

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, March 10th, 2020 - 27 comments

Through a series of meetings that led all the way to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Head of the State Services Commission Peter Hughes, and the Police, the Islamic Women’s Council repeatedly warned the highest levels of our civil service that their community was under imminent threat. They were ignored.

Red tape bonfire of the vanities

Written By: - Date published: 2:19 pm, March 9th, 2020 - 19 comments

National has promised a bonfire of regulations. Just like conservatives in Australia, the United Kingdom, America and previous National administrations.

The politics of gun control

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, March 9th, 2020 - 180 comments

National and NZ First are frustrating the passage of the Arms Legislation Bill by raising issues that may appeal to extremists but will not make the country a safer place after the Christchurch massacre.

Quick Question.

Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, March 8th, 2020 - 61 comments

Your material life; would you trade it for the world?

Update/edit.

Interesting that the definitive answers all ran in one direction.

 

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out

Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, March 7th, 2020 - 163 comments

Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act have a few landlords threatening to quit the business.

What the Government has done for beneficiaries

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, March 7th, 2020 - 43 comments

In Parliament this week Carmel Sepuloni outlined action being taken by the Government to implement the recommendations of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group designed to improve the plight of beneficiaries.

The politics of hand washing

Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, March 6th, 2020 - 25 comments

Simon Bridges thinks that getting people to wash their hands and removing unemployment stand down periods is tinkering but that National’s still unreleased economic policy will solve the crisis.

Bridges thinks the solution to Covid 19 is tax cuts

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, March 5th, 2020 - 64 comments

Simon Bridges thinks that tax cuts are the best way to address financial stress caused by businesses by the Covid 19 epidemic.  Even though businesses under financial stress will be paying little if any tax and a tax cut would have little if any effect.

The trouble with MMP

Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, March 3rd, 2020 - 93 comments

The trouble with MMP is that sometimes members of minority parties court media attention by being overtly racist.

Climate change – the right schemes and the left despairs

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, March 2nd, 2020 - 27 comments

The Australian Liberal Government has signalled a movement away from solar and wind power  to untested technologies including carbon capture, hydrogen and lithium. Meanwhile the woman who led the negotiations for the Paris Agreement is calling for civil disobedience to force institutions to respond to the climate crisis.

The Herald creates a panic and Trump says Coronavirus is a hoax

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, March 1st, 2020 - 65 comments

If a society ever wanted to set out how to handle a pandemic the Herald’s media response and Donald Trump’s handling of the situation provide perfect examples of what not to do.

National’s new conservation policy was previously announced in 2014

Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, February 29th, 2020 - 12 comments

National has announced a “new” policy that it previously announced in 2014.  And that has already been implemented.

Do not deport your people and your problems to New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, February 29th, 2020 - 53 comments

Jacinda Ardern has trashed traditional notions of how New Zealand Australia relations are conducted when making the clear point that Australia should not be exporting Australian made problems who are barely kiwis to New Zealand.

The Corona Virus and the Car

Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, February 28th, 2020 - 27 comments

We just saw the stock markets lose their composure, but the stocks taking really big hits are the carmakers who have baked their profitability future into this largest growing car market.

National is going low on law and order issues

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, February 27th, 2020 - 10 comments

Over the past week National has shown a willingness to take really base aggressive positions on law and order issues for political advantages no matter what principles are at stake.  And at the same time show a complete lack of understanding of the issues that are involved.

UBI: what is it good for?

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, February 27th, 2020 - 122 comments

Please don’t let economists, lefties, the right, or TOP design a UBI until we start talking about bolting welfare on. Here’s why.

A Democrat Senate Majority

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 26th, 2020 - 21 comments

So many left-leaning people around the world are looking to the United States election in November this year. We need to pay attention to the thing that enables the Presidential winner to get things done: a Senate majority.

Someone should keep a Talley

Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, February 26th, 2020 - 15 comments

Radio New Zealand has published details of Talley donations totalling $27,000 being made to the NZ First Foundation.