Social issues

Categories under Social issues

Te Whare Pounamu #1

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, September 2nd, 2019 - 17 comments

When an organisation that exists to help abused people, itself abuses people, I suspect many people will have a lot to say. Here’s my initial take.

Transmission Gully

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, September 2nd, 2019 - 69 comments

NZTA have determined to not proceed with tolling the Transmission Gully motorway.  Does this make it the country’s largest single transport waste? 

Crims gangs and extremists

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, August 29th, 2019 - 24 comments

National has chosen for political reasons to oppose the Government’s proposed gun law changes designed to address weaknesses shown up by the Christchurch terrorist attack.

Toxic masculinity

Written By: - Date published: 8:36 am, August 28th, 2019 - 153 comments

As the Amazon burns and the world looks on aghast as our lungs go up in flames Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has chosen to respond to an offer of help from the G7 by picking a fight with French leader Emmanuel Macron.

Ross leaks again

Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, August 27th, 2019 - 46 comments

Jami Lee Ross has released details showing National avoided restrictions against overseas donations by a New Zealand incorporated company being used to make the donation.

RIP David Koch

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, August 24th, 2019 - 54 comments

David Koch, the man possibly most responsible for the growth of climate change denialism, has died at the age of 79 as the Arctic melts and the Amazon burns.

100 Days of climate vigil

Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, August 23rd, 2019 - 4 comments

Ollie Langridge doing the climate action mahi at parliament.

I agree with Heather

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, August 23rd, 2019 - 37 comments

Heather du Plessis Allan has concluded that National was responsible for leaking details about Winston Peters superannuation overpayment.  And believes that it was business as usual for National.

Labour and welfare

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, August 22nd, 2019 - 93 comments

Many of us wanted to believe that the Ardern-led compassion would apply to all New Zealanders, but Labour’s defence of highly punitive benefit sanctions tell us it doesn’t.

Talk is cheap Tamihere

Written By: - Date published: 5:13 am, August 22nd, 2019 - 56 comments

I am really not a fan of political candidates bullshitting. John Tamihere – candidate for Auckland city Mayor, is this kind of blowhard. He is the epitome of the kind of fool who seems to keep his brain mounted right next to his testicles to inform his mouth what to say. He released a transport policy fantasy… I’ll vote for Goff.

Police and computers: incompetent or just unbalanced?

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, August 21st, 2019 - 23 comments

I’ve just been reading the decision by the IPCA on their botched and blatantly political searches on Nicky Hager. But there is a more serious problem. The police appear to be technically and legally incapable of enforcing our 2002 legislation about computer crimes. Perhaps a specialist office like the SFO who can garner the skills to deal with it – without political linkages being an issue.

The Government’s prison reforms

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, August 20th, 2019 - 71 comments

The Government has announced policies designed to reduce Maori incarceration rates dramatically.

Cmon Aussie …

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, August 18th, 2019 - 54 comments

In the last week Australia has insulted Pacific nations by refusing to commit to a 1.5 degree maximum increase in global temperatures and by claiming that Pacific Islands will be fine because they can pick Australia’s fruit. And Alan Jones has almost lost his job through misogynist attacks on Jacinda Ardern.

Fertile land is priceless

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, August 15th, 2019 - 220 comments

As Labour moves to protect prime food growing land around our cities, we should be having a wider discussion about food security in New Zealand.

National still does not get MMP

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, August 14th, 2019 - 62 comments

National has shown that it does not understand MMP by being overly concerned that some electorates may be slightly bigger or smaller than other electorates.

Do poor people and women exist in right wing economics land?

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 13th, 2019 - 125 comments

David Seymour has written a critique of Deborah Russel’s review of the hard right economic tome “Economics in one lesson”.  And totally missed the point of what she was saying.

Bridges emulates Trump

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, August 12th, 2019 - 30 comments

Simon Bridges has borrowed heavily from Donald Trump in releasing a press release saying that Ihumātao protesters should go home.

Police – ignoring their job in Southland

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, August 12th, 2019 - 49 comments

“Allegations of trespassing and intimidation as Southland winter grazing protest escalates” yesterday. The reporter completely missed the most important salient point – the police don’t seem to be doing their job. Leaving a pissed lynch mob of farmers trying to force people out of their house to ‘talk’ to them is pretty clearly an act of intimidation. And that doesn’t even cover the original idiot farmer who is alleged to have rammed someone’s car.

The sociopathology of sanctions

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 11th, 2019 - 206 comments

Autonomous sanctions imposed on Iran and Venezuela by the US are expressly designed to drive whole populations into poverty to bring about regime change. They are sociopathic. Based on its values, The National Party wants to make such sanctions New Zealand’s policy. Extraodinary!

 

Don’t mention the fascism

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 10th, 2019 - 103 comments

We are frogs in the pot.

Taking out the trash – Whaleoil site sold to Blomfield

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, August 9th, 2019 - 67 comments

Matt Blomfield has brought the Whaleoil site from the official assignee. This fulfills a long held wish of, not only Matt, but a whole pile of people that this arsehole-run paid-for defamation lying site have damaged over the years. Chapter 27 of the Margie Thompson’s Whale Oil book is now available online…

What is up with NZ First?

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, August 9th, 2019 - 105 comments

New Zealand First’s late decision to promote a referendum concerning abortion has caught everyone including its spokesperson Tracy Martin by surprise and is the latest example of last minute changes of position.

Should the Government spend massively more?

Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, August 8th, 2019 - 58 comments

With yesterday’s announcement by the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates by 1%, some are suggesting that the government should embark on a massive public works spree to stimulate the economy while increasing national debt at low interest rates.  But Kiwisaver reform may be more effective.

What if we let the wilding pines grow?

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, August 7th, 2019 - 129 comments

Take a breath, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. In an age of climate breakdown, where reforesting is a critical component of climate mitigation and adaptation, we need to stop cutting down so many trees, and move to forest-based thinking.

Simon Bridges wants a new Digital Media advisor

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, August 6th, 2019 - 21 comments

A slight rewrite of an ad currently on Parliament’s careers website.

Ihumātao: Today’s Nationwide Day of Action

Written By: - Date published: 12:59 am, August 6th, 2019 - 188 comments

After increased police presence and action at Ihumātao on Monday night, the call went out again for people to come to support the Protectors, and they did. More support can be offered at solidarity events being held across the country today.

Dear America Antifa is not the problem

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, August 5th, 2019 - 52 comments

America has suffered two mass shootings of civilians in the past couple of days with at least one being committed by a white supremacist.  But the Republican Party is fixated on Antifa, a loose organisation that has been implicated in no mass shootigns.

Can the Greens rise like the liberal democrats?

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, August 4th, 2019 - 71 comments

Only 6 months ago the UK Liberal Democrat party was at a real low, with their leader resigning and the polls about 7%: same as the last five years.  Fast forward five months from that and they are ready to become a major opposition party of opposition.  Can the Greens do the same?

Institutional poverty

Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, August 3rd, 2019 - 32 comments

Christchurch City Council have provided hundreds of social housing tenants with bubble wrap and a mop instead of insulating their houses.

Boris Johnson’s majority is disappearing

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, August 3rd, 2019 - 30 comments

in England the Conservatives have lost a safe seat in a by election to the SDP. And from Ireland comes  a cunning plan that would obliterate Johnson’s majority.

Dutton engages in weaponised brutality

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, August 1st, 2019 - 63 comments

Australia is responding to New Zealand’s concern at the forced repatriation of New Zealand citizens from Australia who fall foul of the law by dramatically increasing the potential for this to occur.