zzero use

Snowden on US-NZ intelligence

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:51 pm, July 8th, 2013 - 88 comments

Just up on Stuff, an article about Edward Snowden making links between US and NZ intelligence services, as well as between other “5 Eyes” participants. Does he have specific evidence that the system “insulates” political leaders from backlash?  And Key?

1938 8

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:52 am, July 7th, 2013 - 3 comments

A Sunday feature – each week a random section scanned from a copy of The Standard, September 15th, 1938. Find out more here.

The flat patch

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 10:18 am, July 5th, 2013 - 17 comments

I’ve been having a look at the Roy Morgan trend. Oddly, I don’t see this Labour ‘flat patch’ that people are claiming is happening. What is happening is that the Greens are trending slightly down (as it usually does mid-term) and Labour isn’t rising fast enough to offset that. We’re still some way off the safe-zone for Labour+Greens, and the question is whether we’ll get there.

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.

Maori Party finished?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:57 am, July 1st, 2013 - 83 comments

Gotta love the reporting of the Ikaroa-Rawhiti by election. This was a boring, predictable win for Labour, a big upset win for Mana, and probably the death knell of the Maori Party.

Update: Native Affairs has unconfirmed reports that Sharples has stood down as leader of the Maori Party.

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.

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 […]

Christchurch East maneuvering

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:50 pm, June 24th, 2013 - 33 comments

So it looks like Labour’s Christchurch East candidate when Lianne Dalziel steps down will be either Clayton Cosgrove or James Caygill. The first question you ask is ‘why wouldn’t Clayton just stand in Waimakiriri again?’. He’s won it 4 of 5 attempts and Wilkinson only has a 600 majority. A slight swing will win it for him again, why give that up? The answer is troubling.

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.

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.

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.

Positioning and reality

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:31 am, June 10th, 2013 - 72 comments

There’s a lot of talk at the moment about whether Labour is too close to the Greens. Lately, we’ve seen spin coming out that Labour might be able to govern without the Greens, favouring NZF instead. Meanwhile, the Greens seem happy to talk about a future Greens-Labour government. National’s leaking to Peters and Peters is playing the race card. What’s going on?

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?

The policing of women’s bodies

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:00 am, June 6th, 2013 - 116 comments

(Socialist) feminism seems to be on the rise internationally, exposing how threats to “old boys” corporate-aligned power are countered by policing women’s bodies. Sue Bradford highlights the contradiction between Owen Glenn’s paternalistic corporate capitalism and the feminist-aligned participants in his Inquiry. Jan Logie addresses the gender pay gap.