zzero use

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1938 3

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, June 2nd, 2013 - 11 comments

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

The National government’s divided society

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, June 2nd, 2013 - 14 comments

A Fairfax poll shows an NZ divided by income inequalities & political allegiances. Little unemployment for National voters & more for opposition voters: a precariat with a high proportion of Maori & Pacific people. The right time for Russel Norman’s speech and blockupy?

Images of our time: ‘shock’ capitalism

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, May 30th, 2013 - 87 comments

As Naomi Klein said in the Shock Doctrine documentary, disorienting natural and economic shocks result in the wealth being shifted from “public hands” to the wealthiest.  The wealth gap, and extent of poverty in NZ is increasingly & devastatingly marginalising good Kiwis.  Meanwhile, Peter Jackson is flying high.

Nats’ drones in trouble

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, May 30th, 2013 - 18 comments

Peter Dunne’s already been caught out being inconsistent around the leak of the GCSB report. He said all ministers were interviewed; but only he was. He said the leak happened while he was overseas (note: not a direct denial); but it happened the day he got back. Meanwhile, Banks is back in the dock over his ‘anonymous’ donation. It’s not looking good for either of them.

Shocking the people into submission

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, May 29th, 2013 - 24 comments

Last night The Shock Doctrine (2009) aired on Maori TV.  John Key, and his cheerleaders have followed their latest series of shock-inducing attacks on democratic processes and (low income) people’s rights, with positive forecasts for our future. Meanwhile, the gap between the haves & have-nots has grown.

Trends

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, May 29th, 2013 - 176 comments

So, the latest Fairfax poll isn’t flash for Labour and it’s the same old story of leadership. But don’t get too excited there’s no ‘trend’ in the Fairfax – they’ve polled just three times since the election. We also know that most pollsters have been over polling National for years. Instead, lets ask what the polls show now compared to the immediate pre-election poll.

Note to John Key and David Shearer

Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, May 28th, 2013 - 89 comments

John Key and David Shearer have made similar (inaccurate) statements about who has  ultimate responsibility for feeding the kids.

Election narratives

Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, May 27th, 2013 - 123 comments

National has set out its narrative for the 2014 election. Time for the Left to do the same.

Back to the future: John Key’s Dickensian values

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, May 27th, 2013 - 161 comments

John Key has been shamed by Hone Harawira’s “feed the kids” private members Bill.  Key’s approach to child hunger is a sly use of Dickensian-type PPPs & charities to absolve the government of responsibility, while falsely presenting a caring face.

How far right is John Key’s “centre”?

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 pm, May 26th, 2013 - 69 comments

Once again the MSM reports John Key’s assessment of his party’s place on the political spectrum without any critique.   The NZ Herald has repeated Key’s line about his government being “centre right” and the Greens being “far left”.  Key’s government’s continuing abuse of democracy is a long way from the centre of  the “right”.

1938 2

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, May 26th, 2013 - 8 comments

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

The shameless Nick Smith

Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, May 24th, 2013 - 31 comments

Nick Smith has a long history of slippery dealings.  He apologises but accepts no blame, then is resurrected: contempt of court, a defamation case, the Pullar-ACC “conflict of interest”, bad faith negotiations with Auckland Council, the Denniston Plateau deal. Yesterday on RNZ, Smith exposed the government’s agenda on mining conservation land.

NRT: National’s “innovation” agenda

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, May 19th, 2013 - 65 comments

No Right Turn on National’s science funding scam. Read it in conjunction with this piece in Stuff today on falling numbers of senior students following National’s axing of the postgrad student allowance. Welcome to the Brighter Future.

1938 1

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, May 19th, 2013 - 75 comments

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

Poverty Watch 31

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, May 18th, 2013 - 92 comments

Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week – reaction to the budget’s lack of significant action on poverty, and CPAG’s court case on the In Work Tax Credit.

Key’s “Devil Beast” speech

Written By: - Date published: 9:47 am, May 17th, 2013 - 82 comments

A video of John Key’s “Labour is the Devil Beast” budget speech.

Budget summary

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, May 17th, 2013 - 120 comments

Nothing on poverty. Nothing on affordable housing. House prices forecast to keep rising. Attacks on local democracy. More fear into the lives of the poor (reviewable tenancies). Stealth privatisation of state housing, sorry, ‘social housing’. A ‘surplus’ of 0.03% of GDP. Weak growth outlook. $200b national debt. And a promise of 171,000 more jobs that’s just as credible as the last one.

Budget roundup

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, May 16th, 2013 - 213 comments

Budget links and reaction (updates to come).

Four years of misguided austerity have delayed any recovery.

Despite the advance publicity there is nothing significant here for families in poverty.

Caption competition

Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, May 16th, 2013 - 52 comments

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Labour on MMP “consultation”

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, May 16th, 2013 - 29 comments

According to Labour: “Judith Collins has claimed that she ‘consulted’ with political parties but was unable to reach consensus. There was absolutely no consultation.”

City Rail Link in the Budget?

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 pm, May 15th, 2013 - 45 comments

A reader sent us a comment from another blog by someone who was polled a couple of weeks back. The questions are very interesting, especially once you realise that it’s clearly being done for National and the Right in Auckland (one of the questions gives it away). Have a read, then I’ll tell you why I reckon the Nats are going to fund the City Rail Link in the Budget.

This is what corporate dictatorship looks like

Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, May 14th, 2013 - 32 comments

The compensation part of Joyce’s and Key’s dirty, undemocratic SkyCity deal, could legally be over-turned by a future government, as proposed by the Greens.   However, the TPPA could weaken NZ’s parliamentary sovereignty and open the government to claims by secret private offshore tribunals. Opposition needs to step up!

Banks to stand again

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, May 13th, 2013 - 28 comments

John Banks has announced that he will stand in Epsom again at the next election. That is, of course, always assuming that he doesn’t get chucked out of Parliament first.

Sky City, pokies and corruption

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, May 13th, 2013 - 51 comments

Key and Joyce made sure Gilmore was out of the way before they announced their dubious Sky City for (more) pokies deal.  The pokies system in NZ is rife with dubious goings on. It’s bad for low income families, communities and their children. [update: responses]

Nats sign up for KiwiBuild?

Written By: - Date published: 6:16 pm, May 10th, 2013 - 26 comments

KiwiBuild has already been a success, scaring the Nats in to producing, in conjunction with Len Brown’s Auckland, a more significant housing policy. The “Unitary Plan” is woefully short on detail, but it concedes that KiwiBuild’s target of 10,000 new homes a year is easily achievable (I guess it’s only impossible when Labour propose it).

Pot and Kettle

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, May 10th, 2013 - 60 comments

Key on Gilmore on front page of today’s DomPost: “In the end, to make a contribution, you have to have integrity, and to have integrity there has to be a directness and fullness in your answers.” That’s why Key has no integrity about GCSB – there was no directness and fulness in his answers about it, either in Parliament or to the “knucklehead” media.

Key cheated of his rightful victory!

Written By: - Date published: 4:02 pm, May 8th, 2013 - 35 comments

We don’t often take Key’s side here at The Standard, but I think that most of us here would agree that on this occasion John Key has been cheated out of a victory that was rightfully his.

What if Gilmore quits?

Written By: - Date published: 2:25 pm, May 8th, 2013 - 105 comments

Stuff is reporting that John Key is signalling for Aaron Gilmore to stand down.  What are the possible implications? [update: information about Claudette Hauiti, next National’s list]

Shearer’s pre budget speech

Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, May 8th, 2013 - 20 comments

This morning David Shearer gave Labour’s “pre budget” speech. No new policy, but plenty of good one-liners and a strong statement of Labour’s position.

GCSB Bill: & Dotcom versus FBI, “NZ Intelligence Community” et al

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, May 8th, 2013 - 47 comments

John Key is using “urgency” to push through his anti-democratic Big brother GCSB surveillance Bill.  Dotcom’s lawyers have released a 39 page white paper making a range of allegations against the FBI, Obama & NZ authorities. Peters is keeping his cards close to his chest. Update: Peters’ calls government “bully boy” & will vote against the Bill.

John Key’s NZ: the nasty side of the “brighter future”

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, May 5th, 2013 - 45 comments

John Key promised a “brighter future” – “wave good-bye to higher taxes not your loved ones”; a higher standard of his MPs, and honesty for the PM. John Key’s NZ is actually one of callous entitlement of the elite, and dis-entitlement and Struggle Street for battling Kiwis.