zzero use

Categories under zzero use

Groser don’t go

Written By: - Date published: 3:22 pm, September 28th, 2015 - 5 comments

Greenpeace, 350 Aotearoa and the Coal Action Network have jointly urged John Key not to send Tim Groser to Paris for the climate change talks because the Government’s policies and proposed response will embarrass New Zealand and damage its international reputation.

The political machinations of the flag debate

Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, September 25th, 2015 - 276 comments

The Green’s agreement with National to allow for Red Peak to be a referendum candidate potentially helps John Key out of a major difficulty and raises issues about the state of the Labour-Green relationship.

Twelve long months

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, September 20th, 2015 - 103 comments

Twelve months on from the last election and that brighter future we were promised has not happened.

The strip mining of Housing Corp is accelerated

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, September 17th, 2015 - 33 comments

Not only is Housing Corp planning to pay a $118 million dividend to the Crown this year but hidden away in its accounts is the payment of a further capital contribution of $336 million.  Talk about strip mining …

Does the left win by tacking to the centre or by being principled?

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, September 13th, 2015 - 162 comments

Jeremy Corbyn’s election provides a further opportunity to discuss if elections should be won by  tacking to the centre or adopting a principled approach to politics.

Key and Abbott are prepared to sacrifice the Pacific

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, September 12th, 2015 - 98 comments

Climate change induced sea level increases poses a huge threat to most Pacific Islands.  They are seeking support for a goal of limiting temperature increases to no more than 1.5 degrees.  Australia and New Zealand are insisting on sticking to a goal of no more than 2 degrees even though this will likely mean that many Islands will disappear.

National’s refugee backdown

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, September 5th, 2015 - 82 comments

In both England and New Zealand conservative Prime Ministers are looking to urgently backtrack from recent refusals to do anything further for refugees.

Is Syria the first failed state because of climate change?

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, September 2nd, 2015 - 172 comments

A climate change induced drought from 2006 to 2009 appears to have sparked the instability that has caused the Syrian Civil war.  The mass exodus of citizens that we are witnessing may be the first of many climate change induced events.

NRT: Meh

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, September 1st, 2015 - 92 comments

Today the government announced the four candidates for John Key’s vanity flag referendum: three ferns (one of them the logo of Immigration NZ and the Companies Office) and a koru. And really, all I can say is “meh”. So how about defining a good way of doing a informal or invalid vote on this stupid first referendum on selecting John Key’s underwear..

The politicisation of the All Blacks

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, August 31st, 2015 - 224 comments

All Black fan boy John Key opened up Parliament to allow the New Zealand Rugby Union announce this year’s world cup All Black squad on the weekend.

Hosking, Henry and Media Bias

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, August 18th, 2015 - 187 comments

Yesterday a debate that has occurred on the Standard about how main stream media has a right wing bias became mainstream when Winston Peters accused Mike Hosking of being a National Party Stooge.  An online poll provided overwhelming support for his statement.  And recently Steven Joyce attacked Rod Oram because his analytical thoughtful analysis critical of the Government displayed evidence of left wing bias.

Parsing John Key on TPPA

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, August 17th, 2015 - 72 comments

John Key made some outlandish claims about TPPA opponents this morning on the Paul Henry show.  And in response, as usual, he was not pulled up on his claims by his interviewer.

#Sheepgate and the war of metaphor

Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, August 12th, 2015 - 96 comments

The war of metaphor requires the continuous repetition of a simple statement in the hope it becomes the accepted truth.  Most of the time it works.  But with #sheepgate it is starting to unravel.

Colin Craig’s electoral return

Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, August 10th, 2015 - 43 comments

John Stringer has accused Colin Craig of filing a false electoral return. But even now it looks like the complaint may be doomed to failure.

National’s terrible deal making

Written By: - Date published: 10:20 am, August 9th, 2015 - 114 comments

A brief analysis of a number of deals that National has negotiated suggests that its reputation as a supposedly tough dealmaker is misplaced.

The Flag will make us rich

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, August 6th, 2015 - 66 comments

John Key thinks the new flag will make us all rich and be worth billions.

The dump of the #sheepgate papers

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, August 5th, 2015 - 97 comments

The sheepgate papers have been dumped and despite John Key’s claims to the contrary the only evidence of a change in position on live sheep exports is that of the National Government, not the previous Labour Government.

Maori language is not boring, John Key

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, August 2nd, 2015 - 146 comments

John Key has managed to insult an idealistic young woman and Maori at the same time by saying that her suggestion that Maori Language week should be extended was boring.

The great state house sell off – small groups need not apply

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, July 21st, 2015 - 10 comments

Treasure has indicated that the sell off of State housing should occur in minimum lots of a hundred houses.  Only large wealthy organisations need apply and claims that the sale was about the building of capacity amongst local social service providers cannot be reconciled with this.

Another #Keyfib about Kiwisaver

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, July 10th, 2015 - 42 comments

The treasury release of budget policy advice suggests that John Key’s claim that changes to Kiwisaver would not have any effect on participation numbers was, ahem, erroneous.

Common People; Yanis Varoufakis is all Class.

Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, July 7th, 2015 - 81 comments

The Greek Finance minister has unexpectedly quit. He had already said he would resign if the referendum was lost; nobody expected that he would go after such a stunning win. But it was the strategically correct thing to do. Why can’t some of the veterans in the NZ Labour Party take the hint?

Amazing Grace

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, June 27th, 2015 - 99 comments

Barack Obama sings the spiritual Amazing Grace during the eulogy for Clementa Pinckney, one of those killed by a racist gunman in Charleston. Not completely in tune, but he hits the right note. As his Presidency winds down, Obama has one last opportunity to move the American mindset. The rule of the gun must end.

Snakeheads

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, June 15th, 2015 - 30 comments

It is looking likely that the Australian Government has broken its own laws and international treaties by paying off people smugglers. Did John Key know? Did he approve of what may be criminal activity?

#Sheepgate – it was the official’s fault

Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, June 11th, 2015 - 48 comments

National is appearing to be changing tack and trying to now blame a junior official rather than the Labour Party for the failure to complete the Gulf Free Trade Agreement.  And the promised release of the relevant cabinet papers proving it was all Labour’s fault has still not occurred.

NZLP Review of Election 2014; the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Written By: - Date published: 5:34 pm, June 3rd, 2015 - 124 comments

The NZ Labour party’s review of election 2015 makes for interesting reading. It’s honest, straightforward and heartening. There is much to be learned from the last election campaign and it looks like the membership have got their points across to the review team. Good work, Labour!

Reid Research Poll: Nats, Key slump.

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 pm, June 2nd, 2015 - 98 comments

New Reid Research poll; National, Key tank. Opposition parties nudge 50%. Little, Peters rise in preferred PM.  Taxi for Mr Key?

Sheepgate

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, May 28th, 2015 - 103 comments

It has emerged that the New Zealand Government has paid money to a Saudi businessman allegedly to settle a legal dispute that does not exist but more probably to persuade the Saudi Government to enter into a free trade agreement.  Update – and maybe there was a threat of legal action but because of the actions of National, not Labour.

Campbell on the budget

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, May 26th, 2015 - 4 comments

Should have covered this earlier – extracts from Gordon Campbell on the budget.

Superannuation and Government forecasts

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 25th, 2015 - 197 comments

National has again refused to consider doing anything about the future of Superannuation.  Yet its policies of increasing Crown debt, stopping contributions to the Cullen Fund and attacking Kiwisaver have made a discussion about the future of superannuation more important than ever.

Oram on the budget and Treasury fantasies

Written By: - Date published: 7:09 am, May 25th, 2015 - 75 comments

Extracts from Rod Oram’s piece in the SST as posted on Facebook. “What’s missing from [the budget], and the six before, is any glimpse of the world we live in, let alone the political leadership we need to survive and thrive in it.”

The media and two child poverty policy releases

Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, May 24th, 2015 - 60 comments

The media’s handling of Labours Best Start policy announcement in January of last year and its handling of National’s recent budget announcement of a $25 a week increase for beneficiary families provides an interesting contrast.