Daily Review 02/10/2017
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5:30 pm, October 2nd, 2017 - 40 comments
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Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
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The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...3 days ago
- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...3 days ago
- Govt’s ‘free speech’ legislation stokes fear, not freedom
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...4 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...5 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
- Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
- Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...7 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour fully supports greyhound racing ban
The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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Another one bites the dust…
With the government coming to the rescue:
Wonder how many of those 300,000+ paying customers have just lost their entire payment for future services. Wonder how much that comes to in dollar terms.
This is privatisation and the risk that it brings. It’s not just the owners that will lose but their customers as well and society in general.
Draco,
Actually Monarch Airlines was one of UK’s longest and possible oldest privately owned Airlines since post WW2. And to my knowledge it’s never been in government ownership.
And it still died and caused major disruption with the government having to step in to address some of those problems costing sixty million pounds.
My point is that in a competitive capitalistic market system such failures are inevitable and that the costs of the collapse will be born by the state. Never mind that there’s also the added costs of all that competition.
Fair comment mate.
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Senior Management – RBNZ
For those who say that the Green Party needs to go into a coalition with the Nats to achieve anything – this item on Checkpoint tonight outlining the GP achievements (not sure why it’s fronted with John Key’s slippery smile on RNZ website?
The youtube vid of it has a more suitable front image:
Did anyone else hear the Great God Hoots say on the RNZ politics discussion this morning that the environmental policies implemented in NZ “had nothing to do with the Green Party”.
What planet is he on?
Planet Key of course. The alternate unreality.
+111
😈 😆
Nice.
You don’t need to be able to arm-twist people to get things done in parliament.
But you do need to be front and centre otherwise someone else gets the glory.
21 years Greens still lingering around that 5% margin of death, Greens you’re doing wrong.
No, it is the ones who got front and centre who have gone extinct.
BM, the Greens have been around a long time and will outlast your favoured party, because the environment will enforce it. Whether it will be soon enough to save us all is another matter.
You, in the meantime, may dream and rant on as a temporary distraction.
There you go, the complete unwillingness to step back, evaluate and adapt your approach accordingly will be the reason the Greens disappear from the NZ political landscape.
I’m picking 2020 will be the date on the tombstone.
Yeah, right. Too bad that National did not win an outright majority and needs a coalition partner in 2017.
I guess the Green can wait and see what happens till 2020, i doubt the double dipper from Dipton can wait that long :).
The Greens are in parliament, are comfortable with their role in the opposition and will be working hard to get stuff done instead of just being needed to propel the National Party to where it could not get on its own.
Seriously, BM, why on earth would any Party work with National after they had nine years of watching this current crew in power and saw for themselves what they did with their Partners. Why?
Cause National does not want to work with Winston Peters and NZFirst?
It is sad for National that they stand for so much failing, so much not achieving and this now in 2017. Guess the crew of National 2020 will be all new faces, cause this current crew aint’ winning.
So yeah, bring on 2020.
I’d love to see the headlines if that were to ever happen “National in coalition talks with own ass…”
The Greens were front and centre – but National tried to steal the glory anyway.
BM – your step back is at such a primitive level. Try stepping back another dimension, and face the futility of trying to ally two parties whose principles are fundamentally opposed, in the sense that one party has some, and the other has a bit of mealy-mouthed lip service. Fat chance.
The environment will decide this contest, and the Nats need to seriously reconsider their untenable stance.
What does glory matter if you get the change you seek?
“21 years Greens still lingering around that 5% margin of death, Greens you’re doing wrong.”
🙄
An 11% party that’s dropped this time for very specific reasons. Reports of their death are greatly exaggerated by people with an agenda.
“otherwise someone else gets the glory” – BM (2017)
versus
“I have observed, throughout life, that a man may do an immense deal of good, if he does not care who gets the credit for it.” – Father Strickland (1863).
Yeah, you guys are all about getting the glory, even when you’ve done nothing to deserve it.
I think the Greens are looking for the “glory” of a warm, sunny day in a park, swimming in a clear and healthy stream, or dying in the knowledge that their children and grandchildren will have longer and happier lives than they had themselves.
Glorious!
Capitalists showing their favour of free markets and competition yet again:
What’s happening in Catalonia? Sounding 90% donkey, makes for a gentle return to independence.
https://www.rt.com/news/405303-catalonia-independence-referendum-results/
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/340654/what-s-happening-in-spain
A corrupt as fuck wealthy region of an impoverished country likes the idea of leaving, and keeping their money.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/catalan-catalonia-independence-referendum-spain-smokescreen-for-other-issues-a7976841.html
https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21613309-jordi-pujols-confession-undermines-catalans-hopes-independence-scandal-catalonia
https://twitter.com/grudkev/status/914501418823946242
Long night in catalonia. Occupied school in Barcelona to ensure the implementation of the referendum. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DK_4jN4XoAE95FJ.jpg:large
Joe90 quoted The Economist on geo-politics – lol – hey, do you have any favourate moments from the Franoc years? Why be wealthy, when you can be under the thumb of a fiat banking cabal? Or jokes about the Spanish Royal Family, seeing as it’s school holidays. No, not before bed. Sleep well.
So?
You linked to RT, ffs.
…regarding the Vatican Bank for example: https://www.worldfinance.com/banking/a-history-of-corruption-in-the-vatican-bank – but any reader of The Economist would…
… be able to write a coherent sentence, maybe? Is that what you’re trying to say?
Because the Vatican Bank’s corruption isn’t news to readers of the Economist.
Did I quote?
Hiding behind mum….
“Catalonia successfully voted for independence over the week end. The final tally was 92 percent for. The police got violent over it and hurt over 800 people. Barcelona is in Catalonia. The secession was very significant.
Catalonia has a large coast line and also borders France. It is in a prime position to prosper as an independent nation. It has 12,000 square miles, which is easily enough to survive with. We’ll have to see how this plays out. Puerto Rico is more important right now.
Another Puerto Rico update – THE ROT IS NOW ON.” Jim S
Fucken hell atm they’re saying over 50 dead and more than 200 wounded in vegas. So much pain and suffering for so many.
What can one expect in such a climate of fear and loathing fermented by a raving lunatic…..
The sooner the idiotic rednecks come to their senses and agree to the limiting of rights under the anarchic and senseless 2nd Amendment the better.
Well at least one has seen the light
Pity it takes the slaying of 59 and 500+ wounded to bring these people to their senses! After all there are around 100 deaths per day caused by firearms in the US. 10.6 deaths per 100,000 U.S. citizens. And this has been going on for years! It’s only when they are personally affected that they wake up to their stupidity.
White terrorism
Oh shit.
https://twitter.com/LVMPD
http://heavy.com/news/2017/10/stephen-paddock-las-vegas-route-91-mandalay-bay-shooting-shooter-gunman-suspect-photos-motive/
50 people killed. good grief.
audio, awful
https://twitter.com/abbytheodros/status/914735456943607808
Yes, Nevada has some of most liberal firearm ownership laws in the US. So I’m not really surprised this has happened in the state of Nevada and especially in Sin City. One only needs to get away from the strip to realises just bad the back streets of Sin City is? As you really need some big set of balls to go and visit the back streets and bunch of us did it once out of curiosity too see other side of Sin City. Which made for a interesting day and night to say the least, but in saying that the locals were quite surprised and welcoming that bunch Ozzies, kiwi’s (serving expats) and poms in some of the water holes we visited that day.