Open mike 29/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 29th, 2024 - 90 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Open mike 28/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 28th, 2024 - 53 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Economy improves dramatically thanks to Labour

Written By:
Date published: 9:32 am, January 27th, 2024 - 26 comments

This week there were two pieces of economic news showing a dramatic improvement credit for which should be given to the last Labour Government.

Open mike 27/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 27th, 2024 - 87 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Open mike 26/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 26th, 2024 - 116 comments

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Operation Poseidon Archer

Written By:
Date published: 12:38 pm, January 25th, 2024 - 31 comments

CNN reports that the US has named the ongoing operation against Houthi in Yemen “Operation Poseidon Archer, suggesting a more organized and potentially long-term approach.” New Zealand has joined it – cue the slippery slope.

The Government is planning to cut tobacco excise duty

Written By:
Date published: 9:36 am, January 25th, 2024 - 78 comments

Hot on the heels of the Government’s walk back from the previous Government’s smoke free policies is the disclosure that the Government is considering halting increases to excise duties on tobacco. And the Government tried to hide this.

Open mike 25/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 25th, 2024 - 85 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Open mike 24/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 24th, 2024 - 208 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Open mike 23/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 23rd, 2024 - 127 comments

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Are Road User Charges for every vehicle actually fair?

Written By:
Date published: 8:01 am, January 22nd, 2024 - 99 comments

New Zealand is one of the most car-reliant and petroleum-reliant countries on earth. So how we are taxed to travel on land has huge equity implications.

Open mike 22/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 22nd, 2024 - 69 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Which side are you on?

Written By:
Date published: 9:59 am, January 21st, 2024 - 191 comments

The Act Party is seeking to undermine te Tiriti o Waitangi and ferment racial hatred and division while nominally seeking unity. And National clearly has no idea what to do about the situation.

Open mike 21/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 21st, 2024 - 27 comments

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Labour and the Democrats

Written By:
Date published: 9:34 am, January 20th, 2024 - 64 comments

Both the US Democrats and NZ Labour need to take hard looks at themselves. Failure is not inevitable. But there is now only one English-speaking centre-left democracy left in the world: that is the state of where we are now. 

Open mike 20/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 20th, 2024 - 85 comments

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The best Electoral System that money can buy

Written By:
Date published: 10:33 am, January 19th, 2024 - 22 comments

The Independent Electoral Review Panel has recommended changes to the electoral system including the banning of any donations unless made by enrolled voters, a cap on the size of those donations and a requirement that third parties disclose all large donations that they receive.

Open mike 19/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 19th, 2024 - 111 comments

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Mood of the smokoroom – fearful

Written By:
Date published: 9:11 am, January 18th, 2024 - 53 comments

The Council of Trade Unions has completed its annual survey of workers and the mood is grim.

Open mike 18/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 18th, 2024 - 57 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Why does National hate EVs?

Written By:
Date published: 2:17 pm, January 17th, 2024 - 71 comments

At a time when we need cool heads and leaders who understand the enormity of the problem that is climate change and the consequences of getting our response right we are getting this retrograde culture war from people who should know better.

We need a better class of right wing troll

Written By:
Date published: 9:58 am, January 17th, 2024 - 11 comments

Newbies, moderation, the purpose of the Standard, how things work here.

Open mike 17/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 17th, 2024 - 75 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

NZ First does not want National to have good relations with Kiingi Tuuheitia

Written By:
Date published: 1:32 pm, January 16th, 2024 - 13 comments

The day after Christopher Luxon made the pilgrimage to meet with Kiingi Tuuheitia and try and calm feelings ahead of the Weekend’s hui at Ngaruwahia to discuss the Government’s attacks on Te Tiriti and Te Reo Shane Jones went onto Morning Report and applied the blowtorch to Luxon’s attempt to keep matters calm.

Ghahraman goes

Written By:
Date published: 12:49 pm, January 16th, 2024 - 77 comments

Green MP Golriz Ghahrahman has resigned from Parliament. 

Open mike 16/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 16th, 2024 - 148 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Open mike 15/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 15th, 2024 - 102 comments

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What If Trump Wins Again?

Written By:
Date published: 9:25 am, January 14th, 2024 - 65 comments

New Zealand has gained prosperity over 40 years within a free flow of trade under peacetime supported by minor attacks to shipping and planes, low international trade costs such as tariffs, and confidence that international trade disputes will be settled by law rather than by might is at risk: all of that required a United States President prepared to support that.

Open mike 14/01/2024

Written By:
Date published: 6:00 am, January 14th, 2024 - 108 comments

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Not all Americans are Neocons

Written By:
Date published: 1:13 pm, January 13th, 2024 - 14 comments

But the ones that run US foreign policy are. Matthew Hooton in a typical smear wants to label Helen Clark as anti-American because she warned that involving us in attacking Houthis was a ”slippery slope.” She’s not and he’s wrong.

The Coming Oil Crisis

Written By:
Date published: 9:21 am, January 13th, 2024 - 21 comments

An expanding Middle East war that puts the Red Sea and Suez tanker route at risk is a major risk to us because it could hit the global price of oil.

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