Yes and I'm married to another one. There are a whole raft of issues that you probably know better than me Alison. From inequality in earnings and pay rates, to family and sexual violence, to the near ubiquitous 'glass ceiling' that holds back even the ...
I only have passing knowledge. Oil and other resource revenues have helped build up a future investment fund that provides ongoing income stream for when the resources run out. The funds can be invested to earn interest and can cushion structural shifts in...
Hi Everybody, I am back on line for a short period having just finished up with the Tauranga public meeting etc. Sleeping is for cheating so I am going to spend the next wee while going back and answer some of the fabulous and searching questions that ...
I think the realisation is spreading within our caucus, but we are still a broad church and there are a range of views. That is probably true in any Party and what counts is the strength of the collective process that gets us to a position we can all ...
Hi everyone. I am checking in from the back seat of a car winding up the Kaimai's Not the best for writing considered replies but want to assure you that I will get back to this thread as soon as I can. There are some awesome questions and I am really ...
yes
Hi Maria, no problem with a meet.
Gidday Maria, I remember you from school and take my hat off to you for your courageous work against youth suicide. There can be no greater tragedy for any family and the current suicide rate is a damning indictment on our whole society. I would certainly ...
lprent thanks for all you do for TS and the Left. Reunifying the caucus and the Party is clearly a top priority if the Left is going to win government in 2014. That will involve working with each and every caucus colleague to be the best that they can give...
Thanks everyone - I've got to travel now to Tauranga for tonight's Leadership meeting. Please keep posting and I will come back on later in the day as soon as I can. Cheers, David
The only 'mon' I want to poke is John Key.
I have strongly opposed the GCSB and TCIS Bills. A Labour government that I lead will immediately review and then repeal the GCSB Bill in favour of legislation which protects civil liberties and personal privacy and requires that all activity and ...
I am no fan of National Standards. As the MP for New Lynn I visit all 30-odd school in my electorate regularly. In my electorate almost four out of ten constituents were not born in NZ and many kids starting school, have English as a 2nd language. So ...
I am being very clear that I will not be horse trading jobs as part of this election process. The proper order is first to earn the confidence of the party and the caucus, then to sit down with each of my caucus colleagues and listen to what they are ...
While my job as Labour leader will be to maximise Labour's vote, I have good relationships with Russel and Metira should that be what voters decide. I value their skills and experience, while I have confirmed publicly that we would have a Labour Minister ...
Thanks Jimbo. The GFC has changed everything and we really need to review things. See my answer to Rob above for more details.
Hi Everyone, Great to join you. Yes this really is me not a proxy, live on-line. Thanks Rob for a great question. When National says they are going to cut people's legs off, Kiwis don't want to hear that Labour will too, just nearer the ankles and with ...
Ad, Hamilton, Chooky - happy to. Rod, Blue, I recognise the smokescreen risk and consider the GCSB issue to be a far more serious risk to our country that fishing quotas. My views on the iniquitous GCSB bill are well known- review it rhem dump it. But I ...
Lanthanide - good point. Both issues are worth fight. Access to public fishing rights is important both for its reach (1m voters, including a lot of good folk in the provinces, and men that are sometimes hard for us to reach) and for its principle: ...
Great post Mickey. You have nailed issues of grave concern to all who care about civil liberties and the free press needed for a properly functioning democracy. Isn't it now time for the "honourable" Peter Dunne to put his vote where his sympathies ...
What could go wrong? Ummm , privacy concerns, red tape, complexity, IRD's creaking computer system, lack of revenue to justify the nonsense overhead costs... Good post thanks Anthony, and useful comment by@asleep above. I will be digging in to this issue ...
What could go wrong? Ummm , privacy concerns, red tape, complexity, lack of revenue to justify the nonsense overhead costs...I will be digging in to this issue and blogging about it during the week.
To confirm, that quote is Aaron Goodwin's, not mine. Eddie's gotten mixed up in attributing it to me. I agree with Aaron completely though. National's Budget 2012 does pick the pennies out of the pockets of children with after school jobs, it does raid the...
Take a bow, LPrent and co.
Form follows function... Function follows strategy... But back in the real world, the National Party has a 120 point laundry list. Meanwhile Treasury and MED differ wildly on the proper role of government in stimulating growth. I don't have high hopes for ...
@Muzza: ACIL is the holding entity that owns POAL on behalf of Auckland City. It's Directors were initially appointed by Rodney Hide but can be removed by resolution of Auckland Council. The details are spelt out in an incisive and considered post by ...
@ Jenny: Thanks for your comment. In response I think it is past due that Len Brown made a decision to review the POA ROI requirement of 12% (double the POA actual of 6%, and POT's 6.3%). He should also say that casualisation of the MUNZ workers is outside...
@ Redlogix Darien Fenton, Phil Twyford and I were on the picket line last Saturday and David Shearer, Darien and others were there Sunday. We know where our loyalites are. But we are not a party to the dispute as such. Does that help?
Go the MUNZ workers and families! This strike is importtant at a number of levels: - for the sake of the workers and their families - as a stand against casualisation of a skilled and loyal workforce - because this attempt at union busting is part of a ...
Mr Joyce's op-Ed is interesting because: - it tries to dress Chicago school dogma up as "aw shucks" common sense, but - it is at odds with the post- election briefing from his own Ministry of Economic Development,, who note NZ's small size and remoteness ...
Quick comments: @Damos; @Blue; @Lidea - thanks for your reaction to the meetings. @Hush minx: "hmmm" @Swordfish: votes are basically tied or very close to - so every last vote is crucial. What I hope is that MPs will listen to the views of their members ...
Recent Comments