Search Results

  1. Chris Bishop goes woof woof on variant ‘B.1.1.7’

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 1:26 pm, December 28th, 2020 -  43 comments
    Categories: chris bishop, chris hipkins, covid-19, health, national, same old national, uk politics
    Tags:

    I realise that this would normally be our silly season, but it seems a bit macabre with the northern winter death toll. But nothing really excuses Chris Bishop for being a complete dickhead in barking for immediate offshore testing for travellers from the UK. It is pointless. The government are a bit more sensible. They’re instituting an extra test at our border.

  2. Shock horror, trickle down does not work

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:31 am, December 18th, 2020 -  54 comments
    Categories: capitalism, class war, Economy, tax, us politics
    Tags:

    In yet another study academics at the London School of Economics have concluded that trickle down leads to higher income inequality but do not have any significant effect on economic growth or unemployment.

  3. Tranquillum

    Written By:  Incognito -  Date published: 7:28 pm, December 6th, 2020 -  134 comments
    Categories: capital gains, class war, Economy, equality, Ethics, housing, labour, leadership, Politics, Social issues, vision
    Tags: ,

    Don’t expect a jellyfish to grow a spine, they just bob along on the current and keep moving, gently, slowly, kindly.

  4. Being real about the climate emergency

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 6:05 am, December 4th, 2020 -  118 comments
    Categories: climate change, sustainability
    Tags: , , ,

    Green tech, negative emissions and carbon capture and storage won’t save us, but we have other options.

  5. Georgian Republicans are part of the deep state threat to Trump

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:05 am, November 23rd, 2020 -  22 comments
    Categories: Deep stuff, Donald Trump, elections, the praiseworthy and the pitiful
    Tags:

    Over in the US of A some amazing claims are being made with Trump’a lawyer claiming that in Georgia, which has perfected the art of disenfranchising Black American voters, there has been a deep seated conspiracy to lose the state for Trump.  And Venezuela is involved.  

  6. National’s annual conference

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 9:47 am, November 22nd, 2020 -  64 comments
    Categories: election 2020, Judith Collins, national, same old national
    Tags:

    National has heeded the calls for change and rejuvination by returning Peter Goodfellow as its president.

  7. Time’s up Labour

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 4:50 pm, November 20th, 2020 -  114 comments
    Categories: community democracy, democratic participation, grant robertson, greens, housing, jacinda ardern, labour, Metiria Turei, poverty
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    It’s not possible to resolve New Zealand’s housing and poverty crises from within a neoliberal frame. Change is going to have to be driven from outside of parliament.

  8. Trump loses the presidency, but Trumpism lives on

    Written By:  nickkelly -  Date published: 12:30 am, November 19th, 2020 -  8 comments
    Categories: democratic participation, Donald Trump, electoral systems, First Past the Post, Joe Biden, us politics
    Tags: , , , , , ,

    The reality is that the United States is a poor example of a functioning democracy in 2020.

  9. Some men just want to see the World burn

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:24 am, November 12th, 2020 -  58 comments
    Categories: Donald Trump, politicans, uncategorized, us politics
    Tags: ,

    Normally when you lose an election you say nice things about the winner and make way for them. But is Trump doing this in the US of A? No sirree. From refusing Biden transition resources to instructing officials not to cooperate with Biden’s team to mass sackings of Defense officials to various failed cases Trump is obstructing the transition every step of the way.

  10. A tsunami of wing clipped kiwi?

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 9:52 am, November 9th, 2020 -  45 comments
    Categories: Economy, exports, immigration, International
    Tags:

    The rush back home has definitely been happening and appears to mainly be constrained at present by the limits on quarantine facilities. It has already helped to mitigate the drops in immigration and probably will in the future. Nowhere near as economically important and productive as our exports. But useful for reducing unemployment for those not exposed to the export economy.

  11. This is how you do it America

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 6:05 am, November 7th, 2020 -  79 comments
    Categories: us politics
    Tags: ,

    Day four of the US election (general discussion thread).

  12. The Covid crisis

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 11:43 am, November 1st, 2020 -  51 comments
    Categories: boris johnson, covid-19, Donald Trump, Europe, uk politics
    Tags:

    A surge in Covid infections in Europe and in the United States is raising the specter that the most pessimistic predictions about the disease and its effect on the health system may occur.   And right wing governments appear to be spectacularly unable to deal with the crisis.

  13. On the US election.

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 9:42 am, October 30th, 2020 -  30 comments
    Categories: Donald Trump, International, Joe Biden, us politics
    Tags:

    This year forecasting the U.S. election has an interesting additional element, with Trump and the Republican Party gearing up to steal the election if it is not a landslide for their opponents. It is going to be difficult with Joe Biden currently estimated at a 89% probability of winning the electoral college.

  14. Will consensus building paralyse Ardern?

    Written By:  Simon Louisson -  Date published: 7:14 am, October 21st, 2020 -  33 comments
    Categories: capital gains, Economy, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, labour, national, Politics, same old national, tax
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    Jacinda Ardern aims to bet both ways on our future – transforming Aotearoa to rid us of inequality and poverty, and building consensus. She has won a mandate with her historic, landslide victory but can she do both? My question is whether Labour are willing to do that because of her desire to maintain consensus and not rock the waka.

  15. NZ election 2020: Labour win is a watershed moment in the country’s history

    Written By:  nickkelly -  Date published: 12:27 am, October 20th, 2020 -  47 comments
    Categories: act, capital gains, capitalism, Christchurch Attack, democratic participation, education, election 2020, elections, electoral systems, employment, greens, housing, jacinda ardern, labour, Maori Issues, MMP, national, nz first, Parliament, tax, terrorism, tertiary education, transport, workers' rights
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

    The 2020 election was more than just a victory for Labour and more than a crushing defeat for the National Party (New Zealand’s main centre-right political party). This result marks a significant watershed in New Zealand politics which will likely have implications long after this parliamentary term.

  16. Left/Green/Indigenous

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 12:32 pm, October 18th, 2020 -  135 comments
    Categories: election 2020, greens, labour, maori party, MMP
    Tags:

    What kind of government might New Zealand have?

  17. O Winston I love you

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 9:25 am, October 18th, 2020 -  50 comments
    Categories: nz first, uncategorized, winston peters
    Tags:

    Some reasons for us to miss Winston’s exit from politics.

  18. Backbench National MP proposes radical new tax to address deficit *

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 6:23 pm, October 14th, 2020 -  29 comments
    Categories: Economy, election 2020, national, same old national, tax, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, uncategorized
    Tags:

    * but I am not sure that all of his caucus colleagues would be happy with the proposal.

  19. Greens: will push for more climate action to match the scale of the crisis

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 10:39 am, October 14th, 2020 -  12 comments
    Categories: climate change, election 2020, greens
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    “The Green Party welcomes Labour’s commitment to reduce climate emissions in the next term of Government, but would go further and faster to address the true scale of the crisis.”

  20. Regenerative economies: $100,000 growing permaculture kale

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 6:05 am, October 11th, 2020 -  56 comments
    Categories: economy, farming
    Tags: , , , , , ,

    A Thames couple are showing how to make a living from small scale market gardening, and leading the way in regenerative horticulture.

  21. Trump’s not so bad: the holding our breath edition

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 11:17 am, October 4th, 2020 -  79 comments
    Categories: covid-19, Donald Trump, us politics
    Tags: , ,

    An occasional series

  22. POTUS, Covid and the New Zealand election

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:01 am, October 3rd, 2020 -  122 comments
    Categories: covid-19, Donald Trump, election 2020, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, labour, national, same old national, uncategorized
    Tags:

    News that Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid will have a significant effect on the US election as well as our local election.  It raises the issue who will you trust to lead the country against this most agile yet deadly virus?

  23. Judith Collins, Nicky Hager and Dirty Politics

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 12:16 pm, September 29th, 2020 -  55 comments
    Categories: Dirty Politics, Judith Collins, national, same old national
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    Judith Collins has said about Dirty Politics author Nicky Hager that he “still needs to meet his maker.”  What did she mean by this?  And why does she harbour such dark thoughts about Hager?

  24. Mood of the Boardroom: National is toast

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 11:07 am, September 28th, 2020 -  45 comments
    Categories: business, grant robertson, national, paul goldsmith
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    The NZ Herald Mood of the Boardroom finance election debate should be for National what it is like attending a Living Wage campaign meeting for Labour.  They should be at home and the participants should be solidly behind them.  But not this year.

  25. The Covid Court Case

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:18 am, August 20th, 2020 -  30 comments
    Categories: covid-19, david parker, human rights, jacinda ardern, uncategorized
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    The High Court has ruled that for technical reasons during the first nine days of the lockdown statements that New Zealanders were legally required to remain at home were incorrect.

  26. Let them have gardening leave…

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 6:59 pm, August 17th, 2020 -  25 comments
    Categories: election 2020, Politics
    Tags:

    “A bunch of retired MPs will now have to come back to work as well, which they will no doubt hate. But at least with current border restrictions, they are unlikely to have fled the country.”. Uh – why exactly? They are almost a sixth of the current parliament. They’re out the door, and there is no substantive work for them to do. I’m sure that puritans of thought will think otherwise – but I think gardening leave is appropiate.

  27. The top seven things Covid has changed

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 7:45 am, August 14th, 2020 -  47 comments
    Categories: climate change, covid-19, economy, health, immigration, internet, interweb, uncategorized
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    Covid has fundamentally changed society for the better in surprising ways.

  28. Biden/Harris

    Written By:  te reo putake -  Date published: 8:50 am, August 12th, 2020 -  53 comments
    Categories: Donald Trump, election 2020, International, Joe Biden, Politics, us politics
    Tags: , ,

    Joe Biden announces his VP pick.

  29. Should the government replace sex data with gender (identity) data?

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 10:07 am, August 11th, 2020 -  110 comments
    Categories: feminism, sexism
    Tags: , , ,

    Stats NZ want to use gender rather than sex as the default for data collection. But they’ve neglected to ask women about that.

  30. The strange tale of the Auckland Central selection and Merv from Manurewa

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:01 am, August 11th, 2020 -  57 comments
    Categories: Abuse of power, Dirty Politics, national, Politics, same old national, twitter, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags: ,

    News has emerged that a senior National Party figure rang talkback radio and made derogatory comments about National’s only Sri Lankan candidate in an apparent attempt to reduce her chance of being selected as National’s Auckland Central candidate.

  31. Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government: Style over substance or a guiding light for progressive politics?

    Written By:  nickkelly -  Date published: 8:42 am, August 10th, 2020 -  33 comments
    Categories: abortion, bill english, Christchurch Attack, education, election 2020, electoral systems, First Past the Post, greens, housing, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins, labour, law, law and "order", leadership, MMP, national, nz first, polls, terrorism, tertiary education
    Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

    Critics have dismissed the Jacinda Ardern government as being one of style over substance. This is unfair given the challenges this government has faced and the policy achievements it has had. However, it is a government that has much work to do if it wins a second term. And its over-reliance on Jacinda as party leader is a huge strategic risk, especially when the governments front bench is perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be lightweight.