Search Results

  1. Welfare reform 15 point plan

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 10:49 am, October 30th, 2017 -  108 comments
    Categories: benefits, class war, welfare
    Tags: , , ,

    With the ongoing revelations, stories and court cases showing the terrible state of welfare services in NZ, Lawyer and journalist Catriona MacLennan has written a list of what needs to change.

  2. The repeal of the Hobbit law

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 12:24 pm, October 29th, 2017 -  70 comments
    Categories: Abuse of power, jobs, john key, journalism, national, national/act government, Politics, same old national, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, Unions, workers' rights
    Tags: , , , , , , ,

    Labour has indicated that as a priority it wishes to repeal the Hobbit law, a clumsy attempt in breach of International Law to prevent workers in the film industry from organising collectively and to divert attention from the fact that the National Government had been played by Warner Brothers.

  3. Overseas land sales, Landcorp land sales, and the environment

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 6:28 am, October 27th, 2017 -  194 comments
    Categories: climate change, Environment, farming, sustainability
    Tags: , ,

    Our land needs threefold protection.

  4. Spare a thought for Steven Joyce

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 9:30 am, October 26th, 2017 -  36 comments
    Categories: Abuse of power, Dirty Politics, national, Politics, same old national, Steven Joyce, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags:

    Steven Joyce had a bad day yesterday. His claim that National’s use of one of Eminem’s song was “pretty legal” was shown to be anything but. And he stuck to his claim that there was a $11 billion dollar hole in Labour’s budget, casting doubt either on his honesty or on his competence.

  5. The mess that the new government inherits

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 11:47 am, October 23rd, 2017 -  51 comments
    Categories: accountability, climate change, Dirty Politics, economy, Economy, education, Environment, global warming, health, housing, labour, national, poverty, useless, water
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

    This post is too long to read. Its purpose is to serve as reference material, a “one stop” snapshot of where we are as a country. The mess that the new government inherits. The consequences of the nine long wasted years of National. The magnitude of the challenge ahead of us.

  6. NZ First: We could and should be doing better

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 8:58 am, October 20th, 2017 -  15 comments
    Categories: greens, jacinda ardern, labour, national, nz first, same old national, winston peters
    Tags: , , ,

    NZ First chose to be inside Cabinet in a full coalition. I’d rather expected that they would choose to be in a confidence and supply agreement as they did with Labour back in 2005. That they decided to take the risk despite their previous experience with National is a stunning level of trust. But they work well with Labour.

  7. Wellington Political Theatre’s Waiting for Godot – a review

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 7:56 am, October 17th, 2017 -  12 comments
    Categories: election 2017, humour
    Tags: , ,

    Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot by the city’s oldest company, the Wellington Political Theatre, is a triumph.

  8. Austria and Europe

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 2:07 pm, October 16th, 2017 -  20 comments
    Categories: Deep stuff, democracy under attack, democratic participation, elections, Europe, Globalisation, im/migration, International, Politics
    Tags:

    Europe is showing a worrying trend to the right as anti immigration parties are voted into office. Austria provides the latest example.

  9. Happy Oompa Loompas?

    Written By:  Bill -  Date published: 12:48 pm, October 14th, 2017 -  9 comments
    Categories: business, capitalism, class, class war, unemployment, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags: , ,

    Dunedin hosts a celebratory graduation ceremony for discarded labour.

  10. Into the Vortex of Confirmation Bias: why we won’t be able to figure out which way Winston will go…

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 9:30 am, October 14th, 2017 -  160 comments
    Categories: Deep stuff, election 2017, winston peters
    Tags: , , , , ,

    Every morning, as the waiting for Winston to decide continues to fray my fragile psyche, I can look at myself in the mirror, contemplate my own frenzied speculative hopes for an Ardern Prime Ministership, and immediately think of a host of strong social-methodological reasons why all such speculation is futile.

  11. Arrival

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 11:28 am, October 9th, 2017 -  61 comments
    Categories: Deep stuff, film, greens, political alternatives, sustainability
    Tags: , ,

    Incognito writes about the need for a new narrative in politics and how the Green movement is providing one that takes us beyond neoliberalism and unfettered capitalism.

  12. Prepare for four days of hot air

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 7:03 am, October 9th, 2017 -  40 comments
    Categories: election 2017, winston peters
    Tags: , , ,

    Expect to see agendas on display, and egos, and reckons, and the occasional gleaned factoid. But don’t expect predictions to be any better than chance.

  13. Gilbert calls out Nat “tribalists” who continued to back the lies

    Written By:  Natwatch -  Date published: 2:07 pm, October 4th, 2017 -  67 comments
    Categories: national, useless
    Tags: , , , , ,

    Outspoken sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert on the “tribalists” who continued to back the Nats despite their brazen lies – “if Labour had made the same accusation against National and not a single economist supported it, would you have reacted the same way? No. Of course not. And that’s what defines you as a moron.”

  14. There is hope

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 9:00 am, October 4th, 2017 -  22 comments
    Categories: class, class war, community democracy, democracy under attack, democratic participation, political alternatives, Revolution
    Tags: , ,

    Anarchism and democracy.

  15. WINZ: where hope and dignity go to die

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 7:00 am, October 4th, 2017 -  66 comments
    Categories: benefits, class war, disability, poverty, welfare
    Tags: , , , , ,

    “It is not okay that nearly everyone I have advocated for at WINZ, has broken down in tears during appointments and have often been close to a panic attack. Most people I advocate for at WINZ unanimously tell me it is a humiliating and utterly defeating experience.” – political writer and community activist Chloe King.

  16. The environmental open letter to political party leaders

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 7:00 am, October 3rd, 2017 -  91 comments
    Categories: climate change, Conservation, Environment, sustainability, water
    Tags: , , , , , ,

    Climate, water, conservation. Whoever forms government now has a citizenry with high expectations for the environment.

  17. The Herald doesn’t want Winston to go with Labour

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 11:58 am, October 1st, 2017 -  132 comments
    Categories: democracy under attack, election 2017, labour, Media, national, nz first, paula bennett, Politics, spin, Steven Joyce, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, winston peters, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags:

    The Herald has offered a number of opinions this weekend saying that Labour forming a coalition with New Zealand First would be a very bad thing.

  18. The political strategy of Winston Peters

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 7:21 am, September 29th, 2017 -  13 comments
    Categories: Deep stuff, labour, national, nz first, Politics, winston peters
    Tags:

    The Winston Peters interregnum provides New Zealand with the opportunity to work out what are core values and what can be the subject of compromise.

  19. One obstacle to NZF + Labour removed

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 7:03 am, September 28th, 2017 -  24 comments
    Categories: election 2017, labour, Maori seats, winston peters
    Tags: , ,

    A significant and positive development late yesterday. Labour held firm on the Māori seats, and Peters has decided that a referendum is probably not a bottom line after all. This early progress bodes well for future negotiations.

  20. Metiria Turei’s legacy

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 7:27 am, September 26th, 2017 -  127 comments
    Categories: benefits, bill english, class war, journalism, Metiria Turei, poverty, welfare
    Tags: , ,

    What she did wasn’t a mistake.

  21. Some election night notes

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 7:01 pm, September 23rd, 2017 -  15 comments
    Categories: democratic participation, election 2017, electoral systems, MMP
    Tags:

    The timing of this election’s results, how NZ governments are formed, and election stress.

  22. Vote for compassion and competence

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 9:46 am, September 21st, 2017 -  44 comments
    Categories: bill english, disaster, Economy, election 2017, energy, jacinda ardern, labour, Left, national, Politics, Propaganda, same old national, Social issues, spin, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags:

    National has created the perception that it is a better manager of Government than Labour and is suggesting that it is more compassionate. Neither claim is true.

  23. Is NZ doomed to lying politics now?

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 7:20 am, September 21st, 2017 -  179 comments
    Categories: accountability, labour, national, the praiseworthy and the pitiful
    Tags: , , , ,

    Bill English and the Nats are now running firmly on a platform of lies – Gower calls them on this for a second time this week. Should the political left get down in the gutter too? Is NZ doomed to lying politics now?

  24. Federated Farmers need to cut the crap

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 1:09 pm, September 20th, 2017 -  98 comments
    Categories: Economy, Environment, farming
    Tags: , , , , ,

    Federated Farmers continued their fear campaign today in a Herald editorial. Their anonymous demand is that “Farmers should know they are still appreciated”. It is hard to have respect looking at bills that urban dwellers and businesses pay tofix their environment, while Federated Farmers bullshit about the environmental impacts of farming and how they don’t like paying to fix them.

  25. Gower – Nats the biggest liars

    Written By:  Natwatch -  Date published: 6:38 am, September 20th, 2017 -  53 comments
    Categories: accountability, bill english, Ethics, national, useless
    Tags: , ,

    Sure would be good if some other media called the Nats out on this too.

  26. Fear and loathing in Aotearoa

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:47 am, September 18th, 2017 -  55 comments
    Categories: bill english, election 2017, Environment, farming, farming, jacinda ardern, national, Politics, same old national, sustainability
    Tags: ,

    It is difficult to understand National’s election campaign. Instead of campaigning on what they have achieved and what they plan to do they are using fear of Labour to try and win the election. And saying some palpably untrue things on the way.

  27. What vote will deliver the change we need…?

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 8:19 am, September 17th, 2017 -  149 comments
    Categories: election 2017, greens
    Tags: , , ,

    Dave Kennedy outlines the importance of party voting Green to ensure Labour has a strong progressive coalition partner in the next government.

  28. She’s got what it takes

    Written By:  Mike Smith -  Date published: 12:23 am, September 17th, 2017 -  73 comments
    Categories: jacinda ardern
    Tags:

    Great read in London today – full page Guardian article headlined “I’ve got what it takes, says the charismatic Labour leader taking New Zealand by storm.” Send it far and wide.

     

  29. A Tale of Two Privileges.

    Written By:  Bill -  Date published: 11:52 am, September 16th, 2017 -  72 comments
    Categories: capitalism, Economy, liberalism, Politics
    Tags: , ,

    Bad title. Whatever.

    Yesterday there were two responses to Michelle’s guest post, that in conjunction deserve better exposure than “soon to be forgotten” comments buried in a post thread.

  30. Save Mart sacks unionised workers

    Written By:  weka -  Date published: 8:55 am, September 16th, 2017 -  52 comments
    Categories: boycott, health and safety, Unions, workers' rights
    Tags: ,

    First Union members working at Save Mart were given notice yesterday after complaints this week were made about health and safety conditions and interviews showing a culture of punishment and degradation.

  31. #sheepgate: National paid out money to settle a non existing dispute without legal advice

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 9:57 am, September 15th, 2017 -  26 comments
    Categories: Abuse of power, corruption, john key, making shit up, national, Politics, same old national, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags: ,

    In a case of extraordinarily bad timing for National it has been confirmed that despite claims to the contrary MFAT never provided National legal advice about the merits of any possible claim made concerning New Zealand’s banning of live sheep exports.

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