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Posts Tagged ‘brighter future’

A report from South Auckland – it is time to change the government

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, September 22nd, 2017 - 17 comments

Reason #4637 why we need to change the government – Midwife reprimanded after speaking out about abuse and neglect in South Auckland

Malnutrition – in NZ FFS

Written By: - Date published: 6:20 am, September 20th, 2017 - 49 comments

Stunningly depressing piece by Kirsty Johnston in The Herald yesterday – Number of New Zealand children hospitalised with malnutrition doubles as food costs bite.

Proud of your legacy, National?

Campbell: Ten Reasons For Not Voting National

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, September 19th, 2017 - 33 comments

Gordon Campbell sets out ten reasons not to vote National. Well referenced and compelling. Standardistas may wish to add their own entries to the list.

Underpaying beneficiaries

Written By: - Date published: 10:26 am, September 10th, 2017 - 28 comments

Beneficiaries are not getting the support that they are entitled to. NZ is beset by rising poverty, its associated diseases, homelessness, and suicide. I wonder if these facts could possibly be related?

National – campaign vs reality

Written By: - Date published: 6:07 am, September 6th, 2017 - 13 comments

The brighter future cusp of something special moving forward advertising campaign fluff meets the reality of National’s NZ in this brilliant image.

Garner on Nats’ brighter future fail

Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, August 26th, 2017 - 70 comments

Duncan Garner reviews National’s record, and is not impressed: “Because the list of blind spots for National is too long. If this is success then our standards have slipped.”

English on poverty – hasn’t read his own PREFU

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, August 24th, 2017 - 14 comments

After nine long years the election is forcing National to acknowledge the poverty in NZ. Bill English is promising to throw money at bootcamps and “social investment” (targeting) – but he hasn’t read his own PREFU.

The Listener on our health system crisis

Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, August 7th, 2017 - 17 comments

A major piece by Jessica McAllen in The Listener out today. Cash-strapped hospitals are using unsafe hardware-store versions of proper surgical-grade equipment, and reusing “single use” devices.

Health disasters – useless Coleman in all kinds of shit

Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, August 4th, 2017 - 36 comments

The Health system is riddled with crises and useless Minister Jonathan Coleman is in all kinds of shit. He doesn’t seem to care any more and we won’t front up for interviews. Coleman is a disgrace.

Brighter Future Delivering the Cusp of Something Special for New Zealanders

Written By: - Date published: 11:41 am, June 28th, 2017 - 8 comments

That’s a mish-mash of Nat soundbites past and present. For the reality underlying it all, check out the excellent RNZ series “Is this the Brighter Future?”

The Nation on housing

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, June 18th, 2017 - 57 comments

The Nation did good work on the housing crisis yesterday. This is the Brighter Future that Bill English warned of in 2010.

Our brilliant economy

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, June 16th, 2017 - 51 comments

We need new thinking on the economy – zero emissions, sustainable, a big redistribution from rich to poor. But the list of current economic woe shows that even on their own old conventional terms the Nats are useless economic managers.

UNICEF on our appalling child welfare record – but apparently we don’t care

Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, June 16th, 2017 - 199 comments

UNICEF has another major report ranking the wellbeing of NZ kids 34th out of 41 developed countries. This is not new news, and apparently a lot of voters just don’t give a damn.

Immigration and economic growth

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, June 14th, 2017 - 54 comments

English’s scaremongering about Labour’s immigration policy does nothing but highlight the fundamental weakness of our economy. Just how anemic are we after 9 long years?

Slum rentals in the brighter future

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, June 8th, 2017 - 24 comments

The Sunday Star Times had some gut wrenching coverage of the conditions in some of Auckland’s slum boarding houses. How can anyone vote for three more years of this?

Postcards from the brighter future

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, June 1st, 2017 - 3 comments

Part of an occasional series. It all seems to be going according to plan.

Strong and Stable – guess National’s campaign slogan!

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, May 23rd, 2017 - 36 comments

We’ve had the Brighter Future (it sucks). We’ve had The Cusp of Something Special (it wasn’t). What will National’s soundbite slogan be this time?

Pre budget positioning for a government that says it is “doing all it can”

Written By: - Date published: 1:37 pm, May 22nd, 2017 - 10 comments

National does the bare minimum that it thinks it can get away with for those in need. This positioning is just preparing the ground for a budget that does more the same not enough.

Suicide, Mike King, and mental health services

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, May 19th, 2017 - 38 comments

On the issues of suicide and mental health, the choice is pretty clear. Bungling and abuse from National, a positive plan for action from Labour.

How much information is being withheld from us?

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, May 13th, 2017 - 13 comments

Covering up inconvenient truths is an old pattern for this government. What percentage of their effort goes in to obfuscating and hiding the facts?

There is no housing problem!

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, May 11th, 2017 - 19 comments

But only in Nick Smith’s head. See the finally released government Housing Affordability Measure (HAM).

Fuck the homeless

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, May 6th, 2017 - 187 comments

Those compassionate conservatives of the National Party have a message for the increasing number of homeless who occupy our Brighter Future.

NRT: Inflation and poverty

Written By: - Date published: 4:13 pm, May 4th, 2017 - 8 comments

I/S at No Right Turn writes: “The CPI is out today, and it shows that the poor are getting poorer … This is a long-term trend. Since National took office, inflation for poor households has been nearly twice that of rich households.”

Bill English doesn’t get it – literally doesn’t get it – how messed up the “Brighter Future” is

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, May 4th, 2017 - 55 comments

“There are approximately 92,700 Kiwis aged between 15 and 24 who aren’t working, in education or training. That’s up 19 percent during National’s time in power, and Prime Minister Bill English admits he’s not sure why.” Could it be because…

A legacy of poisoned water

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 28th, 2017 - 66 comments

We won’t be able to say that we didn’t have ample warning, with a another detailed and damning report on water quality out yesterday. Does National really want to be remembered for allowing the poisoning of our water?

Stewart: “Dying days of democracy”?

Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, April 27th, 2017 - 59 comments

Probably not, but after 9 years of Brighter Future / Dirty Politics it certainly can feel that way.

Parata fleeing education mess

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 24th, 2017 - 37 comments

Parata can believe whatever brings her comfort of course, but the fact is that this National government has made, as usual, a mess of education.

A tin shed and a cup of cold Milo

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, April 24th, 2017 - 14 comments

Funny how the Nats can always find millions for vanity projects – and sweet FA for the homeless.

Mental health needs vs. cuts

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 20th, 2017 - 25 comments

The People’s Mental Health Review report puts the deterioration of our mental health system firmly in the spotlight. Despite a 60 per cent increase in demand since 2007/08 National has been slashing funding. Lives are at risk.

National’s economic report card fail

Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, April 18th, 2017 - 18 comments

Bill English reviews the economy

Though artificially boosted by high immigration and disaster rebuilds, the NZ economy is in the doldrums, and National are a failure even by their own goals and targets. I predict that National will soon abolish all targets, and that this will be “a sign of our success”.

Motels are full of homeless so now what?

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, April 11th, 2017 - 83 comments

Ordinary people are priced out of home ownership and increasingly out of renting, the state-housing safety net has been deliberately run down, and now the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff is full. National leaps into action – by asking the Salvation Army for ideas…

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