democracy under attack
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Judith Collins: fudging evidence
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, April 26th, 2014 - 32 comments
Judith Colllins & the PM are probably toasting Shane Jones (and Murray McCully) right now: the heat around the Oravida controversy has been pushed off the front pages. Information and marginalised news don’t easily disappear off the web – or Wikipedia. Collins quietly slipped out a press release on the delay of her decision on alcohol pricing – media shy suddenly?
NRT: Needlessly shitty
Written By: - Date published: 1:18 pm, April 17th, 2014 - 12 comments
No Right Turn points out here about a select committee filtering out submissions because they were not in an official NZ language. This seems needlessly shitty – not to mention undemocratic. Parliament is supposed to represent all New Zealanders, not just those who write their submissions in one of our official languages.
Outing Nats’ smear machine
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, March 29th, 2014 - 275 comments
Standardista, andy (the other one) nails it: “Two days, two articles, two different media outlets admitting that they know National use Slater/Farrar to smear and dissemble.” Trotter raises questions about sources.
Tony Benn 1925-2014
Written By: - Date published: 9:42 pm, March 14th, 2014 - 34 comments
Sorry to hear that Tony Benn has died today, at age 88. He came from an aristocratic background, but became part of the UK Labour Party’s “radical” left. He spoke for Unions, people power and democratic process, and against neoliberalism. [Update – Tony Benn quotes]
Five Eyes, One Network
Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, March 12th, 2014 - 60 comments
Edward Snowden revelations indicate that the US NSA pressured the NZ government to make last year’s hasty changes to the GCSB and TICS laws, to enable mass surveillance. John Key sometimes denies he knows of visits to NZ by the NSA’s Gen Keith Alexander – but Key would have to approve the visits.
Auckland Council CCO 2 step
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, March 7th, 2014 - 13 comments
Mai Chen argues that the current review of Auckland Council CCOs will put them on a tighter leash. Tony Holman argues against the whole CCO set up: it’s a trojan horse, 2 step towards privatisation of Auckland assets. Aucklanders need to have their say. Vote out Team Key to prevent such sales.
Easy Vote or Voter Intimidation?
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 pm, February 17th, 2014 - 123 comments
Good to see Labour has stood up against National’s “harder-to-vote” revisions to the Electoral Amendment Bill, especially making voters now have to state their name to get a voting paper. The reason for this is to allow scrutineers to more easily challenge a voter’s credentials, and is similar to voter intimidation practices in conservative States in the US. Expect National Party scrutineers questioning more voter credentials in the 2014 election.
Plausible deniability: Smoke & mirrors
Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, February 17th, 2014 - 79 comments
It’s puzzling why John Key diverted attention from who spied on Winston Peters, by implicating Cameron Slater. Following revelations about the 5 Eyes spying capabilities, & illegal surveillance of Kim Dotcom, there is much at stake for Key. Recapping some significant details in the surveillance saga.
Key’s transparent gerrymander
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 pm, February 9th, 2014 - 101 comments
For John Key, MMP stands for “Manipulate Members of Parliament”. Senior journalists are beginning to call him on the games he’s playing, and good on them; gerrymander entered the New Zealand political lexicon at Key’s press conference this week. Key wants to push the issues away till closer to the election, when he’ll know what his polling is telling him – I hope the gallery don’t let him.
5 Eyes’ cyberwarfare: Snowden
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, February 9th, 2014 - 60 comments
Leaked by Edward Snowden, a GCHQ slideshow for a secret spy conference. It outlines methods of cyber warfare and propaganda circulation. Mainly aimed at non-5 Eyes’ countries, the methods include infiltrating blogs, DOS attacks, propaganda via social media & manipulating journalists.
UN to NZ Human Rights – ‘can do better’
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, February 3rd, 2014 - 20 comments
A draft UN report on human rights shows NZ has been slacking off. The government is glossing over its failings: eg on domestic violence, child protection, poverty, ethnic inequalities, discrimination, disability rights, government abuse of urgency. Collins focuses on punishment, surveillance.
Where is this Democracy they Speak of?
Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, December 30th, 2013 - 167 comments
There’s a rumour going around that we live in a democracy.
Shop til we all drop
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, December 27th, 2013 - 90 comments
The cult of the super rich, cheer led by the uncritical echo chamber in the MSM. Those struggling in poverty receive a few crumbs of charity, promoting superficial “good will” by those indulging in the orgy of consumerist excess. Underlying causes & solutions are ignored.
Auckland in search of democracy
Written By: - Date published: 12:59 pm, December 24th, 2013 - 29 comments
Media beat-ups around personality politics divert from Auckland’s real problems: an undemocratic council structure that panders to corporates, & that does not represent Auckland’s diversity, while doing little to counter the destructive impact of the inequality gap.
NZ Herald editorial smears the Referendum
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, November 30th, 2013 - 28 comments
NZ Herald editor/s selectively reports, omitting the full facts, in favour of the National government. It misrepresents the referendum on asset sales, ignoring significant facts – thereby also seeming to discredit the Green Party, the referendum, & democracy.
Battle weary & marginalised: state housing
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, November 28th, 2013 - 61 comments
The National government is destroying NZ’s state housing system. Right of tenure removed, a shift towards private provision of “social housing”, housing campaigners marginalised, & Tracy Watkins crowing about the shift from the “welfare state”. Greens & Mana are for more state houses. And Labour? [Update] Picket of (Nat) Party for the Rich Dec 8 Akl. NZH article.
150 years: tell us your NZ Herald Story
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, November 22nd, 2013 - 29 comments
NZ Herald has a long history as the voice of the (most often white, masculine, middle/upper class, Pakeha) conservative establishment. Dr Hope shows how this happened in the past. NZ Herald online provides 21st century support for Key’s government. Tell us your NZ Herald stories.
“A Tale of two countries” – NZ/Aotearoa
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, November 3rd, 2013 - 81 comments
Yesterday David Cunliffe told a Tale of Two New Zealands. Today 2 NZ Herald articles show where NZ has gone wrong with its fractured and increasingly unequal society: our ailing state supported TVNZ; a high-living property-buying elite. Will Cunliffe talk about state housing today?
Serious question: Treasury?
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, October 31st, 2013 - 86 comments
Why is Treasury providing the government with advice on spinning and disguising widespread changes to Education? In this way, NZ’s democracy is undermined, and changes are continually made that benefit the few and make life more difficult for the many. Government MO or renegade Treasury?
The anti-democrats NZ tea party
Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, October 30th, 2013 - 82 comments
From the ranks of those working in the murky depths of dirty, disgusting and despicable politics, comes a piss take of a “union” of “taxpayers”, to lobby against a fair, democratic, caring and inclusive state and for the already greedy and powerful.
NSA: ‘full spectrum dominance’
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, October 28th, 2013 - 23 comments
Latest revelations about the NSA’s international surveillance show it is about “full spectrum dominance” of military, economic, business and political activities. The TICS Bill is the latest part of Key’s changes to NZ’s surveillance agencies, further enabling the US government dominance via NSA, especially in business & politics.
The Blame Game
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, October 27th, 2013 - 107 comments
And so it continues. Inside the Palino-Wewege-Cook-Slater camp, every one is pointing the finger at everyone else and putting the blame elsewhere for the clumsily executed smear campaign against Len Brown. Got to wonder who is in the shadows frantically pulling various levers?
Point of order, Mr Speaker!
Written By: - Date published: 3:06 pm, October 17th, 2013 - 35 comments
The Speaker’s ability to do his job is being questioned strongly after Metiria Turei was thrown out of the debating Chamber after calling the SkyCity deal “sleazy”. How can John Banks provide an impartial vote on the SkyCity Bill? It should be delayed! [Update: Video]
The attack on Auckland’s Democracy
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, October 16th, 2013 - 172 comments
With Tea Party type zeal Cameron Slater is trying to bring down Len Brown’s mayoralty. What has happened is a tragedy for Len’s family and himself. But as Mayor of the super city we need him to move on from this.
The Guardian on Dotcom, GCSB, Key & US power
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, October 10th, 2013 - 21 comments
An article in today’s UK Guardian highlights the role of Key’s, US-supporting, government in the GCSB, Dotcom, surveillance saga (and TPP). It is chilling & shows why we need to continue to campaign against NZ’s surveillance state legislation and for TPPA transparency.
APEC, TPP, Crosby-Textor, Philip Morris & John Key
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, October 8th, 2013 - 76 comments
John Key’s role as Obama surrogate in chairing TPP discussions at APEC just reinforce how much Key is deeply involved in crony capitalist, Big Corporate serving networks of influence: ones that link him with anti-democratic Big Tobacco, Big Oil, and climate change denial propaganda.
Large representative bodies – “slow”, “unwieldy”
Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, October 4th, 2013 - 22 comments
That would be Steven Joyce describing university councils, but he could be describing any democratic governance.
Anti-democratic tendencies
Written By: - Date published: 6:45 pm, September 24th, 2013 - 16 comments
John Key: “I don’t think New Zealand should rush to become a republic. It may happen one day, but I can’t for the life of me see the benefits of it other than you get to spend a lot of money electing heads of state as opposed to the government appointing one.”
Hooton – please apologise
Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, September 23rd, 2013 - 220 comments
Matthew Hooton accused David Cunliffe of lying about his involvement with the Boston Management Group when it was providing advice that led to the development of Fonterra. A little research supports Cunliffe’s claims and not Hooton’s.
John Key’s anti-democratic government
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, September 17th, 2013 - 48 comments
John Key tries to smear the winner of Labour’s democratic leadership contest as “far left”, while his government continues in its anti-democratic, plutocratic ways: sale of Meridian to avoid referendum; Joyce’s Broadband pricing “arm twisting”.
This week’s Jonolist award goes to….
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, September 12th, 2013 - 86 comments
Jonolist award to Patrick Gower for slanted reporting of a non-poll result, continuing his anti-Cunliffe lines. Special mention to 3 News report on The Vote bovver boys, against affordable housing for those in need, forcing a “back-down” from Turei on lowering house prices. Need better MSM.
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