same old national

The Greens: Party democracy and parliamentary politics

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:00 am, June 9th, 2013 - 106 comments

John Armstrong follows Lusk’s plan in attacking The Green Party’s democratic change to Conference remit procedures. Isaac Davison gives a more balanced account& points to preparation for a Labour-Green government.  How much bottom-up democracy can there be in a top-down parliamentary system?

The Battle of Auckland

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 9:47 pm, May 29th, 2013 - 8 comments

“The Auckland that never was” in my view is the most interesting chapter in Chris Trotter’s “NO LEFT TURN”. It details the Ministry of Works’ post-war plan  outlined in a document The Shape of Things to Come that was scrapped by the Sid Holland National party. Now we see history repeating itself. In what Labour accurately describes as a “War on Auckland” Key, Joyce and Brownlie are following in the footsteps of the much unloved Sid Holland.

Back to the future: John Key’s Dickensian values

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:13 am, May 27th, 2013 - 161 comments

John Key has been shamed by Hone Harawira’s “feed the kids” private members Bill.  Key’s approach to child hunger is a sly use of Dickensian-type PPPs & charities to absolve the government of responsibility, while falsely presenting a caring face.

The shameless Nick Smith

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:43 am, May 24th, 2013 - 31 comments

Nick Smith has a long history of slippery dealings.  He apologises but accepts no blame, then is resurrected: contempt of court, a defamation case, the Pullar-ACC “conflict of interest”, bad faith negotiations with Auckland Council, the Denniston Plateau deal. Yesterday on RNZ, Smith exposed the government’s agenda on mining conservation land.

When an “accord” is not

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:08 am, May 17th, 2013 - 130 comments

Yesterday’s budget is a sop to affordable housing & aims to privatise state housing. Penny Hulse says the government’s related “housing accord” Bill is at odds with the agreement her council has not yet ratified.  It overrides local democracy & endangers the AKL “agreement”. [Update] Waitakere News analysis

GCSB is watching you? Won’t ‘confirm or deny’

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:46 am, May 15th, 2013 - 37 comments

The GCSB won’t “confirm or deny” if they spied on individual Kiwis. Concerned citizens might contact the Privacy Commissioner or start a class action. John Key’s rushed GCSB Bill won’t prevent mission creep, surveillance to support international corporate interests or inadequate oversight of the GCSB. [Update]: link to Waitakere News

Sky City, pokies and corruption

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:56 am, May 13th, 2013 - 51 comments

Key and Joyce made sure Gilmore was out of the way before they announced their dubious Sky City for (more) pokies deal.  The pokies system in NZ is rife with dubious goings on. It’s bad for low income families, communities and their children. [update: responses]

It’s not us: it’s the big banks

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:01 am, April 29th, 2013 - 31 comments

MSM articles show the big Aussie banks are making record profits, Kiwis can save, and Adam Smith worshiping think tanks are not to be trusted. Cunliffe & Norman said it a while back – NAct policies and government spending cuts are not the answer.

$250k for failed Job Interview

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 4:37 pm, April 26th, 2013 - 22 comments

I like my employer, and they’re not ungenerous.  But I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t spend $250,000 on helping me to get another job – and one that I’m a long shot for at that.

As Tim Groser’s employers, you’ve got to wonder just how generous we as voters are being.  And why either he doesn’t think we’re good enough employers and wants to leave, or why National want rid of him.

MRP share offer suspended til tomorrow

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:19 pm, April 22nd, 2013 - 36 comments

The government announced about an hour ago, that it has suspended the share offer for Mighty River Power until tomorrow, while it devises a supplementary disclosure in the light of the Labour-Green NZ Power policy.

Stealth Taxers

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 10:09 am, April 19th, 2013 - 16 comments

National, far from being their idealised “low tax party” are in fact the “stealth tax party”. While they’ve lowered the top rate of tax and the company rate, helping out the wealthiest, there has been regressive tax after regressive tax increase on the smaller hidden things.

Sums it up, really

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:56 am, April 12th, 2013 - 134 comments

National’s 3 quarters of the way through its time at the crease now. And what has it achieved? A record debt pile. 300,000 jobless. 100,000 underemployed. Rising poverty. 1,000 a week fleeing to Australia. A new housing bubble. A record high dollar that’s killing our businesses. And falling household incomes. A list of articles on Stuff sums it up.

How austerity is destroying Britain… coming soon near you

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:23 am, April 1st, 2013 - 79 comments

A raft of Tory policies have been dismantling the British welfare state: bedroom tax, privatising the NHS: NZ’s NAct government is following the same pattern of slyly changing small things, adding up to major changes that are ultimately socially & economically destructive.

Two Things

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 5:45 pm, March 6th, 2013 - 5 comments

Parata was told it was too early to make Christchurch school decisions by her ministry and why aren’t we allowed to know how much the state paid off Don Elder when he resigned over Solid Energy’s rapid decline?

Save the Trees!

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:11 pm, February 22nd, 2013 - 41 comments

The Government is currently attempting for a second time to remove blanket tree protection from Auckland’s district plan. Submissions close on February 28, 2013 – Greg Presland tells us why and how you can have your say.