Archive for September, 2008

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  Debating the wrong issue - by frog

  
  
  
  One of the many pieces of false logic in Clark’s assumption that we only need Helen Clark and John Key at the televised leaders debates is the assumption that all undecided voters are simply choosing between a Labour-led government and a National-led government. In fact there are also large numbers of voters who are deciding [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:38 pm - 8 Comments
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  Labour and National vote down consumers’ right to know - by frog

  
  
  
  The Southland Times has a powerful editorial on Labour and National’s collaboration to reject the 39,000-signature petition supported by the Green Party calling for country of origin labelling on food. It notes Labour and National’s contention that we have lots of choice is all fair and true if the you are looking for the sort [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:26 pm - No Comments
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  Peak oil, subprime loans and poor oversight - by frog

  
  
  
  At the slimmest edge of his reasoning, I find myself agreeing with that great Kiwi free market apologist, Roger Kerr. Poor oversight has pumped billions of dollars into useless paper assets, primarily property. However, It is entirely disingenuous to blame the government for that. An oil price spike, one of the early symptoms of the [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 3:44 pm - 10 Comments
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  Letters to the editor - by frog

  
  
  
  These two letters in The Press caught my eye today: Heh heh. And on a more serious note: Incidentally the preferential trade agreement with China comes into force tomorrow (1 October).  From that point on provisions that make it easier and faster for China to get its goods through our our customs and biosecurity take [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 1:49 pm - 10 Comments
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  Tatua Dairy also hit by melamine - by frog

  
  
  
  The melamine scandal has wiggled its way out of China and into New Zealand with news that product from Tatua Cooperative Dairy Company has also been contaminated.  Although I had to ask has an issue shot right past mainstream into the realm of the bizarre when Whale Oil says: The more important story however, which [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 12:00 pm - 5 Comments
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  The bailout - by frog

  
  
  
  Given the just failed US$700 billion financial bailout was about preventing widespread poverty and economic turmoil I’ve been wondering whether the money couldn’t be better spent in other ways.  Now that the bailout is dead maybe USA can afford to be inventive. For that kind of money you are talking about a fairly comprehensive free [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 10:43 am - 39 Comments
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  The carbon report – we’re certainly not running out - by frog

  
  
  
  Last Thursday, the Global Carbon Project released its annual report on the state of the carbon cycle, Carbon Budget 2007 [pdf]. And the news is that carbon dioxide emissions are up 3 percent for 2007 Dot Earth commented: More than half of global emissions, which totalled more than 34 billion tons of CO2 in 2007, [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:19 am - 2 Comments
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  Kermit admits that it’s easy being Green - by frog

  
  
  
  I just found this on US website, Red Green and Blue: Mr. Kermit Frog revealed on Tuesday to the Associated Press that he has been lying to the American public since his initial appearance in Sesame Street on November 10, 1969. “I tried keeping it a secret because of the industry,” says Kermit. “The last [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:15 am - 6 Comments
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  An immigrant woman’s paradise - by frog

  
  
  
  There was an odd story from the Herald today on an immigration debate in Auckland. Keith was at the debate and was one of the most vocal speakers there, outlining the Green’s strong human rights stance on immigration. Yet he got no mention at all in the article that found space to note the attendance [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 9:52 pm - 57 Comments
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  Nuclear free, give or take $42 million - by frog

  
  
  
  Some good research by Russel and his team into the New Zealand Super Fund shows that it is making some ethically dubious choices about where to put our money: [I]n response to my written question the NZ Super Fund revealed that, as of August 31, it still holds $41.9m holdings in a series of companies [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 3:13 pm - 7 Comments
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  Leonardo DiCaprio on how to vote - by frog

  
  
  
  “I’m going to vote for the candidate that I believe has the better environmental policy. I think that in the last eight years we could have done an incredible amount to change this country; be less reliant on foreign oil and start to develop alternative ways of getting energy through wind and solar power. I [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 2:26 pm - 2 Comments
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  I’m less likely to trust them too - by frog

  
  
  
  No, not Clark and Key this time. In the Business section of the Dominion Post today: More than half of Chinese consumers say they are now less likely to trust New Zealand food products after the melamine contamination scandal, according to a just-released survey. And: Sinogie Consulting chief executive Bruce McLaughlin, who is based in [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 2:02 pm - 2 Comments
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  Genesis telling porkies about Rodney - by frog

  
  
  
  Genesis Energy claims in a New Zealand Herald article last Friday that their 480 MW gas-fired Rodney power station won’t get in the way of renewable generation. Please cue the Tui advert – Yeah, Right! Such a massive plant will stop renewable development in its tracks. Who would build more capacity with that jugernaut sitting [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 11:38 am - 6 Comments
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  Tall and rangy and has a way with a pinstripe - by frog

  
  
  
  Noelle McCarthy lamented during the weekend that she is sick of politics and especially New Zealand politicians.  But she did point to one who isn’t ‘fatuous’, ‘slimy’, or ‘self indulgent’: Russel Norman is looking good. Call me old fashioned, but there’s something satisfying about a politician who actually answers a question. Doesn’t prevaricate, doesn’t bluster, [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 10:06 am - 4 Comments
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  The farcical debate - by frog

  
  
  
  Political scientist Jon Johansson is calling Helen Clark and John Key’s debate arrangement arrogant.  Interestingly, we had a debate about the televised debates last election too, with Peter Dunne and Jim Anderton taking Canwest Media to court to win their right to appear on the leaders debate.  At the time the conflicting issues were essentially [...] read more
  September 28, 2008 1:58 pm - 31 Comments
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  Clark, Key scared to face the MMP parties - by frog

  
  
  
  So we learn today that: Prime Minister Helen Clark and National Party leader John Key have refused to share the stage with other party leaders in an election campaign TV debate. And the TV stations are going to roll over and let this happen.  Well that will make for an interesting debate: Pepsi – My [...] read more
  September 27, 2008 8:10 pm - 19 Comments
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  Trustworthiness; it’s like truthiness - by frog

  
  
  
  Nice work by McTap, a bunch of Young Greens and some Frogblog readers, has in two days seen Winston Peters go from zero percent in TVNZ’s online poll on the most trustworthy MP in Parliament, to 36 percent, neck and neck for the lead with John Key.  Turia and Sharples have now been belatedly added [...] read more
  September 27, 2008 9:57 am - 11 Comments
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  Fishy rhetoric - by frog

  
  
  
  This week the House debated the Fisheries Act 1996 Amendment Bill (No 2). This Bill simply allows for the Minister to set Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits under the Quota Management Scheme (QMS) with incomplete information about the state of the fish stock. The Minister has to be able to do this because only 24 [...] read more
  September 26, 2008 4:16 pm - 4 Comments
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  Invest in recycling - by frog

  
  
  
  Someone just sent me this obviously viral email: If you had purchased £1000 of Northern Rock shares one year ago it would now be worth £4.95, with HBOS, earlier this week your £1000 would have been worth £16.50, £1000 invested in XL Leisure would now be worth less than £5, but if you bought £1000 [...] read more
  September 26, 2008 1:16 pm - No Comments
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  Oscar is about to get grouchy - by frog

  
  
  
  This guy probably has a lot to be grumpy about with the passage of the Green’s fifth private members bill into law.  The almost universally supported Waste Minimisation Act will reduce the amount of trash that we’ll see in land-fills and leave poor Oscar with less of that stuff he wouldn’t trade for gold. I [...] read more
  September 26, 2008 12:51 pm - 4 Comments