Archive for December, 2008

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  Green’s Address in Reply - by frog

  
  
  
  When parliament reconvenes after an election, the “Queen”, represented by the Governor General, gives a speech from the throne spelling out what “her” government seeks to achieve during this term. The Address in Reply is where each of the parties in the House reply to the speech from the throne. In reality, the speech from [...] read more
  December 13, 2008 7:36 pm - 8 Comments
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  More anti-family legislation from the Nats - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  It is interesting the way this education bill rammed through under urgency today will interact with the fire-at-will bill rammed through under urgency yesterday. The education bill increases fines for parents of truant kids to $3000 (amongst other things). Imagine if you are a parent in a new job who gets a call from the [...] read more
  December 13, 2008 12:28 pm - 67 Comments
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  Double the money into private schools but no standards - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Kia ora from the Chamber. We’re debating the Education (National Standards) bill on a sunny Saturday in wellington. The Minister Anne Tolley confirmed that private schools will not be subject to the national standards regime, even where they get public money. QPEC has reported that National is to increase the funding to private schools by [...] read more
  December 13, 2008 10:51 am - 35 Comments
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  A Green New Deal for Aotearoa? - by frog

  
  
  
  Green Party candidate Gareth Hughes has published a call on Scoop for a Green New Deal here in NZ, citing similar plans overseas: In the 1930s President Roosevelt termed his economic plan to lift the U.S. out of the Great Depression the ‘New Deal’ and now in the twenty-first century environmental commentators are calling for [...] read more
  December 12, 2008 12:15 pm - 103 Comments
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  Spot the Tui advert - by frog

  
  
  
  This came out on Wednesday from Pharmac: PHARMAC statement on Herceptin 12 month funding Press Release by PHARMAC at 10:57 am, 10 Dec 2008 PHARMAC has played its part in the decision to fund 12 months Herceptin and will continue to assist the government as required. PHARMAC’s role has included providing information as necessary, and [...] read more
  December 12, 2008 9:52 am - 45 Comments
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  Greens make bills available if Nats won’t - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  I’ve only just realised, after enquiries with the Parliamentary Library, that even though the Nats made the bills being discussed under urgency available in printed form at about 11.35pm last night, they were not being made available in electronic form. How on earth can the public engage in the discussion if they can’t get access [...] read more
  December 11, 2008 5:06 pm - 44 Comments
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  The Price of Silence - by frog

  
  
  
  Further to my post yesterday about the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, there is this lovely music video from Amnesty International: It is a cogent reminder that when we remain silent in the face of arcane legislation like the current Immigration Bill or last year’s Terrorism Amendment Act, we allow [...] read more
  December 11, 2008 12:15 pm - 6 Comments
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  Nobody expects the climate change Inquisition - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Parliament has just voted to set up the Inquisition/Select Committee into whether we should base our approach to climate change on science or not. The purpose of the committee is to delay action on climate change and was established under the terms of Act’s confidence and supply agreement. National, Act, Maori, United voted for it. [...] read more
  December 11, 2008 12:06 pm - 25 Comments
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  Hide against the people going to court - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Rodney Hide on Morning Report this morning has nailed his colours to the mast . He has come out for restricting the rights of ordinary citizens to appeal decisions of consent panels. Here’s what he said: Allowing just any Tom Dick and Harry to appeal something [to the environment court] is a recipe for endless [...] read more
  December 11, 2008 10:06 am - 105 Comments
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  Nats hit new democratic low - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Sitting in the House. Gerry Brownlee has just told the House that he has the bills that are to be debated under urgency but he won’t table them. What this means is that MPs are going to have to vote and debate bills they will not see until it is tabled. This gives the first [...] read more
  December 10, 2008 11:27 pm - 16 Comments
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  Nats tax bill costs the low paid - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Nats yesterday introduced their tax bill. They dropped the bill on parliament without giving anyone a chance to read it before it hit the house and are pushing it through under urgency without giving a select committee or anyone else a chance to examine it properly. Even the Regulatory Impact Assessment stated that they hadn’t [...] read more
  December 10, 2008 9:14 pm - 34 Comments
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  The efficient market - by frog

  
  
  
  This poster says all that needs to be said about just how efficient “free” markets are at separating hard working taxpayers from their money: The efficiency with which the financial markets (and now the real economy) are fleecing the taxpayers to pay for their own excesses is astounding. Now our government is saying that in [...] read more
  December 10, 2008 3:15 pm - 44 Comments
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  60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration - by frog

  
  
  
  On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The rights seem so simple and so obvious that we in New Zealand quite easily take them for granted. The document is not legally binding in the way a treaty is, but it does formally [...] read more
  December 10, 2008 10:58 am - 34 Comments
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  George Monbiot gives Yvo de Boer a serve - by frog

  
  
  
  In a new Guardian video series entitled Monbiot meets…, George gives the United Nations chief climate change negotiator Yvo de Boer a serve, and asks if the Kyoto protocol is too little too late for the planet. This version of the video is from eco-tube.com. We all know now that a carbon tax would have [...] read more
  December 9, 2008 11:34 am - 62 Comments
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  Should Australia become a Republic? - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s an important question for Australians, with ramifications for New Zealand. Australian Green Senator Bob Brown has introduced legislation requiring a simple yes or no referendum at the 2010 election. The last time a referendum was held in 1999, it was soundly defeated, but Brown claims that this was because the government of the day [...] read more
  December 8, 2008 11:58 am - 114 Comments
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  Buy Kiwi Made gets the axe - by frog

  
  
  
  It’s was no surprise to me when Gerry Brownlee stated on Saturday that the Buy Kiwi Made programme will get the chop. Part of the cooperation agreement between the Greens and Labour in 2005, it brought to life the long standing vision of the late Rod Donald. It is ironic that just as we despearately need [...] read more
  December 8, 2008 9:04 am - 99 Comments
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  The Attitude Awards – A TABS Wake up Call - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  Yesterday was World Disability Day, and last night the inaugural Attitude Awards ceremony was held at Sky City. The TVNZ programme “Attitude” that celebrates the achievements of people living with impairments created the “Attitude Awards” which were sponsored by a range of businesses and ACC. One in five people in Aotearoa live with an impairment, [...] read more
  December 4, 2008 4:37 pm - 139 Comments
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  Dolphin CSI – National crisis - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  Forest & Bird has released photos and data showing increased Hector’s and Maui’s dolphin mutilation: Forest & Bird obtained data from DOC under the Official Information Act about the number of Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins found mutilated round New Zealand’s coastline. The records show there have been 36 cases of dolphins found mutilated since 1980, [...] read more
  December 4, 2008 1:27 pm - 6 Comments
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  ‘RentExpress’ an express route to disaster - by Sue Bradford

  
  
  
  I am alarmed – to put it mildly – by this week’s news of a new company established with the sole purpose of making it easy for tenants to pay their rent by credit card. Based in Auckland’s K’Rd, ‘RentExpress’ charges tenants a ‘small’ fee for the privilege of paying their rent on tick. Landlords [...] read more
  December 3, 2008 11:03 am - 28 Comments
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  The Big Ask: Act Now! - by frog

  
  
  
  Friends of the Earth and their friends have produced a moving video message for our politicians, The Big Ask. The video really says what needs to be said: I have to ask of course, but is that Don Elder playing the suit? Now that the suits are in charge of new Zealand’s climate change negotiators [...] read more
  December 3, 2008 9:55 am - 32 Comments