The Treaty of Waitangi talks about rights that are not lessened through the passage of time… It talks about sharing New Zealand so that all Kiwis can reap the rewards of living in this great country…
“The essential issue is that the biotech industry, the food processors who use its products, and anti-GMO groups nationwide recognize the trend setting potential of this upcoming vote. If voters in the most populous state pass this labeling initiative it could galvanize citizens in other states to follow. They also recognize, given a growing public awareness and avoidance of GM foods, that the final outcome of such a trend may be radical: the end of GM poisons in most of the nation’s diet. Battle over.
Will California voters play the role of the no-name gunfighter who confronts and defeats El Diablo Monsanto and his gang in that Spaghetti Western?”
But does not want to direct attention away from a “workable” coalition with Labour?
Maybe if we get some more interesting postings it may stimulate debate?
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Trevor29
Posted August 1, 2012 at 8:22 AM
Mining as such is not a problem, Pollution from mining activities is a problem. Extracting oil and gas as such is not the problem. Burning oil and gas just for power generation or fueling increasingly heavier and faster cars is a problem.
A wind farm could be developed in Northland to help their labour issues and save on coal and gas used for power generation.
Trevor.
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Gerrit
Posted August 1, 2012 at 10:25 AM
Trevor,
Pollution from mining activities is a problem.
What type of mining do you have in mind that does not cause some upheaval?
Frankly there is none.
Even dredging for ironsand on the sea floor causes upheaval.
Wind power, whilst employing the majority (mainly highly skilled contractors and suppliers) at construction, does not require many to run operationally. No great numbers of jobs there.
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Gregor W
Posted August 1, 2012 at 10:56 AM
What type of mining do you have in mind that does not cause some upheaval?
@ Gerrit
I agree, but the operator can certainly clean up the mess afterwards as part of any extraction license.
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dbuckley
Posted August 1, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Seems like frogblog is dying. So few comments on any post.
Well worth discussing. I somewhat agree; the government’s job is to provide the conditions necessary that enable businesses to start, grow and thrive.
Unless the government start running productive, export-capable businesses themselves (which is not what a government should be doing) then the government can’t actually create wealth, or jobs, or opportunities. It is the business sector’s function to do those things.
So businesses will define our future, if we (through our government) allow it to. If we don’t, then we don’t have a future.
The trick is for government to provide the conditions for good businesses to be created. We don’t need more farming or tourism, and we don’t want perishable stuff that has to travel in containers for weeks to generate income.
dbuckley-It seems that the Pacific Fibre proposal has died a death because as a country we now lack self belief in completing large projects, or a government that refuses to encourage this. The contracting out of our rail engines and rolling stock directly impacted on our local work force and the lack of support for them caused the demise of our railway workshops. We were able to build an amazing rail infrastructure in our early history when we had a small population and the technology was in its infancy and yet it was judged we weren’t capable of doing something similar again and contracted out. Isn’t it ironic that the engines have not been construction at a level of quality we could have done ourselves.
It is also interesting that my comments and links have received multiple dislikes but no engagement that provides any constructive criticism or alternative view. Those who respond in that way are just ideological cowards.
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Gerrit
Posted August 1, 2012 at 9:18 PM
sprout,
Maybe people would rather discuss, what is on your mind, here instead of on your blog?
… and if it ever gets to where you CAN see it that way the excrement has already hit the rotating air impeller and we’re all wearing it.
… but you won’t see it at your boat ramp just yet. Really. Measure now and in 2060 and you’ll probably see something… and something more in 2070 and more in 80 and it’ll burp when one of the big Ice Sheets lets go. I am calling it 1.4 to 1.7 meters by the end of the century, and 3 to 5 by 2200, and 8+ by 2300… and if we hit the first number there is nothing on earth we can do to prevent the second and third.
How much is the tide there… and can YOU measure it to the millimeter?
Not even going to respond to the notion that it’s cold here, or there, or warm here or there. Global is the word in front of warming. Local temperature on this time scale is just weather. Even the drought and heat in the US right now… doesn’t show warming… it is merely what warming can be expected to look like.
Besides… I am far more fixated now on the issue of the monetary system and the economy being the ONLY means to actual effective environmental results. Anything done with laws and regulations and conferences and agreements is temporary relief at best and is doomed to being totally ineffective in the long run if not simply starting out that way.
The economic demand for growth in the current system is inimical to any long term environmental plan that does not address it… and it WILL overcome any regulation, tax, agreement or treaty placed in its way.
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Gerrit
Posted August 2, 2012 at 7:50 AM
BJ,
This ties in with the ETS discussion.
Problem is that you are asking people to believe in a notional fact of global warming where the only solution is more state hands in the back pocket extracting even more taxation.
People WANT to believe the prophets that there is global warming but when they see no real (as in their interpretation) of warmer climates and rising sea levels, then the question of weariness of yet another state ploy to increase taxation for undefined reasons sets in.
We have a long long long history of being sucked in (the latest is Auckland city amalgation was going to create lower cost through efficiencies) by the state to increase taxation to fix an apparent wrong.
I think we are getting (maybe that is why so few comment on postings by Green team members here) to the stage where the populace just does not trust the state to look out for the people.
Your plans to change the banking system should be taken up by the Greens but I think their eyes are more on how they can coexist with a Labour party in government in 2014.
At least Holly Walker had the gumption to stand up to the non-sense that was Labours proposed union non transparency on the lobbyist bill.
Where is the Russel Norman fabled leadership on this or any other matter?
Not a dicky bird lately.
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Trevor29
Posted August 2, 2012 at 8:28 AM
I had a quick look at the Green Party’s web site (not that easy to find the link from frogblog) to see where AGW featured. It doesn’t get a mention on the front page, but there is an Issues link. However the Issues page does not mention:
- AGW
- ocean acidification
- peak oil/peak gas/peak uranium
and there are probably a number of other big issues that should also be mentioned.
I believe each of these issues should have at least a page of their own, describing the issue and referring to other sites as required, and including Green Party policy where appropriate. In the case of AGW, I believe that there needs to be a set of pages countering the deniers’ spin by linking to the real evidence.
Trevor.
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MikeM
Posted August 2, 2012 at 11:12 AM
This morning I stumbled through a series of random links that ended at Benjamin Henning’s maps, which are a result of his research to geographically visualise resources and activities.
My favourite map is the Biodiversity Hotspot Regions map, which shows New Zealand as being a significant hot-spot, whereas Australia (which NZ keeps trying to mimic for some reason) barely rates.
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bjchip
Posted August 2, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Used to be a link to the answers to some common arguments out there.
I’ll have to have a look. Seems to me that in some ways we’ve won (the science) and in other ways we’ve lost (the public) and that the party HAS focused more on social issues, mostly because those are what the public is interested in and because some things are just assumed.
After all- we’re “Greens” aren’t we. Sets of beliefs have to be there. We DO have policies around these things but it should be in the front, not hiding. Not all assumptions are created equal.
Gerrit, I am more than prepared to have discussions here and often do and to satisfy your need to have the full argument expressed on the comment thread here is something to get your teeth into:
Despite the fact that education is one of the few sectors in New Zealand that is performing well in international terms this National led Government have spent a good amount of time, money and angst to force through comprehensive systemic change. Rather than have a high quality public system that has been built on a culture of collaboration and research, they want to introduce a more competitive culture where schools will be compared and ranked by targeted criteria. The fact that there has been no support for this approach in research and that no high performing eduction system uses this model has been deliberately ignored.
Martin Thrupp’s research into how National Standards have had an impact on the learning culture of schools has already come up with clear indications that concerning changes have occurred. Our narrow focus on literacy and numeracy has seen other learning areas suffer and a decline in science achievement and engagement has already been noted.
Even though the Prime Minister has admitted that their National Standards system has produced ropey data and Hekia Parata’s attempt at increasing class sizes was comprehensively rejected, National are determined to push through with their ideological agenda. Today we had an announcement regarding the final details of their version of Charter Schools, that they have named “Partnership Schools”. These are essentially private schools supported by public money that do not have to follow the same criteria and regulations as public schools and have had mixed success elsewhere.
National has always supported the private model over comprehensive public education and their $35 million increase in funding to private schooling when they first took power was an indication of their priorities. Their new Partnership Schools will not only have the security of government funding but they can also receive sponsorship from outside organisations and Brian Tamaki has indicate an interest in opening a school. While these schools will need to provide National Standards data they do not have to follow our National Curriculum and they are also not required to have registered teachers.
The strengths of a strong public education system is that whatever the socio economic background of a child, there is an expectation that they can attend a local school that is funded appropriately to the needs of the community; be taught by registered teachers (who are required to meet prescribed professional standards); and have their learning occur within in a national curriculum so that there is consistency between all schools (especially helpful for our many transient children).
National do not value professionalism, which was clear when they lowered the 100% qualified teacher target for early childhood education to 80% to save money on teacher salaries. Since being in government, National have been determined to shut out professional involvement when establishing National Standards and any collaboration that has occurred it has been under the understanding that policy can’t be questioned. What they don’t appear to understand is that it is the quality of the teacher in the classroom that determines the quality of the teaching and learning and raising the status and improving the professional support for teachers would make the most positive difference. Allowing the likes of Brian Tamaki to receive government support to establish his own school, using his own curriculum and employing teachers who will only have to pass police vetting rings alarm bells for me.
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Gerrit
Posted August 2, 2012 at 2:08 PM
sprout,
Nice cut and paste.
Comments
1- If the international standard is very low then the NZL standard is very low as well. What is the best possible standard NZL should be aiming for? Who in the world has the best standard?
2- Have the teachers asked the parents what they would prefer for their schools. Be aware of how their school, they are sending their kids to, compares with curicullum attainment standard in other schools, or should they rely on the teachers to say that their kids are a fully educated as possible.
3- Science and Technical subjects have long been on the decline. National standards are highlighting that and as such remedial action can be taken.
4- You comment “have their learning occur within in a national curriculum”. If you dont nmeasure outputs to a standard (be it national or sinterschool or internal school) how do you know you have a worthwhile education system?
5- You against ALL private schools or only those that receive state support?
6- Charter Schools are the way of the future. Again it will be the parents that decide if tyhe local state school or the charter school provides the best eduction for their children. If Bryan Tamakis flock want to set up an education facility that is up to them. Nothing to stop you setting one up if you feel strongly about what you want to see taught.
7- Childhood eduction requires dedicated and certified teachers. But the situation currently is that ALL workers (even the nappy changers, bottle feeders and strory readers, etc.) need to be tertiary qualified. Many mums are higher “qualified” to do those “menial” jobs. Leaving the planning and teaching aspects to the suitably qualified teachers.
The 80% was purely to get common sense back into a strangled situation.
8- And should we ask employers how well the secondary and tertiary institutions are turning out young adults ready to earn money and pay the taxes? After all they are the “end users” of the education product.
9- Maybe we should abolish compulsory teaching to kids and make it for parent to decide if the children should go to school.
10- I know of two familes who home schooled and noted that to fulfill the curriculum it only took three hours per day of concentrated endeavour to meet the current standards. Are we getting the best buck for out money through the state school system.
Charter schools are simply a means to break the last vestige of trade union rights and to give the private sector unrestricted access to the tax dollars spent on education.
The private sector that is so good at education that most private schools had to be bailed out by tax payers.
Actually, as often said here, Finland has the highest standards. By doing almost the exact opposite of National/treasury policies.
The USA has already led the way in showing the stupidity of charter schools and voucher systems.
Teaching b-s such as creationism, teaching only enough to be cannon foddor for industry and teaching to narrow standards which do not allow the full richness of learning is child abuse.
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SPC
Posted August 2, 2012 at 3:23 PM
The USA use to operate the HUAC (House Un-American Activities committee) that acted as a form of political legitimacy to both surveillance and subversion of left wing groups during the Cold War (by the FBI). Recently George W Bush directed the illegal surveillance of Americans by the FBI and rather than impeach him for it – the US Congress (2006 election Democrat majority and all) retrospectively legislated to allow it.
Now this attitide is endemic (bi-partisan) across American institutions.
New documents reveal that the federal Counter-Terrorism Unit is creating reports and maintaining files about the writing, interviews, and lectures of journalists who are critical of the government’s repression of political activists.
One wonders whether this political repression includes targeting the critics of the corporate position on GW and such trade imperialism as the TPP (and ACTA etc), and also Occupy Wall Street activists.
One wonders when China, Russia and the USA meet in the middle – whether they will all have similar closed two party (bi-partisan political corporate oligarchy) system too.
1- If the international standard is very low then the NZL standard is very low as well. What is the best possible standard NZL should be aiming for? Who in the world has the best standard?
We should never accept that we have reached “the standard” but be striving to make our great education system even better. It is hard to say which country is the best because each country has different social and cultural contexts to work in. Finland is often regarded as the best educational performer but they have a monocultural society and no extremes of poverty. We are multicultural (around 25% of our children who sat the international PISA assessment had English as a second language) and 50% of our children experience poverty at some stage in their childhood.
2- Have the teachers asked the parents what they would prefer for their schools. Be aware of how their school, they are sending their kids to, compares with curicullum attainment standard in other schools, or should they rely on the teachers to say that their kids are a fully educated as possible.
The National Curriculum requires schools to consult with their community to create their school curriculum that will best meet the needs of that community. This process was limited by the introduction of National Standards.
3- Science and Technical subjects have long been on the decline. National standards are highlighting that and as such remedial action can be taken.
National Standards could never highlight the decline of science and technology teaching as they only assess reading, writing and numeracy. The introduction of National Standards accelerated the decline, especially when all the advisors to these learning areas were sacked by this Government.
4- You comment “have their learning occur within in a national curriculum”. If you dont nmeasure outputs to a standard (be it national or sinterschool or internal school) how do you know you have a worthwhile education system?
We have always assessed progress according standardized norms (P.A.Ts etc) all good schools do this. ERO also allows parents to compare schools performance through their reports but comparing one school against another via a league table is seriously flawed.
5- You against ALL private schools or only those that receive state support?
We already have private schools that receive state support and they got a huge increase in funding ($35 million) by this government to ensure that they could maintain the low class sizes that they advertise as being a key advantage between them and state schools. I am opposed to any system that creates unfair advantages for one school over another and creates a system of winners and losers. All children deserve a good education not just those whose parents can afford it. Gareth Morgan is right to defend public schools and his children have succeeded well because of them.
6- Charter Schools are the way of the future. Again it will be the parents that decide if tyhe local state school or the charter school provides the best eduction for their children. If Bryan Tamakis flock want to set up an education facility that is up to them. Nothing to stop you setting one up if you feel strongly about what you want to see taught.
And what provides the checks and balances to ensure what is taught is reasonable? We already have a system of autonomous schools that have reasonable flexibility. I don’t want to see a proliferation of schools that have no trained teachers and teach according to the beliefs of radical cults.
7- Childhood eduction requires dedicated and certified teachers. But the situation currently is that ALL workers (even the nappy changers, bottle feeders and strory readers, etc.) need to be tertiary qualified. Many mums are higher “qualified” to do those “menial” jobs. Leaving the planning and teaching aspects to the suitably qualified teachers.
The 80% was purely to get common sense back into a strangled situation.
It all depends if you want just caring or education. Read the Early Childhood curriculum.
8- And should we ask employers how well the secondary and tertiary institutions are turning out young adults ready to earn money and pay the taxes? After all they are the “end users” of the education product.
This is already done and the current curriculum had much input from employers.
9- Maybe we should abolish compulsory teaching to kids and make it for parent to decide if the children should go to school.
This is already catered for and parents are able to home school if the wish.
10- I know of two familes who home schooled and noted that to fulfill the curriculum it only took three hours per day of concentrated endeavour to meet the current standards. Are we getting the best buck for out money through the state school system.
My children have gone through the state system, they are both able students and have been extended well in their schools. My son currently attends University and is getting straight As. While at primary school he sat some international assessments and achieved distinctions. I am happy with our public system.
11- Why not go 100% private and use vouchers?
Name a country where this has worked?
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MikeM
Posted August 2, 2012 at 10:57 PM
New topic: Can I just ask — Is there some I’m missing about Colin Craig which causes the general kiwi media to care so much about broadcasting what he thinks? (Most recently on the marriage equality topic.) The guy’s party spent $33.89 per vote. With that effort he still couldn’t buy his way into the House of Representatives that actually gets to vote on the Bill which he’s being given such a platform to speak about. He’s not even relevant.
Is it just because he’s the most accessible figure who’ll come up with a wacky controversial quote? Surely there are MP’s who were elected by people to represent them, and who’ll therefore actually be voting on the Bill who’d be more relevant to interview compared with this kind of stuff.
Charter schools are simply a means to break the last vestige of trade union rights and to give the private sector access to tax dollars spent on education.
The private sector that is so good at education that most private schools had to be bailed out by tax payers.
Note; that despite all the tax payer dollars and effort poured into charter schools in the USA, 83% do not do any better than State schools. The majority do worse. Given the poor performance of State schooling in the USA generally that is not a recommendation. (Stanford University Study)
Why follow the disaster that is schooling and health in the USA.
We will see a few initial Potemkin charter schools do well, then the poor results of others will be buried.
They will not have any better results than resourcing State schools properly, to use already proven programs to reduce the tail. Successful programs such as remedial reading and Teacher aids in every classroom are being starved of funds so the Government can fund ideological nightmares such as charter schools.
If NACT was serious about bringing up educational achievement they would be working on reducing child poverty and funding extra help at early primary level for those falling behind, instead of gifting the private sector money out of education funding.
If the private sector are so good at education why don’t they start their own schools. Wait! they did. We are paying to bail them out right now!
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dbuckley
Posted August 3, 2012 at 9:49 AM
There are two things from the New York charter school experience I’d like to see replicated here.
The first is that pupils are selected by lottery from the applicants to avoid cherry-picking. Secondly is that any charter school that fails to outperform its surrounding public schools has its licence terminated.
What happens to the kids when their school is closed?
Aren’t their social networks and relationship with Teachers important.
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SPC
Posted August 3, 2012 at 7:03 PM
MikeM, Hooton the NBR columnist is of the opinion that the next government will be a coalition of National, NZ First and Conservatives.
NZ First providing the over 65 vote in support of National’s super policy and the Conservatives offering the votes of the middle class and poor with religious morality indoctrination (judgment of others imposed by law, except beating up children).
I found it sad that the Q &A panel discussion on Charter Schools didn’t focus on widespread poverty being the main contributing factor to educational underachievement. No matter how good the education system is, it can’t fully counter the huge deficits that children may have when they enter the school gates.
Sprout – So, what’s the problem? Metiria will be completely happy with an “anarchist approach”? Or was that in the past and now she supports the exact opposite? (as I suspect so )
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MikeM
Posted August 6, 2012 at 11:24 AM
Thanks, @sprout. That was an interesting read, but I have trouble with how your say that “the National Party fails to understand New Zealand’s historic commitment to preserving these natural environments”. The longer this goes on, I just become more and more convinced that the current government simply doesn’t care about New Zealand’s historic commitment to preserving natural environments, or to World Heritage status. It’s an inconvenience to the wider plans (if such plans even exist) which they’d sooner not have, so why bother caring about it?
But hey, kiwis voted for this philosophy in government. What does that say?
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bjchip
Posted August 7, 2012 at 10:16 AM
New Zealand Inc, and the National Party seem intent on pursuing the American Dream. I have a hot news flash for them. You don’t eat it, IT – eats YOU.
This has to end, and the only way to end it is to rearrange the economic system of the country. Not the USA, THIS country, and we aren’t advocating that properly, if at all.
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bjchip
Posted August 7, 2012 at 11:39 AM
National’s philosophy and its results – in one picture
The profession’s mistake was to allow “a rather restricted and blinkered view of the dynamics of social and economic systems [to be] carried across into how public policy was thought about and executed”.
He said the error was not driven by economists seeking financial gain but “the quest for certainty”. But their error was to think of the assumptions used to build economic models as cast-iron laws.
“A concept gets formalised and then gets socialised and then believed as an almost theological doctrine,” he said. “The notion of not knowing, of imperfect information, of uncertainty, got lost from economics and finance for the better part of 20 or 30 years.
“I think one of the great errors we as economists made was that we started believing the assumptions of economics, and saying things that made no intellectual sense. We started to believe that what were assumptions were actually a description of reality, and therefore that the models were a description of reality, and therefore were dependable for policy analysis.
“With hindsight, that was a pretty significant error.”
I’m getting used to the NZ Herald editorials being bent towards Nationals rightwing policy direction… In fact they’ve been completely devoid of objectivity and journalistic integrity lately…
If we look at a Labour Green Mana Maori coalition (workable?) they just edge out the Nats by one seat but not the Nats and Act coalition.
With David Shearer conversion to National ideals
We have a social contract in New Zealand It works like this: if you need help because of something unexpected: an accident, a loss, or if misfortune befalls you, you will be supported.
But once you’re back on your own feet, we expect you to pull your weight once again and contribute back to society.
The Government’s role is to ensure that this transition happens – through up-skilling, education and a nudge behind those not meeting their side of the contract.
expect the Greens to have argue with Labour and to dead rat swallow many centrist policies.
That is IF Labour gets better poll results.
The Maori water rights issue is not a problem, it seems, for the National party. Their “testicles” are made from good solid stock it would seem.
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MikeM
Posted August 8, 2012 at 2:29 PM
@Gerrit, the linked TVNZ Colmar Brunton poll doesn’t state how many people had no opinion or wouldn’t vote, unless it’s the remaining 1% that’s not accounted for in the numbers.
If they’re properly administered polls then surely they must get people who refuse to give an opinion, mustn’t they? Who do such people typically vote for, if they actually vote?
You forgot to mention the lack of land lines at the traditional Labour voter residence as a reason for these “rogue” polls.
I dont claim to know how the polls are organised or their accuracy. I just note thqat when the Greens were on over 15%, the polls were correct. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
sprout,
If the women voters are loosing their interest and support in John Key then they surely are not allocating their mindset towards Labour leadership.
John Banks is innocent – so is Dr Nick – so is Kim Dot and so am I
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http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/national-party-ultimate-steampunks.html
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More homelessness under National
Heatley’s legacy will be one of social failure for generations to come…
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Justice’R us
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New Zealand’s “Poor List” deserves greater attention:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/rich-list-poor-list.html
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The Treaty of Waitangi talks about rights that are not lessened through the passage of time… It talks about sharing New Zealand so that all Kiwis can reap the rewards of living in this great country…
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The State of California is heading for GE showdown with Monsanto.
Great article @ Counterpunch.
“The essential issue is that the biotech industry, the food processors who use its products, and anti-GMO groups nationwide recognize the trend setting potential of this upcoming vote. If voters in the most populous state pass this labeling initiative it could galvanize citizens in other states to follow. They also recognize, given a growing public awareness and avoidance of GM foods, that the final outcome of such a trend may be radical: the end of GM poisons in most of the nation’s diet. Battle over.
Will California voters play the role of the no-name gunfighter who confronts and defeats El Diablo Monsanto and his gang in that Spaghetti Western?”
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Jackal, I responded to Keeping Stock’s support of Jones and seem to have few wanting to challenge it, I find Jones’ ignorance and patronizing attitude appalling.
http://keepingstock.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/jones-on-treaty.html
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Seems like frogblog is dying. So few comments on any post.
Lack of interest?
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I hadn’t noticed any falloff really, work is keeping me busy just now.
There is nobody here to dispute the warming that is happening anymore? (Which would cause me to make more time somehow)
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BJ,
The warming (been cold up here lately) is not happening and the sea level is not rising on the boat ramp.
Will that get the ball rolling?
Maybe the posting put up by the Green team are shallow and uncontentious?
Or is the Green team mindful that in 2014 they may have to work with Labour to form a government.
Will the Greens decide to “work” with a Labour party that wants to mine minerals?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10817595
But does not want to direct attention away from a “workable” coalition with Labour?
Maybe if we get some more interesting postings it may stimulate debate?
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Mining as such is not a problem, Pollution from mining activities is a problem. Extracting oil and gas as such is not the problem. Burning oil and gas just for power generation or fueling increasingly heavier and faster cars is a problem.
A wind farm could be developed in Northland to help their labour issues and save on coal and gas used for power generation.
Trevor.
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Trevor,
What type of mining do you have in mind that does not cause some upheaval?
Frankly there is none.
Even dredging for ironsand on the sea floor causes upheaval.
Wind power, whilst employing the majority (mainly highly skilled contractors and suppliers) at construction, does not require many to run operationally. No great numbers of jobs there.
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What type of mining do you have in mind that does not cause some upheaval?
@ Gerrit
I agree, but the operator can certainly clean up the mess afterwards as part of any extraction license.
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Endless streams of uninteresting topics.
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Here’s something worth discussing dbuckley-New Zealand business should not define our future, but support it. We should be able to rely on our Government to provide direction of our economic development, not market forces.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/economic-leadership-lacking.html
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Unless the government start running productive, export-capable businesses themselves (which is not what a government should be doing) then the government can’t actually create wealth, or jobs, or opportunities. It is the business sector’s function to do those things.
So businesses will define our future, if we (through our government) allow it to. If we don’t, then we don’t have a future.
The trick is for government to provide the conditions for good businesses to be created. We don’t need more farming or tourism, and we don’t want perishable stuff that has to travel in containers for weeks to generate income.
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And in other news: Pacific Fibre goes titsup.com
Very sad. Now Telecom really will have a field day.
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dbuckley-It seems that the Pacific Fibre proposal has died a death because as a country we now lack self belief in completing large projects, or a government that refuses to encourage this. The contracting out of our rail engines and rolling stock directly impacted on our local work force and the lack of support for them caused the demise of our railway workshops. We were able to build an amazing rail infrastructure in our early history when we had a small population and the technology was in its infancy and yet it was judged we weren’t capable of doing something similar again and contracted out. Isn’t it ironic that the engines have not been construction at a level of quality we could have done ourselves.
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It is also interesting that my comments and links have received multiple dislikes but no engagement that provides any constructive criticism or alternative view. Those who respond in that way are just ideological cowards.
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sprout,
Maybe people would rather discuss, what is on your mind, here instead of on your blog?
Linky love is a poor form of having a discussion.
Puts you in the same class as Jackal.
Cowards ??
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You won’t see it with a MK I eyeball yet –
http://www.niwa.co.nz/publications/wa/vol9-no4-december-2001/sea-level-on-the-move
http://www.nature.com/climate/2010/1004/full/climate.2010.29.html
… and if it ever gets to where you CAN see it that way the excrement has already hit the rotating air impeller and we’re all wearing it.
… but you won’t see it at your boat ramp just yet. Really. Measure now and in 2060 and you’ll probably see something… and something more in 2070 and more in 80 and it’ll burp when one of the big Ice Sheets lets go. I am calling it 1.4 to 1.7 meters by the end of the century, and 3 to 5 by 2200, and 8+ by 2300… and if we hit the first number there is nothing on earth we can do to prevent the second and third.
How much is the tide there… and can YOU measure it to the millimeter?
Not even going to respond to the notion that it’s cold here, or there, or warm here or there. Global is the word in front of warming. Local temperature on this time scale is just weather. Even the drought and heat in the US right now… doesn’t show warming… it is merely what warming can be expected to look like.
Besides… I am far more fixated now on the issue of the monetary system and the economy being the ONLY means to actual effective environmental results. Anything done with laws and regulations and conferences and agreements is temporary relief at best and is doomed to being totally ineffective in the long run if not simply starting out that way.
The economic demand for growth in the current system is inimical to any long term environmental plan that does not address it… and it WILL overcome any regulation, tax, agreement or treaty placed in its way.
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BJ,
This ties in with the ETS discussion.
Problem is that you are asking people to believe in a notional fact of global warming where the only solution is more state hands in the back pocket extracting even more taxation.
People WANT to believe the prophets that there is global warming but when they see no real (as in their interpretation) of warmer climates and rising sea levels, then the question of weariness of yet another state ploy to increase taxation for undefined reasons sets in.
We have a long long long history of being sucked in (the latest is Auckland city amalgation was going to create lower cost through efficiencies) by the state to increase taxation to fix an apparent wrong.
I think we are getting (maybe that is why so few comment on postings by Green team members here) to the stage where the populace just does not trust the state to look out for the people.
Your plans to change the banking system should be taken up by the Greens but I think their eyes are more on how they can coexist with a Labour party in government in 2014.
At least Holly Walker had the gumption to stand up to the non-sense that was Labours proposed union non transparency on the lobbyist bill.
Where is the Russel Norman fabled leadership on this or any other matter?
Not a dicky bird lately.
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I had a quick look at the Green Party’s web site (not that easy to find the link from frogblog) to see where AGW featured. It doesn’t get a mention on the front page, but there is an Issues link. However the Issues page does not mention:
- AGW
- ocean acidification
- peak oil/peak gas/peak uranium
and there are
probablya number of other big issues that should also be mentioned.I believe each of these issues should have at least a page of their own, describing the issue and referring to other sites as required, and including Green Party policy where appropriate. In the case of AGW, I believe that there needs to be a set of pages countering the deniers’ spin by linking to the real evidence.
Trevor.
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This morning I stumbled through a series of random links that ended at Benjamin Henning’s maps, which are a result of his research to geographically visualise resources and activities.
My favourite map is the Biodiversity Hotspot Regions map, which shows New Zealand as being a significant hot-spot, whereas Australia (which NZ keeps trying to mimic for some reason) barely rates.
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Used to be a link to the answers to some common arguments out there.
I’ll have to have a look. Seems to me that in some ways we’ve won (the science) and in other ways we’ve lost (the public) and that the party HAS focused more on social issues, mostly because those are what the public is interested in and because some things are just assumed.
After all- we’re “Greens” aren’t we. Sets of beliefs have to be there. We DO have policies around these things but it should be in the front, not hiding. Not all assumptions are created equal.
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Despite the fact that education is one of the few sectors in New Zealand that is performing well in international terms this National led Government have spent a good amount of time, money and angst to force through comprehensive systemic change. Rather than have a high quality public system that has been built on a culture of collaboration and research, they want to introduce a more competitive culture where schools will be compared and ranked by targeted criteria. The fact that there has been no support for this approach in research and that no high performing eduction system uses this model has been deliberately ignored.
Martin Thrupp’s research into how National Standards have had an impact on the learning culture of schools has already come up with clear indications that concerning changes have occurred. Our narrow focus on literacy and numeracy has seen other learning areas suffer and a decline in science achievement and engagement has already been noted.
Even though the Prime Minister has admitted that their National Standards system has produced ropey data and Hekia Parata’s attempt at increasing class sizes was comprehensively rejected, National are determined to push through with their ideological agenda. Today we had an announcement regarding the final details of their version of Charter Schools, that they have named “Partnership Schools”. These are essentially private schools supported by public money that do not have to follow the same criteria and regulations as public schools and have had mixed success elsewhere.
National has always supported the private model over comprehensive public education and their $35 million increase in funding to private schooling when they first took power was an indication of their priorities. Their new Partnership Schools will not only have the security of government funding but they can also receive sponsorship from outside organisations and Brian Tamaki has indicate an interest in opening a school. While these schools will need to provide National Standards data they do not have to follow our National Curriculum and they are also not required to have registered teachers.
The strengths of a strong public education system is that whatever the socio economic background of a child, there is an expectation that they can attend a local school that is funded appropriately to the needs of the community; be taught by registered teachers (who are required to meet prescribed professional standards); and have their learning occur within in a national curriculum so that there is consistency between all schools (especially helpful for our many transient children).
National do not value professionalism, which was clear when they lowered the 100% qualified teacher target for early childhood education to 80% to save money on teacher salaries. Since being in government, National have been determined to shut out professional involvement when establishing National Standards and any collaboration that has occurred it has been under the understanding that policy can’t be questioned. What they don’t appear to understand is that it is the quality of the teacher in the classroom that determines the quality of the teaching and learning and raising the status and improving the professional support for teachers would make the most positive difference. Allowing the likes of Brian Tamaki to receive government support to establish his own school, using his own curriculum and employing teachers who will only have to pass police vetting rings alarm bells for me.
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sprout,
Nice cut and paste.
Comments
1- If the international standard is very low then the NZL standard is very low as well. What is the best possible standard NZL should be aiming for? Who in the world has the best standard?
2- Have the teachers asked the parents what they would prefer for their schools. Be aware of how their school, they are sending their kids to, compares with curicullum attainment standard in other schools, or should they rely on the teachers to say that their kids are a fully educated as possible.
3- Science and Technical subjects have long been on the decline. National standards are highlighting that and as such remedial action can be taken.
4- You comment “have their learning occur within in a national curriculum”. If you dont nmeasure outputs to a standard (be it national or sinterschool or internal school) how do you know you have a worthwhile education system?
5- You against ALL private schools or only those that receive state support?
6- Charter Schools are the way of the future. Again it will be the parents that decide if tyhe local state school or the charter school provides the best eduction for their children. If Bryan Tamakis flock want to set up an education facility that is up to them. Nothing to stop you setting one up if you feel strongly about what you want to see taught.
7- Childhood eduction requires dedicated and certified teachers. But the situation currently is that ALL workers (even the nappy changers, bottle feeders and strory readers, etc.) need to be tertiary qualified. Many mums are higher “qualified” to do those “menial” jobs. Leaving the planning and teaching aspects to the suitably qualified teachers.
The 80% was purely to get common sense back into a strangled situation.
8- And should we ask employers how well the secondary and tertiary institutions are turning out young adults ready to earn money and pay the taxes? After all they are the “end users” of the education product.
9- Maybe we should abolish compulsory teaching to kids and make it for parent to decide if the children should go to school.
10- I know of two familes who home schooled and noted that to fulfill the curriculum it only took three hours per day of concentrated endeavour to meet the current standards. Are we getting the best buck for out money through the state school system.
11- Why not go 100% private and use vouchers?
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The private sector that is so good at education that most private schools had to be bailed out by tax payers.
Actually, as often said here, Finland has the highest standards. By doing almost the exact opposite of National/treasury policies.
The USA has already led the way in showing the stupidity of charter schools and voucher systems.
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I do not want my taxes to go to child abuse.
Teaching b-s such as creationism, teaching only enough to be cannon foddor for industry and teaching to narrow standards which do not allow the full richness of learning is child abuse.
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The USA use to operate the HUAC (House Un-American Activities committee) that acted as a form of political legitimacy to both surveillance and subversion of left wing groups during the Cold War (by the FBI). Recently George W Bush directed the illegal surveillance of Americans by the FBI and rather than impeach him for it – the US Congress (2006 election Democrat majority and all) retrospectively legislated to allow it.
Now this attitide is endemic (bi-partisan) across American institutions.
New documents reveal that the federal Counter-Terrorism Unit is creating reports and maintaining files about the writing, interviews, and lectures of journalists who are critical of the government’s repression of political activists.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/americas-decline-into-totalitarianism.html
One wonders whether this political repression includes targeting the critics of the corporate position on GW and such trade imperialism as the TPP (and ACTA etc), and also Occupy Wall Street activists.
One wonders when China, Russia and the USA meet in the middle – whether they will all have similar closed two party (bi-partisan political corporate oligarchy) system too.
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1- If the international standard is very low then the NZL standard is very low as well. What is the best possible standard NZL should be aiming for? Who in the world has the best standard?
We should never accept that we have reached “the standard” but be striving to make our great education system even better. It is hard to say which country is the best because each country has different social and cultural contexts to work in. Finland is often regarded as the best educational performer but they have a monocultural society and no extremes of poverty. We are multicultural (around 25% of our children who sat the international PISA assessment had English as a second language) and 50% of our children experience poverty at some stage in their childhood.
2- Have the teachers asked the parents what they would prefer for their schools. Be aware of how their school, they are sending their kids to, compares with curicullum attainment standard in other schools, or should they rely on the teachers to say that their kids are a fully educated as possible.
The National Curriculum requires schools to consult with their community to create their school curriculum that will best meet the needs of that community. This process was limited by the introduction of National Standards.
3- Science and Technical subjects have long been on the decline. National standards are highlighting that and as such remedial action can be taken.
National Standards could never highlight the decline of science and technology teaching as they only assess reading, writing and numeracy. The introduction of National Standards accelerated the decline, especially when all the advisors to these learning areas were sacked by this Government.
4- You comment “have their learning occur within in a national curriculum”. If you dont nmeasure outputs to a standard (be it national or sinterschool or internal school) how do you know you have a worthwhile education system?
We have always assessed progress according standardized norms (P.A.Ts etc) all good schools do this. ERO also allows parents to compare schools performance through their reports but comparing one school against another via a league table is seriously flawed.
5- You against ALL private schools or only those that receive state support?
We already have private schools that receive state support and they got a huge increase in funding ($35 million) by this government to ensure that they could maintain the low class sizes that they advertise as being a key advantage between them and state schools. I am opposed to any system that creates unfair advantages for one school over another and creates a system of winners and losers. All children deserve a good education not just those whose parents can afford it. Gareth Morgan is right to defend public schools and his children have succeeded well because of them.
6- Charter Schools are the way of the future. Again it will be the parents that decide if tyhe local state school or the charter school provides the best eduction for their children. If Bryan Tamakis flock want to set up an education facility that is up to them. Nothing to stop you setting one up if you feel strongly about what you want to see taught.
And what provides the checks and balances to ensure what is taught is reasonable? We already have a system of autonomous schools that have reasonable flexibility. I don’t want to see a proliferation of schools that have no trained teachers and teach according to the beliefs of radical cults.
7- Childhood eduction requires dedicated and certified teachers. But the situation currently is that ALL workers (even the nappy changers, bottle feeders and strory readers, etc.) need to be tertiary qualified. Many mums are higher “qualified” to do those “menial” jobs. Leaving the planning and teaching aspects to the suitably qualified teachers.
The 80% was purely to get common sense back into a strangled situation.
It all depends if you want just caring or education. Read the Early Childhood curriculum.
8- And should we ask employers how well the secondary and tertiary institutions are turning out young adults ready to earn money and pay the taxes? After all they are the “end users” of the education product.
This is already done and the current curriculum had much input from employers.
9- Maybe we should abolish compulsory teaching to kids and make it for parent to decide if the children should go to school.
This is already catered for and parents are able to home school if the wish.
10- I know of two familes who home schooled and noted that to fulfill the curriculum it only took three hours per day of concentrated endeavour to meet the current standards. Are we getting the best buck for out money through the state school system.
My children have gone through the state system, they are both able students and have been extended well in their schools. My son currently attends University and is getting straight As. While at primary school he sat some international assessments and achieved distinctions. I am happy with our public system.
11- Why not go 100% private and use vouchers?
Name a country where this has worked?
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New topic: Can I just ask — Is there some I’m missing about Colin Craig which causes the general kiwi media to care so much about broadcasting what he thinks? (Most recently on the marriage equality topic.) The guy’s party spent $33.89 per vote. With that effort he still couldn’t buy his way into the House of Representatives that actually gets to vote on the Bill which he’s being given such a platform to speak about. He’s not even relevant.
Is it just because he’s the most accessible figure who’ll come up with a wacky controversial quote? Surely there are MP’s who were elected by people to represent them, and who’ll therefore actually be voting on the Bill who’d be more relevant to interview compared with this kind of stuff.
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The private sector that is so good at education that most private schools had to be bailed out by tax payers.
Note; that despite all the tax payer dollars and effort poured into charter schools in the USA, 83% do not do any better than State schools. The majority do worse. Given the poor performance of State schooling in the USA generally that is not a recommendation. (Stanford University Study)
Why follow the disaster that is schooling and health in the USA.
We will see a few initial Potemkin charter schools do well, then the poor results of others will be buried.
They will not have any better results than resourcing State schools properly, to use already proven programs to reduce the tail. Successful programs such as remedial reading and Teacher aids in every classroom are being starved of funds so the Government can fund ideological nightmares such as charter schools.
If NACT was serious about bringing up educational achievement they would be working on reducing child poverty and funding extra help at early primary level for those falling behind, instead of gifting the private sector money out of education funding.
If the private sector are so good at education why don’t they start their own schools. Wait! they did. We are paying to bail them out right now!
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There are two things from the New York charter school experience I’d like to see replicated here.
The first is that pupils are selected by lottery from the applicants to avoid cherry-picking. Secondly is that any charter school that fails to outperform its surrounding public schools has its licence terminated.
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What happens to the kids when their school is closed?
Aren’t their social networks and relationship with Teachers important.
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MikeM, Hooton the NBR columnist is of the opinion that the next government will be a coalition of National, NZ First and Conservatives.
NZ First providing the over 65 vote in support of National’s super policy and the Conservatives offering the votes of the middle class and poor with religious morality indoctrination (judgment of others imposed by law, except beating up children).
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I found it sad that the Q &A panel discussion on Charter Schools didn’t focus on widespread poverty being the main contributing factor to educational underachievement. No matter how good the education system is, it can’t fully counter the huge deficits that children may have when they enter the school gates.
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My chat to my local MP revealed how badly his Party is governing. They are actually supporting an anarchist approach to environmental and economic governance.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/national-government-supports-anarchy.html
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Sprout – So, what’s the problem? Metiria will be completely happy with an “anarchist approach”? Or was that in the past and now she supports the exact opposite? (as I suspect so
)
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Thanks, @sprout. That was an interesting read, but I have trouble with how your say that “the National Party fails to understand New Zealand’s historic commitment to preserving these natural environments”. The longer this goes on, I just become more and more convinced that the current government simply doesn’t care about New Zealand’s historic commitment to preserving natural environments, or to World Heritage status. It’s an inconvenience to the wider plans (if such plans even exist) which they’d sooner not have, so why bother caring about it?
But hey, kiwis voted for this philosophy in government. What does that say?
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New Zealand Inc, and the National Party seem intent on pursuing the American Dream. I have a hot news flash for them. You don’t eat it, IT – eats YOU.
http://morrisberman.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/sociopaths-rule.html
This has to end, and the only way to end it is to rearrange the economic system of the country. Not the USA, THIS country, and we aren’t advocating that properly, if at all.
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National’s philosophy and its results – in one picture
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tom-toles-goes-green/2011/03/31/AFD04K0D_gallery.html#photo=20
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An economist identifies with acute insight the flaws that exist in modern day economics.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/an-economist-admits-fault.html
The profession’s mistake was to allow “a rather restricted and blinkered view of the dynamics of social and economic systems [to be] carried across into how public policy was thought about and executed”.
He said the error was not driven by economists seeking financial gain but “the quest for certainty”. But their error was to think of the assumptions used to build economic models as cast-iron laws.
“A concept gets formalised and then gets socialised and then believed as an almost theological doctrine,” he said. “The notion of not knowing, of imperfect information, of uncertainty, got lost from economics and finance for the better part of 20 or 30 years.
“I think one of the great errors we as economists made was that we started believing the assumptions of economics, and saying things that made no intellectual sense. We started to believe that what were assumptions were actually a description of reality, and therefore that the models were a description of reality, and therefore were dependable for policy analysis.
“With hindsight, that was a pretty significant error.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/9442430/Bank-official-admits-economists-were-to-blame-for-recession.html
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Herald editor backs up shonkey legislation
I’m getting used to the NZ Herald editorials being bent towards Nationals rightwing policy direction… In fact they’ve been completely devoid of objectivity and journalistic integrity lately…
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National has let unfettered testosterone course through their decision making processes. Do we really want National’s collective testicles leading the governance of the country?
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/yin-and-yang-applied-to-governance.html
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sprout
The royal “we” say they do. Look at the latest TV1 poll
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/national-edges-up-in-new-poll-5007494
Similar result in the TV3 poll
If we look at a Labour Green Mana Maori coalition (workable?) they just edge out the Nats by one seat but not the Nats and Act coalition.
With David Shearer conversion to National ideals
expect the Greens to have argue with Labour and to dead rat swallow many centrist policies.
That is IF Labour gets better poll results.
The Maori water rights issue is not a problem, it seems, for the National party. Their “testicles” are made from good solid stock it would seem.
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@Gerrit, the linked TVNZ Colmar Brunton poll doesn’t state how many people had no opinion or wouldn’t vote, unless it’s the remaining 1% that’s not accounted for in the numbers.
If they’re properly administered polls then surely they must get people who refuse to give an opinion, mustn’t they? Who do such people typically vote for, if they actually vote?
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Gerrit, National is rapidly losing support of women http://www.3news.co.nz/John-Key-losing-appeal-among-women/tabid/1607/articleID/263038/Default.aspx
I question the health of National’s testes as they appear to be firing a lot of blanks (increasing class sizes, motorways, asset sales are all being revealed as increasingly dodgy).
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MikeM,
You forgot to mention the lack of land lines at the traditional Labour voter residence as a reason for these “rogue” polls.
I dont claim to know how the polls are organised or their accuracy. I just note thqat when the Greens were on over 15%, the polls were correct. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
sprout,
If the women voters are loosing their interest and support in John Key then they surely are not allocating their mindset towards Labour leadership.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Why-cant-Labour-get-traction-in-the-polls/tabid/1607/articleID/264574/Default.aspx
Interesting to read the comments.
With the Greens also loosing support in the polls where are the votes going?
26 months to go. New Labour leader to come beforehand.
In Auckland we love the new motorways. No complaints up here.
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Civil disorder in some of our major trading partners in
http://grist.org/article/rising-temperature-raising-food-prices/
… less than 5 years?
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Another Key PR disaster
Without his scriptwriters giving him the right things to say, Key is an ill-informed and therefore somewhat dangerous leader…
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Teachers are being accused of petulance and having political agendas and yet the Government’s push for National Standards, league tables and charter schools are not considered ideological or political? Good grief!
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/teachers-petulance-and-political-agendas.html
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Sprout criticises the polititians for being idealistic and political.
What next – criticise diplomats for being diplomatic?
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The fracking debate is heating up and Gareth and touring Australian environmentalist Drew Hutton need to be listened to and have their concerns taken seriously. Phil Heatley and Nick Smith haven’t been entirely honest about this rapidly expanding industry:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/the-facts-around-fracking-frenzy.html
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