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	<title>frogblog</title>
	<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz</link>
	<description>hopping along the corridors of power</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:15:14 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Ignoring the evidence again on drug law reform</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In which Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne takes a head-in-the-sand approach to recommendations by the Ministry of Health’s Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs. ]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/16/ignoring-the-evidence-again-on-drug-law-reform/</link>
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		<title>Taking a Hiding</title>
		<description><![CDATA[You know your plans are not being well received when one of the major players in the sector speaks out against them. Mr Hide has already faced widespread public opposition to his plans for the Auckland Super City, as well as from other politicians, the current Auckland councils and now the President of Local Government [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/15/taking-a-hiding/</link>
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		<title>Canterbury DHB needs to rethink drug rehab policy</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Canterbury DHB's new alcohol and drug rehabilitation services policy flies in the face of the principle of harm minimisation and discriminates against people whose drug and/or alcohol problems have resulted in them falling foul of the criminal law.  Often these are the very people who the greatest danger to themselves and others in the community and are most in need of help.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/15/canterbury-dhb-needs-to-rethink-drug-rehab-policy/</link>
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		<title>Joyce controlled transport for Auckland?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[As I noted last week, Granny Herald has finally woken up to the dangers of Rodney Hide and Steven Joyce&#8217;s plans for local government in Auckland. They&#8217;ve been running a useful series of articles about the proposed council controlled organizations.
In particular, the Herald (and mayors) are concerned that all responsibility for transport issues, will be [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/15/joyce-controlled-transport-for-auckland/</link>
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		<title>Coal and Sustainable Energy: An exciting essay topic</title>
		<description><![CDATA[To the CEO of Solid Energy: Dear Sir, I understand that your corporation is sponsoring an essay competition for schoolchildren in Southland, West Coast, Canterbury and Waikato.  The essay, up to 1500 words, must address “The Role of Coal in Sustainable Energy Solutions for New Zealand.”  ]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/13/coal-and-sustainable-energy-an-exciting-essay-topic/</link>
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		<title>Auckland’s CBD rail loop gets one step closer</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A preferred alignment for an underground rail loop to run through Auckland’s CBD was announced yesterday by ARTA. This is exciting news as it means this crucial project is coming one step closer to completion. You can see that there will be three stations, one near Aotea Square, Karangahape Road, and Symonds Street.

ARTA estimate that [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/12/auckland%e2%80%99s-cbd-rail-loop-gets-one-step-closer/</link>
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		<title>The Roger Awards strike again</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last night, the Roger Award For The Worst Transnational Corporation operating in New Zealand, 2009 was awarded to ANZ. The Aussie-owned banks continue to rip us off, and the Green Party believes a bank is a worthy recipient of this award. ]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/12/the-roger-awards-strike-again/</link>
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		<title>Whale for Sale</title>
		<description><![CDATA[To support the Palmer position you have to believe it would work]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/12/whale-for-sale/</link>
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		<title>General Debate, 12th March 2010</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A few random links for ya
Facebook group about whaling
Send an ecard to save Radio New Zealand
Greece mayhem
French bread spiked with LSD
IEA Economist Predicts &#8216;Era Of Cheap Energy Is Over&#8217;
Mega Kites Could Pull Giant, Floating Power Plants
]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/12/general-debate-12th-march-2010/</link>
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		<title>City of Sails Sales</title>
		<description><![CDATA[One good thing has come out of the furore over Auckland Super City: Auckland will be getting a new logo.
Gone will be the amorphous A of Auckland City only to be replaced with the fruit of your minds eye.
The world is Auckland’s oyster logo-wise and the Auckland Transition Agency (ATA), in their limitless wisdom, has [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/12/city-of-sails-sales/</link>
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		<title>Protect Our Pacific from climate change</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending a meeting to hear from Pelenise Pilitati a well known community leader and climate activist from Kiribati.
As you can see from this Youtube clip, hearing Pelenise talk brings home the stark reality of the ways that climate change is already affecting Kiribati.
She described how in the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/12/protect-our-pacific-from-climate-change/</link>
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		<title>Dirty rivers update &#8211; my first dirty lake</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is apparently the fourth largest lake in our country. And it has the consistency of pea soup; toxic pea soup to be precise. I visited there last Friday.
Prue lent us a couple of kayaks, so myself and Monique from Radio NZ headed out into the soup. To keep us safe [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/11/dirty-rivers-update-my-first-dirty-lake/</link>
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		<title>MPS &#8211; structural problems remain</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We had the Reserve Bank Governor in front of Finance and Expenditure Committee today about his Monetary Policy Statement. The MPS is very much a steady as she goes document.
But if you look more closely it&#8217;s not so pretty. For example it predicts the current account deficit returning to more than 7.2% by 2013 (from 1.8% in 2010). [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/11/mps-structural-problems-remain/</link>
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		<title>&#8220;Reshaping&#8221; the Ministry of Education</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I’m not a morning person at the best of times, and trying to understand what the Minister of Education was saying on “Morning Report” today about cuts to the Ministry of Education cuts was a true challenge.
Is this an opposition beat up? Is the Minister directing the Ministry to cut administration services? Is it a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/11/%e2%80%9creshaping%e2%80%9d-the-ministry-of-education/</link>
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		<title>Nature 2, Monsanto 0 &#8211; GE fails again</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We know already that genetically modified crops do not improve yields. Surprisingly, Monsanto has admitted that one of their pest resistant cotton crops no longer resists the pests. How long did it take nature to thumb its nose at Monsanto?
Monsanto&#8217;s advice to farmers? Use our Bollgard II version, it&#8217;s better. But the science doesn&#8217;t back [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/11/nature-2-monsanto-0/</link>
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		<title>Podcast: Get Smart!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[..meters that is.  Let&#8217;s get smart meters in NZ.
In this week&#8217;s podcast Dave Clendon lays out the reasons why they are a good idea.
In the couple of days since this podcast was recorded, big bad Gerry Brownlee has stomped all over a very good idea and laid out the reasons to do nothing.
Round two of [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/10/podcast-get-smart/</link>
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		<title>Govt understanding of the Tertiary sector: FAIL</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Oh dear. Anyone who felt a wee bit nervous when Steven Joyce became Tertiary Education Minister has a right to feel justified in their fears after his last couple of annoucements.
First, we hear there are plans to link funding for tertiary institutions to the pass rates of their students from 2012. This is a terrible [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/10/govt-understanding-of-tertiary-sector/</link>
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		<title>A fruitless mix of racism and conspiracy theories</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A reader has emailed wishing me a happy birthday and sending me a link to a Fox News on-line poll about the US Tea Party movement that has really helped to make my birthday a happy one.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/10/a-fruitless-mix-of-racism-and-conspiracy-theories/</link>
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		<title>Anniversary of 1959 Tibetan uprising</title>
		<description><![CDATA[


Green MP Keith Locke joins the Friends of Tibet protest outside the Chinese Embassy, Wellington NZ


This morning I joined the Friends of Tibet protest outside the Chinese Embassy on the 51st anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan people&#8217;s uprising against Chinese rule. Of course there was another &#8216;uprising&#8217; in March 2008, with demonstrations throughout Tibet. Unfortunately, those [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/10/anniversary-of-1959-tibetan-uprising/</link>
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		<title>It&#8217;s my birthday!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I don&#8217;t really want to make a big deal about it, but it is my 5th birthday today!
My very first post, which is as valid now as it was 5 years ago, was about the precautionary principle. I followed that with a a post on tax, which is also a hot topic at the moment. [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.greens.org.nz/2010/03/10/its-my-birthday/</link>
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