Archive for November, 2010
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Image: TV3 - Flames seen from above the Pike River mineThe Royal Commission of inquiry into Pike River disaster has an open slate to identify the cause of the tragedy at this one mine, and the safety conditions in general for underground mining in New Zealand. In practice, the core ...
Posted in Articles | 7 Comments »
Friday, November 26th, 2010
Well, in its Options report this week, at least the Cabinet-appointed Welfare Working Group was clear about whose interests it is there to serve: ‘The evidence on what is effective in helping beneficiaries into paid work is clear – effective interventions need to have a focus on employers and their ...
Posted in Articles | 8 Comments »
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
Chris Faafoi. Image: Budget 2005 - Scoop Photo EssayWhen you’re hot you’re hot, the Nashville musician Jerry Reed once explained, and when you’re not, you’re not. Phil Goff must know that tune pretty well by now. Arguably. the Mana by-election campaign contest should have been a homecoming celebration for Labour ...
Posted in Articles | 3 Comments »
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
On RNZ this morning, Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith took us back down memory lane to a bygone era when MPs lived in log cabins and traveled by horse and buggy around their vast domains, while members of their extended family licked the stamps and ran errands through the ...
Posted in Articles | Comments Off on On the travel perks, and Ireland’s demise
Monday, November 15th, 2010
John Key’s tendency to govern by photo opportunity took a drastic new turn on the weekend. As Radio New Zealand reported this morning, the New Zealand PM emerged from the APEC meeting in Yokohama touting the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact as ‘New Zealand’s best chance for economic recovery and future ...
Posted in Articles | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
Later this week, Prime Minister John Key heads off to the APEC conference in Yokohama, where his hosts seem to be living through some very interesting times.
Japan’s feeble recovery is being hurt by the weak US dollar on one hand, and also by China’s chronic refusal to revalue its currency ...
Posted in Articles | 4 Comments »
Friday, November 5th, 2010
Click for big version
Prime Minister John Key and Secretary Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Beehive Theatrette - More images, audio and video
Only diplomats and Jesuits can probably tell the difference between previous US Secretary of State Colin Powell calling New Zealand a ‘very, very, very good friend’, and ...
Posted in Articles | 3 Comments »
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
Judging by yesterday’s results, the only thing Americans hate more than Big Government is Big Government that doesn’t protect them in times of economic adversity. Four years ago, the unemployment rate was below five per cent. Now, it is just below ten per cent. The failure of a listless recovery ...
Posted in Articles | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
The purpose of a Defence White Paper is to inform the public about how the government plans to arm and use the armed forces to enhance our security and strategic interests – while at the same time, telling our allies and neighbours (friendly or otherwise) just how New Zealand sees ...
Posted in Articles | Comments Off on On a White Paper that puts us back into the ANZUS club
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
[Image amoeck, via The 100 Best Signs At The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear]
On the eve of the inevitable catastrophe for the Democrats in the US midterm elections, Barack Obama is getting all sorts of advice about how to rebuild his party during the two years left to his ...
Posted in Articles | Comments Off on On the US midterms