Archive for October, 2016
Monday, October 31st, 2016
The shockwaves from Uber’s defeat last week in a British court have reportedly already begun to wash up here in New Zealand with some local drivers thinking of taking a similar class action.
In its ruling, the British tribunal struck a blow for common sense - and for ...
Posted in Articles | 1 Comment »
Thursday, October 27th, 2016
It has been a rough week for anyone who believes in civil liberties. Apparently, the Police have deliberately abused the powers of detention they possess under the Land Transport Act (ie to promote road safety) in order to set up a bogus breath test traffic stop to gain the personal ...
Posted in Articles | 7 Comments »
Tuesday, October 25th, 2016
First published on Werewolf
At this time of year, a lot of New Zealanders tend to bemoan the increasing popularity of Hallowe’en. They regard it as an alien, commercialized American import with no real connection to this country – even though, thank goodness, Hallowe’en seems to be replacing an equally alien, ...
Posted in Articles | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, October 18th, 2016
First published on Werewolf
Amusing to see the Act Party experiencing another outbreak of young fogey-ism. What has aroused the ire of Act Leader David Seymour this time is the introduction of a Greens private members bill to the ballot process, calling for a 15 cents levy on plastic bags ...
Posted in Articles | 9 Comments »
Friday, October 14th, 2016
First published on Werewolf
To quote the distinguished Nobel laureate, ‘Something is happening here, and you don’t know what it is, do you Mr Jones?” True, Bob Dylan didn’t have Finance Minister Bill English or Labour leader Andrew Little exactly in mind when he wrote those lines, but they definitely fit. ...
Posted in Articles | 2 Comments »
Thursday, October 13th, 2016
Usually, populism is associated with Winston Peters and his regular tweakings of community prejudice about race and immigration. Just as predictably, Police Minister Judith Collins engages in the same process of liberal baiting. It is just the way that a certain brand of politics gets done. Law’n’order and the ...
Posted in Articles | Comments Off on Gordon Campbell on Judith Collins, crime and poverty
Tuesday, October 11th, 2016
First published on Werewolf
And now as the dust from the local government outcomes begins to settle, the policy battles between central and local government kick into gear. Could a regional fuel tax for Auckland be back on the table? Might Phil Goff forge ahead regardless with a Vancouver-style stamp duty ...
Posted in Articles | Comments Off on Gordon Campbell on how the political centre is a mirage
Wednesday, October 5th, 2016
First published on Werewolf
So….wholemilk powder prices were down 4% overnight, the first decline since July. Well, boo hoo. Arguably, the last thing New Zealand needs is for the current levels of dairy production to return to profitability anytime soon. Obviously, no one wants the individuals concerned to suffer. But ...
Posted in Articles | 1 Comment »