The Daily Blog Watch Tuesday 26th March

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Today’s Daily Blog Watch Round-Up of matters that have attracted the attention, assessments, and articulations of this country’s leading bloggers…

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NZ Left Blogosphere

As National continues to gut our environment protections and neuter the Dept of Conservation with cuts in funding and mass-sackings, the Wellington Region Cycleways blogged an interesting post on how the Tories will be raping/pillaging the West Coast. All in the National interest, y’know. (National as in the ruling National Party. Glad that’s cleared up.) See; “Is the Conservation Minister smarter than the average bear?” to find out why “100% Pure will soon be a distant memory.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

So why will tourists want to come to New Zealand? Are open cast mining pits; polluted lakes; and despoiled forests really a tourist draw?

In Tumeke, the ever insightful Tim Selwyn focuses his laser-like attention on the Tuhoe Treaty claims – “The Tuhoe settlement signing” – and finds a whole lot of unanswered questions surrounding the so-called “settlement”. His blogpost is a concise, but compelling, look at the problems which are dogging this “settlement”. Worthy of a read; then ponder the ramifications; and ask two simple questions; how can this be “full and final”?

And why the flippity-flip was Tame Iti absent from the parliamentary officiation?!

Marty Mars (very cool name, by the way) on Mars 2 Earth makes a short, sharp point about the leadership struggle within the Maori Party in “welded to a stone, sinking”  and also passes a critical eye over the Devoy  appointment in   “devoy – early bad-taste April Fools joke

More than one person has probably asked that question, Marty.

Idiot/Savant in No Right Turn passes a critical eye or two over the Devoy appointment and wonders if it’s actually legal? See “Was Devoy’s appointment unlawful?” Idiot/Savant  looks at the law, and finds National’s actions wanting. Check out the specifics of the law and judge for yourself. And if it’s illegal – can it ‘crushed’ by Minister Collins?

In “National guts conservation again“, Idiot/Savant condemns National’s slash and burn mentality at DoC, writing,

“Despite National’s rhetoric, there is no free lunch in public sector austerity. There is no “waste” that can magically be cut to save money without impacting on service delivery. These cuts are going to hurt DoC’s core functions. And we need to hold National accountable for them. (But I guess this is what happens to a department which tells Gerry Brownlee that its not OK to dig up our national parks…)”

This government will keep re-structuring until “Clean & Green” will be a sick joke; “100% Pure” will relate to the shit we dump into our rivers and lakes; and instead of birdcall, we’ll be hearing late-night screeches of possums, feral cats, and wild dogs. Noice.

The Greens – “DoC staff cuts endanger New Zealand’s precious wildlife and plants”  – and Labour blogs – “Budget slashing pushes DoC over the edge” –  spell out the disaster that await us with these savage cuts and mass sackings. The term “false economy” doesn’t begin to cover this madness.

Welcome to New Zealand, circa 2013AD. Don’t forget to flush.

Ideologically Impure’s QoT obviously can’t be arsed devoting too much timespace quantum-energy and pixels to respond to John Banks’ ranting and finger pointing at David Shearer over the Labour leader’s New York bank account. See,  “Monday warm fuzzies: John Banks’ memory edition” .  Too bloody right.

Even to this specific nanosecond  in the trillion year life span of the Universe – Banks STILL can’t recall his helicopter flight to Kim Dotcom’s mansion. Nor his donations from Dotcom and Skycity. Nor asking Dotcom to split the cheque.

Does Banksie’s mumsie sew his home address into his clothes so he knows where to return home? And why does the address refer to ‘Home for the Terminally Befuddled & Deluded’, Main Str, Boondocks, Arkansas? Cue; Duelling Banjos and Harmonicas..

The Standard lives up to it’s eponymous name with hard-hitting critical blogposts,

– “Key loses 30,000 jobs in a single year“, by James Henderson, looks at Key’s track record on LOSING 300,000 jobs. As we all know, losing 30,000 jobs is unfortunate. But losing 300,000 is just plain embarressing.

Note the first message posted after James’ post; a National supporter can’t help himself and blames Labour!!!  Ah, Nat supporters – the embodiment of  taking “personal responsibility” . It goes kinda like this,

Critic: “300,000 jobs lost under Key’s watch?”

National supporter: “Dolly did it!”

 Just to be clear about this; if I get a speeding ticket, can I blame it on the previous owner of the car?

– In “Changing minds; changing lives“, Karol writes from the perspective of Labour’s traditional roots with past Housing policies, and how the Green Party  may be taking up the social-democratic torch.  Thank MJS  that someone is.

– In “What would I be prepared to die (or worse) for?” Helen Kelly wrote of her participation at the current Governing Body of the  ILO and referred  to some very dodgy behaviour by Business NZ. This is what Kiwi business-representatives are getting up to at overseas fora. In our name. Vile stuff.

– In “The Cyprus solution“, Anthony Robins writes about ongoing EU pressures on Cyprus. Specifically, Cypriots, Russians, and others who are about to take a “haircut” to bail out the banks. Aside from certain right-wing/libertarian sycophants, no one with a clear mind could possibly consider this as remotely “fair”.

Gareth Morgan, writing in Gareth’s World, plants his size ten work boots firmly up the backsides of ‘xenophobes’ by asserting that our housing problem in Auckland is not the fault of immigrants. See:   “Don’t Blame Foreigners for Auckland House Prices” .  Gareth sez,

“The “correct size” of Auckland is unknown but for sure there shouldn’t be special decrees being issued by government in order for Auckland to keep growing the way it used to, just because the cost of that growth formula has become prohibitive.”

For someone who often derides ‘Greenies’, our Gareth certainly espouses some fairly obvious Green values. Love him or hate him, he is certainly challenging. (Note no reference to c – – s in this commentary?)

The Jackal discusses voluntary self-regulation in a new ‘regulatory’  body to ‘oversee’ the media and ‘new media’ in   “Media super-regulator bad idea“. The Jackal is damning of the voluntary aspect of any new body, saying,

“In my opinion, effective self-regulation through a voluntary basis will not work. This is because media outlets are more often than not private enterprises, which are usually regulated by self interest and not by any real concern for society.”

Voluntary participation by commercial media? Yeah, I can see how that will work out. While we’re at it, can we make compliance of other laws  “voluntary” as well? Why are some sectors permitted to observe standards on a “voluntary” basis when the rest of us will be pinged if we decide that the highway speed limit is a “voluntary” matter? (If I can’t blame it on the previous car- owner.)

This is a must-read for those interested in issues and problems surrounding the press, media, and new media.

Imperator Fish discloses the real identity of ‘Eddie” (at The Standard).  Read  “Thanks Kev”  here.

And five days ago, Imperator Fish came up with the new Reserve Bank Governor. “Click here“. Brilliant!

Scott Yorke writes that the new Reserve Bank Governor,

“…  also rejects claims his lack of banking knowledge will leave him struggling.”

*snort!!*

LudditeJourno writes in  “The Hand Mirror” of visiting specialist speakers in sexual abuse and violence, who will be at a public meeting on 5 April, in Wellington. See:  “Right help comes to Wellington

Post of the Week:

As always, Chris Trotter, on Bowalley Road, is a must-read as one makes the rounds of blogs. His insights are not readily dismissed, as he teases out the essence of an issue. Just before you get heartily sick of Susan.Devoy.Race Relations.Judith Collins. – have a read of this, “National’s Two-Fingered Gesture. He distills the issue to basic core componants,

“National’s defence of the Springbok Rugby Tour of 1981 not only made it a target for the entire New Zealand Left (from Labour to the Workers’ Communist League) but, as events steadily vindicated the arguments of the protesters, it also helped to foster a deep-seated sense of right-wing grievance.”

It is utu-time – and the Nats are dishing it out.

Read Chris’s blogpost.

Now.

On The Daily Blog

The Liberal Agenda for the week.

Laila Harré goes all the way (WARNING: Politically explicit) – and tells us what she’s up to. This Lady of the Left is one to follow and listen to.

– Burnt Out Teacher asks “Hey, Are Boards of Trustees Actually Competent Enough to be Responsible for Hiring All These Principals?” and shares her particular insights into Boards of Trustees and how they operate. You can get more common sense explanations from BOT than a whole decade of press releases from MiniEd (NatSoc speak for Ministry of Education.)

– “Cost-savings > families”  by Morgan Godfery  warns us what the consequence of Collins’ tampering with the Family Courts may be. As with most National “reforms”, this will not go well. Tears will be involved.

– Blogging The MANA AGM & Feed the Kids symposium ‘Bomber’ Bradbury tells us what’s going down with Mana and the “Feed the Kids” Bill in Parliament.

– “The Venn Diagram of Irrational Nonsense?” Brilliant. Though as others have pointed out, neo-liberalism is left out, for some unfathomable reason…

– And lastly, Allan Alach writes in “The dirty truth of Charter Schools” why we should be very, very afraid of this neo-liberal attack on our education system. Clue; John “I-Forgot” Banks is behind it’s setting up. And the Ombudsman is not a very happy chappy. Click and find out why.

Enjoy, folks.

And remember, if you find yourself nodding in agreement or gnashing your teeth at some random  right-wing nuttery – do something about it. Share the link to your favourite story(ies) far and wide with your friends and whanau. Everytime you Share, you’ll be giving a  neo-liberal nutter the two-fingered salute. And a kitten will live.

Gowan. You know you want to. 😉

 

 

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