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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…
NZ Left Blogosphere
Let’s see what’s been taxing the interest of the progressive side of the blogosphere today…
We start with Tim Selwyn’s excellent blogpost on Tumeke; Ikaroa-Rawhiti by-election: Foreshore and seabed test. Tim doesn’t mince his words and refers to ongoing confiscation of the foreshore and seabed, citing,
“This is the white man’s law in action.”
Stop Press is a commerce-oriented blog, but with an inquiring, critical, and sometimes progressive outlook. Kath Dewar takes up the issue of multi-national Dole mis-using the “fair trade” brand and asks if their response to dump their fake marketing constitutes Dole—too little, too late? Ms Dewar says,
“I believe its ‘Ethical Choice’ greenwash has damaged not only its banana brand in New Zealand but also the wider Dole reputation…
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Given a lack of evidence, and a paucity of time, most consumers will give major brands the benefit of the doubt. But they aren’t stupid. And they aren’t particularly forgiving. Colmar Brunton’s ‘Better Business Better World’ research in 2012 showed 94 percent of New Zealanders ‘get annoyed when products pass themselves off as greener than they are’. So I would advise Dole that, like Cadbury following the palm oil fiasco, it can expect a long term decline in brand trust and consumer support as a result. Ditching ‘Ethical Choice’ at this point, following the Oxfam research, is too little, too late.”
Stop Press is a blog to keep an eye on for inside-industry commentary and analysis. (Translation; you can read their stuff on business issues without gritting your teeth.)
Also on the issue of Dole’s dodgy labelling, Frogblog makes a brief announcement on Dole backs down on bananas. This act by Dole (mis-labelling their bananas) will not help their brand one iota, and should serve as a clear warning to corporates not to mess around with Fair Trade labels.
Message to corporates: You Will Be Found Out!
Good news for our ocean, announces Gareth Hughes, who congratulates Sealord for a progressive decision in the manner in which they fish for tuna. When corporates do the right thing, they will be rewarded accordingly by citizens/consumers.
Meanwhile, another bad corporate citizen is in the crosshairs of Fightback! and demands USA: We’d like a living wage with that order. Yup, McDonalds has been a bad, bad clown… Not a good look for a business that sells billions of the crap burgers. Read how a strike resulted in even more workers joining the action!
There’s trouble at the mill, on Frankly Speaking. Frank is having trouble with his pussy… 😉 It’s a cat’s life, he laments…
On Whoar, Phillip Ure posts that key tries to spin the small band-aid he put over the supperating-sore that is 270,000 new zealand children living in poverty..here/now/today..and key also parrots the same spin as michelle boag.. This is one of Phillip’s best blogposts and takes John Campbell and Jim More to task for not challenging Nat’s bullshit on this festering problem.
Check out Russell Brown when he makes A plea for sanity on the Unitary Plan on Public Address. It appears that opponants are resorting to dirty tricks and a smear campaign to whip up opposition to the Auckland Unitary Plan. (This was raised in yesterday’s Daily Blog Watch with blogger Matt L when he warned his readers about spreading Misinformation about the Unitary Plan)
As an example, Russell gives us an excerpt from a dirty little email doing the rounds,
“If you are in the Mixed Housing zone then your height-to-boundary rules are gone and the plan will allow construction of 10 metre high three storey multi-occupancy apartment blocks.”
Ruseell responds,
Yeah, nah. The Mixed Housing Zone permits a height limit of eight metres — a two-storey house. You can just go ahead and do that (like, say, our next-door neighbours did years ago). Separately, anyone can apply to go to 10 metres as a “restricted discretionary” activity. You can’t personally stop your neighbour doing this, but any application must meet a list of rules around shade, character and other things — including height-to-boundary rules.
If a campaign has to resort to mis-information, like anti-vaccination lobbyists, then it is a hollow movement bereft of any meaningful contribution to society. If we want lies, we have religion and neo-liberalism to provide that by the truckload.
The Civilian is on form this evening…
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Green Party celebrates 60th anniversary of Hillary’s ascent by ‘getting really high’ (the title is kind of self explanatory, really)
- Also self explanatory; Labour floats plan to make Mount Cook ‘taller than Everest’
- And this bit is Pure Gold; Media relieved after thing explodes during slow news week. Not really satire. This really is how the media works. Don’t believe me? Check out Pay Walls – the last gasp of a failed media business-model?
Good stuff on No Right Turn, as Idiot Savant blogs that Papua New Guinea has taken A backward step in PNG by re-introducing the dealth penalty.
More on the British establishment’s attempt to curtail people’s rights to privacy after the murder of Lee Rigby. Savant writes that a “snooper’s charter” wouldn’t have helped.
And on the issue of the dodgy appointment of Dr Jackie Blue as Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, Judith Collins’ latest excuse is to Blame the Governor-General. That’s National for you – never take responsibility when others are available to take the rap instead. Well worth a read.
Imperator Fish takes a good, hard, well-deserved swipe at opinion polls and seriously questions The wisdom of the crowd – in an amusing way. Who can take polls seriously after this?
Well, we can.
Seriously.
On The Standard,
- Trends in the polls. Going by his careful analysis, the Nats should have nothing to be gloating over. Matthew Hooton said something to this effect on Citizen A on 16 May, when he disclosed that the Nats were polling badly in private polls.
- Shocking the people into submission, with her review of Naomi Klein’s documentary, The Shock Doctrine (2009) which was broadcast on Maori TV last night (28 May). Brilliantly reviewed by karol and well worth a read.
- Are Nats split on food in schools? asks
And finally, on Generation Zero, there is a post that tells us, it’s Feedback Time – Have your say on Auckland’s future. Especially if you support a planned city, rather than National’s crazy L.A.-style urban sprawl mess.
This is also covered on The Standard, by Jimmy Reid, who refers to the nasty skull-duggery of the AUP’s opponants. See his blogpost, Submit on the Unitary Plan now!
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Blogpost of the Day
On Frogblog, Denise Roche looks at National’s Feeding the Kids policy and make a clear link between Good Charities and Dirty Money. Read her last paragraph and ask yourself, why are we doing this to ourselves?
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Action of the Week
As Hekia Parata prepares to gut Christchurch and close down several schools, asnd sack 260 staff, there are a few simple things you can do;
Show your support for the people of Christchurch; join the Facebook groups, Save our Schools – Christchurch Needs your Suppport and Stand up for kids – protect our schools.
And flick Parata a quick, short, sharp email, with the message; “Hands of Christchurch schools!” Her email address is hekia.parata@parliament.govt.nz .
Show the love and share with others, my fellow Kiwis.
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Thought for the Day
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~ Joe Blogger
“The Daily Blog Watch” Editor, Imbiber of Fine Sugary Drinks, & Cat Herder
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~oo~
