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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
Something interesting on Open Parachute; beggars, homelessness; and religion – see what all three have in common on A beggar’s market.
Aaron Gilmore – you are the weakest link … Goodbye, writes Waitakere News, and points out that Gilmore’s behaviour has simply reminded the public what lies beneath the veneer of respectability that the Nats have so desperately cultivated over the last few decades…
… Which is the same message made by Recess Monkey, in it’s piece, Born To Rule. A good little post, which gives a decent background look at the hidden culture of the National Party.
Denise Roche offers Kudos to the Warehouse for pay move on Frogblog, saying “it’s great news that the Warehouse is making it a policy to lift wages”.
Indeed.
Cue; plug for progressive employer,
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“In the post war period the minimum wage used to be close to 80% of the average wage.
Since the 1980s this figure has dropped to around 50% of the average wage making New Zealand one of the most unequal societies in the OECD.”
Well done, Warehouse.
Now let’s see other employers follow The Warehouses’ lead!
Also on Frogblog, Kennedy Graham asks, “What Does It Take” … to extract climate change action from this Government?
Indeed. National has abandoned bringing agriculture into the ETS scheme – which means that the Scheme is essentially futile. So much for Key’s pledges on strengthening the ETS and environmental policies in 2008.
On a vastly more negative note, No Right Turn sez we’re Not so proud any more as this country becomes a worse and worse place to raise a family. As Idiot/Savant writes,
“New Zealand was ranked as the 4th best country in the world in which to be a mother. This year, we’ve dropped to 17th, behind not just the usual Scandinavian suspects, but also a host of middle-ranked European social democracies. Worse, we’re barely above Greece, a country in economic collapse. Definitely not something to be proud of.”
John Key’s Brighter Future…
On another positive note, Equality comes to Delaware in the form of marriage equality. Delaware, writes I/S, is now the 11th US state to recognise marriage equality. Good on’em!
Meanwhile, Danyl writes on The Dim Post about Two comparisons, and points out the rank hypocrisy of the NZ Herald in it’s editorialising policies, from the the Electoral Finance Act, in 2007 – to National’s plans to extend the powers of the GCSB to allow it to spy on all New Zealanders.
Great article. Great imagery. Worth a read.
NZ Herald – shame on you.
On The Pundit, Sue Bradford outlines how the Children’s Commissioner fronts for Nats on food in schools and Corporate agenda rules.
“Food in schools – Russell Wills now Key’s puppet – targeting, corporatisation and the charity model rule
Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills gave a grand demonstration on RNZ yesterday of how even a well meaning and highly respected professional can become a right wing Government’s puppet in the blink of an eye.”
On Radio NZ and a Dominion Post op-ed, Wills has been promoting right-wing policies regarding implementation of meals in schools for chilodren in low decile schools. (An upcoming blogpost here in The Daily Blog, will explain further.)
It appears that Dr Wills has been ‘captured’ by this country’s rightwing – something that may indicate that pressure is building on the Nats to support the Mana Party’s “Feed the Kids” bill.
Meanwhile on Red Alert, David Cunliffe takes aim at Peter Dunne, who is about to piss 1.5 billion tax-dollars down a fiscal urinal. What’s half a billion between the Government’s friends asks David Cunliffe??
That’s $1 billion on IRD’s flash new computer – plus $500 million as a slush fund if when the project goes Nova(pay).
$1.5 billion on a computer! What the hell does this gadget do – plan for galactic domination???
Good to see David go after these Tory wastrels.
Socialist Aotearoa offers a short interview, McStrike: Interview with Unite delegate Sean Bailey, and describes the campaign for better pay. Sean is the young person who was told by McDonalds “not to act “gay” at work”.
Well. That speaks volumes about McDonalds, I think. (Note; our household is boycotting McDonalds. Back to our local fish’n’chips for us!)
On The Hand Mirror, LudditeJourno writes about Sexual abuse and culture and the yawning chasm of difference between how the media (and society) treat sex offenders of differing ethnic backgrounds. LudditeJourno asks,
” We need to ask questions of culture if we want to prevent child sexual abuse, but they need to be much broader than racist deficit assumptions for Muslims, Maori or any other people of colour. What was the culture in the British entertainment industries which has led to a Police investigation arresting pop star Gary Glitter, comedian Freddie Starr, DJ Dave Lee Travis, publicist Max Clifford and comedian Jim Davidson, alongside of course the Jimmy Savile revelations and the recent arrest of Rolf Harris?”
Challenging stuff.
On a lighter note, Imperator Fish drags up More dirt from Aaron Gilmore’s past emerges – and pokes the borax at the hapless backbencher.
The Civilian, meanwhile, changes direction and writes about David Shearer gives speech about economy; what it is, how it works. The Civilian also makes a suggestion that whilst satirical – actually makes sense in a weird kinda way; Steven Joyce encourages overpaid teachers to pay underpaid teachers. Well, that would’ve saved taxpayers a bob or three, eh?
C’mon Steven – do it! Or as Picard would command (whilst pointing a boney Shakespearean finger at a very large wall-mounted plasma-screen),
“Make it so!”
The folks over at The Standard have been trés busy in the last twentyfour hours. (I hope they getting their legal tea breaks and lunch hour?)
- Warehouse adopts the living wage for adopting the living wage. As the Warehouse advertising jingo sez, “Where everyone get’s a bargain – and a decent wage!”.
- Key cheated of his rightful victory! thunders The Standard, as they demand Key’s rightful place in world standing of the Most Ridiculous leaders. We need to get behind Dear Leader on this one. He definitely deserves First Placing!
- What if Gilmore quits? asks
- Karol writes about the GCSB Bill: & Dotcom versus FBI, “NZ Intelligence Community” et al, and points out Key’s ultimate goal to unify the “intelligence community” in this country. Big Brother is alive and well.
- Congratulations EPMU, writes back-pay for workers at Tiwai point, after years of being underpaid. Nice to see the law working for employees for a change.
- The Nats have held us back for four years, sez
And for a nice little round-up on the Gilmore Affair from Tumeke; Dear fucktard, I’m sorry you don’t recognise greatness…
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Corporate Employer of the Day
The Warehouse – for paying it’s (longer term) employees a living wage.
Nice to see some real corporate responsibility for a change, instead of the Clayton’s variety.
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Soon to be Famous Quote
Waiter-To-Politician; “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Trev. I’ll be your waiter for the evening, Sir/Madam. Oh, and I don’t recommend the veal. It’s dodgy.”
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Thought for the Day
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~oo~
