The Daily Blog Watch Tuesday 6 August

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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 and on-line satirists…

NZ Left Blogosphere

Bat, Bean, Beam offers The Susan Wood trilogy – a sardonic look at well-paid  media journalists who have nothing in common with the poorest people in our society, and certainly do nothing to champion their cause. In Democracy versus The Majority, Chris Trotter on Bowalley Road analyses the psyche of voters in an attempt to understand how National can get away with usurping democracy whilst extending the Surveillance State – and stikll remain high in the polls. His observations and thoughts are worthwhile noting.  In HARDtalk on thin ice in Alaska Brian on Hot Topic looks at Stephen Sackur,  as the famed BBC interviewer goes to Alaska to investigate how melting ice is affecting local communities. Expect more serious media analysis on climate change events and less of the “debate” of whether or not global warming is real.

Some Champion tomatoes from Imperator Fish, and something he’s buried. Meanwhile, in the ‘Tron”, Topical confusion persists, sez Open Parachute on Hamilton City Council’s mis-understanding of flouride. Don’t these guys have any scientific advisers?? Fer chrissakes, I’ll do the job. (With my School Cert science grades, I come cheaper than Stephen Hawking!) And Porcupine Farm looks at Fonterra, see-through cows, and The New Transparency. On The Pundit, Tim Watkin writes a fascinating analysis of current polling – Poll of Polls update – stopping the rot & what Winston wants  – and tries to second-guess Winston Peters on which way he will jump; the Nats, or a Labour-led coalition? Good luck with that.

The Jackal looks at the current Fonterra fiasco, and makes the observation that our “clean and green” myth is being gradually torn down internationally and is now a  100% Pure festering sore. Furthermore, sez Jackal,

It’s little wonder then that other countries are noticing the failure of New Zealand’s capitalist system. Governments in places like China clearly don’t see any distinction between Fonterra and our current government, and quite rightly so. Deregulation and a lack of safety checks is likely to blame for this latest failure, a failure that will cost New Zealand millions if not billions of dollars in lost trade.

A few words about rape – by Julie on The Hand Mirror. If you haven’t read it – do. It’s worthwhile getting a perspective you won’t find elsewhere. Danyl on The Dim Post shares with us Dear Leader’s  PR dilemma of the day. And check out Robert Guyton’s pithy  Milk, eggs, basket – a blogpost in three simple images. But speaks a thousand words.

The great “clean and green’ myth was doomed to be exposed for what it was, a sham. Local Bodies blogs on How Others See Us, 100% Pure Joke!

The Civilian sez that  Experts say only thing botulism kills is spying scandal. How lucky can Key get to have a crisis like this save his Tory backside from the GCSB/Vance/Dunne scandal? On Whoar, Phillip Ure blogs about “..Chris Barton: Can NZ say no to the US?..” and also presents New Zealand Parliament – List of questions for oral answer – Tuesday – 6 August 2013..

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

Savant on No Right Turn looks at how Spies corrupt the judicial process  in the United States, and  demands it does not happen here in New Zealand.  Savant presents The spy bill: Proposed amendments, but laments that most will never be adopted. The ACT On Campus and the spy bill Young ACT have condemned the GCSB Bill. Nice to see some on the right with integrity.  The Canterbury dictatorship’s poison pill is a huge debt left by the unelected Environment Canterbury.  Guess who will end up paying for that? Clue – put your hands up all you people living in Canterbury. Meanwhile, so much fore Key’s promise of new standards of accountability when he was first elected – The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.

And on The Standard; the  GCSB Bill is to be debated today, writes Mickey savage, and wonders how Key can be so strident in protecting his own privacy while at the same time passing legislatiion that wipes away all ours.  Meanwhile, the Law Society sez the GCSB Bill is still flawed, reports  The view from China is one that is uncomplimentary to this country. And  Spying on another journalist – what did Key have to hide? – asks 

 

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From the Daily Blog

Simon Prast blogs on The Immediate Risk to Babies, describing our “clean and green” reputation – touted worldwide – as hubris. Simon ties in the Fonterra fiasco with National’s on-going scandals and stuff-ups. There’s No McLeod’s daughter writes  Coley Tangerina, damning  Rosemary McLeod’s faux femninism and pre-occupation with trivia.  F^%&ing cyclists writes Green MP, Julie Anne Genter , who looks at the psyche of rage-filled car drivers as they have to share the road with bicyclists. And Aaron Hawkins sez  So Your Public Transport Sucks Eh, Auckland? Swapsies? when he compares Auckland’s public transport with that of Dunedin’s. It’s a mess down there. Frank Macskasy presents the third of four installments of his series,  Opposition parties work together on “orphan drugs” (part toru). The topic of orphan drugs and rare diseases may not be as ‘sexy’ as spies, Parliamentary intrigues, and Fonterra fiascos, but they nevertheless impact on our lives, one way or another. Phoebe Fletcher considers the   Scalping of Frodo has a point (or: censorship decisions I cannot understand) and wonders why the Classifications Office has banned “Maniac”. Maybe because the main lead played Frodi in Lord of the Rings??

Finally, one of the most insightful bloggers in the Known Universe insists that It bloody well is not an imaginary problem when our government spies on our journalists! Burnt Out Teacher  posits a very scary scenario of how the new GCSB laws could be used against any one of us;

Everybody has secrets they don’t want publicly shared

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Blogpost of the Day

An extraordinary investigation by Ian Anderson on Fightback reveals that the   State gave  McDonald’s $270,000 in subsidies whilst paying minimal taxes and making big profits.

I believe this is commonly known as corporate welfare. But you don’t hear much corporate bene-bashing in the media, do you? Of course not. Beneficiary bashing would be wrong. Especially if they happen to be corporations.

Why are we proving millions in state subsidies at a time when kids are going to school hungry??

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Direct Actions

By 16 August

Are you one of the 70,000 who just got un-enrolled?

The Electoral Commission have just had to remove 70,000 New Zealanders from the electoral roll, after the election packs they sent out for the local body elections later in the year were returned, saying ‘gone – no forwarding address’. This was part of the checks to make sure that everyone who’s eligible is correctly enrolled to vote.

This means that there’s 70,000 people out there who have moved house but may not know even realise that they won’t be able to vote at the election.

If you think you might be included in this number, don’t despair! You’ve still got time to re-enrol in time to vote at the local body elections this year. Just head to www.elections.org.nz, freetext your name to 3676, call 0800 36 76 56 or go to any PostShop by August 16th.

Hat-tip: Frogblog

By 22 August

Submit!

The Commerce Committee has called for submissions on the New Zealand International Convention Centre Bill (AKA the crony convention-centre bill). You can submit directly via the link above, or by sending two copies to

Commerce Committee Secretariat
Parliament Buildings
Wellington
Submissions are due by Thursday, 22 August 2013. Topics to raise: the unconstitutionality of the bill purporting to bind future Parliaments to compensate SkyCity of there is a change of government (and of policy); the anti-freedom of speech clause in the deal and its incompatibility with the Bill of Rights Act. While the latter isn’t actually in the bill, criticism by the committee could see it removed from the deal, or make a future BORA case against its exercise substantially easier.

 

Hat-tip: No Right Turn

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Thought for the Day

George Carlin

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~ Joe Blogger,

“The Daily Blog Watch” Editor, Imbiber of Fine Sugary Drinks,  & moa-whisperer

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~oo~