Dave Kennedy - MP for Invercargill

I think so.

Mojo

Mojo Mathers, Green MP and deaf to boot, traveled to a radio interview to discuss issues faced by a person in her position. She said it was necessary for her to go, as she has to be able to read the lips of the interviewer, something she can't do over the phone. As a result she is being attacked by right wing bloggers for 'wasting tax-payers' money'.
Good grief.


Good grief!!!

Waiting now for Keeping Stock's post attacking Mojo.

Shouldn't be a long wait.

* Andrew Geddis @ Pundit has covered the shameful business here.
He's titled his piece, "Let's all pick on the deaf girl".

Latest letter - nasty tricks from Mr Key's team

Anyone following New Zealand politics will know the National Party is in trouble.

 As the election approaches, its lack of partners is becoming obvious to everyone; Peter Dunne and John Banks have been or are being investigated for serious misbehaviours and it's their two votes that have given National its slim majority in Parliament. 

 With only that odd 'bring back the smack, man didn't walk on the moon' Mr Craig to replace them, National knows that its best chance, its only chance, is to attack the Green Party. 

 Labour, in coalition with the Greens, will win the election comfortably, National knows, unless it can demonize the Green Party, by calling them names every time they ask questions about coal mining, deep-sea oil drilling, genetically-modified foods, climate change; all of those things National wants but New Zealanders are unsure about.

  Calling your ememies 'crazy', 'mad', 'loopy' or 'evil' works quite well, as Mr Key, who does it often, knows. 

 By frightening New Zealanders at every opportunity, the National Party hopes to disguise the fact that its support from other parties is weak. 

 Look out for it, as the year progresses, not only from National MPs, but also from its supporters who comment in the media, even the writers of letters to this newspaper. Attack, demonize, frighten and lable is the strategy. 

 If National can convince you that anyone who questions them is a terrorist, they'll be in with a chance. 

Robert Guyton

Riverton

(Thank you, Southland Times).

Greens skewer Key on asset-sale wastage

National has cost taxpayers over $440m so far with its asset sales policy, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.


The Crown Financial Statements to the end of November 2013, released today, show that the sale of Meridian and Air New Zealand added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the asset sales programme. When the cost of those sales is combined with the cost of the Mighty River Power sale and ancillary costs such as the Rio Tinto payout, the total cost of the asset sales now stands at $440m.

“John Key has mishandled the asset sales so badly that it has cost taxpayers nearly half a billion dollars,” said Dr Norman.

“National told us they would make hundreds of millions of dollars by selling the assets for more than their book value. Instead, they’ve lost over $200m by hocking the assets off cheaply.

“On top of that, there’s been the hand-out to Rio Tinto, Waitangi claim costs, and tens of millions of dollars to the brokers, ad-men, and lawyers.

“A decent government would be spending its time and money on creating well-paying, sustainable jobs for New Zealanders. National’s wasted its time and the public’s money on an asset sales agenda that New Zealanders didn’t want.

“New Zealanders voted by a margin of more than 2 to 1 against National’s asset sales in the referendum held in December. It’s time National listened and abandoned the sale of Genesis,” said Dr Norman.

Integrity in politics

Tracey, commenting at The Standard puts her finger right on the issue de jour - integrity in politics.

"For all the criticism some have of the Greens perhaps its their integrity that galls the right. Jeanette Fitzsimons' integrity and ability to focus on the ball not the player set a standard in that party. I recall many debates where off the ball stuff was going on and she would stand up and speak to the issue. Its possible but more convenient for many to tell themselves honesty and integrity is too hard to expect in politics. I call bullshit on that. It always comes back to character."

Tracey's view on this issue is my view also.

Water Wars in the Hawke's Bay

Something from Eugenie Sage that my fellow Councillors and staff at Environment Southland would find interesting to read. The Hawke's Bay Regional Council has a big issue on its hands - or at least the ratepayers of the region have some thinking and digging to do.
Is the HBRC confused about its role? Are the Water Wars well under way already, as Alan Liefting suggests?

"There is something strange and disturbing going on in Hawke’s Bay involving the proverbial fox and the hen house.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) is the enthusiastic principle promoter of the $230-million Ruataniwha Plains water storage scheme, a project which would see a 77 metre high dam and reservoir built on the Makaroro River to irrigate another 30,000 hectares of on the Ruataniwha Plains, and a dam and irrigation scheme on the Ngaruroro River.

The functions of a regional council are quite clearly spelled out here.

It would seem that a majority of HBRC councillors and senior staff are confused about their role as an environmental regulator, instead taking on the role of an economic development agency and irrigation promoter."

Proactive Greens

 ACC Rehabilitation Plans Announced

The Green Party has developed a rehabilitation plan to bring ACC back on track, Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague said today. The step-by-step plan released today sets out the key action points that will bring about the culture change required at ACC. It includes reviewing the legislation and recent activities of ACC, but would also put in some systemic changes such as further security on sensitive claims information, retraining of front line staff, and bringing medical information back to a high level of priority in decision making. "ACC needs to return to its original purpose: to provide a world class public service and honour the social contract it was founded on," said Mr Hague. "There are clear steps that need to be followed to get back on track; I've pulled together the key activities for the next 100 days. "This rehabilitation plan prioritises the needs of the people making claims, as they should be at the heart of ACC's work. "Ms Rebstock, or any other chair who is appointed, is welcome to follow my plan to shape her work for the next few months. "This plan sets out how to shift from a profit driven insurance model back to one that provides the level of care that injured and vulnerable New Zealanders need and should expect from now on. "ACC is a great institution that has a proud history and still has some very good people working in it. It has, however, been on the wrong path. "The Minister for ACC needs to seize this opportunity to return ACC to its founding principles and a culture of excellent public service; ready to work for New Zealanders," said Mr Hague.

Greens with guts

The Green Party is enjoying its AGM over the Queens Birthday weekend and flexing its muscles at the same time. Metiria Turei has given several National MPs the biff and served John Key up a plate-full of whup-ass as well:

"Mrs Turei directly attacked Mr Key for undermining the state school system despite previously speaking of the importance of his own public education at Burnside High School.

"I'm amazed that the Prime Minister could be so blatant in saying that his pathway out of poverty was education and then so clearly stripping away that pathway today.

"He has cut back on public schools. He has increased funding to private schools because he wants his kids to have better access to better education and small class sizes."

All strength to your arm, Ms Turei. Batter those hypocrites all around the park.

Meanwhile, the natty shills are getting nervous - We thought they were above that! - very amusing.

How to hold a tunneler

If I catch one of them, I'll...

Passionate Green, Dave Kennedy shares his vision for those who are planning to grind a tunnel through our beautiful park. Always stand behind Dave, has been my rule of thumb.

Green rising

"This could be the year of the Greens – finally they might crack the 10% mark that has eluded them in every general election so far. And with the popular demise of Labour and the ideological confusion of Mana, the Green Party might end up being the real success story for the leftish side of the political spectrum."


Could be.


Bryce Edwards @ Liberation explores the likelihood.

Plaster bust

Gareth's busted nose hasn't held him back at all and he's taking advantage of the advertising space (authorised you'll note) to give good advice.
What amazes me about his run-in with the Goon that reshaped his nose, is that his teeth survived intact!
Go Gareth!
Go Green!

Hat-tip Inventory2

2 mystery men

Who could these two blokes be (and what do they have in common)?

Kennedy bags Roy

Dave Kennedy's the Green candidate for Invercargill. He's lining up to give Eric Roy a thrashing at the coming election. Here, he gives both Roy and English a serve over their asset sales soft-soaping.
"A letter in today's Southland Times questions the logic of selling off our public-owned utilities to foreign corporates and likens the sales to "giving our heritage away for two blankets and a musket". Local MP Eric Roy defends the indefensible by attempting to promote the sell off as "gilt-edged" investment opportunities for kiwis and the freeing up of capital for other investments."

Dave Kennedy's onto a winner with this issue and the people of Invercargill will support him in calling the whole plan foul.

Environmental idiots!

“They’re just environmental idiots who will have disappeared again soon,” said  Former German Chancellor Helmut Schmid, badly miscalculating the power of Green in Germany.
Metiria Turei, our own Green leader, explores the excellent news that the Green Party in Germany is to lead (that's LEAD for those of you who are short-sighted and/or from the Right :-) the coalition government, with the traditional left party, the Social Democrats, taking the minor party role, as described by Metiria on Frogblog.
I won't go on, you can nip over and check it out yourself but rest assured, I'm pretty happy and hugely encouraged by the development. Labour may be languishing a little at the moment, but that just gives us Greens the opportunity to also lead the coalition from the Left, after the coming election.

That clear?

Solid Energy has plans to start mining lignite in Southland, turning low-grade coal into diesel, urea, electricity, and briquettes. If the projects go ahead, our carbon emissions will go through the roof.

We cannot develop a sustainable economy by subsidising activities that intensify climate change and dig up our environment in the process.

The Government should be looking for clean green energy solutions. We need to amend the ETS so that there's a price on all new activities that increase carbon emissions and support for sustainable alternatives.

Kennedy Graham, Green MP

Foreshore & Seabed - what Metiria thinks.

Revised legislation on the foreshore and seabed repeats the injustices of the original act and does nothing  more than paper over the cracks, the Green Party said today.
"The first Foreshore and Seabed Act alienated Maori from areas of the coast that they had strong customary connections with by placing all these areas in Crown ownership and removing from Maori the same rights in court that other New Zealanders have," Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said.
"This created a fundamental injustice. The new Marine and Coastal Area Bill does nothing to address this injustice.
"There is no substantive difference between the ‘common marine area' and the ‘public domain'.
"Instead of letting Maori have claims to customary title determined by common law, this bill spells out what those rights entail. These are substantially weaker than the private title rights enjoyed by non-Maori owners.
"Under this bill, Maori will only get what the Government has decided they can get, irrespective of the strength of their claim under common law.
"Yet 12,500 private titles over areas of the foreshore and seabed are unaffected. This is unfair and creates a double standard which treats Maori customary title as inferior.
"It also puts our coastline at risk of privatisation and foreign ownership. If John Key's Government is worried about public access and ownership, it should be amending the law to ensure that no foreshore and seabed land can ever be sold, rather than singling out Maori."
Mrs Turei said she was very disappointed that the Maori Party would support this unfair law.
"Repealing the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 was a founding principle of the Maori Party, and yet they have ended up supporting a bill which essentially repeats the same injustices.
"I sympathise with the Maori Party who have found themselves backed into a corner on this issue, but their commitment should be to their people first and foremost and I am incredibly disappointed that they have chosen to support this bill."