Yeah, Labour are being naive. Thank goodness they're the ones in power for now.

When I think about it, it's excusable for Labour, but Winston should have seen a National ambush like this coming. But he was too excited to get right amongst it, forgot that National ain't playin'.

More like Winston was too excited that he was getting himself on a business-class flight to a five-star all-expenses-paid hotel. Of course he wasn't going to be in the house, he was going to be at the trough.

Looks like we have an opposition.

Hipkins = stupid, can't count to 58.



Naive? Try inept.



Pretty weird, having not had one for nine years.

Wait, so Labour had to concede on not dropping the Select Committee numbers, which was actually something that National (Bridges) endorsed the dropping of only a few months ago - and as far as I am aware Labour opposed?

So we have the select committee numbers remaining as is, and we have the Speaker elected unopposed.

I seem to be missing the issue

There's superficial competence in government, as well as keeping the wolves from the lambs, which Labour is failing at right now.

Then there's substantive competence, which National failed at for nine years.

ROFL - it's the governments fault that parents are feeding the kids crap and not showing them how to brush their teeth.... what ever happened to parental responsibility comrade ?

Thanks for making it clear you're trolling, comrade. Cause damn, you'd look stupid otherwise.

I'll take the opportunity anyway to point out that parents, like all humans, make decisions in the context of the sociocultural-economic circumstances they find themselves in, circumstances much greater than them over which they have little control.

So when something changes, e.g. dental health problems are increase at a greater rate than the population is increasing, then if you accept humans are evolved organisms, you accept that something has changed in the environment.

Of course, anyone is free to believe that the devil is making parents lazy, as many do.

Labour failed at pretty much the same rate during 2002 - 2008, according to your own source that you linked.

Please, please don't call a link to a current NZH article a source, certainly not my source. It's just a current bit of media.

It looks like Labour had things turning around, and hospitals weren't under the funding pressure they are now. So even if there were root causes still to be addressed, people could get care.

What I hate about all the "Parental Responsibility".

Sure most of it is parental responsibility, but obviously there is a problem (poverty being the biggest), but maybe we need more services from when a child is born. Maybe plunket needs to be expanded to do more checkups. And help parents along the way.

Our society is a shitload different than 50 years ago when there was (mostly) 1 parent at home, and parents only working 9-5. Or family units and neighbourhoods to help out. Or where most of the food had less processing (and less sugar)

Yes it's Parental Responsibility but when families are struggling day to day, working multiple jobs to survive, there is only one group in society that is going to suffer - the children.

Why can't we live in a society where there are the services to help these families. Services that provide more options.

Society has changed, but unfortunately a lot of minds sets have not

When you cite as a source with no context to limit scope, it's fair for people to treat it as a source in general.

I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that being under oppressive jackboot of National causes poor people to not understand toothbrush + toothpaste = clean teeth. This 'poor people make poor decisions' theory is really being stretched to the limits on that one.

I find it hard to believe that they can't afford a basic toothbrush for a dollar and a tube of toothpaste for a few bucks.

Sadly there are people that are needing to budget that tight - where that dollar for the toothbrush (and where are you shopping for this mystical super-cheap toothbrush?) would be considered a luxury vs buying food or similar. Let alone buying toothpaste.

Uhhh... Countdown, Warehouse etc.

If the family has a budget so tight that they can't afford a buck for a toothbrush, I suggest they cut out some of the waste, like smokes or a 3rd, 4th or 5th child.

Seriously, go to the Sallys, go to Winz, talk to their budgeting person. See if they can just fucking give you some toothbrushes.

Oh btw, 1-day once had a pack of 36 Oral-B toothbrushes for something like $25 shipped. I still haven't run out. But hey, I use my white privilege to make good decisions.

I wasn't citing a source, it's the fucking NZH. I was talking about the news.

I wish you were an idiot, CCS. Alas you're just typically ignorant.

no-one here is typical, we're all special.

Hey does this "free tertiary education" thing that Labour's announced.... would that apply to, you know, Australian citizens studying in New Zealand? Because that strikes me as kinda the opposite of good.

You're special bro. ♥

Good recent series on The Spinoff looking at income inequality and public ignorance around this.

No, poor New Zealand families can’t just ‘grow their own vegetables’
No, poor NZ families don’t just need to make ‘better choices’
No, poor New Zealand families don’t need your crappy advice

I guess people just need to make better decisions.

And people with depression just need to harden the fuck up.

Problem solved.

Yes it does apply - they're treated as domestic students with all the rights that entails (able to access support services, student loans and/or allowance etc etc). Funnily we used to have a number of (reciprocal) agreements with different countries that gave domestic student status, but they got canned along the way.

Gareth thus far...
 

Aside from if you like their policies or not, TOP is going to stay irrelevant while they let Gareth helm the ship. EG: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/politi...told-to-resign
Egotistical muppet that he is.

I disagree with Labour here, both parents should be able to take paid parental leave at the same time

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/nation...leave-national

Yeah, they did certainly do that wrong. National said it so we say no.

The spin on NewsTalk this morning was around how National vetoed it twice, which is fair enough point to make.
But why put the restrictions on. Do they not know that some families struggle. Mums get lumped with a baby by themselves. If they have the other parent as support could go a long way to help both baby and mother

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11944901

"no-one marched when I was elected"

Obligatory post pointing out that she wasn’t elected

Obligatory post pointing out that by that same standard, neither was any other party. No matter which party Winston chose there was always going to be some of that. Yay MMP?

I think Ab means that there's only parties on the voting paper & not a choice of leader.

I get where you're going with that, but if you want to talk about that, then it's the electoral college that decided whom the US president will be, not the actual voters (with some exceptions compelling the EC seat to vote by population/block related voting).

Besides: Most of the complainers are salty that it's not their party that got in, basically complaining that just because National got more than any other party that NZ First should have gone into coalition with National.

Pricing floor for alcohol would punish responsible drinkers - Govt


A surprisingly sensible standpoint from Labour.

I don't see a benefit for chronic alcoholics from minimum pricing. They'll just pay more and keep drinking. What they need is intervention.

A surprisingly sensible standpoint for CCS.

Hopefully we will see some improvements in the overall mental health ecosystem soon.

Jack Tame interviewing Jacinda Ardern is the most ridiculous thing I've seen in a while
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment...d-i-just-watch

All I can say to that? There's a reason it's in the Entertainment section.

I started watching that... hmm 8 minute interview. After 1 minute of Jack trying to eek something out of it... bored... skip to 4 minutes... still trying...skip to 7 minutes... still trying. What the fu.. I don't... ugh.

Been away from home too long, NFI who Jack Tame is, and after reading this commentary I have no interest whatsoever in watching the clip. :/