Posts by James Butler
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hard News: The perils of political confidence, in reply to Steve Barnes,
I wouldn't be surprised to find out this was a deliberate ploy, if it was then it was very clever.
I'd like to hear how it's "clever". It looked phenomenally stupid to me.
-
Hard News: The perils of political confidence, in reply to Steve Barnes,
Note I said supporters not Members, their voting base as opposed to their membership.
Do you really think that Green members on the whole are more likely to be OK with a "teal" coalition than Green supporters? I would have thought the opposite.
-
Speaker: Why Auckland, and New Zealand,…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Central government transport policy currently seems to be developed from the point of view of a private car driver
And the commercial truck driver, don't forget them. The trucking sector is by far the biggest beneficiary of the RONS program.
-
Speaker: Why Auckland, and New Zealand,…, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,
The best idea for Wellington I’ve heard is the Green’s, with a light rail track from the train station to the airport, as well as a loop into central Lower Hutt.
In the 1990s a group by the name of "Transport 2000" put together a pretty comprehensive plan for light rail in Wellington; this involved (from memory) a line to the airport (via a tunnel under the Basin, I believe), running light rail vehicles up the Johnsonville line, and one or two other proposals I can't remember. My late father was one author of the report, but I don't know what happened to the group after that; it seems that some of the ideas are still around though, which is great.
-
Speaker: Why Auckland, and New Zealand,…, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Oh and one political party has promised to support it
Well, two, I think you'll find :-)
-
Cracker: On the trail, pt 1., in reply to Sacha,
Certainly avoids figuring out who the deserving poor are.
This times 1000. One of the most attractive things about a UBI in my opinion is that it turns the question away from who is "entitled" to a benefit - because everyone is entitled - towards what the various needs of the recipients are.
-
Cracker: On the trail, pt 1., in reply to BenWilson,
I think we should have a universal benefit.
As in "universal basic income"? I agree, but I'm not sure how or if it should be abated for retirees with large savings. For working people on moderate to large incomes, any UBI they receive can be compensated for through progressive income tax; but retirement savings are not taxed. Discuss.
-
Last post should have been a reply to Damian. And I can't edit it either. Cuse you, iOS.
-
I'm torn about this. The arguments against means testing which prompted my parents to protest 20-odd years ago - that it would hit those who had spent their lives paying for the welfare state - ring a bit hollow now. But I would still rather we had a state which could pay for pensions in the first place.
-
I have to say that although the messages on Labour's billboards is very clear and to-the-point, the red background, faux-stencil typeface and ALL CAPS combine to make them look a little... how do I put this... hammer-and-sickle?