Tom Bailey

It really speaks to the state of deliberative institutions. Committees stretched so much that consideration slots are so narrow and limited ability to work around having expertise available. The curse of zoom in some ways - otherwise would need to be set far in advance and inflexible (I asume?).

#nzpol The pay equity decision today – just before Mothers Day – takes employment law back decades. It will likely impact the earnings of hundreds of thousands of women, often working in some of the most poorly paid work. It will cost us all in the long-run. A 🧵 www.beehive.govt.nz/release/chan...

This is *why* retrospective laws are objectionable in principle. Law must be prospective so you can plan your life according to it.

Which is what claimant groups, employers, and public servants have done for years.

All in the bin in under 24 hours. Millions of dollars worth of work on all sides.

Whanau is standing by it. "Almost every day, people talk about how bad Courtenay Place is," she said. "It is important for Andrew Little to note, actually, that we have already re-phased the project. We're not doing Lambton Quay at this stage, we're just focusing on Courtenay."

Re the Golden Mile, it has already been rephrased and put on hold time and time again. The longer we leave it the more expensive and untenable it becomes. It is NOW time to revitalise Courtenay Place, improve public transport and fix the pipes in one go. #nzpol

www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3606...

"Mossad always gets their man" is pretty clearly a veiled death threat

As with the Treaty Principles Bill and every other outrage caused by Luxo's rogue coalition partners: their conduct is on him because the ministerial warrants he has given them make them relevance. Luxo's failure to enforce even the most basic standards of discipline is a stain on our politics

Windbag: Is Labour trying to freeze out its strongest Yimby? Wellington City councillor Rebecca Matthews is one of New Zealand’s most effective advocates for housing reform. But it appears the Labour Party doesn't want her any more.

Wellington City councillor Rebecca Matthews is one of New Zealand’s most effective advocates for housing reform. But it appears the Labour Party doesn’t want her any more.

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/01-...

Tēnā koe (aware of the NBEA)

We're losing amenity, right? Can't access article.

Luxon reveals major reform to replace 'broken' system The Prime Minister is expected to speak to media at 4pm on the Resource Management Act.

New RMA reform. Lots to unpack. No Treaty clause. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/...

"dei medal" you might as well just put "n*gger medal" because that's what they mean to say

Flashing lights, large screens ablaze with animated graphics reminiscent of the oughties. The CPAC logo spins around as generic rap-rock blasts across the crowd. Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the DOGE update. Please welcome Newsmax host, Rob Schmitt. Schmitt: Man. That is a big crowd. And they are not here for me. Crowd cheers. Schmitt: How you guys doing? Nice vibe this month, right? After the best month we’ve ever had. Nice to see you. Thanks for coming out. It’s good to see you. Let’s not kill any more time, let’s bring out Elon Musk. Crowd goes wild. Elon Musk enters stage, pumping both fists high in the air, walking slightly unsteadily. He is wearing a black MAGA baseball cap and sunglasses that look like they were bought in a gas station in 1989. He continues to pump his fists as he makes his way in front of the beige arm chairs at the front of the stage. Rob Schmitt attempts to get his attention, but he turns and waves at the crowd. Schmitt: We’ve got one more surprise, in case this wasn’t enough.

Musk: Well, President, uh, President Milei has a gift for me. Schmitt: [hamming at camera] Javier Milei from Argentina, you guys know who that is, right? Milei, a friendly-looking figure who resembles Bilbo Baggins right before he Smeagolifies, enters the stage carrying a chainsaw. He presents the chainsaw to the billionaire, who then waves it around unsteadily. Musk: This… is… the chainsaw for bureaucracy. [pumps the chainsaw in the air] CHAINSAAAW!

He takes a beat to examine the chainsaw. He is still wearing his sunglasses. He turns around and starts wandering to the other side of the stage, waving the chainsaw around. Musk: Uwaaauwaargh! Milei lurks awkwardly in the background, trying to wave goodbye to Musk, before Schmitt takes notice. Schmitt: Mr. President, thank you so much. Nice to meet you. I love it. We love it. Musk’s attention snaps to Milei. The two men shake hands with the Argentinian president, who then departs.

elon musk at cpac was so fucking weird you guys I know this reads like a parody but I literally just wrote down what happened www.theverge.com/elon-musk/61...

Very funny to hear a Minister of the Crown utter the words "most legislation is amended every few years"

Yeah, she was a very impressive politician. A real shame.

What did they say?

Took me 25s to work out what the zon is

Why would one replace goodreads?

Would be interested in how you've found the background affects the decisions/focus.

There Is No Safe Word How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades.

I wrote about Neil Gaiman, and the women accusing him of sexual coercion, assault and abuse. www.vulture.com/article/neil...

Why don't you think they're a teacher? Sad to say, people like that in every profession.

Why did you say 18% a moment ago? I don't keep up to date on US social stats so not second guessing, but this is a bit odd.

Would be interested in seeing comparative statistics on food costs. The recieved wisdom in NZ is that food is cheaper internationally, including in US, but that wasn't my impression when I visited.

Tuition in NZ is setup as a tax on income, rather than requiring repayment, so likely more favourable

Accept our minimum wage is high internationally, genuinely not trying to argue here. Note that housing costs in NZ are generally higher than other countries - we pay 23% of income on housing costs, for instance www.stats.govt.nz/information-...

Not got a bone in this, but 23 NZD is around 13 USD.

Yes apologies, I replied before reading the thread.

I don't think three instances makes a rule, especially when one of those could pretty easily have gone another way.

Yes yes I know ;) normally I'm more exact: only one of those was a three term government.

Minor bugbear: I don't generally accept the 9-year default framing. There's only been one Labour govt that lasted that distance. 96 was also a bit weird. Agree with the general point though.

Grant Robertson had never been a Minister.

The Making of a Mental Health Rockstar Does Mike King’s popularity come with a big dose of impunity?

I wrote a deep dive into Mike King for @davidfarrier.bsky.social at Webworm. This piece is the result of 100s of pages of OIAs and my experience covering him since 2014, a lot of work!

www.webworm.co/p/rockstar