[the] code of welfare for layer hens was found to be in breach of the Animal Welfare Act by Parliament's Regulations Review Committee (RRC). The RRC released a 41-page report following an investigation into a joint complaint made by the Animal Rights Legal Advocacy Network, Campaign Against…

The Herald should hang its head in shame and do some real good for the pigs in this country – get Anderton or anyone with power to phase out crates.

Anderton is one of the main reasons pigs are still in tiny cages – like Sutton before him, he's stood…

The herald should hang its head in shame and do some real good for the pigs in this country – get Anderton or anyone with power to phase out crates.

When even America's Smithfield's farms and UK Marks and Spencers to name 2 are phasing out their pig crates,…

Isn't pork barrel politics, basically by definition what politics is all about?

I think the phrase has a lot more useful meaning when put in America or someone else, where politicians votes are much more up-for-grabs, and they still run a FPP electoral system.

So Senator X will vote for…

Ok, I'll bite. One can argue about quality of spending but to suggest that Clark is being dishonest for pointing out the absolute flaming obvious is what...idiotic, dishonest,. I dunno, words fail me.

The Herald journo who drew up that table revealing a $2.5 billion gap in spending promises…

How else do you describe the main competition in an election that's six months away but still hasn't released clear details on policy expenditure?

Prudent?

And National do appear to be…

Craig, part of Cullen's point is that Key is pulling numbers out of his arse without having seen the Treasury books.

Um, OK... So you're going to have to help me out here: If National ever changes tack on anything they're a pack of flip-floppers with a secret agenda. If…

Ok, I'll bite. One can argue about quality of spending but to suggest that Clark is being dishonest for pointing out the absolute flaming obvious is what...idiotic, dishonest,. I dunno, words fail me.

You want tax cuts, fine, but don't expect all else to remain equal.

So, is anyone going…

Then again, the equally shabby and dishonest argument Clark is now running is that "tax cuts = 'social service' cuts"

Oh, Craig, why do you do this to me...

Ok, I'll bite. One can argue about quality of spending but to suggest that Clark is being dishonest for pointing out…

Enter the Scottish Parliament and what did it do? it bought out…

Should we be passing a law about Australian money in our media, given their shameful corporate media?

Indeed, Paul. Because The Herald was a shining beacon of journalistic rigour (or should that be rigour mortis?) when it was owned by the Wilsons and Hortons. (BTW, Paul, when did Tony O'Reilly…

from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_barrel_politics

Based on the first line of the definition, a huge proportion of the policies of all political parties, rely on this type of politics to get votes.

just look at the swing from ECA to…

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, a dopey headline is just a dopey headline and there's no subtext under the text.

Well, Craig, we disagree. Quelle surprise!

but quantity doesn't always translate into quality. And a difference of emphasis doesn't make someone evil incarnate.

Strangely enough, here we agree.…

On "Campbell Live" John Key promised to "pour money" into education.

Speaking to farmers, John Key promised to "pour money" into research and development. Here's the story:

http://www.country-wide.co.nz/article/8577.html

What is…

but I think that National is gettin an awful free run...they are flip flopping, avoiding issues, being facile and using euphemisns…

Is this the same paper that had the nerve to run an Democracy Under Attack campaign? Should we be passing a law about Australian money in our media, given their shameful corporate media?…

It looks very anti-labour cos the Nats have no policy yet worth spitting on, but I read it as a coded warning that National should not be putting itself as Labour-lite.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, a dopey headline is just a dopey headline and there's no subtext…

Policies = spending

Some people will no doubt go insane over that, but its right. One of the standard definitions of "policy" is the direction of public resources in pursuit of a goal. "The direction of public resources" doesn't have to mean spending (it can for example mean passing a…

It looks very anti-labour cos the Nats have no policy yet worth spitting on, but I read it as a coded warning that National should not be putting itself as Labour-lite.

After this long on the opposition benches the Nats would be…

Well, it is supposed to have one policy (the $50, or is that $40, per week tax cut for the "average" worker), but no one seems interested in costing it, or counting it as "pork"

Appealing to the masses with dubious promises – perhaps that 's spam-barrel politics?

The best government, in my view, is one that is modest about its own capacities, and carefully restrained.

To which I'd add 'vision'.

I don't mind the government going out and spending big on something, as long as it makes some sense and means we're reaching for something, rather than…

The story doesn't ask which, if any, of the items proposed by Labour have been expressly ruled out by National.

Which is is the elephant (pig?) in the room for the whole story. It's quite hard to see the way this story has been presented as commensurate with editorial good…

The best government, in my view, is one that is modest about its own capacities, and carefully restrained.

amen.

HC made a valiant effort this morning to suggest that Budgets shouldn't be (and aren't) just about taxes ... but alas, that argument is lost for now. (Partly Cullen's fault for cancelling the tax bracket adjustments?)

Then again, the equally shabby and dishonest argument Clark is now running is that…

Clark at yesterday's press conference twice challenged the media to add up the cost of all National's promises.

Rob: I agree with you that's a totally fair call — but one could also say that I hope we're not going to see a campaign run on her side with the…

Clark at yesterday's press conference twice challenged the media to add up the cost of all National's promises.

It was a fair point. but if journos are going to do that, its only fair to…

HC…