Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Tuesday, 28 June 2005, 4:37 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
The “Mainstream NZ” Debate Gets Up A Head Of Steam
Photo Essay: Wellington City Pirates Vs Cruising Lions
Scoop Report: Inside The Prime Minister's Post-Cabinet Presser
Scoop Poll Watch: National/NZ First Coalition Would Have The Numbers
May Trade Balance 12 Percent Lower Than 2004 Period
MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:
Israel Military Court Finds Tom Hurndall's Killer Guilty
UN Team Appalled At Zimbabwe Crisis
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
US And UK Found Guilty Of War Crimes
Guest Opinion: Remembering The Drowned Of SIEVX
Scoop Link: USA Resumes Plutonium Production
Devil Found In Detail Of G8 Poverty Deal
MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Cullen Details His Fair Taxation Plan Agenda
Key Considers Who Ought To Own Tax-Take
Mapp Takes Umbrage At CTU's Anti-Nat Stance
LTSA Releases Risk-List Of Second Hand Cars
MORE POLITICS HEADLINES:

The “Mainstream NZ” Debate Gets Up A Head Of Steam

[1] - On Morning Report yesterday, Don Brash declared that gay people are "clearly not mainstream New Zealanders … they're a very small minority." Pressed on whether they might reasonably aspire to be part of his "mainstream" he eventually quoth "I'm sure some of them absolutely are." And what, pray tell, are the others? See... Public Address 28/06/05 - Clever, Creepy [2] MORE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00373.htm#1
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00387.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00372.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00373.htm#1

Photo Essay: Wellington City Pirates Vs Cruising Lions

- Fans of the English Lions team were today welcomed to Wellington by a small, but loud cannon, positioned astern a launch chartered by the Wellington City Council. As well as tormenting the English fans with ear shattering claps of cannon fire, Wellington City Council workers danced and waved balloons at the friendly invading hordes. See... Lions Fans Hunted By Wellington City Council [1] MORE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00388.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0506/S00240.htm

Scoop Report: Inside The Prime Minister's Post-Cabinet Presser

- Scoop's Kevin List reports on the PM's Post-Cabinet press conference. Topics covered this week are… PM’s Definition Of Mainstream Kiwi Wider Than Dr Brash’s Definition - Sports Tour Of Country In Turmoil ‘Not Really Cricket’ - Israeli Apology Better Late Than Never … See... PM's Presser: Mainstream NZ, Sport & Israeli Spies [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00373.htm

NZ LEAD:

Scoop Poll Watch: National/NZ First Coalition Would Have The Numbers [1] - The latest Herald-DigiPoll has shown support for the Labour Party continuing to erode with party list support for National rising, placing it in the box-seat to fight the General Election in September. The Herald reported: "Today's poll puts National ahead of Labour by almost four points, with no more than 13 weeks to an election." New Zealand First continues to gain favour with party list voters. It registers at 11.8 percent in this poll. If this result was matched on election night, then neither National nor Labour would be able to form a government without New Zealand First. See... Labour Slips Further As Poll-Trend Begins To Bite [2] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00375.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00375.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00376.htm

May Trade Balance 12 Percent Lower Than 2004 Period

- The value of merchandise exports for May 2005 is 12.0 percent lower than for May 2004, while the value of imports is 11.0 percent higher, resulting in a trade deficit of $25 million (0.8 percent of exports), Statistics New Zealand said today. See…May Trade Balance in Deficit [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0506/S00418.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00670.htm

MORE NEW ZEALAND HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0506/S00074.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0506/S00416.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0506/S00414.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0506/S00238.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0506/S00235.htm

Israel Military Court Finds Tom Hurndall's Killer Guilty

- The ISM acknowledges that though the Israeli military court has found Wahid Taysir guilty of manslaughter it has failed to question the policy and decision makers responsible for Tom's murder and the murder of thousands of other innocent people. See... ISM Comments On Tom Hurndall Shooting Verdict [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00466.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00467.htm

UN Team Appalled At Zimbabwe Crisis

- As United Nations human rights experts expressed concern about human rights violations resulting from the Zimbabwean Government's eviction of illegal dwellers, the chief of the UN programme on sustainable housing arrived in the southern African country ... See... Zimbabwe: Ten UN Experts Deplore Forced Evictions [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00474.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00479.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00473.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00468.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00477.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00475.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00476.htm

US And UK Found Guilty Of War Crimes

- Istanbul, Turkey - Today in Istanbul the jury was taken aback by witness testimony from Iraqi war victims and a US Air Force veteran. "Snipers hunt people in the streets. People attempting to go to health centers are shot at," testified Eman Kmammas, an Iraqi translator. "There are many crippled children. There are thousands of widows and orphans. There are no police for security and there are no courts. Even hospitals are occupied and bombed and burned." See... Iraq Tribunal: Is This What They Call Democracy? [1] MORE:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00385.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0506/S00484.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00366.htm

Guest Opinion: Remembering The Drowned Of SIEVX

- On October 19, 2001 an unnamed fishing boat carrying over 400 refugees bound for Australia sank. 353 people just like us, 146 children, 142 women & 65 men, died under the Southern Cross. See... Mary Davies: Sievx - Titanic And A Tennis Court [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00380.htm

Scoop Link: USA Resumes Plutonium Production

- New York Times - The Bush administration is planning the government's first production of plutonium 238 since the cold war, stirring debate over the risks and benefits of the deadly material. The substance, valued as a power source, is so radioactive ... See... Scoop Link: US To Resume Plutonium Production [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00383.htm

Devil Found In Detail Of G8 Poverty Deal

- Casual readers of the newspaper headlines could be forgiven for believing that the leaders of the richest and most powerful countries have had a miraculous change of heart. If the papers are to be believed, the key decades-long demand of the global justice movement — debt cancellation — had been agreed to, thanks to an unlikely alliance between Tony Blair’s British Labour government, leading aid agencies and pop “legends” Bob Geldof and Bono. However, the devil is in the details, as Green Left Weekly’s Norm Dixon discovers. See... Norm Dixon: ‘Africa Needs Justice Not Charity’ [1] MORE: Toni Solo - Toni Solo: "Debt" - Remaking Procrustes Bed [2]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00382.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00355.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENTARY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00379.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00384.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00386.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0506/S00381.htm

Cullen Details His Fair Taxation Plan Agenda

- A government discussion document released today outlines proposals for fairer, more consistent rules on taxing income from collective funds and offshore portfolio share investments. “Radical change in the tax treatment of different kinds of investment income is long overdue,” Revenue Minister Michael Cullen said today. “As noted in Budget 2005, the current rules tend to overtax investors – particularly those who have lower tax rates, advantage certain forms of offshore investment, and favour investment in some countries over investment in others." See... Fairer rules on taxing investment income [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00665.htm

Key Considers Who Ought To Own Tax-Take

- National Party Finance spokesman John Key says Michael Cullen should tell the public whether all of the half billion-dollar roading bribe he announced last week is really Labour's money to spend. "National supports increased government spending on our roads. But the cash Dr Cullen committed last week is still in dispute. He's putting the taxpayer at considerable risk, and the next National Government may be forced to repay this money with interest. It's the BNZ debacle all over again," says Mr Key. See... Are the millions for roads really yours, Dr Cullen [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00668.htm

Mapp Takes Umbrage At CTU's Anti-Nat Stance

- National Party Industrial Relations spokesman Wayne Mapp says many CTU members will be alarmed to see the CTU spending their union fees on blatant, politically partisan campaigns. See... CTU a 'branch of the Labour Party' [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00672.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0506/S00275.htm

LTSA Releases Risk-List Of Second Hand Cars

- Data from the world’s largest survey of real-life crashes has been analysed to rate the safety performance of some of New Zealand’s most popular used cars. The 2005 Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) study has analysed the crash performance of used cars in over 1.1 million crashes on New Zealand and Australian roads. Safety ratings have been calculated for 288 common makes and models. The ratings are being released in New Zealand today by Land Transport NZ and the New Zealand Automobile Association (NZAA). See… How safe is your used car? [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0506/S00201.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0506/S00298.htm

MORE POLITICS HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00662.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00671.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00669.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00667.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00666.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00664.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0506/S00663.htm

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

Contact Alastair Thompson

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