Lindsay Mitchell

John Armstrong's interpretation of Paula Bennett's comment that during the Welfare Working Group forum we could see an "ugly s...

The 2 day Welfare Working Group conference was not an uplifting experience. My sense was that most of the delegates were lobbyists from orga...

There was a great deal to absorb at yesterday's forum (continuing today). But reports thus far contrast. For instance the Green MPs are ...

The Welfare Working Group kicks off an exploratory (my word) forum today at Victoria University. So I'll be tied up for the next couple ...

If there is any upside to the constant banging on about alcohol, it's the relief from the banging on about P and cannabis. And I wonde...

Yes, it's all a bit boy-scoutish but I got my PPL wings back and I am feeling very pleased about it. The endeavour has, however, pretty ...

Anyone watching Campbell Live last night would have been treated to the police reassuring us that their decision to impose a 'no toler...

An unbelievable story coming out of the UK. Unbelievable? I wish it was unbelievable. That is, so far-fetched, it couldn't be true. A t...

I talk a lot about how increasing benefit levels will draw more people onto welfare (see previous post). Yesterday I came across the followi...

Economist Susan St John had an article published in my local paper, the Hutt News. It advocated her usual answer to child poverty so I submi...

I am pleased my stats have held up (compared to a year ago) because my output has dropped off lately. Frantically busy with work and other ...

These are the April 2008 to April 2010 Australian unemployment benefit statistics . 595,458 people are receiving some form of 'Newstart ...

Its a natural reaction to scrutinise a claim based on our own experience. One-sided teaching of our history has left New Zealanders ill-equ...

Not often enough do we see an idea or invention that has the potential to solve contemporary problems. This might be one however given that...

Another highly readable post from Winston Smith about the inutterably inane cossetted environment of supported housing for Britains problem ...

Did you suffer from a lack of information about the budget? Apparently Palmerstonians did and Labour expects government MPs to go up there a...

The Brits have just issued a gloomy report called the State of the Nation report: Poverty, Worklessness and Welfare Dependence in the UK . ...

Remember this story from last month? Work and Income has quietly started bumping dozens of people off the invalids benefit, months before t...

More groups have trooped before the social services select committee lambasting the government's Future Focus Bill. Again most of the f...

In need of some light relief from the gloomy weather, here are my two silly girls having fun. Coming from a working career as a sheep dog th...