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National's so-called policies are laughable. National says it has released '14 policies' (14! wow! anyone would think they were planning to run a scout troop not a country) but six are just to adopt the existing policy. And the others, well - * Setting national standards in…
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Drinking Liberally last night was another raging success. The crowd was about 80, lots of new faces and good fun had by all. Given an open brief, Michael Cullen went back to his roots. He talked about social democracy and what it stands for; what…
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The Reserve Bank has left the Official Cash Rate unchanged; no-one expected a rate cut this early. It's encouraging that Bollard has firmly signalled that interest rates will be coming down this year despite projected inflation reaching 4.7% in the September Quarter. There's no use…
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Garth George surprised me today, and a welcome surprise it was. Here's an extract from his article - I decided that in this week's column I would have a bit of fun at the Greens' expense in the wake of their annual meeting. But since…
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Just a reminder that Drinking Liberally is on again this evening. See youse there. WHAT Drinking Liberally WHEN From 5.30pm, Wednesday June 4th. WHERE Southern Cross, Abel Smith Street SPEAKER Michael Cullen, Deputy Prime Minister CONTACT wellington@drinkingliberally.org
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Thank God that's over.
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Remember the tories and the Kiwiblog Right getting all flustered about the ‘Food Police', when guidelines were announced to control junk food in school tuck shops? Remember how this was the Nanny State at its most perverse and surely one step from us all being…
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Good on Mike Ward for finally seeing sense and stepping aside, allowing Greens co-leader Russel Norman to enter Parliament replacing Nandor Tanczos. Norman is rapidly establsihing himself as a very good media frontperson for the Greens; being in Parliament will enhance his role. Only the…
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Last night on the Daily Show Jon Stewart interviewed Scott McClellan, the former White House press secretary who has come out and accused the Bush administration of a "culture of deception" and of maintaining a "permanent campaign approach" to governing rather than making the best…
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It's funny the stories you hear when you're out in the provinces. I was up in Auckland over the long weekend and came across someone who told me the story of how Key became involved in National. See, Key was never political growing up and…
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Brenden Sheehan, the high profile spokesperson for the Muliaga family has withdrawn as Labour's candidate in Botany. A press release put out by the party says Brenden's chosen to pull out in order to give his time and energy to a seriously ill family member.…
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The New Zealand Press Association, owned by APN and Fairfax, has announced it is slashing its journalists from 55 to 48. In election year, they are reducing the parliamentary bureau from five to four. They are even sacking their only (yes, only) South Island reporter.…
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Those interested in the political situation in the States will be wanting to read the new book written by Scott McClellan (former White House press secretary), with potentially some lessons for operators in NZ. This piece in the Washington Post suggests that the people who should read it the most…
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This is the graph of the oil price forecasts Treasury used to underpin its fiscal model for the Budget. It assumes that oil would touch $115 a barrel US in about July this year before easing off to a long-run level of $100 a barrel.…
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Another pair of TV polls, another embarrassment for Colmar Brunton as their poll goes widely out of line with the others even as TNS/TV3 is confirming the established trend. Still, neither of the polls looks great for the Left. National would govern alone under either…
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Is Don Brash trying to help or hinder John Key? A revealing couple of articles (a news story and a feature) in the Sunday Star Times in which the former leader - full of self pity and self loathing in equal measures by the sound…
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Rock'n'roll pioneer Bo Diddley has died of heart failure, aged 79. Here's a little something to remember him by (ignore the crazy Dutch guys):
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Isn't this the one issue where we truly know what National will do? Didn't John Key say 'there will be no asset sales in the first term of a National Government (we'll save that or the second term)'? Yes, he did. But that goes against…
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Good to see the Greens coming out with a relevant, populist message at the weekend's conference by tackling the issue of food affordability. The Greens have great policies but far too often they've got themselves bogged down in the detail and been seen by voters…
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A recent newsletter from anti-PC campaigner Murray McCully led with this comment supporting the right of the Burmese people to decide for themselves what their country is called: The US State Department asserts the preference for 'Burma' 'due to consistent, unyielding support for the democratically…