Post
Explore the archive
Archives · 2009-08-01 to 2009-08-31 · Page 5
Find articles and conversations by date, subject or search expression.
Searching: posts Sorted by: newest Results: 121–150 of 172
Post
Taxing times
In my opinion Pundit is one of the treasures of the NZ news/blog space. The posts are frequently excellent, in a world where quality journalism is increasingly rare. A recent piece by one of the founders, Tim Watkin, is a case in point. After a…
Post
Govt backs tax cheats
There is $4 billion in overdue tax owing. Every dollar of that means someone is pocketing cash that should be paying for schools, hospitals, superannuation etc, leaving those of us who pay our tax to pick up the tab. Tax cheats are criminals free-riding on…
Post
Stand up for free speech, stand against Bully State
As you know, when Natasha Fuller and Jennifer Johnston spoke up against the Key government's cancelling of the Training Incentive Allowance, Paula Bennett tried to silence them by releasing their private information to the media. That was a flagrant breach of her fiduciary duties as…
activism democracy under attack democratic participation human rights
Post
Electoral finance – summary of submissions
The Ministry of Justice has released a summary of the submissions it got on its Electoral Finance Issues Document. They got 79. The Ministry gives out some figures about some figures on how many submitters were for or against certain ideas. Of course many submissions…
Post
Unemployment back to English’s ‘realistic’ level
Who said this? "if we continue with National's policies over the next three years we will be able to create another 115,000 jobs and bring unemployment under 6%. These are realistic targets...Labour's claim that it can bring the unemployment rate down to 3% is also…
Post
What a coincidence
So there I was, just a walking down the street, and $47,000 just fell out of the sky in tax free readies, bam, right in to my lap! Like I was Bill English or something! What - that never happened to you? Me neither. We…
Post
Which one’s true, Bill?
According to the Speaker, Bill English MP's "primary place of residence" is in Dipton because Bill has told him it is. But according to the Registrar of companies, Bill the shareholder of Resolution Farms' "full residential address" is in Wellington because Bill has told them…
Post
English lives where Lockwood says
Allowances for MPs accommodation are made according to the Speaker's determinations. An MP's "primary place of residence" is where the Speaker says it is. Page 18 of the determination gives the definition: primary place of residence,— (a) in relation to a member, means the place…
Post
A real recession policy
Darien Fenton's minimum redundancy bill has been drawn from the ballot and is likely to go before the house in the next two weeks. In my opinion implementing a minimum redundancy is one of the most significant ways we can reduce the effects of the…
Post
Uncowed
Shh. Hear that sound? It's National's mud throwing machine gearing up again. Inevitably, they've released Labour's ministers' spending. No evidence of any rort but the big numbers work into the media narrative. It's all about taking the focus off ministers ripping us off by taking allowances…
democracy under attack democratic participation education national
Post
English in serious trouble
Over at Red Alert, Trevor Mallard has posted a form that all MPs wanting an out-of-town allowance must fill out. It asks MPs to list their residential address, and asks "Is this residence the place you would normally go to when you are not on…
Post
Unemployment hits 6%
Stats NZ has just released the unemployment figures for the June Quarter. Unemployment has hit 6%. That's 138,000 people out of work. We're going to need more than a cycleway to get ourselves out of this one.
Post
John Key ‘may’ be able to understand it?
John Key has recently acted like a jerk to a young mother worried about what climate change is going to mean for her future and that of her child. Essentially he said that she should stick to what she knew. Bearing in mind the complete…
climate change humour john key national/act government video youtube
Post
Greens show the way forward
The Greens have presented a sensible and feasible plan to reduce our greenhouse emissions to 40% less than 1990 levels by 2020. Contrary to Nick Smith's scaremongering, it won't break the bank. In fact, at current carbon credit prices, they will save us money. phase…
Post
Flogging our future
Hot Topic has very interesting post up about how Act took a sudden interest in climate change denial after they received $100k from prominent climate change denier Alan Gibbs. As Gareth at HT points out: Hide's repositioning coincided with a major donation to ACT by…
Post
The house built on sand
English, now known by the moniker Double Dipton, has decided to give back half the amount to has rorted so far from the taxpayer. Rather than claim the full ministers' allowance, he'll pocket 'only' $24,000 a year for living in his own family home, thank you very…
Post
Less work, less pay for Kiwis
Today the Household Labour Force Survey, which includes the official measure of unemployment, will be out. The headline number is expected to be around 5.6%, up from record lows below 4% just nine months ago. The HLFS has a few limitations though. It only measures the percentage…
Post
John beats up on young Mum
Seems John Key's been name-dropping Kiwi film stars to business leaders in Brizzie. In today's NZ Herald Key is quoted slamming actress Keisha Castle-Hughes for speaking out on climate change, saying that she should 'stick to the acting'. Remember it's just a matter of days…
Post
Flippin’ Bill
According to the Companies Office, Bill English lives at an address in Karori in Wellington. This address is publicly available on the Companies Office website as he is registered as a shareholder in Resolution Farms Limited, whose shareholders are Simon William English and Mary Agnes…
Post
DL Dannevirke (I kid you not)
The Drinking Liberally empire keeps on growing. Tomorrow there's an event in Wellington, and Dannevirke, the newest chapter, has its first event on Saturday. I'm not sure if the people in Dannevirke have hooked into the DL Facebook organisation but it's great they've got it…
Post
One law for all?
Are you? a disgraced former minister who resigned from Parliament in shame? a National MP who rents from a National minister (Judith Collins or Anne Tolley for example), claiming that expense back from the taxpayer while the minister simultaneously rents another place, again on the…
Post
Why don’t they just stop ripping us off?
Key admits his ministers are rorting the system - exploiting the allowance not for need but just because it gives them a chance for a bit of free cash: "In some instances you've got ministers moving out of homes where they might otherwise stay there…
Post
Key: Don’t join the conversation
By telling Keisha Castle-Hughes she should "stick to acting" and keep out of the climate change debate, Prime Minister John Key is signalling to young New Zealanders everywhere keep out of politics. I guess he doesn't want us to "join the conversation" after all. Speak…
Post
The lies keep coming
Read this: Hon Phil Goff: What analysis did Treasury do on the cost-effectiveness of the national cycleway scheme in producing jobs, and is he prepared to provide the Treasury analysis, oral and written, to members of this Parliament; if not, why not? Hon JOHN KEY:…
corruption democracy under attack john key national/act government Parliament
Post
DL Wellington with David Cunliffe
Drinking Liberally is on again in Wellington this Thursday (that's tomorrow), with guest speaker David Cunliffe on the opposition's inquiry into bank profiteering. When: 17:30, Thursday, August 6 Where: Southern Cross, Abel Smith St, Wellington [Hat tip: No Right Turn]
Post
Sshhh! You’ll make the economy cry
John Key says we shouldn't be talking about the number of people going on to the dole. He reckons that mentioning the fact that thousands of people are losing there jobs will cause people to lose confidence and hurt the economy. Isn't the real problem for…
Post
Worth the Bill
What would you call it when you collect $900 a week by false pretenses? What would you call it when you tell the Electoral Commission and Ministerial Services that you live somewhere other than where you, your partner and your children actually live and work? And if…
bill english corruption crime john key national national/act government
Post
Field’s guilt and Farrar’s shame
Over at Kiwiblog DPF has wet himself with excitement at the Field verdict. Sadly however, he doesn't get two bullet points into his post before he starts lying. DPF damply reports: 13 Sep 05 PM Helen Clark says 'the only thing of which Taito Philip…
Post
3News on National Ministers double-dipping
3News covers the story of National Ministers double-dipping at the taxpayers' expense. UPDATE: 'BLiP' has bestowed a new title on Bill English: "Sir Double Dipton". Gold.