From Sue Bradford: Aucklanders - the fight back against the worst recommendations in the Rebstock report starts now. Join us - Auckland Against Poverty - in a picket, 2pm today outside Work & Income, Sel Peacock Dr, Henderson. Sorry for the late notice. I will…
Audrey Young reports that John Key is trying to soften the ground for some "unpopular concessions" in the TPP arrangement. He was speaking at the US-NZ Partnership Forum in Christchurch - an event sponsored by Warner Brothers. A free trade agreement with the US could…
Monday 21 Feb: Key apologises over handling of BMW purchase Prime Minister John Key has apologised over the handling of the purchase of 34 ministerial BMWs. ... “The whole thing has been sloppy and frankly, the public deserves better,” he said. “I’m not going to…
Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
Look past the tattered remains of Brand Key and the Nats have not changed in the past 20 years. They still don't have a clue how to create a wealthier New Zealand but they know how to hurt people. As in the 1990s, they are…
Aren't our MPs, and ex-MPs, a rich and diverse bunch of people? I find it endlessly fascinating, the sorts of issues on which they choose to spend their time and energy. Take ex ACT MP David Garrett. (Far away - take him - please!) Apparently…
Overnight carers have won the right to be paid at least the minimum wage for time when they are not working and free to sleep, as well as when they need to provide care to their charges in the middle of the night. National seems…
Key has blamed a soldier being killed in Afghanistan for the limo affair. This is just an attempt by Key to protect himself from criticism by hiding behind a soldier's death. This is just sickening. The very worst kind of politics from a man who…
I've been meaning to write about the Salvation Army's superb State of the Nation report, but I haven't managed to more than skim read it1, let alone put a post together on it. So I thought I'd combine my few thoughts so far on it…
I should have posted this in the weekend, but if you have a spare 12 minutes some time in the day, do yourself a favour and watch this video. We know from history, and from our own recent experience, that tax cuts don't cause growth.…
It can be depressing to see a week of the government on the ropes and then see polls showing National with an apparently commanding lead. But lets go beyond the shallow analysis offered by the talking heads ('National's still well ahead of Labour, nothing to…
Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
On a day when I've heard of 3 smaller businesses shutting down due to National's economy, Big Business too is waking up to the flaws in National's ways. TelstraClear have realised the undemocratic ways of this Government. The push through, don't consult, override the wishes…
The headline! Key increases lead over Goff as Preferred PM The lead in: Our first 3 News Reid Research poll in the election year sees Prime Minister John Key continue his commanding lead over Labour and its leader Phil Goff. "Continue" his commanding lead? What…
"Hunger and malnutrition are stalking New Zealand families. Hundreds of thousands are just one shock - whether an illness, or a large bill - from not being able to afford basic food. This is not good enough in our land of plenty. The Sunday Star…
Whitcoulls (or its earlier incarnation Whitcombe & Tombs) has been here since forever. I don't know how many hours I spent browsing books in their shops as a youngster, or how many Christmas and birthday presents I brought there - not to mention the school…
Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
The limo issue reveals everything wrong with the Key government in microcosm: greedy, elitist, hypocritical, liars. Against the background of the failing economy, it's one hell of a bad look. But in monetary terms, it pales in to comparison beside their decision to cancel Cullen…
Over at Dimpost, Danyl wrote an interesting piece after seeing the video of John Key in the House saying that if Kiwi families find themselves needing to go to foodbanks it is their fault. That nasty moment was, Danyl thought, an eye-opener to the disconnect…
Reprinted from No Right Turn: Back in September last year, South Canterbury Finance went under due to mismanagement. Its investors were bailed out, no questions asked, despite the fact that it was in violation of its government guarantee or that some of those investors had…
Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
Another 1,000 Kiwi jobs at risk - this future... it's too bright New right Reform NZ Party forms - will big names join? Old man Douglas thinks Parliament rises at 9pm - It's 10pm Nats preparing to legislate away more workers' rights $2 petrol now…
Yesterday, the Government had something of a panic moment. Under fire for its failure to deliver jobs, for its plan to sell assets to pay for tax cuts for the rich, and the gross hypocrisy of the BMW debacle, it released five press releases less…
At a surprise press conference this morning, Prime Minister John Key announced that the National Party was imposing a media ban on itself until the BMW limo affair, already labeled Beemer-gate by the terminally unimaginative, dies down. "We got the idea from the Maori Party,…
Last night's TV3 poll confirmed what we knew - Kiwis are strongly against selling our public assets. National's policy is opposed by 60% and supported by just 30%. That's more opposition than the mining proposal. There'll be no back-down from the Nats - pillaging the…
Open mike is your post. It's open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
John Key and his government have told us a series of lies over the new BMW fleet. One by one they have been disproven. No, we weren't locked in to a three year contract. No, there was no penalty payment if we didn't go ahead…
Local Government Minister Rodney Hide has accepted Disability Minister Tariana Turia and Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples' challenge to a street race to settle the Supercity Maori Advisory Board dispute. Standing beside his customised Crown limo, the Kupapa II, Sharples said "we called on Rodney…
Even the most optimistic lefty can't deny that National are continuing to dominate the opinion polls. That must be quite a source of pride and confidence for the Right. But I wonder, is there anything that rightwing voters believe this National-led Government has done wrong? A…