The Standard

Author Archive

Time to become a republic

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, December 5th, 2019 - 85 comments

There are indications that Elizabeth the UK Queen may stand down from her office in the next two years. That may be the perfect time for Aotearoa New Zealand to cast aside constitutional provisions based on heredity and become constitutionally independent of the old country.

Government to ban foreign donations to political parties

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, December 3rd, 2019 - 66 comments

The Government has announced that it will pass under urgency changes to the Electoral Law to ban overseas donations.

Why some MPs should not tweet

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, December 3rd, 2019 - 7 comments

National MP Joanne Hayes has provided a textbook example of the perils of Twitter.

Labour’s infrastructure spend announcement

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, December 1st, 2019 - 35 comments

Is the Government commitment to the budget responsibility rules weakening? Because at the Labour Party Conference Grant Robertson has indicated that the Government will shortly announce a big capital spend on infrastructure.

Bridges calls for investigation into National’s handling of electoral donations

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, November 29th, 2019 - 24 comments

Simon Bridges’ demand of an investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation appears to have backfired after it emerges that the NZ First Foundation was modelled on the National Party Foundation.

Strike Force Raptor for the win

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, November 28th, 2019 - 40 comments

National has proposed significant changes to the Criminal Justice system to create a Police group without evidence that it works, and that if enacted would make our prisons less safe and plug holes in our law that do not exist.

National’s Youth lauranorda rhetoric

Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, November 27th, 2019 - 20 comments

National is proposing changes to the Youth Court system that show not only a disregard for working in the interests of young people but disturbingly show a complete lack of understanding about how the Youth Court works.

Little announces changes to Prisoner voting rights

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, November 26th, 2019 - 44 comments

Andrew Little has announced a review of prisoner voting rights to overturn National’s law change which the Courts have ruled to be in breach of fundamental rights and unjustified. Simon Bridges has announced that National will reverse any such law change. And he has topped this off by proposing that Tauranga City Council should prosecute and fine beggars and homeless people.

Hypocrites

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, November 22nd, 2019 - 57 comments

National’s attacks on NZ First’s Foundation are hypocritical in the extreme given that it also has a Foundation and has used this foundation to hide the identity of donors who have collectively potentially contributed huge amounts of money to the party.

Hypocrite

Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, November 20th, 2019 - 74 comments

Simon Bridges has accused NZ First of engaging in the most significant breach of electoral law in New Zealand’s history. But has not ruled out working with NZ First in the future. And has forgotten about National’s neat partition of a $100,000 donation to hide it from the authorities.

Not a good look

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, November 19th, 2019 - 98 comments

There has been recent media exposure on New Zealand First’s treatment of donations and the use of a trust to receive donations and avoid contribution disclosure requirements by making payments loans rather than gifts.

Just another typical week in US politics

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, November 17th, 2019 - 38 comments

The last week in US politics has seen the Trump Impeachment Hearing go public, Trump confidant Roger Stone convicted of lying to Congress, Alex Jones ask for the Presidential pardon to be used to free him, and details revealed of multiple meetings between Trump and Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas who are charged with campaign rule violations. Trump says he does not know them. Just another week in the Trump Presidency …

Fifty shades of meh

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, November 15th, 2019 - 130 comments

A group of farmers protested against Government climate policies yesterday including policies which the National Party either established or supported.

End of Life Bill passes

Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, November 14th, 2019 - 98 comments

David Seymour’s End of Life Bill passed through Parliament last night by 69 votes to 51.  We are now facing a referendum at the next election.

Learning to win fast

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 12th, 2019 - 53 comments

While Australia burns its conservative politicians still refuse to accept the enormity of the climate crisis and are acting to hinder and prevent measures that need to be taken to address what is a clear threat to the country’s future.

Sustainable Party launches

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, November 11th, 2019 - 99 comments

The Sustainable Party, National’s sock puppet party designed to weaken the Greens has launched. And its policies for some strange reason have not put climate change front and centre.

National’s solution to poverty – make people even poorer

Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, November 9th, 2019 - 24 comments

National MP Jo Hayes has advocated for the reduction of poverty levels by making poor people even poorer.

Slapdown

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 7th, 2019 - 66 comments

Jacinda Ardern has publicly slapped Shane Jones down for blatantly racist comments by requiring Immigration Officials to reverse a policy change that was adversely affecting Kiwis who have recently entered into arranged marriages.

UK Conservative’s social media is remarkably similar to National’s social media

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, November 6th, 2019 - 31 comments

The British Conservative Party and the New Zealand National Party appear to be using very similar twitter strategies involving the setting of highly edited video to naff music and the making of patently ridiculous claims.

Trickle down fails yet again

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, November 3rd, 2019 - 50 comments

Despite its continuous failure to work over the past 40 years trickle down remains a favourite justification by right wing administrations for allowing unfettered greed.

No Social welfare handouts for multinational corporations

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, November 2nd, 2019 - 98 comments

Rio Tinto is practising further brinkmanship and have reportedly sent in a closure team to assess the viability of Tiwai Point and no doubt seek a Government handout. Is it time to say no and provide cheaper cleaner power to the country instead?

Twitter announces end to paid political advertising

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, November 1st, 2019 - 11 comments

Jacinda Ardern’s campaign against harmful social media has had an effect with Twitter deciding to ban political advertising on the grounds that internet advertising brings significant risks to politics.

Can’t Simon Bridges prove a double negative

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, October 30th, 2019 - 33 comments

Simon Bridges has announced new National Party policy to take benefits off gang members and their families if they can’t prove they don’t have illegal income or assets.

Unapologetic populism?

Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, October 29th, 2019 - 44 comments

A Wall Street broker has accused Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren of unapologetic populism in her desire to help workers, the environment, those with lower incomes, and women and minorities as if these are bad things.

Truth, boomer memes and the next election campaign

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, October 26th, 2019 - 54 comments

Thanks to Facebook’s lax attitude to fact checking it appears that the next election campaign is going to be a rough one.

Dog whistling Housing Corp tenants

Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, October 25th, 2019 - 29 comments

National has announced that it will put an end to a “state house for life” if it gets into power next year.  But its rationale is not only cruel but based on a faulty understanding of the local reality.

Sneaky Simon somersaults on support for Terrorism Bill

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 23rd, 2019 - 24 comments

National has welched on a promise to support the Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill so that it can play politics with law and order issues.

Zero Carbon Bill reported back

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, October 22nd, 2019 - 18 comments

The Zero Carbon Bill has been reported back largely unchanged.  But National has a series of talking points that suggest it will not cooperate with the passage of the bill into law.

NZ First Youth drags party screaming and kicking into 20th century

Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, October 21st, 2019 - 24 comments

At New Zealand First’s weekend conference the party’s youth wing has forced the party to rethink its ultra conservative view on pill testing services being offered at festivals.

Australia gets tough on climate change activists

Written By: - Date published: 7:42 am, October 17th, 2019 - 22 comments

Following on from Weka’s post yesterday concerning attacks on the right to protest in the United Kingdom, Australia has also shown a concerning tendency to attack and undermine that most important of rights.

Burning down the house

Written By: - Date published: 5:03 pm, October 15th, 2019 - 28 comments

Why is it that conservative politicians throughout the world engage in rhetorical attacks on laws that in many situations actually serve important purposes?