The Standard

Author Archive

We need to push back on Leighton Smith

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 8th, 2018 - 85 comments

Leighton Smith is living for the day when it is proved that climate change is nothing more than a lefty hoax. I hope he is right.

The right work themselves into a frenzy about Ardern and Curran

Written By: - Date published: 3:52 pm, September 7th, 2018 - 65 comments

The latest right wing beat up is that Jacinda told a porkie this morning to Chris Lynch on Newstalk ZB. A closer inspection reveals that nothing of the sort happened.

The Trump New York Times Op ed

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, September 7th, 2018 - 121 comments

Donald Trump thinks that the anonymous opinion writer in the New York times may have committed an act of treason.  Others think that this is an act of loyalty to the country.

Politicians should be allowed to have families

Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, September 5th, 2018 - 74 comments

Elements of the media are criticising Jacinda Ardern for juggling her personal responsibilities with her working life, something that most of us do every day.

Winston and the refugee issue

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, September 4th, 2018 - 30 comments

Winston has suggested that New Zealand First may not agree to an increase in the number of refugees New Zealand accepts.  Even though the infrastructure needed for the increase is paid for.

Farrar peddles climate change denial nonsense

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, September 3rd, 2018 - 151 comments

David Farrar has posted a guest post by climate change denialist Bryan Leland where he has criticised the Royal Society of New Zealand for accepting that climate change is an actual phenomenon.

Simon Bridges says the weirdest things – Criminal Justice

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, September 1st, 2018 - 30 comments

Simon Bridges has justified his claim that the three strikes law is working by releasing an Italian study that has not been peer reviewed on the effects on white collar criminals of a pardon system.

Worst campaign video ever?

Written By: - Date published: 1:54 pm, August 31st, 2018 - 18 comments

Repbulican Ron Desantis has released what may be the worst campaign video ever.

Business confidence verses business certainty

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, August 31st, 2018 - 37 comments

Lately the news has been all doom and gloom about business confidence.  But what is the reality?  And should we worry what an Australian Bank is telling us?

Australia bans Manning but lets in Au pair for rich Liberal donors

Written By: - Date published: 5:14 pm, August 30th, 2018 - 45 comments

Following recent news it appears that in Australia Au Pairs of the rich and connected are welcomed and helped.  Seriously ill refugees are ignored.  And click bait racists are fine but peace activists are shown the door.

Simon Bridges says the weirdest things – petrol prices

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, August 30th, 2018 - 43 comments

Simon Bridges has been trying to create a narrative about increasing petrol prices being the fault of the current government.  But he has been tweeting an incorrect price and his claims about responsibility have been contradicted by BP.

Let Chelsea Manning speak

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 29th, 2018 - 146 comments

Chelsea Manning wants to visit New Zealand and talk about how evil war is and what should be done to stop it.  We should let her.

Simon’s first six months

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, August 28th, 2018 - 106 comments

Simon Bridges has now been leader of the Opposition for six months.  What has he to show for his time? People are questioning his judgment over his fixation on who leaked his travel information early.

National plans to breach privacy rights of all of its MPs to find leaker

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, August 27th, 2018 - 187 comments

National intends to continue with its investigation into who the leaker of Simon Bridges’s travel expense information was

Bridges and National keep digging further on Leakgate

Written By: - Date published: 12:51 pm, August 26th, 2018 - 64 comments

A review of events over the past two weeks about the strange case of the leaked travel expense information, the expensive inquiry and the depressed MP.

Spull!

Written By: - Date published: 2:49 pm, August 24th, 2018 - 25 comments

Malcolm Turnbull is gone, the Liberal Party is engaged in a leadership battle, and a Texan popcorn maker has appeared as a potential new Prime Minister.

Which National MP leaked Bridges’ expense details?

Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, August 24th, 2018 - 358 comments

Radio New Zealand has stated that a National MP has confessed via anonymous texts to be the leaker of Simon Bridges’ travel expenses. And the information was provided by way of a leak.

New Zealand’s offer to accept some of Nauru’s refugees

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, August 23rd, 2018 - 32 comments

Jacinda Ardern is looking to repeat Helen Clark’s example of proposing to take refugees that Australia is refusing to take.

Manafort convicted and Cohen takes deal

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, August 22nd, 2018 - 137 comments

In Trump’s America Paul Manafort has been convicted on eight counts and Michael Cohen has entered into a deal with prosecutors admitting campaign finance breaches at the behest of “the candidate”.

Judith Collins tweets more fake news

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 22nd, 2018 - 164 comments

Judith Collins has been caught tweeting more fake news.  And repeating it just in case we missed it.

Daily Review 21/08/2018

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, August 21st, 2018 - 41 comments

Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

Ardern announces salary freeze for MPs

Written By: - Date published: 5:26 pm, August 20th, 2018 - 55 comments

Jacinda Ardern has announced a freeze of MP’s salaries while a review of the salary setting system is carried out.

Good luck Julie Anne Genter

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, August 20th, 2018 - 44 comments

Julie Anne Genter outdid Jacinda Ardern’s trip to hospital in her private car by riding to hospital to be induced on her bike.

Strewth Dutton could be Aussie PM

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, August 20th, 2018 - 87 comments

Malcolm Turnbull’s days as Australian Prime Minister may be numbered with suggestions that Peter Dutton has the numbers to win a leadership contest.

The future of blogging in Aotearoa New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, August 19th, 2018 - 54 comments

Morgan Godfery of the excellent Maui Street blog has relaunched his blogsite and made it subscriber based. Is this the future of blogging in Aotearoa New Zealand?

The week of Limogate

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, August 18th, 2018 - 44 comments

Tracy Watkins and Tova O’Brien have both written articles criticising Simon Bridges’ handling of Limogate.

RIP Aretha Franklin

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, August 17th, 2018 - 14 comments

Soul diva Aretha Franklin has died aged 76.

Is Tova O’Brien really a closet leftie?

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, August 16th, 2018 - 76 comments

Matthew Hooton has claimed that Tova O’Brien is an extreme left-wing, anti-National Party journalist intent in bringing Simon Bridges down.  Hyperbole much?

Simon says it’s all Labour’s fault

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, August 14th, 2018 - 102 comments

Simon Bridges has kept the story about his over the top spending on limos and hotels alive by making contradictory statements and by suggesting without proof that the leak of the information is all Labour’s fault.

The end of ACT

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, August 13th, 2018 - 238 comments

With his proposal to reduce the effectiveness of Parliament David Seymour is clearly looking for relevance.

About freedom of speech

Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, August 12th, 2018 - 97 comments

Simon Wilson in the Herald neatly skewers suggestions that Donald Brash is a free speech warrior and raises important issues about the interplay between free speech and attacks on “political correctness” also known as tolerance and respect.