The Standard

Author Archive

The chaos of the Trump White House

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, December 1st, 2017 - 22 comments

From tweeting fake anti muslim videos to supporting the Senate race of an alleged child molester who was banned from a mall because he was so creepy to acting to remove his Secretary of State for thinking that he is a moron to passing a bill that will help the rich and hurt the poor while denying this is the case the Donald Trump White House is a chaotic place.

Key and Mass Surveillance: Was this the reason for the Golriz distraction?

Written By: - Date published: 7:42 pm, November 29th, 2017 - 100 comments

David Fisher has written an in-depth article for the Herald that suggests that John Key’s promise, three years ago, that the Government had cancelled the Speargun project which would have allowed for the mass surveillance of New Zealanders was not actually correct.

Joyce’s multi billion dollar budget hole

Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, November 29th, 2017 - 29 comments

It appears that Steven Joyce was right about there being a multi billion dollar hole in the Government’s finances. But not in the way claimed.

Right loses its shit after former criminal lawyer discovered to have acted for bad people

Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, November 28th, 2017 - 86 comments

Elements on the internet have claimed that Green MP Golriz Ghahraman must be a genocide supporter because she once acted as a defence lawyer in a war crimes tribunal.

Why New Zealand should support the Tongan League team and forget about the Americas Cup

Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, November 28th, 2017 - 101 comments

The Tongan national league team has invigorated Auckland in a way I have not previously seen basically for nothing. Meanwhile Team New Zealand and the Americas Cup are demanding hundreds of millions of dollars for economic benefits that the recipients should be paying for.

National spams the Beehive

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, November 27th, 2017 - 90 comments

National has been clogging Parliament’s written question system by asking questions that even David Farrar thinks seem silly and are over the top.

Invisibill

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, November 26th, 2017 - 50 comments

The media have noticed that Bill English has recently been missing in action.  And pretenders to his throne are starting to play up.

Doofus of the week – Nick Smith

Written By: - Date published: 3:58 pm, November 25th, 2017 - 60 comments

No competition in this one, Nick Smith for showing that despite the 27 long years he has spent in Parliament he still has no idea how our electoral system works and for claiming there is an electoral convention that simply does not exist.

Labour to seek consensus over child poverty

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, November 25th, 2017 - 111 comments

Jacinda Ardern intends to reach out to National to try and furnish a bi partisan approach to dealing with child poverty.  It is a good idea, but I don’t like her chances.

The Pike River Supreme Court decision – Helen Kelly would be pleased

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, November 24th, 2017 - 19 comments

Helen Kelly blogged four years ago why the deal that allowed Peter Whittall to walk free following the Pike River disaster was unjust and flawed. Yesterday the Supreme Court agreed.

Latest Roy Morgan Poll – Labour and Greens surge as National flounders

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, November 23rd, 2017 - 156 comments

The first post election Roy Morgan poll result has been released. Labour and the Greens have surged and National has gone backwards.

National on the Manus Island crisis

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, November 22nd, 2017 - 82 comments

Gerry Brownlee has surfaced on Radio New Zealand to criticise Labour’s handling of the Manus Island refugee issue. But he seems to have forgotten that the proposal offered by Labour is the proposal originally offered by National.

Labour accelerates action on Pike River re-entry

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, November 21st, 2017 - 182 comments

National is trying to spin that Labour has adopted its position on re-entry of the Pike River mine. But the Pike River families are having nothing of this.

Mugabe hangs on

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, November 20th, 2017 - 16 comments

Despite expectations to the contrary Robert Mugabe has refused to resign as leader of Zimbabwe.

The Rugby League World Cup

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, November 20th, 2017 - 27 comments

Something slightly different.  Congratulations to the Tongan and Fijian Rugby League teams for playing out of their skins beating the Kiwi league team and for having the most passionate fans.

Heather Du Plessis-Allan wants New Zealand to be more radical

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, November 19th, 2017 - 57 comments

Heather Du Plessis-Allan has shown herself to be a radical progressive in her latest Herald column.

The UK Social media political arms race

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, November 19th, 2017 - 8 comments

Robert Peston in the Spectator has analysed the social media performance of the two big parties in the United Kingdom and has concluded that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour had a significant advantage over Theresa May’s conservatives.

Ardern’s Manus Island offer

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, November 18th, 2017 - 298 comments

The Australian Government has this week been attempting to undermine Jacinda Ardern’s humanitarian request that the refugees on Nauru Island should be treated humanely.

Australia supports same sex marriage

Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, November 15th, 2017 - 21 comments

Australian electors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of allowing same sex marriages.

United has no future

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, November 14th, 2017 - 54 comments

United Future has announced that it will be wound up.

TVNZ pays Chief Executive a bonus after massive plunge in profits

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, November 14th, 2017 - 40 comments

TVNZ’s board has decided to respond to a massive plunge in profitability by paying it chief executive a bigger salary package and a large bonus.

Ardern has words for Trump and Turnbull

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, November 13th, 2017 - 67 comments

Jacinda Ardern has publicly criticised Donald Trump for idiot treating and Malcolm Turnbull for unacceptable handling of the Manus crisis.

The TPP11 negotiations: ISDS provisions are gone – almost

Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, November 12th, 2017 - 113 comments

David Parker has confirmed that the TPP11 negotiations have resulted in a considerable minimising of the ISDS provisions.  But will this be enough?

Can Ben Mack please make his mind up

Written By: - Date published: 7:35 am, November 12th, 2017 - 84 comments

Herald lifestyle columnist has published two recent opinion pieces, the first wondering if Jacinda Ardern will be able to address the many and varied problems the country faces and the second suggesting that the Government is under the control of the extreme right.  Can he please make up his mind.

Doofus of the week

Written By: - Date published: 4:15 pm, November 10th, 2017 - 45 comments

The award for doofus of the week this week goes to David Bennett for one of the most nonsensical speeches Parliament has ever seen.

TPP11 close to being signed?

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, November 10th, 2017 - 127 comments

Mesia reports suggest that a possible TPP11 agreement is close to being signed.

The new Pay Equity Legislation

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, November 9th, 2017 - 17 comments

National is trying to spin that Labour refusing to continue with National’s flawed pay equity legislation shows a lack of commitment to pay equity.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Justice for Teina Pora

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, November 8th, 2017 - 13 comments

Andrew Little has announced that the Government will increase the payout to Teina Pora by adjusting for inflation and by paying costs on Pora’s successful judicial review of the previous Government’s decision.

Paradise lost

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, November 7th, 2017 - 19 comments

The Paradise Papers have provided further evidence of a small group of very wealthy people are using complex trust arrangements based in tax havens to avoid paying tax.

Australia, you’re being a dick

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, November 6th, 2017 - 139 comments

Australia has refused New Zealand’s very generous offer to take 150 Manus Island refugees.

Jian Yang and his residence application

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, November 5th, 2017 - 68 comments

Just before the election news broke that National MP Jian Yang had previously taught in a Chinese University training spies.  A recent OIA release of his immigration application raises further issues.