Pauline Hanson’s One Australia party is trying to defend claims that it should funding to oppose gun restrictions from the NRA and the Koch Brothers by stating that its chief of staff was drunk.
The Trump shutdown is over, as the doofus President waves the white flag. And in Florida, his trusted advisor Roger Stone is led away in handcuffs to face charges of lying to the Mueller enquiry. Good times, people, good times!
Donald Trump is to make an announcement today concerning the shut down. And Buzzfeed has suggested that the Mueller Investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting that Trump instructed his lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress.
The Jami-Lee Ross scandal may have quietened down but issues raised by his explosive tape recording of Simon Bridges still need addressing. Does the $100k Zhang Yikun donation suggest we are going down the US track and, if so, what needs to be done about that
Jamie-Lee Ross will seek to win a by-election as an independent. Says that Simon Bridges is corrupt and unlikeable and that he could prove it. Refutes Simon Bridges claim against him of harassment of women. Said the by-election would be a referendum on Bridges’ leadership. Updated: Simon Bridges responds – what he doesn’t say is more interesting
We know the real names of the Russian spies who bungled the Salisbury novichok poisoning. Will it make a difference to the Kremlin’s plans?
In Australia this week the Liberal Government has become embroiled in a scandal relating to political pressure being brought to sack the head of the ABC and one of its most senior reporters. Failed estate has the details.
The Minister for Open Government has been caught organizing a secret meeting, and it has led to the resignation of an RNZ manager who covered for her. Is it time to kick Curran out?
Donald Trump’s response to news of the arrest of Michael Flynn suggests that charges closer to the office of the President may be close.
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.
Despite expectations to the contrary Robert Mugabe has refused to resign as leader of Zimbabwe.
“Once upon a time, in a world far away” we had these people called “reporters”.
An honourable profession, who considered it their job to keep the public accurately and completely informed.
In a case of extraordinarily bad timing for National it has been confirmed that despite claims to the contrary MFAT never provided National legal advice about the merits of any possible claim made concerning New Zealand’s banning of live sheep exports.
How many of these did you receive over your 7 years of over-payments?
A short video looking at the major issues in the Hager/Stephenson book ‘Hit and Run’
Simon Bridges tried to block the release of a report on a Kiwirail proposal. The Ombudsman warns against flouting the Official Information Act. But it’s a well established pattern of behaviour with this government.
The politics of the Grenfell Tower fire.
South Korea has responded to corruption allegations by electing a new president who plans to dump their equivalent of the SIS and oppressive security laws, greatly tax the wealthy, clean out corruption, and hugely strengthen the public sector.
According to Fran O’Sullivan the cause of Sheepgate was Key’s decision to abandon leadership of a business mission in 2010. As to the subsequent scandal – Watkin and Hooton voice the anger we should all be feeling.
I/S at No Right Turn: “ACT appears to be using charter schools to channel public money to government donors and cronies”…
Interesting discussion on the silence of the lambs. Where have all the journalists gone?
Both One News and The Herald have pieces this morning highlighting different cases of dirty money being “filtered” through NZ. Panama papers, National donors, SkyCity and more…
The Nats are all over the place on this, and they’re trashing our reputation in the process.
Over night the Panama Papers leaker “John Doe” released a “manifesto”.
In it he/she mentioned just one national leader by name, singling out our very own John Key, for his “curious silence”…
Australia’s Financial Review has just published more details of NZ’s starring role as tax haven in the Panama Papers.
Update: Claims that Key’s lawyer never dealt with Mossack Fonseca seem to be – untrue.
I/S at No Right Turn on the irony of sending Judith “Minister of Corruption” Collins to an an anti-corruption summit in London next week.
On the nobbled IRD tax haven review Key has been sorting out his lines. Then he had to feed McClay his. The concept of just telling the truth probably never occured to either of them.
NZ under the Key government has hit new depths of ignominy as per capita the world’s biggest climate change cheat. And we plan to keep using the fraudulent “credits” we have purchased.
Little is doing his job. Dirty Politics Farrar is spinning like mad. The real questions are – who knew about the donations, when did they know, and were they involved in awarding the contract?
Bryan Gould has some choice words on the latest Nat donations scandal.
There is a clear conflict of interest in the Niue resort case.
There was a gathering in Cathedral Square in Christchurch on Sunday the 21st of February.
A one and a half hour recording of the event was put on youtube. Speaking begins at around 13min.
New Zealand used to be rated as the least corrupt country in the world. Over the past couple of years we have dropped to second and now to fourth. The cynical way that the Government handles OIA requests is the main reason for this occurring.
The Official Information Act is now moribund and access to information beyond its scope is granted only to a chosen few and under strict conditions.
Campaigning with public money. Politicising the public service. Cabinet club is cash for access. This is a corrupt government.
