Something Smells, Honest John
Seems Ms Adams is the latest prepared to jump under a bus to save the beloved Honest John. Self interest is strong in this one.
Politics
accountability
Slack on our craven human rights record
David Slack is on fire this morning with his take on our craven human rights record – in the form of imagined NCEA questions.
Groser flips the bird to the Judiciary and NZ Laws
The Law? That’s not for Cabinet Members, the Law is for the lazy malcontents who don’t want to work hard.
Making the Opposition the Enemy –
It takes fortitude to admit you are wrong. That’s right, not weakness but, strength, courage, resilience, grit, determination, endurance, guts, and staying power. When you won’t admit you are wrong you end up having to justify wrong decisions. That takes time and energy (and money) away from what actually needs to be done for the greater good. John Key won’t admit he is wrong. Because of this he has to keep going down several paths of “wrongness”, and because he is Prime MInister, he is taking us all with him. Some people think he does admit he made mistakes. But when you examine the few instances closer (if you can find them), it looks like something else.
Joining the dots
Was Key’s “outburst” in Parliament yesterday an outburst, or was it a strategy?
Serial fondler accuses Labour of “backing rapists”
Serial fondler of young persons’ hair and celebrity PM impersonator John Key lost it in Parliament today.
Minister declined to comment…
Isn’t it amazing how many Ministers can’t wait to front up to the media when they are selling. But when it comes to after sale service they just don’t want to front?
National – rubbish at everything except politics
National are rubbish at everything except politics. And that’s not politics in a good way.
TPPA text released
The text of the TPPA has finally been released to the plebs – i.e. we the people. Too little too late.
NRT: The SIS is unfit for purpose
I/S at No Right Turn writes on today’s IGIS report: “The overall picture is that SIS is a mess and highly resistant to change…”
The Pacific as we know it is doomed
“‘Unless the world acts decisively in coming weeks, the Pacific as we know it is doomed,’ says Fijian prime minister Frank Bainimarama”. Odds of the world acting decisively in the coming weeks – effectively nil.
4 days Left to answer Ombudsmen Survey
People have just four days left to tell the Chief Ombudsman about their experiences of making requests to government agencies under the Official Information Act if they are to inform her enquiry into government agencies’ OIA practices.
Petition on Slater’s hate speech
Well I’m glad we cleared that up
Wallowing in extravagance
“Wallowing in extravagance” is how Labour described the latest news of extreme spending from Steven Joyce’s MBIE.
Jane Kelsey on Groser’s proven breach of duty
“Throughout the TPPA negotiations Minister Groser sought to justify their obsessive secrecy with a mantra that ‘it’s always done this way’. That was parroted unquestioningly by every fellow travelling journo and politician, and others who were unwilling to challenge the Minister, despite being told that was untrue.
Groser changed his tune during the case, arguing that ‘every agreement is different’ and the TPPA is special. Why the shift?
Lucky Labour – disgraceful Speaker
Three of the four member’s bills drawn yesterday were sponsored by Labour leaders. What followed was one of the most disgusting maneuvers ever pulled by this government, justifying the headline – Nats play politics while Kiwi kids die in homes.
Court’s decision on TPP OIA has both Nats and Ombudsman squirming
The High Court recently found that Government and Tim Groser improperly considered Prof. Jane Kelsey’s application for information concerning the TPPA negotiations. The Nats aren’t happy. The Ombudsman isn’t happy. Tough.
NRT: Dictatorship in Canterbury, dictatorship in Parliament
I/S at No Right Turn writes on the continued suspension of democracy in Canterbury.
Just another coverup
The Nats changing lines on the Taji report look like just another routine coverup of just another routine lie. At least, I hope so, because not knowing / caring about the report would be worse.
The Taji report
An American report which came out shortly before Key’s visit to our troops at Taji camp in Iraq is strongly critical of conditions there, and of the efficacy of the training process. Key claims he didn’t know, yet another of his outbreaks of “convenient ignorance”.
As expected, TPPA gives a peanut return
In 15 to 25 years, long long after I have retired, and the TPPA is fully realised. It may be worth an extra $260 million per year in possible tariff benefits. By contrast, the China Free Trade Agreement within 5 years was increasing our exports each year by an extra $350 million. But the costs for the TPPA start as soon as it is signed. We may make a profit off it in 10 years. This is not a good deal.
Exxon knew
Exxon knew all about global warming and the “hockey stick” all the way back in 1981. Naturally the course of action they decided on was to lie and deny.
Speech to UN height of hypocrisy
Key’s little lecture to the UN would have been delivered with a lot more moral authority if it wasn’t built on the heights of hypocrisy.
Stephenson beats his critics
Respected journalist Jon Stephenson has extracted an apology and payment from the NZ Defence Force for their attack on his work in 2011. He is owed an apology from John Key too…
BSA: Hosking wrong on ponytail case
The echos of John Key’s ponytail pulling harassment of a waitress continue.
Pandas WTF?
Pandas – one lightweight piece of fluff too far?
Dunne: Our foreign policy lacks any commitment to human rights
Peter Dunne doesn’t hold back in his assessment of the craven foreign policy – that is the creation of his government.
Fact checking Key on government performance
A year after the last election John Key lists his government’s achievements. It’s a pretty desperate effort.
NRT: The Great WINZ ripoff
I/S at No Right Turn on the WINZ underpayment fiasco.
Inside National’s spin machine
A very interesting post in The Herald yesterday by Grant McLachlan (former Parliamentary researcher and a Nat campaign director) detailing National’s well resourced and well organised spin machine.
A schools league table that we need
The Nats have created the (spurious) data for school “league tables” so that parents can be fully informed and make choices, so they tell us. But it seems that parents don’t deserve to be fully informed about the dangerous physical health of schools. That would be just too inconvenient.
A flag that suits Key’s NZ
Lyndon Hood in a work of bleak genius has come up with a flag that really suits Key’s NZ.
Crazy Corbyn?
Jeremy Corbyn’s popularity in the UK Labour leadership race has the political establishment in a tizzy. So of course, out come the dirty tactics. Private Eye has done a great job of showing up one of these….
Bread and circuses. Hold the bread.
Peter Lyons hits the nail on the head in Nothing but spin coming from our Government. Garner misses the point in National gets a case of the dreaded third-termitis.
Another farm death
Last night the Nats passed their widely ridiculed health and safety legislation. This morning a Waikato farm worker died in a workplace accident. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.