Nats’ backers tire of do-nothing Key
Reading Fran O’Sullivan is always interesting because she provides an insight into the thinking of the business elite who fund National, and who expect it […]
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Lockwood threatens the press
Lockwood Smith seems to be losing the plot. He’s now issuing open threats to the Press Gallery of all things: Parliament’s Speaker, Lockwood […]
Everybody else is going, so why can’t we?
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon have called on world leaders to attend the Copenhagen talks on the new climate […]
Why was Worth fired?
The Police have announced they will not be laying any charges against Richard Worth over the incident involving him and a Korean woman […]
Stockholm Syndrome and leaky homes at the coast
Bomber over at Tumeke has a good post up on Goff’s speech. Pointing out the Maori Party has Stockholm Syndrome is not race […]
Goff’s speech
Phil Goff’s speech on ‘nationhood’ was always going to be seen as an attempt to pull a Brash, regardless of what it actually […]
Rally: Lift the freeze on low pay
Just a reminder, thousands of hospital support staff, school support staff and other low-paid public sector workers are rallying in 27 centres nationwide […]
Shame on you
Never in the history of New Zealand politics has so much taxpayers’ money been hurled into the chasm with such contempt for the […]
Brash report tipped to be toxic
Jenni McManus reports in The Independent [offline]: The first report from the 2025 Taskforce is due on Monday and the word is its […]
Rolling maul of disasters
In case you’re just waking up to it, this government is a disaster zone. If it’s not one or the other of the […]
Maori Party meltdown
How long can the Maori Party survive before it collapses under the weight of its own contradictions? The idea of a single party […]
Our word is our bond
Maori Party policy on the environment: We aspire to work together to make the economy great but not at the expense of our […]
National / Maori ETS now law
So, the National / Maori ETS is now law. Waiho mÄ te WhakamÄ e Patu. Shame on those who supported this appalling legislation […]
Sharples and the Maori Party revolt
Via Newsroom [offline], Pita Sharples has confirmed reports of an internal revolt within the Maori Party over its support for National’s ETS. The […]
Armstrong on Calamity Nick
Wrapped in a bit of fluff, John Armstrong has some pretty damning things to say about Nick Smith today: He can be headstrong. […]
Employers ripping off job ops money
National has only come up with one employment policy to counter the recession. No, not the cycleway – ‘job ops‘. It works like […]
Who’s next?
I was watching that vid by the Greens on ACC and bikoi. What caught my attention was the bikers’ chant: “who’s next, who’s […]
With friends like these…
John ‘Mayor for Remuera’ Banks would’ve been gagging on his morning gruel after reading this headline on page two of Monday’s Herald: Jeers […]
Shane Jones on National’s ETS
Not all ETSs are created equal
On his blog, Colin Espiner writes: “it’s also extremely ironic to hear Labour wringing its hands about the impact of the ETS when…HELLO…Labour […]
CCDs. Worms perhaps?
It has been fascinating over the last few days watching the CCDs (Climate Change Deniers) make an another attempt to scale the bastion […]
Gerrymandering Auckland city
Due to recovering from a cold over the weekend, I haven’t had time to blog about the super-shitty electoral boundaries released on friday […]
Lunch time quiz
1) National MP Paul Quinn is under investigation for breaching the State Services Act and the neutrality of the public service by holding […]
Zero percent won’t pay the rent
If you can, get along to support the hospital support staff, the school support staff, and all the other low-paid public sector workers […]
A plague on both your houses
So, as far as National and Maori leaders are concerned, it’s a done deal: “Maori Party to support ETS – bill to become […]
It’s not spin, the govt told me
The Dompost reports: “The number of places available on a programme to get young people off the dole will be increased after the […]
Harawira and Katene to cross the floor?
National wants to get its shambolic ETS through the House this week. It’s not quite clear what the hurry is; there’s no actual […]
Classic
Spotted on Stuff.
Kevin Hague blasts Nats on ACC
Good video from the Greens’ Kevin Hague. Gotta love the dirty mo:
Lunch time quiz
1) What the hell is John Key trying to say here? “Maori are not getting special preference, if you go back to those […]
Key’s flagship policy now his joke
Anyone with a brain has always known Key’s cycleway is a joke. The sick thing is he’s now using it as a punchline […]
It’s the seasons, stupid
Over the last week or so, I’ve heard John Key, Bill English, and Paula Bennett all make self-congratulatory references to the number of people […]
Another Key foot in mouth
John Key sure is a class act. Not. Latest example*: Stadium funds: We’re not Indian-givers, says Key Prime Minister John Key yesterday said […]
Goff gets it right, as Key goes off the rails
Phil Goff has managed to defy the critics and make himself relevant. His speech on ACC and his criticisms of National’s backroom deals […]
Key opens rich mates’ marina, slaps local Maori
Unbelievable. John Key has opened the environmentally destructive Whangamata Marina. This was a battle between rich property developers, against the serious concerns of local […]
Trade trumps human rights for Key
What a strange little editorial in the Herald today. It’s a typical spin piece that tries to frame John Key’s shoddy behaviour in not […]