Oh dear, what a fizzer
The pro-child assault lobby spent $500,000 trying to manufacture the biggest march in New Zealand history up Queen St today. The reports say fewer than […]
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
What I did on my holidays – by [insert name here]
Ohmigod, after Red Alert informed me that the National MPs had started a blog, I nearly died!!!!!!! And after I’d finished that and […]
Fighting for democracy?
Lance Corporal Joe Glenton is facing prison after speaking out at an anti-war rally. A British soldier was arrested on Monday for speaking […]
A whole lotta nothing
In a speech to National Party members yesterday John Key read out a list of everything the government has done in the last […]
On “keeping your powder dry”
Reproduced with permission from No Right Turn for a viewpoint on the process of policy formation. This morning, Labour leader Phil Goff announced […]
Broken English
It looked like a duck. It walked like a duck. It quacked like a duck. Turns out it was a duck. The “Plain […]
Bikoi video
Hat tip: Labour.
NZ should follow Norway’s example on oil
National has released its petroleum strategy. It appears they plan to further lower our already low royalties to encourage foreign oil companies to […]
970 words of hollow platitudes. How ambitious.
Classic, I was just saying yesterday that Key is probably concerned about focus testing turning up ‘do-nothing’, ‘weak’ and ‘visionless’ memes and today […]
Goff on monetary policy
It’s great news that Phil Goff is urging a rethink of the way monetary policy is conducted in New Zealand. For too long […]
Doctors speak up against ETS
A couple of days ago I raised (again) the question of why we don’t see more experts, scientists and academics contributing to public […]
Key needs to face the facts
Nice Mr Key may be feeling the strain a bit. He’s starting to sound quite snippy: Meanwhile, Key has also slammed Treasury predictions […]
Nats could lose, but can Labour win?
If you had told me a year ago that, just a third of a way through its term, this government would have lost […]
Greenpeace to focus on poverty
The new head of Greenpeace, South African Kumi Naidoo, has pledged under his leadership that the organisation’s core focus will be the effect […]
Drinking Liberally: Phil Goff on the Sixth Labour Govt
The next Auckland Drinking Liberally features Labour Party leader Phil Goff discussing his political values and the challenges facing the Sixth Labour Government […]
Bikoi
Just got away from the bikoi at Parliament. What a sight. At least 6,000 people they reckon. The lawn and half the forecourt […]
Key to rich mates: NZ for sale
John Key’s residency for the rich scheme has attracted the interest of 12,000 people thus far. Yes, NZ residency is for sale at […]
Total shambles
The government’s handling of the ETS is a total shambles at every level. Even their fans at The Herald are pointing out the […]
Urgent action needed on job creation
We’ve talked a lot about the negative effects of unemployment on the unemployed and their communities (depression, crime, family breakup, poor health, poor […]
Faux pro-smacking march fun
With all his usual wit, James of Editing the Herald proposes a spike of the so-called ‘March for Democracy’ in Auckland this week. The […]
Maori Party shafts Maori workers
The Maori Party says it will support John Key’s emissions trading scheme in exchange for a lucrative deal for the wealthiest Maori. According […]
Kiwis will continue to subsidise PM’s rich mates
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has released its report on John Key’s Emissions Trading Scheme. ACT, Labour, and the Greens refused to support […]
Key’s loose government
Over the weekend r0b reckoned the shambles of the Key government would start to really hurt. I was sceptical. Winning the next election […]
Light at the end of the tunnel
We’ve been in the tunnel of love too long. (You youngsters can go look it up.) The media’s affair with our personable but apparently […]
Failures of leadership: English, Hide, and Harawira
I know this point/counterpoint series of posts on Hone Harawira maybe getting a bit tiresome but I have to disagree with the assertion […]
Iwi tuaroa is Maori for spine
Throughout the mana enhancing relationship between the National and Maori parties, we haven’t yet seen a lot of give and take. Well, I […]
I don’t give a shit about Hone. But the lynch mob is interesting.
Whatever argument there is between the hierarchy of the Maori Party and Hone really doesn’t concern me. While I’m sure Kelvin Davis is […]
Still a trader at heart… gambling with Kiwi lives
Here is one excellent article from Tracey Barnett in the Weekend Herald … Admit it: John Key’s most memorable moment in one year […]
Vote red, get fed
Labour needs to stand up for its electorate, the worker. While National is gutting the infrastructure Labour set up in the last nine […]
Greens greenwashing for anti-environment govt
The Greens have announced the collapse of the cornerstone of their Memorandum of Understanding with National. With Gerry Brownlee as Minister for Energy, National […]
National will lose the next election
Here’s a prediction for you. National will lose the next election. The reason that they will lose is that they are running a […]
Maori Party schism inevitable
The Maori Party was never going to be a sustainable political vehicle. No political movement that tries to exist in defiance of the […]
Council shafts Wellingtonians
In 2006 Wellingtonians resoundingly rejected a proposal to build a Hilton on their waterfront (834 submissions out of a total 994 were against), […]
Harawira offensive & dumb. No excuses
Frankly, I don’t appreciate being called a white motherf**ker, by Buddy Mikaere and Hone Harawira. Before you start, that’s not to deny that Pakeha stole vast […]
Stupid stupid stupid
Our government is stupid. Sorry, it’s the only conclusion I can draw. Our government is made up of confused, muddled thinkers incapable of […]
Poll shows Kiwis prefer MMP
NZPA reports on a new poll from UMR which shows Kiwis don’t want to dump MMP for a less proportional electoral system. The […]