Roy makes hash of Breakfast-gate cover-up
In an interview on Morning Report today, ACT’s Heather Roy tries to defend her involvement in the Breakfast-gate scams. She says it’s all […]
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
The urgency of love
One thing about love is that what you abhor or hate in others you tolerate, even admire, in the object of your affection. […]
Selling off your heritage
Picture this scene from times past: Deep in the South Island high country an old sheep musterer with windswept face wakes up to […]
Recalling John Banks
John ‘barking mad’ Banks’ cheerleader WhaleOil has called for Rodney Hide to introduce the power of recall into the legislation for the new […]
PMs and dictators
While I might not put it quite as vividly as Zetetic, I certainly agree that Carter was very foolish to post anything comparing […]
Chris Carter you dick
I’m not sure if my fellow writers would put it like this. But I’m sure they agree with my sentiment when I say- […]
Roy joins in Hide’s Breakfast-gate scam
Question Time and media reports have revealed more on Hide’s ministerial-speeches-for-party-donations scam (as you know, every political scandal needs a ‘-gate’. I like Breakfast-gate). Hon Annette […]
National announces ACC privatisation
National is going to privatise ACC. As part of the deal for support on its ACC cuts and levy hikes from the Maori […]
Reflections on the ERA
There’s been a fair bit of coverage of John Key’s use of the CTU conference to divide and rule over wages and announce […]
Chopper chops science education
National’s Anne Tolley, our education minister who thought that taking a ‘helicopter view’ of something meant taking a ride in a chopper, is […]
The moral centre
I thought I would take the time to point out this excellent article by Tapu Misa. It has gone with out saying that […]
Hide falls foul of Cabinet Manual
The Cabinet Manual details the basic expectations of ministerial conduct. It is not law but it would be highly irregular for a minister to breach […]
More dodgy fundraising by ACT
The ever industrious No Right Turn has turned up more dodgy fundraising practices by ACT. Last month, three ACT MPs held what was […]
Key’s divide and rule to cut wages
John Key says that if school support staff want pay-rises then teachers should sacrifice the ones they bargained for. Tell him to get […]
Hide flounders in effort to cover corruption
Rodney Hide was always going to go one of two ways to try to excuse his corrupt abuse of office. Remember the facts: […]
Clueless on ACE
Night classes Adult and Community Education (ACE). An incredibly cost effective and valuable part of the NZ education sector for decades. The ACE […]
Turia on ACC
Here’s Tariana Turia on Q&A last Sunday, responding to a question from Guyon Espiner about National’s plans for ACC: I’m very concerned and […]
Who is John Key?
OK, so this might be only slightly more intellectual than the usual quality of political analysis in our msm, and obviously it could […]
Battle to keep MMP set to heat up
It’s a pretty special situation where you get praise just for not cheating but John Armstrong heaps it on Simon Power today. Power […]
Maori Party supports foreign business over working Maori
It is a reflection of the schizophrenic nature of the Maori Party that one day they’re professing to care about poor Maori who […]
Hide’s invitation to corrupt fundraiser
Click here for a PDF of Local Government Minister Rodney Hide’s invitation to local government stakeholders to a breakfast speech titled “The Future […]
Hide’s corrupt abuse of office
Another government minister has been caught in corrupt behaviour, and this is arguably the worst of the lot. Rodney Hide is speaking at […]
EMA busts another privatisation myth
When asked to explain why they want to start privatising a world-leading institution like ACC, National and ACT tend to fall back on […]
Another day, another sell-out
The Maori Party has decided it will support National’s changes to ACC despite Tariana Turia just two days ago saying she was “very […]
Farrar says: carpe diem National
An interesting post from David Farrar calling for National to implement radical rightwing policies while it still has the support to get away […]
Labour where art thou?
I’m not going to repeat the list of all the things that are starting to make people angry and scared or catalogue the […]
Big bucks for Aussie insurers in ACC privatisation
It seems certain National will begin the privatisation of ACC starting with opening the work account to private competition. As happened in 1998, […]
Aroha is love, you can give it away…
“You can get away with anything, as long as you’re respectful about it” – former Maori Party strategist Matt McCarten on National’s dealing […]
Talk about politics
On RNZ’s Nine to Noon today Andrew Campbell rips the shit out of National‘s grotesque mismanagement of the Rugby World Cup fiasco and […]
ACC protests send clear message to NACT
Today hundreds of people around the country marched against the cuts to sexual abuse counselling due to be implemented by ACC next week. […]
Told you so: Right pushes ACC privatisation
Last Thursday, Colin Espiner was mocking all of us who said that National and other rightwing groups were trying to create a sense […]
Smith still lying with numbers
Last week, David Parker asked Nick Smith what the “whole-of-life cost to ACC of all new claims” for the last year were. Smith’s […]
Woodhouse: ACC not in crisis
A fascinating interview with the Sir Owen Woodhouse in the Herald today. Sir Owen has led an amazing life – after helping supply Yugoslav partisans […]
National’s repeated abuse of democratic process
The current National led government clearly regards the processes of democracy is an inconvenience to which it must pay lip service, but nothing […]
It will happen, not today, not tomorrow but…
As I scanned the stuff website I came across the latest TV3 poll results. Scarcely what I’d regard as cheerful Sunday night reading […]
Banks panic
Len Brown seems to have the Right in a bit of panic. Remuera Mayor John ‘in your guts you know he’s nuts’ Banks […]