Who will mourn the MSM’s passing?
Can you believe that TV One had an hour long special on Michael Jackson’s funeral and then ten minutes in the news? Excuse […]
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Should a…
www.should-a.com, a website “created for the express purpose of openly mocking the citizen’s initiated referendum aimed at The Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment […]
‘Frontline’ cut for phantom savings
MAF Biosecurity is set to cut 60 jobs – 30 of them filled. It claims the fall in imports means it’s over budget […]
Privatising the high country
According to Forest and Bird, John Key’s government has found a nice quiet way of hocking off New Zealand’s most prized assets to […]
Fran pumping Brash for productivity taskforce
A few weeks ago the NZPA reported that the Government had agreed to establish a taskforce to “work on ways to close the […]
Privileges complaints laid
A number of poor performing ministers like Paula Bennett, Kate Wilkinson, Anne Tolley, Pita Sharples, Tariana Turia, Rodney Hide, Pansy Wong, and Key himself, […]
It’s not your government, it’s his
From Key’s post-Cabinet press conference: Journo: You don’t believe that the public have a right to know why a minister in cabinet would […]
The compensation that is and the compensation that is not
Key has claimed the foreshore and seabed issue is not about compensation. Tariana’s answer? This has never been about money says Maori Party […]
The productivity shell-game
Is he named for the great economist John Maynard Keynes or Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan? Either way, he speaks a lot of sense: […]
Symbol or substance?
It seems to me that National has fundamentally misunderstood what the foreshore and seabed debate is about. Key’s statements yesterday suggest it is […]
OIA confirms: No reason to cut Cullen Fund contributions
Well, we told you so. The Nats lied for weeks that a credit rating downgrade would be imposed on us if we didn’t […]
Worth asking
What a world where a supposed journalist writes this: The trouble is Key’s desire to be reasonable. Despite his intention to say no […]
Show pony
Fran O’Sullivan, who championed National most ardently in Opposition, has become disillusioned with Key as PM. She savages him today, saying he has a “deep need” […]
Time for Labour to listen
I have to disagree with my comrade ayb on his post calling for Labour to come up with a more detailed program. Though […]
Pay equity video
A short video from the NZEI from Tuesday’s pay equity rally at Parliament. There are also a bunch of photos on flickr from […]
Abandoning a winner
Government’s put out this press release: “Finance Minister Bill English has welcomed news that the Budget operating deficit of $7.2 billion for the […]
Labour lolz
I reckon Red Alert, the Labour MPs’ blog, has been a huge success. It’s great to see MPs unscripted and it’s good for […]
Private member’s ballot
The Left continues to have luck with the private member’s bill ballot, getting both of the bills drawn today just like a couple […]
A “Charter for Blackmail and rent-seeking by Maori interests”
Further to my post yesterday, a reader sent in this quote from 2004: Mr English’s view was not [National’s] official line. As expressed […]
Elucidate
The woman has dropped her criminal complaint over Worth. Says she is satisfied now the scumbag has lost his career. Police are expected […]
Bill sez: ‘pay cuts for youse’
Yesterday in Question Time, Bill English sent a message loud and clear to teachers, police, doctors, nurses, and all other public servants (‘frontline’ […]
Tax Payer funded hypocrisy
Remember the hip-hop tours ‘scandal’ the National Party used over and over and over again to attack the previous Labour-led government? They went […]
So whatcha gonna to do about it then?
I reckon there’s a mood developing. People are getting sick and tired of what feels like a government that’s got the country in […]
Lost in translation
Dear Labour I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes my attention span isn’t the greatest. Between Twitter and Facebook and texting it’s […]
Cowardice, bigotry and saying whatever it takes
I’ll be glad to see the back of the Foreshore & Seabed Act. For many on the Left, including myself, its been a […]
Excuses excuses
First, it was ‘we’re going to do everything we can to keep Kiwis in jobs’ Next, it was ‘yeah, OK, we haven’t done […]
Just laugh in their faces
National is overseeing the most dramatic rise in unemployment on record (yep, 2000 a week is more than the 1980s, more than the […]
Foreshore review dead-on
The Foreshore and Seabed review panel have reported back with the recommendation that the law be scrapped and people be allowed to attempt […]
Nats attack workers’ right to protest
I am outraged to learn that the Department of Labour told its employees they were not allowed attend the pay equity rally at […]
Jam tomorrow
I see John Key is promising new ideas to stop job-losses: We’ve got an economic strategy … and I intend over the next […]
Justifying the unjustifiable
Spending time with DC neo-cons must be going to Farrar’s head. I thought better of him than supporting the Honduran military’s overthrow of President Manuel […]
Tories fearing Goff
The last few Question Times, the Tories have been whipping out old Goff quotes. Patsies are set to bring them out. Key goes off […]
No more Mr Nice Guy
John Key has a carefully constructed image as a “nice guy”, with a self professed “sunny nature” no less. There is ample reason […]
Two birds with one stone
In 2007, in election mode, John Key was talking up National’s commitment to the environment and the Enviroschools programme: Without a trace of […]
Pay equity protest TODAY
It’s pissing down with rain here in Wellington but the pay equity protest is going ahead. Grab your workmates and head down to […]
A rolling maul or treading water?
In the face of widespread criticism that his government is asleep at the wheel, John Key has boldly relaunched some tired old spin. […]