Running scared
Why did National block Parliament from debating the Auckland Airport sale? Only last Friday, Key was ‘fuming‘ over the Government’s decision to prevent the […]
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Peters doesn’t trust National
Yesterday, Winston Peters said that in any deal with National he would require all National MPs to personally sign the agreement and that […]
Police confirm Brash email leak an inside job
Police have closed their investigation into the theft of e-mails from former National Party leader Dr Don Brash and have announced that they […]
Nothing personal, John
John Key’s latest line is to whine that Labour and others (including this blog) are launching personal attacks on him, and would we […]
From slippery to send up
Mike Moreu provides insight into the art of turning news events into images – using as one example his latest piece on asset […]
Press Council to uphold complaint against Herald?
Word has it that the Press Council will tomorrow uphold the complaint laid against the New Zealand Herald by the Coalition for Open […]
On the scrapheap
This graph shows the number of people employed in New Zealand, and employment would have been had the number of people with a […]
Nats’ school funding policy under attack
Stuff reports that “Principals and teachers have savaged a National Party plan to increase funding for private schools, calling it a thinly disguised […]
Key’s record on Te WÄnanga o Aotearoa
The Herald is really doing its best to help out National. Today it proclaims ‘Key’s wananga visit undoes Brash legacy‘. That nice Mr […]
A decent job with fair pay
That’s what the labour movement is all about: ensuring that people who want to work can find jobs and that they receive fair […]
Join the smackathon
Just what you may have been waiting for: www.righttosmack.co.nz While we want the government to interfere with people’s private activities to some small […]
John Key on asset sales
National’s interest rates record
National’s latest line is that interest rates have doubled under Labour, with the implication that National would magically lower inflation (while simultaneously pouring […]
Labour Congress EFA protest
Jordan Carter’s just posted a photo of what looks like nine EFA protesters having their say outside the Labour Party Congress on the […]
Interview the leaders IV: ACT
A big thanks to Greens’ co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimmons for participating in our ‘Interview the leaders’ series. Her answers provided an insight into how the Greens […]
Roy Morgan
Now this is looking better: As usual Gary Morgan’s analysis is laughable, attributing the thirty percent increase in the Greens’ support to… Earth […]
Fraser Colman has died
The Dom reports that “Fraser Colman – best known for being the cabinet minister on board the frigate that sailed to Mururoa Atoll […]
National’s ‘whack-a-mole’ game
Trying to follow National policy is like playing that ‘whack-a-mole’ game. Up pops John Key or Bill English or a spokesperson, and they […]
National to sell TVNZ
Despite Key’s best efforts to inoculate against the “hidden agenda on asset sales” perception – he’s now peddling the story that National won’t […]
Jeanette Fitzsimons answers your questions
We’re really pleased to have Jeanette Fitzsimons respond to your questions as part of our Interview the Leaders series. Question to all leaders: […]
“I can’t even remember”
A reader sent us this very good video of John Key’s repeated memory lapses over where he stood on the Springbok tour: The […]
Bad politics
National’s current attempt to stop the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union from registering as a third party pretty much proves what we all […]
To sell or not to sell
At the Labour Party congress today, Helen Clark predicted that asset sales would be a key election issue and says the Government was […]
Student debt, it’s the interest that matters
Today, outstanding student loan debt reaches $10 billion. That’s a fair old swag of money but what has been ignored in the coverage […]
Still no apology
Last Tuesday Bill English stood up in Parliament and accused the CTU and the PSA of breaking the Electoral Finance Act. Problem for […]
National forced to support meal breaks
National has found itself politically unable to oppose the amendment to the Employment Relations Act that will ensure workers are entitled to meal […]
NZ Growing Faster Than Aussie, US, Japan, and UK
The Reserve Bank produces a series of helpful tables of economic data. One table compares our growth to that of Australia, the US, […]
Key’s plan for NZ to require lots of tug-boats
From Key’s speech to the NZ Institute of Foreign Affairs on emulating the ‘Celtic Tiger’: “Thirty years ago, Ireland was a total basket […]
Winston and the FTA
New Zealand First’s opposition to the China FTA is no surprise but it is interesting to reflect on the grounds for it that […]
National under fire over unauthorised advertising
Annette King has hit back at National in the House today, producing two items of electoral advertising from them, neither of which is […]
Sensible Sentencing: Disgusting
The Sensible Sentencing Trust is a backward, reactionary organisation at the best of times but this is a new low. Responding to comments […]
Finlay MacDonald: The Audacity of Hype
A reader wrote to us to say that they’d recently seen Finlay MacDonald speak at Otago University as part of the Distinguished Communicator […]
Interview the leaders III: Labour
A big thanks to Progressives’ leader Jim Anderton for being the first participant in our ‘Interview the leaders’ series. The quality of his […]
A dereliction of duty
John Key’s failure to ask a parliamentary question last week exposes a crisis of confidence in National’s ranks. It is unprecedented for an […]
Jim Anderton answers your questions
Today we’re posting the first of our “Interview the leaders” segments – where you get to ask the leaders the questions you want […]
Sir Ed and Helen Clark – admired Kiwis
From the Sunday Star Times: A new poll suggests that National Leader John Key may be up against a bigger obstacle than he thought in […]