PM eyes fetching tiara
The world may be going to hell in a hand-basket and National may have been pretty derelict so far in coming up with […]
political parties
national
Meat and Wool NZ: “Job Summit Disappointing”
It’s been said by some of the Government’s supporters that criticism of the Job Summit is nothing more than rantings of the embittered […]
Some cold day in hell
Observant msm spectators may have noticed this gem from TV1 news last night: ‘A radical shake-up of the controversial Seabed and Foreshore Act […]
National’s newspeak
When he’s not hard at work protecting the profits of tobacco giants by helping them peddle smokes to your kids, Ryall’s having a […]
National’s ambition for your kids: a pie and a fag
Last month Anne Tolley ditched the requirement that schools sell healthy food to kids. Not to be outdone, minister for tobacco Tony Ryall […]
Running the lines
No surprise to see The Herald editorial still running National’s lines. Now that Key’s equivocating on National’s planned tax cuts Granny’s right in […]
Now comes the hard part
I get why the government is riding so high in the polls. John Key looks confident amd relaxed albeit a little goofy sometimes […]
Flashback from way back
Anyone else read Audrey Young’s interview of Bill English in the New Zealand Herald and get a massive feeling of deja vu? Here’s […]
Actions speak louder than words
Remember this infamous PowerPoint presentation from National’s 2005 campaign? Remember the Nats’ vote-winning strategy of targeting female voters as outlined in The Hollow […]
Thankfully, the election isn’t tomorrow
When John Key and Pita Sharples were jostled by two Maori men opposed to the National-Maori Party alliance, the thing that stuck in […]
Fueling the PR machine ain’t cheap
Just like petrol prices, the cost of fueling National’s PR machine is on the rise. Tracy Watkins reports that “National has employed 18 […]
Ralston on Ryall
Ralston’s latest column – Ryall’s disabled thinking – covers Tony Ryall’s decision to ignore a select committee recommendation that National set up a Disabilities Commission, […]
Rainbows tame Waitangi
Gosh what a difference a few years can make when it comes to symbols of national identity. Not so long ago National had […]
Car crushing fist of the State
Despite being remarkably quiet throughout a spate of serious police controversies, Police Minister Judith Collins has finally risen to the challenge of leadership […]
So what’s the plan again?
Labour got a fair amount of mileage during the election campaign out of harassing National about its lack of distinct policy. I guess […]
Identity Politics
In 2007 Te Ata Tino Toa applied to Tranzit New Zealand to have the Maori Sovereignty flag flown on the Auckland Harbour Bridge […]
Fonterra’s Corporate Accountability
Despite very serious allegations from former Sanlu CEO Tian Wenhua that an unnamed Fonterra board member influenced her decision to not cease production […]
The Neo-Liberal Front
National’s two main internal factions consist of the Conservatives, and the Neo-Liberals. Overall the Conservatives want to keep things pretty much as they […]
Conservatism and Progressivism
Conservatism is all about maintaining the status quo. It assumes that the status quo is essentially ok, while change is best avoided. The […]
A topic for the NACT talk-fest. Needs a slogan for success.
My favourite indicator for a deep recession is showing up. The applications and enrollments for colleges and graduate programs appears to be significantly […]
National’s first hundred days of (in)action
Splits and divisions
Which MP only got his job by 39 votes? Which former State house kid and brand-new Tory MP already has ambitions to be […]
Gratitude
I haven’t commented on the maiden speeches yet (we’re doing some analysis later) but I can’t let this stand. Aaron Gilmore, the bottom-ranked National […]
Judith Collins – thoughtless idiot
Nothing is quite as important to a democracy as activist groups that engage in peaceful protest for change. In the past these are […]
Keith Rankin: Controversy over National’s Tax Cuts
If you’re feeling lost in the discussion around National’s tax plans there’s handy analysis from Keith Rankin who point out: … persons earning between $14,000 […]
National’s abuse of Parliamentary process
Audrey Young writes on her blog that National would do well to heed the opinion of the Human Rights Commission who have today […]
Courting the ethnic vote
I’ve just watched the first part of the Address in Reply debate which included maiden speeches by two new National Party MPs – […]
Kia kaha
The Greens have joined in opposing National’s “Fire at Will” Bill which they say puts “jobs and democracy at stake”. They’re calling on […]
All the facts
National’s David Farrar has been running a series for some time trying to paint NZ Labour as out of step with Labour Parties […]
Crosby/Textor on repeat
The topic of Crosby Textor has emerged again with a story in the NZ Herald. While it is unsurprising to read that Crosby […]
What will National’s cabinet look like?
Will it be the same tired old faces, the fresh noobs or a mixture of both? Will it be an all National cabinet […]
National Spinners
David Farrar wrote… “Funniest moment was talking to a few of John’s staff, and one of them asked whether their imminent transfer to […]
The distances between parties
Just before the election They Work For You released some impressive work on the voting distances between parties based on:- There are 110 […]
Congratulations
It’s been a hard fought campaign but it’s clear that we’ve got a firmly right wing government now. Congratulations are in order for […]
Making the decision
Have you still not decided who you’ll vote for? The final poll shows the race between a National/ACT/United Future or a Labour/Green/Progressive/Maori government […]
Pigs in muck
Yesterday, John Key was telling journalists that he knew the secret agenda taper, Kees Keizer, was a Labour Party activist. In fact, he […]