Between the lines: Nats’ work rights policy
You know you’re in for a treat when a political party’s ‘policy’ (I still refuse to consider half a dozen bullet points a […]
political parties
national
Open up the trusts
Bob Jones confirmed on Morning Report that he gave $25,000 in 2005 to New Zealand First. The money was to be funnelled to […]
Previewing National’s employment policy
Word around the traps is that National is going to be releasing its industrial relations policy this afternoon. My prediction is the policy […]
Between the lines: Nats’ outdoor rec policy
The ‘policies’ National is releasing are nothing more than bullet points but we know from a number of slips that these vague one-pagers […]
Personality cult
Some of our friends on the National Party end of the blogosphere have developed a rather odd habit over the years of referring to […]
The War on P
National Party strategist and Dominion Post columnist Richard Long declared war on “P” today. The “P’” word that is. Privatisation. Labour and the […]
Will you vote for higher levies?
If National wins the election, it will privatise the Work Account of ACC (and maybe other ‘profitable’ accounts). We know that this may […]
Taxing choices
There are four options open to National regarding the tax expectations it will deliver large tax cuts ($20+ per person a week = […]
Would Nats introduce work-for-the-dole?
Judith Collins, who has made it her mission in life to attack benefits at every turn, has been meeting with Mission Australia, the […]
Culture of secrecy
It’s 4.45 on a Friday afternoon and National has just released its Outdoor Recreation policy. It’s another one page wonder, only this time […]
Nats unable to justify ACC policy
Unlike some of our counterparts, the Standardistas aren’t into vanity posts. So, in this clip from TVNZ7’s Back Benches on Wednesday, ignore who’s […]
Lightening the load
A universal student allowance of $350 isn’t going to happen. It’s too expensive and would bar major new spending in any other area. […]
Nats’ ACC policy all about ideology
National’s ACC privatisation policy is another of its one page wonders (this time with three page backgrounder skimming the history of ACC and […]
CTU rips Nats’ ACC policy
The Council of Trade Unions has put out a detailed, devastating critique of each of National’s arguments for privatising ACC. I’ve copied it […]
On the fourth estate
Francesca Mold on National’s ACC announcment: ‘What’s interesting is the way they’ve put this out under the radar, perhaps showing how sensitive they […]
ACC and the rhetoric of ‘choice’
National says its ACC policy will provide ‘choice’ on accident compensation, but choice for who? Employers will be able to choose between a […]
Spinbusting: NZF’s donations are Labour’s business
National is calling on Helen Clark to investigate alleged donations by Owen Glenn to New Zealand First (which, if they happened, were perfectly […]
Previewing the Nats’ work rights policy
The biggest protests during this term of Parliament were against National’s 90 Day Bill when it came up as a private members’ bill. […]
Nats’ ACC plan only good for insurance companies and lawyers
National has confirmed it intends to privatise the ACC scheme starting with opening the work account to private competition. This would see private […]
National adopts Labour’s arts policy
So National has adopted Labour’s arts, culture and heritage policy essentially unchanged. Good. The flourishing of New Zealand’s arts and culture we’ve seen […]
90 Day No Rights policy, why?
Why does National want to remove the right of workers to appeal against unjustifiable dismissal in the first 90 days of employment? The […]
National’s plan for TVNZ
So much for ambition
Yesterday on Agenda, SOE Minister Trevor Mallard said that the Government was undertaking an exploratory study to see whether the factory that currently […]
Bullies
Why is it that the right are so much more litigious than the left? The recent example of Crosby Textor threatening legal action […]
Remarkably unambitious ECE policy
Another one-page excuse for a policy from National, this one on early childhood education. After vehemently opposing 20Free, National would now keep it […]
National’s Bank
After reading Steve’s post this morning mocking ANZ National for putting out confused National Party talking points dressed up as research, a reader […]
Nats vs journos
Shane Ardern is now saying he was misquoted by the Te Awamutu Courier when he said ‘[Kiwisaver] needs adjusting from the employers’ contribution […]
The clean man
Has anyone else noticed John Key’s absence from the media in the last few days? I finally clicked to it while listening to […]
Silence those media lambs
Media bleating about Labour’s ‘personal attacks’ is getting tiresome. Some journalists seem to forget from one election to the next that an important […]
More anti-worker policy from the Nats
On Sunday, Bill English let slip that National still intends to take away the work rights of employees of small businesses for the […]
Hit and miss
Let’s look at some of the issues National has hit and run on. They were all you heard from the Nats for a […]
Blueprint for a Crosby/Textor campaign
While trying desperately to paint Crosby/Textor as ‘just ordinary consultants’ and argue that C/T does nothing that polling and research companies do, National […]
Nats spending your money to build “Brand Key”?
Looks like John Key might be a little less “self-made” and a little more “taxpayer-made” than he’d have us believe… click the image […]
Broadcasting policy broadly outlined
National’s Jonathan Coleman has announced a bullet-point excuse for a broadcasting policy. Essentially, it adopts the status quo but moves TVNZ charter funding […]
Sacked
In perhaps the most unsurprising announcement of the year, National has let slip it’s going to maintain its 90 day no rights policy, […]
Who are National’s moles?
The information being leaked to Nicky Hager is obviously coming from well-placed sources inside National The idea of hacking is farcical (Lyndon Hood […]