McCully is going
Murray McCully has announced that he too is standing down from politics at the next election and his removal as a Minister this week appears almost inevitable.
political parties
national
Housing? A National mess
3 stories from Checkpoint yesterday that add up to a picture of National’s response to housing: waste on unacceptable temporary housing; empty state houses where they’re needed most; and vilify anyone who dares complain.
Taxing multinationals
In March the Nats were still rejecting the idea of a crackdown on multinational companies’ tax avoidance. But there has been – in large part due to the work of Matt Nippert in The Herald – a partial back-down. Another Labour policy adopted!
A cutting review of National’s lineup
Jay Kuten writing in the Wanganui Chronicle: “Most of these folks couldn’t reliably run a bath.”
Lotu-Iiga is going
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has announced that he will stand down from Parliament at the end of the current term. He will be a loss to National.
Andrew Little: Middle New Zealand needs answers from English
Andrew Little talks about what a Bill English leadership may look like. John Key promised to lift up the underclass, to fix the housing crisis, and to close the wage gap with Australia but failed. Will English be the same?
The B Team
Govt response to poverty report will tell us all we need to know about Bill English
The 2016 Child Poverty Monitor Technical Report is out today. As usual it paints a bleak picture. What will Bill English’s government do about poverty – evasions, words, or actions? Update: Bill fails.
Time for cross party accord on super
English is not making the same stupid pledge as Key, to let superannuation consume the future. Time for a cross party accord. Take it off the table as a political football and solve the damn problem.
Out with the old – in with the old
Bye John, out with the old. And in with the old. Shortly the Nats will anoint the chosen one, Bill English. A pre-failed leader. Mr 21%. The greedy double dipper. The boring, conservative choice for a boring conservative party.
Nats continue to have a quid each way on tax cuts
Tax cuts – the Nats are continuing to rule them both in and out for the election. Incoherence or deliberate strategy? Either way – Key got away with this kind of bullshit for 8 long years – are we going to let it continue?
The Political Scientist: Is that all there is?
Puddleglum has perhaps the most accurate description of the Key years and equates it as the equivalent of a Big Mac, perfectly engineered but ultimately deeply dissatisfying.
I agree with Josie Pagani, mostly
Josie Pagani has criticised her friend Nick Leggett for switching to National and not sticking to his principles.
Charter schools fiddling their results
Charter schools are fiddling their results. Just another example of the way that education for profit is all about profit, with education hardly getting a look in. All of National’s ideological interventions in education are failures.
Bill English to be elected as National Leader
Video of left wingers responding to the news that Bill English will be National’s next leader.
Collins withdraws and pledges to support English
Judith Collins has withdrawn from the leadership race and pledged support for Bill English.
Caretaker Bill, Cigar Coleman, and Countess Homogenised
The Standard is offering to the National Party leadership contenders guest post slots
In the spirit of bi partisanship the Standard wishes to offer the candidates for leadership of the National caucus guest post slots and the ability to answer readers’ questions.
Three’s a crowd
The policy wonk, the ambitious change-maker, or the no-bullshit bullshitter – the contenders for National Party Prime Minister set out their stalls yesterday with John Campbell. Just like the Kaikoura quake, their pitches exposed some complex fault-lines. It’ll be a long week in politics.
Caption contest
Nat MPs one week window of relevance
Key has been so dominant for so long that Nat MPs have become invisible. But now, for one glorious week, they enjoy a brief window of relevance. And the infighting has begun.
John Key’s legacy
What is John Key’s legacy? Rampant Crown debt, child poverty, homelessness, climate change, dirty politics …
Who will be the next National leader?
Following the shock resignation of John Key as Prime Minister the question will be asked. Who will the next leader of the National Party be?
Key’s gone …
John Key has announced that he will be standing down as Prime Minister from December 12, 2016.
The many and varied thoughts of John Key on the Mt Roskill By election
An analysis of things that John Key said about the Mt Roskill shows a series of contradictory positions were taken at various times of the campaign.
Press editorial on failed state house sell-off
It’s more than a “dreary lack of ambition”, it’s a deliberate plan to underfund / rundown the stock to “justify” selling off, so that the Nats can indeed “wash their hands” of their obligations.
Key “concedes” Mt Roskill by election
Key says he expects National to lose in Mt Roskill – under the bus for Parmjeet Parmar. He won’t be attending the wake either, and he spins another lie just for good measure.
By-election: Michael vs Fia?
Whose going to be added Parliament on Saturday? It should be Michael Wood, but his competition is Misa Fia Turner, who looks an even worse candidate than Parmjeet Parmar.
Meanwhile, Parmjeet is trying to claim she’s the local one!
Clearing the decks
National is readying itself for the next election by getting rid of some MPs. And Nick Leggett has finally disclosed his true political colours.
Massive education fail
Thanks National: “NZ kids worst at maths in English-speaking world”.
Todd Barclay faces Clutha-Southland selection challenge
Todd Barclay is one of National’s worst MP’s, who made a mess of the party apparatus he inherited from Bill English. No surprise that he is facing a selection challenge. Ex Philip Morris tobacco vs. Merrill Lynch banker – lucky Clutha-Southland!
Child abuse and poverty – still with us
As topics like Trump and the quakes take the limelight, the slow tragedies unfolding in NZ carry on in the background.
NRT: “A stupid idea”
I/S at No Right Turn on Key’s statement that a gender-balanced cabinet is “a stupid idea”.
Treasury predictions – not good
Brian Fallow in The Herald summarises the take-home messages from the latest Treasury report. National have us on track to disaster.
The Mount Roskill by-election and the strange case of the missing horse shoe
One News has reported on the strange case where a local Mt Roskill resident was threatened by someone describing themselves as Parmjeet Parmar’s right hand man, had a horse shoe thrown at him, complained to the police, but was subsequently told that the horse shoe had been destroyed.
National better late than never on pay equity
A 2015 court decision forced National’s hand on pay equity. This week the equity working group reported back. To its credit National is accepting the recommendations, and unions are hailing a big win. But the final form of any law is not yet clear.