National plans to sell Housing Corp home Key grew up in
John Key, the state house tenant turned good who has relied heavily on his humble upbringing is overseeing the sale of the state house he grew up in.
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Sale of Key’s old house a powerful symbol
English admits that the government has done a poor job of maintaining state houses, and uses it as an excuse for privatisation – its by design. The attempted sale in Christchurch, incuding Key’s childhood home, is a powerful symbol of the way this government likes pulling up the ladder that they used behind them.
Politik on Labour/ Greens
I was rather amused reading Politik’s “Despite the pact Shaw takes on Robertson“ and was struck by the strange way that some political commentators (and probably some politicians) view the world at the political coalface. They really need to start to think about political parties as being like any other organisation. Tactical compromises without a strategic focus will always kill any organisation – eventually.
Nat state house selloff in tatters
Another fail in National’s plan to sell off state houses is good news for those of us who believe that it is the government’s responsibility to take care of society’s most vulnerable.
Brownlee should stop vilifying scientists
Gerry Brownlee has attacked a public servant firstly for not approached the Government for increased Geonet monitoring and then for raising the issue but not telling him personally.
Brownlee bullies GNS staff
Gerry Brownlee has chosen to respond to the cautious words of a public servant by publicly attacking him.
The eternal tax-cut mirage
Despite the unknown cost of the quakes, and the host of other urgent needs, Key is once again talking up election-bribe tax cuts.
Andrew Little: Promises to Pike families must be kept
Yesterday marked the sixth anniversary of the Pike River disaster. Here is a statement released by Andrew Little urging that the mine not be sealed and the deaths of the miners be investigated and their bodies brought home.
Rewarding incompetence with a 4th term?
Disaster response is about more than showing up for photos and cancelling a trip or two. National has made a mess of Christchurch and comprehensively failed to learn its lessons. They should in no way be rewarded with a 4th term.
National tries to have it both ways
Despite the Kaikoura earthquakes, the damage to the Capital and the fact the EQC fund is now in deficit, the Government is still holding out the possibility of tax cuts in election year.
Nats politicising earthquake response
Oh look, National are nakedly politicising government earthquake response.
Dirty politics past and present
A couple of dirty politics related stories that slipped under the radar in the last hectic week.
Fear and loathing in Mt Roskill
Members of the National Party in Mount Roskill are trying to make a story out of Michael Wood after he responded directly to public insults made against his wife.
Flogging the dead TPP horse
The Nats are determined to keep flogging the TPP horse in Parliament. Someone should buy them a newspaper.
There is no housing crisis
Paula Bennett has announced a new spend of $300 million to address the non existing housing crisis. But the announcement appears to be little more than a refinancing of Housing Corp and an admission that the Government should have stopped taking Housing Corp dividends years ago.
John Key’s Paradise
This really happened. Contains crimes against music, dance, fashion, and irony. Also some recent headlines from “John Key’s Paradise”…
Go home Roy Morgan, you’re drunk
The latest Roy Morgan poll result and it is evidence that the polling model needs to be reviewed.
Paris agreement in force – now what?
The Paris agreement is now in force. NZ is committed to reducing its emissions. What, specifically, is this governments plan for doing so? How does support for continued coal mining and oil exploration, the use of phony carbon credits and the like, fit in with reducing emissions?
Andrew Little: Winning together
In advance of the Labour Party conference this weekend Andrew Little’s message is that the polls are neck and neck, that Labour is winning on many issues and that if we work together the left can win the next election.
Post-truth post-ethics
The McCully / Sheepgate thing is just the latest in a long line of “morally flexible” Nat fiascos. In a world where truth or ethical standards mattered this government would have ended long ago.
Sheepgate: Government celebrates finding that McCully is not corrupt
The Auditor General’s report into Sheepgate has been released and there has to be questions about the accuracy of what Murray McCully has told Parliament and his ability to fullfil his role as a Minister.
Kiwibank is being privatised by stealth
Kiwibank is selling 47% of its shareholding to the New Zealand Super Fund and to the Accident Compensation Corporation. The Government gets a cheque for $200 million which will improve the appearance of its books. Financial sleight of hand?
Nats backsliding on tax haven law changes
The Nats are backsliding on implementing the law changes brought on by the Panama Papers revelations. If European regulators blacklist us the consequences will be catastrophic.
Conservative, honky males in suits
As a government National is no friend to women, and as a party National has structural problems with selecting and supporting women. Stacey Kirk in the SST writes on National’s lack of female depth.
Labour’s Auckland light rail announcement
National is criticising Labour for releasing policy during an election campaign.
Darren Watson 2 John Key 0
The Court of Appeal has ruled that Darren Watson’s Planet Key song should not have been banned during the 2014 election campaign.
Key could still win and here’s why
Deep into its third term and despite its many transgressions National still remains relatively popular. What gives?
One Billion Dollars
Treasury papers just released show National’s Housing Infrastructure Fund to be everything you expected it to be: a quickly cobbled together headline.
There goes the surplus
The media last week reported extensively an operating surplus of $1.8 billion dollars. But they missed the not so good news that the value of ACC’s assets took a $5.1 billion hit, the Super Fund lost $2 billion, the Crown’s liability under the ETS increased by $1.5 billion and net Crown debt increased by $1.3 billion.
‘Too busy’
National ministers have a habit of not wanting to turn up to the ‘hard’ questions, but Paula Bennett has been severely caught out by RNZ
Poverty is too difficult in Key’s New Zealand
Key is out of touch. But not so out of touch that he doesn’t know about the poverty crisis in NZ. The denial and evasions are deliberate.
There is no surplus
In Year Eight of this National government, the idea of a budget surplus is a joke. They’ve promised it for nearly a decade. They’ve fiddled the books. The truth is, there is no surplus.
Housing Corp is running out of money
Housing Corporation is forecast to run out of money by next February if urgent action is not taken.
I see a poverty of ideas and a poverty of Government responsibility
Judith Collins yesterday said that child poverty is the fault of parents and not the fault of her Government.
Government announces watered down version of Labour’s Kiwibuild policy
National is borrowing another Labour-Green policy and has announced a lite version of Labour’s Kiwibuild policy.
The crime spike
Who would have thought that a surge in homelessness would result in a spike in crime, and that a dramatic increase in the number of people with no or compromised housing situations would cause an increase in burglaries, robberies and assaults.