Auckland without workers
The unaffordability of Auckland housing is now seriously impacting even moderately well paid professions. As these trends continue, how is Auckland going to cope without without workers?
political parties
national
O’Sullivan and Watkins – warnings to the Nats
Even National’s fans are worried for them these days. The “third termitis” meme is becoming well established.
More bold intervention needed
National Labour and the Greens are all proposing to intervene in the market to do something about the housing crisis. What other policy areas are there where the parties can agree on active state intervention?
A target we can celebrate missing
Anne Tolley has conceeded that the Nats will not meet their objective of getting 65,000 people off the benefit in the next two years. Good. It is the wrong goal.
The times they are a changing
Dedicated to the latest UMR poll that Bomber reports has Labour on 33%, the Greens on 12% and National on 41% …
National’s Rodeo.
The fiction that National is doing a competent job of managing the economy is entirely due, now that the boom from Dairy and Christchurch rebuilding is ending, to immigration and rising house prices.
They are now riding a bolting horse that they cannot dismount, caused by their own inaction.
Nats abandon social housing target
As part of their “comprehensive” response to the housing crisis, the Nats are backing off their promise to increase the number of social housing places. Great news for those families sleeping in cars tonight.
Democracy vs efficiency
Events in England really highlight the different processes of the two main parties. The Conservatives have completed their leadership transition, Labour’s contest has barely begun. Which model is best?
Do you pray to take on crushing debt for the rest of your life?
Pathetic tinkering with loan limits does nothing realistic for first home buyers, but it does add more fuel to the debt fire. We need to actually build some affordable houses. If only there was a party that would do that…
We truly are being run by a bunch of clowns
National is flailing around attempting to divert attention from its failure to do anything meaningful about the homeless crisis.
Borrows charged for injuring protestors
Nat MP Chester Borrows has been charged over injuring two women with a car during a TPP protest.
Nats on HNZ dividend – Yes! No! Maybe!
That’s three positions in 2 days. Stay tuned to see what these headless chooks come up with tomorrow!
Maori health and children not a priority
Essential reading, two pieces highlighting institutional racism today. Someone needs to ask the Maori Party how proud they are to be propping up this government.
A tale of two housing policies – Steven Joyce writing National’s on Twitter
In some kind of panic over Labour’s housing policy package, Steven Joyce was writing Nat policy on Twitter yesterday. The promise to forego 2 years of HNZ dividend appears to have been made up on the fly.
John Roughan on Labour’s birthday
In the Herald John Roughan has offered some very positive comments about the Labour Party and what it stands for.
Reserve Bank gives Key the fingers on housing crisis
In The Herald Liam Dann asks – Did the Reserve Bank just give two fingers to the Prime Minister?. That would be a “yes”.
Judith Collins is losing a PR battle with a patched Gang Member*
*title borrowed from @shakingstick.
Helen Clark on Iraq
Thirteen years ago Helen Clark said despite intense pressure that the threshold for the use of force against Iraq had not been met. How right she was.
Social bonds negotiations collapse
The Governments attempt to incentivise the provision of social services by greed has failed with the first proposed social bond failing.
Housing bubble inflating faster – Key’s panic now obvious
The housing bubble is inflating faster than ever, and Key is visibly panicking. His political problem is insoluble and his electoral problem is about to get worse.
National’s strike-breaking fail
The Police want no part of the Nats’ plan to use them as airport security. Perhaps instead of bungled attempts at strike-breaking the Nats should consider – dealing fairly with aviation security staff concerns?
The silence of the lambs – media (not) on McCully
Interesting discussion on the silence of the lambs. Where have all the journalists gone?
A week at Te Puea Marae
Unlike our “government”, Te Puea Marae is trying to do something practical for the homeless. Madeleine Chapman spent a week volunteering there, and wrote about it for The Spinoff. Note that The Warehouse will match donations made through Spinoff.
#Sheepgate – The Compensation payment for the claim that did not exist
The Nation has been doing some digging into #Sheepgate and last weekend broadcast its results. There were some findings that if confirmed should result in McCully’s cabinet career being ended. Not to mention a potential Privileges Hearing to decide if he has misled Parliament.
National to seize privately owned land
National is now proposing to extinguish private property rights and seize land. Cue political and media outrage? Yeah right.
Billion dollar boondoggle
In an effort to be seen to be doing something about a housing crisis that they say doesn’t exist, the Nats have offered to lend councils $1 Billion that they can already borrow. Homeless families will also be offered a free deckchair on the Titanic to re-arrange as they please.
National costs you $100,000 from your retirement fund
If you’re an average worker the actions of the National government have reduced the value of your KiwiSaver fund at retirement by about $100K.
“Post-truth” politics (and false equivalences)
Interesting pieces recently on “post-truth” politics. They rightly tear strips off Key and a government that lies and denies reflexively and at all levels, and has been doing so for eight long years.
Another Lifeline cut
— Deborah Russell
A bit wet lately
Parental leave – did English know or care what he was vetoing?
Bill English didn’t know the cost of the parental leave bill that he vetoed on the grounds of cost, and he didn’t care enough about it to speak to the matter in Parliament last night.
Suck-up economics proceeding as planned – rich getting richer
Inequality in NZ is the worst it’s been in a decade. Key’s response is pathetic. We need to vote to end suck-up economics. We need to be a better country than this.
Who is knifing Nat MP Paul Foster-Bell?
Foster-Bell seems to be a cross between Aaron Gilmore (vanity), Todd Barclay (people skills) and Bill English (high on the hog). No surprises there then, Nat MP, ho hum. The more interesting question is – who is out to knife him? Two hits in two days?
Speaking of inequality…
“Poverty NZ’s ‘new normal’ – report”. “Food bank pantries bare, emergency food grant dropping – report”. “NZ egalitarian? That’s a pretty little lie”. Hello – National supporters – where do you think this is going to end?
Four personal stories
From the “Brighter Future”, four personal stories published recently are all well worth reading.
Panama papers: investors were advised how to avoid Government disclosure obligations
Doubt has been cast on the utility of John Key’s claim that New Zealand is not a tax haven because there are disclosure treaties with the revelation that Mossack Fonseca’s primary New Zealand agent instructed clients to avoid investing in those countries.