When is a toll road not a toll road?
When it is a variable network pricing mechanism …
political parties
national
Our zombie economy
It’s basically flat-lining – only partially animated by immigration and a housing bubble.
ECAN turning a blind eye
Is ECAN just another typical Nat party fuckup, or are they deliberately turning a blind eye?
Pay up Compass
Not only has Compass being serving below quality food to hospital patients but it appears that they may not have paid some long term employees what they are entitled to.
RM: National Party support falls 2.5% to 43%
National support is down 2.5% to 43% in the latest Roy Morgan, just ahead of LAB/GR at 42.5% (up 1%).
Petition against the veto of the paid parental leave bill
“We request that you withdraw the financial veto certificate against the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave and Work Contact Hours) Amendment Bill.” You can sign the petition here.
90 day trial – no lie too outrageous for National
For eight long years National have been telling us that the 90 day trial (fire at will) law was all about creating jobs. Yesterday a new Treasury report showed that it had failed to do so. RNZ: “The government now says its 90-day trial period was never about increasing the number of jobs in New Zealand”. Of course.
Fire at will (90 days) law a great success!
Or not. More National ideology burned to the ground by facts.
Nats overrule Parliament to veto parental leave extension
So – like Canterbury, like Auckland, the democratic process can get stuffed as far as National are concerned.
Housing policy omnishambles rolls on
The government that will pay you $5000 to leave Auckland and $3000 to move to Auckland has been selling state houses so recklessly that it is now considering building temporary ones. Headless chickens make more sense.
Dodgy Niue deal back in the headlines
As Bryan Gould put it – “In any other country, and especially in those where such deals are commonplace, no one would be in any doubt as to what had really happened. In New Zealand, however, we are naively inclined to accept the blank-eyed, slack-mouthed assurances that it was all a coincidence and that nothing untoward had happened.”
Bennett “gutted”
One of Giovanni Tiso’s clever “Erratum” series.
National is missing Cameron Slater
The ham fisted attack on Hurimoana Dennis by Paula Bennett’s office must make National yearn for the heady days when Cameron Slater was in charge of their smears.
The ghost house epidemic and the invisible hand
Last year there were officially 22,000 unoccupied properties in Auckland. This year 33,000 are officially classified as empty. “Auckland’s 6.6 per cent vacancy rate is higher than either Sydney (5.2 per cent) or Melbourne (4.8 per cent), where there has been an uproar over “ghost houses” deliberately left empty by speculators trading on a soaring market”. This is madness.
Police undermined by their own minister
Good piece by Jo Moir on Stuff this morning, about National’s train-wreck week. Follow it up with Andrew Geddis on the legality of the Collins blurt.
Where is Paula?
In the middle of a housing crisis the Minister of Social Housing Paula Bennett is nowhere to be seen.
There is no housing crisis in New Zealand *
* according to Nick Smith and Paula Bennett.
Banks act on housing affordability crisis (while National sits on its hands)
Despite Key’s barnstorming 2007 speech on the housing affordability crisis, National these days prefer to deny that it exists. Apparently fed up with waiting for the government to take action, banks are moving to reduce their risk and limit foreign buyers.
National’s lies, damn lies and statistics on housing
The housing crisis is not going away, and National needs to offer something better than lies, damn lies, and statistics.
If you still need to be persuaded about New Zealand’s homeless crisis …
Eleven year old TA is bright, dedicated but homeless. She has challenged John Key to try walking in her shoes.
Funding priorities
Why are we spending so much money on “defense” when there are so many real and urgent needs? It is hard to imagine that our “enemies” could possibly do us more damage than we are inflicting on ourselves.
Yet another indicator of the homeless crisis
The homeless population of central Auckland has more than doubled in the last 3 years. That’s quite a legacy John Key. Meanwhile Te Puea Marae is still putting the government to shame, you can donate here.
The Sky City ghost jobs
Radio New Zealand has reported that the promised jobs relating to the construction of the Convention Centre are appearing. But in Thailand, not New Zealand. Updated with comment on the terms of the supplemental agreement.
What now Paula?
Seeing is believing they say, and Paula Bennett says that she has taken on board the climate change message after a Pacific visit. So what now Paula? It’s a tough question for sure. But at least you’re blessed with an opposition that will cooperate, instead of trying to whip up people’s fears and obstruct progress for political gain.
Boots Theory: On the M.O.U.
Will National agree to make Peters PM?
Just a little thought experiment.
Let them eat cake
Salvation Army contradicts Key’s homelessness claims
Remember Key saying yesterday that the MSD and the Salvation Army knocked on the doors of eight cars that people were living in and no one wanted their help? The Salvation Army says nothing of the sort happened.
Drinnan – Treatment of state-funded broadcasters smacks of political expediency
John Drinnan has a pretty explosive piece in The Herald this morning. (See also Drinnan’s new blog ZagZigger).
Help Te Puea Marae help the homeless
The Marae providing practical support to the homeless in Auckland needs our help. You can donate at the Givealittle page here. It is shameful that this is needed in NZ, but there it is, this is what the Brighter Future looks like.
Why not just – build some damn houses?
Today the Nats released a National Policy Statment (NPS) on housing. It formalises their recent strategy of incorrectly blaming local councils – and it doesn’t build anything.
Strategic Arse Elbow
Today at about the same time the Government will turn the first sod of the city rail link and then announce more urban sprawl for Auckland. This is the most massive policy and programme contradiction in a lifetime.
Why is it that?
Why is it that elements of the media always claim that any sort of cooperation between Labour and the Greens will be disastrous for both parties?
Labour builds the houses (yet another Key lie)
Good work fact-checking by Geoff Simmons at the Morgan Foundation. Contrary to Key’s lie, Labour builds more houses than National.
National party to be banned from future budget lockups
After a significant security leak National will be forced to ban itself from future budget lockups.
Fine for fox to guard henhouse – says fox
The Nats are happy for the fishing industry to effectively self-monitor, despite the fact that this has already been shown to be massively ineffective. In other news: John Key questioned on National’s closeness to fishing industry.