News broke this morning about a major mistake discovered in September 2014 during the height of an election campaign. But it was hidden from view until now. It makes you wonder how the news could have been hidden for so long.
Tim Watkin: “What’s clear is that National, as is their well worn tactic, will do its best to ensure the blame gets shared around”.
Bravo to Te Puea Marae and their supporters – you are doing what needs to be done – and you are putting the government to shame.
Both One News and The Herald have pieces this morning highlighting different cases of dirty money being “filtered” through NZ. Panama papers, National donors, SkyCity and more…
Steven Joyce has claimed that Auckland’s housing crisis is like Christchurch’s. Has Auckland recently had two disastrous earthquakes?
It’s naked panic now. In response to the crisis that isn’t a crisis Key is going to overrule the council that his government created and screw over Auckland democracy just like he screwed over Canterbury. What do you think of that Aucklanders?
The Nats will pay you $3000 to move to Auckland and $5000 to leave it. This is what happens when you have no vision, no plan, and no NFI what you’re doing.
— Deborah Russell
Live coverage of the budget starts around 2pm.
Well that was boring.
Budget day! Here’s a little light reading to get us started. Write your own line for the budget!
Sue Moroney’s bill to extend paid parental leave passed its second reading last night – bravo to all those who supported it! The Nats’ threat to veto is profoundly anti-democratic, overriding the will of Parliament.
The Government is planning to change funding for budgeting services and to require providers to become “financial mentors” rather than “budgeting advisers” as if this will improve things.
Paula Bennett has basically apologised to Parliament for claiming that National would create 3,000 new social housing beds when all that it was doing is funding existing beds to make sure they did not disappear.
Green Party MP Jan Logie: “The Government has made it clear that more funding for refuges will not be in this week’s Budget.”
Nick Smith thinks that the recently developing housing crisis is a figment of our imagination.
One year later Nick Smith has delivered three quarters of 1% of his promised 430 ha of new Auckland housing land. The Brighter Future strikes again.
The Latest Roy Morgan poll result has been released with both National and Labour recording a significant improvement in support. But Winston is still the king maker …
Good of the hotel to keep the Nats’ dodgy deal in the headlines. Andrew Little has called their bluff – of course.
Charter schools are pretty nice work if you can get it, no wonder groups are lining up. But there’s no evidence that they are good for education.
A petition: “As Minister of Social Development we call upon Minister Anne Tolley to urgently forgive all debts incurred by people who have been forced to stay in Motels as emergency accommodation….”
John Campbell is covering the homeless crisis with stories that highlight the personal tragedies that are occurring and the complete indifference of the Government to their plight.
This is a massive market and moral failure. The problem isn’t going to go away, it’s going to get worse, and the media are going to stay on the case. Time for National to borrow some more Labour / Green policy thinking.
Here’s some more science for the government to hate on: “Paris climate agreement cannot be met without emissions reduction target for agriculture”.
The Government’s promised funding for 3,000 new beds for the homeless will not create any but will make sure that existing beds are kept available.
Coverage of Auckland’s homeless goes international. The working poor are now the working homeless.
Despite record Crown debt and a crisis in the social sector National is getting ready to campaign in 2017 promising a tax cut.
Speculators keep buying houses while families live in garages and cars. This is a moral failure, a leadership failure, a market failure – it is every kind of failure.
Radio New Zealand recently published a piece penned by well known supporter of the right Matthew Hooton. What has happened to the concept of balance?
John Key thinks that he was thrown out of Parliament straight after Helen Clark a few years ago. The only problem is that Hansard thinks it was Don Brash.
The $25 million deal prompted considerable curiosity because it involved an off-market purchase of shares from Sanford’s second biggest shareholder, Avalon Investment Trust, which is run by the family of Peter Goodfellow.
National is hoping to avoid a proper debate about issues raised by the Panama Papers by raising a series of idiotic diversions.
John Key was given his marching order from the House today for repeatedly disobeying the speaker.
This morning John Key refused to be interviewed on Radio New Zealand after learning that they intended to ask him questions about the Panama Papers. And some elements of the media are for some strange reason trying to say there is nothing to see because he personally has not been implicated.
Why, out of all the rotten, corrupt and unprincipled nations of the earth, did the Panama Papers hacker single out New Zealand’s John Key for special mention?
I/S at No Right Turn on the irony of sending Judith “Minister of Corruption” Collins to an an anti-corruption summit in London next week.
