Watkins on health and safety mess
“John Key’s increasingly lacklustre defence of the shambles consists of answers that sound more like satire by the day.”
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Forget worm farms the Health and Safety Reform Bill proposes secret trials
The Government has snuck into the Health and Safety Reform Bill a provision that allows for withholding from the parties to court proceedings of classified security information and for decisions affecting their rights to be made on the basis of information they have no access to. This was not in the original bill and you have to wonder why such a contentious provision has been introduced so late.
National Ltd™’s Shane Reti Caught Out In Another Lie
Shane Reti lied about the process of ratifying the TPP. In a Press Release to the Northern Advocate, Reti states “. . . the agreement comes before parliament and opposition parties and select committees for debate and modifications . . .”
National scared of farmers?
As the worm turns, the Nats are all over the place on health and safety. Andrew Little suggests that National is “terrified of the farming lobby”. Something sure has to explain the fact that they ended up fronting this crock.
Charter $chools
Today’s Herald has an excellent piece on charter schools – School cash flows to owners’ pockets. What a surprise!
Health and safety categories – ludicrous and venal
A small sample of the reaction to National’s “health” and “safety” nonsense.
Zero integrity on zero hours
If you thought the Nats promising to sort out zero hours contracts was too good to be true — you were right.
John Key’s brighter future is not for everyone
While beneficiary numbers decrease the incidence of beneficiaries being trespassed and the numbers of pregnant women living homeless is increasing. Are we really seeing things improve or are more and more people falling through the cracks?
Housing selloff – obsessive secrecy and power
National’s selloff of our state houses is yet another example of its two main obsessions, secrecy and unaccountable power.
MSD household incomes report
While we devote acres of pixels to flag distractions and “celebrity” nonsense, the health of the nation goes largely unremarked. Was there any MSM coverage of the latest Ministry of Social Development report – Household Incomes in New Zealand: trends in indicators of inequality and hardship 1982 to 2014?
Hosking, Henry and Media Bias
Yesterday a debate that has occurred on the Standard about how main stream media has a right wing bias became mainstream when Winston Peters accused Mike Hosking of being a National Party Stooge. An online poll provided overwhelming support for his statement. And recently Steven Joyce attacked Rod Oram because his analytical thoughtful analysis critical of the Government displayed evidence of left wing bias.
Who is to blame for Solid Energy’s failure
… and why is Solid Energy removing links to its Annual reports from its website?
TPPA Protest review
An open post to cover the TPPA protests today. In Auckland it was big and noisy with an estimated 10,000 plus people attending. Congratulations […]
Labour did it too
Tautoko Mangō Mata has discovered the words to a mystery song buried deep in a Crosby Textor staff manual.
Free beer for all
Diversion alert. The Government considers that urgency should be given to changing the law to allow more beer to be drunk when the All Blacks are playing during the Rugby World Cup.
#Sheepgate and the war of metaphor
The war of metaphor requires the continuous repetition of a simple statement in the hope it becomes the accepted truth. Most of the time it works. But with #sheepgate it is starting to unravel.
National’s terrible deal making
A brief analysis of a number of deals that National has negotiated suggests that its reputation as a supposedly tough dealmaker is misplaced.
John Key’s brighter future
As milk prices plunge and Fonterra’s expected payout is cut to a level that will cause most farms to run at a loss John Key’s promised brighter future is disappearing fast.
#Sheepgate – Key’s cheerleaders are sent in
John Armstrong thinks that National has bested Labour over #sheepgate because Key keeps saying it is all Labour’s fault. And Hosking thinks the payment has a good business case despite the payment having not achieved the result that was being sought,
NZ First’s long predicted demise isn’t going to happen
I am getting a bit bored with pundits proclaiming the imminent demise of NZ First. Over it’s 25 year life this has been the constant refrain from the likes of John Armstrong. The reality is that they appeal to a conservative mindset that traditionally had been part of the National parties internal coalition. They will keep eating at it.
NRT: 43,000 unemployed under National
Unemployment has risen for two quarters in a row despite the optimistic Treasury forecasts.
The dump of the #sheepgate papers
The sheepgate papers have been dumped and despite John Key’s claims to the contrary the only evidence of a change in position on live sheep exports is that of the National Government, not the previous Labour Government.
# Talleyban
Talleys have fired the first shots in National’s new class war. You can stand with the AFFCO workers and reject the Tories new anti-union law. Boycott Talleys. Make a stand for your fellow Kiwis.
The real reason Solid Energy is failing
There has been some discussion about the reasons why Solid Energy is facing liquidation. A brief review of its history suggests that this Government’s incompetence is a major factor.
Let’s Lynch the Landlord
As The Standard said at the time, the Government’s decision to destroy Relationships Aotearoa could be a colossal stuff up. And this morning we learn that a Canterbury landlord has allowed access to the sensitive files left behind when RA closed. Anne Tolley must act or Anne Tolley must go.
Weekend reading for the Nats
There were some good opinion pieces published over the weekend. Not comfortable reading for the Nats.
Deborah McMillan’s story
Deborah McMillan’s husband and Skyla McMillan’s dad Shane was killed in a workplace accident five years ago. They are part of a campaign to strengthen the currently weakened health and safety legislation.
Maori language is not boring, John Key
John Key has managed to insult an idealistic young woman and Maori at the same time by saying that her suggestion that Maori Language week should be extended was boring.
Shut up and take your medicine
As commentators and dairy industry insiders warn of TPP disaster, the Nats’ message to we the people is shut up and take our medicine – oh and by the way the price just went up.
John Key – Snake Oil Salesman
John Key has tried to suggest that we have nothing to worry about planned changes to Pharmac caused by TPP. But a recent further release by Wikileaks on the effects of the Trans Pacific Partnership on State Owned Enterprises makes you wonder if the implications of TPP on Pharmac are as limited as he says.
We’re going to sign a rubbish deal
We’re not making progress on dairy in the TPP negotiations, but the smart money reckons we’re going to sign anyway.
Update: Read what a real journalist has to say on the current state of negotiations.
Breathless children
Tim Groser has some advice for us on the TPP – “We need adults to do this, not breathless children to run off at the mouth when the deal is not actually finished.”
Kia kaha New Zealand First
Winston Peters was thrown out of Parliament yesterday and New Zealand First MPs walked out in sympathy for raising points of order following a personal explanation from Anne Tolley where she corrected an answer to a parliamentary question that was clearly wrong.
What will National give away?
Labour has set out its bottom lines for supporting the TPP. My question to National and its supporters – which of Labour’s bottom lines are you prepared to give away, and why?
Update: We can cross off point 1, Key sells out Pharmac.
Then they came for the Health Boards
It appears that the Government has a radical proposal to undermine democratic participation in our Health Boards. Although the Minister claims not to know about it.
National’s lightweight conference
National had a conference in the weekend. They used it to re-announce some Labour policy, but otherwise if you noticed it was probably because of the protest outside.