Act minister Karen Chhour has recently adopted the mantle of victimhood and claimed that she has been under attack and feels unsafe in Parliament. But the attacks are not personal and are motivated by the damage her party is causing to Oranga Tamariki as well as to the country’s race relations.
The PM of NZ is accused of spreading intentional disinformation on Health NZ as the evidence piles up against the Coalition government. Here’s how it went down.
Yesterday in Parliament was pretty weird. Act MPs staged a show down event and expressed increasing dissatisfaction with their Government’s speaker Gerry Brownlee.
Senior medical figures have questioned the accuracy of what the Government is saying about the health crisis in Northland. And in an example of unbelievably bad timing it has been revealed that the Goverment put aside $216 million to fund a exise duty reduction for Phillip Morris.
This Government continues its trend to resembling something akin to Liz Truss’s rule of England. And Health is clearly among its targets.
Just as with the Three Strikes Policy National has never seen an irrational itch it will not scratch for political advantage. Despite the reality.
It has emerged that National has sneakily reduced child poverty targets.
The Royal Commission’s recently released report into abuse in care has highlighted how unsuccessful and how damaging boot camps can be at the time the Government is celebrating the opening of its latest attempted version of a boot camp.
It is now clear why Simon Watts rushed out a three page brochure setting out what this Government’s response to climate change will be. It knew that the latest Climate Change Emissions Reduction Plan was coming out for consultation. And that it could not come up with a credible plan.
A track record of deception and pro tobacco industry policies is becoming evident in the Coalition. Casey Costello is at it again, this time quietly halving excise tax for some tobacco products. This is the first time in NZ’s history to have reduced excise on tobacco. We should all ask ‘Why now?’
Chris Bishop’s plan to “flood the market” with housing development described as being “unaffordable, unworkable and unfair” is also “unsustainable” and even “unhinged”.
The National Government has won in its long standing pay dispute with New Zealand police. With Australia offering $20,000 cash bonuses and attractive packages to poach our cops, what’s going to happen to an already demoralised and stretched police force?
This week Change Minister Simon Watts showed the depth of the Government’s thinking by releasing a three page brochure outlining its collective thoughts. If the Government is at that level of thinking the country is well and truly stuffed. And meanwhile ACT’s Mark Cameron wants to prevent local government from considering climate change when formulating regional plans.
National activist Sunny Kaushall is to head a committee with a budget of $3.6 million over two years to advise the Government on complex legal and privacy issues for which Kaushal’s qualifications are not clear.
As reports confirm that the Government intends to sell off Kiwirail ferries, the question has to be asked: “Why is the Government paying thousands of dollars to former National Party members for advice” and when is independent advice not reliable?
The Government is hoping that Carbon Capture and Sequestration will reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emission levels. But it is refusing to protect forests and trees, which are the best Carbon Capture and Sequestration devices going.
Minister for Workplace Relations and Health & Safety Brooke van Velden hasn’t met with the CTU Te Kauae Kaimahi since November last year. And has announced major proposed changes to workers rights and job conditions.
What should New Zealand Labour learn from UK Labour’s success in the recent election?
Chris Bishop has announced proposed changes to planning laws that will increase urban sprawl and damage to the environment.
The bastard son of the three strikes law alka the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill was introduced into Parliament. And other measures announced will mean added cost, misery and injustice to the operation of our justice system.
Are things back on track? How about for those who can least afford to feed themselves? It appears not with reports that funding for food banks is being slashed. And the consequence could be dire.
The Government is in a rather precarious position relating to the contract to replace the ageing Cook Straight ferries, which clearly need replacing.
Keith Locke, ex Green MP, died last week aged 80 after a long illness. I am going to miss him because he was a hell of a nice person, extremely bright, very well informed, and fast at figuring out where there was common ground and room to work together. I think that NZ will miss him and those like him over the decades ahead.
The focus groups have spoken and the Government has completed its 360 degree backflip and decided to fund Pharmac so that National can meet its pledge to introduce 13 new cancer drugs.
The grounding of the ferry Aratere is potentially a political gift to National.
What is the lowest most disgraceful thing this Government has done? How about cutting funding for top ups of the wages of disabled workers aimed to get them to the living wage?
Christopher Luxon has accused senior business leaders who travelled with a trade delegation with Chris Hipkins of being “C listers and tag alongs”.
Last year Christopher Luxon said that he would not use Defence Force planes to travel internationally if elected as prime minister. Turns out that this is not actually true.
The Government is planning to reverse Labour’s previous policy relating to permanent safe speeds around schools. The change will decrease safety and walking and cycling and increase car use. And the upside is?
The Government’s latest announcement about worker safety is about business, not people.
National and their minion parties just announced another massive $400 million R&D subsidy for agricultural greenhouse gases by taxpayers for the low profit industry of pastoral farming. This joins the other large and hidden subsidies levied on tax and rate payers to support rural and state roads capable of sustained heavy agricultural and forestry trucks.
It was always going to happen but it still rankles that an attempt to get farming to at least confront the damage it causes to the climate is being put on hold.
Yesterday’s Greenpeace’s War on Nature protest in Tamaki Makaurau suggests growing unity on the left and an increasing determination to stop the Fast Track Projects Bill from being passed.
Be there, bring your whanau, bring friends. Make it noisy and passionate and make it count.
Police Minister has been caught out claiming an increase in patrols in Central Auckland when a proper analysis of the data shows that the number of patrols have decreased.
When the fabric of lies unravels the gaslighting increases.
