Winston Peters Names Alleged Super Leaker
Winston Peters has named the person he says leaked his super details. Has ACT joined National in doing Dirty Politics?
Politics
political parties
ILG Goes
Immigration Minister Iain Lees Galloway has apparently resigned.
UPDATE: The PM confirms that she has sacked the Minister. He will not stand in the Palmerston North seat in the upcoming general election.
UPDATE: Iain Lees Galloway releases an apology.
What is the best way for a political party to handle a sex scandal?
Judith Collins appears to be living by her motto, giving back double, and has made public allegations that a Labour Minister has engaged in inappropriate behaviour. But is this the best way to handle a sex scandal?
Unthinkable Things
With the government clearly watching the unravelling of Australia’s Covid-19 response and putting in place $14 billion in preparation for a second infection wave, we are clearly now in a history-in-making territory of the highest instability outside a world war.
Raymond Huo resigning at election
Raymond Huo has announced he will no longer contest the 2020 election.
Strong team?
Earlier this year National boasted that it had a strong team. But this was before two coups and the loss of seven MPs in the past few weeks, the latest for sending indecent material to a teenager which the leader initially described as a case involving mental health concerns.
Another Nat MP Quits
Another Tory MP has quit. This time it’s first term MP Andrew Falloon.
UPDATE: The PM was informed on Friday, but chose to be discreet.
UPDATE: NewsHub are claiming that Falloon sent porn to a schoolgirl.
UPDATE: The victim was a uni student and her age means no offence was committed. Further, Falloon claims it was not him that sent the pic.
Wellington Central: Should Grant Robertson Stand Aside?
Should Labour’s Grant Robertson stand aside in Wellington Central to guarantee the Greens are available to be a coalition partner?
National’s next Auckland Central candidate?
With Nikki Kaye’s shock retirement announcement National urgently needs a new candidate. One name springs to mind.
Chloe Swarbrick should stand strong in Auckland Central
Having two strong left wing women standing in an electorate is great for women, the left and New Zealand. It may also help us move away from macho politics towards both/and politics.
Auckland Central; Should Chloe Swarbrick Stand Aside?
The Auckland Central electorate will elect a new MP in September. The Greens have a responsibility to make sure it’s the Labour candidate.
Will the last remaining National MP please not forget to turn off the caucus room lights
The Herald is reporting that Nikki Kaye will announce her retirement from politics today.
What Could National Do To Win?
Ok sure, they won’t. You list why. But here’s the top five things National could do to give themselves a better shot.
Roy Morgan Poll July 2020
The latest Roy Morgan Poll is further bad news for National and a stark warning for NZ First.
If Judith and Gerry are the answer it must have been a desperate question
In a great leap backwards Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee are now leaders of the National Party.
Collins crushes caucus vote
Twitter confirms that Judith Collins is now National leader. She is the perfect candidate if your goal is to stem the bleeding of support. She is not the candidate if you want to win the election …
National needs a safe pair of hands: Amy Adams
I realise that National probably won’t appreciate my advice. However I actually would like to have a viable competent opposition. I don’t even want an election to be as much of a pushover as this one is likely to be. If I was a stalwart National supporter or a member of their caucus, I’d be pushing for Amy Adams.
Muller goes, bring back Simon?
In breaking news Todd Muller has resigned for “health reasons”, effective immediately.
Time to bring back Simon?
Updated with some breaking links.
SFO to Investigate Labour Donations
The Serious Fraud Office has commenced an investigation in relation to donations made in 2017 to the Labour Party.
UPDATE: The investigation may involve donations made at a ‘silent’ art auction, something that Labour was upfront about back in February.
National’s ethics
There is a particularly resonant piece by Tim Watkin in Pundit. “National’s problem with privacy and privilege”. I’m only surprised that he seems to think that the National party is redeemable. They’re so into their internal myths that they fail to regard anyone or any threat as unless their voting base poll well on it. But that is National for you – they’ve consistent…. Stupid, unhelpful and short on ethics.
Of course it’s dirty politics
National’s latest attempted spin is to try and suggest that last week’s clusterfuck of rolling events did not involve in any way the slightest trace of dirty politics. How wrong they are.
Greens policy announcement: Our Clean Energy Plan
Our Clean Energy Plan is the first part of our transformational proposal to end the use of fossil fuels in Aotearoa. It will help to ensure our grandchildren inherit a world where they can not only survive, but thrive.
The Christian Right and the 2020 election
A variety of Christian parties have attempted to gain a place in Parliament. What are the chances in 2020 of a conservative Christian Party succeeding in gaining seats?
Jian Yang announces retirement so he can spend more time with his family
Jian Yang, he with impeccable Chinese Communist Party links and of formidable fundraising ability, has announced that he is is retiring from politics.
Did any National MP not receive confidential information from Michelle Boag?
Michael Woodhouse has admitted that he received confidential information from Michelle Boag a couple of weeks before he said that it was “unconscionable and unacceptable” that the leaks were happening.
Everybody gets a road
National has made two major roading project announcements in the past week. Both announcements recycled announcements that were also made before the last election.
Some Random impertinent questions about Michelle Boag’s access to confidential medical information
Westpac Helicopter Trust’s claim that it had not breached privacy rights of Covid sufferers raises some serious questions about why Michelle Boag was provided with sensitive information. And who she has provided it to.
Walkergate: MP Quits
Privacy breaching MP Hamish Walker has announced he will step down at the next election. But who else should go?
Update: Muller tries to divert attention by announcing that National still want a 4 lane highway from Chch to Ashburton. Problem solved!
Trashing the country’s Covid response for political advantage
As details emerge about Hamish Walker’s leaking of confidential information of Covid sufferers for political advantage, questions are being asked about Todd Muller’s leadership and if National is actually committed to assisting the country’s response to Covid 19.
Clusterfuck
Hamish Walker and Michelle Boag have admitted leaking private information about covid sufferers for political gain.
Does National actually have any policy?
National has recently been upping the campaign rhetoric but there is a disturbing lack of policy detail.
Jacinda’s address to the Labour Congress
The text of Jacinda’s address delivered to the Labour Congress this afternoon.
National’s “intelligence unit” kicks into gear
A month ago a leak from National’s caucus said that they had set up an intelligence unit designed to dig up dirt on opponents. Yesterday Newshub ran a story based on a candidate’s seven year old tweets. It looks like the intelligence unit has been busy.
National wants to open up our borders, unless you are Indian, Pakistani or Korean
National Backbench MP Hamish Walker has claimed that Queenstown is to be invaded by people from India, Pakistan and Korea when the reality is the Government is considering using empty Hotels for quarantining returning kiwis.
Green Party and No Right Turn on the RMA fast-track bill
No Right turn on the undemocratic and Muldoonist nature of the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020, and the Greens on why they opposed it and what they managed to get changed.
Minister Clark resigns
David Clark has announced his resignation as Health Minister.