Let it Be
Letting fees are a thing of the past. Labour’s Phil Twyford has outlawed the practice of charging tenants an upfront fee for a non existent service. It’s about fairness and it’s about time.
Politics
political parties
You’ve got to lively up yourself …
National have responded to the Government’s medicinal cannabis law by suggesting hordes of cancer sufferers will hang around schools smoking joints.
The Air New Zealand Industrial dispute
Air New Zealand has provoked industrial action from its workers by trying to wind back wages and conditions at a time it is making near record profits.
On the first day of leakmas …
Overheard at a Press Gallery BBQ …
Labour’s education reforms
The Government has released a discussion paper proposing radical change to our education system, including the establishment of regional hubs to improve cooperation between schools and provisions to strengthen the proposition that kids should attend their local well resources and well run school.
Three years on, will Wairoa AFFCO workers finally be paid?
Meat company AFFCO has lost yet another court case over their unlawful lockout of workers in 2015. Will the penny ever drop for the Talley family?
Nutjobs and the UN Global Migration Pact
National and ACT have alleged that a United Nations Pact supported by New Zealand in 2016 will take away sovereign rights even though the pact itself says that it is not legally binding.
The Reserve Bank Reform Bill
The Government is planning changes to the Reserve Bank Act to require it to seek full employment. Maybe it is time for a dramatic change to its powers so that it has the regulatory powers to properly deal with the Australian banks.
National’s dead cat strategy
National has attempted to drown out news of further leaks, bad poll results and a reference of Maggie Barry’s behaviour to the Auditor General by staging a big stink in Parliament.
Child poverty reduction
It’s likely that Labour’s new Child Poverty Reduction Bill will get through its third reading by the end of this year.
Memo from Crosby Textor – National’s leak problem
The Standard has been leaked an internal memo from Crosby Textor to the National Party concerning its current situation.
National; Leaking Like a Sieve
Another day, another leak from the National Party. If it’s not JLR, just who is poking the borax inside the Tory caucus?
Jesse Mulligan deserves a medal
Maggie Barry is facing fresh allegations of staff bullying. And Jesse Mulligan has responded to her criticism of him by saying it shows he was doing his job properly.
Latest Colmar Brunton poll
The latest Colmar Brunton poll result is out suggesting a slight rebound in National’s fortunes.
Another National MP accused of bullying
The Herald has reported this morning on allegations of bullying being made by staff against Nati0nal MP Maggie Barry.
National wants there to be no unions
Dan Bidois this week in Parliament confirmed what we have always known, that National want there to be no unions around.
Stuff is banning climate change deniers from articles and comments
Stuff have adopted a policy of banning opinion pieces and comments from climate change deniers on the basis that the science is settled and allowing space for deniers is a dangerous waste of time.
The strange case of the missing text from Bridges’ speech
National’s social media team have sent out a tweet with a quote from Simon Bridges that does not appear in the speech that he gave.
National and its no tax promises
National have got out the old “no new taxes” songbook and are singing it as loudly as they can.
Bridges believes fictional character is definitely a male
Simon Bridges is going for the under 10 misogynist vote by claiming that Santa Claus is definitely a man.
Academic freedom and relationships with China
A number of prominent academics and researchers have signed an open letter to Jacinda Ardern urging her to take the allegations of Chinese involvement in crimes against Professor Anne Marie Brady seriously and to make a clear statement in defence of academic freedom in New Zealand.
Twyford’s big announcement
The government has just announced the creation of the most massive and powerful housing and land development agency that we have ever seen.
Judith is getting ready
Judith Collins appears to be ramping up a leadership campaign using Fox News type references to climate change, social change and young people.
Bridges Billion dollar bungle
Simon Bridges has claimed that Labour’s Kiwisaver fund is $18 billion short of the amount needed to meet the Government’s goals of constructing ten thousand Kiwibuild houses a year. The claim has as much credibility as National’s claim that Labour’s budget figures had an $11.5 billion hole in them.
Simon who?
National MP Simon O’Connor is thinking of a tilt at Auckland’s mayoralty.
Another day and more Simon Bridges f*&k ups
Simon Bridges has in the last 24 hours blamed Labour law changes for increasing rentals but has forgotten which ones, and has disagreed that an apology is owed to the families of the Pike River miners on the 8th anniversary of the disaster.
Will Andrew Little be responsible if the Pike River mine gets hit by a meteor?
Stacy Kirk has made the outlandish claim that Andrew Little is prepared to risk someone’s life in his desire to have the Pike River mine properly investigated.
The strange case of the astroturfed Energy Voices organisation
It has been discovered that the person behind the Energy Voices website is a National Party operative and former staffer.
Electricity again
It is time for the Government to down the electricity corporates and regulate them in the interests of the citizen.
Latest poll results – National in freefall
A recent UMR poll has put National support at 37%, deep in danger territory for Simon Bridges.
ILG, a Rock, and a Hard Place
The Sroubek beat up is still with us. Why won’t National tell us what they knew and what they agreed to?
Proxy Music
Jami-Lee Ross has passed his proxy vote to NZ First, elevating waka jumping to an Olympic sport. How bad does it have to get before the Tory caucus puts Simon Bridges out of his misery?
Simon’s sure fire way to deal with difficult questions
Simon’s strategy is that cunning you could be tempted to pin a tail on it and call it a weasel.
Simon Bridges wants a new senior social media advisor
Simon Bridges has advertised for a Senior Social Media advisor.
A Democratic Cakewalk.
Cenk Uygur might be said to have “skin in the game” when it comes to the US Mid-terms, and given that much of this post revolves around, or bounces from his commentary and analysis – which may not be quite as objective as he thinks – that should be borne in mind when reading this post.
The Jami-Lee tapes
Newshub has released a further Jami-Lee Ross tape which contains a promise by Simon Bridges that if Ross stood down for health reasons he could come back in the new year and be promoted.