A basic primer on the law of defamation
There has been some very confused reporting on the fate of Andrew Little in the Hagaman defamation trial.
Politics
political parties
National’s Filipino campaign
National’s New Lynn candidate Paulo Garcia appears to be receiving campaigning assistance from the Philippine Ambassador for New Zealand. Is this appropriate?
National’s response to the Syria attack
Unlike the Australian and United Kingdom Governments’ response to the American attack has been muted and confused. Is this just the nature of anything that Bill English says or is it an attempt to assess public opinion before responding?
Green Party criticises US strike on Syria
“We expect and deserve cooler heads than this from our global leaders.”
MSD and our privacy
National’s plans for our privacy and access to social services are a perfect cocktail of over-reach and incompetence.
Resource Management Act Third Reading
Nick Smith’s RMA reforms are close to being completed. Will his high homes for the reforms be met?
Labour’s leadership team
Labour’s new tactic of featuring a leadership team seems to be working well.
Avoid big plans and win
To win the 2017 election Labour does not need a broad suite of policies, rather it needs to make sure that it is asking the right questions.
Pity the RWNJ (for they are going to be spinning in pain)
If you are one of the right wing nut jobs that read this site, then Horizon puts out some truly scary polls. But if you aren’t an idiot and actually take the time to read material before criticizing it (unlike Hooton on ‘Hit and Run’) then this points to a tight election as is usual under MMP. But with all of the swing in the direction of a Labour led coalition. But I am sure the simpleton spinners will have another explanation.
Mana Māori truce didn’t last long
“A poisonous and destructive cancer” – that’s not something you say to your allies.
Conflict of interest what conflict of interest?
The lobbying body for fishing industry and Nathan Guy who is the responsible minister think there is no conflict of interest in the lobbying body inheriting huge powers previously held by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Green Party announces its initial party list
The Green Party has released its indicative party list for consideration by the party membership.
The Auckland Labour list conference of 2017
Some impressions from the Auckland Labour list conference.
National’s policing problem
National is facing increasing public concern about the ability of the police to do its job properly.
Motels are not state houses
It’s almost as if deliberately running down state housing stock doesn’t make the need for homes magically go away – who could possibly have predicted that?
Another reason for water pricing
The Government will be embarassed by another example of a corporation planning to extract ten billion litres of fresh water a year essentially at no cost which has arisen.
What does National do about English?
John Key has claimed that the transfer of power from himself to Bill English was flawless and designed to ensure continuation of National’s rule. Based on the last couple of opinion poll results he should reconsider his optimism.
Marama Fox on working with a Labour/Green government
Marama Fox opens the way for the Māori Party to work with Labour and the Greens.
Clifton: Nat MPs getting nervous
English is down 6% in the latest Colmar Brunton. Jane Clifton sees Nat MPs getting nervous. “For the Nats, having so long taken a fourth term as read, the possibility that their own leader may soon be less secure in his job than Labour’s will be a toughie.”
Jam tomorrow
It’s too hard! We’ll do it later! Auckland airport rail is just the latest example.
More thoughts on the Labour-Greens Budget Responsibility Rules
The Labour-Green Budget Responsibility Rules announcement this week ought to dispel the notion that Labour and the Greens cannot work together.
Labour Green fiscal framework
As widely reported this morning, Labour and the Greens have set out an agreed fiscal framework. Smart politics.
A tale of two valedictory speeches
Compare and contrast Helen Clark’s and John Key’s valedictory speeches.
Hit and Run – time for an inquiry
Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson’s book Hit and Run makes a compelling case for the Government to conduct a full inquiry to see if New Zealand forces were complicit in the killing of innocent men and women and if there was a cover up.
Nothing to fear, nothing to hide
Todd Barclay has chosen to co-operate fully with the police investigation into his actions by getting a lawyer and refusing to say anything to them.
Labour’s Māori electorate MPs will not be on the list
In breaking news, Labour’s Māori electorate MPs to stand as electorate candidates only (not on the list).
OECD: NZ growth model reaching its environmental limits
New Zealand is about to reach the limits of growth.
National’s water problem
The Government’s timid backdown on water charging is placing it in a very uncomfortable position.
“Dumbing down a generation”
An excellent piece by Simon Collins in the weekend Herald. NZ’s educational scores in international comparisons are locked in a downward spiral. National’s ideology has failed, while we ignore successful models.
NRT: “Too hard”
No Right Turn: “The real barrier to National … acting on this is because that “no-one owns water, first come, first served” policy disproportionately benefits one group and allows them to profiteer from a public resource while destroying its value to others. That group is farmers – and they donate to the National Party.”
Nats’ attack on Ardern backfires
National’s nasty, obvious, hamfisted attack on Jacinda Ardern has backfired on them big time.
“All show and no substance”
The attack on Ardern as “all show and no substance” is a curious one for a party that was led for so many years by John Key.
Murdoch on the tax-cut striptease (NSFW)
National’s flawed RMA ripoff still failing
Maori Party Co-Leader, Marama Fox, is playing hardball over Nick Smith latest attempts to weasel out of commitments on the deeply flawed RMA changes that National has spent the last few years trying to find any support for in Parliament. The bill is crap. The Maori party should just drop it regardless how many baubles they think they will get from it.
Nick Smith is a disgrace
In a functioning democracy Nick Smith’s handling of the Resource Management Bill should result in him losing his ministerial warrant.