politicans

john key

John Key, Blogsters and the Dotcom leaks

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 170 comments

This week has seen how sophisticated the publicity campaign against Kim Dotcom has been.  The surprising detail that a Herald Socialite columnist has published with political implications potentially represents a new tactic by National.  And the confirmation that Key is regularly in contact with Cameron Slater shows how deep the relationship is between National and the Sewer is.  And there was the use of, as Key calls them, blogsters to smear opposition MPs with hints of corruption.  This is going to be an interesting year …

Rotten

Written By: Zetetic
Date published: - 270 comments

Stuff has an astounding interview with John Key where he reveals he has regular catch-ups with Cameron Slater.

We’ve always known that there were close ties between National and the abomination that is Whaleoil but now we know that the ties go right to the top.

Dotcom snoopers: The “dirty, disgusting, despicable game”

Written By: karol
Date published: - 73 comments

So, the PM is hinting that his tips about Winston Peters visiting Kim Dotcom 3 times, came from Cameron Slater.  But then, who was Slater’s informant? Key admits to on-going contact with Slater. [Update: transcript of John Key stand up vid, Stuff – Update 2: transcript edited; 3 News]

Mindless questions

Written By: Mike Smith
Date published: - 304 comments

The question I’d like the media to ask is “Where did John Key get his information that Winston visited DotCom three times?” Most likely source it seems to me is the GCSB. I think Winston  may have a point about his right to privacy.

Is John Key a shape shifting reptilian?

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 55 comments

Recent allegations have surfaced suggesting that John Key is a shape shifting reptilian and the Labour Party is doing a deal with Ymir, King of the Frost Giants regarding the electorate of Ginnungagap in an attempt to win the 2014 election.  Is it just me or is politics getting really weird?

Polity: Moral mandates in Europe

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 37 comments

Rob Salmond at Polity highlights John Key’s naivety in politics. It isn’t hard because he is a poor amateur and largely unskilled.  If he ever raised his eyes from golf and photo-ops for long enough to exercise his brain, then he could look at the governments of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

Key’s transparent gerrymander

Written By: Mike Smith
Date published: - 101 comments

For John Key, MMP stands for “Manipulate Members of Parliament”. Senior journalists are beginning to call him on the games he’s playing, and good on them; gerrymander entered the New Zealand political lexicon at Key’s press conference this week. Key wants to push the issues away till closer to the election, when he’ll know what his polling is telling him – I hope the gallery don’t let him.

Play it again John

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 39 comments

John Key has welcomed Tony Abbott’s confirmation that Australia would extend access to students under the Higher Education Loan Program to long-term New Zealand residents in Australia.  But this policy was announced eight months ago.

Australian hissy fit at supermarkets

Written By: Guest post
Date published: - 135 comments

Australia again. I wish they would adopt an honourable and fair stance to New Zealand instead of using us whenever they want to gain advantage for themselves or throw a hissy fit. Now they are discriminating against our food exports in two large supermarkets, one of which has a large store ownership here.

UN to NZ Human Rights – ‘can do better’

Written By: karol
Date published: - 20 comments

A draft UN report on human rights shows NZ has been slacking off.  The government is glossing over its failings: eg on domestic violence, child protection, poverty, ethnic inequalities, discrimination, disability rights, government abuse of urgency. Collins focuses on punishment, surveillance.

John Key: telling it like it isn’t

Written By: karol
Date published: - 121 comments

John Key says that the Greens make personal attacks: calling for ministers to be sacked.  This is hardly a diversionary personal attack unlike the nastiest of Key’s cheap point scoring . The Greens “go hard” in focusing on relevant issues: public transport, environment, poverty & inequality gap.

No details, please, we’re gallery hacks

Written By: Guest post
Date published: - 175 comments

Blue has a look at the the gallery hacks and what they’re looking for from a politician. The answer is – not much. Political journalists do not require any special qualifications. They go to journalism school to learn how to structure an article and avoid being sued. There is no test you must pass to become a Gallery hack proving that you understand policy, economics or statistics. Their job is write ‘colour’ pieces about the ‘cut and thrust’ of politics….

Key signals coalition with Labour

Written By: susannact
Date published: - 9 comments

John Key revealed that he was not ruling out going into coalition with Labour after the next election. He is rather bored and this party may make life a bit less boring. Besides this way he can take credit for having made the Best Start.

The flag diversion

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 119 comments

It appears that John Key is trying to divert attention away from this Government’s appalling record regarding child poverty and Labour’s Best Start and Paid Parental Leave by starting a discussion on what the Country’s flag should look like.

Less (inequality) is more….

Written By: karol
Date published: - 40 comments

John Key seems to be trying to fudge the evidence of the damaging inequalities in NZ.  I recap Bunji’s 2010 series of posts on The Spirit Level showing the benefits of a more equal society.  Will this be addressed by Cunliffe and Turei this  long weekend?

Some random observations on Key’s Education proposals

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 65 comments

The first impression created by National’s announced education reforms is a positive one. But there is a lot of politics in the background. It may be strange for a lefty to say this but is this the best spend of finite education resources? Would the money be better spent addressing child poverty?

Polity: The truth about the gap between the rich and the rest

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 61 comments

John Key was careful in his speech. He and his government have helped themselves and their affluent mates while screwing everyone else. It is pretty clear who has been getting the benefits – since 2010 just the households with at least a hundred thousand dollars income. The bigger the household income, the more National helps. John Key – a liar with numbers.

National – a party for wastrels

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 13 comments

The Crown Financial Statements to the end of November 2013 show that the sale of Meridian and Air New Zealand added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the asset sales programme. Combined with the cost of the Mighty River Power sale and ancillary costs such as the Rio Tinto payout, the total cost of the asset sales now stands at $440m. National just likes burning the money of the taxpayers for no productive purpose.

Isolating change: the poverty of education

Written By: karol
Date published: - 60 comments

John Key presented one great idea in isolation instead of a full election agenda: a desperate attempt to stop the growing discontents with his government.  He failed to address underlying problems.  Cunliffe will outline a broader political agenda.  Turei addresses poverty & income inequalities.

National’s first strategic mistake

Written By: Mike Smith
Date published: - 109 comments

John Key  has made a major strategic mistake with his early announcement of the parties National could go into government with.  In framing the 2014 campaign as a contest between two blocs he has given away National’s trump card for gaining Winston’s support – support the largest party. Opportunity time for a positive alternative from Labour/Greens.

The puppet party, the Mega party and the pro assault party

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 201 comments

Politics for the year is shaping up to be very interesting.  In news today ACT puppet master Steven Joyce has failed to persuade Rodney Hide to stand again for Epsom, the Conservatives are aiming to legitimise the use of violence by parents against children and Kim Dotcom is said to be ready to announce his new political party this month.

The Japanese are slaughtering whales again

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 24 comments

Three years ago John Key promised sort of that he could by diplomatic means stop the Japanese hunting of whales in the Southern Ocean.  Given recent events it appears that his confidence was misplaced.  Because the Japanese are slaughtering whales again in our back yard.

GCSB: They do listen

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 36 comments

It has been a surprise at just how far the revelations about the GCSB governance have made into the collective conciousness of NZ. Bearing in mind the continuing outpouring from Snowden and other whistleblowers about the US and their allies surveillance efforts on citizens and friendly states, it isn’t going to be a surprise if this winds up being an issue in the election.

Caption contest

Written By: karol
Date published: - 110 comments

Celebrity golf!  Which one will get voted off the island first!?  Meanwhile the world burns, the poor struggle, and the wealth gap continues to be a blight on our country.

John Key’s patchwork ‘job machine’: user pays

Written By: karol
Date published: - 47 comments

John Key’s great idea for job creation – his cycleway project – has produced some benefits, but is a patchwork production.  Some sections will be user pays to fund maintenance.  Meanwhile the job creation benefits have been limited.

NRT: John Key lied to our faces

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 36 comments

No Right Turn is annoyed at having a deliberate liar for a Prime Minister. Who wouldn’t be pissed off with the incompetent lying slimeball. It turns out that John Key lied to our faces when he said that no decision had been made on when his government would sell Air New Zealand

Not the brighter future….

Written By: karol
Date published: - 32 comments

Articles in the Sunday papers online, showing John Key’s “brighter future” is only for the well off, while more people than ever are struggling to get by.

Wally of the Year

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 12 comments

The Fairfax Political Team has released their annual list of prizes for some of the most and least deserving efforts in politics this year.  There was intense competition for Wally of the Year and somehow they did not think that John Banks deserved this award.  But I am not so sure …

First the Hone bash, then the royals

Written By: karol
Date published: - 116 comments

It’s looking like Team John Key is trying every PR spin trick in the book to gain an advantage for the election next year.  Does he have anything to offer Kiwis other than bash, spin and photos ops? And McGehan Close?  The underclass?

The spirit of ’81: Key’s hypocrisy!

Written By: karol
Date published: - 141 comments

John Key’s attacks on Hone Harawira for his trip to South Africa were hypocritical: an attempt to smear a significant political opponent, and divert from the governments failings & its gradual falling out of favour with many (potential) voters.