Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, October 10th, 2013 - 21 comments
An article in today’s UK Guardian highlights the role of Key’s, US-supporting, government in the GCSB, Dotcom, surveillance saga (and TPP). It is chilling & shows why we need to continue to campaign against NZ’s surveillance state legislation and for TPPA transparency.
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, October 9th, 2013 - 44 comments
One thing John Key always seems to like to do is to appear to be stupid about his own job. Last week the fool said that parliament had to ratify a TPPA treaty. Either through incompetence at his job or by deliberately lying to the public, he is completely wrong. This is something that a few minutes reading of the MFAT website could have told him.
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, October 8th, 2013 - 76 comments
John Key’s role as Obama surrogate in chairing TPP discussions at APEC just reinforce how much Key is deeply involved in crony capitalist, Big Corporate serving networks of influence: ones that link him with anti-democratic Big Tobacco, Big Oil, and climate change denial propaganda.
Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, October 2nd, 2013 - 50 comments
The Axe the Copper Tax campaign has stepped up a notch with the release of a peer review of the original analysis that the tax would cost Kiwis $600 million. The review states that the original methodology was sound and the findings conservative. The issue itself has galvanised opposition from some of the Government’s most staunchest friends. This is probably the first Standard Post ever to rely on comments from the Herald, the NBR, David Farrar and Matthew Hooton to justify a claim that this Government is engaged in the most basic form of Crony Capitalism. Yes things are that bad for the Government.
Written By: - Date published: 4:02 pm, October 1st, 2013 - 80 comments
Te Reo Putake starts speculating on when, how, and by whom John Key will be knifed in the back by. The question of if it is before or after the losing the next election. So far only Keith Holyoake has managed to retire as a leader of National, so after Labour’s tidy leadership changes we’re all looking forward to the political splatterfest that only National can provide.
Written By: - Date published: 7:27 pm, September 27th, 2013 - 39 comments
Good on Kennedy Graham for posting a good critique of Key’s UN speech, while the MSM largely report the speech in uncritical and glowing terms., Graham focuses on Errors of Omission. [Update: Key’s Omission of Kampala non-aggression Agreement, implicitly supports Obama’s UN speech for US military aggression.]
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, September 26th, 2013 - 48 comments
With Cunliffe’s Labour in the ascendance, NAct and/supporters pull out their bag of dirty and deceptively manipulative, Hollow Men, tricks. Adviser to John Key & Boris Johnson, Mark Textor, will most likely be used again: ruthless attack politics, playing on fears & prejudices.
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, September 25th, 2013 - 35 comments
Cunliffe’s moderate, centre left Labour is on the rise; MSM-supported, NAct smears & negative spin is in over-drive. John Key and the NZ Herald editorial spin from the radical “neoliberal” right. Slippery Nick Smith, a NAct weak point, is under concerted pressure. [Updated]
Written By: - Date published: 6:45 pm, September 24th, 2013 - 16 comments
John Key: “I don’t think New Zealand should rush to become a republic. It may happen one day, but I can’t for the life of me see the benefits of it other than you get to spend a lot of money electing heads of state as opposed to the government appointing one.”
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, September 22nd, 2013 - 51 comments
In a previous post at The Standard I did a wee bit of math and came to the conclusion that National has already made $5.26 billion worth of spending promises out of the Future Investment Fund, the not-actually-a-fund chunk of cash they plan to make from selling taxpayer-built infrastructure to their mates. Things have developed. […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, September 18th, 2013 - 41 comments
The MSM largely reported on Cunliffe stumbling over the word Chorus in his first question yesterday to PM Key. But Key’s answers and later replies to the media, indicate corporate-friendly, cronyist manipulations and dodgy phone advice. [Update: Coalition for Fair Internet Pricing]
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 pm, September 17th, 2013 - 62 comments
As a special handy guide for political journalists I include a summary of John Key’s understanding of the inner workings of the Labour Party:
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, September 17th, 2013 - 48 comments
John Key tries to smear the winner of Labour’s democratic leadership contest as “far left”, while his government continues in its anti-democratic, plutocratic ways: sale of Meridian to avoid referendum; Joyce’s Broadband pricing “arm twisting”.
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, September 17th, 2013 - 178 comments
Day one of Cunliffe’s leadership and he is into battle mode. He has made it clear that unity in the caucus is expected. And he has deftly raised the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement as a political issue.
Written By: - Date published: 12:26 pm, September 16th, 2013 - 91 comments
Day one of David Cunliffe’s tenure as Labour leader and the tone is being set. There will be unity in the party and Labour is going to take the fight to National and John Key.
Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, September 12th, 2013 - 88 comments
I was discussing with some friendly folk and they were saying how much the Labour leadership contest is making Key look like a lame duck PM.
All the media is about appointing his successor.
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, September 9th, 2013 - 160 comments
John Key honed his skills as a speculative banker. As PM, this casino capitalist has undermined democracy, & promoted international corporate interests, while beneficiaries & workers are brutalised, inequalities enhanced and NZ’s economy & sovereignty damaged. Does one Labour leader contender have his number measure?
Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, August 29th, 2013 - 37 comments
Here’s Key again in his ‘perky’ performance on Tuesday. This time, he’s laughing hysterically at his own old man jokes about unemployment. That’s right, he’s making jokes about the 153,000 people who are unemployed on his watch. Yeah, any fool can see the opportunity to comment on a job loss in Labour, but only a fool would think that making jokes at the expense of Kiwis who are unemployed was a good idea.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 29th, 2013 - 76 comments
The government suffered a major court ruling against it over their ungenerous Christchurch earthquake pay-outs – their 50% offer for uninsured red-zoned land was ruled ‘not in accordance with the law’. Brownlee promises to appeal and bury the Outcasts in debt; John Key threatens to withdraw even their 50% offer with the throwaway: ‘it’s been a lot of fun. If you don’t want to take the offer, that’s where it’s at’. Heartless.
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, August 28th, 2013 - 66 comments
Much has been made of Key’s bizarre performance in the House yesterday. Some are naturally questioning his medical intake after his unhinged laughing at his own weak pre-written jokes in answer to Labour questions. But, for me, it was his response to Russel Norman’s questions that was more telling. His utter contempt for accountability is something every Kiwi should see.
Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, August 27th, 2013 - 236 comments
John Key claims he doesn’t care who becomes the next parliamentary Labour leader, while trying to drive a wedge between candidates. As Cunliffe gains momentum, Key turns negative on Cunliffe & throws some stones in his glass house. Gordon Campbell puts things in perspective.
Written By: - Date published: 10:20 am, August 27th, 2013 - 94 comments
Dunne’s proposal for flexible superannuation is a U-Turn for Key, while he hides behind it being a Dunne and flexible initiative & good for low income people. Sue Bradford argues against Dunne’s initiative, saying it will benefit those on higher incomes. She prefers better and universal benefits.
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, August 22nd, 2013 - 22 comments
Judith Collins is making a play for support among her fellow National ministers and trying to turn them against Key following Key’s contemptuous attitude to their privacy in the Henry Inquiry. At the Privileges Committee hearing into the Henry Inquiry yesterday, Collins and sidekick Anne Tolley asked why Henry thought he could look at their emails without their permission. Why indeed.
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, August 22nd, 2013 - 19 comments
“New Zealanders will not have
confidence in [a …] bill rammed through
by a slender majority without public support
and with the backing of only the bare minimum
of parties necessary to get it through Parliament.”
— John Key, 2007.
(ht Toby Manhire)
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 pm, August 21st, 2013 - 136 comments
So the Key-Dunne spying Bill is now law. The privacy of your electronic communications now depends on the favour of an untrustworthy PM, and the best efforts of a legal system (much derided by said PM) in interpreting a confused mess of a law / Hansard record / letter to The Herald.
Shame shame shame on all those MPs who ignored the concerns of the people who elected them and passed this travesty.
Written By: - Date published: 12:59 pm, August 21st, 2013 - 32 comments
Then it’s a bad law. Who does John Key think is going to interpret the GCSB law other than lawyers from the Law Commission, the Human Rights Tribunal, the Privacy Commissioner etc?
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, August 21st, 2013 - 29 comments
Grant Robertson & David Cunliffe explain how the GCSB Bill is bad law (especially section 8 & related sections). It doesn’t provide adequate oversight or safeguards against the wholesale spying on New Zealanders. A clarifying statement from the PM is not good law. Andrea Vance demystifies the Bill.
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, August 21st, 2013 - 28 comments
Groklaw has been an inspirational blog for many with an interest in geekery or the law. I read it daily during the years of the SCO trial. PJ and her team were and are amazing. But now it’s over. Killed by the death of privacy, and the world that the Key-Dunne spying bill is bringing ever closer to NZ.
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, August 21st, 2013 - 46 comments
John Key (the PM who has on multiple occasions overspent the budget on his own protection staff) really dug himself a hole when he accused opposition leaders of wanting to “run for the hills” in case of a terrorist attack. Not only did David Shearer get to remind him of the occasions that he has been under fire – and run to help – but now some other voices have chimed in too.
Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, August 20th, 2013 - 93 comments
John Key’s fear tactics backfired badly when he tried to smear David Shearer…
Written By: - Date published: 2:31 pm, August 20th, 2013 - 58 comments
John Key has been twisting himself out of shape answering questions about spying on New Zelanders by the GCSB under the GCSB amendment Bill that is currently before the House. [Update] Video Qu One & Three [Update] Qu 1 transcript.
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