Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, March 10th, 2011 - 69 comments
Facing a housing shortage in Auckland now and a massive rebuilding programme in Christchurch to come, the Government has announced the biggest public building initiative since World War 2. Thousands of unemployed young people will be paid to train as apprentices in building trades and contribute to their country’s future.
Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, March 9th, 2011 - 60 comments
John Key and Gerry Brownlee are the two most powerful men in the country right now. In their actions and in their words they hold the hopes of tens of thousands of people whose lives have been turned upside down and the future of a major city. We really need these men to do a good job. So, this Laurel and Hardy impersonation has to stop.
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, March 9th, 2011 - 23 comments
Last week, John Key said that, due to the earthquakes, “from June to June, my guess is that we’ve lost $12 billion in GDP”. Later, he said it was $15b over 4 years due to the quakes. Now, Treasury says most of that $15b is from the recession Key and English had led us into before the quakes. The Nats are trying to use the quakes to hide their failings.
Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, March 8th, 2011 - 77 comments
John Key has appointed Jerry Mataparae as the next Governor-General. That’s all well and good. I’m sure he’ll do a fine job. But Key says he can also stay on as head of the Government Communications Security Bureau. That’s not on.
Update: the Stuff article failed to mention the vital fact that Mateparae is stepping down from the GCSB before becoming G-G. Sorry. Fucken Stuff.
Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, March 8th, 2011 - 9 comments
Today Parliament sits in full for the first time since the second earthquake. There’s lots to attend to: the government is required to explain the state of national emergency, change the census law, create a one-off provincial holiday, and alter the law on school zoning. But it looks like the Nats are more concerned with slipping through their foreshore and seabed bill.
Written By: - Date published: 1:50 pm, March 7th, 2011 - 115 comments
John Key and Gerry Brownlee made extremely foolish comments attacking the coronal staff trying to identify the dead and about knocking down all the historic buildings. Now, they’re lying about those statements. This crisis is too big for this childish bullshit. John, you need to be a real leader, not a naughty schoolboy lying to cover your mistakes.
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, March 7th, 2011 - 62 comments
The government has a fair bit on its plate right now, like the Christchurch quake, and the hammering that ordinary folk are getting from the cost of living. So its reassuring to know that the PM’s office has its eye on the ball. It’s all over the “important issues”…
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, February 22nd, 2011 - 25 comments
Which John Key are we to believe? John “I’m not going to make excuses” Key, or John “because [the government] was preoccupied” Key. Take your pick – Key is all things to all people…
Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, February 21st, 2011 - 74 comments
Key has blamed a soldier being killed in Afghanistan for the limo affair. This is just an attempt by Key to protect himself from criticism by hiding behind a soldier’s death. This is just sickening. The very worst kind of politics from a man who can’t take responsibility for his actions and is happy to take advantage of others’ tragedy.
Written By: - Date published: 6:27 pm, February 20th, 2011 - 94 comments
Is Duncan Garner just recycling headlines from last year?
Updated: Apology from TV3
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, February 20th, 2011 - 67 comments
Hunger and malnutrition are stalking New Zealand families. Hundreds of thousands are just one shock – whether an illness, or a large bill – from not being able to afford basic food. This is not good enough in our land of plenty. Multi-millionaire John Key doesn’t empathise. To him poverty is a moral failing but he’s seriously out of touch.
Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, February 18th, 2011 - 21 comments
Our PM in the company of his peers?
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, February 18th, 2011 - 11 comments
In a surprise move, John Key has announced the National Party is imposing a media ban on itself until the BMW limo affair dies down. “We got the idea from the Maori Party. Every time they open their mouths over Hone Harawira, things get worse. Shut their mouths and the issue goes away. Brilliant. There’s so much we can learn from our Maori friends”
Written By: - Date published: 6:59 pm, February 17th, 2011 - 182 comments
John Key and his government have told us a series of lies over the new BMW fleet. One by one they have been disproven. As the truth slowly closed in Key clung to one last deception, that he himself didn’t know about the impending replacement until last week. Now that lie has been busted too.
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, February 17th, 2011 - 50 comments
Even the most optimistic lefty can’t deny that National are continuing to dominate the opinion polls. That must be quite a source of pride and confidence for the Right. But I wonder, is there anything that rightwing voters believe this National-led Government has done wrong? A couple of years ago I asked what rightwing voters thought […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, February 17th, 2011 - 125 comments
John Key says if you’re having trouble getting by on your income it’s due to your ‘lifestyle choices‘. Key has given himself at least $23,000 in tax cuts and had a $7,500 rise with our borrowed money. He has the worst economic record of any PM in 80 years: 86,000 more jobless Kiwis, falling incomes. And this bastard blames Kiwi families for their poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, February 16th, 2011 - 37 comments
Key says he didn’t know about the BMW purchase. Funny cause on Tuesday, English was taking responsibility: “we could go out and buy second-hand cars but one way or another cars need to be maintained”. The Nats try to blame Labour but the contract Labour signed says replacing the cars was optional without penalty.
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, February 15th, 2011 - 39 comments
Key ignored all the experts with his boot camp policy. But it turns out that the experts were right. Reoffending rates are 50% within the first year, and likely reach 65 – 70% two years after course completion. Add boot camps to the ever growing list of Key’s failures.
Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, February 14th, 2011 - 36 comments
“I’m leaving it until my book. I know the answer, but just wait until my book,” Mr Key said.
What? I thought it was normal to leave office before you started writing and promoting your memoirs? I’ve not heard of someone becoming prime-minister to promote book-sales before.
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, February 14th, 2011 - 29 comments
John Key’s support for Mubarak arose from the American far-right’s fear of Egyptian democracy. We laugh at Glenn Beck’s crazy conspiracy theories and the hypocrites who invaded Iraq to ‘spread democracy’ yet oppose free elections in Egypt because of who might get elected but there’s a deeper story here: the end of the American Empire.
Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, February 14th, 2011 - 24 comments
The contrast between Phil Goff and John Key at the Big Gay Out could not have been greater. Key swanned in late, told the crowd the best they could hope for from National was no regressive moves and refused to endorse civil unions. Goff and his posse re-affirmed Labour’s stance against discrimination and committed to progressive leadership.
Written By: - Date published: 7:14 am, February 14th, 2011 - 13 comments
John Key wants to take credit for Allan Bollard’s good work. The Reserve Bank is having to step outside its remit to save our economy from a National government and this is the thanks he gets…
Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, February 13th, 2011 - 28 comments
John Key, celebrity, has got PM on his CV. He’s met Obama and Peter Jackson, hung with Richie McCaw, the All Whites and David Letterman. And now sounds a bit bored with the gig. Is that what we need in someone who’s supposed to be leading the country to a brighter future?
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, February 12th, 2011 - 60 comments
Key: So, Gillard’s coming. Are we talking about a single economic zone?
Groser: Umm. No. Mobile roaming charges.
Key: Christ, Tim. We’re really racking up wins for Kiwi exporters here, aren’t we?
Captain Panicpants: Your numbers with women are down over Hurley. They say you sounded disloyal and they empathise with Bronagh.
Key: Shit now that’s serious. Call the missus. We’ll do something cutsie and distracting.
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, February 10th, 2011 - 65 comments
Key proved he’s bereft of ideas in his speech on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he showed he’s out of touch. As you know, Key has voted himself $23,000 of tax cuts on his PM salary alone. Labour estimates another $24,000 on his investments – over $1000 a week. Key argues his tax cut is ‘only’ $15,000.
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, February 10th, 2011 - 8 comments
8,000 more unemployed in Q4 2010, and 1,000 more on the dole in January; New Zealand headed to a douple-dip recession after a year of anaemic growth; an average wage rise in 2010 of 1.9% with inflation of 4%. And a government focussed on manipulating statistics instead of coming up with an economic plan.
Written By: - Date published: 3:32 pm, February 9th, 2011 - 38 comments
John Key has taken a swing at Kiwi workers who have lost their jobs thanks to the bankers’ recession and his economic mis-management. Key claims people are choosing to be long-term beneficiaries “even though work is available to them”. But the jobs aren’t there and that has caused long-term unemployment to explode under his watch.
Written By: - Date published: 12:08 pm, February 9th, 2011 - 50 comments
In this post, I’ve embedded the speeches from John Key, Phil Goff, and Metiria Turei during yesterday’s first day of Parliament. Key presents no new vision, just an agenda of cuts and false statistics couple with sheer delusion about his government’s record. Goff tears him apart. And Turei’s speech is simply breath-taking – incredibly moving.
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, February 9th, 2011 - 8 comments
The PM has obviously been stung by the surge of negative publicity generated by the TV3 piece on the residents of McGehan Close. The revival of this particular piece of exploitative hypocrisy risks tarnishing the sacred Key brand. Can’t have that. So Key is trying to convince us that the Nats have done “as much as possible” for the underclass…
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, February 9th, 2011 - 39 comments
In his speech yesterday, John Key made the extraordinary claim that the real average wage has risen 10% under his rule. That figure is wrong and the measure is the wrong one to use. But there’s a more fundamental check: look around you, is the average family 10% better off than 2 years ago? Who are you going to believe? Key or your own eyes?
Written By: - Date published: 6:38 am, February 8th, 2011 - 77 comments
So John Key thinks that a 1.9% increase in pay will cover 4% inflation, and that’s all minimum wage workers are going to get. That 25c/hour won’t add up to a litre of milk at the end of the day, let along a block of cheese at the end of the week. A person on minimum wage will now get $437.24/week after tax, whilst JK gave himself over $1000 extra per week in tax cut.
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