Politics

politicans

Fixing the reserve bank

Written By: lprent
Date published: - 32 comments

The head of the reanimated corpse of Brash should now be spinning furiously along with those fools from ACT who are into simplicity (because they can’t handle the real world). However having the Reserve Bank looking the balance of payments is pretty good. It includes the exchange rate and the export economy. They’re effectively now concerned with the exterior economy with a enforced savings tool as well as the interest rates. The government becomes largely responsible for the structural rigidities we have built up in the internal economy. That is a pretty good mix. Might have to train the MPs a bit though.

Second class citizens. Beggars belief

Written By: karol
Date published: - 58 comments

Out of sight-out of mind seems to be the logic of Auckland City’s bylaw to come into effect next month, to outlaw begging on the streets. The clear message from Native Affairs report, ‘Walk on By‘, last night, is that the bylaw is the result of pressure from the comfortable middle classes. [Update: bylaw only says it’s an offence where begging causes a nuisance]

LocalBodies: King Luddite and the Green Wave

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 31 comments

King Luddite was resolute in his belief in the power of black gold and he decided to make a public stand against the green tidal wave that was rapidly approaching his small kingdom. On September the 20th he decided would place his throne on the nearest beach and, with his ministers standing behind him, command that the wave come no further. He had once heard a story of another king who had done something similar and thought it sounded like a good idea. Of course he had never been a good history scholar and he had never bothered to consult his wise men.

Judith Collins: fudging evidence

Written By: karol
Date published: - 32 comments

Judith Colllins & the PM are probably toasting Shane Jones (and Murray McCully) right now: the heat around the Oravida controversy has been pushed off the front pages.  Information and marginalised news don’t easily disappear off the web – or Wikipedia.  Collins quietly slipped out a press release on the delay of her decision on alcohol pricing – media shy suddenly?

Key Govt asset stripping state housing

Written By: karol
Date published: - 54 comments

Phil Twyford has exposed the government’s asset-stripping approach to running down state housing, while  favouring of private & overseas entities.  The Greens & Mana have strong policies for increasing the amount of state housing. Still waiting for a commitment from Labour.

Politics bruises even Shane Jones

Written By: Ben Clark
Date published: - 108 comments

While I know many on here aren’t sad to see Shane go, I think he’s a lost voice for Labour – and we’ll need others to step up into his place. I also think we might be a little less visceral and personal in our attacks on politicians if we were a little quicker to realise they are human.
Also: Shane Jones Media Watch

Labour and the working class

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 325 comments

Shane Jones’ retirement has made some say that it is evidence that Labour is becoming less relevant to the working class.  Josie Pagani says that the party should be concentrating more on jobs, better pay, and on celebrating opportunities for all of us to do better in life.  She should read the party’s policy platform before she makes this criticism because it talks about nothing but job creation, better pay and improving our quality of life.

LocalBodies: John Key Aspires to Mediocrity

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 26 comments

Local Bodies provides this interesting comparison on John Key compared to some of the more ethical leaders of our past. Suffice it to say that the ever forgetful John Key doesn’t measure up to past standards. He is really only distinguished the his sustained level of  pathetic mediocrity.

Polity: Shane Jones speaks out

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 116 comments

If you are going to demand that everyone else be a team player within Labour, accommodating in the caucus views they do not agree with, you can’t then turn around and refuse to be a team player in a Labour-led government with another party whose views you may not agree with. Either everyone is a team player, or nobody is. Shane Jones included.

 

It’s the little things …

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 36 comments

Another day and another hole in Judith Collins’ description of events surrounding the dinner that she had with senior Oravida figures and a Chinese Official who may or may not have been able to sort out importation problems for Oravida, a company who her husband is a Director of and who has made large donations to the National Party.

The drone strike killing of a Kiwi

Written By: redfed
Date published: - 282 comments

The Government is completely indifferent to the killing of innocent children and New Zealand citizens because it is part of the war against terrorism. But the extra judicial killing of innocent adults and children is by definition a terrorist act.

The housing bubble

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 176 comments

Another week and another report suggesting that New Zealand’s housing market is heading towards a potential crisis.  The Government’s primary response is to blame Labour.  The Greens and Labour have a collection of policies which would improve matters significantly.  But the politics are difficult because who would want to threaten the value of the family home?

Collins under fire

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 115 comments

Judith Collins, once one of National’s most assured performers, is facing increasing pressure.  Her handling of the ACC privacy release form scandal is under scrutiny.  And the release of a letter from Oravida to the Government asking for help in handling reputational risk focusses even more attention on the “private dinner” and the identity of the mysterious Chinese Government Official.

Father & son: Dunne deals?

Written By: karol
Date published: - 162 comments

TV One’s Seven Sharp has raised questions about whether there has been a conflict of interest for Peter Dunne.  This is with respect to his son James Dunne’s legal representation of advocates for the recreational synthetic drug industry. What is the evidence for and against? [Update: Live chat with Peter Dunne, Stuff midday]

Chicken

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 133 comments

Yesterday John Key challenged David Cunliffe to a debate about housing which Cunliffe gratefully accepted.  Today it is a different matter …

Polity: Maori Party / Key fundraiser

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 35 comments

The Political Anorak News is full of the $5,000-a-plate fundraiser for the Maori Party hosted by John Key at the Northern Club in Auckland… Nothing illegal about this at all, or really anything immoral either. Key wants to help the Maori Party help Key, so he’s putting in an appearance. No problem. These kinds of events make it crystal clear that a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for a National government.

Tau Henare and the baubles of retirement

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 16 comments

Tau Henare is leaving politics and is rumoured to be the next chair of Maori Television. Makes you wonder what offers were made to persuade the many other National MPs who are retiring to go so meekly.

Inequalities of the 10 percenters

Written By: karol
Date published: - 28 comments

All inequality measures are not equal.  The GINI Coefficient is widely used but it doesn’t show the impact of vast increases in inequality between the richest and poorest Kiwis; it doesn’t show increasing experiences of hardship: it can mask vast inequalities in wealth & asset ownership.

ImperatorFish: A day in the life of Simon Bridges

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 8 comments

ImperatorFish generously allows us to repost some of his posts. It was impossible to resist this satire.

“Just asked Hekia what I should do. I told her I feel like I’m the weakest link in the entire Cabinet. I could swear I saw relief on her face as I said it. “Don’t you dare leave,” she told me.“

Hollow Men redux

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 43 comments

Don Brash has published an autobiography and his comments about and presentation of John Key is less than complimentary.

Hypocrisy

Written By: Bunji
Date published: - 27 comments

The levels of hypocrisy of John Key and National are astounding. Nanny State, borrowing’s bad, too many public servants… all while doing far more of their supposed “crimes” than any government previously.

LB: Bill’s Busted Budget and Tim’s Exploding Emissions

Written By: notices and features
Date published: - 13 comments

Local bodies points out a couple more of the National government’s sad-sacks. For some strange (but obvious) reason a warmish market for milk powder doesn’t do much for NZ apart from destroying our environment. English’s taxcuts for his wealthy mates have destroyed the fiscal base of the government and done nothing to cause any investment in the productive and employable parts of our economy. Tim Groser has also made an artform of making NZ worse off.

Poverty denial – NZ Herald editorial

Written By: karol
Date published: - 210 comments

Today’s NZ Herald editorial joins Paula Bennett’s beneficiary-bashing stunt, asking for flying privileges to be cut, & denying there is a lot of poverty in NZ- a view from the privileged part of NZ’s inequality gap.

The politics of the Royal Tour

Written By: mickysavage
Date published: - 85 comments

Is it just me or is John Key politicising the Royal Tour in a way that has not occurred before?  And is he a Royalist or a Republican or both at the same time but for different parts of the electorate?