Winston’s Next Job
While he scoops up behind Minister Willis’s Cook Strait ferry disaster, he’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and our primary lead on the rise of President Trump and boy does he have a job ahead of him.
Politics
politicans
President Trump makes a new Middle East Possible
U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump makes more things possible in the Middle East than the Biden administration.
Costello hands out free vapes
The Government has announced that it will be supplying vaping starter kits to stop smoking services. It is not known who will be the suppliers of these kits or on what terms.
2024 in review
It is that time of year when during the brief hiatus of civilisation known as the holidays we get the time to reflect on what has happened over the past 12 months.
Wage theft – now that is a real crime
In Australia, the Fair Work Act is enhanced to provide for jail time and large fines for individuals and companies who deliberately indulged in wage theft. It is a Federal act with investigative powers. Our members ‘Theft by Employers’ bill looks pathetic by comparison. But worth passing in its 3rd reading. It would be a “real tough on crime” act – not weak like Mark Mitchell’s tee-shirt snatch.
The absurdity of National’s Gang Patch ban
It did not take long for the first example of the absurdity of the Government’s gang patch ban to appear.
Much ado about nothing
There has been recent controversy because a District Court Judge and a renowned surgeon in a private setting chose to criticise NZ First policies.
This govt. legislation will change our country like never before – learn about it like your country depends on it – because it does
Just after Christmas, submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill will close. But a far more sinister Bill underlles it all… and Seymour is hoping you might not notice
Is Luxon on a roll?
Or about to be rolled? Word has it that Chris Bishop is waiting in the wings, as Luxon’s favourability rating drops below Hipkins.
Who would have thought that austerity would stuff up the economy
The HYEFU has been released and the results are pretty ugly suggesting that National’s austerity measures are having a negative effect on the economy.
When publicity stunts go bad
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon recently posted a picture of him helping with a gift box initiative for the poor. But at the same time he is overseeing the cessation of funding for food banks.
The real purpose of the Ministry for Regulation
ACT is finishing what Roger Douglas started 40 years ago.
Labour loses confidence in the Speaker
Gerry Brownlee has performed linguistic summersaults to conclude that private entities having their pet projects listed for preferential treatment in the Fast Track Approvals Bill do not constitute a private benefit.
Luxon & Willis Double Down on Ferries Debacle
Government sneakily shifts the numbers on the cancelled Kiwirail i-Rex project from $3b to $4b as Luxon and Willis defend their plan for a plan.
Clusterfreak
Yesterday’s replacement ferry announcement by Nicola Willis suggests that very little progress has been made in securing replacement Cook Island ferries.
Are Lester Levy and Shane Reti “cooking the books?”
See for yourself.
Unacceptable
It appears that the Government’s intent to politicise youth offending by making an elite few dress up in army uniforms and march around in an effort to solve a lifetime of neglect is not working out so well.
AT is to be gutted
The Government announced reform of AT, effectively conceding that the behemouth National created in 2010 was the wrong structure.
Luxon Takes A Beating
Five recent polls show that Kiwis are tired of the Coalition government, but will the trendline hold?
Hipkins’ Conference speech
Text of Chris Hipkins’ speech to the 2024 Labour Party Conference.
Reti secretly wants to privatise Health
Shane Reti has said publicly that privatising health is not his overt policy. Which suggests strongly that it is his covert policy, especially given that he wants to increase the relationship with and outsourcing to private operators.
Economy Nose Dives
The economy is tanking and Treasury has downgraded the forecasts again after “the government inherited finances in better shape than expected” in January. So who is Nicola Willis blaming, and Winston Peters too?
National’s dodgy health announcements
National yesterday made great fanfare about an extra $30 million being spent on doctors and nurses. But news today of 1,500 health job cuts in the pipeline clearly shows how the extra funds are to be sourced.
If Seymour succeeds what happens to Ngāpuhi’s Treaty claim?
If David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill is passed it may complicate Ngapuhi’s outstanding claim.
END GAME
What is the game plan for the Coalition government? What characteristics can we observe and what is the “end game?”
A guide to making a submission on the Treaty Principles Bill
Want to make a submission opposing David Seymour’s dog whistle Treaty Principles Bill? Here’s how.
The Left Trumped?
We woke up last week to the post-mortem on the US election. How and why Trump won, and their implications for political alignments everywhere, are front and centre. A fundamental issue, explicitly identified when Trump won in 2016, is the presence of large sections of the working class vote into the Trump camp. So why has that happened – again?
On the whining and treason of David Seymour
In recent days, David Seymour has been whining that no-one is seriously debating his stupid little bill to supposedly try to redefine what the Treaty means. But it is the constitutional arrangements of this country that this bill attacks. The bill is essentially treasonous. It also isn’t worth debating. Prepare against a dictatorship of the executive.
The great gaslighter
In the gaslight to end gaslights David Seymour is suggesting that anyone opposed to his Treaty Principles Bill is also opposed to fundamental human rights.
Blowout in costs of Roads of National Significance
There has been a major blowout in the cost of the Roads of National Significance with the cost being potentially $10 billion more than National claimed during last year’s campaign.
Justified outrage
There were some dramatic scenes in Parliament yesterday with Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke leading a fiery haka during the count of Act’s Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill.
This Government’s day of shame
David Seymour thinks that opponents to his bill cannot explain what it is they are opposed to but ignores the clear advice of 40 Kings Counsel who have written to the Government telling it that the bill is itself a breach of the treaty.
Government bars Journalist for asking tough questions
The Government has prevented journalist Aaron Smale from attending the Crown apology to victims of abuse in state care because his questions are too tough.
What happened?
Why did America vote for the least suitable candidate imaginable? And what are the implications for New Zealand politics?
Nicola Willis Deflects As National Splurge On Roads
Nicola Willis deflects a question on why National are spending billions on roads without a business case – after cancelling the 2026 i-Rex – which had a strong business case and required $1.4bn more to complete seismic upgraded ports and next generation ferries.
An Appeal To The Left: On Purity And The Media
The media landscape in Aotearoa NZ continues to weaken. In the same week TVNZ announced massive job cuts and further firings to come, Paul Goldsmith rewarded TVNZ Directors.
But can the left learn to avoid the trap of rapid fire – we need the journalists and newsrooms we have left.