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Collins folds

Written By: - Date published: 5:41 pm, November 14th, 2012 - 18 comments

And so Collins’ “defamation” case against Mallard and Little ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.

Oops – doubled up posting with Eddie – read both posts!

ImperatorFish: A Statement From Hekia Parata

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, November 14th, 2012 - 4 comments

A statement from Education Minister Hekia Parata to concerned parents, teachers and children in the Christchurch area.

Looking for a new left direction: more than just one housing policy

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, November 14th, 2012 - 218 comments

A policy focusing on increasing state housing and affordable rents would be a good start. However, my current criticism of Labour leadership focuses on the policy direction of the leadership team.  This requires more than just one policy. A bold new left wing plan is needed to deal with the difficult challenges ahead. Updated

Nats in the bunker of stupid

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, November 13th, 2012 - 16 comments

The bunker of stupid is where you go to hide from facts you don’t like. John Key is there, hiding from the latest record unemployment figures. Joining him today is Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew, reportedly denying the rapidly increasing gender pay gap in NZ.

We have a lemming instead of a leader

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, November 13th, 2012 - 80 comments

John Key doesn’t want NZ to be a leader in the fight against climate change.   Much better to be a lemming (sorry – a “fast follower”) and follow all the other lemmings off the cliff.

ImperatorFish: In Praise Of John Key

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, November 12th, 2012 - 8 comments

I am filled with admiration for our Prime Minister. The latest employment figures are a disaster, and appear to show that this government does not know how to grow the economy. But our Mr Key is made of sterner stuff. He knows in his heart that these figures aren’t to be relied upon, because everything else tells him that things are getting better.

Which Parata to believe?

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, November 12th, 2012 - 15 comments

Hekia Parata September dressed up plans for school closured and mergers in high-sounding language and pushed them hard. Hekia Parata November says that some of those plans were crazy. Which Hekia Parata should we believe?

Who could replace Shearer?

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, November 11th, 2012 - 90 comments

Some people are Anyone But Cunliffe.  Some people think Cunliffe is the One True Leader.  Some people want more options.  So let’s make a case for it.

Leaders under pressure

Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 10th, 2012 - 42 comments

Both John Key and David Shearer have had a bit of a pasting in the media lately. Shearer’s problems are solvable – Key’s are not…

Opposition Party statements; what the MSM doesn’t report

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, November 10th, 2012 - 39 comments

The MSM quickly picked up a press release on the failure of the Southern Cross Cable. Others that are ignored:  Bennett has either lied or is incompetent;  Nat-linked appointment to TVNZ board; Hone’s ‘feed the kids’ Bill; Joyce’s education agenda; John Key as a “bumbling Marxist”.

It’s not the growth that’s grumpy

Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, November 9th, 2012 - 11 comments

The last time unemployment was this high, Bill English was Finance Minister and his government was facing electoral oblivion. I don’t remember his excuses last time but this time he’s taken a different excuse from Key and Joyce. English calls this ‘grumpy growth’. Of course, it’s not growth, it’s the exact opposite. If this is ‘grumpy growth’, I suppose Hurricane Sandy was ‘grumpy sunshine’.

Hypocrisy and bad spin

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, November 8th, 2012 - 44 comments

NActUF use a lot of finely-honed, diversionary and distorting spin.  However, when debating 2 Private Members’ Bills yesterday, government MPs couldn’t even be bothered trying too hard; the hypocrisy was glaring and the spin clumsy – showing clearly the differences between left & right wing principles.

John Key: seriously, professionally and appropriately?

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, November 8th, 2012 - 40 comments

Up to his neck in criticism for his batshit behaviour of late, Key petulantly complained: “I dare you to show me one example where I haven’t discharged my responsibility seriously, professionally and appropriately”. OK Standardistas – help me out here…

Chilled out entertainer

Written By: - Date published: 1:56 pm, November 7th, 2012 - 21 comments

John Key and David Brent. Both chilled out entertainers. The resemblance is uncanny.

Two faced John Key on Pike River

Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, November 7th, 2012 - 54 comments

On Monday John Key admitted in an interview that Pike River Coal compromised safety for profits. On Tuesday Jon Key insisted in Parliament that such a suggestion was ridiculous. Which John Key should we believe? Can he even remember what he is saying from one day to the next? Does he care?

McKellen scolds Key

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, November 6th, 2012 - 127 comments

Good to see a prominent and widely respected gay person take Key on for his thoughtless and damaging language.

Ignoring the warning signs

Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, November 6th, 2012 - 17 comments

Among the many failures of human cognition, we’re very poor at taking account of warnings of future risk and consequence. We’ve seen two particularly clear and strong examples of ignoring the warnings in NZ politics in the last two weeks. There are many other cases ongoing…

An Ordinary New Zealander

Written By: - Date published: 2:04 pm, November 5th, 2012 - 56 comments

So John Key had a very ordinary Friday apparently.  Not only did he deride a kind international celebrity who took 45 minutes out of his day to spend time with his son as “thick as batshit,” he also was out there telling a radio host his shirt was “gay”.  Just to show up how ordinary a New Zealander he is he went on to make a $10,000 bet on the stroke of a golf ball.

Only there for the photo-ops

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, November 5th, 2012 - 33 comments

John Key won’t be on the West Coast today when the Pike River report will be released. He’ll have a tightly managed press conference at the Beehive, instead. Key promised that he would stand  by the Pike River families. He promised that all efforts would be put in to get the bodies out, no matter the cost. It was all hollow talk from a hollow man.

How to sound completely insincere

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, November 4th, 2012 - 53 comments

John Key is world-famous for speaking unintelligibly, no doubt.  But how do we spot the times when he’s not just being ineloquent, and is clearly parroting lines prepared by someone else?

Key the Diplomat

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, November 3rd, 2012 - 173 comments

The UK’s biggest daily newspaper’s lead about Britain’s favourite son today:

Becks is as thick as bats*** says New Zealand’s PM

Yet another thing the PM is “not responsible” for

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, November 1st, 2012 - 26 comments

Yet another thing the PM is “not responsible” for – add it to the long list. This time it is his “oversight” of the SAS.  Or is Key seeking his Obama “gotcha” moment, and a political bounce from it?

On the tip of his tongue

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, October 30th, 2012 - 36 comments

It was almost funny listening to Bill English on Checkpoint. He had identified all, or at least most of, the problems with housing in Auckland: in short, nobody’s building affordable houses, the prevelance of bespoke houses pushes up prices, and speculative capital raises them even more. But his solutions were all, well, not solutions: try to make consenting even quicker, more sprawl.

The rhythms of life

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, October 28th, 2012 - 18 comments

On Planet Key natural body processes are ignored, and nature has been tamed into a golf course. It’s a place where mothers don’t lactate or have a heightened sensitivity to their babies’ cries; a place disconnected from the chaotic consequences of climate change.

Well past time to be “concerned”!

Written By: - Date published: 4:59 pm, October 24th, 2012 - 50 comments

Despite an apparently never-ending parade of security stuff-ups at WINZ, Paula Bennet is “not concerned”. What exactly is her job then?

ImperatorFish: Hacker Accesses PM’s Brain

Written By: - Date published: 2:02 pm, October 24th, 2012 - 11 comments

Security experts were being rushed to the ninth floor of the Beehive this morning, after a malicious hacker accessed the Prime Minister’s brain. Experts began to suspect a breach of security, after large amounts of data stored in John Key’s brain disappeared.

Imperatorfish: Discipline

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, October 23rd, 2012 - 17 comments

Labour MP Shane Jones appeared on TVNZ’s Q&A show over the weekend to debate with Gareth Hughes over plans for a Ross Sea marine reserve. Despite not being Labour’s spokesperson on conservation or fisheries. Labour hasn’t actually determined its position on the issue. So why did Jones appear at all? Did he get clearance from David Shearer before appearing?

Supernumerary

Written By: - Date published: 3:50 pm, October 22nd, 2012 - 100 comments

I’ve been thinking about what you might call a ‘good problem’ for the Left.. but it leads me to a ‘problem problem’. OK, so let’s say we win the next election – as the Left must do and should do given how unpopular the Nats’ policies are and, for the last year, how inept their political management has been. How do you share the economic portfolios out?

Rant: Why reconnect to broadcast?

Written By: - Date published: 3:40 pm, October 21st, 2012 - 59 comments

We moved out of the rental back into my old apartment in a flurry of concrete dust from polishing concrete and cursing from fitting storage two months ago. But I still haven’t bothered with connecting up broadcast TV. Why would I want to bother? Broadcast TV is largely mindless and endlessly frustrating. These days there are better alternatives than video stores.

ImperatorFish: Labour Blamed For Robot Army Attack

Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, October 20th, 2012 - 13 comments

Questions were again raised about the leadership of David Shearer today, after a giant robot army descended from the skies and laid waste to most of the North Island. As the horde of killer machines spread fire and death in all directions, there was no news from the Labour Party leader about how he would deal with the crisis. Critics of Labour say that Shearer’s inaction is further evidence that he is unfit to lead the party.

John’s song

Written By: - Date published: 4:50 pm, October 19th, 2012 - 19 comments

Friday funnies – a song for John.