National’s irksome incompetence is inexcusable
When the fabric of lies unravels the gaslighting increases.
Politics
politicans
The Big Budget Backflip *
* or is it?
Putting Politics over People
National’s breaking of its election promise to fund 13 cancer treatments is cruel beyond words.
Budget Smudgeit
Early comments on the budget. Basically tax cuts are being paid by more borrowing. There is no way this can be described as being fiscally neutral.
What is that word that starts with “C” and ends with “orruption”?
The past fortnight has seen a number of breaking stories each of which raises concerns about the motivations and goals of this Government. It makes you wonder whether the pursuit of self interest is an embedded feature as opposed to a bug.
Is Shane Jones Right About Mining?
Maybe Shane Jones is at least partially right about mining.
The Luxon Government’s War on Nature
“But the truth is that real gains only ever come out of a mobilised civil society and achieving a mobilised civil society is exactly what we have to do.”
– Russel Norman
Making up for lost time
Guest post by Nigel Haworth where he discusses Labour membership’s desire for taxation reform and why it is important that Labour decides on its position as soon as possible.
Speech time
In the past week Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins have both delivered future vision themed speeches. With some dramatic contrasts.
Are we drifting away or falling apart?
What is the antidote for our socio-economic problems and how do we deal with this coalition government?
Charter schools are back
Following on from the decision to cut $103 million a year from the school lunch programme the Government has announced the return of chartered schools at a cost of $153 million over four years.
Celebrating the ending of a policy that no longer exists
As part of its coalition agreement NZ First is wanting to end a policy that has already ended. And the Government is struggling to work out what to do.
Court of Appeal rules against Chhour
The Court of Appeal has ruled that the summons issued to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour was valid but decline to enforce it as the date has passed. And the Government has hastily introduced the bill to stop any further action being taken by the Tribunal.
In defence of Julie Anne Genter
Yesterday in Parliament Julie Anne Genter lost her cool when Matt Doocey misrepresented what the last Government’s NLTP priorities were. Should she be sanctioned? Or should she get a medal for pointing out that Doocey was totally wrong?
MPs pay increases
The Remuneration Authority has announced that MPs will be getting a 10% increase in their salaries during the course of this Parliament.
The Treaty of Waitangi and Oranga Tamariki
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has resisted attempts by the Waitangi Tribunal to get her to explain how removing requirements to improve outcomes for Māori children is not a breach of the Treaty.
The Jack Tame and James Shaw korero
This is politics as it should and could be: human, honest while retaining boundaries, insightful without the need for politicking.
This is fine
There is absolutely nothing to worry about if the Fast-track Approvals Bill gets passed into law and Shane Jones gets extraordinary powers to decide on consent applications which normally would be subject to enormous rigour and oversight.
NZ White Rural Rage
What is really going on in the minds of
New Zealand Needs a Security Alliance Fast
Who will defend us when the military chaos now expanding in the world finally hits hard in our region, because that is what is really happening.
Goneburger
As predicted 10 days ago the first Ministerial goneburger has occurred and it is Melissa Lee.
What does this Government have against the environment
It is almost as if the environment was really cruel to senior members of the Government when they were kids. But whatever the reason this Government appears to be intent on wrecking the local environment with a degree of vengeance and stupidity not seen before.
The list
Making a major infrastructure deal happen takes years of planning, exceptionally qualified people on all sides, and in New Zealand it takes about ten years of your life. Until now.
The Liz Truss of the South Seas
Liz Truss’s short reign as UK Prime Minister foundered after her budget requiring borrowing to fund tax cuts was released. The budget tanked the UK economy and caused Truss’s resignation. This week amongst announcements of massive cuts it has emerged that the Government is also planning borrowing for tax cuts.
Towards Banana Republic Status
There is a bill before Parliament right now that has the potential of blowing a rather big hole in our reputation as an open and transparent democracy.
On Newshub and economic voice
Nigel Haworth writes on some of the historic implications and strategy of the worker plans for companies in the context of the worker initiated initiatives for allowing Newshub to survive.
The first Ministerial scalp?
Already we have what looks like an odds on favourite for the first Ministerial scalp.
National only wants to help tenants *
* get evicted more easily.
A sustainable environment should be a human right
James Shaw’s attempt to create a right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is expected to be voted down soon by Parliament. But the New Zealand Supreme Court as well as the European Court of Human Rights have shown a willingness to recognise a right to a sustainable environment that some politicians refuse to.
The Government thinks that Local Government should determine what works best for them*
* unless they want to set up Maori wards.
Greenpeace: Luxon bulldozes on in war on nature with 90-day ‘hit list’
Greenpeace is calling the Government’s new policy priority list “the next onslaught in the war on nature” following Christopher Luxon’s announcement this morning.
The future of UK Labour and what it means for Aotearoa
It appears almost inevitable that Keir Starmer will be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. But his taking the party to the right and an active drive to rid the party of left wingers raises the spectre that his Goverment would be a pale immitation of its predecessors.
The Culture War Coalition
We have just had yet another week of the Government manufacturing culture wars and picking fights while ignoring the big issues. Like dealing with climate change, child poverty and homelessness.
CANA: Shane Jones, Chris Bishop, and Simeon Brown want the power to authorise mines and motorways on behalf of their mates with the click of a pen. Here’s how to fight back.
In reality, the Government knows that New Zealanders will be even more outraged if they see the list of environment- and climate-wrecking projects that these Ministers and their donor & industry mates have cooked up.
Chris Hipkins – Values Matter
Text of the speech delivered by Chris Hipkins delivered in Auckland today.
The GCSB revelations
RNZ has reported that a foreign agency collected signals intelligence out of the GCSB for years without ministers knowing. And the collection only stopped after the equipment broke down.