What should Jacinda Ardern say in her state of the nation speech?
What are the issues Jacinda Ardern should be talking about when she gives her state of the nation speech tomorrow?
Politics
politicans
Mr Brash goes to Waitangi
Don Brash is heading to Waitangi to tell local iwi that treaty settlements will not make them personally rich.
The Meathead tax
National’s claim that the Government wants to impose a meat tax suffers from the reality that the Government has done no such thing and the proposal comes from an International collective of academics.
Simon Wilson thinks Epsom could be offered to Blue-Greens
Simon Wilson has suggested that the only way National may have to establish a Blue Green presence in Parliament is to offer them the seat of Epsom.
Show us the money Simon
Hopefully the media will ask of National the tough questions, like how it is going to increase spending in critical areas, pay down debt and give us a tax cut at the same time.
A detailed analysis of Simon Bridges’ state of the nation speech
As a public service the writers of the Standard provides you with this in depth analysis of the contents of Simon Bridges’ state of the nation speech delivered this afternoon.
The world cannot afford to have billionaires
American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that it is immoral to have a world that allows for billionaires. She may well be right.
I’m so tired of you America
Every day it’s getting harder to even wake up and hear of the latest outrage to political decency in the United States.
The Blue Green oxymoron
National appears to be well advanced in the formation of a new puppet party, one with an environmental theme that will present a challenge to the Green Party.
About that $100,000 National Party donation
Fran O’Sullivan has correctly stated that the investigation of the $100,000 donation made to the National Party that was partitioned to hide it should be of much greater concern to the New Zealand Police than Sarah Dowie’s texts.
Trump’s Worst Day
The Trump shutdown is over, as the doofus President waves the white flag. And in Florida, his trusted advisor Roger Stone is led away in handcuffs to face charges of lying to the Mueller enquiry. Good times, people, good times!
Herald names Dowie as the sender of that text to Jami-Lee Ross
Sarah Dowie has been identified as the MP under police investigation for sending the text to Jami-Lee Ross saying that he deserved to die.
Stuff is now an official mouthpiece of the National Party
Mark Mitchell is an early contender for most stupid utterance by a politician this year. And Stuff has packaged up his utterance and uncritically made it a headline.
That federation campaign
There’s an ad campaign that says “New Zealand is doing Australia better than Australia is”, and recommends federation of New Zealand with Australia and Jacinda being the first Prime Minister. Maybe it’s time.
National’s Jami-Lee Ross problem
Jami-Lee Ross has written a somewhat conciliatory facebook post which essentially confirms that he is not going to resign as an MP.
National starts political year beneficiary bashing
National has kicked off the year by reverting to type and engaging in a classic example of beneficiary bashing based on a distortion of official statistics.
Housing affordability and urban form
Hugh Pavletich thinks that Auckland’s housing crisis is because of restrictions on urban sprawl and that loosening up would be a good thing. I disagree.
The stoopid it burns …
Donald Trump has tweeted that he wants there to be more global warming.
D Day for US shutdown
Donald Trump is to make an announcement today concerning the shut down. And Buzzfeed has suggested that the Mueller Investigation has uncovered evidence suggesting that Trump instructed his lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress.
Sroubek; Richie Hardcore Text Released
The text sent by Karel Sroubek supporter Richie Hardcore has been released. Is it the knock out blow we were promised?
National shafted us with the MOM privatisation
Five years on how are the benefits from the Mixed Ownership Model privatisation process the last Government engaged in working out?
Beware the Ides of May
It’s D Day for Theresa May’s Brexit plan. Will Jeremy Corbyn finally put her out of our misery?
Chinese Herald changed Herald articles to be more China friendly
Stuff has reported that its opponent, the New Zealand Herald, has via its Chinese version amended stories to make them more acceptable to the Chinese Government.
Peters to Pence on the Pacific – a return to colonialism?
Winston Peters went to Washington last December to see US VP Mike Pence and invited the US to engage more in the South-West Pacific without informing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Patrick Smellie described this apparent oversight as “deeply worrying.” Even more worrying is what Peters said when he was there.
David Seymour can’t handle criticism
ACT MP David Seymour has lashed out on Facebook at Dianne Khan apparently for successfully fact checking him.
President Peaches
I’m moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches! Donald Trump has yet another bizarro, almost Freudian, moment as his threat to invoke a national emergency to fund his wall falls flat. Peaches, people! Not impeachment, peaches!!!
National has lots of questions
National asked 40,000 questions of Ministers last year. This seems excessive.
New Zealand needs a Government that understands climate change
In an opinion piece in Stuff National Spokesperson on climate change Todd Muller has cast doubt on National agreeing to a political consensus on climate change.
Brexit: Tories Lose Control of the House and the Process
Another day, another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. Surprisingly, the news is no better for Jeremy Corbyn.
Emergency Wall
President Trump is preparing the ground to use the State of the Union address to declare that the Congress delaying funding of the wall on the Mexican-U.S. boundary is a national emergency.
The Bigliest shut down ever
Donald Trump in the longest presidential temper tantrum every is refusing to reopen the US Government unless Congress agree to funding his Mexican Border wall.
Elizabeth Warren and Foreign Policy
An analysis of recent public comments made by Elizabeth Warren and the possible implications for New Zealand of a Warren Presidency.
Caption contest
Keep it seemly …
Drug testing at music festivals
Police Minister Stuart Nash has said publicly that he wants to see all New Zealand music festivals to have drug testing kits by next summer.
Farrar criticises Genter for not solving National’s transport safety mess quickly enough
David Farrar has accused Julie Anne Genter of saying she can do nothing about the road safety when she said nothing of the sort.
Political punditry in 2019
The media has recently reviewed its predictions from last year and made a few new ones. How did it go? And what is going to happen in the next 12 months?