The Standard

politicans

Categories under politicans

John Key used to be ambitious about dealing with poverty in New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, May 27th, 2016 - 23 comments

  1. A read of John Key’s state of the nation speech from 2007 suggests that he was really ambitious to do something for the poor in New Zealand.  And something weird is happening to his speeches on his website.  They are disappearing.

Bennett’s housing “announcement” is a re-announcement and a lie

Written By: - Date published: 3:27 pm, May 25th, 2016 - 140 comments

Paula Bennett’s “big” housing “announcement” today is a re-announcement with a twist of lie.

Newshub poll – Key’s government has failed on housing

Written By: - Date published: 3:10 pm, May 25th, 2016 - 48 comments

Quite apart from falling to his lowest level ever as preferred PM, the Newshub poll had more bad news for King John.

Bennett admits she was wrong

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, May 25th, 2016 - 18 comments

Paula Bennett has basically apologised to Parliament for claiming that National would create 3,000 new social housing beds when all that it was doing is funding existing beds to make sure they did not disappear.

Newshub poll – Key falls to lowest popularity

Written By: - Date published: 3:13 pm, May 24th, 2016 - 147 comments

Latest Newshub poll shows little change in the party standings and Winston still kingmaker. It also shows that Key “plummets” to his lowest level ever.

Another strong piece from Little

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, May 24th, 2016 - 36 comments

Andrew Little had an excellent piece in The Herald yesterday: “It’s always about choices, and National has made some terrible ones”.

Grant Robertson’s pre-budget speech

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, May 23rd, 2016 - 31 comments

Grant Robertson has just delivered his pre-budget speech. One takeaway message: “Labour’s finance spokesman Grant Robertson says Labour will set out a tax package before the 2017 election to set out how it will raise revenue to address issues in education, health and housing”.

Little’s $50 a week message getting through

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, May 23rd, 2016 - 116 comments

A great reception for Little’s speech, and a take-home message that resonates well.

Andrew Little’s pre-budget speech

Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, May 22nd, 2016 - 170 comments

“If there is one thing I am clear on it is this: the next Labour government will not tolerate poverty in New Zealand in the 21st century.”

All aboard the charter schools gravy train

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, May 21st, 2016 - 32 comments

Charter schools are pretty nice work if you can get it, no wonder groups are lining up. But there’s no evidence that they are good for education.

In the middle of a housing crisis Housing Corp is selling state houses

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 20th, 2016 - 49 comments

John Campbell is covering the homeless crisis with stories that highlight the personal tragedies that are occurring and the complete indifference of the Government to their plight.

Incoherent, unfair and unaccountable

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, May 20th, 2016 - 48 comments

That is how officials from the Ministry of Social Development described the emergency housing system to Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett – a year ago. What has Bennett done in the year since?

We’re going to burn it all, until we burn it down.

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 am, May 20th, 2016 - 173 comments

What does it really mean to reduce NZ’s total fossil fuel use by 50% by 2030: a warm up discussion for an upcoming thought experiment.

Vernon Small on Key’s fiscal Tardis

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, May 19th, 2016 - 21 comments

Small: “Only this week Prime Minister John Key managed to spend one, save it and outline a plan to give it back to taxpayers all at the same time.”

Labour would legalise medical cannabis

Written By: - Date published: 5:26 pm, May 18th, 2016 - 99 comments

On Stuff: “Little said cannabis products should be available to anyone suffering chronic pain or a terminal condition if their GP signed off on it.”

Government’s plan for housing crisis: tread water

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, May 18th, 2016 - 54 comments

The Government’s promised funding for 3,000 new beds for the homeless will not create any but will make sure that existing beds are kept available.

Andrew Little live chat 8:30am

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, May 18th, 2016 - 55 comments

“Join Stuff on Facebook at 8:30am Wednesday for a live chat with the leader of the Labour Party”

Tax cuts! No! Yes! Maybe! Look over there!

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, May 17th, 2016 - 90 comments

English is right, Key is lying and he knows it. But Key would rather we were talking about the mirage of tax cuts (again) than current events like the protection of corrupt tax havens or our homeless living in cars.

We have to have poverty so we can have a tax cut

Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, May 16th, 2016 - 163 comments

Despite record Crown debt and a crisis in the social sector National is getting ready to campaign in 2017 promising a tax cut.

The real reason that politicians will take no action on tax haven corruption

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, May 16th, 2016 - 22 comments

panamapapersoccupations

Matthew Hooton and the Radio New Zealand post

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, May 15th, 2016 - 192 comments

Radio New Zealand recently published a piece penned by well known supporter of the right Matthew Hooton.  What has happened to the concept of balance?

Take action on tax haven corruption? NZ says – meh

Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, May 14th, 2016 - 51 comments

The Nats are all over the place on this, and they’re trashing our reputation in the process.

Fixing the tax haven – what’s the downside?

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, May 13th, 2016 - 75 comments

Fixing our tax haven loopholes is easy but Key won’t act. Why?

It must have been on Planet Key

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 pm, May 12th, 2016 - 59 comments

John Key thinks that he was thrown out of Parliament straight after Helen Clark a few years ago.  The only problem is that Hansard thinks it was Don Brash.

John Key’s dead cat strategy

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, May 12th, 2016 - 52 comments

National is hoping to avoid a proper debate about issues raised by the Panama Papers by raising a series of idiotic diversions.

Key thrown out of Parliament

Written By: - Date published: 3:01 pm, May 11th, 2016 - 138 comments

John Key was given his marching order from the House today for repeatedly disobeying the speaker.

Key lashes out with the smears over tax haven status

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, May 11th, 2016 - 122 comments

Key was disgraceful in parliament yesterday, doing his buffoon act to try and trivialise the tax haven issue, and lashing out with the smears.

Random impertinent question: Why did Cameron get diversion?

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, May 11th, 2016 - 32 comments

Why did the police offer Cameron Slater the soft option of diversion when he doesn’t qualify?

Sprung again – Key’s “lawyer” has close links to Mossack Fonseca

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, May 10th, 2016 - 170 comments

Contrary to Prime Minister John Key’s categorical assertion, his “lawyer”, Ken Whitney, has been found to have links to Mossack Fonseca, the Panama law firm at the centre of a global scandal on tax evasion and avoidance, TVNZ reported today.

John Key vs the world

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, May 10th, 2016 - 22 comments

Is John Key the only international leader defending tax havens? Includes bonus international media round up of yesterday’s revelations.

The link between tax havens, criminals and the amoral rich

Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, May 9th, 2016 - 162 comments

“The Panama Papers issue is either illegal, or verging on illegal, it’s tax evasion, rather than tax avoidance,” Brash said.