Doofus of the week
Doofus of the week is Bob Jones for spouting racist nonsense that would have been embarrassing in the 1960s let alone now.
Media
spin
Trickledown …
Over in America Republican intellectual genius Paul Ryan tweeted how a School teacher who will receive $1.50 extra per week because of Republican tax cuts was grateful for the increase. But it did not go down well …
National claims credit for Waitangi Day
National is claiming some credit for the success of Waitangi day. But the things they claim credit for are because of decisions of others, not the National Government.
Middle east Teenagers
In the middle east a Palestinian teenager is detained for a minor assault and for protesting the occupation of her country. And three Israeli teenagers are apparently trying to sue two New Zealand residents for exercising their rights of free speech.
Bill your pants may be on fire
Bill English has criticised the Government for only offering an officer briefing on the day that legislation is due to be introduced into Parliament. But appears to have forgotten an offer made by Jacinda Ardern 48 days ago.
Auckland Council by election hypocrisy alert
The National candidate for the Maungakiekie Tamaki Auckland Council by election is complaining that if the Labour candidate wins it will trigger a costly by election. But he is ignoring the fact that the three current by elections have all been caused by National endorsed local government representatives resigning.
It’s time to embrace nanny state
Rather than apologise, it’s time the Left and the new government embraced “nanny state” as a positive, just as the gay community claimed the previously pejorative term “queer”. A nanny state is clearly economically and socially more efficient. We should celebrate our nanny state and not apologise for it.
Hatchets and Knives.
A little on the (predictable) fallout from Emily Thornberry’s BBC Radio 4 interview.
Duck and cover
Over the past 24 hours Trump has threatened war by comparing button sizes with Kim Jon Un and Steve Bannon has described Trump Campaign’s 2016 meeting with a group of Russians in Trump Tower as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”.
The Failed Estate: Us and Them
In Australia the Murdoch press has chosen the Christmas down period to try and whip up some anti beneficiary hysteria. Jim Parker from the blog Failed Estate calmly dissects the figures and concludes there is no reason for concern.
The right loses its shit after a public servant accidentally tweets from the wrong account
An accidental tweet from a Government account has led the right to claim the existence of all sorts of conspiracies.
Another fine example of Bill English’s aspiration for young Kiwis
Apparently the government’s fees-free policy will “soak up staff out of McDonald’s”. Education instead of McJobs – Oh Noez!
National brings its B game to social media
A couple of recent examples suggests that National’s social media game is well below standard. And Judith Collins is no longer the Parliamentary Queen of twitter.
The Herald is obsessed with the latest Colmar Brunton poll
The Herald’s weekend political comment includes detailed analysis of the Colmar Brunton poll, now a week old, but ignored the details of the mini budget.
Tory Translation Service
I don’t often admit that there is anything that the right do better than the left, but, credit where it’s due, there […]
Doofus of the week – Jami Lee-Ross
Jami Lee-Ross wins the award this week for trying to hold up the passage of a law designed to make sure kids get enough to eat just so he could eat his lunch and then throwing the most amazing of temper tantrums when he did not get his way.
The Herald thinks Jacinda Ardern is a Marxist
The Herald has equated Jacinda Ardern’s desire to temper the worst excesses of capitalism with the full embrace of marxist communism.
Doofus of the week
Bill English claims the award for doofus of the week with his incredible statement that the country being 72,000 houses short is not a crisis and Labour should just deal with it anyway.
Flynn cuts a deal while Trump scrambles
Donald Trump’s response to news of the arrest of Michael Flynn suggests that charges closer to the office of the President may be close.
Deranged Golriz Syndrome
David Farrar has continued his crusade against Golriz Ghahraman with a claim of 15 instances where she has by implication deceived us.
The chaos of the Trump White House
From tweeting fake anti muslim videos to supporting the Senate race of an alleged child molester who was banned from a mall because he was so creepy to acting to remove his Secretary of State for thinking that he is a moron to passing a bill that will help the rich and hurt the poor while denying this is the case the Donald Trump White House is a chaotic place.
Joyce’s multi billion dollar budget hole
It appears that Steven Joyce was right about there being a multi billion dollar hole in the Government’s finances. But not in the way claimed.
Right loses its shit after former criminal lawyer discovered to have acted for bad people
Elements on the internet have claimed that Green MP Golriz Ghahraman must be a genocide supporter because she once acted as a defence lawyer in a war crimes tribunal.
Doofus of the week – Nick Smith
No competition in this one, Nick Smith for showing that despite the 27 long years he has spent in Parliament he still has no idea how our electoral system works and for claiming there is an electoral convention that simply does not exist.
National on the Manus Island crisis
Gerry Brownlee has surfaced on Radio New Zealand to criticise Labour’s handling of the Manus Island refugee issue. But he seems to have forgotten that the proposal offered by Labour is the proposal originally offered by National.
Labour accelerates action on Pike River re-entry
National is trying to spin that Labour has adopted its position on re-entry of the Pike River mine. But the Pike River families are having nothing of this.
TVNZ pays Chief Executive a bonus after massive plunge in profits
TVNZ’s board has decided to respond to a massive plunge in profitability by paying it chief executive a bigger salary package and a large bonus.
Can Ben Mack please make his mind up
Herald lifestyle columnist has published two recent opinion pieces, the first wondering if Jacinda Ardern will be able to address the many and varied problems the country faces and the second suggesting that the Government is under the control of the extreme right. Can he please make up his mind.
Doofus of the week
The award for doofus of the week this week goes to David Bennett for one of the most nonsensical speeches Parliament has ever seen.
So there was a housing crisis after all
The briefing to incoming Housing Minister Phil Twyford shows clearly that a crisis in housing developed under National’s watch.
Who’s in trouble in the USA?
More trouble for Donald Trump as it is expected someone in his camp will shortly be charged with offences by the special prosecutor Robert Mueller.
The repeal of the Hobbit law
Labour has indicated that as a priority it wishes to repeal the Hobbit law, a clumsy attempt in breach of International Law to prevent workers in the film industry from organising collectively and to divert attention from the fact that the National Government had been played by Warner Brothers.
Strewth, Aussie Government loses majority
Kiwi of the year nominee and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been ruled ineligible to hold his seat and the Liberal National Government has lost its majority.
Spare a thought for Steven Joyce
Steven Joyce had a bad day yesterday. His claim that National’s use of one of Eminem’s song was “pretty legal” was shown to be anything but. And he stuck to his claim that there was a $11 billion dollar hole in Labour’s budget, casting doubt either on his honesty or on his competence.
National loses itself
It seems that National’s use of Eminem’s song lose yourself was not so legal.
Turns out voters were pretty chill about it
