Todd’s MAGA hat
Todd Muller has spent the weekend not introducing himself to the country and talking about his ideas for our future but by defending the displaying of a MAGA hat in his office.
Media
spin
Nat Vote: And the Loser Is ….
The Nation holds its breath as the dullest political leadership race in a generation snores to a close. Who will win by losing? Who will lose by winning? Who cares?
UPDATE: It’s Mullertime!
UPDATE: Bennett dumped!
This is exactly why the MSM should be scrutinised as much as the government
The Herald’s misleading, clickbait sound-biting of Labour MP Tamati Coffey isn’t even close to what we need in reporting from the Epidemic Response Committee.
When Bridges’ social media goes wrong
Simon Bridges’s Facebook post criticising the extension of lockdown level 4 has been met with overwhelming opposition, including from people who are clearly National Party supporters.
We are all socialists now II
The Taxpayer’s Union has applied for government support to pay wages during the lockdown.
Two Bubbles Bridges’ Big Day Out
Simon ‘Two Bubbles’ Bridges feels he’s entitled to flaunt the rules because he’s, ahem, essential.
M.I.A. Joe
America has a question.
The right become socialists as Covid-19 bites
The right, elements of which have thought the best thing to do to the state is weaken it that badly that they could then drown it in a bathtub, are rethinking and now realise that a well resourced, active and engaged State is actually a life saver.
Bridges thinks the solution to Covid 19 is tax cuts
Simon Bridges thinks that tax cuts are the best way to address financial stress caused by businesses by the Covid 19 epidemic. Even though businesses under financial stress will be paying little if any tax and a tax cut would have little if any effect.
The Herald creates a panic and Trump says Coronavirus is a hoax
If a society ever wanted to set out how to handle a pandemic the Herald’s media response and Donald Trump’s handling of the situation provide perfect examples of what not to do.
National’s new conservation policy was previously announced in 2014
National has announced a “new” policy that it previously announced in 2014. And that has already been implemented.
BREAKING NEWS: Simon Bridges Calls on Simon Bridges to Stand Down
BREAKING NEWS: Simon Bridges calls on the leader of the opposition to stand down while the SFO case is before the courts.
Bridges’ many and varied positions on coalition with NZ First
In the past 10 days Simon Bridges has said that National will not go into coalition with NZ First after the next election, to it could consider coalition in the future, to there is no way it will ever go into coalition with NZ First.
How low will Bridges go?
Simon Bridges has wondered out loud if anti semitism stopped the Government from sending a senior representative to a Holocaust memorial in Israel.
Steve Mnuchin, not Greta Thunberg, needs to go back to school
US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has attacked Greta Thunberg for not understanding the economics of climate change. But he has then been roundly criticised by a number of people, including his wife.
Labour is signing up to Facebook transparency tool
Jacinda Ardern has announced that Labour will abide by Facebook Ad Library Report rules which allow voters to see where campaigning money is being spent on Facebook ads. And that it will have its major policies independently costed.
The great political heist that wasn’t
National has hinted darkly that the theft of laptops from its headquarters was possibly motivated by political considerations even though it had been told of a similar burglary of a neighbouring office had also occurred recently.
What Cheeto, Bojo and Scomo are up to
It has been a tough week for conservative leaders with Trump impeached and the evangelical magazine Christianity Today calling for his resignation, Johnson in the UK announcing voter fraud measures reminiscent of the American deep South, and in Australia Morrison being criticised for missing in action, upstaged by a 13 year old girl and pushing through protection for religious bigotry that Israel Folau would be pleased with.
Rush to Judgment redux
Barrister Maria Dew has delivered a strong conclusion in the report concerning allegations of sexual assault by one Labour Party member against another member. And Paula Bennett has not as yet apologised for her totally unfounded allegations against third parties.
Bridges fights losing twitter battle with Nigel Latta
Simon Bridges’s twitter account has chosen to celebrate Christmas by engaging in a twitter spat with well known Media personality Nigel Latta. And has not fared well.
The freedom to lie during an election campaign
Two recent National advertisements involving drastically inaccurate graphics have attracted attention. And at the same time National is opposing changes to the Electoral Law that would extend the time that it is an offence to publish a false and misleading advertisement during an election period.
Crash ‘n Burn
A chuttering PM and…well, I guess being left speechless.
Right wing lies
New Zealand and the United Kingdom are both cursed with the right wing parties having the same advisors and similar means of campaigning
Little’s Electoral Bill a curate’s egg – good in parts
I’ve always liked Punch magazine’s famous cartoon “True humility” where the curate assures his bishop noticing his bad egg that parts of it are excellent. Most discussion on Little’s Bill has focused on the bad bits regarding foreign donations. The good bit requires all political ads online to be attributed.
Why some MPs should not tweet
National MP Joanne Hayes has provided a textbook example of the perils of Twitter.
National’s Youth lauranorda rhetoric
National is proposing changes to the Youth Court system that show not only a disregard for working in the interests of young people but disturbingly show a complete lack of understanding about how the Youth Court works.
Just another typical week in US politics
The last week in US politics has seen the Trump Impeachment Hearing go public, Trump confidant Roger Stone convicted of lying to Congress, Alex Jones ask for the Presidential pardon to be used to free him, and details revealed of multiple meetings between Trump and Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas who are charged with campaign rule violations. Trump says he does not know them. Just another week in the Trump Presidency …
UK Conservative’s social media is remarkably similar to National’s social media
The British Conservative Party and the New Zealand National Party appear to be using very similar twitter strategies involving the setting of highly edited video to naff music and the making of patently ridiculous claims.
Unapologetic populism?
A Wall Street broker has accused Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren of unapologetic populism in her desire to help workers, the environment, those with lower incomes, and women and minorities as if these are bad things.
Truth, boomer memes and the next election campaign
Thanks to Facebook’s lax attitude to fact checking it appears that the next election campaign is going to be a rough one.
National’s plans to torment poor people leaked
National’s plans to torment poor people for political gain have been leaked.
National’s faux outrage
The National Party has described as “censorship at the extreme” a rule in Parliament’s standing orders the latest version of which was enacted under the last National Government. Updated with Simon Bridges opposing the relaxation of the rule in 2017
Every day New Zealanders
Simon Bridges thinks that Jacinda Ardern’s international campaign to change the way that social media handles hate speech and terrorism a big talkfest that will achieve nothing, even though Facebook has as a result announced significant changes to its platform.
National’s double standard
National has a rather murky past when it comes to dealing with issues relating to the behaviour of its Members of Parliament.
National advertisements ruled misleading
National has recently had two different advertisements ruled misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority.
The biggest loser
Boris Johnson has lost a sixth Parliamentary vote in six days as Britain lurches into a constitutional crisis.