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 …
Media
the praiseworthy and the pitiful
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.
Buttered Bread
What side’s yours buttered on?
Waitangi day
By engaging with and showing respect for Ngapuhi Jacinda Ardern has transformed Waitangi Day from a day of dissent to a day of celebration.
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.
Nothing like Mike
Turns out Mike Hosking was eminently and delightfully replaceable.
National’s drug conscience
Helen Kelly championed the liberalisation of drug law to allow those suffering from significant ill health to have access to cannabis for medicinal purposes. National is still struggling with the concept despite it having overwhelming public support.
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.
Plastic Fantastic
Billions of disease laden pieces of plastic killing reefs. No effective solution offered.
The Humanity.
Thoughtless thugs. Killers.
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.
Solidarity
History not forgotten.
Women’s March Speech.
Sometimes, someone just knocks it out the park. Viola Davis just knocked it out the park. (h/t Carolyn_nth)
Shock horror right wing think tank thinks NZ not very democratic
National’s cheerleaders are pushing an international report which suggests that New Zealand’s democratic system is only slightly better than average in world terms. But the organisation behind the report and the methodology used need some checking.
NRT: Spain refuses to respect Catalonia’s election.
Idiot/savant on Spain’s love of democracy.
Two Faced Liberalism.
Caring and heartless.
You Cowed?
To bleat and wring hands, or to act? Jeez. It’s a difficult one.
Won’t somebody please think about the RONs?
National has announced a publicity campaign not about climate change or child poverty or our failing health systems or the housing crisis or anything else but about roads.
Hatchets and Knives.
A little on the (predictable) fallout from Emily Thornberry’s BBC Radio 4 interview.
The Saviour Machine
Our ingenuity.
UK Intelligence
From the Opposition Labour Party, a rare instance of common sense and intelligence on display with regards foreign relations.
Up in Smoke.
US reverses Federal marijuana stance.
Israel fights back
In what may be the first of a number of publicity stunts Rabbi Shmulay Boteach has placed a full page advertisement in the Washington Post condemning Lorde and New Zealand for showing solidarity with Palestine.
What will 2018 bring for Donald Trump?
The New York Times has broken a astory suggesting that Australian Ambassador to the UK Alexander Downer informed the FBI that the Trump camp knew about the Russian hacking of Hillary Clinton’s emails four months before the 2016 Presidential election.
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.
When the jet stream slows…
…let’s ridicule Donald Trump.
The Standard’s most commented on posts of 2017
The ten most commented on posts in the Standard for 2017.
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.
Ain’t Gonna Play
New Zealand musician Lorde has announced that she will respect the boycott of Israel and not perform there.
Teggtalk: Trump-Like Climate Science Meddling by NZ Ministers
Denis Tegg has been responsible for showing that the previous Government stonewalled and hid a report prepared by the Ministry for the Environment which warned local bodies of the threats posed by sea level rises caused by climate change.
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.
Let’s stop kidding ourselves.
The “Adapting to Climate Change in NZ” report.
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.
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.
Shaking the Tree
When an apple tree is shaken, pips can fall to the ground and germinate. And then things grow back more or less as before.