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.
Media
the praiseworthy and the pitiful
Twyford reverses National’s flawed methamphetamine housing policy
Phil Twyford has shown this new Government has a brain as well as a heart by halting National’s ridiculous state house methamphetamine policy where the presence of minuscule traces would result in eviction even though there was no proof the tenant was responsible and he has apologised to Robert Erueti for the harm caused.
National Standards causes decline in educational levels
The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study results suggests that National Standards has been a failure.
Guest Post: Monbiot, Attenborough and Soper on environmental collapse
Guest post by Ed about the intellectual rigour of George Monbiot and David Attenborough and the rater strange response of Barry Soper.
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.
Tenancy Stuff.
How’s about private tenants in New Zealand were warm, dry and secure? Too big an ask?
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.
Key and Mass Surveillance: Was this the reason for the Golriz distraction?
David Fisher has written an in-depth article for the Herald that suggests that John Key’s promise, three years ago, that the Government had cancelled the Speargun project which would have allowed for the mass surveillance of New Zealanders was not actually correct.
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.
Up the spout, round the bend and down the tubes.
It’s no longer really working out (kicking the AGW can down the road), but we seem to be hooked into a peculiar form of madness even as everything appears to be coming apart at the seams. It’s beyond me…
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.
Why New Zealand should support the Tongan League team and forget about the Americas Cup
The Tongan national league team has invigorated Auckland in a way I have not previously seen basically for nothing. Meanwhile Team New Zealand and the Americas Cup are demanding hundreds of millions of dollars for economic benefits that the recipients should be paying for.
National spams the Beehive
National has been clogging Parliament’s written question system by asking questions that even David Farrar thinks seem silly and are over the top.
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.
Friggit!
Frigate. Send one. Now.
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.
Mugabe hangs on
Despite expectations to the contrary Robert Mugabe has refused to resign as leader of Zimbabwe.
The Rugby League World Cup
Something slightly different. Congratulations to the Tongan and Fijian Rugby League teams for playing out of their skins beating the Kiwi league team and for having the most passionate fans.
Heather Du Plessis-Allan wants New Zealand to be more radical
Heather Du Plessis-Allan has shown herself to be a radical progressive in her latest Herald column.
The UK Social media political arms race
Robert Peston in the Spectator has analysed the social media performance of the two big parties in the United Kingdom and has concluded that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour had a significant advantage over Theresa May’s conservatives.
Ardern’s Manus Island offer
The Australian Government has this week been attempting to undermine Jacinda Ardern’s humanitarian request that the refugees on Nauru Island should be treated humanely.
United has no future
United Future has announced that it will be wound up.
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.
@realDonaldTrump does not exist
For a brief moment, the internets rejoiced.
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.
Nats – lousy at government – “brilliant” at opposition
Peters has the opportunity to put an end to this useless government (and turn National into “the opposition from hell”). I think he’s going to ’96 us, but I’d be happy to be proved wrong
Guest post: Deconstructing yet another National has moral right to govern argument
A guest post by Swordfish on the implausibility of the claims by Dr Claire Robinson’s odd claim that the 2017 election result was a win for the status quo.
Cameron Slater makes valuable contribution to blog defamation jurisprudence
Cameron Slater and friends and clients are in the High Court defending a claim that he defamed three health researchers. They tried to have the case kicked out but failed. The judgment makes for an interesting read.
Guns
Another gun massacre has occurred in the United States. And the well worn excuses and justifications by the right and the gun lobby are again being used.
National no friends
In a sign of desperation Bill English rang Winston Peters on the weekend but the call was not answered. Clearly National realises that waiting for the special votes to be released will significantly weaken its bargaining position.