Lies. Damned Lies. And Diesel.
Britain follows France in banning the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles from 2040. Good news?
Media
the praiseworthy and the pitiful
How much is Mike Hosking paid by TVNZ?
Mike Hosking does not want there to be a debate on how much he earns from TVNZ and thinks that there would be an adverse irrational response from the public if the information was released. This is the best reason yet why disclosure should occur.
Delivering pizza for NZ
Full marks to Nathaniel Watson for what Newshub called “an incredible work of graphic design satire”:
New Zealand is number 1! *
* in a list of developed nations for homelessness.
There is something rotten in the Ministry of Transport
Radio New Zealand is reporting that the State Services Commission will report today that it believes that the convicted fraudster Joanne Harrison forced whistleblowers out of the Transport Ministry in 2015. Updated with link to formal announcement.
David Seymour is the smeghead of the year
David Seymour has managed to make the most stupid statement by a politician this year, and it is only just over half way through.
Who are the real enemies of the centre left?
Simon Wilson recently claimed that left wingers and party members are problems for and enemies of Labour and the Greens. This is why I think he is wrong.
Breeding for a business
It looks like ACT the party of less government will be focussing on pregnant beneficiaries this election.
Non-news News and News Non-news
A politician said their party would insist on being a part of government depending on the vote falls in September, while another gets called out for his habitual stirring at the pot of ethnic division. In a place like the South Africa of old, we all know which one would be the story. But this is New Zealand and this is now.
The Rainbow Warrior was sunk 32 years ago today
Thirty two years ago today the French Government committed an act of Terrorism on New Zealand soil on a peaceful organisation dedicated to protecting our environment.
The magical disappearing Foreign Trust industry
National’s original claims that New Zealand was not a tax haven are in tatters as the Sherwan rule changes have resulted in the mass exodus of Foreign Trusts from New Zealand.
Special Housing Area provisions are failing but Nick Smith thinks everything is fine
Nick Smith is attempting to rewrite history by claiming that the Government never thought the special housing area affordable housing provisions would work and that the housing crisis is improving.
The MP that Clutha-Southland could have had
The debarclay rumbles on. The Nat’s deploy the Game of Hats gambit. The vultures circle over the remains of Todd B in Clutha-Southland while his zombie vote is exploited to squeak through legislation. It could all have been so very different if the electorate had chosen the best candidate in 2014. Their loss is Invercargill’s gain – Liz Craig in 2017!
Thiel shows commitment to New Zealand by spending 12 days in it
Following an intervention by the Ombudsman the Government has been obliged to disclose the number of days that Peter Thiel spent in New Zealand in the five years leading up to his grant of citizenship. The answer is very few.
The Todd Barclay debacle enters the sixth day of the news cycle
Through his never ending changing of the description of what happened in the Todd Barclay issue Bill English has kept the story prominently placed for six days in a row.
Racist attack on marae living
Herald columnist Lizzie Marvelly: “Come election time, there are people who will stop at nothing to land a blow on the party they most hate. And somehow, inevitably, someone will aim a kick at Māori. Insinuating that the conditions at a marae are “slum-like” is both deeply offensive and staggeringly privileged.”
Bill English is no John Key
During Dirty Politics John Key was able to stand in front of a group of reporters and with complete confidence make a series of statements the veracity of which was dubious. Bill English has shown this week that he does not have that ability.
Later Todd
- Todd Barclay has announced that he will not stand at the next General Election as National’s Clutha Southland candidate.
National’s Todd Barclay problem
Newsroom has released details about how National handled the police investigation into Todd Barclay’s alleged illegal wiretapping suggesting that Bill English thought it had occurred and that the complaint was dealt with in part by a payment from John Key’s Prime Minister’s fund.
New Zealand folds and apologises to Israel
New Zealand has completely backed down from its original position of opposing the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestinian land and apologised to Israel for damaging the relationship.
Owen Jones’ and the Guardian’s Corbyn mea culpa
Owen Jones of the Guardian has posted a mea culpa about his pessimism that Jeremy Corbyn would succeed as Labour leader. But meanwhile blairites are claiming that Corbyn missed an open goal while at the same time calling for unity.
Hosking hasn’t aged well
“His policies are from another age, and so extreme that when push comes to shove, when people actually have to decide who runs their country, short of the small collective of Marxists who have never quite joined the real world, Brits know full well there is only one choice.”
National’s social media is starting to suck
National’s social media have chosen a picture that sums up its policies well.
What the feck Greens
The Green Party caucus decision to support the Government’s tax reduction legislation is hard to comprehend and has created a perception of messiness in the way the Labour-Green MOU operates.
Why Islam is incidental.
How (According to The Guardian) a neo-nazi turned Islamist flipped terror narratives upside down.
The Labour lite budget
From pre announced budget initiatives it is clear that today’s budget will provide National the opportunity to announce watered down insipid versions of current Labour Party policies.
Slater v Craig – battle of the has beens
The High Court this week has been asked to dissect the decline of the Conservative Party and of the 2014 form of dirty politics.
National’s messy Israel position
National’s shifting position on Israel suggests all is not happy within National’s ranks.
National threatens Government critics with loss of Government contracts
Alfred Ngaro has told a National Conference that critics of the Government can expect to lose Government support for proposed contracts. And that Labour prompted concern about families living in cars.
The Trump White House descends into chaos
Recent events suggest that Donald Trump has lost control of his administration.
Mental health problems are a figment of our imagination and the work of anti government protesters
according to Health Minister Jonathan Coleman
Gould explains how money works to Brash
Interesting series of articles in The Herald, where Bryan Gould schools Don Brash on how money works.
When a wannabe politician’s social media goes wrong
Over in Australia a One Nation candidate has withdrawn his candidacy after a merciless twitter attack and a photo of him in front of a swasticker mowed into a lawn and giving a nazi salute appeared.
National’s short lived status as a supporter of pay equity
The day after Kristine Bartlett’s and the SFWU’s well deserved pay equity victory the Government has released for consultation draft legislation the effect of which would be to stop similar victories occurring in the future.
Brownlee determined that Christchurch should suffer too
Christchurch rebuilt must suffer the same central traffic madness as Auckland. Thus decrees Gerry Brownlee, as short-sighted, bullying, and ignorant as ever.
Why National had to settle the Pay Equity case
National is trying to give the impression that it settled the pay equity case out of the goodness of its heart. The reality is that the Unions forced it to settle through gritted teeth.