Key’s magic money-pot
John Key has indicated that the Government will lift the GST rate to 15% and remove depreciation from investment houses. According to the […]
Social issues
How did Nats know parents’ addresses?
You’ll recall that last week National spent $200,000 of taxpayer dollars on a proganda drop defending its national standards. This was a targeted […]
Policy roulette
I don’t recall the date or anything, but I remember the exact moment I decided to get politically active. Rob Muldoon was called […]
Quick thoughts
It’s obvious to anyone with a brain that a government that spends half its time on holiday and the rest on PR stunts […]
Cowardly
A foreign politician celebrates an act of terrorism on our shores and our Prime Minister refuses to comment on the matter? WTF?
Shorter Lhaws
All teachers are feminist pinkos. And they’re badly dressed. And too nice to the kids. It wasn’t like that in my day. And […]
National, time to put your dog on a leash
As surely an endorphin high fades, Cameron Slater was going to do something to get his name back in the media. He’s been […]
Unemployment: real action, not vague promises needed
The Herald reports: “[Key] also raised the 15 per cent Maori unemployment rate, saying improving education outcomes for Maori children would help address […]
A principal writes
School principal Pat Newman posted the following as a comment on Red Alert. It’s not a polished piece written with distribution in mind, […]
Pay the money back, John
Today’s editorial in the Herald is headlined “Class standards leaflet a misuse of public funds.” It says: In response to criticism from educationists […]
Tax Working Groupthink
The Tax Working Group’s summary presentation at their December seminar came from a senior partner from one of the Big 4 accountancy firms, […]
That’s gotta hurt
The CTU is launching its “that’s gotta hurt” campaign against government cuts to ACC on the big screens at the Sevens today and […]
Translating Tories: “Creeping political correctness in our schools”
I wasn’t expecting to do another in this series so soon, but then I’m much too polite to decline a clear invitation like […]
Do nothing and loving it
Saw this in the new culture/humour page in the Dom: Glad to see the “do-nothing PM” as Rodney Hide called John Key doing […]
Tolley keeps empty schools open
Well, there can’t be any doubt now, Anne Tolley is this government’s worst minister. A failure that stands out among failures. She had […]
Do little still do nothing
Welcome back, John Armstrong. In your piece today you wrote about John Key’s emergency efforts to cover for Anne Tolley’s disasterious handling of […]
Nats soft on crime
Oh, sure, the Nats will lock a person up longer after they commit a crime, if they get caught. But what they won’t do is prevent them […]
Speak up, Pita. We can’t hear you
TVNZ reports: “Associate Education Minister Pita Sharples has labelled the National Standards policy as damaging to Maori but later refused to comment after […]
Reminder – Drinking Liberally Auckland
The first Auckland Drinking Liberally of 2010 takes place TODAY upstairs at The Purple Bar @ The Naval and Family and features new […]
Police recruitment campaign steps up a gear
It was probably well intentioned – and to be fair we don’t know the full facts yet – but on the face of […]
Government by knee-jerk
John Key has told us that his government’s unrelenting focus this year will be the economy. He has also said his government will […]
The Great Giveaway
From where I’m sitting the Left will never be back in power, not because they will never win elections, but because the power […]
Key, the ABs, & the election date
I’ve been talking with some people about when John Key will call the next election. Two common points emerge: 1) it will be […]
Goff advocates real solutions to crime
Goff and his advisers knew that the wage cap on public service CEOs would be the headline grabber of his widely praised speech. […]
Minimum standards
Drinking Liberally – Auckland
The first Auckland Drinking Liberally of 2010 takes place NEXT TUESDAY upstairs at The Purple Bar @ The Naval and Family and features new Labour MP Kelvin Davis (and we’re hoping to get Maori Party leader Pita Sharples) to talk about the Treaty of Waitangi in the 21st century.
Colin, I missed you
Colin Espiner’s back with his first blog of the year. It’s so much fun having him back. In his first outing, he comes […]
On intellectual failure & economic crisis
Before they were swept along by the latest incarnation of US Right anti-intellectualism, National used to have some smart people. One of the […]
Key admits mistake: Tolley and Groser shuffled out
Today John Key admitted his mistake in two Ministerial portfolio appointments, as two long overdue changes were announced. 1) Chopper Tolley has rightfully […]
Why should the rich get to queue-jump?
Rahui Katene is worried that people who can’t afford stomach staplings here (which supposedly cures diabetes, although the evidence is mixed) are getting […]
You’re not a doctor, Tariana
Tariana Turia got her stomach stapled to tackle her diabetes and it seems to have worked. She wants more people to get the […]
Cowardly
This is how Health Minister Tony Ryall announced the Government would be appealing the court decision to try to get out of paying people for […]
Thoughts on Massachusetts
I enjoyed this piece by Jane Young over on Pundit so much I wanted to share: The brain in the White House appears […]
Wee gripes: work stoppage stats
NZPA is reporting that there were only four work stoppages in the last September quarter, making eighteen for the 2009 year to September. […]
Bulldozing Fiordland: Brownlee committed
In the Otago Daily Times on Wednesday, Gerry Brownlee confirmed he was personally pushing for a new road to be bulldozed through the […]
Warning: Beware what you say on the net. Humourless bastards are after you.
No Right Turn has a post about the weirdness of the police forces in Britain at present. Elements of our own police force […]