Nats, Farrar fail again in attempt to muzzle Kiwis
For the third time, National’s attempt to get a legal decision to block the EPMU and its sister unions from participating in the […]
Social issues
Clark cuts the thread
Winston Peters’ stories around the Owen Glenn donation to his legal fund are dangerously convoluted and have stretched everyone’s credulity but without real […]
Social Report shows Kiwis better off
MSD released its Social Report today, an annual publication that collates a wide variety of standard of living measures, and produces this awesome graph. […]
Herald poll shows Nats’ lead collapsing
Today’s Herald-Digi poll is the first to be released that was taken after the secret agenda tape scandal had fully emerged and had some […]
Interviewing 101
Exam question 65 If you were a highly-paid media interviewer and John Key said to you that he was absolutely certain that Helen […]
The more things change…
70 years ago (more or less) and The Standard was correctly predicting a Labour victory as the ‘Nationalists’ ramped up a hollow election […]
What will National do on student allowances?
Spotted in the Waikato Times: Cambridge High School students did their best to get a policy out of him, but National leader John […]
Whom to believe? (2)
Owen Glenn’s letter to the Privileges Committee contradicts Winston Peters’ previous statements to the media, the Privileges Committee, and, presumably, the PM. Glenn says […]
Greens win better ETS
The Greens have won some very good improvements to the ETS in exchange for their support. The most important is $1 billion over […]
What else did Williamson say?
I notice that, while the Nats have attempted to play down Maurice Williamson’s promise of $50 a week in tolls, they haven’t retracted […]
Metaphor
So, I was walking along in Kelburn yesterday, and I saw Stephen Franks’ faded yellow mini. He was driving along in the centre of […]
Kiwis waking up to Nats’ secret agenda
According to the TV3 poll last night, 46% of voters believe National has a secret agenda. And why wouldn’t they? We’ve had Bill English […]
Beastly
[I do love the idea that someone would go to the zoo merely to hurl insults at the apes]
Adapting to the end of cheap oil
On August 1, Transit NZ and Land Transport NZ were merged into the NZ Transport Authority. The new organisation’s first major publication shows […]
TV3: Labour clawing back National’s lead in latest poll
According to TV3 “Labour is on the move. The latest 3 News poll shows that less than three months out from the election, […]
Open democracy?
According to the Sunday Star Times the Sensible Sentencing Trust and Family First have decided to refuse to comply with the Electoral Finance […]
Foss puts foot in it
Craig Foss annoyed some students in Napier when he described early childhood teachers as “glorified babysitters”, according to a recent story in the […]
Greens call for public input on ETS
One thing you can always say for the Greens, they’re democratic to their core. Currently, they find themselves facing a tough choice – […]
Mythbusting: Half of new generation is thermal
Reading National’s energy policy last week I was surprised to learn that of 1942MW of new generation that has come online since 2000 […]
Tasteless
Thank God for those individuals of high morals who are at this moment whipping themselves into a frenzy over Pharmac’s decision to fund […]
Lonely planet loves
The Lonely Planet has a new guide on Godzone and has lavished praise on our beauty but also offers a warning on “the environmental cost, with […]
Kiwis don’t trust Nats
According to the Colmar/Brunton poll, 50% of Kiwis don’t believe National is being open about its plans vs 37% who believe the Nats […]
Key and McCain: underdogs rising
The US presidential race in the States took a new direction with the McCain and Obama both appearing at a Forum on faith, held over […]
Reviewing the weekend polls
As I said last week, the polls that came out this weekend can not reflect any impact of the secret agenda tapes. The […]
An election strategy, not a governing strategy
When you look at the policy National has released, it’s clear that the focus is on winning the election, not on developing policy […]
Drinking Liberally – Palmerston North
A third Drinking Liberally chapter is underway. The first meeting of Drinking Liberally – Palmerston North will be next Friday at the Kingsgate […]
National and the media
A few mini-posts on National’s relationship with the media in light of the secret agenda tapes. _______________________________________________ A signature Crosby/Textor move, seen here […]
Excel magic
Insight into Mr Key costing his tax policy (lots of clever bits, best viewed in fullscreen) – hosted by 08wire
Petition: sign the Enforced Disappearance Convention
In December 2006, the United Nations adopted a major new human rights treaty, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from […]
Wait, what’s working?
ENGLISH: So we’re sitting here saying the punters are keen to keep it. They’re facing a recession. The last thing we want is […]
I do a lot of work for charity, but I don’t like to talk about it
Many New Zealand politicians give away a large portion of their salaries to needy causes but they don’t make a song and dance […]
Sensitive about security
National activist/advisor Matthew Hooton on Nine to Noon: ‘the National Party leadership group is very sensitive about security. They look at the last […]
3 more points on the secret agenda tapes
1) A secret agenda is not something that people talk about in public or when they know the information will get to the […]
Once too often
Last week Colin James wrote that behind National’s one-page wonder policies there was actually a substantive body of work. The publicly-released work rights […]
Point of debate
If most people knew as much as politics, economics, and how this country is run as they do about sport, the result would be […]
When you smile….
Hitting the email circuit is a video on the leaks within the National party over the Hollow Men.