Kremlinology: Nats’ tax plans
National is still refusing to give us any detail on its tax cut plan, indicating it doesn’t have one. But let’s do a […]
Social issues
Hidden costs of private hospitals
If you’re paying for your health care you’d expect good service wouldn’t you? The release of four health commissioner decisions over the weekend and […]
Even Granny’s patience can wear thin
With a loving smack that would have brought a smile to Bob McCoskrie’s face, the Herald‘s editorial today rebukes John Key in the […]
Asking the second question
Key’s best trick is to answer questions with impressive or technical sounding assertions that stop the line of questioning but don’t actually tell […]
Cumulative Effect
The Press (Budget Doesn’t Impress Family) looks at the effect of the tax cuts on an average family with a combined income of […]
Where’s the beef John?
Key kicks off this Close Up interview by trying to dampen down rising expectations of National’s tax package and make himself some wiggle […]
National’s cruel hoax
Well the budget is out and across the country the public are looking at their tax cuts and asking “is that it?” and […]
“As slippery as a snake in wet grass”
John Campbell interviews John Key on the budget, refusing to let him get away with merely repeating his focus-grouped lines. At about the […]
Tax cut calculator
As much as I despair to see our political discourse descend into a bidding war on taxes, it’s worth looking at Infometrics’ online […]
Commentators on the Budget
From John Armstrong in The Herald: Is it enough? Michael Cullen has given it his best shot. He has been about as generous […]
Budget 2008: Analysis
The tax cuts are smaller up front than Labour had been hoping to deliver but the economic position at present means there is […]
Budget 2008: Spending
The tax cuts are the cornerstone of this budget but there is also important new spending. New Spending in the Budget: $172.3 million […]
Budget 2008: Tax cuts
Labour has announced a three year tax cut package worth $10.6 billion. Here’s a table showing the changes: Current 15.00% 21.00% 33.00% 39.00% […]
Telling porkies
The Herald and National have started attacking every piece of government spending as pork-barrelling. Here’s some of what they’re calling ‘wasteful, needless spending’: […]
Spin Bingo: Budget Edition
Well it’s Budget day tomorrow and we’ve got our man Steve Pierson going to the lock-up so we can get you a good […]
National – more women-friendly?
Colin Espiner pointed it out the other week, National “needs more women. Never over-represented in National at the best of times, the party […]
Herald gets it right
Good to see the New Zealand Herald is starting a campaign to let us know the policy cost of National’s likely massive tax […]
Key lacks leadership on climate change
National has pulled its support for the emissions trading scheme which is intended to set limits on the emission of greenhouse gases and […]
Key’s green mask slips
Last year John Key announced National’s ‘Blue-Green’ Strategy. It contained the first shadow of acknowledgment from National that climate change is a serious […]
A change to what?
As we all know the latest Fairfax poll has shown a huge lead for the National Party. Now I’m of the opinion it’s […]
Two stories on crime in Christchurch
Christchurch hosted a public meeting on crime within the city last week. But the thing that caught my eye, despite the very laudable […]
Bring back the bash?
A man has been convicted of assault for hitting his daughter because she was dating a Muslim. You can’t assault someone, the law […]
Batman Politics
Who would have thought? Murray McCully as The Penguin. Hat tip: onegoodmove
New Zealand, a great place to be a mum
We hear an awful lot from the Right about how much New Zealand sucks: ‘crime is up’ they cry (when it’s down), ‘taxes […]
Mythbusting: ‘Book value’ & ‘over the odds’
In an attempt to find a non-ideological ground to justify opposing the Government’s buyback of the rail system, John Key and others have […]
Mythbusting: Winning a fourth term is impossible
It has become a media mantra that winning a fourth term of government is nigh on impossible, but is that claim actually based […]
Clarkson not standing in Tauranga
Clarkson has jumped before he was pushed – he won’t be standing in Tauranga. Peter’s hasn’t confirmed yet whether he will stand or […]
Kurariki on home detention
No doubt, there will be hollow cries of outrage from Simon Power and Sensible Sentencing over Bailey Kurariki being transferred from jail to […]
How Boris won London by not being Boris
Tory candidate Boris Johnson has triumphed in the mayoral race for London in a campaign masterminded by the Australian political tactician Lynton Crosby. […]
Would Key scrap GST on food?
With hints that regional fuel tax could be put on the “go slow” list, along with parts of the emissions trading scheme, it […]
For whom the Toll bells
The Government has bought back the rail stock and ferries from Toll for $655 million. The privatisation of these vital assets, which are […]
CTU Secretary selected for Maungakiekie
CTU Secretary Carol Beaumont is set for a change of career later this year. She’s been selected as the Labour candidate for the […]
Talking down the economy
National is a party weak on policy. It has had to drop nearly every one of its principled but unpopular policies to get […]
Simon’s semantics
Never one to miss an opportunity to stir up fear over crime, Simon Power now wants us to believe that we’re less safe […]
Government to fully fund virus vaccine
Vernon Small reports that the PM is due to announce an immunisation programme for teenage girls targeting human papilloma virus. The programme is […]
Mythbusting: Crime is down, not up
It’s hard to know why people keep interviewing Garth McVicar from Sensible Sentencing. The organisation has no credibility, no research every statement on […]