Adapting to the oil endgame
Today oil broke US$111 a barrel. Two weeks ago the record price was $101. Just six months ago the price broke $80 for […]
Social issues
Journalists react to attack on media freedom
Yesterday in Parliament, Winston Peters tabled a letter of protest from the Herald journalists’ chapel to APN chief executive Martin Simons. The letter […]
Key to scrap research fund
From Radio NZ: National says it will scrap a major new research and development fund for the pastoral and food industries if it […]
National confirms Landcorp would be sold (?)
We have an interesting mixed message (once again) from National on asset sales. David Carter is quoted in the NZ Farmers Weekly as […]
Which jobs would Key cut?
It’s hard to get a straight answer out of John Key, so this is probably an exercise in futility, but Key’s announcement that National […]
Reactions to New Zealand Fast Forward
Groups that issued press releases welcoming the Government announcement of the $700 million research and development fund for argiculture (press releases on Scoop): […]
Dolla Dolla Bill, Y’all
Days after saying ‘we’ve always said, we aren’t that worried about, um, whether the Crown needs to borrow a bit of money [for […]
Yawn
Well National’s finally got their line straight on the research fund and, despite me old mate Dancer’s prediction, they are not supporting it. […]
Expect National to back research funding boost
At lunchtime today it is expected that the government will announce a major funding boost to promote innovation in food science, agricultural research […]
A blast to the past
Polling consistently around 1% ACT have decided that the only way forward is rejuvenation and fresh ideas.
Goat-on Copeland
Poor old Gordon Copeland. Yesterday he had one of his few questions in the House. And he had a big issue to talk […]
Slippery John: trainwreck on Morning Report
Bill English must just be sitting there in his office cringing as he listens to interviews like these. Sean Plunket spoke to Slippery […]
Key unspun
John Key is clearly missing Kevin Taylor, his chief spin doctor. When Taylor is around, Key is ‘Mr Teflon’ but, with Taylor on […]
Hitting a nerve
In this afternoon’s debate Gerry Brownlee tried to have the word “slippery” ruled unparliamentary in relation to John Key. Proof, if any were […]
Key abandons Treaty settlement deadline
Further to Dancer’s post below, this morning on Breakfast John Key claimed that National never had a deadline for settling Treaty claims and […]
National: is there anything they won’t privatise?
Burqa Bob wants to buy heartland rugby. In other news, Bill English plans to sell our sunshine hours to a Finnish consortium and […]
What’s the future of Working for Families?
One consquence of the expectations around tax cuts is an examination of some of the policies already have in place – Working for […]
Bill’s Wikipedia edits
Again from a Parliamentary address, the following passage was deleted from Bill English’s Wikipedia entry in June last year: He married a Catholic […]
Peas in a pod: Family Fist, National, DPF
National Party blogger David Farrar points to a criticism of the repeal of s59 by Sacha Coburn (“a Christchurch businesswoman, lawyer and mother”): […]
Katherine’s tangible policy presence
It’s been a few days now since the announcement of Katherine Rich’s decision to stand down from politics, but articles such as in […]
Good news
Stuff reports the stolen military medals have been returned. I had expected they would never be seen again but when I think about […]
National’s house of straw
Affordable housing is the topic de jour. The foundation of affordable housing in New Zealand and other developed nations has long been houses […]
Affordable housing
Not in my back yard. Alright, maybe in my back yard but only if the state isn’t involved. UPDATE: No Right Turn has […]
Key hopping on Hobsonville
Just spotted this statement from Maryan Street up on Scoop which suggests at least one reason why Mr Key would like the issue […]
Own home dream
Is tax really the answer to housing affordability? The editorial in the NZ Herald today motivated a reader to send us these observations: […]
National’s last moderate falls on her sword
Katherine Rich was one of only 2 women on National’s front bench and its last moderate MP. The only surprise in her resignation […]
Clark targets housing affordability
In her speech today, the Prime Minister announced a slate of government plans on housing affordability. New land will be freed up for […]
Congrats to the Conchords
Stuff reports that Wellingtonians of the year, “Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who play marginally talented folk singers struggling to make it in […]
National Party U-turn on student loans
National have just backed down on their opposition to interest free student loans. Back in 2005 Key called this ‘a policy that tells […]
Who’ll run John’s boot camps?
The Army has said it doesn’t want to run National’s boot camps – they prefer to train people who actually want to be […]
Family Fist
Mike Moreu from The Press is shaping up to be quite a fine cartoonist. Here’s his take on the Religious Right’s petition to […]
Key speech: strategic blunder?
So this is John Key’s ambition: throwing troubled teens in boot camp, beating up on beneficiaries and criminalising our children. I’ve only had […]
The Herald still campaigning for National
Yesterday The Herald reported that: Demographia, an international survey business run by Hugh Pavletich of Christchurch and Wendell Cox of the United States, […]
Hone Tuwhare
No Ordinary Sun Tree let your arms fall: raise them not sharply in supplication to the bright enhaloed cloud. Let your arms lack […]
You asked for it Auckland
From The Herald: The Auckland City Council has scrapped its plan to build affordable housing. The last council signed a contract with the […]
Key Karaoke
Check out this fantastic karaoke clip from Ali Ikram on Sunrise this morning. Lyrics below: I know this song might sound like “Clocks” […]