Tim Jago is part of a bigger ACT Party issue
The former ACT Party President’s name suppression ceased 2 years after Jago was charged, allowing ACT to bypass critical scrutiny during the 2023 election
Social issues
The Second Major Offensive of Neoliberalism in New Zealand Since the 80s
The Coalition is fighting a multi-front blitzkrieg to entrench neoliberal hegemony in NZ.
What will he do next?
I did not think it possible but it seems that every week Donald Trump does something that makes me think even worse of him.
Better Late than Never?
Davey Seymour’s Disgusting School Dinners, and the faster you go, the bigger the mess, but does Chris Bishop look bothered?
Keep on Digging
The latest outbursts and brain farts from the great Kumara of the North…
Open to all today in Nick’s Kōrero – Shane Jones calls climate change ‘woke’ and says, ‘Send the Mexicans home’.
Later Stuart
Stuart Nash has suggested that Labour is losing support for not sticking to its values. But his suggested policy solution would have Labour resemble National lite, not deepest red Labour.
If that’s Luxon’s Plan, What About Labour?
It’s time to highlight what a Labour plan for the New Zealand economy under a 2026 government would look like. And ask questions.
In Defence of Golriz Ghahraman
Golriz Ghahraman didn’t shoplift “again” – but recent media reports made it sound like she did. This article looks back on her history and her treatment by NZ’s political and media class.
The difference between Christopher Luxon and Donald Trump *
* is not as great as you think.
NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention from media or opposition. The implications are stark.
Reviewing the Cook Strait Ferry fiasco
A review of the history of the Ferries issue suggests that this could be coalition ending and career ending.
The Los Angeles fires – could they happen here?
With large parts of Los Angeles burning and the right still trying to divert attention and blame the question arises, could the same thing happen here?
Interesting Yanis Varoufakis.
That Star Trek depicts a communist society, without of course calling it that, is crystal clear.
President Trump makes a new Middle East Possible
U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump makes more things possible in the Middle East than the Biden administration.
Costello hands out free vapes
The Government has announced that it will be supplying vaping starter kits to stop smoking services. It is not known who will be the suppliers of these kits or on what terms.
2024 in review
It is that time of year when during the brief hiatus of civilisation known as the holidays we get the time to reflect on what has happened over the past 12 months.
Wage theft – now that is a real crime
In Australia, the Fair Work Act is enhanced to provide for jail time and large fines for individuals and companies who deliberately indulged in wage theft. It is a Federal act with investigative powers. Our members ‘Theft by Employers’ bill looks pathetic by comparison. But worth passing in its 3rd reading. It would be a “real tough on crime” act – not weak like Mark Mitchell’s tee-shirt snatch.
The absurdity of National’s Gang Patch ban
It did not take long for the first example of the absurdity of the Government’s gang patch ban to appear.
The Pogues wrote the best Christmas song ever
It is Christmas time and the eternal debate about who wrote the best Christmas song ever is being debated yet again. For me there is only one possible contender.
On the tenth day of Christmas Chris Luxon took from me …
A lot actually.
Much ado about nothing
There has been recent controversy because a District Court Judge and a renowned surgeon in a private setting chose to criticise NZ First policies.
Festive Cheer, Hear Hear !
Some end of year politics videos – 2024. Happy Christmas, folks.
Police private trip to China – who to believe?
The Police say it was a private trip to learn about Chinese culture, presumably because it would help their work here. Andrew Little and Anne-Marie Brady without any evidence gave it a sinister cast.
Foreign interference Bill ‘repressive tool’ to intimidate public: former minister
New Zealand is set to update sedition and espionage laws, making these as harsh as those of other Western states that are now gearing up for war with Russia and China.
Are Lester Levy and Shane Reti “cooking the books?”
See for yourself.
Unacceptable
It appears that the Government’s intent to politicise youth offending by making an elite few dress up in army uniforms and march around in an effort to solve a lifetime of neglect is not working out so well.
Creative accounting
It has emerged that Health NZ attempted to include hundreds of millions of dollars in redundancies and holiday pay remediation chargeable this year in last year’s Health accounts and this would have made the current deficit smaller but last year’s deficit larger.
Luxon Takes A Beating
Five recent polls show that Kiwis are tired of the Coalition government, but will the trendline hold?
Reti secretly wants to privatise Health
Shane Reti has said publicly that privatising health is not his overt policy. Which suggests strongly that it is his covert policy, especially given that he wants to increase the relationship with and outsourcing to private operators.
National’s dodgy health announcements
National yesterday made great fanfare about an extra $30 million being spent on doctors and nurses. But news today of 1,500 health job cuts in the pipeline clearly shows how the extra funds are to be sourced.
If Seymour succeeds what happens to Ngāpuhi’s Treaty claim?
If David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill is passed it may complicate Ngapuhi’s outstanding claim.
The Left Trumped?
We woke up last week to the post-mortem on the US election. How and why Trump won, and their implications for political alignments everywhere, are front and centre. A fundamental issue, explicitly identified when Trump won in 2016, is the presence of large sections of the working class vote into the Trump camp. So why has that happened – again?
The Axis of Genocide
The West, “will stand by the Israeli regime until they exterminate the last Palestinian”, says Mohammad Seyed Marandi, an American-Iranian academic. Despite being appalled at my government, I winced as a New Zealander to hear my country described as part of the Axis of Genocide.
The Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill gets slammed
The Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill has now been released and it appears that the provisions take away more rights from Māori than originally proposed.
A Heavy Day
This short excerpt represents a respite from the US election. Christopher Luxon apologises to Opposition leader Chris Hipkins and more. TPM ask Luxon about using force in boot camps. Plus a quick reminder on what we shouldn’t forget here in NZ either.
The Government’s cynical manipulation of the Treaty Principles Bill
In a cynical manipulation of Parliamentary Processes the Government is changing the date of introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill. And the Waitangi Tribunal has said that the bill is a deliberate attempt to destroy the treaty relationship.