Drumpf LIVE!
Establishment candidate and billionaire Donald J Trump is delivering his acceptance speech at the RNC. It’s chockfulla cliches, but hey …
YOOO ESSS AYYYY, YOOO ESSS AYYYY!
Social issues
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If I were John Key
What should John Key do to reassert momentum for National?
National denies/admits Chinese trade reprisals threatened
Yesterday this was the story: Speaking shortly after his arrival in Indonesia for a three-day trade trip, Key sought to pour cold water […]
Rethinking Political Thought – Shamubeel Eaqub
We have many eminently solvable problems facing our society, like a shortage of state houses. We need to add some empathy, love and civic duty, to competition in our politics. We will be a better and fairer economy and society for it. Fabian Society, Connolly Hall, Guildford Terrace, Wellington Friday 15th 5:30pm. All Welcome. Read more. Register here.
John Roughan on Labour’s birthday
In the Herald John Roughan has offered some very positive comments about the Labour Party and what it stands for.
Jeremy Corbyn apologises for Blair and Bush’s Iraq War
Jeremy Corbyn’s full response to the Chilcot response. Corbyn says that the Iraq war “was an act of military aggression launched on a false pretext” and that he apologises for it on behalf of Labour, who was in Government at the time.
Spot the Plot
The attempt to oust Corbyn was orchestrated by Portland Communications, blown up by a fake Gay Pride heckle, supported by the UK Fabian Society, and predicted in the Telegraph. It’s definitely a plot, but will it work?
The good ones get it
A recent interview with Barack Obama displayed an understanding of the problems offered by globalisation but also understands the complex relationship between trade, elites, workers, and redistribution.
Snakes and ladders
Yesterday was a big day for both UK and US politics. Brexit revealed the political consequences of social inequality. Meanwhile in America the Trump Train is derailing.
Brexit: Cameron Resigns
Top Tory David Cameron has resigned in the wake of the Brexit vote. The buffoon Boris Johnson is tipped to take over at No 10 Downing St.
Panama papers: investors were advised how to avoid Government disclosure obligations
Doubt has been cast on the utility of John Key’s claim that New Zealand is not a tax haven because there are disclosure treaties with the revelation that Mossack Fonseca’s primary New Zealand agent instructed clients to avoid investing in those countries.
Guest Post: How to preserve workers’ entitlements to past holiday pay
Eva Hartshorn-Sanders on the background to the Holiday Leave Protection Bill, why it is important for the Bill to be passed into law and what you can do to support it.
Mission Creep
The military mission to Iraq is to be extended by another 18 months, much to nobody’s surprise. John Key has put the creep into the mission.
Fire at will (90 days) law a great success!
Or not. More National ideology burned to the ground by facts.
Good morning to the “Park up for homes” folks
A very sincere good morning to the “Park up for homes” folks who have just spent the night in their cars, protesting in support of the homeless.
Open mike 17/06/2016
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Dodgy Niue deal back in the headlines
As Bryan Gould put it – “In any other country, and especially in those where such deals are commonplace, no one would be in any doubt as to what had really happened. In New Zealand, however, we are naively inclined to accept the blank-eyed, slack-mouthed assurances that it was all a coincidence and that nothing untoward had happened.”
Essential reading – Hickey on immigration
Hickey: “Helping employers to bring in low-skilled migrants instead of investing in new technology and becoming more productive so they can pay local workers more is essentially stunting our productivity and real GDP per capita.”
Fiji flop
Funding priorities
Why are we spending so much money on “defense” when there are so many real and urgent needs? It is hard to imagine that our “enemies” could possibly do us more damage than we are inflicting on ourselves.
Drinnan – Treatment of state-funded broadcasters smacks of political expediency
John Drinnan has a pretty explosive piece in The Herald this morning. (See also Drinnan’s new blog ZagZigger).
Stick a Fork in Him, He’s Dunne
The Labour/Greens electoral pact spells the end of the line for Parliament’s most self serving MP, Peter Dunne. National have a choice to make; stand down in Ohariu or stab him in the back. And then there’s the equally supine Maori party. Te Ururoa Flavell’s hold on his seat is also shaky. No Flavell, no Maori Party.
No Mates National. The Brighter Future just arrived!
National party to be banned from future budget lockups
After a significant security leak National will be forced to ban itself from future budget lockups.
A scene from the National War Cabinet in September 2014
News broke this morning about a major mistake discovered in September 2014 during the height of an election campaign. But it was hidden from view until now. It makes you wonder how the news could have been hidden for so long.
Budget 2016 – F for Fail
— Deborah Russell
John Key used to be ambitious about dealing with poverty in New Zealand
- A read of John Key’s state of the nation speech from 2007 suggests that he was really ambitious to do something for the poor in New Zealand. And something weird is happening to his speeches on his website. They are disappearing.
The Mother Budget
There are budgets and there are budgets. And for all the presence or absence of bright ideas, there’s a budget that threatens to subsume all others…
Daily Review 26/05/2016
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standarnistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Pre-budget reading
Budget day! Here’s a little light reading to get us started. Write your own line for the budget!
Newshub poll – Key’s government has failed on housing
Quite apart from falling to his lowest level ever as preferred PM, the Newshub poll had more bad news for King John.
The Government thinks that poverty is the fault of the poor, and some budget advisers
The Government is planning to change funding for budgeting services and to require providers to become “financial mentors” rather than “budgeting advisers” as if this will improve things.
Budget choices – ignoring domestic violence refuges
Green Party MP Jan Logie: “The Government has made it clear that more funding for refuges will not be in this week’s Budget.”
Latest Roy Morgan Poll
The Latest Roy Morgan poll result has been released with both National and Labour recording a significant improvement in support. But Winston is still the king maker …
Grant Robertson’s pre-budget speech
Grant Robertson has just delivered his pre-budget speech. One takeaway message: “Labour’s finance spokesman Grant Robertson says Labour will set out a tax package before the 2017 election to set out how it will raise revenue to address issues in education, health and housing”.
Budget 2016 – the real deal
Each budget day the CTU produces an analysis based on what it means for working New Zealanders.
Andrew Little’s pre-budget speech
“If there is one thing I am clear on it is this: the next Labour government will not tolerate poverty in New Zealand in the 21st century.”