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There's the facts, the questions and the legal opinions. Today in Parliament John Key stuck to his lack of interest in detailed questions, and blind adherence to Banks' reliance on legal opinions. He even alleged that the Labour Opposition agreed with these opinions. Not likely.…
accountability act brand key john banks john key national national/act government you couldn't make this shit up
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For the first time in 3.5 years, Lockwood Smith didn't preside over question time yesterday. The hapless National backbencher Eric Roy took his place resulting an awfully convenient farce. Key refused to answer questions, going so far as to say he wasn't responsible for who…
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A by-election in Epsom. If ACT or National win, the Right retains 61 votes. But, between resignation and swearing in typically takes 3 months during which the Right would have 60 v 60. Legislation fails on draws. Asset sales, SkyCity, welfare cuts, even the Budget…
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Rhetoric: on donations to Winston Peters, John Key 2008: "It is no longer acceptable or credible for Helen Clark to assert a facade of confidence in her Foreign Affairs Minister and to fail to ask the plain questions of him that she has a duty…
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John Key has refused to sack John Banks saying "The test is, did he breach the law or not? If he hasn't, then he's not guilty". That has never been the standard ministers are held to. Ministers are required to uphold "the highest ethical standards".…
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David Cameron's defence of embattled Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been called a "firewall" that's failing to hold. As the stench of corruption around the Murdoch empire grows by the day, Cameron needs Hunt to stay or else Cameron is the next to go. It…
act election 2011 election funding Ethics john banks john key national privatisation uk politics
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Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here. On Sunday morning I made it clear to Paul Holmes on TVNZ's Q&A current affairs show that I didn't come up the river on a cabbage…
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One interesting sidelight in the John Banks donations affair is his alleged request to split Kim Dotcom's $50,000 donation into two lots of $25,000 "so it could be declared anonymously." Banks apparently was not aware that the limit above which donations in local body elections…
accountability act election funding john banks john key national Privatisation privatisation
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Key should go because of his dirty deal with SkyCity. Joyce too. Collins should go over the ACC leaks. Brownlee for sheer incompetence* in every portfolio he has. English for shit-eating grin every time he fails to meet his own growth forecasts and announces more…
bill english Gerry Brownlee john banks john key Judith Collins Steven Joyce
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Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here. A bitter fight has erupted within the ACT Party over the decision by leader John Banks to vote against keeping the alcohol purchasing age at…
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Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here John Banks says Catherine Isaac is qualified to oversee the trial of Charter Schools because the ACT list candidate "loves education", and spent six years…
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The tea tapes contain a pivotal exchange where John Banks and John Key talk about "restructuring" ACT - including Banks confirming his orders from Key to make Catherine Judd the new leader. We also learn that National advisors called Key in a panic during the…
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The Teapot Tapes have leaked on to the internet. From The Jackal and many other sources. 2Johns2Cups by goldenturkey Please seed it: http://tinyurl.com/goldenturkey I'd have to say after listening to it that I'd prefer that John Banks kept his brown-nosing somewhere well away from me. I'd be worried…
act don brash election 2011 john banks john key leadership national parody
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There are a couple of nice pieces in the Herald today on upstanding ACT MP John Banks. Firstly how he advised Kim Dotcom on residency and gave advice on the Overseas Investment Commission to help Dotcom buy the Chrisco mansion (he failed, and got a…
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Despite all the uninformed blather about a big victory for National, they have to work with minnows to form a government. If, after specials are counted, and as seems likely, the Nats lose a seat to The Greens or NZF, then they need both Peter…
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Any minute now, we should find out whether we are allowed to know the secret plans that John Key and John Banks were foolish enough to discuss in a public cafe in front of the country's media, or whether that information will be denied us…
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Bradley Ambrose, the cameraman widely maligned by John Key and his pudgey lapdogs David Farrar and Cameron Slater for daring to hold the PM to some basic standards of accountability, is demanding an apology from John Key or he'll take the PM (and hopefully the…
accountability act election 2011 john banks john key national national/act government newspapers tv
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Minor Leaders' debate: Winston Peters 36%, Hone Harawira 27%, Don Brash 14%. Fairfax Epsom poll: Paul Goldsmith 45.5%, John Banks 29.1%. Impact of Key endorsement: More likely to vote Banks 23%, Less likely 30%. Taranaki Daily news debate exit poll: Andrew Little 64.5%, Jonathan Young…
don brash election 2011 hone harawira john banks john key polls winston peters
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The teapot tapes story (seems that's the name that's been settled on, despite the story involving neither teapots nor tapes) has evolved two distinct strands: the contents of the Key-Banks conversation, which is gradually coming out through the media, and the very aggressive, poorly conceived…
election 2011 john banks john key national scoundrels spin winston peters
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Winston Peters is suggesting that in the transcript of the PM's meeting with Banks, John Key made some derogatory remarks about the older New Zealanders that tend to support New Zealand First, along the lines of "not to worry [about Winston's support] they're dying off". Slagging…
accountability act election 2011 john banks john key national nz first Steven Joyce superannuation winston peters
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John: "I hear you might be able to get your hands on something to get me through the Election?"
act election 2011 humour john banks john key leadership national parody
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The tea tape didn't interest me at first. Nats' reaction seemed over the top but would Key and Banks be so stupid to discuss anything sensitive in a public cafe metres from the press mob? But then Key went to the cops. This said the…
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Oh to be an Epsom voter - what an enviable menu of options you have. A National candidate who cares so much about the electorate that he goes to extraordinary lengths to discourage people from voting for him, or a racist former National politician soundly…
act campaigning election 2011 john banks john key leadership national national/act government
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So, John Key and John Banks have a meeting in a cafe, full of members of the public. They get the photo-op, then usher the media out. A HoS cameraman accidentally leaves his audio recorder. Key and Banks talk. In public. Anyone in the cafe…
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Well, that was a let down. The much-hyped 'cup of tea' climaxed in Key saying that he would be voting for Goldsmith but he "wouldn't be unhappy" if other Epsom voters back Banks. A double negative? Hardly a ringing endorsement. I think it's too little,…
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOAu5bjZBDk
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Are you sick of the whole "cup of tea" symbolism? I know I am. None the less, the meeting has taken place, and Epsom has been asked to hold its nose and vote for failed Nat retread John Banks, and with him on his coat…
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Today, the Prime Minister and National Party leader sits down with a homophob and racist ex-National minister and failed mayoral candidate in a desperate attempt to signal to National voters that they shouldn't vote for the National candidate they prefer and, instead, vote for the…
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Oh hell. My worst fears have been realized. John Key is a wereperson. He is morphing into an incantation of the countries biggest ever political disaster. I realize that one shouldn't judge by appearances. But like the youthful victims of today and the 1990's, but…
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John Banks says the brand he is campaigning for in Epsom is 'Brand Key' (yup, that's gone mainstream now), not ACT. Epsomites don't want three-time loser Don Brash but it's unavoidably true that a vote for Banks is a vote for Brash. This is leading…