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In the Herald today, Bill Ralston sticks up for poor John Key who has been the subject of personal political attacks recently. Like Key, Ralston wonders what is "the cost of the Government using countless bureaucrats to endlessly scour records in an attempt to discover…
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Earlier in the week we heard that Heather Roy may have broken the Electoral Finance Act by including party advertising messages in her weekly taxpayer funded newsletters without the required authorisation by ACT's financial agent. This time round she's added the necessary authorisation but decided…
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Earlier this week, John Key had a whinge about 'personal' political attacks on him. Particularly, he thought it was a waste of taxpayers' money that some Labour MPs wrote and performed a version of The Gambler mocking him. The song was written in a pub…
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Business is starting to get worried. This was meant to, finally, be the year that they got the Left out of government and started making New Zealand work for the business elite again. But there's a problem: the man they chose for the job. Sure,…
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As predicted by The Standard earlier this week, the Press Council has upheld the Coalition for Open Government's complaint against the NZ Herald's Electoral Finance Bill campaign. The Press Council found that the Herald's front-page editorial last year contained a "mis-statement of fact", which the…
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Remember, our party leader in the 'interview the leaders' series this week is ACT's Rodney Hide. Questions are picked on Sunday, so take the opportunity while you can. Ask them here. Helen Clark's respones are due to be posted on Monday.
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Congratulations to Dr Brash for fronting up and going to see the play The Hollow Men at the Maidment Theatre in Auckland (that's based on Nicky Hager's book of the same name). Dr Brash admitted some parts of The Hollow Men were spot on. I…
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With the loss of 500 ANZ National jobs to Bangalore India and 430 jobs from Fisher and Paykel to Mexico announced today, a pattern is emerging. The race to the bottom has picked up speed. Companies are increasingly outsourcing their work to low wage economies,…
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Hmm, spot the difference in the headlines of two press releases out today: 'Fisher & Paykel Appliances Announces Global Manufacturing Strategy' 'Next Steps in ANZ National's business transformation' Cut out the weasel words and what is the net result 930 fewer jobs in New Zealand.…
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On Monday, I wrote 'Stay tuned for National's next assets policy, due out sometime next week.' It seems I miscalculated. Here's what Key had to say on asset sales today on newstalkzb: 'I'm going to go into an election with a group of policies and…
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Continuing our benefits theme, here's a look at how much the benefit system costs you. The figures are the combined expenditure by the Government on the Unemployment, Sickness, Invalids', and Domestic Purposes benefits per day per working age New Zealander, in 2007 dollars. Sources: MSD…
economy election 2008 john key labour national workers' rights
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The Maori Party is in an enviable position going into this year's election. It is likely Kingmaker, and the more seats it gets the more likely it will occupy that ground. Polls project the Maori Party to possibly win all seven Maori roll seats while…
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You may have seen the announcement that there are fewer than 20,000 now getting the unemployment benefit, down from 160,000 odd when Labour became government. And now there's news that there's been a drop of 13,000 of people receiving the DBP, since the introduction of…
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Why did National block Parliament from debating the Auckland Airport sale? Only last Friday, Key was 'fuming' over the Government's decision to prevent the sale, claiming it would be the end of foreign investment in New Zealand and cause a plague of boils to descend on…
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As you know, petrol and food prices are up. These are international prices spiralling up due to growing demand and limited or falling supply. When demand exceeds supply prices rise. Now, when food and petrol goes up, that's inflation. In fact it's most of the…
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Yesterday, Winston Peters said that in any deal with National he would require all National MPs to personally sign the agreement and that he wouldn't require the same conditions of Labour. That is an unprecedented demand and one that no leader could agree to without…
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Police have closed their investigation into the theft of e-mails from former National Party leader Dr Don Brash and have announced that they have been unsuccessful in identifying those responsible for the thefts. Despite Brash's ongoing insistence to the contrary, the police have said that…
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John Key's latest line is to whine that Labour and others (including this blog) are launching personal attacks on him, and would we please stop. Our attacks are not personal, they are political. National wants to be in control of the Government, control an operation…
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Our condolences to all those affected by the Mangatepopo Gorge canyoning tragedy.
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Mike Moreu provides insight into the art of turning news events into images - using as one example his latest piece on asset sales: "National continues to play it safe as John Key announces that his party has ruled out state asset sales at least…
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Word has it that the Press Council will tomorrow uphold the complaint laid against the New Zealand Herald by the Coalition for Open Government that the Herald's December 4 front-page editorial headed "Speak now or forever hold your peace in 2008" was misleading. The Herald's…
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This graph shows the number of people employed in New Zealand, and employment would have been had the number of people with a job as a portion of the working-age population had remained steady at 76% as it was before 1987. Look what happened during…
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Stuff reports that "Principals and teachers have savaged a National Party plan to increase funding for private schools, calling it a thinly disguised tax break for the rich." New Zealand Secondary Principals' Council chairman Arthur Graves called Key's proposal to increase funding to private schools…
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The Herald is really doing its best to help out National. Today it proclaims 'Key's wananga visit undoes Brash legacy'. That nice Mr Key has undone all the harm caused by that nasty old Dr Brash, we're meant to believe. But check the record. It…
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That's what the labour movement is all about: ensuring that people who want to work can find jobs and that they receive fair reward for their labour in decent conditions, so they can afford a good standard of living for themselves and their families. A…
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Just what you may have been waiting for: www.righttosmack.co.nz While we want the government to interfere with people's private activities to some small degree; (outlawing homosexuality, stopping abortions, abolishing civil unions, abolishing legalised prostitution, etc.) - we will not tolerate being told we cannot use…
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National's latest line is that interest rates have doubled under Labour, with the implication that National would magically lower inflation (while simultaneously pouring more money into the economy through lower surpluses) so rates would fall. But, as with so much National says, a quick look at…
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Jordan Carter's just posted a photo of what looks like nine EFA protesters having their say outside the Labour Party Congress on the weekend. Looks like there are two journalists and a cameraman in the shot too so if my maths is right that's a…
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A big thanks to Greens' co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimmons for participating in our 'Interview the leaders' series. Her answers provided an insight into how the Greens view themselves as influencing political culture as much as promoting specific policies. Our next leader is Prime Minister Helen Clark of Labour. The general question…