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PMs and dictators
While I might not put it quite as vividly as Zetetic, I certainly agree that Carter was very foolish to post anything comparing Key to a dictator. That sort of tactic is National Party territory, we don't want to go there:
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Chris Carter you dick
I'm not sure if my fellow writers would put it like this. But I'm sure they agree with my sentiment when I say- Chris Carter you utter tool. Shut the hell up and go away. Here's a list of your achievements in the last four…
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Fart tax Mk II – they fart we pay
I've thought for some time that some of the best political writing in the Herald is to be found on the business pages. Here is a taste of Brian Fallow on the Emissions Trading Bill, currently being rushed through Parliament with scant regard to submitters.…
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Roy joins in Hide’s Breakfast-gate scam
Question Time and media reports have revealed more on Hide's ministerial-speeches-for-party-donations scam (as you know, every political scandal needs a '-gate'. I like Breakfast-gate). Hon Annette King: Does he expect all his Ministers to comply with paragraph 2.54 of the Cabinet Manual, which states: 'accepting additional payment for…
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National announces ACC privatisation
National is going to privatise ACC. As part of the deal for support on its ACC cuts and levy hikes from the Maori Party and ACT, it will be privatising ACC's Work Account (the part paid by employers for workplace accidents). First, there will be…
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Wee gripes: As Kiwi as shrimps on the barbie
I love the ASB ads saying "We've been a Kiwi bank since 1847" No. You were a Kiwi bank. Since 1989 you've been owned by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Also, what's up with calling themselves ASB Bank? Auckland Savings Bank Bank?
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ACC deja vous
Here we go again. July 1st 1999 and Prime Minister Jenny Shipley opens ACC to competition. I'd forgotten it was one of the last things they did, the effects on workers and the whole bullying culture of ACC seemed to go on and on... Modern…
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Reflections on the ERA
There's been a fair bit of coverage of John Key's use of the CTU conference to divide and rule over wages and announce he'll be making it even easier for employers to sack people without going through the proper process, but it was this statement…
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Chopper chops science education
National's Anne Tolley, our education minister who thought that taking a 'helicopter view' of something meant taking a ride in a chopper, is cutting education resources so we can have an additional measure of how well kids are learning. $10 million is being taken out…
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The moral centre
I thought I would take the time to point out this excellent article by Tapu Misa. It has gone with out saying that the emotional and intellectual centre of the Labour movement in New Zealand, from Wally Nash, the welfare state and the first Labour…
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What really wins elections
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Hide falls foul of Cabinet Manual
The Cabinet Manual details the basic expectations of ministerial conduct. It is not law but it would be highly irregular for a minister to breach the Manual and keep their job. And, unlike the law, just because something is not expressly banned does not mean it's OK.…
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Govt tax advisor told Westpac how to cheat on taxes
John Shewan is a member of the Government's Tax Working Group. A decade ago he was advising Westpac what minimal amount of tax it should pay to avoid arousing IRD's suspicion as it perpetrated the single biggest tax rip off in New Zealand history. Here's…
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More dodgy fundraising by ACT
The ever industrious No Right Turn has turned up more dodgy fundraising practices by ACT. Last month, three ACT MPs held what was billed as "a forum" on "the hard questions - and some answers" at the plush Mecure Leisure Lodge in Dunedin. Three strikes,…
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Key’s divide and rule to cut wages
John Key says that if school support staff want pay-rises then teachers should sacrifice the ones they bargained for. Tell him to get stuffed. I don't see him and his rich mates handing back the hundreds of dollars a week each in tax-cuts that National gave. I…
capitalism john key national/act government same old national Unions wages workers' rights
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Hide flounders in effort to cover corruption
Rodney Hide was always going to go one of two ways to try to excuse his corrupt abuse of office. Remember the facts: Hide is Local Government Minister. He will be speaking at a breakfast on Local Government issues. The breakfast is called 'The Future…
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Open mike 22/10/09
We're trying a daily "Open mike". This is a place for anyone to post comments on topics that might be of interest, and for any discussion following up on the comments. Over to you...
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Clueless on ACE
Night classes Adult and Community Education (ACE). An incredibly cost effective and valuable part of the NZ education sector for decades. The ACE budget has been eviscerated by National, cut from $16m to $3m. Effectively a death blow, most of the infrastructure and expertise will…
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Turia on ACC
Here's Tariana Turia on Q&A last Sunday, responding to a question from Guyon Espiner about National's plans for ACC: I'm very concerned and one of the reasons why I'm really concerned is that there's been a lot of talk about privatising the work account. Now…
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Who is John Key?
OK, so this might be only slightly more intellectual than the usual quality of political analysis in our msm, and obviously it could never match the informative value of asking which politician would help an old lady across the street, but a few days back…
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John Key at CTU conference
Heard over the lunch time news that John Key was the keynote (oh how he must never tire of that) speaker at the CTU Biennial Conference this afternoon. A quick flick through the programme that had crossed my desk some weeks ago showed this to…
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Labour Day, a time to celebrate
Next Monday, you have a paid day off. Do you know why? Because workers organised themselves into unions and fought for better pay and conditions, starting with an 8-hour day. Labour Day is both a product of those achievements and a chance to celebrate them. The…
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Battle to keep MMP set to heat up
It's a pretty special situation where you get praise just for not cheating but John Armstrong heaps it on Simon Power today. Power has gone with the only acceptable structure for a vote on MMP. A two-stage decision where we first decide whether we want…
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Maori Party supports foreign business over working Maori
It is a reflection of the schizophrenic nature of the Maori Party that one day they're professing to care about poor Maori who are apparently missing out on their ACC entitlements and the next day they're backing privatisation of ACC, which would lead to even…
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The invisible hand gets frisky
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Hide’s invitation to corrupt fundraiser
Click here for a PDF of Local Government Minister Rodney Hide's invitation to local government stakeholders to a breakfast speech titled "The Future of Local Government". This speech by the Minister to stakeholders is doubling as an ACT fundraiser. If you want to hear your Minister…
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Hide’s corrupt abuse of office
Another government minister has been caught in corrupt behaviour, and this is arguably the worst of the lot. Rodney Hide is speaking at a breakfast in Christchurch next month. He will be speaking as minister and on his portfolio - Local Government. Local government officials…
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Open mike 21/10/09
We're trying a daily "Open mike". This is a place for anyone to post comments on topics that might be of interest, and for any discussion following up on the comments. Over to you...
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EMA busts another privatisation myth
When asked to explain why they want to start privatising a world-leading institution like ACC, National and ACT tend to fall back on the excuse that it will somehow lead to lower ACC premiums. Of course, the international experience and every independent report that's been…
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Another day, another sell-out
The Maori Party has decided it will support National's changes to ACC despite Tariana Turia just two days ago saying she was "very concerned" about those changes. Here's their explanation for their latest flip-flop: "We know that Maori have consistently had less access to ACC…