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As the National Party concentrated on its own political health with yet another policy u-turn inoculation, this time on the need for an airforce combat wing, Health Minister Pete Hodgson had some good news for the health of under-sixes.
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Headline in today's Dompost "Labour blamed for edgy market". Yes, the perpetually grumpy business community are blaming Labour for the unsettling volatility of the economy, interest rate rises and the drop in the dollar. Seeing as Michael Cullen has been personally liable for the horrifically…
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Hone Harawira hits the nail on the head in this interview on 'Sunday': "Well, you know, the strange this is that everybody calls her Auntie Helen but I can't see anybody calling that fella Uncle John. He's a smiling snake. That's how I see John…
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In the Weekend Herald today, Fran O'Sullivan opines: "By drawing out his opponents before they even noticed Key was using the type of classic defensive move that would be natural to a high stakes foreign exchange trader". If she's right she may have identified a…
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Well surprise, surprise, National Party blogger David Farrar has joined in the disgraceful right-wing smear campaign currently being conducted against AUT's curriculum leader for journalism, Dr Martin Hirst. You'll have to forgive me if I find this all a little ironic given Farrar's carefully scripted…
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Today in the Dom: Tracy Watkins gets National Party blogger David Farrar to coauthor share his views in an article on the Electoral Finance Bill. The Nats are campaigning hard against changes to the Act. You would too if you had as much to lose.…
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Has anyone else noticed John Key's tendency to drift into Parseltongue when he's under pressure? From his Radio New Zealand interview on the 24th: "Um, in terms of the things where the companies were registered, my lawyer actually does those things and you know, he…
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This blog offers up many opinions, but here's a fact. John Key said in 2003 to the Rodney Times "New Zealand troops should be alongside their British and United States allies as they continue their invasion of Iraq". Here's another fact. George W Bush would…
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One of the worrying trends in industrial relations in recent times has been employers' rediscovery of the lockout as a tool to break the power of organised labour and drive down wages. This is an extreme weapon, designed to starve the workforce into submitting to…
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John can't seem to get his story straight (again). Since he claims to support the concept of 'one law for all' let's start with that. Under the Electoral Act you can reside in one place only. Under the Companies Act you cannot make a statement…
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The thought of losing his seat must be making John Howard desperate. It's been revealed that he's recently met with senior Exclusive Brethren officials including one who is being investigated by Federal Police over the funding of pro-government advertising. For a group of people who…
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Seems John Key's not the only politician who's had his previous statements on Iraq come back to bite him recently. Here's Dick Cheney in 1994 explaining why the invasion and occupation of Iraq would not be the smartest course of action and would quickly become,…
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Contrary to what the National Party would have us believe, restricting inmates' use of phones in prisons has always been a bit of a problem. Presumably the rise in the availability of mobile phones coupled with their shrinking size has made the job of controlling…
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Further to ZKM's post below it really was a great article last week from Chris Trotter on John Key's weak National Party conference speech that asserts: A disastrous speech to the National Party conference puts an end to John Key's honeymoon with the voters. I…
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Somebody pointed out recently that the Dominion Post, while continuing to run opinion pieces by Richard Long following the fallout from The Hollow Men, has stopped signaling his obvious bias. To his column, they used to add: "Richard Long is a former Chief of Staff…
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Don't ever underestimate a wounded National leader. John Key is smarting over his National Party Conference Speech. What's his problem? To begin, he's not happy that few people, even the party faithful at conference, didn't buy into his rewriting of New Zealand's political history. Here's…
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For those who asked for them here are the conflicting quotes from John on climate change. As Goff points out in the video below, Key's now on record as flip-flopping on two of the biggest issues facing the world today: Iraq and climate change. Key…
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Chris Trotter's article last week in the Independent is worth a read & when I find a link I'll provide it. Trotter says that John Key's disastrous speech to the National Party Conference puts an end to Key's honeymoon with the voters. It's worse than…
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John Key is not a good golfer, at least not in my imaginings. Lovely practice swings, but very, very, poor execution. "Just a big showpony" muttered one of the playing party after just a short time on the course. Bill English, on the other hand…
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Use your imagination for a moment; John Key playing a round of golf with some new mates. Well, the first time we did this was on the lush fairways of the Helensville Golf Club. He introduced himself with a firm handshake and impressed everyone with…
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Ian Templeton, doyen of the parliamentary press gallery, was on Close-up this evening talking about the extraordinary 50 years that he's been getting up close and personal with politicians. Interesting that he named Helen Clark as the best of the bunch of the dozen or…
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"New Zealand troops should be alongside their British and United States allies as they continue their invasion of Iraq" ... "Blood is thicker than water... we have to look to the future, and that isn't with some Franco-German coalition" (Rodney Times, 2003) But then the…