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Rod Oram can nearly always be relied upon for insightful analysis that takes debate a step further. In the SSTimes today he asks: "are we being realistic about the current state of the nation? Each person will have his or her own view. But if,…
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The phrase "subprime" seems to have become part of our universal vocabulary - reflecting global uncertainty, events beyond our control, and financial complexities. A subject of great importance and seriousness - until I saw this clip from Bird and Fortune...perfect Sunday viewing.
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I read with interest the NZ Herald's "In Search of John Key". I know at least some commentors on this blog have questioned our continued examination of the National party leader - so it was reassuring to see the Herald statement that "he remains relatively…
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We've said this before but, seeing as BNZ chief economist Tony Alexander is in the Herald this morning saying 'the October 1 tax cuts won't cover inflation', it's worth restating: tax cuts are not and can not be the method by which people's incomes are…
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It's 4.45 on a Friday afternoon and National has just released its Outdoor Recreation policy. It's another one page wonder, only this time they haven't even managed to fill the page. But that's not what interests me. What interests me is the manner in which…
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Finally, policy. National has two policies which, by all rights, ought to be election losers: the 90 day no rights policy and the privatisation of ACC policy. If any proof were needed that Key's self-definition as a moderate is just a facade for the same…
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Unlike some of our counterparts, the Standardistas aren't into vanity posts. So, in this clip from TVNZ7's Back Benches on Wednesday, ignore who's asking the question and watch National's Chris Tremain try to justify his party's ACC policy. Reaches for his cliches but they don't…
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A universal student allowance of $350 isn't going to happen. It's too expensive and would bar major new spending in any other area. But more relief from debt would be welcome. There's an increasing recognition that student loans are locking young people out of the…
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Good piece in the Herald yesterday (and the Dom Post the day before) from PSA national sec Richard Wagstaff critiquing ANZ National chief economist Cameron Bagrie's woeful report on public sector 'waste'. Wagstaff takes aim at the underlying assumptions of the report about 'productive' versus…
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Part of the Crosby/Textor MO is to avoid any hard questioning or real investigative journalism from the media. Step one in this process is be matey with journos. They're people too and they can fall for charm. When that fails and something embarrassing comes out,…
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Over at Kiwiblog David Farrar has found an amusing error made by the Herald online in its politics section which has listed several stories from 1999 as current. Good for a laugh I thought and so I had a look. Two stories in particular got…
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National's ACC privatisation policy is another of its one page wonders (this time with three page backgrounder skimming the history of ACC and restating the policy in longer sentences with no more detail). In the policy documents and in the interviews by National and its…
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John Key tries to reassure us that National's policy to privatise ACC would keep the scheme's principles intact. Here's how he defined those principles on Radio Live: 'no fault, 24 hour, no fault, blah, blah, blah." Sorry, but that doesn't fill me with confidence in…
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The Council of Trade Unions has put out a detailed, devastating critique of each of National's arguments for privatising ACC. I've copied it in full below: National Party: 'National will: • Investigate opening the Work Account to competition. • Conduct a full stock-take of the…
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Francesca Mold on National's ACC announcment: 'What's interesting is the way they've put this out under the radar, perhaps showing how sensitive they are to how voters might react. And they've done that with a number of policies recently. Although, I have to say, it's…
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National says its ACC policy will provide ‘choice' on accident compensation, but choice for who? Employers will be able to choose between a variety of competing (mostly private) insurers, but for the likes of you and me we'll have to take what we're given and…
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National is calling on Helen Clark to investigate alleged donations by Owen Glenn to New Zealand First (which, if they happened, were perfectly legal). Consider what that means: National is advocating for the leader of a political party to be able to delve into the…
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The biggest protests during this term of Parliament were against National's 90 Day Bill when it came up as a private members' bill. In protests all over the country, over ten thousand workers turned out to oppose having their rights stripped. The Bill was defeated but…
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National has confirmed it intends to privatise the ACC scheme starting with opening the work account to private competition. This would see private insurers cream off large and low-risk employers with special deals, leaving the taxpayer to shoulder the burden of the rest (which would,…
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This morning on Sunrise, John Key said "wage inflation" is a problem causing inflation and needs to be reduced. Wage inflation is a businessman's way of saying pay increases. John Key opposes Kiwis getting the pay increases they need to cover the rising cost of…
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So National has adopted Labour's arts, culture and heritage policy essentially unchanged. Good. The flourishing of New Zealand's arts and culture we've seen over the last eight and a half years hasn't come about by chance, it's been fostered by generous and targeted funding to…
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A front page story on Stuff at the moment is about a woman who systematically beat her child and has been successfully prosecuted and placed on home detention. According to the story the Tauranga mother's initial excuse was that she was disciplining her child: When…
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Some people don't seem to understand that being of the Left does not mean being soley allied to Labour or the Greens or the Progressives. It means fundamentally holding beliefs that are fundamentally also held by Labour, the Greens, and the Progressives, a common thread…
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[more 'Tom The Dancing Bug' comics here]
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Every Wednesday, John Key does his round of interviews. Breakfast TV makes a nice soft start with interviews on Breakfast then Sunrise. Then he's on KiwiFM with Wammo and bFM with Mikey Havoc, neither of whom are political specialists but are increasingly asking good questions.…
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Why does National want to remove the right of workers to appeal against unjustifiable dismissal in the first 90 days of employment? The reason National gives us is that workers having the right to sue for unjustified dismissal has a chilling effect on small businesses.…
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Jordan Carter posted a month or so back (a little controversially) on how much easier life might be for some on the left if they didn't believe it was necessary to give due moral regard to others - selfishness certainly seems simpler. New research suggests…
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A reader just alerted us to the fact that Tearaway's latest issue features a piece on election '08. Gotta love the question about what each leader would do with a billion dollars. Damn, where are C/T when you need 'em...? (Click the image for a…
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Inflation was 1.6% in the last quarter, 4% annually, the highest in 13 years. Petrol is driving inflation. By itself petrol accounted for a 1.2% increase. Food is the other big increase, also accounting for a 1.2% and that is itself being driven by international…