This afternoon Kim Dotcom is making a submission to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee, which is chaired by John Key (starting 3:30pm). 3 News is livestreaming the session. Update: Apparently Dotcom is scheduled for 5pm. Update: Apparently his time has been cut down to…
Key is clearly getting nervous about the implosion of his possible electoral partners in 2014. He's running the "largest party has a moral mandate to govern line" again: Nats look to 2014 governing options Prime Minister John Key is mulling his options to form a…
Yesterday, hearings began on on the Bill amending the regulations related to the GCSB and surveillance. John Key showed complete disdain for the process by failing to ask questions and only intervening to hurry people along. There are good reasons to amend the regulations governing…
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This press release from Brownlee is a truly nauseating effort: Urgency moved with regret Leader of the House Gerry Brownlee says the Government regrets the need to put Parliament into urgency this afternoon, saying his preference was for legislation that will be covered under urgency…
Good to see that Key is so keenly focused on what matters: Weekly press conferences will show PM in new light Prime Minister John Key is buffing up his television image with a not-so-subtle revamp of the ''look'' of his weekly press conferences. The number…
The simmering leadership struggle in the National party doesn't get a lot of attention in the mainstream media, but here's an exception: Deputy PM more popular than heirs apparent Steven Joyce and Judith Collins may be involved in an unofficial leadership contest within National to…
Key's enquiry into the GCSB report leak appears to have broken the law. He doesn't give a damn. What a clear and timely example of exactly why Key and the GCSB can't be trusted with further powers. "Nothing to hide nothing to fear" my arse.…
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Sharples has resigned as Maori Party co-leader. He's leaving politics next year. Flavell will become co-leader, I guess. But who really cares about internal Maori Party stuff? That party's dead. Rightly so for betraying its people. What's more important is how shaky the government's getting.…
What is it about Simon Bridges and the truth? If he's not lying about employment law, or fibbing about talking to the ILO, he's misleading select committee over what he was told by forestry workers when he went out to talk health and safety. According…
Over 30,000 aged care workers and tens of thousands of other low paid women workers are awaiting the decision of the Employment Court in relation to an Equal Pay Case heard this week. The Court was hearing a case brought by the Service and Food…
Generation Zero are a youth-led organisation who see climate change as their problem. They see zero fossil fuel use as 100% Possible in a sustainable Aotearoa. So they're holding a nationwide speaking tour about it - asking "What's the holdup?" on climate change action.…
National governments always bungle education. So when sometimes they realise the mess that they've made, I really don't know whether to laugh or cry: Parata: tertiary focus skewed New Zealand is in danger of experiencing a shortage of skilled tradespeople with so much focus on…
There's a lot of talk about a reunification of the Mana and Maori Parties after the Ikaroa-Rawhiti result. The claim that, because the Mana and Maori candidates' joint total was higher than Labour's, they could have won the seat if they were united is, of…
Gotta love the reporting of the Ikaroa-Rawhiti by election. Here for example is John Armstrong: Little joy for Labour, worse news for Maori parties No good news for the parties that came first, second and third then? Ummm - how did National do exactly John…
There was a big fanfare about John Key's u-turn embrace of the Auckland City Rail Link. But, as usual with dear leader, it was all smoke, mirrors and sleight of hand stealth of the common good. The construction of the Central Rail Link is so…
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