Indiana vote
Keep an eye on the Indiana US primary vote today. Trump has crushed all opposition and Bernie is going to pull off an upset win.
Update: Rumours that Cruz is dropping out of the race! Update: True – Cruz is gone.
REALITY TV UPDATE: Mark Weldon Wins NZ’s Biggest Loser.
MediaWorks CEO and mate of the PM, Mark Weldon, has quit his job. Is it too late to save MediaWorks? Should we care?
EDIT: Staff get in the champers shock!
Little’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill up today
And this time it might get through.
Key and McClay sorting out their lines
On the nobbled IRD tax haven review Key has been sorting out his lines. Then he had to feed McClay his. The concept of just telling the truth probably never occured to either of them.
The unfortunate case of the Overseas Investment Office handling of the purchase of a Taranaki Farm
They say in politics that a news story is good for the opposition/bad for the Government if it hits the media cycle two days in a row. If it appears for a third or a fourth day then it is a crisis and urgent action is required. Louise Upston’s handling of the OIO is clearly a crisis.
Open mike 04/05/2016
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Daily Review 03/05/2016
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The wheels on the bus go round and round
Key chucks his “lawyer” under a bus – Part 2.
National standards – a failed crusade
National told us “New Zealand elected a Government that promised to introduce national standards so that every single child could read, write, and do maths when they left school.”
Climate Change Change Pt 1: What are we waiting for?
Before government spending cuts there was The Riot for Austerity, a grass roots Climate Change movement that showed how it was possible for ordinary people to change and significantly reduce their carbon emissions without someone forcing them to.
Compass serves up very little tax
Radio New Zealand has reported that Compass, supplier of our substandard hospital food, appears to be taking steps to minimise the tax it pays locally.
We’re number one!
Open mike 03/05/2016
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Daily Review – 02/05/2016
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Maybe stop dropping it…
…the hot potato – stop dropping it. Maybe grow the fuck up and react intelligently to the blindingly obvious.
Key chucks his “lawyer” under a bus
Key has form on lying, you’d hope that his “lawyer” does not.
Budget month
National’s budgets are boring affairs, but they will be hoping for some distraction from current events.
Tax haven questions for National
The weekend saw the pressure stay on National over our tax haven status, and the role Key might have played in protecting it.
Open mike 02/05/2016
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Dunne concerned about “extremely damaging” tax haven label – years too late
Peter Dunne is concerned about the ‘extremely damaging’ tax haven label. Guyon Espiner points out that he used to call it ‘legitimate tax avoidance’.
Garner – government “missing in action”
Duncan Garner reckons the government is “missing in action” on housing. Similar pieces could be written about poverty, pollution, the rising debt, carbon emissions, the use of NZ as a tax haven, etc.
Open mike 01/05/2016
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Labour’s strong week – National and land sales to foreigners
Labour had a strong week this week with the disclosure of individuals behind a Mossack Fonseca related entity had criminal convictions for environmental damage forcing the OIO to review its original decision. Grant Robertson has correctly called for a full inquiry into the circumstances relating to the Government stopping a review of the Foreign Trust regime. And Phil Twyford has persuaded the OAG to rule that Housing New Zealand’s handling of parts of the housing sale process were sub standard.
Hilary Barry quits TV3 (for TVNZ?)
All the best to Hilary Barry in whatever she chooses next.
Who needs water anyway
Or waterways are starting to stink as much as our murky tax havens.
Open mike 30/04/2016
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Daily Review 29/04/2016
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Key’s Blind Trust vs Our Blind Faith
So Key’s lawyer reckons the PM directly requested that trust industry leaders lobby the Revenue Minister. On the other hand, PM DunnoKeyo reckons he did no such thing. That leaves some really big questions …
If you need a good laugh this morning
“Nick Smith reckons Akld housing’s more affordable now than before National came to power”
Grant Robertson: Full independent inquiry needed to save New Zealand’s reputation
Grant Robertson is calling for a full inquiry into circumstances surrounding the Government’s 2015 decision not to review the country’s foreign tax rules.
Mossack Fonseca bites National on the arse
John Key is facing some problems describing how a Mossack Fonseca company ended up owning a New Zealand farm and how after his lawyer asked the Government not to change the rules surrounding foreign trusts the Government moved to make sure that no rule change would occur.
Open mike 29/04/2016
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Talleys Jump the Shark!
The truly awful Talley’s group have just taken NZ employment relations back a century or two by trying to get the Employment Court to gag the Meat Workers Union. Talley’s regard freedom of speech as a breach of good faith. They also want the union’s Darien Fenton barred from doing her job. Is it too soon to take Sir Peter Talley’s knighthood away from him?
Daily Review 28/04/2016
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Little just visited NZ troops in Iraq
“Opposition Leader Andrew Little has visited New Zealand troops at Camp Taji, Iraq. Mr Little also met with Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled Al-Obedih and senior military officials from the Coalition forces in Iraq. He now heads to Jordan to see the unfolding refugee crisis first hand.”
Trade deficit worst in seven years
Add it to our record debt, our record pollution, our record housing unaffordability, our rising inequality, our terrible carbon emissions…