Caption contest
Keep it seemly …
Moira Coatsworth announces resignation
Labour Party president Moira Coatsworth has announced that she will stand down as Party President in December.
Democracy, Money and Power
The stage was long ago reached where members of the US Government were told they should “wear their sponsors logo’s on their shirts”.
Textses
rOb somewhat scooped me, but here’s my twitter round-up of the reaction to the PM’s office releasing the texts last night.
ImperatorFish: A statement from John Key
Apologise? What for? I’m not sorry for anything. I have done nothing wrong. It’s Phil Goff who should be apologising. It’s Phil Goff who should resign.
Submit today!
I/S at No Right Turn yesterday: “Yes, that’s right. An important bill with major human rights implications, and we have one day to speak up about it.” I/S supplies a submission guide to make it easy…
Open mike 27/11/2014
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Key’s repeated reflexive lies (and giving back double)
It is now clear that Key lies repeatedly and reflexively. It is all catching up with him. From the confusion of emails and texts that emerged last night it also looks like the Collins / Slater faction is back, and giving back double.
Dirty political money – why isn’t it illegal?
The Greens have released information that shows National having 77% of their donations in the last 3 years ($3.375 million) funnelled to them in non-public quite large donations. What are they providing for that? Well amongst other things it pays for sleazeballs like Jason Ede. But what legislation?
Scope
Yesterday’s 2 reports are even worse for what they managed to conclude inside their scope. What was outside their scope shows things even more interesting.
Cut the crap
Andrew Little invokes the phrase that is going to forever haunt our lying, denying and obfuscating PM.
Updated: Question time video of Little added, followed by John Key “lying, denying and obfuscating”.
Updated: General video of Little added – better in the house than expected. PM’s staff writing blogs for Cameron Slater
😈
A Breakdown.
There’s a lot of smash flying around concerning the SIS, the PM’s office, OIA requests, Judith Collin’s and what not. So here’s a simple, stripped back, breakdown
Honourable
A list of things that are apparently now Honourable, even if you didn’t undermine your SFO boss.
Only on Planet Key
John Key thinks that the finding by Cheryl Gwyn that his office helped Cameron Slater with his OIA request is “contested”. Who should we believe? Updated: Key will be asked this question this afternoon in Parliament.
Armstrong: Key’s Cynical Politics
Herald: The Key administration has plumbed new depths of arrogance and contempt for the notion of politicians being accountable for their actions, writes John Armstrong. Also: Andrea Vance
John Key vs the truth
Trying to dodge the fallout from the Gwyn report Key simply lies and refuses to accept the facts. He can’t get away with it. Can he?
Open mike 26/11/2014
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Key: I’m Lazy, Incompetent
Q&A with our fearless leader on his many reports.
NRT: Abuse of power: The OIA / public records dimension
Jason Ede deleted his personal emails. Some of those emails concerned ministerial business and should therefore are public records. There is a fine of $5000 per email destroyed. Similarly the SIS was illegally refusing media requests that are OIAs. All as dodgy as hell. Time to charge some people violating public information acts?
Chisholm enquiry whitewash
Calls for Key to resign
Calls for Key to resign, so far from Goff, Norman, and Plunket.
Gwyn report
The Gwyn report finds that the SIS failed to maintain political neutrality.
What did Key know and when did he know it?
Key will apologise to Slater but not Billingsley or Vance
John Key has apologised to Cameron Slater for releasing an email which details a campaign against a senior Public Servant.
Open mike 25/11/2014
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Gwyn Report to confirm dirty politics
What did Key know and when did he know it?
Polity: New Labour lineup: 8/10
Rob Salmond has a look at the new Labour lineup. “…a consistent display of clarity and unity and being on New Zealanders’ side is what is needed from Labour right now”. Gives it an 8 out of 10
Little announces Labour’s new front bench
Andrew Little has announced Labour’s new lineup.
National identity
A recent report from the Waitangi Tribunal questions the “constitutional” foundation of NZ and challenges the received wisdom of our history.
Open mike 24/11/2014
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Oh dear – National’s “white elephant” is still growing?
Public transport traffic in Auckland keeps growing by large 7.7% per year. Car traffic despite all of the motorway and roading improvements grew by just 2.3% in the whole period of 2006 and 2013 amongst commuters. But our current idiotic National transport minister wants more roads? And won’t let Aucklanders decide what they should do despite them voting with their AT Hop cards.
Tip of the iceberg
Looks like exploiting petrol station workers by docking their pay for circumstances beyond their control was just the tip of the iceberg of this kind of behaviour.
Open mike 23/11/2014
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Key in for the long term?
John Key’s election as chair of the International Democratic Union is significant. Key succeeds John Howard who has led the IDU for the past 12 years. Key’s acceptance signals that like four-time winner Howard, Key plans a long career as Prime Minister of New Zealand. This news should be a wake-up call for the Labour Party’s review of its election organisation and party structure.
End of the Internet Party?
Laila Harre has quit – end of the line for the Internet Party?
’81: knowing your position
Andrea Vance has written an informative article about Andrew Little. In it, among other things, we learn that Little remembers exactly which side he was on during the 1981 Springbok rugby tour.
Open mike 22/11/2014
Open mike is your post. The Standard is not a conspiracy – just a welcome outlet for the expression of views. Leaders that command respect will not be undermined by this. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …