Step-dad state gets it right
The principle of liberalism is that there should be no restriction on the freedoms of the individual except to realise a greater benefit […]
DPF agrees, cancelling Cullen Fund rips off NZ
DPF writes on the cost of cancelling contributions to the Cullen Fund: First of all, it is true that under the 11 year […]
Tip of the spear
You’ve done your job as a spin doctor when journalists start repeating your spin sub-consciously. The credit downgrade ‘issue’ is a great example. […]
Rhetoric and reality
Tax cuts are the right wing’s favourite answer to every question. Before the election, National were promising us that tax cuts were the […]
Journalists not falling for Nats’ $8 billion con-job
This part of Vernon Small’s article today deserves an extended quote: “The numbers are stark. If full payments resume in 2020, contributions will […]
Sweet rides
A few weeks back, in the best traditions of tabloid TV, Q+A took time to mention Lockwood’s ride, the macho muscle car Ford […]
The $8 billion robbery
On Q+A this morning Guyon Espiner interviewed Bill English. Guyon had received papers from a treasury official that apparently show the cost of […]
The best part of The Onion
Is the fake editorial cartoons. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between them and the Herald’s:
Turei new greens leader
Metiria Turei has been elected at the Green Party National conference to replace Jeanette Fitzsimons are female co-leader. Her election is no real […]
Time for a change
Remember that month when John Armstrong was away when up and comers like Patrick Gower and Eloise Gibson were getting to write pieces on […]
Future shock
Yesterday, my comrade Zetetic wrote that despite all the bad stuff in the Budget there was still a “meta-victory” for the Left because […]
Is this Rodney?
From Darren Watson.. For those who don’t follow Star-trek, click the image.
Caption Competition
The man in the mirror
The Budget is already costing jobs. AirNZ has announced that it will be cutting flights. 80 jobs will go. The EPMU has […]
Government waste
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth from the right when Labour and the Greens filibustered the other week to draw the […]
Quote competition
So, in the light of yesterday’s budget, I propose a quote competition. Post your favourite Nat quotes! We could start with two categories. […]
The battle and the war
It’s a bleak budget alright. No jobs package. That’s scandalous dereliction of duty. The 70,000-100,000 people who will loss their jobs this year […]
The Dishonest Budget
Thanks to a reader, here’s Phil Goff’s speech in reply to the Budget. Looks like they’ve ripped the Herald’s version, so for the […]
No great expectations, but what a bleak house
Listening to Bill English’s budget speech, I was reminded of Dickens’ description of Scrooge: “The cold within him froze his features, nipped his pointed […]
No credit rating upgrade
Journalists around the country seem to think (even the learned ones) that the budget has brought about a credit ratings upgrade. Not true. […]
No super contributions = worse net debt
I’ve had a dig into Treasury’s numbers and worked out that they expect the Superannuation Fund will make a 13% return next year, […]
Mission accomplished
John Key famously said “we would love to see wages drop“. It sure didn’t take him long in government to see his ambition achieved. […]
Here we go again
In the 1990’s the National government of the day dealt with recession by cutting spending. The tragic result was to suck cash out […]
Bleak and bleaker
Treasury’s main forecasts for the economy have worsened significantly since December: Nothing for jobs in the Budget. Tens of thousands more on the […]
The black budget report
This post will be updated by the Standardistas as the details of the Budget come out. If you have special knowledge of a […]
Drinking Liberally Wgtn – tonight
Apologies for the late notice – Drinking Liberally Wellington is on tonight with guest Rob Salmond. Usual time, usual place. From the Facebook […]
The Debt Bogey Returns
Seems this op-ed was off-message for one of our larger media outlets, we’re happy to run it: _______________________________________ Alan Blinder, Professor of Public […]
Broken promises
National have already broken lots of pre-election promises and policies. Their policy to consult on local government and Auckland has been contemptuously ignored. […]
If everything goes well..
Good politics is meeting or exceeding expectations. Good spin is setting expectations. Key and English have put a lot of effort into setting […]
English and Key uncertain of Budget’s focus
If there was ever a phrase that this Government keeps reminding me of, it’s “couldn’t organize a piss-up in a brewery”. Today, on […]
Budget previews: the good, the bad, and the ugly
As well as the usual pre-Budget announcements there have been a number of leaks. A quick review: Good Home insulation package: this is […]
History repeats for Mark Thomas
The irony is that Melissa Lee’s campaign manager, Mark Thomas, is no stranger to campaigns that start off with a hiss and a […]
What we need in the Budget
We need to keep paying into the Superannuation Fund. Never heard anything so dumb as the idea of stopping making payments right now. […]
Minima
One of the oldest tricks in the book for a government that’s cutting public services is to say ‘we’re not cutting, we’re spending […]
Vote Yes slideshow
Referendum 2009 – Unicef NZ The Vote Yes campaign is about preserving s59 of the Cirmes Act, which gives children the same right […]
Pigs
It’s good to see Green MP Sue Kedgley calling on John Key to personally fix the abuse of pigs in sow crates. The […]