Into hiding
The secret agenda scandal has reminded many people that, behind John Key’s smile, National’s leaders are still the same bunch who were cutting […]
Pulling the ladder up behind him
A lot of you won’t remember it but there was a time in this country when being on a benefit wasn’t seen as […]
Activist Workshop
I’ve been awfully remiss in not posting on this earlier. Transition Towns, a group dedicated to developing the skills needed for communities to […]
Petition: sign the Enforced Disappearance Convention
In December 2006, the United Nations adopted a major new human rights treaty, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from […]
Should the sins of the father be visited upon the children?
When the DPB was first proposed it had a very simple purpose, to allow mothers to leave abusive relationships, to allow them to […]
Wait, what’s working?
ENGLISH: So we’re sitting here saying the punters are keen to keep it. They’re facing a recession. The last thing we want is […]
Bill’s big wink
‘No ifs, no buts, no maybes’ – that’s the phrase Bill English chose to use when denying he had any intentions of launching […]
Cartoon: Attacking the poor
The Child Poverty Action Group thinks that National’s welfare policy is likely to hurt vulnerable children.
Gordon Campbell on Nats’ welfare plan
Dog whistle politics to some, beneficiary bashing to others. But is there logic to National’s policy on benefits? Gordon Campbell asks: Will John Key’s policy […]
I do a lot of work for charity, but I don’t like to talk about it
Many New Zealand politicians give away a large portion of their salaries to needy causes but they don’t make a song and dance […]
Sensitive about security
National activist/advisor Matthew Hooton on Nine to Noon: ‘the National Party leadership group is very sensitive about security. They look at the last […]
Nats bashing on solo mums
Wonder of wonders, the Nats’ benefits policy has an 11 page document attached to it. Oh, wait, it’s mostly just stats ripped from […]
3 more points on the secret agenda tapes
1) A secret agenda is not something that people talk about in public or when they know the information will get to the […]
Ambitious for beneficiary-bashing
That nice man, Mr Key, the one who says the old Left/Right divide is over, that he’s a new man with a new […]
Policies for the wrong time (again)
We’ve heard a lot about the ‘private’ opinions of some senior National MP’s this week. What we haven’t heard much about is the […]
Giving with one hand, taking with the other
I’ve gotta admit feeling a little bit sorry for Key over the story of his offer to donate “a good part” of his […]
A hard place
Kudos to Crosby Textor for doing such a good job of changing the secret agenda debate to the issue of who taped the […]
Semantics
The SST reports that English says that he will “never” challenge Key for the leadership. Yet I’m told that over the past couple […]
Once too often
Last week Colin James wrote that behind National’s one-page wonder policies there was actually a substantive body of work. The publicly-released work rights […]
Point of debate
If most people knew as much as politics, economics, and how this country is run as they do about sport, the result would be […]
Desperate Nats reduced to bounties and bribery
When there’s a strike on, it’s common practice for bosses to offer individual workers a bonus payment to scab on their comrades and […]
On botox and pet grooming
Pansy Wong’s supposed outrage over ACC “shelling out $750,000 for staff to indulge in day spas, manicures, and botox” has nothing to do […]
When you smile….
Hitting the email circuit is a video on the leaks within the National party over the Hollow Men.
The Standard Week: August 1-8
What a week. National has been in meltdown over the secret recordings. Bill English’s incredible initial reaction seemed like the launch of a […]
Key-nesian economics
I’m really starting to wonder why it’s the worst academics who seem to get the most media, Maybe it’s because the good ones […]
Quote of the week
Maybe we should take submissions in the comments but my vote’s with Michael Cullen’s assertion from the House yesterday that the leaked tapes […]
It’s about principle
The clamour for ‘policy’ from National is actually a slight misnomer. What Kiwis want to know is the principles that National stands for […]
Cui bono?
So, who stands to gain from National borrowing $5 billion if it becomes the Government? Ultimately, the people who lend the money are […]
Academic, youse are paid too much
Professor John Gibson from Waikato University says public servants should be paid less because they get paid more than their private sector equivalents […]
Gordon Campbell on the ethics of taping politicians
You’d be hard pressed to have missed the story on what some National MPs have been caught saying behind closed doors. We’ve seen discussions over the […]
Unemployment to 3.9%
Unemployment rose again last quarter but remains under 4%. It has now been under 4% for 16 of the last 17 quarters. Interestingly, […]
Break-in
This just in from Radio NZ: Police are investigating a break-in at the electorate office of a senior Labour MP, David Cunliffe, in […]
English calls for own resignation
A reader has alerted us to this article from the NZ Herald where Bill English explains why he should resign or be sacked […]
Honeymoon. Over.
Here’s Close Up from last and Mike Hosking giving John Key an absolute bollocking. Key tries to run Crosby Textor’s new lines: “dirty […]
Nats, have some pride in what you believe
So, now we know that three National frontbenchers were recorded talking about a secret agenda at the cocktail do last Friday. Think about […]
The National Party Old Boys’ Club
Tane’s made the point before but it’s worth making again: National may have a new frontman but at its core is largely unchanged […]