Liar
Nearly 60% of New Zealanders think John Key is a liar according to the latest Fairfax-Ipsos poll. That shouldn’t be surprising given the number of times he’s been caught out being less than honest
john key
GCSB Bill to be debated today
The GCSB bill is due to be debated in Parliament this afternoon. It appears that the Government will have the numbers to pass the Bill but what will be of interest will be the linguistic somersaults Key will engage in to show why he should be allowed to strongly defend his own rights of privacy but trash Andrea Vance’s rights and Dunne will engage in to show that there is a principle at stake when he protects his rights of privacy but there is no need to protect our rights of privacy if the price is right.
Key throws Thorn to the wolves
In a desperate move to stop the spygate political scandal from reaching into National’s machine, Key has thrown Parliamentary Services head, Geoff Thorn, to the wolves (if you think he jumped I’ve got a bridge you may be interested in buying).
GCSB Bill opposition heats up
The stop the GCSB Bill meeting in Auckland last night was well attended and had a series of high quality presentations made. A series of protests are planned for this weekend. Momentum is building …
John Key threatens Human Rights Commission funding
John Key has criticised the Human Rights Commission for not submitting on time about the GCSB bill. But he fails to understand that the HRC has the obligation to report to him any time a bill may affect human rights. And to compound things he has made a veiled threat about the HRC’s funding.
Is the Government bailing out Solid Energy using the Future Investment Fund or not?
The Government is planning to spend up to $100 million from the sale of one SOE, Mighty River Power, to prop up another SOE, Solid Energy. And the Prime Minister thinks one day that it definitely isn’t and the next day it may but it probably won’t and it is all too complex. Confused?
Who represents who
The Herald is reporting that the SkyCity deal to increase human misery pokie machines in exchange for a white elephant convention center was done at 8pm this evening.
Nothing moderate about National’s employment changes
There is nothing ‘moderate’ about pushing policy that increases the power of the powerful and reduces the power of those dependent on them for a living, says the EPMU’s Rachel Mackintosh.
National’s employment changes will drive wages down and increase insecurity and poverty in this country.
Yup.
It’s how they roll…
Giving the game away
Aaron Gilmore, eh? He’s clearly finished in the National Party. Not for the view he expressed when he threatened to get a young waiter sacked, but because by doing so he’s lifted the veil on the carefully covered elitism that drives the national party’s agenda.
Weapons of mass distraction
I knew John Key was getting desperate, but really?
Weapons of Mass Destruction?
How stupid does he think we are?
“Privacy assured!” Politics, the police & surveillance
Public trust in the police is at a new low. But what of the trust in our government? How much collusion is there between the police, government, spy agencies and foreign governments? However, citizens are also using the technologies of the surveillance society to hold the government and state authorities to account.
‘What crisis?’ Rudderless ship, stormy seas
There is ample evidence of a deep and lasting crisis, but in the delusional world of Planet Key it doesn’t exist. The EPMU Job Crisis Summit opened a much needed conversation. Russel Norman likened the New Zealand economy to a rudderless sailing ship In Stormy Seas. Will the summit be the start of a sea change for NZ?
Selling New Zealand: 100% Muddle-Urf
Why is John Key backing the flagging tourist industry as a major export earner for NZ’s future? His trip to Hollywood was partly about using the Hobbit to promote NZ as a tourist destination. Why is the government so fixated on attracting more US tourists?
Hollywood Rules
In another slippery John Key u-turn, after his mission to Hollywood ‘sweeteners’ are now on the table. Key is bending over to let US-based conglomerates extend their dominance in NZ, in support of their own interests and values.
Of Hollywood, Hobbits & NZ-US politics: Episode II
As Key heads off to the US to promote the NZ film industry, I look back at the Hobbit union-busting case and the issues it raised. Will Key’s latest mission to Hollywood, boost the economy, increase jobs and provide benefits to the NZ film industry? Or will it actually undermine the NZ’s economy and democracy, further Americanising NZ’s culture along with it?
Why was GCSB spying on Dotcom? Big business is watching you!
Kim Dotcom was arrested on charges related to copyright infringement, not national security or “terrorism”. There is a worrying trend that the GCSB is part of an international security networks that have shifted from their original mission related to national security and is providing support to corporate interests.
I’d love to see wages drop
Remember when John Key said he’d love to see wages drop? Yep? How about when Bill English claimed our low wages were our competitive advantage. Uh-huh.
Well the changes they’re bringing in to undermine working Kiwis’ bargaining power will do exactly that.
Compulsory vaccination for shareholders’ children
In a shock new announcement the Prime Minister has confirmed recipients of corporate welfare will be forced to vaccinate their children.
Nat’s sell Kiwis out for their mates (again)
Remember way back when the government were changing the law to take rights off film workers and increase tax breaks for Warners? It was all about keeping Kiwi jobs they said.
Well it turns out that at the same time they were doing this they were also making promises to Peter Jackson that those Kiwi jobs would be given to imported workers.
Key’s vicious cycle
If anything has marked John Key’s tenure as PM it’s his use of his personal brand to run his cabinet.
But what happens to his control as that brand runs out of steam?
Collins’ last stand
It looks like Collin’s has got herself into a bind with her defamation case and Key’s not gonna get her out.
And why would he? Her flailing offers an excellent distraction from the real PR damage of this dispute – the fact his government is only interested in looking after its mates.
Key people
The people named as Bronwyn Pullar’s support team seem to be the same people that helped John Key into the National Party and then into the leadership.
Like they say – it’s not what you know…
What a jerk
After months of attacking the media and bringing the weight of the state against a freelance cameraman, John Key is “turning the other cheek”.
What a jerk
John Key and POAL
With the house due to sit in a couple of weeks John Key’s people will be weighing up their response to the POAL dispute.
My guess is they’ll base their decision on what they can get away with politically.
Whatever they do it’ll be no good for the port workers and certainly no good for Key’s goal of closing the wage gap with Australia.
3 more years of this
On Breakfast this morning, John Key said that losing a confidence vote “by definition, constitutionally means a snap election”. No. If a government loses the House’s support, then another one can be formed that does have Parliament’s support. Only if that cannot happen is there an election. Key has been PM for 3 years. He should know the basics.
The puppet Act
Funny how John Banks has got so much more out of his coalition deal with National than Peter Dunne did despite Dunne having more leverage than Banksie.
It’s almost like National wanted to pack all of their hard right policy into Act’s deal so they could employ it without dirtying themselves.
Keeping the help in line
Keeping up brand Key means keeping the help in line.
Just pity the poor buggers that have to help hold that facade up.
A police recruitment freeze?
Phil Goff broke news of the Nat’s plan to freeze police recruitment but keep it quiet until after the election.
That policy’s at odds with some fundamental Nat claims.
Update: A freeze on replacement cops would see hundreds fewer on the job after just one year.
Teapot fiasco becomes an international embarrassment
The teapot fiasco has become an international story.
And it’s making us look like a banana republic.
Is this what John Key means when he says he’s “ambitious for New Zealand”?
Dirty politics ironic lolz
Well it’s been quite the day of ironic Key hypocrisy lolz.
It’s also been a day that’s shown Russel Norman’s not much better.
Key misleads the house
Looks like John Key has been caught in yet another lie.
You couldn’t make this sh*t up
I missed it at the time but apparently John Key’s big plan for Christchurch was to have a yarn to Oprah.
What kind of weird fantasy world does this guy live in?
Democracy an expensive waste of time – Key
According to our Prime Minister democracy is simply an expensive waste of time. Not surprising as democracy isn’t exactly something this bully government gives a lot of thought to.
Just like Ruth, Jim and Jenny
Having wrecked the economy and put tens of thousands of workers on the dole queue John Key is now planning to give them another kick in the guts by cutting their benefits.
And of course that’ll help drive wages down too.
To anyone that lived through the 1990’s this bullshit should be very very familiar by now.
Your chance to ask John the hard questions
John wouldn’t answer our readers’ questions but he’s out in New Plymouth this Tuesday.
Get along and ask him the hard questions if you can.
And if you can’t get there make sure you email your question to editor@dailynews.co.nz