A Busy Week In Politics

Written By: - Date published: 11:41 pm, September 17th, 2010 - 19 comments
Categories: accountability, act, broadcasting, Ethics, Maori Issues, maori party, Parliament, rodney hide, standard week, workers' rights - Tags:

It’s been a very big week this week, so I thought I’d do a round-up, just so we don’t forget some of the ‘lesser’ lights that may have been big news had we not had so much to go on…

It seems a long time ago, but on Radio NZ at the start of the week they were discussing who should be supercity mayor… remember the supercity?  No, me neither…

Like a mixed metaphor, no matter how it sung it all kinda got derailed as we obsessed over Gerry being made dictator.  I mean, it’s only Brownlee, what could he do?

And then ACT imploded.  Hypocrisy, it’s the greatest luxury (it’s an old favourite).  And evidently ACT and the Silly Sentencing Trust like their luxuries.

So what did we miss under all this news?

Just the small matter of the (first reading of) the replacement of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

Except of course it’s not the Foreshore and Seabed any more, it’s Coastal and Marine.  And that makes all the difference.  It’s not Crown Ownership (ie administered by the government on behalf of the people) – it’s the Public Domain (ie administered by the government on behalf of the people).

Hone stood by his principles, and John Key was… relaxed.  It’s John Key – what else would he be?  Clueless?  But the Maori Party finally had their Big Day fulfilling the purpose of their entire party… and everybody was too busy to notice.

If that would’ve been big news in a normal week there were a number of other things that might’ve actually made it to the news at all:

  • 6000 submissions on the Employment Relations Amendment Act (90 day fire-at-will bill).  Although the number of people opposed to National’s attack on unions and workers evidently scared them, so they decided it was only 200.  Luddites only need apply in future.
  • Analogue TV is to be switched off in 2013.  Got your digital tuner?
  • Tougher driving laws started their way through parliament.  Although National MPs are to be denied the chance to exercise their conscience [too easy…] on whether to drop the blood alcohol level to save lives at the expense of their donors’ profits.
  • Major Education and Health strikes continued in this government’s battle with workers.  National’s response: employ a head of department who believes in cuts.
  • Michelle Boag and Jenny Shipley found they were in bad company.  Turns out work involves actually checking stuff.

But it’s the weekend, so a bit more from my old favourite:

19 comments on “A Busy Week In Politics ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. QoT 1
    18 September 2010 at 12:51 am

    Awesome work there, Bunji. Been a busy week!

  2. Red Rosa 2
    18 September 2010 at 6:48 am

    Good one, Bunji. Never a dull moment, but most soon forgotten.

    Week finished on a good note, though!

    • Tigger 2.1
      18 September 2010 at 8:44 am

      Thanks Bunji. The odd highlight for me was Joyce’s admission of a driving offence…I mean, dangerous driving conviction…I mean conviction and lost licence.

      Highlight because he’s touted as a future leader and if he’s prepared to lie about not remembering he lost his licence then he shows real promise…it’s almost ‘don’t know where I stood on the Tour’ worthy. Maybe even more so.

  3. Blue Boy 3
    18 September 2010 at 9:04 am

    A busy week indeed, but haven’t heard a thing from Mr Goof, if Labour want to be a force next year get a new leader for christ’s sake.

  4. Herodotus 4
    18 September 2010 at 9:17 am

    Just the small matter of the (first reading of) the replacement of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

    Except of course it’s not the Foreshore and Seabed any more, it’s Coastal and Marine. And that makes all the difference. It’s not Crown Ownership (ie administered by the government on behalf of the people) – it’s the Public Domain (ie administered by the government on behalf of the people).

    • Herodotus 4.1
      18 September 2010 at 9:28 am

      And not even a mention on Red Alert. There are some here connected to Labour. What is happening with the party????
      Has the leadership gone to sleep. Are the strategists planning on walking into government by default?
      Sure the MSM may not carry everything that Labour wishes, BUT hey if they cannot even be bothered to post on their own site . Last post on F&S was by Kelvin Davis on July 11th using their tag search. Their is like Act a increasing incompetance creeping into labours ranks, and after the last election with the disconnect with the voter, well folks there is no effort to reconnect.
      But no one will care until we see the pyhsical effects from this legislation, and Labour will be just as guilty by association, just as with the Canterbury earthquake recovery legislation. Can you win an election with a d- grade for effort??????

    • Red Rosa 4.2
      18 September 2010 at 10:18 am

      F&S or C&M, it’s the slickest move seen for a long time. JK is telling his Nats that he’s given the MP practically nothing. He’s telling the MP he’s given them practically everything. And the opposition (!) loll around on their benches and nod it through.

  5. Leopold 5
    18 September 2010 at 9:27 am

    Ever wonder if Brownlee told Key who told Hide who told Garrett it was time to take one for the team?
    All that hooha has taken the news media’s attention off Big Ger’s new powers

  6. Leopold 6
    18 September 2010 at 9:46 am

    Well, Herodotus, the tenor of the MP’s posts suggest that they owe one to dear ol’ Dave as well – something to avoid talking about how they helped insert the elephant ino the room…

  7. vto 7
    18 September 2010 at 10:03 am

    It astounds me that such a buffoon or two managed to get as far they have.. Speaking of Garrett and Hide of course.

    When, early on, Garrett blurted out that if people do not want to get beaten up in prison then they should make sure they don’t go to prison in the first place, I sent the fool an email suggesting he enjoy his time in Parliament as he will only be a one-term MP. Turns out he hasn’t even managed that.

    He is a man to be avoided at all times.

    And Hide must go too… 2c

  8. Jum 8
    18 September 2010 at 11:19 am

    Well done. If you do this News Roundup once a week or once a month and line them all up ready for the next general election, we’ll be forever grateful, but I doubt JKeyll and Hide and Co will be.

    What a criminal, lying Pot Pol people killer government this is.

    P.S. VTO, Garrett answered a question that if men were ‘RAPED’ in prison then ‘it was their own fault for being there’. This creature Garrett has the textbook psychotic tendencies – no empathy for human pain, whether emotional, mental or physical. His leader Hide also shows no empathy for the pain and insecurity he has forced Aucklanders and now Cantabrians to go through, with that job now taken up by Brownlee.

    Key is slightly better than them because he has the image makers to hide his JKeyll behaviour. Just watch the eyes though – dead. The pic of him watching Tolley in The Standard ‘Tolley Challenge’ post is even more revealing. (How anyone could think of him as ‘nice’? Ugh.)

  9. MikeG 9
    18 September 2010 at 11:34 am

    Garrett has resigned from ACT. So What? He’s still an MP – if he felt that he had to resign from ACT surely he has to also resign as an MP as he is only in Parliament because of ACT.

    Resign NOW, and Rodney should go with you.

  10. Vicky32 10
    19 September 2010 at 8:18 pm

    Good round up, thanks!
    Deb

Links to post