Author Archive

Standing up for our rights

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:00 am, August 13th, 2009 - 37 comments

Remember the petition to state your opposition to Paula Bennett’s attack on our privacy rights. The idea is it will be tabled in Parliament next week. It’s a chance to take a symbolic stand against this bullying Key Government. You can download the pdf here or by clicking on the image and mail it freepost by […]

Kate’s CEO talkfest

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:00 am, August 12th, 2009 - 22 comments

The Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson, is holding a meeting today with 25 top CEOs on the number of New Zealanders who are killed every year at work. The fact it’s being billed as an example of ‘partnership’ shows a lot about this Government’s worldview, because she’s specifically excluded any representation from the workers who’re […]

Still too far

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:00 am, August 12th, 2009 - 45 comments

Farrar has come back with a defence of his icky and outragous ‘satire’ post that proports to be a Green press statement announcing a policy of complusory mass abortions to fight climate change. If people are seriously going to propose policies such as reducing the national dairy herd by 20%, then they should expect a […]

Afghanistan for the Afghanistanians

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:53 pm, August 11th, 2009 - 65 comments

It was a bit strange listening to Key’s interview on RNZ yesterday morning about deploying the SAS to Afghanistan. He kept on awkwardly saying ‘the people of Afghanistan’ rather than just ‘the Afghans’ or ‘the Afghanis’*. The reason soon became clear: “[if they take any prisoners] they’ll be handed over to the Afghanistanian government…. I […]

Holding Bennett to account

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:18 pm, August 11th, 2009 - 59 comments

NZPA reports: Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff has confirmed she will investigate Social Development Minister Paula Bennett after the release of details of two mothers’ income. Good. John Key has made it clear he won’t hold his ministers to account for abusing their power, now it’s up to the Privacy Commisioner to do his job for […]

Now for the spin

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:17 pm, August 10th, 2009 - 47 comments

It’s interesting to see how National’s spin doctors are trying to frame the Government’s pathetic and shameful emissions reduction target of 10-20% by 2020. Stuff has ‘Ambitious’ emissions target announced The NZ Herald has New emissions target ‘big ask for NZ’ – Key And 3 News has Sia Aston quoting long-discredited figures supplied to her by […]

Too far

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:27 pm, August 10th, 2009 - 81 comments

Farrar’s attacks on climate change campaigners and the Greens recently have been pretty hysterical (‘they’re going to shoot the cows!’) but now he’s gone too far. In what purports to be satire, Farrar posts a ‘Green press release’ that says they want to have two out of three pregnancies aborted to tackle climate change. I’m not […]

Govt backs tax cheats

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:35 pm, August 7th, 2009 - 35 comments

There is $4 billion in overdue tax owing. Every dollar of that means someone is pocketing cash that should be paying for schools, hospitals, superannuation etc, leaving those of us who pay our tax to pick up the tab. Tax cheats are criminals free-riding on the rest of us. Fortunately, it’s very cost effective to […]

Stand up for free speech, stand against Bully State

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:32 am, August 7th, 2009 - 21 comments

As you know, when Natasha Fuller and Jennifer Johnston spoke up against the Key government’s cancelling of the Training Incentive Allowance, Paula Bennett tried to silence them by releasing their private information to the media. That was a flagrant breach of her fiduciary duties as minister and the Privacy Act, and a threat to free […]

English in serious trouble

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:30 am, August 6th, 2009 - 70 comments

Over at Red Alert, Trevor Mallard has posted a form that all MPs wanting an out-of-town allowance must fill out. It asks MPs to list their residential address, and asks “Is this residence the place you would normally go to when you are not on parliamentary business?’ If Bill English put down his Dipton farm […]

One law for all?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:30 pm, August 5th, 2009 - 46 comments

Are you? a disgraced former minister who resigned from Parliament in shame? a National MP who rents from a National minister (Judith Collins or Anne Tolley for example), claiming that expense back from the taxpayer while the minister simultaneously rents another place, again on the taxpayer’s tab? a private citizen who dares to publicly oppose […]

Key: Don’t join the conversation

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:00 am, August 5th, 2009 - 72 comments

By telling Keisha Castle-Hughes she should “stick to acting” and keep out of the climate change debate, Prime Minister John Key is signalling to young New Zealanders everywhere keep out of politics. I guess he doesn’t want us to “join the conversation” after all. Speak up, get shot down. That’s the modus operandi of the […]

Taito guilty

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:44 pm, August 4th, 2009 - 109 comments

No surprises and a good outcome. That man betrayed everyone who ever supported and trusted him. He exemplifies how power can corrupt, something that evidently still afflicts government. Good on Clark for sacking him as a minister when the allegations first came out. Different standards back then I guess. Pity it took so long to […]

Bon moat

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 5:19 am, August 4th, 2009 - 40 comments

We’ve been puzzling over how Bludger Bill can be spending all the $920 a week he is rorting for living in his family home in Wellington on an allowance meant for out of town ministers. I mean, $920 is a crap load of money. If a solo mum can eke by on $200 a week […]

What price citizenship?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:29 pm, August 3rd, 2009 - 36 comments

“What price citizenship?“, asks Heather Roy. “$10 million“, says Jonathan Coleman.

Good potential, will it deliver?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:04 pm, August 2nd, 2009 - 31 comments

17,000 youth jobs. That’s what Key has promised with a $152 million programme (some of this is existing money). Like Colin Espiner says “ambitious plan”. We’ll see if he manages to deliver. The record so far has been big promises and bigger failure to deliver – the money hasn’t been spent and the jobs haven’t […]

Snouts in the trough

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:50 pm, August 1st, 2009 - 161 comments

NZPA reports: Taxpayers are contributing nearly $1000 a week to allow deputy prime minister Bill English to live in his own million-dollar Wellington home. According to the title, the Karori home was bought by Mr English and his wife, Mary, for $800,000 in 2003. However, in March this year the title was transferred to Mrs […]

Brash speech confirms National’s secret agenda

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 5:04 pm, July 30th, 2009 - 79 comments

This is simply stunning. Don Brash, our new productivity tsar, has just released a speech where he proves he hasn’t changed a bit from the nasty, bigoted far right radical of the Douglas-Richardson era. It’s a typically long and long-winded speech, but in the first two paragraphs he shows how unsuited he is to fill […]

Substance matters

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:30 am, July 30th, 2009 - 32 comments

Last night, our positive and ambitious National/Act government: Voted against Green MP Metiria Turei’s bill to protect the 111 Maui dolphins left. Voted against Labour MP Maryan Street’s bill to ban the importation of goods made by slave labour. Indicated they will vote against Maori Party MP Rahui Katene’s bill to institute Matariki as a […]

Bully State

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 3:23 pm, July 29th, 2009 - 42 comments

NZPA reports: An MP from government confidence and supply party ACT today told prison officers who spoke out against private prisons that they had hurt their future job prospects. David Garrett’s remark came hot on the heals of accusations yesterday that the Government attempted to intimidate and silence people. Those claims were sparked by Social […]

Privacy Commission guidelines

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 3:32 pm, July 28th, 2009 - 121 comments

Paula Bennett is trying, unsuccessfully, to dig herself out of her hole by arguing that the Privacy Commissioner’s website said the solo mums she’s bullied had given “implied consent” for their personal financial details to be released in the media. Actually, Paula, that’s not the case at all. In fact, the Privacy Commission’s checklist for […]

Truly ambitious for America

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:22 am, July 28th, 2009 - 15 comments

America faces a hell of a lot of problems at the moment, but if there’s one man with the ability to inspire and lead them through, it’s Obama. “when I see the young men on the corners [of the ghettos] I say there but for the grace of God go I. They are no less […]

More cycleway spin

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:35 am, July 27th, 2009 - 19 comments

[At the outset of this, let me restate, once again, I’m all for cycleways. Indeed, I wish the Key government hadn’t cut millions from urban cycling in the Budget. What I object to is the overhyping of a few possible cycleways as if they constitute some kind of economic recovery plan] Key has identified seven […]

Goff: yes, stuff-ups: no

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:35 am, July 26th, 2009 - 84 comments

Bill Ralston quotes me and some other Left bloggers on the Burgess debacle suggesting it means Goff’s neck is on the line and a leadership challenge might be coming. Well, sorry, but that’s just an old Tory’s daydream. Goff’s leadership is secure. There is no prospect of him being overthrown. His support in Labour is […]

Nats grandstanding on legal reform

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 3:17 pm, July 24th, 2009 - 21 comments

Today we saw Justice Minister Simon Power get a front-page story for proposing a ‘reform‘ of the justice system that is actually just existing law (one wonders whether there’ll be days of recrimination coverage in Granny arising from that). In a few months, we’ll see National table a Bill to remove provocation as a partial […]

Show-pony

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 3:50 pm, July 23rd, 2009 - 32 comments

Y’know, as John Key tries to get stuck into Phil Goff, I think it’s time for a quick recall of recent history. Key is a man who lied directly to the New Zealand people about his Tranz Rail shares. Key is a man who hid from the public every time he was asked about substantive […]

UMR has Len Brown ahead of Banks

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:45 pm, July 23rd, 2009 - 30 comments

UMR’s just released a poll showing Manukau mayor Len Brown as the preferred mayor of the Auckland Super City, slightly ahead of John Banks. The poll shows Brown on 35%, Banks on 34%, and 31% undecided. They’ve also done a matchup between Banks and Auckland Regional Council chair Mike Lee. Banks left Lee in the […]

Phil, get your shit together

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:00 am, July 23rd, 2009 - 41 comments

Phil Goff. Please get your shit together. This latest fiasco of running up a guy who owns several properties as a case of a Kiwi hurt by the recession is just inexcusable. I don’t doubt the dude’s having cashflow problems. But using him as your poster boy was only ever going to backfire. There are […]

It’s not fair, get over it, get it right

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:40 am, July 22nd, 2009 - 83 comments

The ludicrous attacks by the media on Goff over the dole scheme show that this is not an even playing field. Key is allowed to lie again and again. Ministers are allowed to shirk their responsibilities. The fact that 1300 more people on the dole each week barely gets a look in. The journos are […]

Plenty of pixie dust for the cycleway

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:11 pm, July 21st, 2009 - 39 comments

John Key says there are “no pixies printing cash” to help Kiwis who’ve lost their jobs under his government’s watch. Funny, because there’s plenty of pixie dust for Key’s cycleway. Pixie dust is in no short supply to subsidise Key’s rich mates who want to send their kids to elitist private schools. And there’s buckets […]