The Standard » national

Govt banks on winning lottery

Ben Clark — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:32:17 +0000

National don't have faith in Kiwis, or our skills and education, our Kiwi ingenuity. Nope, they think the only way to wealth is farming - which can't be expanded, tourism - which provides low value jobs, and resource exploitation - of oil, gas and minerals unfound. They're banking on us hitting the jackpot, because they can't think of any real way of providing a future for our country.

National’s budget priorities: Roads to Nowhere

Bunji — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:58:47 +0000

The 3 most expensive items in the Budget: 1. $10.24 billion: Superannuation, 2. $3.69 billion: Debt Servicing, 3. $3.32 billion: National Land Transport Agency (Roads of National Signficance etc) - up $334 million. National are prepared to sack teachers, raise prescription costs and pick paperboy's pockets to defend their roads that make no economic sense.

Caption competition

The Standard — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:58:53 +0000

Key’s plan arse backwards

Anthony R0bins — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:21:34 +0000

Getting back to surplus is not the first step to growing the economy. It's the other way round.

Fail Budget

The Standard — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:09:10 +0000

Budget reaction here. Seems the Nats' preferred budget tag line is 'Investing in the future'. Should have called it 'Waiting for Godot'. Here's a quick summary: Zero = Fail.

Update: Nats planning to tax kids' after school jobs. No, not joking.

Cry me a river John

Anthony R0bins — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:56:25 +0000

Exercise for the reader - post links to occasions of Key and the Nats ignoring official advice.

David Parker’s Greece-proof paper

Ben Clark — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:05:20 +0000

Don't blame Greece: if you change nothing, nothing changes. National's problems are their own to solve, but they don't have the guts to look at the big problems in New Zealand's economy. 0.6% growth in total over the last 3 years - less than population. But National only tinkers and distracts, as our brightest and best head to Aussie.

McCarten: Waging war on working class

The Standard — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:09:56 +0000

Matt McCarten's latest column is a must read. There is something nasty going on...

Spin v reality

Ben Clark — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:45:41 +0000

National have become a very adept PR machine. While not adept at running the country, they’ve become great at running statistics. John Key was pushing things a little too far with his lines that unemployment rising to 6.7% showed an improved economy and that Europe electing anti-austerity leaders showed their austerity policies were right, but ...

Pride cometh

Eddie — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:47:23 +0000

Judith Collins has finally filed defamation action against Trevor Mallard and Andrew Little. She's waited until close to the Budget so that the story would be quickly overshadowed and then forgotten. You see, Collins had foolishly got herself between a rock and a hard place. Suing wasn't the optimal choice but she's too prideful for the alternative.

The only growth industry

Anthony R0bins — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:13:49 +0000

I guess we should give credit to National, in this time of economic stagnation, for the one and only growth industry that they have accomplished.

Tea ladies to be drug tested

Jenny Michie — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:13:56 +0000

Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson seems to be living in an alternative universe, with her comment on Checkpoint yesterday that tea ladies in the adventure tourism industry could be drug tested: “The boss might be tested, it could be his turn or it could be the tea lady.” We’ll take it as a given that Kate assumes the boss ...

Nat Civil War: ceasefire breached

Eddie — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:35:10 +0000

Well, that didn't take long. A couple of weeks of quiet (probably thanks to some good polls more than anything) and, now, the National Party Civil War has re-erupted as the Collins and Joyce factions fight over the post-Key future. The leaking of National Party board minutes shows how serious the fighting is and reveals strong opposition to Slater/Lusk's tactics.

Contraception debate

Anthony R0bins — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:48:36 +0000

The Government is planning to offer free long-term contraception for beneficiaries and their daughters. At one level its a sensible idea. But it comes with too much baggage attached. The Nats have already made such a mess of it that they can't make this proposal with any credibility.

Another MMP rort?

Mike Smith — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:50:58 +0000

The media are doing a good job investigating John Banks' donation history. The Police are presumably also doing theirs, and it seems clear that the matter must end up in Court and the issue of who is telling the truth will be decided by a judge. Some in the media have dismissed the question of any threat to National's majority. Short-term maybe, long-term I'm not so sure.