Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, October 26th, 2008 - 142 comments
When the Tranzrail shares came to light, Key was asked whether he had any other undisclosed shares entailing a conflict of interest. He said he didn’t. That was not true. National Party Leader John Key failed to disclose his conflict of interest arising from his share holding in Fletcher Challenge Forests while using his privileges …
Written By: - Date published: 3:58 pm, October 23rd, 2008 - 75 comments
I’ve always regarded the possibility of a National-Maori Party governing arrangement as absurd, even grotesque. The interests of the Maori people, who are predominantly working-class, are clearly best represented by the Left. Under National in the 1990s, Maori unemployment reached 25% and incomes plummeted. Today it is 7.7%, and Maori incomes are rising as fast …
Written By: - Date published: 5:58 am, October 18th, 2008 - 47 comments
Many people laud John Key’s experience in the business world, and say that the smiling assassin’s ability to play hard-ball when required means he will be an excellent prime minister. So why, during talks with the Maori Party, did Key drop a National ‘bottom line’ that would be a strong card to play? As evidenced …
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, October 17th, 2008 - 46 comments
National has a press release out blaming Labour for a supposed increase in assaults on police. Now, there are more people and more police than ever before, so all things being equal there will be more assaults, but it would be a concern if the rate of assaults had increased. In fact, the rate on …
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, October 17th, 2008 - 23 comments
It’s possible to win a battle but, in doing so, lose the war. Like most commentators, I thought Key came off best from the debate on Tuesday. It was a good format for him to parrot his lines, all he had to do is deliver them well. As he said himself, 2 years of training …
Written By: - Date published: 1:09 pm, October 16th, 2008 - 96 comments
I have some sympathy for Dr PIta Sharples over the fallout of Mr Key’s promises. He’s clearly been left high and dry by Mr Key, his would-be coalition partner. According to the Maori Party’s chief of staff we now find: …that Mr Key was clear in the meeting that National’s position could be put on the backburner. …
Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, October 15th, 2008 - 42 comments
The Youtube debate was a bit of a let down to me because TV1 chose to play the least penetrating questions, allowing the leaders to pretty much stick to their stock answers. The only question that really broke through the pre-prepared stuff was Shane Taurima’s query about whether it is true that, as Pita Sharples …
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, October 12th, 2008 - 10 comments
A few thoughts from today’s Agenda: Questioned about why National would introduce another tax rebate, having endlessly criticised Working for Families because of its complexity, English says ‘we do, in the long term, want a simpler tax system’. So, be on notice, Working for Families is under threat from National – they would ‘eventualy, but …
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, October 10th, 2008 - 4 comments
We’ve been receiving reports of some appalling statements by National MPs on the campaign trail. They mesh with the arrogance and heartlessness that shines through in the secret agenda tapes. A writer reports on David Bennet’s performance at a forum on mental health policy in Hamilton: Mr Bennett came absolutely unprepared. he had no knowledge …
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, October 10th, 2008 - 32 comments
The Herald editorial this morning lambastes National’s crime policy as “simply a more extreme version of a policy that has failed this country and others” but Granny Herald consoles herself: In all likelihood, this is not something that Mr Key will pursue if National wins the election. It is a policy calculated to strike a …
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 10th, 2008 - 17 comments
With the second English secret agenda tape out, John Key was asked whether he was worried about whether he had been caught on a tape. His answer: “oh, look, who knows” That’s a weak answer. A strong answer would be along the lines of ‘I’m not worried if there is a tape of me because …
Written By: - Date published: 1:32 am, October 9th, 2008 - 56 comments
That was going to be the title of my first post on National’s tax-cut plan but then it turned out National’s plan would actually make about 1 million taxpayers worse off compared to Labour’s cuts (all figures derived from the Budget and National’s tax policy). That 1 million comprises approx 650,000, including nearly all super-annuitants, …
Written By: - Date published: 2:55 pm, October 7th, 2008 - 30 comments
If he stands true to his principles, National justice spokesman Simon Power will soon be criticising the cost of their proposed new prison. You’ll note in this story that National proposes to build a prison (for their new reactionary justice policy) at a cost of $314 million. That is $548,951 per bed. Or not far …
Written By: - Date published: 2:39 pm, October 7th, 2008 - 18 comments
Mr Key will tell you what you want to hear. That’s the message that Pita Sharples has taken from his encounter with Mr Key over the future of the Maori seats: Dr Sharples told Sky TV on Sunday night Mr Key had assured him the seven Maori seats would not be abolished till Maori agreed …
Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, October 7th, 2008 - 15 comments
Former National advisor Richard Long has let the cat out of the bag. The day before National’s much-hyped, cure-all tax cut package is to be announced, he is desperately trying to change the subject. National has nothing but tax cuts to offer, it has been their one consistent answer for every problem but, now, tax cuts are …
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, October 7th, 2008 - 22 comments
At the first Helensville candidates’ debate last night, John Key reversed his position on state housing once again. Despite using the years he lived in a state house as “a great marketing ploy”, Key called the plan to build state houses along with more up-market homes on the site of Hobsonville airbase “economic vandalism”. Then he …
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 pm, October 6th, 2008 - 27 comments
This is so funny. Click on image for full zoom.
Written By: - Date published: 1:54 pm, October 1st, 2008 - 25 comments
John Key is being pretty evasive on his tax cut plan. He won’t say whether the famous ‘$50 a week for the average worker’ (note that’s not every worker, your income has to be $47K plus) is additional to Labour’s cuts, the first round of which came into effect today. Given the evasiveness, it’s safe to …
Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, September 29th, 2008 - 6 comments
Greeenwoman has done it again, another brilliant video on Key using a classic music video:
Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, September 29th, 2008 - 15 comments
National desperately wants to portray any criticism of John Key as a personal attack. Don’t be taken in. Look, PM is a powerful job. We need to have a thorough examination of anyone contesting for that role. As I’ve always said there are three legitimate questions that need to be answered what are their policies? …
Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, September 28th, 2008 - 9 comments
An article in yesterday’s Herald raised some more questions over how Key has handled the management of his share portfolio. However it looks like it would be easy enough for him to clear up. According to Paula Oliver: Eyebrows were raised around Parliament this week when Mr Key said Mr Leggat could buy shares with …
Written By: - Date published: 10:53 pm, September 24th, 2008 - 22 comments
Where-ever you sit on the spectrum of opinion on Key’s handling on the Tranzrail affair, it appears that the commentators are questioning his ability to handle the pressure (and by extension his ability to handle the PM-ship). From Paul Henry’s vigorous questioning this morning to discussions by commentators later in the day, the common theme …
Written By: - Date published: 1:28 pm, September 24th, 2008 - 87 comments
Key’s three defences on the share scandal are ‘no-one asked how many shares I had’, ‘it didn’t matter how many shares I had’, and ‘Labour is spending all their time researching me’. It’s classic distraction stuff. Let’s break it down. ‘No-one asked me how many shares I had’ – Yes, Fran Mold did on Monday …
Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, September 23rd, 2008 - 41 comments
Anyone remember back in July Key accused Clark of misleading the house over his involvement in Tranzrail and asked for an apology? Just in case you don’t here’s what John Key said to TV3 said at the time: “Can I assure her that neither I, nor my family trust, was an owner of shares in …
Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, September 22nd, 2008 - 43 comments
It’s really easy to present misleading statistics. David Farrar shows how it’s done with a post on migration today. Note how his figures only go back to 2003. Why is that? Well, it just so happens that 2003 was the last low point in the migration cycle. So, if you show just the last five …
Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, September 22nd, 2008 - 15 comments
We’re keen to help you get active this election campaign. That’s why we’ve launched Campaign Hub 2008 and its Facebook group to give you info, access to materials, and tips on campaigning. It’s great to see so many people have downloaded leaflets and posters from the Hub or clicked through to Vote With Both Eyes …
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, September 17th, 2008 - 70 comments
Yesterday, John Key “attacked Labour’s economic record, which he said amounted to overtaxing voters so it could put money into its pet projects” So, what are these ‘pet projects’ and which of them National would cancel? Well, Labour’s major spending projects have been increasing the health budget, spending more on transport (including roads, unfortunately), more …
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, September 16th, 2008 - 22 comments
Bill English has confirmed that National still intends to give the average worker a $50 tax cut. That’s $18 a week more than they will get in Labour’s tax cuts after 2011. If National’s would increase the cut for all taxpayers by around $18 a week it would cost nearly $3 billion a year. In …
Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, September 15th, 2008 - 78 comments
I just have to say, it’s incredibly disappointing that a simple prank, a google bomb, gets three newspaper articles and coverage on TV3 and when talkback radio suggests The Standard was tipped off on the election date that is an issue worth following up with the PM. But when John Key is quoted in a …
Written By: - Date published: 6:02 pm, September 10th, 2008 - 27 comments
An interesting interview between John Key and Wammo today. He starts out saying Labour is spending all its time talking about Owen Glenn and Peters whereas he wants to concerntrate on what matters. Funny, because he then spends the rest of the interview turning the topic back to that issue whenever possible and the only …
Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, September 5th, 2008 - 36 comments
OK. They were laughably bad before but now they don’t even have the grammar correct. If you can count it, you use fewer: less water, fewer litres of water; less bureaucracy, fewer bureaucrats. Simple. This from the bunch promising to magically raise education standards? Wait though – since when did National have a policy to reduce the number …
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