The Standard » bill english

InvisiNats: Bill English

The Standard — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:02:18 +0000

Key is avoiding the hard questions, but his photo-op face is everywhere. The rest of the Nats are working hard at being invisible. Let's bring a little sunlight into that darkness!

Today's InvisiNat is Bill English.

Friday lolz

IrishBill — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:09:19 +0000

Even Bill's readers like the CGT...

Ministerial review: the economy

The Standard — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 21:37:07 +0000

The idea of this little group-effort series of posts is to look at the major areas of government activity and have an objective look at how National is doing - both against their own promises and things that we hold important. Let's start with the economy, the direct responsibility of Finance Minister Bill English and Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee.

Nats’ ideology: outsourcing NZ

Zetetic — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:54:48 +0000

3 under the radar stories yesterday. All linked by ideology. Kiwirail to buy 300 wagons from China because its cheaper than building them here. Not allowed to consider wider economic gains. Collins outsources her new prison to a multi-national with a history of prisoner abuse. English wants more 'value' from public assets. Value for whom? The likes of Serco?

In the hole and still digging

IrishBill — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:03:13 +0000

Tax take is down due to reduced spending and the government’s response is to urge “restraint” and keep cutting. These cuts will, of course, help fuel higher unemployment and further reduced spending, which will probably result in calls for further cuts. We’ll also see asset sales if the Nats win a second term, which will ...

Some clarity on the Hobbit dispute

IrishBill — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 07:58:00 +0000

After days of trying to read the media and rumour mill tea-leaves on the Hobbit it was time to do some fact checking.

It turns out this has been a hard lesson in how the international film industry works.

NZ Herald tells Collins to reset compass on private prison

Dancr — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:51:56 +0000

The NZ Herald editorial criticising National's pursuit of a private prison in Auckland should make Judith Collins and her cabinet colleagues sit up and rethink.

Tax cuts for the few, just plain cuts for the many

IrishBill — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:57:24 +0000

English is talking more cuts at a time where cutting could well push the economy into a downward spiral. But he knows that better than most - he was a minister in the cabinet that did just that in the '90s.

Who is JR?

Marty G — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:30:47 +0000

More information is emerging about PEDA director Anthony Joseph Pereira (aka. JR Pereira). His connections with National, especially English, are deep and go back to before the last election. The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs warned of "risks for ministers" in dealing with PEDA. The government's refusal to give straight answers is just making the situation worse.

Ririnui: Ministerial Services approved credit card use

the sprout — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:53:21 +0000

Mita Ririnui has gone on the record on RNZ’s Checkpoint tonight insisting Ministerial Services advised him personal spending on ministerial credit card was ok as long as it was reimbursed. Of course that doesn’t let people like Hide, English and Heatley off the hook, because they only paid back their personal misuses of ministerial allowances after they ...

Key breaks Kiwibank pledge

all_your_base — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 04:13:35 +0000

In the May budget Key broke his pre-election promise not to raise GST. Today, in the House, Jim Anderton foreshadowed what looks like the next unequivocal promise that's set for the chop. Anderton pointed out that during the 2008 TV3 Leaders' Debate Key promised not to sell Kiwibank "ever". The video is embedded below.

There’s such a thing as ‘too relaxed’

all_your_base — Wed, 26 May 2010 03:45:38 +0000

Tracy Watkins recently observed of Key's reluctance to front the media post-budget that: "Mr Key has refused all but three requests to be interviewed by National Radio's Morning Report so far this year. That must be unheard of among modern-day prime ministers..." She puts his avoidance of the tough questions down to a desire to protect his brand.

Nats preparing to sell assets, despite promises

Marty G — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:18:02 +0000

In 2008, Bill English was sprung secretly telling National members that he and Key would sell Kiwibank "'eventually but not now". After being caught out, English and Key categorically ruled out asset sales in the first term of a National government and said they would seek a mandate to make any sales in a second term.

A Budget for the rich, by the rich

The Standard — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:24:02 +0000

Telecom Paul Reynolds' $290,000 'rich guy bonus' alone is enough to hire six nurses or teachers. It's enough to pay for 40,000 hours of early childhood education. It's the added GST bill for some 400 typical Kiwi workers. As expected this man, earning $7 million a year, has been given a tax break more than 200 times bigger than that of the average Kiwi worker. Update: Key has spent up large in his irresponsible tax cuts for the rich. We'll be paying for this for decades to come. What happened to the fiscal conservatives in the National Party?

Please, let this be the peak

Marty G — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:52:23 +0000

The March quarter unemployment rate is out today. It should be back down below 7% from the appalling 7.3% that National let it rise to. My hope is to see it fall to at most 6.8%, that'll represent 10,000 Kiwis back into work. But Bill English has hinted it won't fall. If there is not a serious reduction in unemployment, we will know who to blame.