Posts Tagged ‘john key’
Talking tough
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 25th, 2009 - 34 comments
Remember – March against National’s undemocratic supercity today 25th, noon, Queen St [More info] Today in the Herald John Key is talking tough, dismissing the Super City hikoi before it’s even begun: Today’s hikoi against the proposed Auckland Super City is unlikely to make a difference, is premature and the wrong forum to raise concerns, […]
No credible argument against referendum
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, May 18th, 2009 - 32 comments
This morning Radio NZ ran a report on the increasing grassroots opposition to the Government’s supercity plans. In the interview that followed it Rodney Hide was asked why the Government won’t let Aucklanders have the final say on the proposal through a referendum. His answer? The tired, discredited old line that it’s “not just a […]
NACT policy – like pistons in a Vespa
Written By: - Date published: 5:17 pm, May 8th, 2009 - 18 comments
Jeanette Fitzsimmons has written a very good post from the Emissions Trading Scheme special select committee* about her views on the impact of farming on our Kyoto obligations. She commented on the Federated Farmers submission which essentially said that they thought farming should be excluded from paying anything. That really isn’t feasible in NZ because… […]
Backlash building on supercity
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, May 5th, 2009 - 25 comments
The unseemly haste with which the National/Act Government is pursuing its undemocratic supercity is causing more and more people to wake up to the con job they are pulling. A Reid poll (ignored by the Herald but run by the community newspapers) shows where just weeks ago the public was split evenly on the proposed […]
One of these things is not like the other IV
Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, May 1st, 2009 - 53 comments
One of these things is not like the other… One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other… Can you tell me before I finish the game?
Public holidays
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, April 30th, 2009 - 50 comments
If a Public Holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, we should get the day off on the following Monday instead, like other countries. In 2011, Easter Sunday and ANZAC day will be the same day. Dumb. If Anzac Day coincides with another public holiday, the day off should be moved to the next […]
As bad as it gets
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, April 29th, 2009 - 48 comments
Clare Trevett grow up. You write a piece congratulating Key on making diversionary statements when he is asked serious questions about the supercity? I know your employer is chief propagandist for Key and the supercity but don’t you have any professional pride? You should be the one asking the questions, not cheering when the PM […]
The Backlash Begins
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, April 28th, 2009 - 43 comments
We’ve been warning that John Key faces a backlash in Auckland if he doesn’t rein in Rodney Hide and present a democratic supercity structure instead of the rort that is on the table now. We’re starting to see it. A poll out yesterday shows only 12% of people in Key’s own electorate support his government’s […]
Arrogance
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, April 21st, 2009 - 12 comments
John Key on criticism that the Government is arrogantly ramming through its Supercity plans without consulting Aucklanders: “The Government is not so arrogant that it won’t listen to the submissions that are made before or during the select committee process,” Mr Key said yesterday.* If Key doesn’t want to look arrogant then he should stop […]
I (am) like Obama
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, April 21st, 2009 - 8 comments
Uncanny spoof of John Key. Has all of the mannerisms…
Wtf?
Written By: - Date published: 6:02 pm, April 17th, 2009 - 30 comments
A reader writes: $30 million for an expo pavillion? Sounds a bit steep. Why, John Key could could build you a cycleway 60% of the length of New Zealand for that price. Seriously though, Key’s going to spend 50% more on a pavillion than he’s prepared to spend on the 9-day fortnight scheme to save […]
What plan? Government incoherent
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 17th, 2009 - 39 comments
Peeking through the OECD policy brief there were some interesting issues when looking at the short-term economic issues over the next few years. As usual Granny Herald in their usual editorial policy of supporting NACT has it wrong. On their front page article they said… The economy is in for a long and deep recession, […]
NZ’s debt in perspective
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, April 15th, 2009 - 8 comments
Remember when John Key used to say “New Zealand has a growth problem, not a debt problem”? He doesn’t say that anymore, which is a pity because we do have a growth problem, not a debt problem, but the Government is acting like we’ve got a debt problem that needs to be tackled first. Yes, […]
As predicted
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, April 15th, 2009 - 8 comments
Last week, John Key was bouncing on a new cloud. The Australian Government had teamed up with banks to help stop homeowners defaulting on their mortgages. Key publicly mused that ‘his’ government could do the same here. We said it was only a matter of time until English quietly killed the idea. Sure enough: “The […]
What comes around goes around
Written By: - Date published: 6:55 pm, April 11th, 2009 - 3 comments
It wasn’t so long ago that National’s covert attack organ, the Free Speech Coalition, were squealing about how anti-democratic the last Labour government was, with plenty of snappy billboards like this one. Well now that the tragedy of Fiji’s dictatorship is going from bad to worse, don’t expect to hear any more concern from the […]
Creating venal politics
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 11th, 2009 - 13 comments
It appears that John Key and Rodney Hide are participating in an old political action in Auckland – the gerrymander. From a general desire from politically aware Aucklanders to get a more coherent local government for the city, they have constructed a political system for business to completely dominate the city. Democratic and public spirited […]
Key paralytic as ice melts
Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, April 7th, 2009 - 42 comments
John Key’s government is at the climate change talks in Bonn avoiding doing their part in combating more climate change in the future (along with Russia and the Ukraine). Meanwhile the British Antarctic Survey is reporting that the Wilkins ice shelf is likely to disappear shortly. A large part of the Wilkins Ice Shelf on […]
When are politicians like cats?
Written By: - Date published: 12:50 am, April 5th, 2009 - 6 comments
For some reason the convolutions in this video reminded me of the twin comedy act of Worth and Grosser this week. Not to mention Key doing a weak-kneed ‘bollocking’ in a direct contrast to his expectations of what Labour should have done last term. This video is one of the best (and earliest) funny cat […]
Ralston’s hackery continues
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, March 29th, 2009 - 12 comments
Earlier this week we pointed out that John Key has started running a new line. Now instead of calling touchy-feely liberal policies on things like climate change and public health ‘PC gone mad’ (too Don Brash), National is referring to them as ‘hug a polar bear’ programmes. Right on cue, Key cheerleader Bill Ralston is […]
Oh Johnkey Donkey!
Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, March 24th, 2009 - 27 comments
We’ve been outed! By none other than Thelma (or was it Louise?) A promotional video for climate action, voiced by Susan Sarandon for Greenpeace in the US, holds New Zealand up as a beacon of hope on a sickly earth praising the former Labour Government’s plan to ban energy inefficient bulbs by 2009. Unfortunately for […]
Stunning
Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, March 24th, 2009 - 42 comments
This is just stunning: Mr Key was yesterday questioned about an employment situation where a person was offered a job paying $40,000 a year and told that the fourth week of leave would have to be included in this or the job would go to the “next in line”. He said this would not happen […]
An idiots* guide to what happens when the CO2 affects the WAIS
Written By: - Date published: 2:31 pm, March 20th, 2009 - 61 comments
The preliminary results of a drill by the ANDRILL (Antarctic Geological Drilling) were published in the print edition of Nature this week. It has shown a history of the previous retreat and collapses of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The WAIS melt with its vast stores of solid water, and even more in the […]
Espiner on National’s use of the crisis
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 pm, March 16th, 2009 - 29 comments
Sadly, I couldn’t find Colin Espiner’s excellent piece in The Press today online. It’s good. Colin’s thoughtful observations derail the government’s PR spin about That Nice Man Mr Key and his commonsense centrist approach. He wonders whether the National government is taking advantage of the economic crisis to push through hard-right reforms Kiwis didn’t vote […]
National to increase foreign ownership
Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, March 14th, 2009 - 39 comments
Newstalk ZB reports: The Prime Minister is keen to open the door to foreign investors. In a speech to the Act Party conference today, John Key said a review of the Overseas Investment Act will be announced by Finance Minister Bill English next week. The review aims to create an overseas investment screening regime that […]
The guy’s tired already
Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, March 13th, 2009 - 65 comments
If there’s one thing that strikes you about John Key’s post-cabinet press conference this week, it isn’t the scintillating prose or erudite diction. It isn’t even the brilliant plans brimming with enthusiasm, intelligence and vision. What’s remarkable is that the guy looks exhausted. He’s been in the job all of 3 months, extended holidays in Hawaii not withstanding, […]
665 jobs lost since Jobs Summit
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, March 6th, 2009 - 28 comments
If you believe the Government’s spin, protecting jobs in this recession is their number one priority. They even held a big fancy Jobs Summit to convince us they had it under control. But while that’s all very nice, I’m more interested in concrete actions that keep people in jobs. And right now I’m not seeing […]
The praiseworthy and the pitiful
Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, February 20th, 2009 - 23 comments
The praiseworthy and the pitiful is our weekly post on the little things that caught our eye but didn’t lead to a full post. This week: Tracy Watkins’ new blog A best of the political journos’ blogs I reckon. Watkins has been responding to comments, showing a bit of a sassy side, and her pieces […]
Nat Minister unhappy, leaks Key email
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, February 18th, 2009 - 53 comments
Well, that didn’t take long. In the first 100 days of the new National government we’ve seen a clamp-down on workers’ rights, tax cuts for the rich, and now tying everything up nicely in a big bow, we have the first leaked National Party email of the term. Another day, another leak in the National […]
Who cares if it’s just PR?
Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, February 9th, 2009 - 34 comments
There is a rumour in the Dom Post and the Herald that the minimum wage will be announced today and the Nats are going to increase it to either $12.50 or $12.40 depending on whether it’s Fairfax or APN you’re reading. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was true as John Key knows full well […]
A topic for the NACT talk-fest. Needs a slogan for success.
Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, January 15th, 2009 - 13 comments
My favourite indicator for a deep recession is showing up. The applications and enrollments for colleges and graduate programs appears to be significantly up in the east, west, and south of the US and Canada. Probably something similar is happening here but we are unlikely to know until later this month. The reason that this […]
Who else are they spying on?
Written By: - Date published: 2:24 pm, December 17th, 2008 - 16 comments
Gordon Campbell raises a good question in his latest Scoop column – are the Police also using paid informants to spy on mosques? According to the original Sunday Star-Times article, the Police informant Rob Gilchrist was getting $600 a week for his information. This is a substantial amount, and more than enough to entice anyone […]
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