Posts Tagged ‘john key’
No deadline on Treaty claims – National
Written By: - Date published: 4:18 pm, March 5th, 2008 - 4 comments
Mr Key announced new National policy this morning. After a morning TV interview National now have no date to settle historic Treaty Claims: Presenter: National used to have a date, didn’t they? John Key: No, what they said was they wanted the claims lodged, and they’d like to see them cleared up by a certain […]
Key caught out
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, March 5th, 2008 - 22 comments
The government’s move to strengthen the Overseas Investment Act on Monday was met with predictable criticism from the ‘markets first, people second’ brigade. National Deputy Leader Bill ‘Privatise ‘em all’ English came out quickly on the side of big foreign money against New Zealand control of vital assets. But Bill’s supposed leader, John Key, didn’t […]
Did Key try to get ‘wage drop’ journalist sacked?
Written By: - Date published: 5:56 pm, March 4th, 2008 - 53 comments
Michael Cullen made an interesting remark in the House today in response to a question on John Key’s statement that he “would love to see wages drop“. Here’s what Cullen said: I think they would be appalled to learn that the Leader of the Opposition proposed that New Zealand wages should drop, then tried to […]
Key backs the underdog
Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, March 4th, 2008 - 25 comments
The latest Newsroom story [subscription only] about the Government’s move to protect Auckland International Airport from sale to the Canadian Pension Fund reports Labour is taking National to task on the issue of their support. Prime Minister Helen Clark is challenging National to state its position on strategic assets sales after the Government stepped in […]
How would Key make wages drop?
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 pm, February 28th, 2008 - 51 comments
Having read our coverage of John Key’s ‘we would love to see wages drop‘ line my brother asked ‘but how can a government make wages drop?’ The answer is obvious to those of us who know about this kind of stuff but my brother’s question, along with Colin Espiner’s naïve statement that ‘[a PM] has […]
For the record
Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, February 28th, 2008 - 103 comments
Like most of his policy positions John Key’s story on his comment “we would love to see wages drop” just keeps on changing. First he was “misrepresented”, then his comment was “lighthearted”, and now he’s claiming he never said it. Which is it John? In an interview today with Mickey Havoc, Key now denies ever […]
What’s the future of Working for Families?
Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, February 28th, 2008 - 13 comments
One consquence of the expectations around tax cuts is an examination of some of the policies already have in place – Working for Families for example. This was the topic of a recent article from Ruth Laugesen in the Sunday Star Times. “Coopers chairman John Shewan said that under Working for Families, many households effectively […]
Rod Oram: Insight into 2008
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, February 26th, 2008 - 6 comments
For those who are looking to the Beehive to bring some single minded focus to the current situation Labour finds themselves in, this article from Rod Oram at the begining of the month reads like a good starting point (SSTimes, 3 Feb 2008). He raises what the challenges for Labour are: If it wants to […]
Key’s shameful attack on journalist
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, February 26th, 2008 - 81 comments
One of the more unsavoury aspects of Key’s “we would love wages to drop” saga is the unwarranted attacks by Key and his allies on the journalist who quoted him, Greg Robertson. Key referred to Robertson as some “young guy who was taking notes“. Key said Robertson’s quote was wrong, or that he was joking, […]
Jones to Key: say it to our faces
Written By: - Date published: 3:25 pm, February 25th, 2008 - 23 comments
Far North Labour MP Shane Jones laid down the gauntlet to Key over the ‘we would love to see wages drop‘ scandal. Jones reminds Key that: “all it takes to ruin a Teflon pan is one scratch” and in a second press release lays out his challenge: ‘there’s only one way for Mr Key to […]
Transcript proves Key is lying
Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, February 25th, 2008 - 76 comments
When it was revealed that John Key had told a business leader he ‘would love to see wages drop‘ it undermined everything he’d told national media about wanting to lift wages. It also had the potential to do irreparable damage to his rhetoric on tax cuts and to show him as being less than honest […]
The deafening silence
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, February 25th, 2008 - 30 comments
At a meeting in Kerikeri last year with a business leader, in the presence of journalist Greg Robertson, National Leader John Key said ‘we would love to see wages drop‘. When this story broke last week, the political commentators were naturally cautious. It is an extraordinary quote. Not because a National leader would think wages […]
Tail-spin
Written By: - Date published: 11:12 am, February 23rd, 2008 - 73 comments
While National is trying to pretend John Key’s quote that “we would love to see wages drop” is a non-issue, behind the scenes they’re floundering. We’ve all heard the multiple and conflicting denials (“I can’t recall”, “I never said it”, “I was misquoted”, “I was talking about Australian wages”), and now thanks to a lazy […]
Key incoherent on pay cut plans
Written By: - Date published: 3:02 pm, February 22nd, 2008 - 13 comments
Following the revelation that John Key told a business audience “we would love to see wages drop“, bFM asked him to elaborate [MP3, 3.5MB]: Key: The, look I’ll tell you what the situation was there. We were in a, I know I don’t overtly remember it as part of the DVD tour but it was […]
MPs respond to Key’s wage drop wish
Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, February 22nd, 2008 - 30 comments
Following revelations that John Key told a business audience “we would love to see wages drop“, I sent an email to all 91 MPs whose emails addresses are listed on their bio page on the Parliament website. The email read: “John Key is quoted in the Bay Report, 20/12/07, saying “we would love to see […]
On the record
Written By: - Date published: 3:37 pm, February 21st, 2008 - 43 comments
There are some out there claiming Key’s statement that he “would love to see wages drop” is out of character. Now I’m always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and we know actions speak louder than words so I thought I’d have a look at Key’s actions. And what actions would speak […]
Key: pay cuts for you, backhanders for my mates
Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, February 21st, 2008 - 32 comments
Even as he flounders from one excuse to the next over his ‘we would love to see wages drop’ statement, it has emerged that John Key is offering hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to his big business mates. Key promised a $200 million suspensory loan to a new merger of Southland meat exporters. Not […]
Doing the rounds
Written By: - Date published: 10:14 am, February 21st, 2008 - 17 comments
Looks like John Ansell’s finally got his mojo back. Hat tip: Ant.
Key resorts to “memory lapse” defense
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, February 21st, 2008 - 43 comments
So without Bill to run interference like he did in the House yesterday, John Key has resorted to the age-old “memory lapse” (aka “Don Brash”) defense regarding his statement to Kerikeri Business Association that “we would love to see wages drop”. Key’s use of the memory lapse defense places him in the illustrious company of […]
Key squirms under scrutiny in the House
Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, February 20th, 2008 - 60 comments
Key’s comment that “we would love to see wages drop” to a group of business-people last year has come under increasing scrutiny in the House today. Rather than defend his statement himself, Key sat squirming as English attempted to deflect Cullen’s attack – hardly a good look for the leader of the opposition, getting someone […]
John Key’s plan to cut your pay
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, February 20th, 2008 - 144 comments
“We would love to see wages drop”. You would think that given the simmering debate about our wage gap with Australia at the moment that would be the last thing you’d expect to hear from the leader of the National Party. Especially when he’d gone on record in the national media just a week ago […]
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 pm, February 18th, 2008 - 11 comments
Many, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed. He did not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought […]
National’s lack of ambition
Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, February 18th, 2008 - 27 comments
A bang and a fizz and another sort of a bang, and then it was gone. Does anyone know the whereabouts of John Key’s “Ambitious” DVD online? It’s mysteriously disappeared both from their site and from YouTube. They’ve even gone as far as to delete all reference to its release on the 28th of November […]
Katherine’s tangible policy presence
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 pm, February 16th, 2008 - 11 comments
It’s been a few days now since the announcement of Katherine Rich’s decision to stand down from politics, but articles such as in today’s NZ Herald continue to try and explain “why”. Perhaps they also have that sense that her departure could be a turning point, the significance eluding us until we’re further down the […]
The Dummies’ Guide to National’s wage policy
Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, February 14th, 2008 - 68 comments
I never really understood how National planned to make wages grow because every time our man John Key is asked about our wage-gap with Australia he starts talking about cutting taxes. Here’s a recent example from Morning Report: Key: Firstly we will raise wages. I mean, after-tax wages will be rising under a National government. […]
Affordable housing
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, February 14th, 2008 - 5 comments
Not in my back yard. Alright, maybe in my back yard but only if the state isn’t involved. UPDATE: No Right Turn has an interesting post on Key’s privatisation plans.
Key hopping on Hobsonville
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 pm, February 13th, 2008 - 40 comments
Just spotted this statement from Maryan Street up on Scoop which suggests at least one reason why Mr Key would like the issue of housing afforability to go away. Hobsonville is turning into an embarassment for him: In June 2006 he said on National Radio: “So you’re talking about very expensive land. I mean, I […]
Key disappoints
Written By: - Date published: 4:42 pm, February 12th, 2008 - 42 comments
I’ve just listened to Key’s reply to the PM’s speech. I’m underwhelmed. Instead of using it to promote any sort of policy platform it was a rehash of tired old phrases from the National Party linebook. You’d think that having had the PM’s copy for over four hours that they’d be able to produce something […]
Key conjures up cuts
Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, February 12th, 2008 - 10 comments
John Key tells us that he would cut ‘wasteful government spending’ to pay for upper-bracket tax cuts bigger than Labour’s cuts. But do the facts match the rhetoric? Remember National’s wastewatch website? It listed $900 million in ‘waste’ since 1999 only 0.2% of government spending, which won’t pay for many tax cuts. And most of […]
Media and our National Day
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 pm, February 10th, 2008 - 17 comments
The decision of TVNZ’s CloseUp to pay to assist Tame Iti to travel to Waitangi this year was the focus of Media Watch this morning. Ever ready to offer an opinion the PM stepped in with her view that: “I think it is a waste of public money.” (Dom Post, 7 Feb 2008) And the […]
KiwiSaver – what if…
Written By: - Date published: 4:56 pm, February 7th, 2008 - 25 comments
Kiwis are showing their canny side in the way we’ve been flocking to sign up to KiwiSaver – now over 400,000 strong and still growing. It’s another dead rat that John Key has swallowed to make National an electable brand but let’s not forget that in 1975 National abolished Labour’s universal superannuation scheme. Bryan Gaynor […]
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