Archive for July, 2014

Epsom’s “choice” – first crook, now nutter

Written By: - Date published: 9:34 pm, July 31st, 2014 - 207 comments

John Key says he wants to “give Epsom voters a choice.” Some choice. First a crook, now a nutter.  Colin Craig was a bridge too far for Key, but Jamie Whyte sounds just as bad. I think this reliance on the unwanted parties will hurt Key; it’s beginning to feel like 1984 and 1990, where the governing party betrayed the voters’ choice.  Covert or overt, before the election or after, it’s still a rort. People don’t like it.

Latest Roy Morgan poll

Written By: - Date published: 3:04 pm, July 31st, 2014 - 196 comments

The latest Roy Morgan poll records a significant swing to the left with National now on 46%, Labour 30% and the Greens 12%.  One poll only and obviously more work needs to be done but …

NRT: The last day

Written By: - Date published: 2:26 pm, July 31st, 2014 - 9 comments

Today is the last day of Parliament for the term. After spending the morning on non-controversial legislation, the House will have its last Question Time and then an adjournment debate. And then they’ll be off to campaign for the election. The big triumph here? No last-minute urgency. No “wash-up”. Hopefully it’ll be a permanent change.

McCully’s incompetence and the ongoing case of the Malaysian diplomat

Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, July 31st, 2014 - 18 comments

The Malaysian diplomat charged with serious offences has not returned to New Zealand.  Despite previous assurances given by John Key it appears that his formal extradition will be required.  And as further evidence of incompetence Murray McCully did not read the email advising him that Malaysia had invoked diplomatic immunity for weeks after it had been sent.

Local Bodies: Novopay Exemplifies National’s Governance

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, July 31st, 2014 - 26 comments

This National led Government is strong on ideology, weak on process and reluctant to accept responsibility. The Novopay debacle exemplifies all of these well. When questioned about Novopay, National Ministers will never accept full responsibility. Stephen Joyce has just announced that the Government will be taking over the management of Novopay after almost two years of stress and wide-ranging issues. No matter what National and its Ministers claim, Novopay is largely their fault, and taking responsibility and making apologies are not what this Government does readily.

Open mike 31/07/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, July 31st, 2014 - 121 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Focusing on the issues that matter?

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 pm, July 30th, 2014 - 120 comments

Everyone’s favourite National Party blogger Cam Slater has posted a sneaky candid shot of Metiria Turei in which he mocks her for *gasp* wearing a hat.

Wages up – Work secure – Labour policy

Written By: - Date published: 1:03 pm, July 30th, 2014 - 165 comments

Labour has today released its Work and Wages policy. An immediate lift to $15 in the minimum wage, and a raise to $16.25 in April next year. 90 day free sacking option for employers to go in first 100 days. Core public service to get the Living Wage first, others to follow. That’ll put some money where it’s most needed.

What deal do we get?

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, July 30th, 2014 - 94 comments

Key’s promised to do his best to bring in ACT and UnitedHairdo. Last election this brought us the likes of Charter Schools – unmentioned by any party during the campaign. What policies will National foist upon us through this outsourcing deal this time?

Dairy drops further

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, July 30th, 2014 - 35 comments

As expected, Fonterra has dropped the milk solid payout from $7 per kilogram to $6. New Zealand needs a different economic approach for a long term sustainable future that doesn’t rely on strip mining soil and water or other resources. National have been consistently mismanaging the NZ economy in putting far too much emphasis on resource extraction and the systematic degradation of our ability to earn our own way in the world. Time to get rid of National’s lack of imagination and long-term planning from the direction of our economy.

When will John Key hold his ministers to account?

Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, July 30th, 2014 - 20 comments

The list of National ministers with dodgy dealings is growing. But John seems desperate to keep them all. Higher standards are only something you talk about in opposition apparently. I guess when you have a list that’s brought in the likes of Aaron Gilmore and Claudette Hauiti there’s not much of a pool to be choosing new ministers from; but have National never heard of responsibility for one’s actions?

Open mike 30/07/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:45 am, July 30th, 2014 - 256 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

NRT: National’s roads are pure pork

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 13 comments

The extent that the National minister have been pork-barreling the roading budget for their electorates is crazy. The OIA’s show that most of the $212 million announced by John Key at the National party conference is pure pork for ministers. They are assessed as costing more money to build than they will ever produce in benefits, even using NZTA’s infamously overoptimistic assessments. National MPs and Ministers want to be seen as delivering something for their electorates before the election. So much for assessing needs based on merits. They must be really worried about this election to misuse so much pork.

Walking through the wrong door is the least of Gerry’s problems

Written By: - Date published: 4:51 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 12 comments

Throughout the last few years Brownlee has consistently denied that there is a housing crisis, despite almost every sign pointing to one. What we need in Christchurch is more houses, now. Affordable, well-designed, well-insulated houses. Lots of them. This is why Labour’s Kiwibuild scheme will roll out 10,000 houses in Christchurch in the first 4 years.

Voters Dunne over in Ohariu

Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 31 comments

Peter Dunne has been thrown the lifeline he has been begging for – National voters have been given the nod by Key to keep him on. One has to ask why would they bother – I can’t see him going back as a Minister after so many stuff ups and a resignation that leaves too many questions unanswered. Ohariu has  a much better option in Labour’s Ginny Andersen – if she’d been there a truly independent Parliament would have delivered mothers 26 weeks parental leave for example. Dunne supported it initially but backed down when it came to the crunch.

Blinglish’s boondoggle bridge

Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, July 29th, 2014 - 34 comments

Rob Salmond at Polity has discovered that amongst the $212 million worth of road projects to be accelerated by the Government is a bridge that will speed up Bill English’s trip to his Queenstown home.  But officials have said that under current policy settings it is unlikely that the bridge will ever be built.

ImperatorFish: I did not order this – again

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, July 29th, 2014 - 3 comments

Scott reposts this Nick Smith classic.

What the Herald would like to say

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, July 29th, 2014 - 31 comments

Porcupine farm has a ‘real” front page of the Herald – what they’d like to publish if they only could.

Open mike 29/07/2014

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, July 29th, 2014 - 297 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Nick Smith must resign

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 66 comments

I agree with Fish and Game: Nick Smith has severely overstepped the mark – again – and must resign as a minister. He may as well stand down as an MP as he should never be back in a ministerial capacity given the list of times he’s been caught lying and cheating are longer than his arm.

Male, Pale and Stale

Written By: - Date published: 4:14 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 121 comments

It’s the National Party list!

Nick Smith losing it

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 76 comments

“Conservation Minister Nick Smith is threatening legal action against Fish and Game council members who accused him of trying to gag the organisation.”

Local Bodies: Manipulated Data and the Art of Deception

Written By: - Date published: 12:28 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 7 comments

The National led Government are desperate to present the good news stories to promote the success of the past six years of their governance. They have increased the budget and the numbers of their spin doctors to ensure that it is mainly positive messages that make into the public domain. The Government cleverly manipulates data to hide the extent of poverty the degradation of the environment and the success of our economy. Of course most of us who live in the real world know that National’s reality is a falsely constructed one.

Armstrong’s gotchas

Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, July 28th, 2014 - 19 comments

It’s only “gotcha” politics when the left wing does it.

Polity: Bye bye, Colin

Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, July 28th, 2014 - 18 comments

National has all-but confirmed today that there no deal for Colin Craig in East Coast Bays, or for any other Conservative. This was the right thing for them to do, for one simple reason. This decision came down to simple maths. If Key thought the Conservatives could muster double the votes that a decision to back the Conservatives would cost National in the centre-ground, then he should do the deal. If not, he should not. All the stuff about Winston running was a bit of a late sideshow, as the decision had likely already been made.

The election campaign is at a delicate stage

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, July 28th, 2014 - 128 comments

We are at a very sensitive stage of the election campaign.  Labour’s decline in the polls has reversed, membership enthusiasm is high and National is being criticised for its male dominated list as well as facing the problem of its relationship with the Conservatives.

Open mike 28/07/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:56 am, July 28th, 2014 - 282 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …

Positive Labour policy for meat industry

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 pm, July 27th, 2014 - 4 comments

In the late 1980’s I worked on the establishment of the Meat Industry Tradesmens Agreement, bringing eight  awards into one. My lasting memory is how the meat companies hated each other more than they hated the unions, and they were no union-lovers. 25 years later, the companies still can’t get their act together, and it is the country as well as the farmers who are hurting. It may surprise some, but it’s the Labour party who is putting forward policy to bring in the necessary change to the $8billion industry. Good work from Damien O’Connor and the Labour leadership.

Mary Poppins on a minimum wage!

Written By: - Date published: 1:56 pm, July 27th, 2014 - 9 comments

Mary Poppins quitting because she isn’t being paid enough to survive on in the magical nanny trade. I guess the peasants just aren’t prepared to starve as blindly as they did in the service of their ‘betters’ as they did in Edwardian era.

It is also quite funny…

 

Mum and Dad Investor?

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, July 27th, 2014 - 124 comments

The SST this morning have broken a story about how an American couple were able to purchase $1.6 million worth of shares in Genesis while “mum and dad kiwi investors” had their share allocation limited to $5,000.

Tuwhera mike 27/07/2014

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, July 27th, 2014 - 176 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …