Open mike 15/01/2025
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6:00 am, January 15th, 2025 - 13 comments
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Waitangi Day this year is going to be an old school full-throated Opposition revival. Attending any event will read like protest.
… And Luxons strategy is 'best not to have that discussion '..
What I can tell you is…in the recent Sunday Star Times, Andrea Vance’s column was headed “Luxons not a ‘drop nuts’– he just has nothing to say at Waitangi”.
Vance basically squiggled around the various angles quoting Natzo supporters saying “no votes in it for him etc.”, but did note that as PM he should be representing all NZers on our national day, not just those that voted for him.
The Regulatory Standards Bill.
Isn’t it anathema to everything NZ1 stand for? And if so, what are the chances of Winnie not voting for it?
Probably not something that makes it through this term I would have thought.
It is clearly stated in the Nact coalition agreement that the RSB is to be passed in this term.
Part of the NZ 1st agreement is to support all of the governments legislation. While it is not out of the realms of possibility, given Winstons animosity towards David, opposing the passage of this legislation would likely wreck the coalition.
Edit:
The Coalition Agreement between the ACT and National Parties commits to: “Legislate to improve the quality of regulation, ensuring that regulatory decisions are based on principles of good law-making and economic efficiency, by passing the Regulatory Standards Act as soon as practicable.” This refers to passing, not just introducing
Item 20
https://melanienelson.substack.com/p/jane-kelsey-submission-on-the-proposed
Edit 2:
New Zealand First is committed in its Coalition Agreement with National to support ACT Party initiatives in National’s Coalition Agreement.
Item 21, same reference
With luck it might be the issue Winnie decides to make a meal of. Differentiation time heading into 2026.
There’s a very good write-up today on Spinoff: https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/15-01-2025/whats-all-the-fuss-about-the-bill-to-regulate-regulations
As another commenter has already pointed out Jane Kelsey thinks NZFirst will support the Bill.
Brian Easton wrote about it on 30 Nov 2023: https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/forward-to-2017 [not the same piece as cited in the Spinoff article]
As it turns out, the proposed RSB is not watered down although the reference to a referendum has been removed from the latest version. But this is just a new starting point (aim high).
I don’t think it will come to a ‘standoff’ though; there will be more negotiation, building on those held to form the Coalition in the first place, between the coalition partners. In my view, NZFirst will support improvements to regulation and cutting red tape, so there’s fertile soil here for ACT and Seymour to work with.
Keeping their offensive bigotry bottled up was so hard…poor babies…
Corporate America embraces a new era of conservatism under Donald Trump
[…]
To some on Wall Street, the shift is a breath of fresh air.
Bankers and financiers say that Trump’s victory has empowered those who felt they had to self-censor or change their language to avoid offending younger colleagues, women, minorities or disabled people.
“I feel liberated,” said a top banker. “We can say ‘retard’ and ‘pussy’ without the fear of getting cancelled . . . it’s a new dawn.”
https://www.ft.com/content/973421a3-c96a-4038-96c6-725af5aa6124
One day left for submissions to the Foreign Interference Bill
https://thestandard.org.nz/foreign-interference-bill-repressive-tool-to-intimidate-public-former-minister/
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2501/S00022/foreign-interference-bill-prepares-new-attacks-on-democratic-rights.htm
The bill is a template being rolled out in all 5 Eyes countries and to my mind is reminiscent of the Soviet Union's attempts to stifle dissent
Marina Hyde at The Guardian rips into the tech bros sucking up to Trump in achingly acidic style.