A Busy Week In Politics

• Bunji
• 14 years ago
• Categories: accountability, act, broadcasting, Ethics, Maori Issues, maori party, Parliament, rodney hide, standard week, workers' rights
• Tags: round-up

It’s been a very big week this week, so I thought I’d do a round-up, just so we don’t forget some of the ‘lesser’ lights that may have been big news had we not had so much to go on…

It seems a long time ago, but on Radio NZ at the start of the week they were discussing who should be supercity mayor… remember the supercity?  No, me neither…

Like a mixed metaphor, no matter how it sung it all kinda got derailed as we obsessed over Gerry being made dictator.  I mean, it’s only Brownlee, what could he do?

And then ACT imploded.  Hypocrisy, it’s the greatest luxury (it’s an old favourite).  And evidently ACT and the Silly Sentencing Trust like their luxuries.

So what did we miss under all this news?

Just the small matter of the (first reading of) the replacement of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

Except of course it’s not the Foreshore and Seabed any more, it’s Coastal and Marine.  And that makes all the difference.  It’s not Crown Ownership (ie administered by the government on behalf of the people) – it’s the Public Domain (ie administered by the government on behalf of the people).

Hone stood by his principles, and John Key was… relaxed.  It’s John Key – what else would he be?  Clueless?  But the Maori Party finally had their Big Day fulfilling the purpose of their entire party… and everybody was too busy to notice.

If that would’ve been big news in a normal week there were a number of other things that might’ve actually made it to the news at all:

• 6000 submissions on the Employment Relations Amendment Act (90 day fire-at-will bill).  Although the number of people opposed to National’s attack on unions and workers evidently scared them, so they decided it was only 200.  Luddites only need apply in future.
• Analogue TV is to be switched off in 2013.  Got your digital tuner?
• Tougher driving laws started their way through parliament.  Although National MPs are to be denied the chance to exercise their conscience [too easy…] on whether to drop the blood alcohol level to save lives at the expense of their donors’ profits.
• Major Education and Health strikes continued in this government’s battle with workers.  National’s response: employ a head of department who believes in cuts.
• Michelle Boag and Jenny Shipley found they were in bad company.  Turns out work involves actually checking stuff.

But it’s the weekend, so a bit more from my old favourite: