Author Archive

Ashcroft dealings under spotlight again

Written By: - Date published: 4:58 pm, September 29th, 2008 - 19 comments

We’ve seen Mr Key look evasive on the topic of Lord Ashcroft, so when his name popped up in the British media over the weekend I had a closer look. It made me wonder exactly what Key and Ashcroft talked about recently – and whether there were any plans for companies to be set up in […]

Easy to clear up the question

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, September 28th, 2008 - 9 comments

An article in yesterday’s Herald raised some more questions over how Key has handled the management of his share portfolio. However it looks like it would be easy enough for him to clear up. According to Paula Oliver: Eyebrows were raised around Parliament this week when Mr Key said Mr Leggat could buy shares with […]

Questions over Key’s handling of Tranzrail

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 pm, September 24th, 2008 - 22 comments

Where-ever you sit on the spectrum of opinion on Key’s handling on the Tranzrail affair, it appears that the commentators are questioning his ability to handle the pressure (and by extension his ability to handle the PM-ship). From Paul Henry’s vigorous questioning this morning to discussions by commentators later in the day, the common theme […]

Defining dirty politics

Written By: - Date published: 5:47 pm, September 22nd, 2008 - 12 comments

Dirty politics and personal attacks. They’re two of the phrases of the campaign so far. The Sunday Star Times took the time to investigate what dirty tricks might mean. According to Wanganui mayor and former National MP Michael Laws: “A dirty trick is a covert act “that you would be embarrassed about if you were exposed”. When he was […]

Polls and the art of confusion

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, September 21st, 2008 - 16 comments

Nats Golden Run – the headline accompanied by vivid graphic in the Dom Post yesterday would have had many on the left sighing into their morning long black. But upon looking at it more closely I discovered that the dramatic graph wasn’t the result of the Fairfax poll (which has the National/Labour gap closing one […]

Jessica Alba says “Declare Yourself”

Written By: - Date published: 4:26 pm, September 16th, 2008 - 12 comments

Some commentators have pondered whether an election in NZ so close to the election in the States should be a concern for Labour. Helen Clark has already said: “… Obviously we all take a great interest in the American election but our election is what determines our immediate future”. But there’s also an upside in […]

Video: health policy like you’ve never seen it

Written By: - Date published: 4:02 pm, September 16th, 2008 - 39 comments

Fair to say this is video is pretty much out there…

Video: Slippery as a snake

Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, September 15th, 2008 - 30 comments

08 wire are staying on the case – coming to a screen near you:

Video: Take aim and wave goodbye

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, September 11th, 2008 - 7 comments

Is this our first real Youtube election? 08wire is doing its bit with another new video:

NZ – still a great place to do business

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 pm, September 10th, 2008 - 33 comments

We can do good news here on the Standard! According to a World Bank survey shows New Zealand is still ranked second in the world when it comes to ease of doing business. Singapore ranked first with the United States third. According to Clayton Cosgrove: …positive findings included that New Zealand was the easiest country […]

Video: Nats head in sand on environment

Written By: - Date published: 4:55 pm, September 9th, 2008 - 48 comments

Boosting their green credentials is not proving as straightforward as National would like, as this video that’s doing the rounds shows.

Video repeat: Leaking Hollow Man

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, September 9th, 2008 - 1 comment

Apologies if you’ve seen this before – but I had a reader request a replay.

What are National up to?

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, September 6th, 2008 - 17 comments

A puzzled reader sent me this question – what is National up to? Their environment policy is leaked, and John Key says that one of his staff must have left it lying around in a café (and now their Conservation policy too?) Their transport spokesperson muses about $50 a week tolls and putting tolls back […]

Video: Nats wave goodbye to blue sky

Written By: - Date published: 2:01 pm, September 4th, 2008 - 14 comments

Newly up from 08wire There’s something very powerful about that music and image combination….

ACC privatisation costs National support?

Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, September 4th, 2008 - 18 comments

A reader just sent us this poll from NZ Doctor magazine (offline): If there was a snap election tomorrow, 38 per cent of GPs would vote National and 36 per cent for Labour, the latest New Zealand Doctor / IMS Health Fax poll shows. Labour’s comeback might be attributed to National’s ACC stance. The poll […]

Key, leadership, and the audacity of hope

Written By: - Date published: 3:31 pm, September 3rd, 2008 - 24 comments

Perhaps Mr Key is feeling a little regretful about comparing himself to Barack Obama. Certainly the chutzpah inherent in such a comparison has been noted – including these comments in the ODT today from Simon Cunliffe: “it’s quite natural that a political leader such as the “young, smart and rich” John Key might think about […]

Telco hits out at National’s fibre plan

Written By: - Date published: 3:47 pm, September 2nd, 2008 - 34 comments

John Drinnan in the NZ Herald: “One of the biggest challengers in the telecommunications business, TelstraClear, has attacked National Party plans for a fibre-optic network, saying the party should be focused on business. “The telco says the main result of faster broadband links to the home may be more downloads of pornography and movies rather […]

Video: Key’s crush on Obama

Written By: - Date published: 3:19 pm, September 2nd, 2008 - 1 comment

More creative hi-jinks from No8Wire

Betting on likeability – Key’s strategy for 2008

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 pm, September 1st, 2008 - 10 comments

Gordon Campbell spends some time examining Key’s likeability factor: “That’s why Key’s gamble over Winston Peters is so interesting because it could help to unravel that image. If Peters can ultimately provide sufficient satisfactory evidence of where the money has gone, Key will have been guilty of a rush to judgement. Alone, that might not […]

Aussie Invasion – a video with an agenda

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, August 31st, 2008 - 4 comments

We’re used to hearing opposition parties talk about people rushing to Australia. But let’s remember we’re attractive to Australia too – where could that lead? Here’s an alternative view! In case you are wondering there’s a series of these on different topics from the Gruen Transfer….

Connell departs and praises PM

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, August 29th, 2008 - 3 comments

Who would have expected to read this from Brian Connell upon his departure from Parliament? In a backhander against his own party, he praised Prime Minister Helen Clark, her deputy Michael Cullen, and front-bench Labour MPs Phil Goff and Annette King. Cullen was “a pretty good treasurer” and Clark had been “a very fine prime […]

What will National do on student allowances?

Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, August 27th, 2008 - 32 comments

Spotted in the Waikato Times: Cambridge High School students did their best to get a policy out of him, but National leader John Key stayed tight-lipped on his party’s student allowance stance yesterday: Of National’s policy, Mr Key said: “We haven’t announced it yet, but we’re looking at it very closely … I think we […]

Williamson goes to ground

Written By: - Date published: 5:59 pm, August 25th, 2008 - 16 comments

From RNZ’s Checkpoint I hear they’ve been after Maurice Williamson all day to clarify what he said on Agenda yesterday (as discussed below). But he’s gone to ground and is not returning calls. Williamson may admire what they are doing in Australia but Gordon Campbell sounds a note of warning: Interesting that the National Party […]

TV3: Labour clawing back National’s lead in latest poll

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 pm, August 24th, 2008 - 31 comments

According to TV3 “Labour is on the move. The latest 3 News poll shows that less than three months out from the election, their support is heading upwards. And once you add the Greens and the Maori Party into the mix, a Labour-led coalition is not out of the running just yet.” Why will this […]

On grounds of race or trust?

Written By: - Date published: 4:28 pm, August 24th, 2008 - 15 comments

Regular Standard readers will know I like to keep an eye out on what’s happening in the States (where the arte of politic$s is bigger, brighter and harsher). While there’s been comment on Obama’s choice of running mate, it was this piece in the Observer that caught my eye, where Paul Harris asks “why has […]

Foss puts foot in it

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, August 22nd, 2008 - 58 comments

Craig Foss annoyed some students in Napier when he described early childhood teachers as “glorified babysitters”, according to a recent story in the Hawke’s Bay Today (sent in by a bemused reader). He admitted that he used the term “babysitting” yet also tried to argue he was taken out of context. Perhaps he realised his […]

Consquences on climate change

Written By: - Date published: 2:04 pm, August 21st, 2008 - 70 comments

Deputy leader Bill English yesterday late afternoon released what could barely be described as National’s policy on climate change. I was sorry to see such little detail on what they planned, despite his saying (again) that their structure would be in place within nine months. Surely they must know what they plan to do then? I also noted […]

Lonely planet loves

Written By: - Date published: 5:53 pm, August 20th, 2008 - 13 comments

The Lonely Planet has a new guide on Godzone and has lavished praise on our beauty but also offers a warning on “the environmental cost, with extra visitors putting strain on the clean, green environment the country is renowned for.” So how are we planning to handle that? Not a bad question to be adding to examinations of political […]

Key and McCain: underdogs rising

Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, August 19th, 2008 - 6 comments

The US presidential race in the States took a new direction with the McCain and Obama both appearing at a Forum on faith, held over the weekend, moderatorated by pastor and author Rick Warren. Commentators and opinion leaders are now disecting the event, offering their views. For example in the Washington Post Michael Gerson wrote: It is now […]

Excel magic

Written By: - Date published: 4:46 pm, August 13th, 2008 - 12 comments

Insight into Mr Key costing his tax policy (lots of clever bits, best viewed in fullscreen) – hosted by 08wire

Gordon Campbell on Nats’ welfare plan

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, August 12th, 2008 - 15 comments

Dog whistle politics to some, beneficiary bashing to others. But is there logic to National’s policy on benefits? Gordon Campbell asks: Will John Key’s policy announcement on welfare this afternoon do much to resolve the problems it claims to address? Hardly… It is as if National felt the need to beat up on beneficiaries somehow, and somewhere […]

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