Author Archive

“We’re all shades of sheep” – the Calvert interview

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:28 pm, September 25th, 2010 - 49 comments

Check out Hilary Calvert’s interview in the ODT. It’s, um, extraordinary and hilarious. Calvert can’t remember whether she was ever a member of a different political party, when she first stood for ACT, or whether she has any convictions.

More evidence of the depth of talent in ACT these days.

“My foolish actions 26 years ago”

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 3:03 pm, September 24th, 2010 - 35 comments

Rodney Hide and David Garrett would have us believe that Garrett’s downfall is about youthful indiscretions and skeletons in closets. Let’s nip this in the bud straight away. It wasn’t Garrett’s “foolish actions 26 years ago” that sealed his fate, it was the confirmation that even to this day he is still a liar, a criminal and the worst kind of hypocrite.

Re: Chauvel on CERRA

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:44 pm, September 24th, 2010 - 18 comments

A few days ago Charles Chauvel wrote a piece on Red Alert on why Labour voted for CERRA. I have two big problems with it. 1) Labour may have won concessions that improved CERRA but they didn’t get the key one. 2) There’s a dangerous mindset in the position that Labour had to vote for dictatorship or get pilloried in the media and lose votes.

Cosgrove slams McVicar’s role in Garrett affair

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:00 am, September 23rd, 2010 - 10 comments

Great video of Clayton Cosgrove getting right stuck into the Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Garth McVicar over his hypocrisy on David Garrett. Cosgrove’s certainly no bleeding heart liberal so I’d say McVicar’s credibility on law in order is now pretty much shot.

Garrett and McVicar partners in crime

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:15 am, September 21st, 2010 - 36 comments

Garth McVicar is head of ‘tough on crime’ lobby group the Sensible Sentencing Trust. David Garrett is a serial offender who now faces further criminal charges for perjury.

So naturally McVicar is backing Garrett to head up a new hard-line law and order party.

The first diktats

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:07 am, September 21st, 2010 - 29 comments

On Thursday, our new dictator Gerry Brownlee decreed by Order in Council that the following Acts of Parliament were amended: the Building Act, the Local Government Act, the Resource Management Act, various pieces of transport legislation, and the Civil Defence Act. Most of the changes deal with minutiae of government. Some are less innocuous.

Key backs Hide’s lies

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:47 pm, September 20th, 2010 - 31 comments

John Key doesn’t want to touch the Garrett fiasco with a barge-pole. He wants to keep his brand clean. But here he is backing Rodney Hide, the shyster who kept Garrett’s secrets from the public, as one of his ministers. In the fight to keep his government together, all Key’s supposed principles go out the window.

Awatere-Huata & Garrett, what’s the difference?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:24 pm, September 19th, 2010 - 75 comments

ACT’s lost two List MPs. When Donna Awatere-Huata was booted out, Rodney Hide took her to court to force her out of Parliament. Now, David Garrett is forced to resign and Hide says he won’t push him to leave Parliament. Why the kid-gloves for Garrett? Because Hide’s leadership matters more to him than the future of his party.

Garrett resigns from ACT

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:37 pm, September 17th, 2010 - 80 comments

David Garrett has resigned from ACT and has indicated he will almost certainly resign from Parliament. Good, He is a scumbag, a liar, and a hypocrite. He is only resigning because he was caught. Now attention must turn to Rodney Hide. He can’t now pretend to be administering justice when he harbored Garrett and kept […]

Garrett case another example of special treatment for elite

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:28 am, September 17th, 2010 - 67 comments

David Garrett’s theft of a dead child’s identity is a revolting offence that violated our passport system and distressed the family. He lied to the Police when arrested and lied to the Court about having no prior convictions. Why did he escape conviction when others were being jailed for the same offence? Because he’s a lawyer. The elite looks after its own.

Good dictators

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:25 am, September 16th, 2010 - 41 comments

Dictatorships are good.

Or at least that’s what Farrar is saying now his team has one.

Labour grassroots revolt against Quake Act betrayal

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:51 am, September 16th, 2010 - 154 comments

A couple of days ago Labour MP Brendon Burns posted a self-congratulatory piece over at Red Alert celebrating the ‘rare unity’ among parliamentary parties in voting to make Gerry Brownlee dictator of New Zealand for the next 18 months.

The response from Labour’s grassroots in the comment section was swift and brutal. The Parliamentary Labour Party may have abdicated its role as opposition but that doesn’t mean everyone is happy.

Nats’ new health head: ‘Fewer doctors OK’

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:55 am, September 15th, 2010 - 12 comments

The state sector is in turmoil. Secondary teachers and medical technicians are striking for fair pay and against claw-backs in their work conditions. Junior doctors look set to join them. What’s the Nats’ reaction? They’ve appointed the Scottish ‘smiling assassin’, Dr Kevin Woods, who fired 1,500 nurses from the Scottish NHS and will apply the same formula here.

Desperation from Banks team

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:29 pm, September 14th, 2010 - 32 comments

John Banks’ team really jumped the shark yesterday with their bizarre ‘poll tax’ attack on Len Brown. Banks claimed Brown was proposing a Thatcher-style poll tax to fund the Supercity instead of rates. Of course, Brown is proposing no such thing – he is saying we should look at replacing rates with income tax. Desperate, Banksie, desperate.

Election in the shadow of the Christchurch earthquake

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:59 am, September 14th, 2010 - 39 comments

Jim Anderton’s mayoral campaign got a lot harder last week. He had been the favourite by a long, long way but Bob Parker has handled the disaster recovery well and he will win votes for that. But it doesn’t change why the people wanted shot of Parker and Anderton in his place. All’s not lost. Jim’s holding a community forum tonight in Woolston.

English refuses inquiry into $1.7bln SCF bailout

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:00 am, September 11th, 2010 - 34 comments

Bill English has ruled out an inquiry into the SCF affair. Think about that: the government is forced to spend the annual Police budget in a single morning and isn’t even interested in learning what could have been done better. The public service’s response, on the other hand, to the Christchurch earthquake will doubtlessly be subject to numerous inquires. It’s just good governance.

The State’s reserve powers & the Christchurch earthquake

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:32 am, September 11th, 2010 - 12 comments

The Civil Defence Emergency Act gives the authorities some extraordinary powers and has seen a handful of people in Christchurch very rapidly tried and summarily convicted of some unusual offences. It reminds us that the State holds huge powers in reserve for times of crisis. It speaks to the strength of our institutions and the people who operate them that these powers aren’t abused.

Just what they needed

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:30 pm, September 10th, 2010 - 17 comments

It was heartbreaking this morning to read of the worsening conditions in Christchurch’s poor suburbs, where damage assessments are only just now being done and aftershocks are accumulating more and more problems on already vulnerable communities. So, this picture sent in by a reader caused a bit of a bemused smile (click title for big version).

Key’s racist government

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:20 am, September 9th, 2010 - 62 comments

John Key promised higher standards of government. Another lie. The list of rorts, incompetences, and abuses of power goes on and on. So, it’s hardly any surprise that Key doesn’t have a problem with Maurice Williamson’s racist comments. Make no mistake – it is Key’s decision that Williamson and the rest are ministers in our government

Willimson’s racist jokes OK by Key?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:16 am, September 8th, 2010 - 42 comments

Days before accusing us of being racist for not wanting more of New Zealand’s land to fall under foreign control, Maurice Williamson was making racist jokes. Is it OK in John Key’s government for ministers to get pissed and tell racist jokes in public?

It’s now or never – Te Ururoa

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:40 am, September 7th, 2010 - 33 comments

It’s a little disturbing to hear Te Ururoa Flavell saying that the Maori Party isn’t really satisfied with National’s new foreshore and seabed bill but will vote for it for now and will re-negotiate a new deal in the future. He’s dreaming. Both major parties have every incentive to consider the issue closed. With the Maori Party supporting the law, it will be seen as a full and final settlement.

Tell Liz you can’t make it, John

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:00 am, September 7th, 2010 - 28 comments

I didn’t want to be the first to say it. Since John Armstrong now has, I will ask the question too: why the hell is the John Key planning to go for a holiday weekend with the Queen and a chat with his carbon-copy David Cameron when our second-largest city is a disaster zone? It seems he doesn’t appreciate the responsibilities of his job and just wants to be Minister for Overseas Holidays.

McCarten not going down without a fight

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:30 am, September 5th, 2010 - 33 comments

Almost as an aside, Matt McCarten has announced that he has the “killing kind of cancer” in his column today. Matt is one of the lions of the Left. His union, Unite, has defied the skeptics to become a real success story. Temp and low-paid workers have found an avenue for collective action, and learnt they can win. Matt makes it clear he’ll never flinch from fighting for the workers. Good on ya, mate, we’re with you.

Our $20 million bill for Nats’ expediency

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:48 pm, September 1st, 2010 - 28 comments

Many argue English should never have extended the deposit guarantee to South Canterbury Finance in April, or question whether the terms of the guarantee called for the pay-out. Then there’s the stink around the payment of SCF bonds. One thing’s for sure, the Nats didn’t need to spend $20 million on foreign depositors – they did it to try to kill the issue faster. Plenty of meat for Labour. Will they bite?

Kiwi jester to play for Queen

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:15 pm, August 30th, 2010 - 15 comments

Self-styled ‘Jokemeister-in-chief’ John Key has been selected from a host of eager clowns, buffoons, and slapstick artists (known as the National Party) to perform for Queen Elizabeth the Second for a weekend next month. Asked if he has any nerves ahead of the big show, Key whipped out his old catchphrase saying “nah, I’m pretty relaxed”.

Lies, damn lies and desperation

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:45 am, August 26th, 2010 - 43 comments

It is time we got away from Mr Key’s focus on individual greed and got back to a focus on better hospital, schools and care for those who are struggling. David Clark argues that Key’s tax cuts are going to actually drive away our high-achievers while Mr Key is telling us it’s going to bring them home.

Sacked 90 day worker wins justice

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:50 pm, August 25th, 2010 - 17 comments

Heather Smith, the pharmacy worker who was sacked unfairly under the 90 day fire at will law and featured in a recent advert for the campaign has won a CTU-backed case against her employer in the Employment Court.

Faafoi to challenge Mana selection

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:37 am, August 25th, 2010 - 15 comments

I see Kris Faafoi’s been given the nod from the Goffice to have a crack at Mana. He’s always struck me as a decent and hardworking bloke, so I wouldn’t want anyone to take this as an attack on him personally, but isn’t it a little worrying how many of Labour’s new recruits are being parachuted in from the leader’s office?

Key govt halves price of bananas

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:21 am, August 25th, 2010 - 7 comments

Prime Minister John Key has credited his government’s economic policies for the price of fruit and vegetables falling by 6.5%. It’s clearly because of all those fruit and vegetable price reduction policies the government has introduced. In fact, the fruit price index is really only down 3.9% since November 2008 and vegetables are actually up 14.4%. But who are you going to believe?

Treasury papers reveal SOE sale list

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:51 am, August 25th, 2010 - 25 comments

In the Treasury asset sale papers we released earlier this week, a key word is blanked out again and again. It is the name given for a group of SOEs in a series of slides on reforming the SOE sector. One can only presume that this list is the group of SOEs that the Government will be seeking to sell, if it can find a way to dupe the public first.

Govt opts for show over substance on alcohol

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:10 am, August 24th, 2010 - 49 comments

The government’s alcohol reforms are so typical of this government: criminalise someone to be seen to be doing something, while ignoring the root causes of the problem. This is a government that would rather make a criminal of a good parent who lets their son’s mate have a beer at a BBQ than make it harder for booze barons to hook kids into drinking.