Author Archive
The importance of political narrative
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, January 15th, 2023 - 37 comments
Wayne Brown’s campaign techniques used in the Auckland Mayoral election are likely to be used by National in the election campaign this year.
Dog whistling climate change
Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, January 12th, 2023 - 30 comments
National MP Stuart Smith has tweeted suggesting that students should not be taught about climate change but should instead be taught the skills to decide for themselves if it exists.
Why is everything always Jacinda’s fault?
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, January 10th, 2023 - 57 comments
Son of former National MP and former Political reporter and currently self branded travel reporter Brook Sabin has produced potentially the most ridiculous article of the year by blaming the Government for not sorting out Auckland Airport’s baggage handling problems. And we are only 10 days in.
New Zealand is in a terrible state *
Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, January 6th, 2023 - 116 comments
* or is it?
Trump’s tax returns
Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, January 2nd, 2023 - 18 comments
One of the mysteries of the ages has now been resolved. One of the great mysteries along with who killed JFK and is there life on Mars is how wealthy is the orange one. And now we know. And it appears that he is not as wealthy as he made out to be.
The Standard’s political awards for 2022
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, December 30th, 2022 - 39 comments
It is that time of year again where the events of the year are reviewed and what was notable, noteworthy and notorious.
Meri Kirihimete
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, December 26th, 2022 - 116 comments
Even on the one day of the year that is meant to be a day of peace and calm and family some people get triggered by the use of Te Reo.
The smartest guys in the room
Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, December 24th, 2022 - 9 comments
Vector has received a warning letter from the Commerce Commission for attempting to artificially boost the value of assets so that price increases for power could be imposed.
Federated Farmers – climate change “probably” exists
Written By: - Date published: 11:35 am, December 23rd, 2022 - 49 comments
Federated Farmers leader Andrew Hoggard thinks that climate change is probably happening but we will have to wait 50 to 100 years to see the effects.
Be afraid, be very afraid …
Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, December 22nd, 2022 - 165 comments
David Seymour is feeling his oats and has claimed that past National Governments never changes anything. A brief review of history would suggest otherwise.
Why selling Auckland Airport shares is a silly thing to do
Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, December 20th, 2022 - 34 comments
Wayne Brown is proposing the sale of Auckland Council’s Airport shares to plug a budget hole. He thinks it is a simple decision and a rational way to take care of the deficit. I beg to differ.
Much ado about nothing
Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, December 16th, 2022 - 54 comments
The big news this week was Jacinda Ardern describing David Seymour in an unparliamentary phrase on an open mike in Parliament. But the matter was resolved in a way that can only happen in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dog whistles and South Auckland garages
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 14th, 2022 - 20 comments
Chris Luxon has doubled down on a dog whistle attack on South Auckland garages by apologising if anyone was offended, thereby ignoring most of South Auckland who were definitely offended.
Labour’s big reset
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 am, December 13th, 2022 - 77 comments
New Zealand politics is at an interesting stage. With announcements about Ministerial futures pending and with a review of all current projects to occur over Christmas Jadinda Ardern is planning to repurpose Labour to have its best chance in the election next year.
The Hamilton West by election
Written By: - Date published: 7:11 pm, December 10th, 2022 - 95 comments
The polls are now closed but someone should tell National about how on election day you should not be campaigning.
Luxon’s first year
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, December 4th, 2022 - 56 comments
Chris Luxon marked the anniversary of his becoming National leader this week by showing that he is that out of touch he had no idea what the single rate of superannuation is.
Three strikes law is not the answer
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, November 29th, 2022 - 25 comments
National is proposing a return of the Three Strikes legislation, despite the Supreme Court ruling that the law went well beyond excessive punishment and would shock the conscience of properly informed New Zealanders, and was so disproportionately severe as to breach the Bill of Rights. And despite there being no evidence that it would actually work.
Overblown rhetoric and Laura Norder
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, November 27th, 2022 - 69 comments
This week has seen some extreme rhetoric from various quarters about who to blame for a recent senseless killing. But news that the person arrested had recently been extradited from Australia has shown the rhetoric to be entirely misplaced.
The politics of the voting age change
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 pm, November 21st, 2022 - 90 comments
The Supreme Court has just lobbed a grenade into New Zealand politics by ruling that denying 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote was not only discrimination on the basis of age but also had not been justified and was therefore a breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.
National’s Boot Camps announcement is deeply cynical policy recycling
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, November 21st, 2022 - 28 comments
There should be a law against the cynical recycling of dog whistle policies that everyone knows will not work. Last week’s announcement by National of a boot camp policy is as good an example as you can imagine.
Are Luxon’s days numbered?
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, November 17th, 2022 - 66 comments
Yesterday was a bad day for Chris Luxon. It is increasingly clear that he is not up to the job of being leader of the opposition and National’s senior management must be worried.
What happened to National’s policy machine?
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, November 16th, 2022 - 70 comments
Remember when a few leaders ago then National Leader Simon Bridges promised that National would be a 56 MP policy machine? Judging by its response to the Government’s release of two bills at the centre of RMA reform the machine has major problems.
The power companies are rorting us
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, November 15th, 2022 - 25 comments
FIRST Union, NZCTU, and 350 Aotearoa have just released a joint report suggesting that the privatisation of our power companies by National were not only disastrous for the country’s finances but also disastrous for the planet.
Equality for the Black Ferns
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, November 13th, 2022 - 42 comments
After the epic Women’s World Cup result from last night’s final the question has to be asked, why aren’t the Black Ferns and the All Blacks paid the same amount?
Comrade Chris and the politics of the warm inner glow
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, November 9th, 2022 - 127 comments
Left wing contrarian Chris Trotter has made some outlandish claims about Jacinda Ardern’s recent conference speech.
What happens if Twitter dies?
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, November 8th, 2022 - 95 comments
It seems strange to type this but Twitter may be terminal. The social media site that has become the go to for many years for journalists, politicians and any one interested in news especially breaking news may be on its death bed.
National’s relentless negativity
Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, November 5th, 2022 - 86 comments
National’s recent press releases show that its approach to politics will be relentlessly negative, with no idea of what it will do as an alternative or how it will fund changes.
Is it fair for the PM to get a weekly tax cut of $349 while a minimum wage worker would receive only $2.15?
Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, November 2nd, 2022 - 148 comments
Chris Luxon has avoided answering this question so far but he needs to be asked continuously about it. Is it fair that he as Prime Minister would receive under National’s proposed tax cuts a tax cut of $349 per week while a minimum wage worker would receive only $2.15 per week
National has gone full woke
Written By: - Date published: 8:39 pm, November 1st, 2022 - 22 comments
Remember this scene from the Tauranga by election? National has decided it will not be repeated by ensuring that it has no potential white male candidates for the Hamilton West by election.
The use of rumour as a political weapon
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, November 1st, 2022 - 26 comments
US conservative figures are downplaying the right’s involvement in a hammer attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband by spreading completely unfounded rumours. And in Aotearoa rumours continue to be spread about Jacinda Ardern’s pending resignation despite her repeatedly ruling this out. Clearly some see the use of rumours as a valid political weapon even if they are based on complete falsehoods.
The most important election in the world this year
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, October 31st, 2022 - 25 comments
With the future of the Amazon rain forest at stake the people of Brazil go to the polls today to vote on who will be their next President in an election that may profoundly affect the world’s future.
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