Author Archive

Justice for Shaireen

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:11 pm, May 16th, 2022 - 30 comments

The spotlight is again on Israel after the senseless shooting of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh allegedly by an Israeli army sniper and on the subsequent disruption of her funeral by Israeli defence forces.

The Auckland Mayoralty campaign

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:22 pm, May 15th, 2022 - 9 comments

The Auckland mayoralty campaign promises to be a fascinating contest between a right winger promising to spend $1.5 million on the campaign and wants to turn sprinklers on the homeless and Efeso Collins who promises to run an inclusive respectful campaign.

Shane Jones’ weird premature budget take

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:02 am, May 14th, 2022 - 11 comments

Former Labour MP Shane Jones has criticised the 2021 budget even though he has no idea what is going to be in it.

Kia kaha Kelvin Davis

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:13 am, May 12th, 2022 - 27 comments

Kelvin Davis gave an outstanding speech in Parliament yesterday where he ridiculed opposition for proposals that if passed would enhance inequality.

Act’s scorched earth proposal

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:29 pm, May 11th, 2022 - 41 comments

Act has publicly released its proposal to decimate the state should it have a say in the next Government. Its Real Change Alternative Budget may be wet dream inducing for Ayn Rand acolytes but for the rest of us the proposals should instill a deep sense of dread.

Paula Bennett’s rewriting of Pharmac history

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:29 am, May 9th, 2022 - 22 comments

Paula Bennett has forgotten history by advocating for a significant increase in spending on Pharmac while at the same time forgetting that under the National Government she was a senior member of Pharmac’s funding stagnated.

The politics of opposition to cycleways

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:30 am, May 8th, 2022 - 53 comments

Opposition to Auckland Council’s Cycling and Micromobility Programme Business Case appears to be motivated by the belief that plans to have more of the population walk and cycle instead of using cars will be unpopular. Overseas experience suggests that not only can these types of projects contribute significantly to sustainability but they can also be very popular.

The end of Roe v Wade

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:40 am, May 4th, 2022 - 149 comments

America’s status as a potentially failed republic is growing stronger with the highest court of the land having a draft judgment leaked in an apparent attempt to shore up a conservative majority position on overturning abortion rights.

Latest poll result – all steady but the Herald needs an English lesson

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:11 pm, May 3rd, 2022 - 109 comments

The latest Reid Research poll result has been released. Basically it reflects other polls that have been recently conducted. But the Herald have chosen to suggest it shows a dramatic change.

National’s diversity problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:03 am, April 30th, 2022 - 71 comments

National’s short list of candidates for the Tauranga seat has been released. And it is clear that its gender and ethnic representation problems will be made worse after the selection process is completed.

Tame shows media how to interview Luxon

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:05 am, April 26th, 2022 - 45 comments

Jack Tame’s interview of Chris Luxon on Q&A suggests that the post leadership change honeymoon may now be over and that Luxon does not really understand how difficult a job being Prime Minister would be.

According to National budget slashing is a man’s job

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:03 am, April 23rd, 2022 - 91 comments

National leader Chris Luxon has publicly declared full confidence in National Finance Spokesperson Nicola Willis by proposing that former PM Bill English, not currently an MP, and Willis, who is an MP would be jointly directing the Ministers of every department to find savings.

Luxon’s triple backward summersault on Labour Day

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, April 21st, 2022 - 72 comments

In the space of one day Chris Luxon called repeatedly for the scrapping of Labour Day as a holiday then confirmed that a future National Government would not do this and said that his earlier comment was facetious.

RNZ’s weird take on MIQ

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, April 20th, 2022 - 93 comments

RNZ’s recent shock horror reporting on a memo from November 2021 proposing a wind back of MIQ is severely deficient. The framing is one sided and ignores the subsequent emergence of Omicron as a variant of concern.

The battle lines for the next election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:31 am, April 18th, 2022 - 79 comments

Despite Labour seeing the country through the biggest public health threat seen in the last century and despite improving numbers of houses and a reduction in child poverty some on the left are buying into National’s despair lines. And the issues on which the next election will be fought are becoming clearer.

Does truth in politics no longer matter?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:10 am, April 15th, 2022 - 68 comments

Over in the UK Boris Johnson has been fined for attending a party he told Parliament he did not attend and which was a gathering that did not breach Covid lockdown restrictions. Surely he should resign.

Luxon’s strange Public Transport take

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:29 am, April 13th, 2022 - 66 comments

Yesterday Chris Luxon showed the sensitivity and sophistication of someone who owns seven properties and at one stage had 6.1 million Air New Zealand shares by stating that he believed that at least some public transport services should not be supported and that public transport needs to stand on its own feet.

Plant based foods

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:08 am, April 12th, 2022 - 122 comments

Worrying news has emerged that New Zealand officials sought along with other agricultural nations to remove references to the benefits of consuming plant based foods on climate change from the IPCC report summary.

Why trust in the media is declining

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:09 pm, April 10th, 2022 - 47 comments

A recent study into New Zealand’s media suggests that trust in what the media says is declining and that views of what is good and bad media is more and more dependent on the participant’s world view.

Go well Ashley Bloomfield

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:28 am, April 10th, 2022 - 31 comments

With a sense of regret for many of us this week Ashley Bloomfield announced his pending resignation as Director General of Health.

Is Act buying social media followers?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:14 am, April 8th, 2022 - 14 comments

Hot on the heels of news that Act has recently received a number of significant donations comes news that it may have spent some of these funds on buying social media followers following news that Seymour’s Instagram followers jumped from 23,800 to 72,600 in one day.

Why in the middle of a pandemic an immediate change to Orange is magical thinking

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:27 am, April 5th, 2022 - 77 comments

National’s friends are in unison complaining that the Government should be announcing now when we will be back into Orange. But our exemplary performance compared to other nations suggests strongly that the Government should continue to respect the medical advice it is receiving.

National still has a culture problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:45 am, April 3rd, 2022 - 37 comments

This week National found itself the centre of media suggesting that its treatment of women is still not acceptable. A couple of Young Nats were outed as being behind the trolling of Christchurch left wing female politicians. Christchurch city councillor Sara Templeton was on the receiving end of the trolling. She did the very wise […]