Author Archive

From dirty politics to compassionate politics

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, February 28th, 2019 - 43 comments

Newshub has revealed that Jacinda Ardern instructed her ministers not tp publicly discuss National’s problems with Jami-Lee Ross.

Why New Zealand needs a capital gains tax

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, February 27th, 2019 - 249 comments

Expert comment suggests that a capital gains tax will redress inequality, improve the economy and make housing more affordable.

Tamihere has some strange friends

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, February 26th, 2019 - 20 comments

John Tamihere has been endorsed by Jordan Williams for Auckland’s mayoralty. And his campaign has commissioned the Taxpayers Union to do a cost cutting exercise.

Daily Review 25/02/2019

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, February 25th, 2019 - 25 comments

Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

Spare a thought for our poor impoverished landlords

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, February 25th, 2019 - 225 comments

Spare a thought for poor landlords who are aghast at the thought that they should have to share capital gains on properties they have purchased with no intent of making a capital gain.

All hail our computer overlords

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, February 24th, 2019 - 34 comments

IBM has staged a debate between an IBM computer and the world debating champion. The human won but the debate suggests that it may be just a matter of time … and the computer had remarkable things to say about poverty.

It’s the kiwi way

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, February 22nd, 2019 - 74 comments

National is engaging in hysterical levels of hyperbole in its response to the Tax Working Group’s reform package.

The handling of Pike River evidence was diabolical

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, February 21st, 2019 - 30 comments

The Pike River families have released an internal police document describing the handling of evidence from the crime scene as diabolical.

23 dinosaur councils refuse to sign Climate Change commitment

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, February 20th, 2019 - 78 comments

Thames-Coromandel mayor and former National Party MP Sandra Goudie has called a request to sign up to LGNZ’s Climate Change declaration irresponsible at the same time as the Council has entered a coastal inundation notation on the titles for a Retirement Village development it issued consent for.

Bernie runs again

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, February 20th, 2019 - 250 comments

Bernie Sanders has announced he will seek the Democratic candidacy for the presidency and has described Trump as being a pathological liar, a fraud, a racist, a sexist, a xenophobe and someone who is undermining American democracy.

What China crisis?

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, February 18th, 2019 - 52 comments

Claims that New Zealand is at a crisis point in terms of its relationship with China appear to be somewhat overegged.

Pike River mine evidence went missing

Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, February 18th, 2019 - 74 comments

It has been alleged that a potentially vital piece of evidence in the Pike River mine fatality that may show the cause of the explosion may have gone missing.

Blomfield beats Slater

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, February 16th, 2019 - 26 comments

Matt Blomfield has obtained judgment in his long running defamation case against Cameron Slater.

The end of tenure review

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, February 15th, 2019 - 29 comments

Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage has ended the policy of tenure review, under which large tracts of land were privatised and onsold for huge profits and sensitive ecological areas wrecked.

National crashes select committee meeting

Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, February 13th, 2019 - 208 comments

National has decided to play politics and sabotaged today’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee meeting.

The leader has my full support

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, February 13th, 2019 - 44 comments

National’s message discipline on support for Leader Simon Bridges is strangely missing.

Sheepgate the final chapter

Written By: - Date published: 7:38 am, February 12th, 2019 - 44 comments

The final chapter of the Saudi Sheepgate saga has now been written with David Parker pulling the pin on the deal and saving the country $1 million.

Simon Bridges twitter game

Written By: - Date published: 2:40 pm, February 11th, 2019 - 27 comments

Simon Bridges’ twitter account has been tweeting about unusual subjects lately.

Right wing environmental sock puppet party launched

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, February 11th, 2019 - 195 comments

No friends National’s sock puppet party has now been announced.

Ross taunts Bridges about mental health system

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, February 10th, 2019 - 119 comments

Jami-Lee Ross has implied that Simon Bridges is being hypocritical in criticising a Government review into mental health.

What does the right have against Venezuela?

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, February 9th, 2019 - 131 comments

Simon Bridges has claimed that the Government is going to follow a “Venezuela model” in making much needed reform of the Polytechnic sector. But no one knows what he means.

Trump restarts Nuclear Arms race

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, February 8th, 2019 - 58 comments

Donald Trump has announced that the US will be withdrawing from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and Russia has also given notice. Stand by as the nuclear arms race restarts.

What should Jacinda Ardern say in her state of the nation speech?

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 7th, 2019 - 71 comments

What are the issues Jacinda Ardern should be talking about when she gives her state of the nation speech tomorrow?

Happy Waitangi day

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, February 6th, 2019 - 30 comments

Waitangi day should be a day of celebration and a day of reflection.

Mr Brash goes to Waitangi

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, February 5th, 2019 - 32 comments

Don Brash is heading to Waitangi to tell local iwi that treaty settlements will not make them personally rich.

Herald and Du Plessis-Allan present compelling argument in favour of industry wide bargaining

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, February 4th, 2019 - 26 comments

Heather Du Plessis-Allan has written as compelling an article in favour of the the Government’s proposed industry wide negotiations as you could ever think possible.

Auckland’s yellow jacket protest

Written By: - Date published: 1:14 pm, February 3rd, 2019 - 24 comments

Some observations on yesterday’s yellow jacket protest in Auckland. Basically it was pretty mundane but continued vigilance is important.

The Meathead tax

Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, February 2nd, 2019 - 85 comments

National’s claim that the Government wants to impose a meat tax suffers from the reality that the Government has done no such thing and the proposal comes from an International collective of academics.

Westpac becomes accredited living wage employer

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, February 1st, 2019 - 33 comments

Westpac Bank has agreed to become an accredited living wage employer which means that its contractors as well as its staff are to be paid a living wage.

Simon Wilson thinks Epsom could be offered to Blue-Greens

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, February 1st, 2019 - 62 comments

Simon Wilson has suggested that the only way National may have to establish a Blue Green presence in Parliament is to offer them the seat of Epsom.

Show us the money Simon

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, January 31st, 2019 - 82 comments

Hopefully the media will ask of National the tough questions, like how it is going to increase spending in critical areas, pay down debt and give us a tax cut at the same time.