Bent Bill

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 pm, February 27th, 2014 - 57 comments
Categories: bill english, equality, poverty - Tags:

What do you call someone who knowingly relies on false information to defend his case?

Bill English.

The OECD pointed out before Christmas that Treasury data was wrong, double-counting the accommodation supplement, and was presenting people to be doing better than they are.

This year, English was challenged repeatedly by David Parker in the House on rising inequality in New Zealand under the National Government.  He denied it, constantly referring to the one report that could somewhat justify his claim that inequality was static.

That report – the Perry report – we now know used the fallacious Treasury data, which “lifted” 20,000 children out of poverty.

National’s record for those in poverty, and on inequality, is dire, and we now know that the one wooden leg that National was trying to stand on is full of borer.

But English knew that last year.

So what do you call someone who uses known false information?  And how much do you trust them?

–

Note: I’ve just discovered our Gini (inequality measure) numbers don’t include Capital Gains as income – a large source of income for some of our wealthiest (particularly those avoiding tax).  This means that our real Gini numbers are even worse than thought…

57 comments on “Bent Bill ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Sacha 1
    27 February 2014 at 11:59 pm

    “What do you call someone who knowingly relies on false information to defend his case?”

    A liar.

  2. Philj 2
    28 February 2014 at 1:37 am

    English is a very good debater though. Once you can fake it you can make it up. Sounds good. Pity about the truth or trying to help the poor.

    • phillip ure 2.1
      1 March 2014 at 7:58 pm

      “..English is a very good debater though..”

      ooh..!..hardly..!..

      ..i do commentaries @ q-time in parliament..

      ..and english..(along with joyce..)..is infamous for sucking all the life/energy out of listeners..

      ..and sending them into a coma..

      ..phillip ure..

      • Lou 2.1.1
        1 March 2014 at 10:15 pm

        Oh, thank you, phillip, I was wondering whether I was the only one who is consistently sent into a soporific state by both of those two GNAT members!!

  3. RedLogix 3
    28 February 2014 at 5:34 am

    I’ve just discovered our Gini (inequality measure) numbers don’t include Capital Gains as income –

    And how does it account for the very large amount of wealth and income that is controlled by overseas people?

    At the extreme, the whole of NZ could be owned by overseas and New Zealanders could own nothing – and by this measure we’d would be a finely equal place.

    • Mike 3.1
      28 February 2014 at 7:22 am

      Gini measures income inequality, not asset inequality which is generally far worse than income inequality. Ceteris paribus, static income inequality leads to widening asset inequality over time.

      • RedLogix 3.1.1
        28 February 2014 at 7:41 am

        True – I see what you mean.

        But that still leaves the question of how much income generated in NZ is ‘exported overseas’ and thereby not captured by the statistic?

        For instance – the massive profits generated by the big four Aussie banks? How much of that lands in kiwis pockets?

        • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1
          28 February 2014 at 8:09 am

          And of course, those profits arent merely “generated” they are monies taken from ordinary Kiwi pockets and small businesses, and exported to support wealthy Australians.

          • Tiger Mountain 3.1.1.1.1
            28 February 2014 at 9:09 am

            The foreign account deficit is one good indicator of the outflow of capital in the form of repatriated profits to offshore owned corporates.

            “Blinglish”, “Double Dipton” etc has been under the radar a bit around here so good to see the spotlight on him again.

          • Lanthanide 3.1.1.1.2
            28 February 2014 at 4:59 pm

            I thought you kept going on about how the banks ‘printed’ money?

            • Naturesong 3.1.1.1.2.1
              28 February 2014 at 6:05 pm

              You mean the Fractional Reserve banking system that all countries currently use?

              What has that got to do with all the main banks repatriating all their profits back to Australia?
              Who are in turn owned largely by US and UK banks, and repatriate profits back to the US and UK.

              • Colonial Viper …
                1 March 2014 at 5:08 pm

                Most countries no longer use the fractional reserve banking system – i.e. there are no real limits to the amount of credit that a private bank can extend especially given the advent of the unregulated and non-transparent “shadow banking” system which all the banks now use to fund themselves.

            • felix 3.1.1.1.2.2
              28 February 2014 at 7:36 pm

              Lanth I think you’re confusing the money that banks “print” to lend to you and I with the money we pay them in interest for providing such a service.

              • Lanthanide …
                28 February 2014 at 11:01 pm

                But that “money that we pay them in interest” was ultimately “printed” by a bank, too.

                • felix …
                  28 February 2014 at 11:38 pm

                  Don’t know about you, but I usually have to exchange time and labour and goods and services for it.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    1 March 2014 at 5:11 pm

                    Bingo. It’s essentially a scam where manufacturers of this electronic credit, and their top tier of crony credit dealers, can exchange the bits and bytes that they magick up with the hard labour we put into the economy and with the real physical resources of our nations and ecosystems.

                • Mike S …
                  1 March 2014 at 4:30 am

                  Yes, as with all the money in our entire money supply (except notes and coins which are only around 3% of the total), the “money we pay them in interest” was originally created as a “loan” (or part of one) from a bank. The only way new money can enter the money supply is by a person (includes a company or country) ‘borrowing’ it from a bank. All money is created as a debt in this way. That $20 dollar bill in your pocket actually isn’t yours, it is owed to a bank, they are just allowing you to use it for awhile, the same with the money in your bank account.

                  The amount of money that the “money that we pay them in interest” represents however, was never created and in fact has to be paid to them out of the existing money supply. (for example, if you ‘borrow’ 10k from a bank at 10% interest, they create the 10k out of thin air, but they don’t create the amount representing the interest which you have to find from somewhere) In this way the system ensures a cycle of perpetual debt because The total amount of money in the overall money supply, which is ALL owed somewhere along the line to a bank, is always less than the total amount owed + attached interest. New money always has to be created in order to service the interest debt on the existing money, hence the rapid devaluation of our currency due to constant expansion of the money supply (inflation)

                  For anyone that has wondered how the reserve bank raising or lowering interest rates is their main tool to keep inflation low and consistent it is really pretty simple. When they raise interest rates there is less borrowing due to higher interest having to be paid thus less new money entering the money supply thus less real inflation (not cpi index which is a measure of inflation. Rising food prices are not inflation, they are a symptom of inflation, more money in the money supply or inflation means higher demand which means higher prices.) The reverse occurs when interest rates are lowered. very low interest rates in relation to reserve bank performing it’s primary function (keep inflation low), are the same thing essentially as what some call printing money, or stimulus, or QE.

        • Akldnut 3.1.1.2
          28 February 2014 at 9:16 am

          “For instance – the massive profits generated by the big four Aussie banks? How much of that lands in kiwis pockets?”

          And if anything does land in Kiwi pockets – who’s pockets would they be?….. 1 %ers?

          • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.2.1
            1 March 2014 at 5:17 pm

            Bullseye

            Some low wage workers may have a couple of thousand dollars stashed up in a KiwiSaver account that they got signed up to, but realistically, its the hedgefunds and the big net worth boys who owns that whole shooting match.

  4. Ad 4
    28 February 2014 at 6:44 am

    20,000 is no mere statistic. That’s as if the entire population of Queenstown and Wanaka turned overnight from just fine to wretched poverty.

    20,000 individuals in this country, in poverty, and written off blithely by English as having no statistical bearing. Cruel.

  5. Whatever next 5
    28 February 2014 at 7:47 am

    Remembering those secret tapes at the cocktail party, Bill talking about “winning” being the main thing, said it all to me

  6. Colonial Viper 6
    28 February 2014 at 8:12 am

    For a Tory, English has been a sensible Finance Minister who has stopped the idiots in National taking us down the damaging route of austerity followed by the rest of the western world.

    • Stuart Munro 6.1
      28 February 2014 at 11:00 pm

      So the shrinking of the civil service by 3000 jobs was not ideological?

      I’m afraid our Bill is a dyed-in the-wool neolib nutjob who couldn’t grow an economy if his life depended on it.

      “What do you call someone who knowingly relies on false information to defend his case?”

      A charlatan and pretender.

      Unfortunately, the corruption extends to our supposedly ‘free press’, whose concern is not to report the truth, but reassuring sound bites. Bill doesn’t give a feck, he is not merely a completely useless finance minister, but feckless to boot.

      He and Key are gaming the tolerances of our liberal democracy for personal profit. An inquisitorial justice system is required when corruption reaches the top like this. He is not merely lying, he is neutralising the systems designed to make parliamentary democracy accountable and effective. It is not to be tolerated.

      • Colonial Viper 6.1.1
        1 March 2014 at 5:21 pm

        So the shrinking of the civil service by 3000 jobs was not ideological

        Oh, it absolutely was ideological.

        I’m just saying that he didn’t shrink the civil service by 15,000 jobs, as some others in National would have been very keen to do.

    • phillip ure 6.2
      1 March 2014 at 8:04 pm

      @ viper..

      ..bullshit..!

      (and i can’t be bothered listing the litany/unpacking it..)

      ..i am just gobsmacked that you wrote that..

      ..phillip ure..

  7. One Anonymous Bloke 7
    28 February 2014 at 8:22 am

    No Tories prepared to comment?

    Shame got your tongues?

  8. bad12 8
    28 February 2014 at 9:28 am

    What do you call a Minister of Finance who deliberately uses data He knows to be incorrect, i would suggest Slippery but the Prime Minister got in way ahead of English to gain that coveted title,

    i would suggest that as English has used this data in answers to the House that what He should be called is befor the Privileges Committee for deliberately misleading the House…

    • Rodel 8.1
      28 February 2014 at 12:28 pm

      Don’t worry..The Chch Press reported the deception fully in a front page… oh no sorry. It was buried at the bottom of page 14 under all the nonsense about how unhappy Jim Anderton is and 15 National stalwarts leaving politics and so on.
      Ships leaving the sinking rat?

  9. srylands 9
    28 February 2014 at 9:48 am

    It seems to have been an error but it was hardly deliberate. It is not getting much press coverage.

    It is all irrelavant to most people.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1
      28 February 2014 at 9:57 am

      No, it isn’t irrelevant to most of us, because most of us recoil from such callous disregard for our fellow citizens, not to mention the universal damage inflicted by excessive inequality.

      Bill English knowingly gave false answers to parliamentary questions. Is that ok with you too, S Rylands?

    • Rumour Willis 9.2
      28 February 2014 at 1:07 pm

      Cunliffe lies about the baby bonus and the media rams it down our throats for two weeks and tells us we can’t trust him.

      English lies about this, “it seems to have been an error but it was hardly deliberate, it is all irrelevant to most people”.

      • Naturesong 9.2.1
        28 February 2014 at 6:49 pm

        I think everyone now knows that David Cunliffe was not lying.

        The speech writer hadn’t thought it necessary to explicitly state that people would be unable to double dip (otherwise known as or rorting the system).
        Though full details were available online, the précis handed out to the press also didn’t explicitly state that folks would not be able to rort the system.

        But you’re right about it going on for two weeks.
        Is the incestuous nature of the New Zealand media the reason why TVNZ didn’t crucify Gower for his incompetence? I.E. “Watch TVNZ, those idiots over at TV3 don’t know what they’re doing”

      • Rodel 9.2.2
        28 February 2014 at 8:26 pm

        RW
        Cunliffe didn’t lie. Don’ be so blatantly stupidly obviously blatant in your attempt to spin and misguide people. Your attempt is so amateurish and adds nothing to the debate…..just illustrates the dimness of right winger logic if I could even call it that.

    • freedom 9.3
      28 February 2014 at 6:54 pm

      oh srylands, you really are amusing at times
      four message points in three sentences
      mad skills on display

  10. bad12 10
    28 February 2014 at 9:59 am

    SSLands, lift your game wont you, it is irrelevant not irrelavant, yes your declaration of English’s innocence is par for the course, and Bill, being a powerful person didn’t even have to cough up 3 odd million bucks to anyone to prove this innocence unlike another newsworthy individual obviously did,

    If English did not have prior knowledge of the correct information then i should imagine He would relish the chance to prove this befor the Parliaments Privileges Committee…

  11. tricledrown 11
    28 February 2014 at 10:09 am

    So blinglish and Benetto have claimed child poverty haven’t got worse on their watch.
    Child Poverty has nearly doubled under National up from 170,000 to 285,000.
    Nothing to worry about Shonkeys reply.
    Ladder pulling double dipping eletist arsholes.

  12. fender 12
    28 February 2014 at 1:30 pm

    But it’s ok, treasury insisted that there were no “real world” implications.

    So even if there’s another 50 or 100 thousand living in poverty than expected it will have no real world consequence, nothing to see here and no need to do anything about it.

  13. Tracey 13
    28 February 2014 at 2:36 pm

    apparently lying is only of media interest if you are len brown and lied to your wife.

  14. karol 14
    28 February 2014 at 6:37 pm

    and Blinglish was all over the place this evening on Checkpoint on Paid Parental Leave.

    The government will probably veto Moroney’s Bill because it costs too much – Bill said they have other higher related priorities. On continuing questioning from Mary, Bill said beneficiary mothers, and some others were a higher priority. Under pressure Bill said he’s not saying he will spend the money saved from PPL by making more provisions for non-working parents…. etc…. not even slippery, just struggling to support his positions on low income parents.

    http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ckpt/ckpt-20140228-1710-the_finance_minister_on_paid_parental_bill-048.mp3

    • xtasy 14.1
      28 February 2014 at 10:00 pm

      “The government will probably veto Moroney’s Bill because it costs too much – Bill said they have other higher related priorities.”

      Hah, “priority” is election year now, and whatever gets votes is ok and counts. Of course they will pull that one off, to sink Sue Moroney, who is a bit of a gullible one, I must say, and then they will come and present their “new policy” on “parental leave”, being just a tiny bit “more conservative and responsible”, but financially affordable. So they will bring in a gradual phasing in of more parental leave payments and get the voters say, hey that makes sense, we cannot afford to o much now, but bringing it in gradually “makes sense”.

      Labour need to wake up a bit more, and I hope Matt will hold some internal caucus tutorials about REAL POLITIK and agendas soon, so the slow and gullible lot in caucus bloody wake up and get their grips together.

      The Nats will steal and undermine your policies, 24/7, and that is what the y are doing now in election year.

  15. xtasy 15
    28 February 2014 at 9:54 pm

    Surely, our Finance Minister cannot be wrong, at any given time, he is also the DEP (UTY) PM!

    English is an expert in misleading the public, and he is always very careful with figures and facts, and usually he does not really get caught out, as whatever he says is very ambiguous, wishy washy or can be interpreted in one way or another. That ensures some “protection”.

    Even when he gets it wrong, he will always have explanations. I expect that for this he may simply say, he relied on “more conservative figures”, before “jumping to conclusions” to perhaps accept other (more current or reliable) figures.

    I think he is quite an expert on this. He is not “Bent Bill”, he is “Bill the (Figure) Bender”, that is a subtle difference, I suppose.

    There is always “farming” for an alternative, I suppose, but I suspect, after years in Wellington and Parliament, he would not want to get “his hands dirty” again, pulling the teats of cows or digging “dirty” soil.

    I wonder whether he is lined up for a Royal list title, or whether he may get a nice overseas posting, like embassador, perhaps in a neat place close to the champagne bars.

    • Mike S 15.1
      1 March 2014 at 4:37 am

      “English is an expert in misleading the public”

      Sadly, that seems to be an increasingly less difficult thing to be an expert at..

      (Hmmm, “increasingly less difficult”…. anyway, you know what I mean.)

  16. Lloyd 16
    28 February 2014 at 11:25 pm

    Surely this cock-up and lying should result in a month long campaign by the New Zealand Herald urging a replacement of Bill by a more competent minister, in a similar manner to its campaign against Len Brown?

  17. xtasy 17
    1 March 2014 at 12:51 am

    Thisw is all a bit “difficult” stuff, but we are all guilty of not taking it FURTHER! So al l this leads to little, I am going to wait and see, as there are a few other things happening on the fringe matter. Take care all the best.s

  18. RedBaronCV 18
    1 March 2014 at 10:01 am

    This is a refreshingly troll free thread isn’t it.
    Frankly, I wonder why he continues to hang around with the Nact’s. I always feel that he sorta argues against a measure then does what everyone else wants and then lies about it. I assume he doesn’t have much internal Nact power as he’s a failed leader so is unlikely to challenge again.

    Any one know – Did he go on the list because he wants to just slip quietly away when he gets a high paying job elsewhere or because his electorate committee where going to dispose of him or both?

  19. RedBaronCV 19
    1 March 2014 at 10:02 am

    Oops spoke too soon

  20. Brian 20
    1 March 2014 at 10:24 am

    I’d call him a liar.

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • 100 days of something
    It was at the end of the Foxton straights, at the end of 1978, at 100km/h, that someone tried to grab me from behind on my Yamaha.They seemed to be yanking my backpack. My first thought was outrage. My second was: but how? Where have they come from? And my ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 hour ago

  • Look who’s stepped up to champion Winston
    There’s no news to be gleaned from the government’s official website today  – it contains nothing more than the message about the site being under maintenance. The time this maintenance job is taking and the costs being incurred have us musing on the government’s commitment to an assault on inflation. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    18 hours ago

  • What's The Story?
    Don’t you sometimes wish they’d just tell the truth? No matter how abhorrent or ugly, just straight up tell us the truth?C’mon guys, what you’re doing is bad enough anyway, pretending you’re not is only adding insult to injury.Instead of all this bollocks about the Smokefree changes being to do ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    23 hours ago

  • The longest of weeks
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Friday Under New Management Week in review, quiz style1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Suggested sessions of EGU24 to submit abstracts to
    Like earlier this year, members from our team will be involved with next year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The conference will take place on premise in Vienna as well as online from April 14 to 19, 2024. The session catalog has been available since November 1 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Under New Management
    1. Which of these best describes Aotearoa?a. Progressive nation, proud of its egalitarian spirit and belief in a fair go b. Best little country on the planet c. Under New Management 2. Which of these best describes the 100 days of action announced this week by the new government?a. Petulantb. Simplistic and wrongheaded c. ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • While we wait patiently, our new Minister of Education is up and going with a 100-day action plan
    Sorry to say, the government’s official website is still out of action. When Point of Order paid its daily visit, the message was the same as it has been for the past week: Site under maintenance Beehive.govt.nz is currently under maintenance. We will be back shortly. Thank you for your ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Hysterical bullshit
    Radio NZ reports: Te Pāti Māori’s co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer has accused the new government of “deliberate .. systemic genocide” over its policies to roll back the smokefree policy and the Māori Health Authority. The left love hysterical language. If you oppose racial quotas in laws, you are a racist. And now if you sack ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • ELE LUDEMANN: It wasn’t just $55 million
    Ele Ludemann writes –  Winston Peters reckons media outlets were bribed by the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. He is not the first to make such an accusation. Last year, the Platform outlined conditions media signed up to in return for funds from the PJIF: . . . ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Weekly Roundup 1-December-2023
    Wow, it’s December already, and it’s a Friday. So here are few things that caught our attention recently. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt covered the new government’s coalition agreements and what they mean for transport. On Tuesday Matt looked at AT’s plans for fare increases ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago

  • Shane MacGowan Is Gone.
    Late 1996, The Dogs Bollix, Tamaki Makaurau.I’m at the front of the bar yelling my order to the bartender, jostling with other thirsty punters on a Friday night, keen to piss their wages up against a wall letting loose. The black stuff, long luscious pints of creamy goodness. Back down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • The Hoon around the week to Dec 1
    Nicola Willis, Chris Bishop and other National, ACT and NZ First MPs applaud the signing of the coalition agreements, which included the reversal of anti-smoking measures while accelerating tax cuts for landlords. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • 2023 More Reading: November (+ Writing Update)
    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    2 days ago

  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    3 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    4 days ago

  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    Bowalley Road
    5 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    5 days ago

  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    5 days ago

  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    6 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-12-02T18:15:12+00:00