BoJo plot foiled – for the time being

Written By: - Date published: 1:47 am, September 12th, 2019 - 57 comments
Categories: Europe, uk politics - Tags:

Phil Syrpis, Professor of EU Law at Bristol University, tweeted in July  Johnson’s plan to force a general election as the defender of the people’s decision against the UK Parliament’s indecision and Brussels bureaucratic intransigence and be in power for the next five years. It was rumbled and it failed.

The twitter thread is here. Quite a remarkable piece of political forecasting. It makes sense of Jacob Rees-Mogg’s open contempt of Parliament, goading his Conservative colleagues into the desired voting against Johnson.

Now the Brexit ball is back in Johnson’s court, with very little time and very few options. Either go to the European Union on 17th October with a new deal, which cannot be too far from the one already rejected by the Parliament, or crash out of Europe on the 31st October and face the consequences of that.

Parliament has demanded the production of the so-called Yellowhammer report which details the likely effects of ‘no deal’, and the government is dragging its feet. Revocation is not an impossibility.

Any election before 2022 will now be held against the backdrop of Brexit reality not Brexit promise. It will be fought on the old grounds of austerity versus social and economic development. Johnson is carrying on with the strategy by campaigning on the areas where the Tories are weak – schools, hospitals and the police.

The Johnson plan of a deregulated nirvana is out of the window. The timing advantage has shifted to the opposition parties, who are showing encouraging signs of being able to work with each other.

Expect the polls to shift.

57 comments on “BoJo plot foiled – for the time being ”

  1. Sanctuary 1

    "…Revocation is not an impossibility…"

    Don't fall into the trap of believing the hard remain liberal impossibilism.

    The perogation business is merely a procedural pantomime that changes nothing. The main UK parties all hold their conferences now anyway, so no one will even be in Westminster until the middle of the first week of October.

    The ONLY practical way there will be an extension (let alone a second referendum or a soft Brexit) is for the Labour plan of caretaker government to be installed under Jeremy Corbyn to a) get an extension and then b) hold an election. This won't happen, because the Liberal-Democrats (the party of the managerial class who are material winners from neoliberalism) see Corbynism as an existential threat and I can't see them backing such a plan.

    Jo Swinson has already shown she has all the the hard remainers lack of sense of their limitations and therefore walks easily into the traps laid for her. Labour wouldn't mind the Lib-Dems getting the blame for a no deal Brexit and Boris Johnson being in charge for the ensuing economic downturn.

    Labour's plan all along has been to be the last reasonable person in the room, and to turn the tables on the disaster capitalists of the UKIP Tories.

    • Andre 1.1

      Have I got this right? Labour's plan all along has been to swoop in to take charge of the charred remains after doing nothing to stop Boorish and pals burning the village? And the doing nothing bit is to ensure Boorish et al take the full blame for the conflagration?

      Inspiring.

      • Sanctuary 1.1.1

        No, as I see it Labour's plan is to try and unite the country.

        • alwyn 1.1.1.1

          I'm afraid the only uniting of the country that Corbyn seems to have achieved is the increasing dislike of the Labour Party, and of him as a prospective leader.

          The last election in Britain was in June 2017. Since then the Labour Party has shown a steady decline in popularity.

          In the second half of 2017 they polled in the low to mid 40's

          In the first half of 2018 they polled in the high 30's to the low 40's.

          In the second half of 2018 they polled in the mid to high 30's.

          In the first half of 2019 they polled in the mid 30's.

          Now, in the second half of 2019 they are pretty consistently in the mid 20's.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#2018

          Oh dear, so sad, never mind.

      • Nic the NZer 1.1.2

        Labour's plan all along has been to swoop in to take charge of the charred remains after doing nothing to stop Boorish and pals burning the village?

        Hyperbolic much?

        • Sanctuary 1.1.2.1

          The sudden realisation that Jeremy Corbyn – the man who the liberal Oxbridge elite has, in lockstep with the far-right press, spent the last four years smearing in the most vicious ways imaginable – is now the last, best hope of avoiding a hard Brexit has led to a hilarious deluge of panicked rehabilitation opinion pieces in papers like the Guardian.

          The biggest winner from Jeremy Corbyn being made even a temporary PM will be Corbyn himself. If he is PM even for only ten weeks and the STASI don't come for your pet bunny rabbits, then the idea of him being PM for good will get a giant boost.

          • weka 1.1.2.1.1

            something good to come from Brexit then.

            • JohnP 1.1.2.1.1.1

              Labour's Deputy Leader gave a speech on Wednesday which directly contradicted the entire Labour policy on Brexit. Instead of the policy which says Election, then Referendum – Watson was demanding Referendum, then Election. The only issue was 1. that would require a SEVEN MONTH caretaker Government 2. there is no pathway to that ever happening.

              Corbyn, to his credit has said publicly "I don't agree with Tom, our policy doesn't agree with Tom, we're not doing that"

              Tom Watson has kept doing this, coming out and deliberately using his media weight to contradict the leadership and agreed party policy – but his role as Deputy Leader means Corbyn can't remove him like he did to other Shadow Cabinet members who deliberately went against the party's own policy.

              It's curious he's done it now, when Labour have had their best week in terms of looking like a serious Government in waiting.

              But if you consider that to the Labour Right and Liberal Democrats, Corbyn being Prime Minister for any length of time at all completelty explodes their myth that 'he's not Prime Ministerial' then Watson's attempts and Swinson's entirely purposeful attempts to avoid agreeing with Labour, even when Labour have made concessions to their policy – they suddenly make sense.

              With Johnson as PM, Corbyn suddenly doesn't seem such a bad option – which utterly terrifies them. They're willing to sail as close to No Deal as they can, and wreck Labour's election chances, to stop him getting into power.

              If he’s Prime Minister for any time, they can’t say he ‘isn’t Prime Ministerial’.

              • alwyn

                "If he’s Prime Minister for any time, they can’t say he ‘isn’t Prime Ministerial’."

                Does that mean that you regard Boris as being "Prime Ministerial material".

                Personally I would consider him to be a dolt.

      • JohnP 1.1.3

        Labour's plan has been a series of decisions, if and when the situation develops. Kier Starmer – who is hardly a Marxist – wrote the updated policy last conference – it was…

        a) get a good deal (May's deal wasn't good and Labour KNEW that from the off, it was never going to pass in the House of Commons)

        b) if no a) stop No Deal from happening

        c) if no a) but b) is sorted then General Election to change parliamentary arithmetic and try and break deadlock

        d) if b) and c) leads to Labour majority/coalition then Second Referendum – Labour negotiated Brexit vs Remain – Labour MPs could campaign on either side of it

        e) Respect and implement result of the second referendum

        • Andre 1.1.3.1

          Well, that should lock down the vote from lawyers, logic puzzle aficionados, and Heath Robinson fans. Doesn't give anybody else much of a clue what result supporting Labour is likely to achieve.

          • JohnP 1.1.3.1.1

            Brexit is a logic puzzle, and one that's completely broken UK politics for three years. A simple answer isn't going to work, isn't that obvious by now?

            Well, we're at point b) now – and if the legislation prevents Johnson going for No Deal on October 31st by requesting an extension on October 17th, given it's unlikely he will strike a deal with the EU, then there will be a General Election in November.

            The choices at that election are pretty simple…

            Tories: No Deal

            Lib Dems: Revoke Article 50, but only if they win a majority (which they won't) at which point they revert to a Second Referendum – No Deal vs Remain (!!!)

            Labour: Second Referendum – Labour's Deal vs Remain
            If you charge into an election promising a RESULT either one way or the other, then you’re absolutely going to hack off around 52/48% of the country which will explode your campaign. Changing the number of MPs in the house will bring about a result though, because right now there’s no majority for No Deal or a Referendum.

            The pathway's pretty simple, but the arithmetic is difficult because the Lib Dems – literally two days ago – shifted from Second Referendum to No Article 50 purely because there's an election coming. If that swings Lab/Tory seats to the Tories, then it makes No Deal more likely. If it drives Lib Dem voters away from them in Lib/Tory seats, then again, more Tories and fewer Lib Dem MPs.

            • Dukeofurl 1.1.3.1.1.1

              The No deal legislation is more of an 'exchange of letters' for an extension.

              Typically more muddled thinking on the whole Brexit saga.

              Whats more interesting is the whole slab of Tories who no longer have the whip or have defected to Lib Dems has made the DUP of Northern Ireland irrelevant. They were once the small bridge that May could use to get legislation passed with her slim majority.

              Johnson is technically a minority PM who has no need for finely crafted vote buying deals with the DUP.

              Coming back into discussion is the 'Irish Sea' border deal where the North- South backstop is irrelevant –

              Britain is no longer inside the EU customs area after the Brexit but Northern Ireland is as a 'temporary arrangement'

              • Dukeofurl

                Frustratingly difficult to find an official text of the so called no deal Act or as its formally known

                European Union ( Withdrawal) No 6

                https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2017-19/europeanunionwithdrawalno6.html

              • Treetop

                Please provide a link for the temporary arrangement with Northern Ireland.

                I think a different exit date for Northern Ireland leaving the EU is a winner. At least a different exit date is not a big distracton and it just may calm the waters.

                • Dukeofurl

                  Just look up Irish Sea 'border'.

                  May rejected it because she depended on DUP for a stable majority…now Johnson is deep into minority they dont matter any more.

                  • Treetop

                    DUP wanted to exit but Northern Ireland population wanted to stay in EU.

                    Even that wasn't sorted. The irony is that no one knows what the outcome of an election or another referendum would be.

                    So you can only work with what you have.

                    1. To Brexit based on a referendum.

                    2. Do a hard Brexit on 31 October. Trick or treat as Halloween.

                    3. And to brace oneself that the troubles do not return to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

            • weka 1.1.3.1.1.2

              "shifted from Second Referendum to No Article 50"

              What happens with No Article 50?

              • JohnP

                Basically they're gonna try and get their Brexit policy changed at Conference to straight up revoking Article 50, which they will campaign on in the upcoming election.

                Given they've spent two years campaigning for a second referendum, now Labour also backs one, they've shifted to an even harder remain position – one with no public vote.

                It would provide Johnson the No Deal vs Hard Remain election he wants, and probably unite all those who voted for Brexit as it would be portrayed as a betrayal of the 2016 referendum.

                Interestingly, as I said, they also have said they would Revoke Article 50 if they WON an election. Lib Dems won't win 326 seats. Their position if they don't win a majority is to go back to a Second Referendum.

                So essentially, this is all just posturing for an election – but posturing that could impact Lab/Tory marginals or Lib/Tory marginals – which is not good if you wanted to have a second referendum.

                • Dukeofurl

                  2nd Referendum was just a gimmick/revote to get Article 50 revoked and remain.

                  Now that 2nd referendum or as they called it – peoples Vote- is off the table for good they are revealing the real aim . Remain

                  • JohnP

                    For the Liberal Democrats, agreed. Labour absolutely want that Second Referendum, and have been slated by People's Vote for not demanding it in the way the LD's did. Hilariously the People's Vote lot are now furious with the LD's for shifting to Hard Remain, because now they've got to support Labour, who they've spent three years attacking for not wanting a Second Referendum – even when they have.

        • soddenleaf 1.1.3.2

          lol. Colonial media mogul appealed to by brexit referendum… …foolish Tory party make it a election platform. ha! joys of joys, Tories exposed for the anti globalist destroyers of the UK economy.

      • AB 1.1.4

        Labour's approach seems to be:

        1.) Respect the referendum so as not to fall victim to a "people vs parliament" framing. Also because a fair chunk of Labour supporters voted leave.

        2.) Block a 'no deal' because arguably it's not what the referendum result intended. But principally because it's cover for the Tories' far-right wet dream of a bonfire of regulations and creating a Singapore in the North Atlantic (something that would mean misery for Labour's constituency)

        3.) Therefore (due to 1 and 2) try to negotiate a better deal and put it to the public via a second referendum against a Remain option.

        It is logical and principled – but the perception of it is confounded by pervasive and deranged anti-Corbynism.. There is a severe practical difficulty though – whether any acceptable deal (one that will pass in parliament) can now be negotiated with the EU. If not, then No Deal or Remain are the only options. No Deal of course inevitably turns into a Deal – probably an exceptionally bad one made on the fly as everyone panics and wants to stop the chaos asap.

        • weka 1.1.4.1

          thanks for that clear explanation.

        • SPC 1.1.4.2

          The seem to want an election before holding a referendum.

          • JohnP 1.1.4.2.1

            There's no majority, currently, for a referendum. An election will resolve that.

            • SPC 1.1.4.2.1.1

              How would an election resolve that?

              The Tories win and there is a no deal Brexit.

              In what world do Labour form a majority and decide anything? They would need the same partners as in the current parliament to agree on holding a referendum.

              • JohnP

                An election would give the Opposition parties an obvious mandate for what to do next. Right now they're stuck in a weird zone where most party's positions have significantly shifted from the 2017 election – Tories are No Deal, Lib Dems are Revoke Article 50, Labour are 2nd Referendum, SNP are 2nd Referendum.

                Tories likely to lose at least 10 of their 13 Scotland seats in an election. There's LD/Tory marginals in play, and the Tory vote does tend to break LD rather than Labour. Tory/Labour marginals may also be in play if LD voters decide a 2nd Referendum appeals more than Revoke Article 50. Then there's the Rebels, some of whom may retain their seats, and the Labour breakaway lot who are absolutely going to lose their seats and add to Labour's total.

                That’s before you get to Farage, who the Tories have rebuffed firmly today. If they don’t do a deal, then the Brexit party is gonna eat a lot of Tory votes up in marginals – which is good news for the Opposition parties as well.

                The idea of a caretaker govt is lovely, and has been proposed by Labour – but the Lib Dems have outright refused to do it. Also a Government led by a grandee for seven months while they sort out a Referendum is going to be absolute bloody meat and drink to the Tories and the Brexit Party.

                If there's a GE, the Tories might win.

                But if there isn't, then they're absolutely going to do a No Deal Brexit.

                If the Opposition Parties campaign on their approaches to Brexit, in comparison to the Tories – then the electoral result should break the parliamentary deadlock – or at least convince the LD’s that Corbyn as PM isn’t the apocalypse.

                • Dukeofurl

                  "Tories are No Deal," really?

                  Check what Johnson campaigned on for the leadership -it was (revised) Brexit Deal.

                  No deal is his bargaining position to get EU to shift from "No Revised Deal'" – the pain will be felt on both sides, but especially by ( Northern) France , Ireland , Parts of Germany ( who are in a recession ) Denmark , Netherlands

                  • JohnP

                    He wants no hard border between Eire and N.I but he's also ruled out a N.I only backstop (literally today, he's said that) and his own resigning Ministers have clearly stated that Johnson does not have a proposal that solves the problems he wishes to address – and the E.U have said that it is down to him to propose something better than the backstop that May agreed to. He has five weeks to find a solution to the problem and present it.

                    • Dukeofurl

                      Thats the EU line – its down to him

                      UK has already come up with soft border proposals but Ireland and EU has rejected them.

                      Then they throw in the Good Friday Agreement – another red heering- as it goes on for pages about minutiae of Stormont assembly and the NI Police Force , but crucially barely mentions the border , other than removing security checkpoints. ( I CHECKED !)

                      Irish citizens have free entry and work rights in UK since 1922 and that wont chaNGE

  2. JohnP 2

    Yellowhammer is out and, hoo boy, No Deal is baaaaaad

    Here's the bad news.

    Fuel shortages, refinerys closing down.

    Delays at all ports.

    Food shortages.

    Unrest in Northern Ireland.

    Medicine shortages.

    Basically, everything that everyone's been saying will happen and being dismissed by the Tories.

    Edit: Even more hilarious is that the difference between this copy of Yellowhammer and the one that was leaked at the start of August and dismissed by the Tories as ‘out of date’ and incorrect is…

    The title. They changed the heading from BASE SCENARIO to HMG Reasonable Worst Case Planning Assumptions. That’s it.

    These Tories really are a pack of useless ****’s.

    • Dukeofurl 2.1

      project Fear said all the same stuff. Why would refinerys need to close down. Britain has its own tanker berths and the crude oil comes from outside the EU anyway.

      Not the Tories fault per se. The House of Commons couldnt pass the May 'EU deal', nor any other combination

      No deal – failed

      Deal -failed

      Remain- failed

      • JohnP 2.1.1

        Here's the actual text Duke, so you can see why…

        “15. Facing EU tariffs makes petrol exports to the EU uncompetitive. Industry had plans to mitigate the impact on refinery margins and profitability but UK Government policy to set petrol import tariffs at 0% inadvertently undermines these plans. This leads to significant financial losses and announcement of two refinery closures (and transition to import terminals) and direct job losses (about 2000). Resulting strike action at refineries would lead to disruptions to fuel availability for 1-2 weeks in the regions directly supplied by the refineries.”

        So the refineries would lose, immediately, their market for refining and exporting petrol to the EU which has the knock-on effect of closing those refinieries which also supply the UK market.

        • weka 2.1.1.1

          why would the industry not adapt around a smaller market (i.e. UK only)? Or failing that, the govt nationalises the ones the UK needs.

          • JohnP 2.1.1.1.1

            It would, but to do so it would need to close a couple of refineries.

            Nationalising one though? Under the Tories. Unlikely.

            • weka 2.1.1.1.1.1

              So the fuel shortages would be short term? Nothing catastrophic?

              • JohnP

                Catastrophic if you're one of the 2,000 workers who get the boot, or you're involved in the supply chain to the continent – but overcomeable, sort of – there's also the question of importation/tariffs on petrol from the EU etc.

                • weka

                  I'm thinking catastrophic is the UK economy collapsing and people starving. Or there not being enough fuel for essential services because the refineries have closed.

                  What's the question of importation/tariffs on petrol from the EU etc?

                • Dukeofurl

                  Where is EU going to get that shortfall of Petroleum products from

                  in 2018 it was £21 bill from UK. Dont know what the share of stuff from a refinery was compared to crude oil. Norway is only other main EU supplier ( even though not totally in EU)

                  Are they going to get it out of thin air , or import from elsewhere and pay much higher transport charges ..

                  Me thinks it will take some time before they stop buying 21 billion pound of petroleum products (mostly crude oil?)

                  Interesting that there is a thing called

                  2.1 The Rotterdam effect
                  All of these figures do not account for what is known as the Rotterdam effect – this is the theory that the UK’s trade with the Netherlands is artificially inflated owing to goods being dispatched to or arriving from the port of Rotterdam, even if the original source or eventual destination country is elsewhere.
                  This will also have a potential knock-on effect, as some trade recorded with the Netherlands, and thus the EU, may ultimately be with non-EU countries.

                  https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7851/CBP-7851.pdf

                  • Gosman

                    I presume there will still be trade between the EU and the UK after a no deal brexit. It won't just stop. However it will be heavily constrained by the extra regulations that it will face. This will cause severe issues.

                  • weka

                    fine opportunity to wean themselves off oil.

  3. Dukeofurl 3

    so Phil Syrpis is hard core remainer who doesnt even believe in Brexit , just like a loyal EU acolyte would.

    His choice is the soi disant Peoples Vote

    Whats this 'Rees Mogg open contempt of parliament'…..all governments work like that…maybe some people could knock the stars out of their eyes that its some wonderful assembly of the great and the good. Most are party hacks, careerists and non -entities, not all that different to Johnson himself.

    a post linking to Phil Syrpis is the classic bubble chamber in action

  4. Wayne 4

    Based on what Corbyn himself has said (not necessarily to be relied on) there will be an election in late November. That is because the new Act requires Boris to write to the EU for an extension of the withdrawal date to January. As I understand it, that is all it does, it postpones (if the EU agrees) the UK withdrawal till January. Which doesn't actually solve very much.

    A No Deal Brexit, or a Deal Brexit would happen then. Though going by history it won't. Under the current UK parliament, all that would happen is a request for a further extension. Presumably at some point the EU will tire of continuing requests for extensions.

    So therefore any election before the end of the year will be all about Brexit. There may be other issues, but it will be Brexit that will be on the voters minds.

    So will there be an election before Christmas? Probably, since the current parliament is unsustainable. I can't see the Tory rebels agreeing to Jeremy being the PM for any length of time, but in the current state of British politics who knows? I can certainly see that they would for up to six months, to get past January. Would Jeremy be able to negotiate a new deal that would get through parliament? Unlikely, given that the current parliament has never been able to agree on any specific deal.

    All in all, my bet is on an election prior to Christmas, at the absolute latest, in February. Who will win? At the moment not easy to say. Most probably Boris with a greater number of MP's. But there are any number of circumstances that will stop that. Farange for instance. A surge to the Lib Dems. A late surge to Corbyn.

  5. SPC 5

    Parliament should form a new government for the sole purpose of resolving the Brexit matter and then getting this deal confirmed by a referendum vote (given there is no confidence in the Tory government realising this).

    A Tory rebel or former Labour MP as acting PM, not the leader of either Labour or LD.

    The only deal the LD and Labour could agree on is staying in the customs union and single market, or a bespoke negotiated deal that is very similar to this in all but name.

    Once this is done, power should be handed back to the Tory DUP coalition.

    They would be unable to do a FTA with Trump (who is set on destroying the WTO and subjugating nations to a neo-imperialism via bi-lateral deals), they would be unable to change legislation in breach of single market rules, their wet dreams over ….

    An election in 2022 as planned.

    • Gosman 5.1

      That would work if UK Labour would stop insisting Corbyn should be PM in any temporary caretaker government.

    • Dukeofurl 5.2

      Tory DUP coalition. /
      doesnt exist.

      DUP were only confidence , maybe not even supply agreement. They are an impossible party to deal with.

      Anyway events have moved on , even if DUP were Boris lap dogs , cant really govern.

      Thats why he wants an election if if an special deal with EU is worked out and they leave with mwah mwah to and from EU

  6. Expect the polls to shift.

    Sure they will, they always do, but in regards to this article and your expected swing to the opposition, how about you give some predictions so the worth of your political nous can be assessed to a time frame.

  7. joe90 7

    tl.dr; Johnson's backers are taking a punt on him jiggering the British economy.

    Invested in a No-Deal BrexitSo, how much are these firms set to make from Boris Johnson’s ‘do or die’ approach to Brexit?

    From the financial data publicly available, Byline Times can reveal that currently £4,563,350,000 (£4.6 billion) of aggregate short positions on a ‘no deal’ Brexit have been taken out by hedge funds that directly or indirectly bankrolled Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign.

    Most of these firms also donated to Vote Leave and took out short positions on the EU Referendum result. The ones which didn’t typically didn’t exist at that time but are invariably connected via directorships to companies that did.

    https://bylinetimes.com/2019/09/11/brexit-disaster-capitalism-8-billion-bet-on-no-deal-crash-out-by-boris-johnsons-leave-backers/

  8. Dukeofurl 8

    And you believe these sorts of fake news sites ?

    That sort of speculation would happen no matter who was PM…..betting pound will rise ..short it. betting Pound will fall…short it.

    For every position that is short there is another that is long ..often the same firms as they profit on the arbitrage between the two.

    looking at the list of donors wheres the smoking gun.?

  9. Gosman 9

    If UK Labour had a half way decent leader they should be 20 points clear. Corbyn has tied himself and the party in knots over Brexit that noone knows what they really stand for. This coupled with his far left image is why they are languishing in the polls. I expect the opposition bloc to pick up support in the event of a delay (almost inevitable) in Brexit past 31 st October but I suspect that much of the increased support will go to the Lib Dems. The election is likely going to lead to another hung Parliament but this time it will be almost impossible to form a government for anybody. The only way out as far as I can see is another referendum.

  10. Colin 10

    The majority in the UK do not want an anti Semitic, Hamas loving, IRA Bombing supporter ( Birmingham 1974. 21 Deaths. 182 injured ) who Flip Flops on Brexit, who is not popular within his own Party, Left of Left, & would be a complete Disaster in theTop Job.

    • Dukeofurl 10.1

      Labour vote increased 9% in last general election with Corbyn as leader.

      There hasnt been a government elected in Uk with a majority – 50% of the vote since the 1930s ( close in the late 50s)

      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Popular_vote.jpg/750px-Popular_vote.jpg

      • Gosman 10.1.1

        This was when Corbyn was largely untested in UK Politics as leader. He campaigned very well and May was terrible. This time around Corbyn will face a populist not a apparatchik.

        • Dukeofurl 10.1.1.1

          Isnt that what election campaigns do – test someone as a leader for a period and then the voters decide?

          It seems that May jumped at the chance to take on Corbyn because of his low popularity in the polls but the Labour voters thought different.

          As for May being terrible' ?

          Tory vote increased ( on a larger base) by 5.5% as well ( over Camerons)-that would normally be a triumph, except Corbyn did better

          Again the voters disagreed with you

          There is no reasoning to your claims at all. Both improved their partys vote .
          Just face it you dont like either and thats really your view but isnt supported by the voters come election time

      • The Al1en 10.1.2

        Yeah, up from Ed Miliband's 30.4% in 2015 to 40% against May's 42.4% in '17.

        Now Corbyn has 'led' the party to 20-23% against the worst, most divided conservative party in living memory. Some achievement.

        I can’t see how he gets those voters back, even if Borris eats a baby live on TV, any lost tory brexit votes immediately switch to Farrage, remain votes go Lib Dem.

        • Dukeofurl 10.1.2.1

          Brexit divides both partys. To be honest, the nuances only matter to a political class.

          This great leader idea is so 1930s. The best Thatcher could have over Labour was 42-27%
          after Falklands and that was long before politics fractured and wasnt just two main parties

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  • Misremembering Justinian’s Taxes.
    Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I - Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
    7 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Scoring 4.6 out of 10, the new Government is struggling in the polls
    It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    8 hours ago
  • Bishop scores headlines with crackdown on unwelcome tenants – but Peters scores, too, as tub-thump...
    Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago
  • Will it make the boat go faster?
    Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi The fact that a ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    12 hours ago
  • Is Simon Bridges’ NZTA appointment a conflict of interest?
    Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    14 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    17 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    2 days ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    2 days ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 days ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    2 days ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    5 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    6 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    6 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Government moves to quickly ratify the NZ-EU FTA
    "The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says.  “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
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