Brand Key, a do nothing Government & the hidden agenda

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, February 14th, 2012 - 40 comments
Categories: brand key, national - Tags: ,

A number of terms are bandied about to describe both John Key and the John Key Government. Using such terms and trying to reconcile their seeming contradictions can prove confusing. Indeed, from time to time we have seen such confusion manifest itself on this blog amongst the right wing who argue how Key can indeed have a ‘hidden agenda’ whilst simultaneously being ‘smile and wave’ or ‘clueless’ and ‘doing nothing’.

Whilst trying to piece together this enigma myself I have settled on 3 variables that I think go some way toward explaining the DNA of the Key Government. The terms ‘Brand Key’, ‘clueless’ and ‘hidden agenda’ encapsulate fairly nicely the realities of each variable.

‘Brand Key’, ‘smile and wave’, a ‘Ronald McDonald type Prime Minister’, that ‘nice man’. All terms I have seen used to describe John Key himself. The popularity of the Government rests squarely on Key. He is the reason for their election and re-election. Damage Brand Key and damage his Government. It is possible to point to numerous examples of this. John Banks last election piggy backed on ‘Brand Key’. The 2008 had Bill English talking about that ‘nice man John Key getting me some more’ (tax cuts). Every national party billboard of the past 2 elections has had Key front and centre, even to the point of overshadowing the local candidate.

This Government is very brand aware, skilled at cultivating and maintaining brand Key. So the first variable is Brand Key – a deliberate managed public relations strategy. The Ronald McDonaldisation of the Prime Ministers image.

‘Clueless’ and ‘do nothing’ refers to the inability of the Key Government to deliver some of the necessary social-environmental-economic changes New Zealand needs. Write a long list of issues and write a short list of Key Government solutions. I will not attempt to develop a comprehensive list but will use one example to illustrate my point.

Having being elected in late 2008 the Key Government rammed through parliament a series of bills, some of very low value, and then went on holiday. One pressing issue of rising unemployment and a stalling economy was put to one side during this summer break. It took weeks of ongoing criticism to goad the Key Government into announcing its ‘Jobs Summit’ as a response. ‘Brand Key’ was threatened. From that summit we got the cycle way, a promise for a ‘unrelenting focus on jobs’ and a ‘rolling maul of initiatives’. Both the manner in which the Key Government initially reacted, i.e. they didn’t, and the flagging nature of job creation policies exemplify this ‘do nothingness’. When required to do something the country required, Key and his government were found wanting.

So, ‘do nothing’ refers to the inability of Key and his Government to take the policy prescriptions New Zealand actually needs.

The ‘hidden agenda’ is about the world view the Key Government holds, broadly. Neo-liberal. Despite whatever else it says or does, Key et al believe in neo-liberal policy prescriptions. The primacy of the market, rational economic man, trickle down (whereas the reality is trickle up), deregulation, small government etc. Irrespective of claims about being pragmatic, a neo-liberal philosophy taints the Key Governments responses to the world around it. A couple of examples will illustrate the point.

Election in 2008 saw the Key Government introduce National Standards in Primary schooling. Election 2011 saw the unveiling of charter schools. Neither policy is necessary, our education system will do very nicely without either. Both policies are standard neo-liberal fare overseas and should be of little surprise that they have arrived on our shores.

Asset sales are another policy that New Zealand does not need. The introduction of a capital gains tax will nicely cover the gap in our budget deficit should we wish to retain our state owned assets. Neo-liberal policy however is never to raise taxes and certainly not in the area of financial capital. It is however all about passing state assets into private ownership.

Asset sales, National Standards and charter schools are not necessary for our future development. Why are they being implemented? The ‘hidden agenda’ of the Key Government is neo-liberal. The DNA within compels it to follow this line. As we breathe without conscious effort to survive, key et al neo-liberalise without conscious effort to govern.

So, for me, utilising the variables of ‘Brand Key’, ‘doing nothing’ and a ‘hidden (neo-liberal) agenda’ to analyse the ongoing interactions of the Key Government go a long way toward helping me understand why things occur as they do.

George.com

40 comments on “Brand Key, a do nothing Government & the hidden agenda ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Nick K 1
    14 February 2012 at 9:44 am

    How does that ad go where the friends of the woman are complaining about her drinking?

    Oh yeah, the woman says “boring, boring, boring, boring”.

    • Bunji 1.1
      14 February 2012 at 9:54 am

      If it’s so dull you don’t have to read it Nick…

      And then you might not have to discuss how the government is failing to create jobs, raise wages, ‘grow the pie’ (as I’m sure it aims to do), protect the environment, look after our children…
      Or how asset sales is going to help with any of that.

    • bbfloys 1.2
      14 February 2012 at 8:39 pm

      nicky… i suggest next time you attempt to read a post such as this one, you scroll down to see how many paragraphs long it is…. that would help you to avoid information overload…

  2. Peter 2
    14 February 2012 at 9:57 am

    “Doing nothing” for a conservative party such as National is precisely what they intend. From their perspective Governments are at best a necessary evil incapable of addressing any issues be they economic or social. These things will look after themselves providing private enterprise is allowed to do what it wants. Policy and strategy are the enemy to “doing nothing”.

    • Mike 2.1
      16 February 2012 at 11:05 am

      What would make you call the current National government conservative? They’ve run up record levels of government borrowing for starters, that ain’t conservative.

  3. dave brownz 3
    14 February 2012 at 10:24 am

    Not only is this agenda not hidden, its not neoliberal either.
    Its just business as usual. The capitalists make their profits from expropriating workers’ labour.
    They don’t want to pay any of that profit out as a ‘social wage’ to maintain workers unless they are guaranteed a profit in return. Situation gets much worse when their profits fall because they can’t screw workers hard enough and system goes into crisis. To call this neoliberalism is to hide the agenda behind an act of will. When really to save themselves they have take our skins as well.
    Therefore, for the working class to survive, capitalism must die.
    Just use this template and save yourself nasty surprises.

    • Tiger Mountain 3.1
      14 February 2012 at 10:44 am

      “the tendency for the rate of profit to fall” (with attendant problems) continues, despite what bourgeois economists have tried arguing to the contrary over many years. The capitalists have tried various methods, technical and ideological, to change this long observed phenomenon.

      • speed ups/dependent contracting/precarious employment
      • anti unionism
      • moving offshore to lower wage locations/leveraged buy outs (they can run but can’t hide for ever)
      • authoritarian repression of workers via state forces
      • ideological control via neo liberal individualism-atomisation/religion/msm
      • permanent unemployment “lumpen” degraded status for significant numbers
      • divide and rule tactics-e.g. racism to split communities
      • excessive use of finance capital sector, which lead to the ’08 meltdown (and worker bailouts for the fleas)

      Need I go on? Ultimately these negative and unpleasant tactics gain only temporary if any, relief for todays capitalist bastards. “Castro is a colour redder than red” attitudes are making a deserved comeback. Also Occupy/99%ers provide a simple outline of a class analysis without having to know who marx was or belong to any particluar social group. A lot more people now know exploitation when they see it and who is responsible.

    • Georgecom 3.2
      14 February 2012 at 7:51 pm

      Dave, the Nats approach is neo-liberal. I agree with your short summation of capitalism. That however does not nagate the fact that there are varying ‘flavours’ of capitalism, as there are with socialism. The variety of capitalism in ascendancy during the postwar long boom is different from the neo-liberal project. Both capitalisms but with seriously different inflections.

      The neo-liberal variant of capitalism has been the ‘orthodox’ for over 30 years internationally, a bit under that for NZ.

      Without even doing the analysis I would wager that the Nats neo-liberalism pretty much lines up alongside the international neo-liberal blueprint.

      What replaces it is an open question. There are other types of capitalism just as there are variants of socialism that could come to the fore. The economic-social-environmental condition we leave our planet and societies in for our grand children will be determined by the the answer.

  4. her 4
    14 February 2012 at 11:06 am

    I thought it was obvious. He is being useless as it suits.

    Borrowing 40 billion and acheiving no growth.
    Who does he borrow it off?
    What industry is he in?

    Paying the ANZ 100 million to advise on the selling the power station billions is just the cream.

  5. ianmac 5
    14 February 2012 at 12:54 pm

    Watched a video of the 17 minute speech given to a Teacher Conference in January, by Hekia Parata Min Ed. A breathtaking wonderful speech without notes delivered with flare and flourish. A pity she is on the other side but as a future top politician watch out! She hinted that not only would National Standards continue but mentioned that “Competition between teachers would be introduced.”
    If you are interested in her ability/style try watching part of the clip especially after the first 5 minutes of intro.
    Where Key is sneaky and vague and enigmatic as George says in his post above, the opposite can be said of Hekia!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IdOful-aZU&feature=related

  6. George D 6
    14 February 2012 at 12:59 pm

    I’ve always said that describing this government as ‘do nothing’ or ‘smile and wave’ is rather dangerous. They are doing things, quite dramatic things. It’s not worth the confusion these terms engender.

  7. Maggie May 7
    14 February 2012 at 1:00 pm

    The anti christ has finally been unvieled, his name is John Key.

  8. james 111 8
    14 February 2012 at 1:33 pm

    Another day another shot at John Key who is Labours greatest stumbling block. Lets look at hidden agendas
    1) Homosexual Law reform
    2)Privy Council
    3)Anti smacking bill none of these were even out in the electorates prior to the elections. So its a bit rich for the left to be talking so called hidden agendas.

    Now lets look objectively the biggest problem for Labour its called The buy in Theory can be found in books by John Maxwell

    1) First the People buy into the Leader
    2) Secondly the people buy into the vision

    Looks pretty simple to me Labour hasnt even got past first base, and your rantings on here to the converted doesnt change the wider public perception at all.

    • Te Reo Putake 8.1
      14 February 2012 at 1:52 pm

      Listen up, you homophobic, racist tool, none of the above examples were hidden in any way shape or form. Homosexual Law reform was the result of petitions, a series of private members bills in the decade prior and thousands of Kiwis marching up the main streets of NZ cities. It was no surprise at all and was supported by the majority of Kiwis then and now.
       
      Changes to the Privy council role were flagged well before they came up as legislation and, again, enjoyed wide support, though not so much with Maori, who were rightly concerned about the effect on the treaty and their rights to go to London for redress.
       
      The bill to stop legalised violence against children was not a Labour initiative, but again, it was widely supported, even by the National Party, who, to their credit, could see that we cannot end violence in the family home if it is regarded as a parent’s right.
       
      3 strikes. You’re out.

      • Warren 8.1.1
        14 February 2012 at 2:08 pm

        +1
        Nailed it.

      • james 111 8.1.2
        14 February 2012 at 2:28 pm

        Te Reo
        You have a short memeory my friend none of these were campaigned on prior to the election because she knew she would lose support. Some chose to forget face the facts man

        • Blighty 8.1.2.1
          14 February 2012 at 2:35 pm

          who is ‘she’?

          Homosexual Law Reform passed in 1986, as a Private Members’ Bill. It wasn’t any party’s policy, so how could they have campaigned on it?

          Replacing the Privy Council was actually first raised by a National Bill in 1996. In 1999, Labour put out a discussion paper. In 2002, it was Labour policy to replace the right to go to the Privy Council with the Supreme Court. They passed the law in 2003.

          The anti-smacking Bill was a Private Members’ Bill. It wasn’t any party’s policy, so how could they have campaigned on it?

          This is all on wikipedia. I think your memory might be faulty.

          • ianmac 8.1.2.1.1
            14 February 2012 at 2:50 pm

            Good one Blighty.

            • Te Reo Putake 8.1.2.1.1.1
              14 February 2012 at 3:23 pm

              Cheers, Blighty. Almost feel sorry for our own whining Jim Jim.*
               
              *Lou Reed’s term for the con artists and street hustlers who would badger people into buying worthless goods, adulterated drugs etc. to feed their own pathetic addictions.

          • james 111 8.1.2.1.2
            14 February 2012 at 3:12 pm

            You telling me that Helen Clark didnt know what Chris Carter was proposing she would have married him instead of Peter if she had met him first.,
            So why did she make her MPs block vote on the Bradford child beating bill. Which incedently has done nothing to reduce beating As those that were beating their kids in the firat place still do there behaviour hasnt changed one iota

            [lprent: That really does make you the biggest winner of the month so far.

            Literally everything in the comment was inaccurate. I pretty much define comments that are that inaccurate as either indicating a troll trying to start a flame or someone determined to be the dumbest and laziest commentator. Either way you are rewarded with a time off to do some historical research.

            Banned for a week…. ]

            • Blighty 8.1.2.1.2.1
              14 February 2012 at 3:19 pm

              The Homosexual Law Reform Bill was Fran Wilde’s private member’s bill. Chris Carter didn’t enter Parliament until 7 years later.

              National voted for Sue Bradford’s anti-smacking law too.

              Moron.

            • Ordinary_Bloke 8.1.2.1.2.2
              14 February 2012 at 3:27 pm

              Leave personalities out of it. Focus on the argument. We all start somewhere ..

              [lprent: That badly? That has to be deliberate. Non-one could be that ignorant surely? ]

            • Lanthanide 8.1.2.1.2.3
              14 February 2012 at 3:56 pm

              IMO that deserves a 2 week ban.

              [lprent: You just want some peace and quiet. But I’ve never had to give him a ban before. In fact I can’t recall warning him. So a week is the usual educational and gentle first time reminder not to cause the moderators to notice you. ]

            • Draco T Bastard 8.1.2.1.2.4
              14 February 2012 at 4:01 pm

              Which incedently has done nothing to reduce beating

              Fuck, you’re moron. That’s a societal change and it’s going to be an entire generation or more before we could tell if it’s had an effect or not. My bet is that it will.

              Of course, this does show the short term thinking that is endemic of RWNJs. I their minds if something doesn’t make an immediate change then that something isn’t working.

            • Warren 8.1.2.1.2.5
              14 February 2012 at 4:46 pm

              A great deal of mythology and hysteria is rampant about the media-labelled “anti-smacking” bill. While an anti-smacking bill is what Sue Bradford wanted (the Green Party proposer of this private members bill – it was not in any way a Labour bill), she didn’t get everything she wanted. The bill as passed by National – yes NATIONAL and Labour and the Greens does nothing more than disallow the use of a “reasonable force” defence by those being prosecuted for child abuse involving whips and jug cords – NOT simple smacking – which was seeing child abusers get off lightly.
              If only the opponents of the bill would make some rudimentary effort to find out what the bill ACTUALLY does, as opposed to what they imagine it does, then there would be no opposition.

            • mik e 8.1.2.1.2.6
              14 February 2012 at 10:53 pm

              J turd labour are loud and proud of their gay MPs
              Nationals gay MPs are mostly firmly closeted because they know they would loose all the red necks like you!

            • Mike 8.1.2.1.2.7
              16 February 2012 at 11:12 am

              FFS James111, you really don’t know when to stay down do ya…

          • mik e 8.1.2.1.3
            14 February 2012 at 10:48 pm

            even shonkey voted for it j turd

    • Georgecom 8.2
      14 February 2012 at 8:04 pm

      James. If you read it properly, its an analysis of the Nat Government. If you think the criticism amounts to a ‘shot at Key’ then I guess you understand the failing of his Government that are referred to along the way to illustrate various points.

      If you read it properly you will also note its not about the Labour Party. “Labour this, Labour that” doesn’t really apply to the subject in hand. You may want to try writing a similar analysis of the Labour party and submit that for posting.

      Finally, if you read it properly you will see it is a start toward trying to understand the (seeming contradiction) of the John Key Government. How it can at once be ‘Brand Key/Ronald McDonald’, ‘clueless’ and have a ‘hidden agenda’. The Key Govt isn’t linear and one dimensional. I’ve been interested in contemplating the dimensions of ‘smile and wave’, ‘do nothing’, the ‘hidden agenda’ and how they clip together.

  9. vto 9
    14 February 2012 at 3:24 pm

    Hidden agendas have been proved with the Wyatt Creech report on Ecan, the subsequent removal of elected representatives and replacement with commissioners, and the further subsequent stated intention to use $400million from the sale of assets to support irrigation, in particular Central Plains Water.

    Sometimes a blatant lie to the face is easier to get away with, it seems.

  10. Willie Maley 10
    14 February 2012 at 4:11 pm

    According to Fisi over on Open Mike National have a 120 point plan to grow the economy, reduce poverty etc.

    • bbfloys 10.1
      14 February 2012 at 8:46 pm

      which proves that they don’t have a plan at all…

      • Nick K 10.1.1
        14 February 2012 at 10:15 pm

        They don’t have a plan because Governments don’t grow economies and create jobs. The economy to be grown is owned by entreprenuers, businesses, tradesman, accountants, exporters etc. They are the economy. Not the government.

        • Colonial Viper 10.1.1.1
          14 February 2012 at 10:26 pm

          They don’t have a plan because Governments don’t grow economies and create jobs.

          Shame it seems you don’t know about Germany, Singapore, Japan and South Korea where government and the private sector worked hand in hand to create high value jobs and protect local firms until they were ready to compete on a world stage.

          They are the economy. Not the government.

          Wow I guess all those entrepreneurs, businesses, tradesmen, accountants and exporters don’t benefit from and accept government business and support eh?

          Wow especially your exporters comment. That’s just dumb. Remember the NZ dairy board mate?

        • Draco T Bastard 10.1.1.2
          15 February 2012 at 3:58 am

          No they’re not, they’re merely part of the economy. The government is the management of the economy without which those parts that you mentioned wouldn’t be able to work.

  11. Deborah Kean 11
    14 February 2012 at 6:11 pm

    If only the opponents of the bill would make some rudimentary effort to find out what the bill ACTUALLY does, as opposed to what they imagine it does, then there would be no opposition.

    Seconded!
     

  12. Fortran 12
    15 February 2012 at 2:14 pm

    When can we expect to hear some positive policy steps towards the next Labour Government coalition in 2014.
    All there appears to be is personal attacks on Key – which proved negative last election. It turns voter’s off.

    • Mike 12.1
      16 February 2012 at 11:25 am

      It’s only the first few weeks of parliament after an election, not the time to start announcing major policy directions. attacking John Key is attacking National, which is the oppositions job. There is nobody else to attack, John Key is National. It seems to be slowly working too, he’s definitely slowly starting to look like losing his rag on more than one occasion which would never have happened a couple of years ago.

      IMHO the question could be will Key remain as PM and National party leader right through to the next election? Unless something hugely unexpected happens over the next 3 years National won’t get a third term and I don’t think Key’s ego could handle defeat in an election..

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • And I don't want the world to see us.
    Is this the most shambolic government in the history of New Zealand? Given that parliament hasn’t even opened they’ve managed quite a list of achievements to date.The Smokefree debacle trading lives for tax cuts, the Trumpian claims of bribery in the Media, an International award for indifference, and today the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 hours ago

  • Cooking the books
    Finance Minister Nicola Willis late yesterday stopped only slightly short of accusing her predecessor Grant Robertson of cooking the books. She complained that the Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU), due to be made public on December 20, would show “fiscal cliffs” that would amount to “billions of ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 hours ago

  • Most people don’t realize how much progress we’ve made on climate change
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The year was 2015. ‘Uptown Funk’ with Bruno Mars was at the top of the music charts. Jurassic World was the most popular new movie in theaters. And decades of futility in international climate negotiations was about to come to an end in ...
    Skeptical Science
    12 hours ago

  • Of Parliamentary Oaths and Clive Boonham
    As a heads-up, I am not one of those people who stay awake at night thinking about weird Culture War nonsense. At least so far as the current Maori/Constitutional arrangements go. In fact, I actually consider it the least important issue facing the day to day lives of New ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    13 hours ago

  • Bearing True Allegiance?
    Strong Words: “We do not consent, we do not surrender, we do not cede, we do not submit; we, the indigenous, are rising. We do not buy into the colonial fictions this House is built upon. Te Pāti Māori pledges allegiance to our mokopuna, our whenua, and Te Tiriti o ...
    Bowalley Road
    15 hours ago

  • You cannot be serious
    Some days it feels like the only thing to say is: Seriously? No, really. Seriously?OneSomeone has used their health department access to share data about vaccinations and patients, and inform the world that New Zealanders have been dying in their hundreds of thousands from the evil vaccine. This of course is pure ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    15 hours ago

  • A promise kept: govt pulls the plug on Lake Onslow scheme – but this saving of $16bn is denounced...
    Buzz from the Beehive After $21.8 million was spent on investigations, the plug has been pulled on the Lake Onslow pumped-hydro electricity scheme, The scheme –  that technically could have solved New Zealand’s looming energy shortage, according to its champions – was a key part of the defeated Labour government’s ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    16 hours ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: The Maori Party and Oath of Allegiance
    If those elected to the Māori Seats refuse to take them, then what possible reason could the country have for retaining them?   Chris Trotter writes – Christmas is fast approaching, which, as it does every year, means gearing up for an abstruse general knowledge question. “Who was ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    18 hours ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  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. Brian Easton writes – The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    19 hours ago

  • Climate Change: Fossils
    When the new government promised to allow new offshore oil and gas exploration, they were warned that there would be international criticism and reputational damage. Naturally, they arrogantly denied any possibility that that would happen. And then they finally turned up at COP, to criticism from Palau, and a "fossil ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    20 hours ago

  • GEOFFREY MILLER:  NZ’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    Geoffrey Miller writes – New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    20 hours ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the government’s smokefree laws debacle
    The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    21 hours ago

  • Top 10 links at 10 am for Monday, December 4
    As Deb Te Kawa writes in an op-ed, the new Government seems to have immediately bought itself fights with just about everyone. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Monday December 4, including:Palau’s President ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago

  • Be Honest.
    Let’s begin today by thinking about job interviews.During my career in Software Development I must have interviewed hundreds of people, hired at least a hundred, but few stick in the memory.I remember one guy who was so laid back he was practically horizontal, leaning back in his chair until his ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    23 hours ago

  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s foreign policy resets on AUKUS, Gaza and Ukraine
    New Zealand’s international relations are under new management. And Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific – where Peters will be picking up where he left off. Peters sought to align ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago

  • Auckland rail tunnel the world’s most expensive
    Auckland’s city rail link is the most expensive rail project in the world per km, and the CRL boss has described the cost of infrastructure construction in Aotearoa as a crisis. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The 3.5 km City Rail Link (CRL) tunnel under Auckland’s CBD has cost ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago

  • First big test coming
    The first big test of the new Government’s approach to Treaty matters is likely to be seen in the return of the Resource Management Act. RMA Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed that he intends to introduce legislation to repeal Labour’s recently passed Natural and Built Environments Act and its ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago

  • The Song of Saqua: Volume III
    Time to revisit something I haven’t covered in a while: the D&D campaign, with Saqua the aquatic half-vampire. Last seen in July: https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2023/07/27/the-song-of-saqua-volume-ii/ The delay is understandable, once one realises that the interim saw our DM come down with a life-threatening medical situation. They have since survived to make ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 day ago

  • Chris Bishop: Smokin’
    Yes. Correct. It was an election result. And now we are the elected government. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    2 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #48
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 26, 2023 thru Dec 2, 2023. Story of the Week CO2 readings from Mauna Loa show failure to combat climate change Daily atmospheric carbon dioxide data from Hawaiian volcano more ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Affirmative Action.
    Affirmative Action was a key theme at this election, although I don’t recall anyone using those particular words during the campaign.They’re positive words, and the way the topic was talked about was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a campaign of saying that Affirmative Action was a good thing, but that, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • 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
    2 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    3 days 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #48 2023
    Open access notables From this week's government/NGO section, longitudinal data is gold and Leisorowitz, Maibachi et al. continue to mine ore from the US public with Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy, Fall 2023: Drawing on a representative sample of the U.S. adult population, the authors describe how registered ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    5 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    6 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    7 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    1 week 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
    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
    2 weeks 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 2023-12-04T18:56:58+00:00