bill english

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Selling state houses to Australia

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, June 28th, 2015 - 20 comments

English needs to explain why the government can’t find NZ buyers for their “social housing” plans. The Nats to explain how selling state houses helps a single family in need.

Destroying a savings culture

Written By: - Date published: 10:51 am, June 25th, 2015 - 36 comments

Key: “The removal of the $1,000 kick-start contribution will not make a blind bit of difference to the number of people who join KiwiSaver.” Wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.

The Responsibilities of Government

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, June 14th, 2015 - 45 comments

The death of Emma-Lita Bourne is not just a personal tragedy for the family: it is an event that should make New Zealand angry with the powerful people in our society who control the purse strings. They are responsible for condemning thousands of children to life-threatening conditions. And they are doing it in our name!

Heartless government

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, June 13th, 2015 - 123 comments

A few stories of recent weeks which show exactly what kind of government we have.

Money for nothing and the sheep are for free

Written By: - Date published: 8:36 am, May 29th, 2015 - 38 comments

The legal suit offered as part justification for the Government paying $11 million to a Saudi businessman was apparently “off the table” at the time that Cabinet agreed to the payment.  So why was the payment made?  And why didn’t Murray McCully tell this to Cabinet or to Parliament earlier?

Superannuation and Government forecasts

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, May 25th, 2015 - 197 comments

National has again refused to consider doing anything about the future of Superannuation.  Yet its policies of increasing Crown debt, stopping contributions to the Cullen Fund and attacking Kiwisaver have made a discussion about the future of superannuation more important than ever.

English not even trying any more

Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, May 24th, 2015 - 71 comments

Anyone remember departure tax?

And they’ll be grateful!

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, May 20th, 2015 - 15 comments

Bill English tells us that the promise that they won the election on – that they’re the only Masters of Finance who could balance the government books (because that’s all that’s important…) – now isn’t at all important to the public.

And Bill tells us: they’ll get their surplus when I give it to them, and they’ll be grateful for it.

Human Synergistics, Richard Prebble, and the end of government

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 am, May 17th, 2015 - 64 comments

Back in March 1988 David Lange had a clear idea about what lay ahead for New Zealanders as the long-term consequences of Roger Douglas’ psychopathic worshipping of the metaphysical Invisible Hand gradually materialised.

The surplus lie

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 14th, 2015 - 68 comments

One of the biggest political deceptions in our lifetime? Or just an honest mistake by our noble Finance Minister?

English welcomes Reserve Bank doing his job for him

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, May 14th, 2015 - 54 comments

Why is it left to the Reserve Bank to try and tackle the property bubble? It’s true – this government is recklessly complacent.

More jobs gone at Solid Energy – thanks Bill English

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, May 8th, 2015 - 11 comments

113 more jobs to go at Solid Energy’s Stockton Mine. Bill English killed Solid Energy, these job losses are his.

NRT: National’s hand-wringing on housing

Written By: - Date published: 4:12 pm, April 23rd, 2015 - 20 comments

Auckland house prices have exploded again. Houses get more capital gains than their inhabitants do in salaries. So what is the government doing about it? Nothing. They haven’t tried the economic basics.. Capital gains tax to decrease demand, or a building programme to increase supply. Meanwhile National’s landlord MPs laughing all the way to the bank…

The magical disappearing surplus

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, April 11th, 2015 - 67 comments

John Key and National have staked a huge amount of their credibility on returning the country’s books to surplus this financial year.  Looks like they are going to fail.

Bill English killed Solid Energy

Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, April 3rd, 2015 - 96 comments

More economic genius from the Nats.

Novopay cost us $45 million

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, February 19th, 2015 - 102 comments

It was announced yesterday that Novopay has cost the country $45 million more than intended. The Ministry of Education has accepted some responsibility but in terms of ultimate responsibility the Ministers involved, English, Parata and Foss should be held to blame.

On the economy and tax cut bribes

Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, December 18th, 2014 - 9 comments

Bill English reviews the economy

National are not responsible for the eventual recovery, they are responsible for delaying it.

ImperatorFish: “I said surface, not surplus”

Written By: - Date published: 2:15 pm, December 17th, 2014 - 7 comments

Scott examines Bill’s likely excuses for failing to deliver something National have promised since 2011

‘Ditch the [misleading] rhetoric’

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, December 12th, 2014 - 16 comments

On RNZ this morning PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff criticised Bill English for his misleading rhetoric about rises in “average wages”.  NZ’s income and wealth gaps have increased in recent decades.  The lowest income remain low; the top earners get big salary increases.

Denying the truth no way to run a country

Written By: - Date published: 12:09 pm, December 10th, 2014 - 16 comments

Right-wingers recently got all hot and bothered about the idea of “recall elections”. Perhaps we do need them, not for the scandal of a Mayor having a bathroom, but for governments that systematically and cynically deny the truth, to the detriment of us all.

Save Our State Houses: Labour Party

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, November 28th, 2014 - 12 comments

Kevin Hague says, the government’s plan to replace state housing with “social housing” will make the affordable housing crisis worse & is “economically reckless”. The Labour Party have circulated a petition to save state houses from being sold by the NZ government.

Partially Privatised Power Companies Chief Executives’ salaries surge

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, November 5th, 2014 - 13 comments

Chief executive remuneration packages in the privatised power companies have surged post float.

WANTED: new ideas on child poverty

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 88 comments

It’s great to see John Key taking a sudden interest in addressing child poverty in New Zealand. But why the change of heart?

Tax cuts – simple question simple answer

Written By: - Date published: 9:54 pm, September 7th, 2014 - 84 comments

Duncan Garner asks – “when we’ve just borrowed $55b over 6 years how on earth are tax cuts suddenly affordable?”. Presumably it’s a rhetorical question…

There is no plan

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, September 7th, 2014 - 69 comments

Name one new thing you’d do in the next 3 years in government.  Bill English: “-“

Tax cut cynicism

Written By: - Date published: 6:20 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 52 comments

According to the PM, Bill English saying there won’t be tax cuts was both true and untrue at the same time, like a fiscal Schroedinger’s Cat.

Parker nails English on economic policy

Written By: - Date published: 2:25 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 32 comments

Labour has the bold set of policies to take New Zealand forward into the 21st century – National’s “same old same old” tinkering will see the Kiwi skiff swamped. That was the clear conclusion from the debate between David Parker and Bill English on National Radio this morning.

English to lead the National Party?

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, August 22nd, 2014 - 67 comments

Bill English was the first senior Nat to distance himself from Key’s dirty politics. Now, according to one of our commenters (Tracey) who was called, the Nats’ polling company is sounding out English as a possible party leader.

Guest Post: Tracey – Blinglish single handedly reduces teenage pregnancies

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, August 5th, 2014 - 42 comments

Tracey has submitted a series of OIA’s in order to get information about the stats Bill English referred to in relation to the government having reduced the numbers of single mothers. So far…. nothing helpful.

Local Bodies: Novopay Exemplifies National’s Governance

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, July 31st, 2014 - 26 comments

This National led Government is strong on ideology, weak on process and reluctant to accept responsibility. The Novopay debacle exemplifies all of these well. When questioned about Novopay, National Ministers will never accept full responsibility. Stephen Joyce has just announced that the Government will be taking over the management of Novopay after almost two years of stress and wide-ranging issues. No matter what National and its Ministers claim, Novopay is largely their fault, and taking responsibility and making apologies are not what this Government does readily.

NRT: National’s roads are pure pork

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 13 comments

The extent that the National minister have been pork-barreling the roading budget for their electorates is crazy. The OIA’s show that most of the $212 million announced by John Key at the National party conference is pure pork for ministers. They are assessed as costing more money to build than they will ever produce in benefits, even using NZTA’s infamously overoptimistic assessments. National MPs and Ministers want to be seen as delivering something for their electorates before the election. So much for assessing needs based on merits. They must be really worried about this election to misuse so much pork.