Abuse of power

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The Chief Prison Inspector’s report on Serco and MECF

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, October 7th, 2016 - 46 comments

The Chief Prison Inspector’s report on Mount Eden Corrections Facility has now been released and has presented a damning judgment on Serco’s management of the prison.

Colinoscopy

Written By: - Date published: 6:32 pm, October 3rd, 2016 - 41 comments

In which we learn that Colin Craig had already lost another case months before being done over in his defamation trial.

Ombudsman to investigate John Key’s dirty politics communications

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, September 27th, 2016 - 91 comments

The Ombudsman is to investigate John Key’s failure to disclose communications with David Farrar and Cameron Slater

The manipulation of burglary statics

Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, September 11th, 2016 - 36 comments

Reporter Eugene Bingham who broke the story on how Papakura police were doctoring crime statistics by recoding burglaries as other offences two years ago has written about how his attempts to get to the truth of the matter has effectively been thwarted by the police.

NZ: Home of Rugby, Raping and Beer

Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, September 8th, 2016 - 103 comments

The whitewash of the rugby players who assaulted a woman at a post season piss up has been released. A mightily relieved rugby boss Steve Tew can now go into the rest of the season knowing that the All Black squad will not be affected by the loss of any players to suspension. The only person to have lost their job over the incident is the victim. How cool is that?

National loses control of Parliament

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, September 8th, 2016 - 111 comments

It may have been brief and passing but yesterday National lost control of Parliament.  And it was all their own fault.

The right for Spy’s to break the law, bill.

Written By: - Date published: 4:49 pm, August 30th, 2016 - 16 comments

No Right Turn has reminded me that the deadline for submissions on the Spy bill is 7th October 2016. Submissions.  can be made here. The spy bill. The bill makes it illegal for civil servants, or anyone else,  to blow the whistle on the Government. It makes it legal for spies to break laws at […]

Things other than States

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, August 25th, 2016 - 17 comments

What are the New Zealand institutions other than the State who can achieve good for New Zealanders?

Assange is a hero: Jill Stein US Greens Presidential Candidate

Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, August 24th, 2016 - 204 comments

Julian Assange is a true hero, says Jill Stein unequivocally, along with other whistleblowers who have had the audacity to challenge the status quo establishment.

NRT: Against anti-whistleblower laws

Written By: - Date published: 1:48 pm, August 17th, 2016 - 11 comments

I/S at No Right Turn does great analysis of legislation. His coverage of the new spying laws has been excellent. Here he is on National’s clumsy and misguided attempt to re-impose official secrets. Criminalised for reading The Guardian?

Spy vs Us

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 16th, 2016 - 135 comments

Today National introduced a bill that will enable the NZ Government to spy on its citizens.

Another Key lie is why this government can’t be trusted with increased spying powers

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, August 16th, 2016 - 33 comments

When caught abusing new powers the response will be the same as when caught out abusing the old – meh, so sue us.

John Key’s Lies Since the 2014 Election (UPDATED)

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, August 9th, 2016 - 19 comments

There is one item on the list concerning whether John Key knew about the brewing trade squabble with China regarding the dumping of cheap steel on the local market.

Kiwi Treason

Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, August 4th, 2016 - 181 comments

Vegemite and marmite taste the same, rugby is naff, John Clarke’s an Australian. What?

Meth Fries Housing NZ’s Brains

Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, August 3rd, 2016 - 129 comments

Housing NZ has admitted that it is evicting tenants when only tiny trace amounts of meth are found on the property. It further admits that the testing regime is not fit for purpose. But, hey, they have the power to make people homeless and they’re not going to let fairness or common sense get in the way of their moral panic.

When did the War on Drugs become the War on the Poor?

Talleys versus Free Speech

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, July 29th, 2016 - 33 comments

The Talley group want the courts to order a union to stop telling the truth about how they bully, maim and kill their workers. Will the Standard be next in the firing line?

NRT: Charter schools are corrupt

Written By: - Date published: 2:08 pm, July 25th, 2016 - 318 comments

I/S at No Right Turn: “ACT appears to be using charter schools to channel public money to government donors and cronies”…

Be Like Dad, Keep Mum (in fear).

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, July 10th, 2016 - 62 comments

Temuera Morrison has made a powerful video for the Women’s Refuge annual appeal. He’s making a difference. You can do something the Key Government won’t do. You can make a difference. You can stop keeping mum about domestic violence and you can help fund your local refuge.

GPS

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, June 23rd, 2016 - 219 comments

GPS may offer the perfect way to enforce a fuel tax but how do we feel about the Government knowing where we are and where we are heading every minute of the day?

The strange case of the disappearance of a Stuff article critical of Lord Mike Hosking

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, June 20th, 2016 - 54 comments

Are we doing censorship to protect the government’s media assets now?

The politics of dumb anger

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, June 20th, 2016 - 113 comments

There are some pretty depressing political trends going on.

90 day trial – no lie too outrageous for National

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, June 18th, 2016 - 52 comments

For eight long years National have been telling us that the 90 day trial (fire at will) law was all about creating jobs. Yesterday a new Treasury report showed that it had failed to do so. RNZ: “The government now says its 90-day trial period was never about increasing the number of jobs in New Zealand”. Of course.

Bennett “gutted”

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, June 15th, 2016 - 24 comments

One of Giovanni Tiso’s clever “Erratum” series.
bennett-leak

Paula Bennett leaking to smear again?

Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, June 14th, 2016 - 61 comments

Has Paula Bennett leaked details of a police investigation into Te Puea Marae’s Hurimoana Dennis?

Update: Bennett has admitted that “her office” leaked. She should resign.

Drinnan – Treatment of state-funded broadcasters smacks of political expediency

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, June 3rd, 2016 - 35 comments

John Drinnan has a pretty explosive piece in The Herald this morning. (See also Drinnan’s new blog ZagZigger).

Screw democracy – Auckland to get the Canterbury treatment

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, May 28th, 2016 - 172 comments

It’s naked panic now. In response to the crisis that isn’t a crisis Key is going to overrule the council that his government created and screw over Auckland democracy just like he screwed over Canterbury. What do you think of that Aucklanders?

What Possibility a Mid Winter Celebration?

Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, May 15th, 2016 - 8 comments

According to the Herald on Sunday, some people aren’t just sitting back waiting for the Chilcot report to be released before deciding what to do. Some people are getting geared up.

Key’s Lawyer is a Mossack Man

Written By: - Date published: 6:44 am, May 10th, 2016 - 50 comments

Despite the PM’s assurances, it turns out the his lawyer had direct links to Mossack Fonseca. And so did everyone else in the room when Todd McClay was successfully convinced to drop the IRD review into foreign trust. Someone’s been telling porkies …

Tony Veitch: I’m the Real Victim Here.

Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, May 8th, 2016 - 137 comments

Domestic abuser Tony Veitch has written a self absorbed piece about how domestic abuser Tony Veitch is better now. Good on domestic abuser Tony Veitch!

UPDATE: Veitch’s victim’s father calls for a real apology.

Key’s sloppy trust

Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, May 5th, 2016 - 7 comments

An editorial in The Herald today keeps the pressure on Key. Meanwhile his “lawyer” can’t be happy, and Key hits peak condescension.

Key and McClay sorting out their lines

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, May 4th, 2016 - 16 comments

On the nobbled IRD tax haven review Key has been sorting out his lines. Then he had to feed McClay his. The concept of just telling the truth probably never occured to either of them.