national/act government
Categories under national/act government
- honeymoon (4)
Time to pony up with some policy
Written By: - Date published: 6:22 am, January 22nd, 2009 - 11 comments
After three years of solid growth, the latest stats show international tourist numbers collapsing 8% last November compared to November 2007 due to the global recession. Goldman Sachs forecasts a drop of over 5% this year and more in 2010. Like all economic projections since the world tipped into recession, these numbers are likely to be revised down […]
Penny wise?
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, January 21st, 2009 - 53 comments
Health Minister Tony Ryall has followed Paula Bennett’s* lead by cancelling a conference for PR purposes**. In terms of symbolism it’s great. Even though the per-person cost of the conference was low, and it’s not like doctors would want to spend their precious time at a conference were it pointless, and the cost was only […]
Easily impressed
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, January 15th, 2009 - 24 comments
John Key in person is extremely amiable; talking to him face to face, it’s hard not to like the bugger. I guess that he hasn’t lost any of that magic on his holiday. How else could one explain John Armstrong’s piece in the Herald today? The guy sounds like he’s in love. All it takes […]
Govt creaks into inaction
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, January 13th, 2009 - 29 comments
Only four weeks into a well-deserved holiday following two frantic weeks stripping Kiwis of their work rights, the National/ACT Government has been spurred back into action by an emerging crisis. No, not the international financial meltdown. Nup, not peak oil, nor climate change, nor the recession. The crisis that has seen the Government suddenly announce […]
Anger, that’ll solve our problems
Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, January 9th, 2009 - 11 comments
Yesterday, Labour leader Phil Goff challenged National to present its plan for getting the economy through the global downturn. Halfway through National/ACT’s much-hyped first 100 days and, Goff pointed out, while Obama and the UK are pushing ahead with a ‘Green New Deal’ we’ve seen nothing from National/ACT except the cancelation of the one Green […]
The recession, graphically
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, December 23rd, 2008 - 42 comments
OK, one last graph for the year. The latest GDP data isn’t pretty, a 0.4% contraction of the economy in the September quarter. It’s the third quarter of contraction in a row driven by the drought, oil prices, and the credit crunch. The ongoing international financial turmoil means we are likely to continue in recession […]
What National’s Kiwisaver cuts mean for you
Written By: - Date published: 4:59 pm, December 22nd, 2008 - 38 comments
The Council of Trade Unions has done some research showing a worker with a Kiwisaver account will stand to lose as much as $200,000 in accumulated savings over their working life as a result of the National-led Government’s changes to the scheme. If you’re on $50k a year then National’s Kiwisaver cuts will cost you […]
Key delivers a Christmas kicking for workers
Written By: - Date published: 2:35 pm, December 19th, 2008 - 52 comments
We always said that a National/ACT government would be anti-worker but I’m surprised by how blatant they are being about it. In a series of hasty, secretive laws, they’ve put up taxes on workers, cut their Kiwisaver, and removed their work rights for the first 90 days of employment. Now, they have officially dropped the […]
Prison tucker
Written By: - Date published: 1:09 pm, December 19th, 2008 - 57 comments
When I saw this photo of Pita Sharples tucking into a prison meal in today’s Dom Post I was hopeful it was a stunt to try and put a stop to the mean-spirited howls from talkbackland over how prisoners have it too good at Christmas time. But what a difference a ministerial warrant and the […]
Partial credit
Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, December 19th, 2008 - 29 comments
Yay, more infrastructure spending during a recession. That’s the right thing to do – stimulate the economy and spend while the price of construction is lower. But why, oh why, cancel spending on rail and housing insulation and put the money into roads, instead? The only reason I can think of is that National/ACT doesn’t […]
Police spied on Unite Union too
Written By: - Date published: 3:09 pm, December 18th, 2008 - 42 comments
Matt McCarten, head of the Unite Union, has just released emails showing police informant Rob Gilchrist gave the police spy unit details about activities being organised by the union as part of their push to abolish youth pay rates and increase the minimum wage. ‘These emails give lie to the police claim that only potential […]
Somewhat suspicious
Written By: - Date published: 4:36 pm, December 17th, 2008 - 21 comments
Gerry ‘sexy coal’ Brownlee has spent today ripping apart more anti-climate change laws. Today, under urgency and without the opportunity for the public to contribute via the select committee process, National/ACT has repealed the Biofuels requirement and is now in the process of repealing the ‘ban’ on new baseload fossil fuel power plants. Disturbingly National/ACT’s […]
Merry Christmas from National
Written By: - Date published: 3:17 pm, December 17th, 2008 - 28 comments
National’s decides to hit workers in the pocket: ACC Minister Nick Smith yesterday said levies would increase from $1.40 to $1.70 for every $100 earned from next April. The employer and self-employed levy would rise from $1.26 to $1.31. Recommendations by officials to increase motor vehicles levies and lift registration fees by $50 would not […]
Who else are they spying on?
Written By: - Date published: 2:24 pm, December 17th, 2008 - 16 comments
Gordon Campbell raises a good question in his latest Scoop column – are the Police also using paid informants to spy on mosques? According to the original Sunday Star-Times article, the Police informant Rob Gilchrist was getting $600 a week for his information. This is a substantial amount, and more than enough to entice anyone […]
Time to reconsider Hobsonville
Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, December 17th, 2008 - 29 comments
After initially saying they would cap the number of state houses, National/ACT’s Housing Minister Phil Heatley actually got informed. Despite the good work that Labour did increasing the number of state houses and their quality, the problem has not been completely solved – there are thousands of families still in need of affordable housing. Now, Heatley says, there […]
Be pragmatic
Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, December 16th, 2008 - 3 comments
A fundamental of social democratic politics is full employment. It is sometimes said that work is the best form of welfare. When people are in work they have a sense of belonging and self-worth, they commit fewer crimes, they contribute to funding public services, they can afford a better standard of living for their families. […]
A bad start, don’t expect improvement
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, December 16th, 2008 - 16 comments
We’ve seen a plethora of commentators criticising the National/ACT’s performance thus far. Colin James sums it up well: Key’s past week was mixed at best, notably in the House where his take on mandate reeks of FPP arrogance. His tap-dancing on climate change risks serious consequences. He badly needs lessons in international relations. James goes […]
No ReStart for Fire at Will even if unfair
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, December 16th, 2008 - 9 comments
So much for all National’s fine words about probation periods and job creation. Today’s Dominion reports that ReStart will not be available for “those who were sacked, including those who lost their jobs under the new 90-day probation law.” So the conditions for three months “probation” are that you cannot ask for reasons for dismissal […]
Making a mockery
Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, December 15th, 2008 - 19 comments
Shock news as Key’s media trainer praises Key Bill Ralston thinks Key is doing just super, which is perhaps to be expected since Key employs Ralston’s company for media training. He also thinks this whole ‘democracy’ thing is a bit of a pain in the arse and it’s great that National/ACT is ignoring it: “Where […]
Dulce et Decorum est
Written By: - Date published: 2:19 pm, December 12th, 2008 - 35 comments
Imagine: you are a new MP. Tens of thousands of your fellow New Zealanders have shown a great faith in you; they have shown that they want you to be one of their select representatives in the most powerful body in the land – our sovereign Parliament. You now have great power, privilege and responsibility, […]
Risk
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, December 12th, 2008 - 43 comments
If you’re still wondering what the Fire at Will Bill (about to become law just over a day after it was first made pubic) is all about take a look at No Right Turn’s analysis. It is a poorly-written and poorly thought-out law. It takes away your right, if you are fired when the first 90 days of working at […]
Kids need fun, politicians need to think
Written By: - Date published: 12:31 am, December 12th, 2008 - 29 comments
It seems like only yesterday that we listened to arguments about how exams unfairly punished some students. The National Party initiated the NCEA in office, but now thinks that introducing a national standard testing system for five and six year olds is the way to go. At least we think they do. At the time […]
Minister of Education lies to teachers
Written By: - Date published: 2:55 pm, December 11th, 2008 - 36 comments
Here’s Anne Tolley telling teachers before the election that they would not be covered by the fire at will legislation. Turns out she was lying. Teachers at at least 800 schools nationwide will now have no work rights in their first 90 days on the job. Whatever it takes to win, eh National?
On the Mapp defense
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, December 11th, 2008 - 18 comments
Jafapete might be in LA, however that hasn’t stopped him from raising some cogent points on the 90-day bill. His post Nats hurry to strip workers of rights points out some absurdities of the NACT excuses So, no opportunity to make submissions on these proposals. What’s that? I could have last year? But last year […]
Training wheels
Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, December 11th, 2008 - 18 comments
On the first day of Parliament, Gerry Brownlee made a complete hash of his role as Leader of the House. Despite having repeatedly needed Michael Cullen’s assistance to organise the order of business in the Business Committee, Brownlee mucked up procedures in the House, which Labour gleefully exploited. John Key tried to make light of […]
Tax increases into law
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, December 11th, 2008 - 46 comments
The tax bill has just been passed into law. The Maori Party voted for it. They also voted against the Cullen amendment that would have created a tax credit to cancel ou the tax increase on low income workers. Te Ururoa didn’t show up to Backbenches. I haven’t heard a single Maori Party MP defend […]
No longer so critical?
Written By: - Date published: 10:12 am, December 11th, 2008 - 1 comment
Our new Attorney-General, National’s Chris Finalyson, on the importance of select committees: Select Committees are the engine room of Parliament. They are also intended to provide a level of public and political scrutiny for the range of legislation some routine and some contentious promoted by the government and by individual MPs. They are an important […]
Happiness? How much can you sell that for?
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, December 11th, 2008 - 41 comments
We’re told that every country in the OECD except New Zealand and Denmark has a probation period like National/ACT’s Fire at Will law. Apart from being incorrect – we already have provision for probation periods like other countries do, difference is in those countries and under our current law a dismissal can be challenged as unjustified, the […]
On mandates
Written By: - Date published: 6:54 am, December 11th, 2008 - 16 comments
The National/ACT line in defending pushing through legislation like the Fire at Will Bill under urgency, without any select committee process, without any of the normal procedures for the proposed law to be publicly reviewed, even without tabling the Bill before it is to be voted on, is that the election gave them a mandate […]
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