national/act government

Categories under national/act government

honeymoon (4)

PPPs? No, please

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:15 pm, November 26th, 2008 - 24 comments

I’ve never seen the sense in Public-Private Partnerships. How is it ever going to be cheaper to get a private profit-making company to come on-board and take the risk for developing a piece of public infrastructure? The Government has to give them a good deal so they can make a profit, and the Government has […]

The departed

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 10:52 am, November 26th, 2008 - 56 comments

The UK has announced plans to increase departure tax from its airports for flights outside Europe to pay for offsetting their carbon emissions. This is part of the worldwide response to climate change – countries are making emitters pay and even aviation, which is excluded from Kyoto, is now being targeted (quite rightly too, it […]

‘Cos I say so

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 10:22 am, November 26th, 2008 - 22 comments

Following Tony “cos I say so” Ryall’s media success with his plan to cut down waiting lists using the King Canute model of governance, the word around the traps is that several of National’s front bench are planning similar moves. Over the next few days expect the following: Simon Power will announce plans to tell […]

Ryall: do it or else

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 3:30 pm, November 25th, 2008 - 32 comments

Health Minister Tony Ryall’s first policy will be to impose maximum waiting times for hospital emergency departments. No word on extra funding for achieving those goals (the UK achievement in shortening waiting times that Ryall cites came with large health budget increases) or what will happen if they are not met. Now, it’s great to […]

Why is there a media honeymoon?

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 2:53 pm, November 25th, 2008 - 41 comments

Why do new leaders get honeymoons? When you think about it, there’s no objective reason why a leader should get an easy run at first, not be asked the hard questions, be served lavish praise. So why does it happen? Well, I asked around a few people who’d been there and done that, and the […]

Do we want to be a world-leader or a global joke?

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:04 pm, November 21st, 2008 - 98 comments

According to a leading financier, carbon credit broker Nigel Brunel, of OMF Financial, New Zealand has become “a bit of a joke” in Europe as National/ACT looks set to delay, even abolish, our Emissions Trading Scheme. If you’ll forgive me an anecdote, I’m reminded of the introduction seminar when I was at uni in Finland. We […]

In praise of the welfare state

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 11:36 am, November 21st, 2008 - 48 comments

It’s very easy in our individualist, consumerist, capitalist society to say ‘if you’re poor, it’s your fault, don’t come looking to the rest of us for help’ – ‘it’s your fault for marrying an alcoholic, don’t expect us to pay to house your family’, ‘it’s your fault you got pregnant when you couldn’t afford to […]

Delaying tactics

Written By: Tane - Date published: 4:49 pm, November 19th, 2008 - 73 comments

The National Party’s decision to resurrect the idea of a carbon tax is one of the most cynical plays I’ve seen in a while, coming from a party that opposed a carbon tax from day one. In fact, for all their hollow attacks on Labour’s climate change record it’s been National that has campaigned harder […]

Credit where it’s due

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:04 pm, November 19th, 2008 - 30 comments

It’s exam season for high school students. So, for 10 points explain how the following statement (in the ACT-National agreement and repeated uncritically by the media) can be true, closing the income gap with Australia by 2025… will require a sustained lift in New Zealand’s productivity growth to 3 per cent a year. given: – […]

A break from the honeymoon

Written By: Tane - Date published: 2:00 pm, November 18th, 2008 - 60 comments

While most of the big media are giving John Key his criticism-free honeymoon (“OMG! A solo mum! An Asian! And a gay chap!”) the good old ODT has seen through the centrist spin: Prime Minister-elect John Key showed a clear intention yesterday to move the National-led government more to the Right of the political spectrum […]

Right plans give away to rich at your expense

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 6:48 am, November 18th, 2008 - 72 comments

Part of the National/ACT government’s agreement is that a top tax rate of 30% will be the target for the ‘medium term’. Such a cut would cost about $2 billion a year. Now, I have nothing in principle against reducing tax (and nothing in principle against increasing it, for that matter). It’s a question of […]

Retro

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 4:09 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 46 comments

It seems 80’s retro has finally moved from being manifest only as the return of skinny jeans and naff facial hair and is now rearing its ugly big-haired head in parliament. Of course I’m talking not just about 80’s rock legend Roger Douglas but also this clause in the National/ACT confidence and supply agreement: Establishing […]

Cabinet announced

Written By: Tane - Date published: 3:35 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 112 comments

National’s cabinet has been announced. No major surprises, though Maurice Williamson has been dumped outside cabinet and unpopular newcomer Steven Joyce has taken Transport. Lockwood Smith is speaker. More detail and analysis later, but for now the full list is over the break. THE CABINET Portfolios Other responsibilities 1 John Key Prime Minister Minister of […]

Undefeated

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 3:14 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 41 comments

Paul Holmes wrote yesterday: “While Labour moves to the Opposition benches, it does so weirdly unmolested by the election defeat, weirdly undefeated” Damn right, the Left seems undefeated, and so it should. The Right has only won power by masquerading as the Left; Key’s mandate is only to maintain the legacy of the Fifth Labour […]

John Key’s victory parade

Written By: Tane - Date published: 3:05 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 2 comments

No, not the one the Herald’s organising. Over at Scoop Lyndon Hood’s unveiled his own victory parade for John Key and I gotta say, it’s his best effort yet. Go over and have a look.

Key reneges on PSA promise

Written By: Tane - Date published: 2:13 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 24 comments

Well, just days after a high profile meeting with PSA head Brenda Pilott and a promise to engage with unions John Key has decided to exclude the PSA from his Task Force on the future of the public sector. The National/ACT government will instead appoint private sector consultants and private sector chairs to review government […]

Local Govt minister wants to privatise water

Written By: Tane - Date published: 11:58 am, November 17th, 2008 - 91 comments

As you’ll have read, John Key has made ACT leader Rodney Hide his Minister of Local Government. So, what’s ACT’s local government policy? Commercial activities are best performed by the private sector because they have more incentive to innovate and deliver better services. Local government should progressively shed ownership of its commercial activities. Local government […]

Some questions

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 9:59 am, November 17th, 2008 - 35 comments

The Maori Party voted against the ETS because they thought it doesn’t go far enough; they want a stronger ETS. Will they be supporting National/ACT’s amendments to first delay then weaken or even scrap it? ACT opposes the existence of the Maori seats, while paradoxically supporting their entrenchment. Which will win out on this issue? […]

Nats step to the right with ACT

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 3:52 pm, November 16th, 2008 - 109 comments

As we predicted, National has used a confidence and supply agreement with ACT as a vehicle for its true right-wing agenda. National has given a wide range of concessions to ACT, far more than is necessary to gain ACT’s already pledged support. Together, they amount to a far more rightwing policy program than National promised. […]

Playing clever but playing with fire

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:49 pm, November 14th, 2008 - 56 comments

On one level, the Maori Party’s dealing with National is smart work. Key needs to look inclusive even though he doesn’t need the Maori Party’s support to govern. In return, the Maori Party can cement its future by getting the Maori seats entrenched through a government bill, rather than hoping a private members’ bill gets […]

Polar bear returns

Written By: Tane - Date published: 11:28 am, November 14th, 2008 - 17 comments

From Scoop: The hapless polar bear that emerged during the recent TVNZ You-Tube leaders debate has resurfaced to issue a plea to Prime Minister-elect John Key. “The planet is on the slide due to climate change,” stresses the bear. “Me and my ilk are like canaries in the coal mine. But by-God we’re not the […]

Unions offer better option for Kiwisaver changes

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 10:17 am, November 14th, 2008 - 26 comments

The unions have proposed an alternative to National’s plan to slash Kiwisaver in half. If Kiwisaver has to be cut, and with National/Act in power it will happen one way or the other, then I prefer the union plan. As it stands now, you contribute 4% of your gross earnings, your employer matches that 4% […]

The first test

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 2:55 pm, November 13th, 2008 - 192 comments

Michael Cullen has released the latest economic and fiscal update, the one Key commented on in today’s papers but which he refused to reveal the details of to the public. Basically, it’s pretty bad news. How Key is responding or, rather, not responding to this first test is even worse news. Since the Pre-election economic […]

Careful of them monsters, John

Written By: Tane - Date published: 12:00 pm, November 13th, 2008 - 77 comments

It’s amazing to see how quickly John Key got over his fear of five-headed monsters once it came time to cobble together a government, and more amazing still how quickly the media chose to forgive and forget. You’ll recall that just two weeks ago the media couldn’t get enough of John’s line that having a […]

Cuts, three of the same kind

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 10:21 am, November 13th, 2008 - 36 comments

From Stuff: Mr Key said New Zealand had a significant advantage over other countries because official cash rates set by the Reserve Bank were high. “If that weaker scenario is anything like what it could be, then you will see significant rate cuts in New Zealand.” Oh Christ. It was bad enough when he was […]

National gives ACT consumer affairs

Written By: Tane - Date published: 9:18 am, November 13th, 2008 - 37 comments

John Key’s got to be taking the piss with his decision to appoint ACT MP Heather Roy as Minister of Consumer Affairs in the new National/ACT government. I guess it could have been worse (say, ACT in charge of Labour or Social Development) but you do have to wonder how the Consumer Guarantees Act and […]

To do list

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:20 pm, November 12th, 2008 - 66 comments

Getting elected is easy if you promise people the world and tell different audience different, contradictory things. It’s especially easy when you’ve got the media whole-heartedly on your side. Governing is a bit tougher though. Those same commentators who thought it was great fun regurgitating your latest attack line will also find it great fun […]

Class and the Maori Party

Written By: Tane - Date published: 12:10 pm, November 12th, 2008 - 71 comments

The New Zealand Herald has a telling story today about how the Maori Party’s decision over whether to prop up a right-wing National/ACT government “has exposed a schism between iwi elite views and ordinary Maori”. Ordinary working class Maori who’ve felt the brunt of right-wing policies in the past are, unsurprisingly, not keen to sacrifice […]

Not what they expected

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 11:02 am, November 12th, 2008 - 58 comments

I’ve been out and about over the last few days talking to people from the left and the right as well as a few apolitical types and the sense I get is that people didn’t get what they expected from this election. Just last night I was out to dinner with a group that included […]

A change to what? Part II

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 12:14 pm, November 11th, 2008 - 88 comments

A few months ago I asked National supporters who comment here what they wanted to see in terms of hard policy from National. What I got was a lot of Labour bashing but not much else. Now National is in government there’s a lot of sentiment about how great it is that Labour is gone […]