Politics

Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation

Categories under Politics

Who is the loser?

Written By: - Date published: 9:25 am, October 20th, 2024 - 22 comments

National Minister Andrew Bayley has apologised for his conduct after a complaint that he repeatedly called a worker “a loser” and swore at him while on a business visit.

Chris Trotter’s Arguments for the Treaty Principles Bill Are Flawed

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, October 18th, 2024 - 49 comments

Chris Trotter argues that those who oppose the Treaty Principles Bill aren’t fair. But are his arguments accurate or is his repetition of David Seymour’s human rights narrative a potential red herring?

Tana is waka jumped

Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, October 18th, 2024 - 54 comments

The Green Party has chosen to write to the Speaker seeking that Darlene Tana’s position as a MP is terminated.

Ferry crisis what ferry crisis?

Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, October 17th, 2024 - 21 comments

The Cook Strait Ferry issue is getting to a critical point. An announcement was expected in July. But it appears that NZ First is digging its heels in about the need tor the replacement ferries being rail capable.

77% of NZ’s business leaders say a CGT or equivalent is needed as chorus for CGT increases

Written By: - Date published: 7:06 pm, October 16th, 2024 - 90 comments

ANZ, ASB and Simplicity are the latest to join the 77% of business leaders who now say CGT is essential for NZ. CGT goes wholly to the government so why is Luxon so against it?

Hauraki Gulf Marine reserves are being Jonesied*

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, October 15th, 2024 - 13 comments

* the process whereby a Marine Reserve is opened up to commercial fishing.

Twelve months of this Government

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, October 14th, 2024 - 49 comments

This Government was elected 12 months ago. And I don’t think any of us could have appreciated how bad it would have been.

Where’s The Opposition?

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, October 13th, 2024 - 61 comments

Labour, Green Party and Te Pati Māori have been relatively quiet as the Coalition government move at breakneck speed to roll back laws and transfer wealth. Is it a matter of resources, media coverage, or will?

Latest poll result – National is being cleaned out by NZ First and Act

Written By: - Date published: 6:41 pm, October 11th, 2024 - 109 comments

The latest Curia poll result suggests that National is tanking and NZ First and Act are eating into its support. And Luxon selling off his rental properties and saying that he does not care suggests he may be planning for an exit.

The best Government that money can buy

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, October 11th, 2024 - 35 comments

Radio New Zealand has reported that $500,000 in donations to National, Act and NZ First were made by entities associated to those who had their projects included in the recently released schedule to the Fast Track Projects Bill.

How does the left win the Auckland Mayoralty?

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, October 8th, 2024 - 28 comments

I think the left should find a Mayoral candidate to advance progressive principles and policies. And with a muscular fight on the right there may be the opportunity for a candidate to come through the middle and win.

National is stuffing up health

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, October 8th, 2024 - 10 comments

The adding of extra costs to the Dunedin Hospital project to make it appear to be unaffordable, the reckless allowance for a tax cut for Philip Morris and the fudging of health figures to suggest there is a crisis all point to gross mismanagement of Health at a time when it is under stress. Is the goal privatisation?

Where’s the “Oomph”?

Written By: - Date published: 2:04 pm, October 6th, 2024 - 92 comments

Join us to protest privatisation of health on the 23rd October. But can we have more oomph and co-ordination please?

She did her own research

Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, October 4th, 2024 - 25 comments

It has been revealed that Casey Costello bypassed and second guessed official advice by an internet search and reading a collection of articles that do not way what she thought they said.

Inventing a crisis to privatise NZ healthcare

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, October 4th, 2024 - 12 comments

Yesterday a former Health NZ Chair said the government is intentionally manufacturing a crisis to privatise healthcare. However privatisation will not solve anything and will only lead to worse financial and health outcomes for all Kiwis as confirmed by Lancet Medical Journal and case studies around the world.

He is wealthy and he is sorted

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, October 2nd, 2024 - 57 comments

“You just fake it until you make it. I have spent a whole career doing that” – Christopher Luxon.

NZ Right Wing Government Moves to Privatise Health

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, October 2nd, 2024 - 41 comments

The National-ACT-NZ First government have signaled they want to privatise our health system. It’s a now or never moment.

When will Costello be sacked?

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, October 1st, 2024 - 35 comments

Casey Costello’s decision to give Phillip Morris a $216 million tax cut was based on alternative advice that she has received but which she is not disclosing. And Christopher Luxon is comfortable with this.

The Hospital Dunedin needs?

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, September 28th, 2024 - 69 comments

The question has to be asked, can we trust National to do anything that it has promised?

Bye, Bye Health!

Written By: - Date published: 12:59 pm, September 26th, 2024 - 45 comments

NZ has already spent $1bn on thin air (Kiwirail ferries), $70bn on roads, and $35bn on tax cuts so no to your hospitals and investments!

Ferry ferry quite contrary

Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, September 26th, 2024 - 24 comments

There appears to be an impasse in the Coalition’s ranks with Act and National not wanting rail enabled replacement ferries but Winston Peters demanding that they be rail enabled.

Luxon is deconstructing the plane while flying it

Written By: - Date published: 5:57 pm, September 25th, 2024 - 8 comments

What I’m saying to you is that Chris Luxon has never crashed a country before.

The New Zealand left are in the worst place in a century

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, September 23rd, 2024 - 68 comments

New Zealand has the most right wing government it’s had since Governor George Grey determined to eradicate all Maori power by systematic war and then systematic legislative theft in 1863. But the left shows no sign of unifying.

On Labour’s Enduring and Unrelenting Historic Role

Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, September 22nd, 2024 - 20 comments

Nigel Haworth argues that the 2012 reforms of the Labour Party created a perverse effect. Not to engender stronger member voice, but to empower a managerial model akin to a Piketty’s Brahmin caste. It weakened the Party’s ability to act strongly at arms length of Caucus and Parliamentary Leader.

Luxon loses his cool when asked about doctoring gang membership statistics

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, September 20th, 2024 - 47 comments

On the same day that National had Parliament pass onerous anti gang laws to address allegedly dramatically increasing numbers of gang members Christopher Luxon lost his cool when it was pointed out to him that the Government is purging the list to reduce the numbers.

Lester Levy, $320,000 Part time Health NZ Commissioner: “It’s not for me to fix everything”

Written By: - Date published: 2:12 pm, September 19th, 2024 - 16 comments

Lester Levy claims he is working so hard it’s probably not good for his health. Meanwhile, he failed to bring financials to the Health Select Committee while explaining he was doing well on cutting costs – and would continue to do so.

National’s gang patch ban may hinder police investigations

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, September 18th, 2024 - 18 comments

The police’s recent successful operation against the Comanchero gang could concievably have been compromised by National’s proposed gang patch ban.

Under National crime is out of control

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, September 17th, 2024 - 35 comments

Christopher Luxon yesterday celebrated a 22% reduction in crime in Downtown Auckland even though crime in the Auckland region went up by 7% during the same time. And later that day had to explain how the number of victims of violent crime had increased by 30,000.

National plan for 2000 extra Kiwis in prison per year

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, September 17th, 2024 - 20 comments

The government plans to put up to 2000 more Kiwis behind bars by 2034 at a potential cost of up to $1.2bn per budget in today’s money. Meanwhile crime, including violent crime is increasing across all of NZ.

Free School lunches have a profound beneficial effect on learning

Written By: - Date published: 11:23 am, September 13th, 2024 - 23 comments

This is what David Seymour was told. But he and the Government still chose to push through significant cuts to the scheme.

Trouble at Mill

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, September 12th, 2024 - 25 comments

It seems clear that the Government refused to do anything to stop Winston Pulp from closing its mills. And the Government’s plans to address price volatility by the use of LPG is counterproductive, especially when the cost of renewable energy is considered.