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same old national (1,632)

How many centrist votes go to Labour?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 12:38 pm, November 25th, 2021 - 105 comments

Judith Collins lost a vote of confidence. David Farrar seems to think that Act will get the inevitable flow. Sounds unlikely. The far right and nutbar fringe has already vacated to Act – who represent them so well. But Labour overwhelming won last election on a vote from previous National voters. History repeats in 2023?

National’s civil war reerrupts

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:35 am, November 25th, 2021 - 131 comments

National’s civil war which has been simmering for a while erupted last night after Judith Collins demoted Simon Bridges for making inappropriate comments to Jaqui Dean five years ago.

National – let the virus rip

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:29 pm, November 24th, 2021 - 21 comments

There is no other explanation, and this week Paul Goldsmith gave the game away, National thinks that we should let the Corona virus rip.

Astroturfers of the world unite

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:14 am, November 20th, 2021 - 52 comments

Two days before what is claimed will be the mother of all protests links between the Groundswell organisation and the Taxpayers Union have been discovered.

National is being utterly irresponsible

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:46 am, November 19th, 2021 - 58 comments

In the middle of a pandemic where the numbers in hospital are increasing and a number of Kiwis have died from a virus that is spreading promising the loosening of current restrictions is the most irresponsible, stupid, foolhardy, idiotic, imbecile thing I could ever expect a political party to do.

Down the rabbit hole

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:17 am, November 17th, 2021 - 83 comments

Former National MP and University Lecturer Simon Thornley are in the news after publishing a video interview questioning the effectiveness of the Covid vaccine and suggesting that the evidence that Ivermectin is useful in treating Covid is epidemiologically sound and strong.

Covid and the latest polls

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:13 am, November 12th, 2021 - 148 comments

The results of two polls were leaked recently both showing a drop in support for Labour. Clearly the Delta outbreak has rattled confidence. But National has not surged up in support and the Greens have picked up some of the former Labour vote.

Won’t someone think of the business owners?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:04 pm, October 24th, 2021 - 174 comments

This week Judith Collins was reported to be close to tears. But not about the possibility of a significant number of deaths but by the prospect of business closures.

National’s plan – open and be damned

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:43 am, October 21st, 2021 - 71 comments

Yesterday National released what feels like take 16 of its Covid response plan, this one focussing on business interests and setting a hard timeline for reopening. But getting significant details wrong and rehashing failed policies previously tried in England has dampened its effect.

Time for Auckland to go back to level four?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:55 am, October 15th, 2021 - 114 comments

With daily Covid infection rates in Tamaki Makaurau increasing it may be time for the Government to consider a short sharp lockdown to try and arrest this increase and to let vaccination rates improve.

Goudie blunders again

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:46 am, October 14th, 2021 - 176 comments

Thames Coromandel mayor Sandra Goudie who previously admitted not scanning where she goes has been at it again, this time stating that the Pfeizer vaccine is not good enough for her and she will be waiting for the Novovax vaccine to be available before she gets vaccinated.

Covid D day

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:38 am, October 11th, 2021 - 159 comments

Some big decisions are due to happen today. What happens to Auckland’s Covid status? Should the lockdown level be reduced or should the Government think about putting it back up?

Gender split is interesting in latest poll

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:49 am, October 7th, 2021 - 30 comments

The latest Roy Morgan poll was run between August 30th and September 26th. The headline results of Labour/Greens with 55% (increase by 3.5%) against opposition National/Act/Maori parties on 41% (up 0.5%) were good enough. But they also showed the gender split.. Women are deserting the right.

Covid does not give a fuck about your plans

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:20 am, September 30th, 2021 - 31 comments

This week we have seen reckons from John Key, Act and National on how we should be loosening up Covid lockdown restrictions. Yesterday’s 45 new cases shows how dangerous it is to think that dealing with Covid is a simple management exercise.

About the latest Colmar Brunton poll

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:55 am, September 28th, 2021 - 152 comments

The latest Colmar Brunton poll confirms that National’s polling is in the doldrums and David Seymour’s preferred PM rating is twice that of Judith Collins.

Smug hermit king

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:44 am, September 27th, 2021 - 127 comments

John Key has doubled down on his claims that Aotearoa is a smug hermit kingdom and claimed that it is imperative that international travel is eased although he is fine with all other restrictions to stay in place.

Key’s baaaack

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:35 am, September 26th, 2021 - 273 comments

John Key is back and has described New Zealand as a smug hermit kingdom for daring to so far achieve something no other western nation has been able to accomplish, holding back Covid and preventing thousands of deaths.

Where’s Judith?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:27 am, September 22nd, 2021 - 104 comments

Crusher Collins, the leader who has taken great delight in giving back double, has been too afraid to be interviewed by Radio New Zealand this morning.

National’s urban wing moves against Collins

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:17 pm, September 15th, 2021 - 106 comments

Events this afternoon have confirmed that Judith Collins is indeed toast.

National’s next leader?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:28 am, September 3rd, 2021 - 60 comments

As the damage caused by Judith Collins’ leadership of the National Party intensifies it is inevitable that there will be internal discussions about who should replace her, and soon. And I think the best candidate is clear.

Judith’s very bad two days

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:12 am, September 2nd, 2021 - 50 comments

Judith Collins’ insistence that Parliament be reconvened even at a time that the country was in lockdown level 4 has backfired spectacularly.

Covid and the media

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:42 am, August 29th, 2021 - 54 comments

This week there has been some argy bargy between the Twitterati including the Waitakerati and the media on coverage of Covid in Aotearoa with elements of the media complaining that the criticisms are unjustified. A brief review of some of the offerings this week would suggest otherwise.

Gumming up the works

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:05 am, August 28th, 2021 - 53 comments

Last night it was revealed that National and Act had refused to agree to a proposed virtual Parliament sitting where questions could be asked, and instead wanted face to face meetings, even though this would mean a third of the country’s MPs travelling regularly to Wellington from a Covid delta hotspot.

Matt King caught blowing anti vaccination dog whistle

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:15 am, August 23rd, 2021 - 22 comments

Former National MP Matt King has been publicly posting anti vaccination propaganda under the ruse of only wanting a conversation.

The importance of Jacinda’s 1 pm press conferences

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:50 am, August 22nd, 2021 - 130 comments

Jacinda Ardern has resumed the 1 pm briefings where she communicates effectively the country’s current situation and what the plan is. But National and some elements of the media are complaining, presumably that she is doing too good a job.

The importance of political leadership in dealing with Covid

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:55 am, August 18th, 2021 - 66 comments

Political leadership in the time of Covid is important. As the Government urgently swung into action and imposed a level 4 lockdown after news of a community case of Delta Covid who lived in Auckland and had spent time in Coromandel while infectious, Thames-Coromandel District Mayor and former National MP Sandra Goudie admitted to not scanning regularly.

The strange story about the fake news poll results

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:21 am, August 17th, 2021 - 52 comments

The Politik website’s inadvertant publishing of fake news of a drop in Labour’s support shows how fragile the system of relying on two sources for a story is.

The latest battle in the culture wars

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:49 am, August 15th, 2021 - 79 comments

This week National agreed to the bill allowing gender self identification to proceed to select committee which was a stark contrast to their position on the bill banning gay conversion therapy. I wonder what happened?

The Churchill picture

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:13 am, August 12th, 2021 - 165 comments

National, the party that claims to be focussed on the issues that matter decided to get upset when the Greens requested the replacement of a picture of a former UK leader who had a reputation for engaging in crimes against humanity.

National’s civil war continues

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:08 am, August 9th, 2021 - 25 comments

In an extraordinary move National’s board has reselected Peter Goodfellow as Party Chairperson and this has caused former MP David Carter to resign as board member and express no confidence in the leadership or in National’s chances at the next election.

National used to be better than this

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:28 am, August 6th, 2021 - 59 comments

Back in the day National used to have a strong urban liberal wing that gave the impression that it was sympathetic to LGBTQI issues. Yesterday that impression was trashed.