national
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- same old national (1,617)
National looking after its own
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, October 2nd, 2007 - 2 comments
Yesterday NZ First’s Brian Donnelly said schools were “not a commodity to be exploited for profit by National’s privatising mates” and rightly asserted “The key question National has failed to answer is who will get rich from its plans…” Well a day later we know. Colin Espiner reports in the Press that one of the […]
Nats start to pay off debt to Exclusive Brethren
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, October 2nd, 2007 - 2 comments
No wonder National’s education policy (what we know of it so far, anyway) includes more money for private schools. I know a staff member in an EB school (whose identity I have promised to protect) who said he had heard from high levels within the EB that National promised them that if it formed the […]
Ryall reveals his hollowness on Agenda
Written By: - Date published: 3:54 pm, October 1st, 2007 - 13 comments
all_your_base has already posted on Tony Ryall’s weasel words on yesterday’s Agenda programme, but what struck me about the interview was Ryall’s utter hollowness on policy. Here he is farming out elective surgery to the private sector: GUYON: Okay let’s talk about elective surgery because the Ministry of Health says at the moment the private […]
Weasel-words from Tony Ryall
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, October 1st, 2007 - Comments Off on Weasel-words from Tony Ryall
This almost defies belief. Just as I was thinking that Ryall couldn’t screw up the release of their health policy any further… He shows up on Agenda and by refusing to answer Espiner’s direct question only adds to the impression that National’s not being straight with the public on its plans to cut health spending. […]
The Herald lashes National
Written By: - Date published: 12:12 pm, October 1st, 2007 - 1 comment
If you’re National you know you’re in trouble when even the Herald editorial comes out swinging. The National Party was doing very well until it started to announce policy… During the month it produced three policies: work for the dole, partial privatisation of state companies and its position on health. The last was a particular […]
More opposition to Nats’ health plans
Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, September 28th, 2007 - Comments Off on More opposition to Nats’ health plans
The Christchurch Press reports that Public health groups are angry at National Party plans to remove caps on doctors’ fees if it wins next year’s election. Union and Community Health, which has two Christchurch clinics catering to lower-income Pacific Islanders and Maori, said removing fee caps would be “catastrophic” and increase the “gap between the […]
More on National’s privatisation agenda
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, September 27th, 2007 - Comments Off on More on National’s privatisation agenda
The Herald reports that Graham Stairmand, president of Grey Power has sent National a stern warning. He believes the Nats’ proposed partial privatisation of SOEs “will seal the fate of the National Party… Nobody will be naive enough to believe that this is not going to be a step to full privatisation.” Also in the […]
National: The market will set doctors’ fees
Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, September 27th, 2007 - 8 comments
There’s been a bit of debate on The Standard about what National actually stands for. Up until now there have been those who have bought the Nats’ “moderate” rebranding. Yesterday though, Key and Ryall let the cat out of the bag. They haven’t changed at all. They’re the same old National Party. In what marks […]
Cyber hypocrisy
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 pm, September 26th, 2007 - 14 comments
All the fuss created by one Rory English, son of National’s deputy leader Bill, exposes some very real and concerning issues. Firstly, just what standards do the English family think they are setting at the moment? Rory English’s posts to his now mysteriously deleted (well, not very mysterious actually!) pages on Bebo were truly offensive. […]
Bill’s agenda
Written By: - Date published: 5:15 pm, September 25th, 2007 - 1 comment
On Agenda on Saturday English admitted that the Nats will consider selling parts of New Zealand’s state owned enterprises. In response, Clayton Cosgrove got stuck in first and the PM’s now in on the act too. This is the second big headache for the Nats that Bill has caused recently. First it was cuts to […]
Support for National on asset sales
Written By: - Date published: 4:50 pm, September 25th, 2007 - 1 comment
Looks like National’s finally got some support for its policy to sell the family silver to pay for tax cuts… from Gordon Copeland. “The partial sale of SOE shares to mum and dad Kiwi investors, combined with ongoing majority ownership and control by the state is right on the money,” said Mr Copeland. “Does it […]
A hollow man
Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, September 25th, 2007 - 1 comment
Mark Blumsky’s crocodile tears about the tribal nature of Parliament leaves me absolutely gobsmacked. What planet did this cretin drop from? Before he agreed to stand as a candidate someone in the National Party should have explained to him that politics is a dog-eat-dog business, a sometimes torrid contest of ideas, where only the fit […]
Superannuation
Written By: - Date published: 9:47 am, September 22nd, 2007 - 1 comment
Brian Gaynor writes in the Herald about what he calls “the worst economic decision of the last 40 years” – National’s scrapping of Labour’s compulsory Super scheme in 1975. Had it been allowed to continue, today it would be worth over $240 billion. Muldoon claimed that the scheme should be opposed because it was “socialist” […]
More on Hollow Men play
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, September 22nd, 2007 - 1 comment
The Herald has a bit more info on the stage adaptation of The Hollow Men. Strange how close Brash and Foreman’s answers are. I wonder if they’re still in regular contact. No surprise the book is full of half-truths Dr Brash, after all it was based on your correspondence. Brash: “The book on which the […]
The Hollow Men stage play
Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, September 21st, 2007 - 3 comments
Close Up last night did a quick preview of the stage adaptation of Nicky Hager’s The Hollow Men. I’ll write a review as soon as I’ve seen it. Don’s far from happy about his continued time in the spotlight and is sticking firmly to his story that his emails were “stolen” or “hacked” rather than […]
The knives are out
Written By: - Date published: 12:38 pm, September 20th, 2007 - 1 comment
A reliable Wellington source tells me he had the pleasure of dining at a table next to Bill English and family a few weeks back. Once the kids were out of the way Bill dished up a smörgÃÂ¥sbord of tasty gossip, both personal and political. Apparently English made no bones about it, his leadership ambitions […]
My gran decides she quite likes the gold card
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, September 20th, 2007 - 2 comments
Garth George weighs in on the gold card today in the Herald. While the debate rages about the merits of Winston’s senior card and whether cheaper rinses and jetboat rides are worth all the fuss, I’m tempted to tell my gran what she’s been telling me for years: don’t look a gift-horse in the mouth […]
Happy Suffrage Day!
Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, September 19th, 2007 - 5 comments
Another of New Zealand’s proud firsts: we were the first to give women the vote in national elections. Clearly as a society we’ve made huge progress in the last 114 years – New Zealand’s even now got a Ministry dedicated to furthering Women’s issues to help ensure that they stay on the agenda. It’s a […]
Happy 70th, No 12 Fife Lane, Miramar
Written By: - Date published: 3:22 pm, September 18th, 2007 - 3 comments
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Labour Government’s first state house by Michael Joseph Savage. The aim in 1937 was to build 5000 new homes a year in an effort to rid New Zealand of sub-standard housing. No mention of any of this over at Kiwiblog, where National Party blogger and […]
Will this man do anything, for any party, anytime?
Written By: - Date published: 2:31 pm, September 18th, 2007 - 2 comments
National’s ad campaign in 2005 was assisted by the creative wit of John Ansell a self-described “wordplaying loon”. Nicky Hager’s ‘The Hollow Men & a study in the politics of deception’ drew attention to Ansell when it described in some detail his cozying up to Don Brash to get the chance at a hatchet job […]
PC still going mad, it would appear
Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, September 14th, 2007 - 11 comments
One of John Key’s first rebranding exercises after he took over the National Party was to dump Wayne Mapp from his position as PC Eradicator and try to distance the party from some of the more reactionary rhetoric that had become its stock-in-trade under Don Brash. This makes a lot of sense from National’s perspective, […]
“Ban water?” asks Jacqui Dean
Written By: - Date published: 6:25 pm, September 13th, 2007 - 4 comments
In her defense, I don’t remember there being a chemistry component to Play School.
Has DPF lost his mojo?
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, September 11th, 2007 - 8 comments
I dropped into the National Party’s Kiwiblog again last week and I must say it looks like party insider David Farrar may well be losing his “mojo”. I mean really? He’s been comparing Helen Clark’s policies to “gassing the Jews”? and running lines like: “the Government only thinks that if you question them you are […]
The view from the back of the National class….
Written By: - Date published: 7:14 pm, September 6th, 2007 - 6 comments
Last night’s debate on the Youth Minimum Wage Bill was (as noted earlier) a triumph for progressive politics and for young people. It was not such a triumph for David Bennett, who apparently is National’s MP for Hamilton East. His speech (mp3 – 2MB) during the debate takes incoherence to hitherto unknown heights. Most of […]
National and climate change
Written By: - Date published: 5:20 pm, September 6th, 2007 - 14 comments
Greenpeace seems strangely surprised at John Key’s statement that George Bush and John Howard are “going in the right direction” on climate change and his refusal to criticise them for not signing up to Kyoto. Here’s Greenpeace executive director Bunny McDiarmid: John Key’s support for John Howard and George Bush’s stance on climate change is […]
What else have the Nats got to hide?
Written By: - Date published: 11:43 am, September 6th, 2007 - 1 comment
The Herald ran an article yesterday detailing the Nat’s refusal to support legislation that would strengthen the Auditor-General’s powers to investigate MP’s lists of assets and interests. Cosgrove and Cullen both point out that this is a last minute u-turn, the Nats having supported the ammendment up until this final stage. This certainly shows their […]
True blue genius
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 pm, September 3rd, 2007 - 4 comments
The depth of National’s talent is a constant source of amusement. Jackie Blue, allegedly one of National’s slightly-brighter-than-average young things (speaking of, has anyone heard a Chris Tremain speech recently? Truly mindboggling), has decided to attack the Ministry of Women’s Affairs over the success of the Labour-led government in getting women on to boards. As […]
National fights for its right to outspend others?
Written By: - Date published: 3:31 pm, August 31st, 2007 - 2 comments
I was having a look at David Farrar’s National Party blog this morning and I came across an interesting comment from one of Farrar’s regulars about why National might be so keen to knock over the Electoral Finance Bill. I’ll make it quite clear right now I’ve got my issues with the bill but I […]
Family-friendly facade
Written By: - Date published: 7:02 pm, August 29th, 2007 - 3 comments
Yet another policy inoculation today from the Nats, this time on paid parental leave. Judith Collins is now “generally not against it” and in typically decisive fasion John Key “thinks” he’s for it. What’s really astounding about this u-turn is how many of their MPs are on record as having vehemently opposed it since day […]
Behind the veneer
Written By: - Date published: 3:53 pm, August 29th, 2007 - 1 comment
Russell Brown writes in Hard News: “It was always odds-on that Judith Collins MP would top her previous efforts at public nastiness – and already, she’s come though for the punters. 3 News ran a story on Friday night claiming controversy over the hiring of “prominent drag queen” Buckwheat, aka Edward Cowley, as a motivational […]
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