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Safer streets or unsafer streets?

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, June 16th, 2024 - 18 comments

The Government is planning to reverse Labour’s previous policy relating to permanent safe speeds around schools. The change will decrease safety and walking and cycling and increase car use. And the upside is?

National announced more subsidies in farming for capital gains

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, June 13th, 2024 - 19 comments

National and their minion parties just announced another massive $400 million R&D subsidy for agricultural greenhouse gases by taxpayers for the low profit industry of pastoral farming. This joins the other large and hidden subsidies levied on tax and rate payers to support rural and state roads capable of sustained heavy agricultural and forestry trucks.

Haere ra He Wake Eke Noa

Written By: - Date published: 1:42 pm, June 13th, 2024 - 21 comments

It was always going to happen but it still rankles that an attempt to get farming to at least confront the damage it causes to the climate is being put on hold.

Respect existence or expect resistance

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, June 9th, 2024 - 16 comments

Yesterday’s Greenpeace’s War on Nature protest in Tamaki Makaurau suggests growing unity on the left and an increasing determination to stop the Fast Track Projects Bill from being passed.

Lies Damn Lies and Police Statistics

Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, June 6th, 2024 - 15 comments

Police Minister has been caught out claiming an increase in patrols in Central Auckland when a proper analysis of the data shows that the number of patrols have decreased.

National’s irksome incompetence is inexcusable

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, June 5th, 2024 - 11 comments

When the fabric of lies unravels the gaslighting increases.

National/Act – good at breaking public services

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, June 4th, 2024 - 41 comments

Today is my 65th birthday. So I’m trying to check out a PDF letter on MyMSD which probably has some details about superannuation. But I get ERR_CONNECTION_RESET consistently. Looks like the idiots in this government have managed to screw up the efficient systems already. The MyMSD site is currently partially dead.

The National Party has a pattern of broken election promises

Written By: - Date published: 6:02 pm, June 3rd, 2024 - 9 comments

The National Party has created a new slogan: give New Zealanders a break … in promises!

The Big Budget Backflip *

Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, June 3rd, 2024 - 10 comments

* or is it?

Budget Smudgeit

Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, May 30th, 2024 - 80 comments

Early comments on the budget. Basically tax cuts are being paid by more borrowing. There is no way this can be described as being fiscally neutral.

What does the Government have against Māori wards?

Written By: - Date published: 1:27 pm, May 28th, 2024 - 49 comments

The Government is moving with urgency to reverse Labour’s repeal of referenda for Māori wards on local councils.

What is that word that starts with “C” and ends with “orruption”?

Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, May 26th, 2024 - 46 comments

The past fortnight has seen a number of breaking stories each of which raises concerns about the motivations and goals of this Government. It makes you wonder whether the pursuit of self interest is an embedded feature as opposed to a bug.

The Luxon Government’s War on Nature

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, May 25th, 2024 - 10 comments

“But the truth is that real gains only ever come out of a mobilised civil society and achieving a mobilised civil society is exactly what we have to do.”

– Russel Norman

Speech time

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, May 21st, 2024 - 6 comments

In the past week Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins have both delivered future vision themed speeches. With some dramatic contrasts.

A one term Government?

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, May 5th, 2024 - 86 comments

The Government is less than 12 months away from a change in the Deputy Prime Ministership and the transition will be a smooth one. Labour needs to be getting ready now. Because for the first time in this Country’s history this could be a one term National led Government.

In defence of Julie Anne Genter

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 pm, May 2nd, 2024 - 203 comments

Yesterday in Parliament Julie Anne Genter lost her cool when Matt Doocey misrepresented what the last Government’s NLTP priorities were. Should she be sanctioned? Or should she get a medal for pointing out that Doocey was totally wrong?

Right wing plunges in latest poll

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 pm, April 29th, 2024 - 52 comments

The latest One News Verian poll suggests that the right is in trouble.

This is fine

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, April 27th, 2024 - 8 comments

There is absolutely nothing to worry about if the Fast-track Approvals Bill gets passed into law and Shane Jones gets extraordinary powers to decide on consent applications which normally would be subject to enormous rigour and oversight.

The list

Written By: - Date published: 10:14 am, April 21st, 2024 - 11 comments

Making a major infrastructure deal happen takes years of planning, exceptionally qualified people on all sides, and in New Zealand it takes about ten years of your life. Until now.

Towards Banana Republic Status

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, April 17th, 2024 - 27 comments

There is a bill before Parliament right now that has the potential of blowing a rather big hole in our reputation as an open and transparent democracy.

At least Chris Bishop sleeps in a well made bed

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, April 17th, 2024 - 85 comments

Having a decent home is a human right

The first Ministerial scalp?

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, April 14th, 2024 - 27 comments

Already we have what looks like an odds on favourite for the first Ministerial scalp.

National only wants to help tenants *

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, April 12th, 2024 - 48 comments

* get evicted more easily.

Back on Track?

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, April 7th, 2024 - 71 comments

National campaigned on the promise of getting the country back on track. How is it going?

The Government thinks that Local Government should determine what works best for them*

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, April 5th, 2024 - 22 comments

* unless they want to set up Maori wards.

The Culture War Coalition

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, March 29th, 2024 - 53 comments

We have just had yet another week of the Government manufacturing culture wars and picking fights while ignoring the big issues. Like dealing with climate change, child poverty and homelessness.

The GCSB revelations

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, March 24th, 2024 - 24 comments

RNZ has reported that a foreign agency collected signals intelligence out of the GCSB for years without ministers knowing. And the collection only stopped after the equipment broke down.

This is what happens when you give landlords a big tax cut #1

Written By: - Date published: 3:34 pm, March 20th, 2024 - 57 comments

No funds to continue to give families of disabled people

Amateur hour

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, March 16th, 2024 - 11 comments

Government members of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee have managed to vote to support a Labour amendment that would make electric vehicles more attractive but submit a report to Parliament that suggested that the amendment had been lost.

National’s Overseas Gambling Levy policy figures are not rock solid

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, March 15th, 2024 - 4 comments

The IRD has estimated that National’s proposed Overseas Gambling Levy Policy will bring in $500 million less than it promised during the election campaign.

Rock Solid Financial Geniuses

Written By: - Date published: 2:55 pm, March 13th, 2024 - 45 comments

The right has this belief that they are economic geniuses. Occasionally this belief is shown to be faulty. Like this week when National’s costings for tax cuts to Landlords was $800 million more than previously estimated.

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