national
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- same old national (1,617)
Labour’s plan vs National’s plan
Written By: - Date published: 1:34 pm, January 28th, 2015 - 43 comments
The choice is clear.
Eleanor Catton on NZ
Written By: - Date published: 5:17 pm, January 27th, 2015 - 212 comments
Award winning author Eleanor Catton has expressed her disappointment and anger with politics in general and the government in particular.
Armstrong and Small on Nick Smith’s RMA reforms
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, January 24th, 2015 - 26 comments
Senior political reporters Vern Small and John Armstrong have both chosen to pan Nick Smith’s proposed RMA changes using remarkably similar logic. Update: and Fran O’Sullivan has a go too.
Nick Smith’s RMA reforms – low cost housing in Epsom?
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, January 22nd, 2015 - 84 comments
Nick Smith has given his housing speech and blamed Auckland’s housing crisis on the RMA. A Treasury commissioned report, based on discussions with developers, has put dollar figures on what the RMA is allegedly costing. The logic of the analysis is that by reducing urban design standards we will make housing more affordable. Updated with link to Rob Salmond Polity post.
But which club?
Written By: - Date published: 3:41 pm, January 21st, 2015 - 7 comments
I think when justifying sending troops to Iraq the club John Key is really talking about is the group of right-wing political parties known as the International Democratic Union. Today Key chairs its Executive in Sarajevo, his first meeting as President. This move by Key to the IDU is calculated; he sees himself as leader of the world right-wing club and this is the first step to his international political career post New Zealand politics.
Beneficiaries falling
Written By: - Date published: 1:59 pm, January 21st, 2015 - 12 comments
Falling numbers yes, but falling through the cracks.
Who was the better economic manager – Helen Clark or John Key?
Written By: - Date published: 6:59 pm, January 20th, 2015 - 150 comments
Sometimes a simple graph is much more eloquent and powerful than a whole lot of words …
RMA reforms … be very afraid
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, January 20th, 2015 - 97 comments
Nick Smith today announced proposed changes to the Resource Management Act. It is likely he will resuscitate the reforms that were stalled after Peter Dunne refused to support them last year. ACT’s David Seymour has said he will support the changes even though he did not know what they are. Treasury are to release a paper with proposals for change. Updated lprent – yep National stupidity reprised.
What should John Key do in 2015?
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, January 18th, 2015 - 39 comments
James Griffin has written a tongue in cheek article on what John Key should be doing this year. But the article is full of political fluff and has no real proposals for action. What should John Key be doing this year?
TV3, Cameron Brewer and more of the same
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, January 17th, 2015 - 39 comments
TV3 recently interviewed Cameron Brewer to provide adverse commentary on a story about Labour seeded by David Farrar and Cameron Slater. And they did not even mention Brewer’s links to the National Party.
Who texts the PM?
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, January 16th, 2015 - 87 comments
The latest excuse for John Key deleting his texts wholesale is wafer-thin.
Sacrificing our Sovereignty in the name of Free Trade
Written By: - Date published: 1:24 pm, January 15th, 2015 - 30 comments
The United Kingdom is debating entry into the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which like the TPPA will allow investor-state disputes to be resolved by unappealable unaccountable private arbitration. George Monbiot in the Guardian describes the issue well and has suggestions on how the proposal can be challenged.
Dirty Politics in 2015
Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, January 13th, 2015 - 81 comments
Political Scientists Bronwyn Hayward and Mark Boyd were interviewed on Radio New Zealand yesterday on New Zealand politics in 2014 and what happened during the election. They talked extensively on dirty politics, on the role of the media and how things can be improved in 2015.
The difference between the left and the right
Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, January 10th, 2015 - 250 comments
The recent handling of Charlie Hebdo by the Standard and by Kiwiblog provides a startling contrast. And neatly underlies the reality that the left wing blogs are in no way just the same as the right wing blogs despite what John Key may say.
John Key on media freedom
Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, January 9th, 2015 - 37 comments
Yesterday John Key condemned the attacking of journalists going about their daily work and said that it was an attack on the fourth estate and the democratic principles of freedom of speech and expression. But his track record on respecting the independence of journalists leaves a lot to be desired.
On Freedom of Speech and Tolerance and Powers of Surveillance
Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, January 8th, 2015 - 102 comments
The slaying of staff at Charlie Hebdo and the killing of two police officers will no doubt cause further debate on the extent of freedom of speech, on our relations with Muslims and on the state’s powers of surveillance and if they should be increased.
What John Key actually believes in
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, January 6th, 2015 - 146 comments
Charlie Mitchell of the Dominion Post has analysed John Key’s formal speeches since 2007 to see what has from time to time been uppermost in Key’s mind. The results are interesting to say the least.
‘The future will be green or not at all’
Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, January 2nd, 2015 - 275 comments
Yesterday, on Outspoken at RNZ, Craig McCulloch interviewed Jeanette Fitzsimons, Gareth Morgan and Metiria Turei on the future of the Green Party. Morgan wants the Greens to shift away from “scary” economic policies. Turei and Fitzsimons explain why not.
National knew about Sabin allegations since before the election
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, December 28th, 2014 - 67 comments
The Sunday Star Times has revealed today that the inquiry into Mike Sabin started before the last election and that senior National figures knew about it. And it appears that two private members bills he drafted have disappeared. The questions has to be asked, why is he still the chair of Parliament’s Law and Order committee. And when did John Key find out about the allegations?
The Government wishes Andrea Vance a very merry Christmas
Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, December 25th, 2014 - 25 comments
On the eve of Christmas in a cynical attempt to avoid political damage the Government has apologised to Andrea Vance for breaching her rights of privacy in 2013 after requiring Parliamentary Services to hand over her metadata and attempting to cover up the exercise.
The Sky City Convention Centre
Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, December 23rd, 2014 - 81 comments
Sky City is doing what Rio Tinto and Warner Brothers have done in the past. Threaten to walk away from a deal unless the Government writes you a big cheque …
Thumbs down for Joyce’s ministerial domain
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, December 22nd, 2014 - 33 comments
A new report shows that Steven Joyce’s MBIE fiefdom is failing miserably. Meanwhile the MBIE is under fire for the major cost blow out of the Sky City Casino deal – another deal with Joyce’s imprints all over it.
Mike Sabin is in trouble
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, December 22nd, 2014 - 215 comments
Northland MP Mike Sabin is facing a police enquiry and a by election is possible.
Why wasn’t Brownlee sacked?
Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, December 19th, 2014 - 49 comments
The Civil Aviation Authority report into Gerry Brownlee’s breach of security at Christchurch Airport has now been released albeit in a heavily redacted form. The report contradicts Brownlee’s claim that the door was opened for him by a Security Officer and that the officer consented to his use of the security area. Why was the release of the report delayed? And why wasn’t Brownlee sacked as a Minister?
On the economy and tax cut bribes
Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, December 18th, 2014 - 9 comments
National are not responsible for the eventual recovery, they are responsible for delaying it.
Surplus sunk
Written By: - Date published: 2:18 pm, December 16th, 2014 - 73 comments
The Nats are going to miss the only target they ever cared about hitting – the mythical surplus. Seven wasted years and counting…
The line on Little…
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, December 15th, 2014 - 155 comments
The Nats have finished focus-grouping their attack line on Andrew Little and are moving in to deployment. As narrated by Twitter this morning…
Whaleoil is the only person John Key apologised to this year
Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, December 15th, 2014 - 12 comments
John Key’s only formal apology this year was to serial privacy breacher Cameron Slater for breaching his privacy. Not to any of the victims of dirty politics or to any of the victims of this Government’s policies. Why is it that National is continuing to allow Slater to undermine the Prime Minister’s position so effectively?
‘Ditch the [misleading] rhetoric’
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, December 12th, 2014 - 16 comments
On RNZ this morning PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff criticised Bill English for his misleading rhetoric about rises in “average wages”. NZ’s income and wealth gaps have increased in recent decades. The lowest income remain low; the top earners get big salary increases.
Why is it Len’s fault?
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 pm, December 10th, 2014 - 36 comments
Various Tory voices, fresh from finding Len Brown guilty of needing a wee; now find he’s to blame for failing to get his visionary Central Rail Loop started on time, with its delayed start to 2018. But surely the blame lies not with him, but squarely with National and Key for refusing to pay their share until 2020.
Dodging the big decisions
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, December 10th, 2014 - 18 comments
Colin James has an excellent piece on the housing market. Simon Collins has a piece on the implications on young renters. Meanwhile, a number of other big problems are being ignored by National as well.
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