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John Key can’t recall

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:26 pm, August 8th, 2014 - 30 comments

A video setting out John Key’s various memory lapses.

Polity: Shifting ground?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:31 am, August 7th, 2014 - 19 comments

Rob Salmond looks at the recent shifts in media opinion pieces. Perhaps the National strategy of getting the house to rise too early has backfired. It appears to be giving opposition parties more room to showcase their policy, more room for National to showcase its arrogance, and more time for the polls to close.

Greens: Falling milk prices highlight danger of National’s economic strategy

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:11 pm, August 6th, 2014 - 39 comments

This press release from the Greens pretty well sums up the situation that National have left the economy in. Once you remove the rebuild effects from the Christchurch earthquakes, our increasingly undiversified economy is looking in pretty poor shape for the decade ahead.

NRT: 32,000 out of work under National

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:21 pm, August 6th, 2014 - 54 comments

The latest Household Labour Force Survey was released today, showing a drop in unemployment. But while its an improvement, there is far less employment than when National came into office 5 years ago. That is a monumental fail.

John Key prepares for Helensville debate

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:15 am, August 6th, 2014 - 86 comments

John Key has agreed to attend one local meet the candidates meeting this year. The rules are however that there will be no debate, questions will be screened and candidates will only be able to refer to each other once. And silence will be demanded. What happened to the good old fashioned election political meeting?

Polity: In search of National’s ideas

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:19 pm, August 5th, 2014 - 14 comments

Rob Salmond has noticed recently that National likes to talk a lot about everyone else’s ideas, but it prefers not to discuss its own.

Guest Post: Tracey – Blinglish single handedly reduces teenage pregnancies

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:30 am, August 5th, 2014 - 42 comments

Tracey has submitted a series of OIA’s in order to get information about the stats Bill English referred to in relation to the government having reduced the numbers of single mothers. So far…. nothing helpful.

Christine Rankin is standing in Epsom

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:13 am, August 4th, 2014 - 86 comments

The Conservative Party’s Christine Rankin has announced that she is standing for the Epsom seat. This will add an extra degree of chaos to what is already an interesting battle. But will she help the National candidate or the ACT candidate?

Steven Joyce is a pillock

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:16 pm, August 2nd, 2014 - 131 comments

If you need proof watch this morning’s TV3 debate with Grant Robertson.

Polity: Herald on regional roads fiasco

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:52 pm, August 2nd, 2014 - 13 comments

The National Government’s $212 million plan has Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee explicitly admitting that it is a massive pork-barreling for government MPs with public funds, and explicitly tells people to piss off if they don’t like it.

National and the Kiwi aversion to arrogance

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:05 am, August 2nd, 2014 - 35 comments

Simon Bridges has spent $237,000 of taxpayers money to wine and dine and house eleven oil executives. And Tim Groser, Murray McCully and Claudette Hauiti have spent up large on the taxpayer tab. Way to reinforce the born to rule feeling National.

NRT: Breach of contract

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:50 pm, August 1st, 2014 - 9 comments

When National set up charter schools, they promised that they would be more accountable, and that contracts were a better means of enforcing standards than the usual school system. That works only if they’re enforced. NZ First has shown that at least one school is completely in violation of at least one part of their contract. So is the National government enforcing a contract? Yeah right….

McCully’s incompetence and the ongoing case of the Malaysian diplomat

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:01 pm, July 31st, 2014 - 18 comments

The Malaysian diplomat charged with serious offences has not returned to New Zealand. Despite previous assurances given by John Key it appears that his formal extradition will be required. And as further evidence of incompetence Murray McCully did not read the email advising him that Malaysia had invoked diplomatic immunity for weeks after it had been sent.

Local Bodies: Novopay Exemplifies National’s Governance

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:45 am, July 31st, 2014 - 26 comments

This National led Government is strong on ideology, weak on process and reluctant to accept responsibility. The Novopay debacle exemplifies all of these well. When questioned about Novopay, National Ministers will never accept full responsibility. Stephen Joyce has just announced that the Government will be taking over the management of Novopay after almost two years of stress and wide-ranging issues. No matter what National and its Ministers claim, Novopay is largely their fault, and taking responsibility and making apologies are not what this Government does readily.

What deal do we get?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 9:38 am, July 30th, 2014 - 94 comments

Key’s promised to do his best to bring in ACT and UnitedHairdo. Last election this brought us the likes of Charter Schools – unmentioned by any party during the campaign. What policies will National foist upon us through this outsourcing deal this time?

Dairy drops further

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:42 am, July 30th, 2014 - 35 comments

As expected, Fonterra has dropped the milk solid payout from $7 per kilogram to $6. New Zealand needs a different economic approach for a long term sustainable future that doesn’t rely on strip mining soil and water or other resources. National have been consistently mismanaging the NZ economy in putting far too much emphasis on resource extraction and the systematic degradation of our ability to earn our own way in the world. Time to get rid of National’s lack of imagination and long-term planning from the direction of our economy.

When will John Key hold his ministers to account?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 7:23 am, July 30th, 2014 - 20 comments

The list of National ministers with dodgy dealings is growing. But John seems desperate to keep them all. Higher standards are only something you talk about in opposition apparently. I guess when you have a list that’s brought in the likes of Aaron Gilmore and Claudette Hauiti there’s not much of a pool to be choosing new ministers from; but have National never heard of responsibility for one’s actions?

NRT: National’s roads are pure pork

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:03 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 13 comments

The extent that the National minister have been pork-barreling the roading budget for their electorates is crazy. The OIA’s show that most of the $212 million announced by John Key at the National party conference is pure pork for ministers. They are assessed as costing more money to build than they will ever produce in benefits, even using NZTA’s infamously overoptimistic assessments. National MPs and Ministers want to be seen as delivering something for their electorates before the election. So much for assessing needs based on merits. They must be really worried about this election to misuse so much pork.

Walking through the wrong door is the least of Gerry’s problems

Written By: James Dann - Date published: 4:51 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 12 comments

Throughout the last few years Brownlee has consistently denied that there is a housing crisis, despite almost every sign pointing to one. What we need in Christchurch is more houses, now. Affordable, well-designed, well-insulated houses. Lots of them. This is why Labour’s Kiwibuild scheme will roll out 10,000 houses in Christchurch in the first 4 years.

Blinglish’s boondoggle bridge

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:15 am, July 29th, 2014 - 34 comments

Rob Salmond at Polity has discovered that amongst the $212 million worth of road projects to be accelerated by the Government is a bridge that will speed up Bill English’s trip to his Queenstown home. But officials have said that under current policy settings it is unlikely that the bridge will ever be built.

Nick Smith must resign

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 11:25 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 66 comments

I agree with Fish and Game: Nick Smith has severely overstepped the mark – again – and must resign as a minister. He may as well stand down as an MP as he should never be back in a ministerial capacity given the list of times he’s been caught lying and cheating are longer than his arm.

Male, Pale and Stale

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 4:14 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 121 comments

It’s the National Party list!

Nick Smith losing it

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:31 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 76 comments

“Conservation Minister Nick Smith is threatening legal action against Fish and Game council members who accused him of trying to gag the organisation.”

Local Bodies: Manipulated Data and the Art of Deception

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:28 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 7 comments

The National led Government are desperate to present the good news stories to promote the success of the past six years of their governance. They have increased the budget and the numbers of their spin doctors to ensure that it is mainly positive messages that make into the public domain. The Government cleverly manipulates data to hide the extent of poverty the degradation of the environment and the success of our economy. Of course most of us who live in the real world know that National’s reality is a falsely constructed one.

Polity: Bye bye, Colin

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:43 am, July 28th, 2014 - 18 comments

National has all-but confirmed today that there no deal for Colin Craig in East Coast Bays, or for any other Conservative. This was the right thing for them to do, for one simple reason. This decision came down to simple maths. If Key thought the Conservatives could muster double the votes that a decision to back the Conservatives would cost National in the centre-ground, then he should do the deal. If not, he should not. All the stuff about Winston running was a bit of a late sideshow, as the decision had likely already been made.

The election campaign is at a delicate stage

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:35 am, July 28th, 2014 - 128 comments

We are at a very sensitive stage of the election campaign. Labour’s decline in the polls has reversed, membership enthusiasm is high and National is being criticised for its male dominated list as well as facing the problem of its relationship with the Conservatives.

Mum and Dad Investor?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:39 am, July 27th, 2014 - 124 comments

The SST this morning have broken a story about how an American couple were able to purchase $1.6 million worth of shares in Genesis while “mum and dad kiwi investors” had their share allocation limited to $5,000.

National’s arrogant problems

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 5:18 pm, July 26th, 2014 - 26 comments

Claudette Hauiti, Gerry Brownlee, Jonathan Coleman… 3 National MPs mired in scandal this week. A serious lack of discipline, and each in their own way they betray an attitude of lack of concern for the public they’re meant to serve.

TVNZ’s white male syndrome

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:46 am, July 26th, 2014 - 86 comments

The focus of criticism of Mike Hosking as moderator for the TVNZ Leaders has been on his blatant pro-Nat bias. Hosking’s also has a track record of sexism and put-downs of some of the least powerful people in society. Are only white males eligible for the job?