national
Categories under national
- same old national (1,617)
Polity: I am still holding out for a three-way
Written By: - Date published: 12:38 pm, April 22nd, 2014 - 110 comments
I think the pundits misjudge Peters. I think he wants a major, polity-based legacy in the 2014-2017 term, as well as baubles. Only the left can offer this. With the left, Peters can be The Man who Saved the Power Companies. National cannot compete with that. Which gives everyone on the left, including the Greens, some leverage. So count me out of the consensus that Winston in Cabinet means no Greens in Cabinet. I see a feasible three-way deal on the horizon.
It’s the little things …
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, April 22nd, 2014 - 36 comments
Another day and another hole in Judith Collins’ description of events surrounding the dinner that she had with senior Oravida figures and a Chinese Official who may or may not have been able to sort out importation problems for Oravida, a company who her husband is a Director of and who has made large donations to the National Party.
The drone strike killing of a Kiwi
Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, April 21st, 2014 - 282 comments
The Government is completely indifferent to the killing of innocent children and New Zealand citizens because it is part of the war against terrorism. But the extra judicial killing of innocent adults and children is by definition a terrorist act.
The housing bubble
Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, April 20th, 2014 - 176 comments
Another week and another report suggesting that New Zealand’s housing market is heading towards a potential crisis. The Government’s primary response is to blame Labour. The Greens and Labour have a collection of policies which would improve matters significantly. But the politics are difficult because who would want to threaten the value of the family home?
The right wing only want to help us
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 19th, 2014 - 230 comments
Kiwi in America over at Kiwiblog has offered some no doubt heart felt advice to Labour on what it should be doing. But the advice appears to be based on a misunderstanding of the Party’s history and a wish that the Party becomes more like ACT. Why do right wingers think they can tell Labour what to do and is their advice sound?
The week that was
Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, April 18th, 2014 - 37 comments
The highs and lows and the good and bad of what was a fascinating week in Politics.
LB: EDUCANZ, Professionalism and Politics
Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, April 17th, 2014 - 8 comments
We now have a Ministry of Education that is under the beck and call of the Minister, and where political ideology determines policy, and shortly we will have a new Teachers Council that will be governed only by political appointees. Under a National led Government, teachers will lose any professional independence and become classroom technicians that have to support politically prescribed programmes and data collection. Anyone want a career in teaching?
Tell the police, New Zealand has been robbed …
Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, April 17th, 2014 - 72 comments
Genesis Energy’s shares have been sold at a price well below their value. And despite considerable demand from local mum and dad investors one in four of the shares has been sold to overseas institutions.
NRT: The PCE on the Environmental Reporting Bill
Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, April 16th, 2014 - 2 comments
No Right Turn on the Environmental Reporting Bill that has the watchdogs up in arms. Listening to Amy Adams last night going on about how transparent and open to public scrutiny regulations are made me wonder what bloody universe she lived in – bizarro world perhaps?. Submissions on the Environmental Reporting Bill are due on Thursday.
Collins under fire
Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, April 16th, 2014 - 115 comments
Judith Collins, once one of National’s most assured performers, is facing increasing pressure. Her handling of the ACC privacy release form scandal is under scrutiny. And the release of a letter from Oravida to the Government asking for help in handling reputational risk focusses even more attention on the “private dinner” and the identity of the mysterious Chinese Government Official.
Polity: Maori Party / Key fundraiser
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 15th, 2014 - 35 comments
The Political Anorak News is full of the $5,000-a-plate fundraiser for the Maori Party hosted by John Key at the Northern Club in Auckland… Nothing illegal about this at all, or really anything immoral either. Key wants to help the Maori Party help Key, so he’s putting in an appearance. No problem. These kinds of events make it crystal clear that a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for a National government.
Tau Henare and the baubles of retirement
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 12th, 2014 - 16 comments
Tau Henare is leaving politics and is rumoured to be the next chair of Maori Television. Makes you wonder what offers were made to persuade the many other National MPs who are retiring to go so meekly.
Inequalities of the 10 percenters
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, April 12th, 2014 - 28 comments
All inequality measures are not equal. The GINI Coefficient is widely used but it doesn’t show the impact of vast increases in inequality between the richest and poorest Kiwis; it doesn’t show increasing experiences of hardship: it can mask vast inequalities in wealth & asset ownership.
iPredict needs “Next National Minister Resignation”
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 pm, April 10th, 2014 - 35 comments
Who will it be? Judith? Simon? Hekia? Amy? Or a surprise?
Random impertinent questions for Judith Collins
Written By: - Date published: 5:55 pm, April 10th, 2014 - 56 comments
National must be hoping that Judith Collins can answer questions in Parliament better than she did today when questioned about Oravida. Because today she had a shocker.
Hollow Men redux
Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, April 10th, 2014 - 43 comments
Don Brash has published an autobiography and his comments about and presentation of John Key is less than complimentary.
Bridges is rattled, and confused
Written By: - Date published: 7:36 pm, April 9th, 2014 - 97 comments
Simon Bridges has not had a good week. His knowledge of the whereabouts of pristine natural areas is as reliable as his knowledge of Russel Norman’s ministerial career.
NRT: Is the Minister of Energy a muppet?
Written By: - Date published: 3:55 pm, April 9th, 2014 - 11 comments
When looking at Simon Bridges – a purported government minister. You have to remember that he is damn sloppy even for a politician. But oh so typical of his usual muppet behaviour is that he wasn’t aware that he was opening up our biggest forest park for oil and gas exploration. Of course it could just be National’s bulldoze anything for a little immediate profit….
National thinks the best approach to climate change is adaption
Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, April 9th, 2014 - 90 comments
National is starting to talk about adaption to climate change rather than addressing greenhouse gas output. And greenhouse gas output is projected to increase in New Zealand by 50% over the next decade.
Poverty denial – NZ Herald editorial
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, April 8th, 2014 - 210 comments
Today’s NZ Herald editorial joins Paula Bennett’s beneficiary-bashing stunt, asking for flying privileges to be cut, & denying there is a lot of poverty in NZ- a view from the privileged part of NZ’s inequality gap.
The politics of the Royal Tour
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, April 8th, 2014 - 85 comments
Is it just me or is John Key politicising the Royal Tour in a way that has not occurred before? And is he a Royalist or a Republican or both at the same time but for different parts of the electorate?
Polity: Armstrong on National on Labour
Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, April 7th, 2014 - 13 comments
It isn’t a new ploy from National or its supporters. “Mortgage rate rises under National: Good. Mortgage rate rises under Labour: Dreadful!”. I’ve seen David Farrar argue both that a recession is the perfect time to cut taxes because it stimulates the economy, and a recovery is also the perfect time to cut taxes to provide a dividend. It reminds me of that old chestnut, most recently applied to Don Brash: “The answer is tax cuts. What is the question again?”
Local Bodies: The Great Oil Gamble and Wasted Opportunities
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, April 7th, 2014 - 24 comments
Gamble Big’ rather than ‘Think Big’ should be this National Government’s mantra.Opening up huge areas of our land and territorial waters for open slather oil and gas exploration is a gamble on so many levels. When many countries like Denmark are actively chasing a sustainable, clean energy future, this government is throwing all its hopes on a big strike of fossil fuel.
National preparing for November election?
Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, April 4th, 2014 - 36 comments
A guest post concerning apparent confusion on the part of the National Party about when this year’s election is. Stand by for breathless denunciation of the party by Farrar, Slater and the Young Nats for its inability to organise a piss up in a brewery.
Fact checking John Key’s budget speech
Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, April 3rd, 2014 - 144 comments
David Parker has been performing some fact checking on John Key’s recent budget speech and the results are somewhat startling …
Rogernomics, income inequality & gender politics
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, April 3rd, 2014 - 22 comments
All of us, in our diversity, can make a big impact this election year. Time to end the “neoliberal” tyranny! Crime stats are celebrated masking the continuing impact of income & social inequalities. Rogernomics fractured gender politics & rape crisis intiatives.
Drill baby drill
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, April 3rd, 2014 - 40 comments
Two days after the IPCC has warned us of the threat posed by climate change and Simon Bridges has announced a huge block offer of parts of New Zealand and much of its territorial water. This will include the pristine waters off Auckland’s west coast, home of Maui’s dolphin. In a world that has to address its consumption of petroleum you have to question if it is worth the risk.
NRT: Privatization is theft
Written By: - Date published: 6:56 am, April 3rd, 2014 - 33 comments
A government is carrying out a crash-program of privatization without a mandate. It is desperate to sell, so it sets the price of the shares artificially low, and loses $1.5 billion in a single day. No, this isn’t New Zealand (yet) – its the UK:
Patricia Grace takes on RONS
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, April 1st, 2014 - 48 comments
The Kapiti Expressway is one of the National government’s RONS projects: it makes no sense economically. It is destructive to the environment and the local communities. The NZTA is attempting to run roughshod over ancestral lands, including that of writer, Patricia Grace. She is taking a stand.
The extinction of Kauri
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 29th, 2014 - 36 comments
National has refused to continue funding research into Kauri Dieback disease. But the discovery of the disease in the Coromandel has sparked a new sense of urgency. And Nick Smith is busily trying to rewrite history.
NRT: Cash for honours
Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, March 28th, 2014 - 17 comments
Yesterday No Right Turn did a post on how Graeme Douglas became Sir Graeme Douglas by looking at his donations donating heavily to the National party after being gonged. But this other post on the same overall subject was more interesting. It is no wonder that National wanted the more lucrative royal honours reinstated.
Recent Comments