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That Lusk article
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, May 31st, 2013 - 71 comments
I’ve been meaning to write something on Andrea Vance’s very good piece on Simon Lusk. It tells us a lot that we already know: Lusk is the brains behind Slater; Lusk was involved in the demolition of Gilmore; and he’s very tight with the Collins camp. What’s interesting is why he has come out in the public light now. And the messages he is sending to National MPs. The leadership battle is heating up.
Images of our time: ‘shock’ capitalism
Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, May 30th, 2013 - 87 comments
As Naomi Klein said in the Shock Doctrine documentary, disorienting natural and economic shocks result in the wealth being shifted from “public hands” to the wealthiest. The wealth gap, and extent of poverty in NZ is increasingly & devastatingly marginalising good Kiwis. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson is flying high.
The Battle of Auckland
Written By: - Date published: 9:47 pm, May 29th, 2013 - 8 comments
“The Auckland that never was” in my view is the most interesting chapter in Chris Trotter’s “NO LEFT TURN”. It details the Ministry of Works’ post-war plan outlined in a document The Shape of Things to Come that was scrapped by the Sid Holland National party. Now we see history repeating itself. In what Labour accurately describes as a “War on Auckland” Key, Joyce and Brownlie are following in the footsteps of the much unloved Sid Holland.
Shocking the people into submission
Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, May 29th, 2013 - 24 comments
Last night The Shock Doctrine (2009) aired on Maori TV. John Key, and his cheerleaders have followed their latest series of shock-inducing attacks on democratic processes and (low income) people’s rights, with positive forecasts for our future. Meanwhile, the gap between the haves & have-nots has grown.
Nats split on food in schools?
Written By: - Date published: 6:40 am, May 29th, 2013 - 87 comments
Does food in schools show up a split in National between the hardline conservatives who would leave kids hungry in the name of parental responsibility, and pragmatists who will swallow a dead rat every now and again in an attempt to stay popular?
Better than nothing
Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, May 28th, 2013 - 156 comments
The government’s expansion of the KickStart breakfast programme is better than nothing – but that’s about all you can say about it.
Priorities: $9.5 Million over 5 years to feed hungry kids – but in 2012 just 4 private schools got $10.9 Million.
The wheels are falling off
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, May 28th, 2013 - 60 comments
The Nats have tried to do too much too soon, and now the wheels are obviously falling off their sad “flagship” privatisation programme.
Note to John Key and David Shearer
Written By: - Date published: 7:29 am, May 28th, 2013 - 89 comments
John Key and David Shearer have made similar (inaccurate) statements about who has ultimate responsibility for feeding the kids.
Election narratives
Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, May 27th, 2013 - 123 comments
National has set out its narrative for the 2014 election. Time for the Left to do the same.
Back to the future: John Key’s Dickensian values
Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, May 27th, 2013 - 161 comments
John Key has been shamed by Hone Harawira’s “feed the kids” private members Bill. Key’s approach to child hunger is a sly use of Dickensian-type PPPs & charities to absolve the government of responsibility, while falsely presenting a caring face.
How far right is John Key’s “centre”?
Written By: - Date published: 10:17 pm, May 26th, 2013 - 69 comments
Once again the MSM reports John Key’s assessment of his party’s place on the political spectrum without any critique. The NZ Herald has repeated Key’s line about his government being “centre right” and the Greens being “far left”. Key’s government’s continuing abuse of democracy is a long way from the centre of the “right”.
Poverty Watch 32
Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, May 25th, 2013 - 28 comments
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week – a final look at the OCC report, and in current news an Amnesty International report cites child poverty as a stain on NZ’s human rights record.
Banana republic
Written By: - Date published: 11:41 am, May 24th, 2013 - 78 comments
People are starting to notice that the Nats are taking us into banana republic territory.
The shameless Nick Smith
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, May 24th, 2013 - 31 comments
Nick Smith has a long history of slippery dealings. He apologises but accepts no blame, then is resurrected: contempt of court, a defamation case, the Pullar-ACC “conflict of interest”, bad faith negotiations with Auckland Council, the Denniston Plateau deal. Yesterday on RNZ, Smith exposed the government’s agenda on mining conservation land.
Cynical
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, May 23rd, 2013 - 82 comments
It looks like Nick Smith will today grant access to West Coast conservation land for mining. This looks like a cynical attempt to enforce the government’s anti-conservation agenda by avoiding the legal and democratic requirement for public consultation. When will the NZ Herald headline: “Democracy Under Attack!”? [updated]
Nats’ environmental record
Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, May 21st, 2013 - 40 comments
Long time commenter BLiP on the National government’s environmental record.
Then why don’t you release the advice John?
Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, May 21st, 2013 - 151 comments
A legal expert has raised the alarm over the Nats’ latest outbreak of constitutional arrogance. So too has the Attorney General, and the media. Key says it’s all OK (of course), but why should anyone believe him when his government won’t release the advice that it has received?
Swivel-eyed loons
Written By: - Date published: 2:44 pm, May 20th, 2013 - 24 comments
Why do right-wing leaders have such low opinions of their activist supporters?
NRT: National’s “innovation” agenda
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, May 19th, 2013 - 65 comments
No Right Turn on National’s science funding scam. Read it in conjunction with this piece in Stuff today on falling numbers of senior students following National’s axing of the postgrad student allowance. Welcome to the Brighter Future.
Constitutional arrogance
Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, May 18th, 2013 - 86 comments
The invaluable Andrew Geddis has yet another good post on Pundit, describing National’s latest outbreak of constitutional arrogance. Add to the long list. These are the actions of politicians who are drunk on power, and not being held to account for it.
Poverty Watch 31
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, May 18th, 2013 - 92 comments
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week – reaction to the budget’s lack of significant action on poverty, and CPAG’s court case on the In Work Tax Credit.
When an “accord” is not
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, May 17th, 2013 - 130 comments
Yesterday’s budget is a sop to affordable housing & aims to privatise state housing. Penny Hulse says the government’s related “housing accord” Bill is at odds with the agreement her council has not yet ratified. It overrides local democracy & endangers the AKL “agreement”. [Update] Waitakere News analysis
‘That’s what the fuss is all about’
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, May 16th, 2013 - 22 comments
Hone Harawira challenged the Maori Party for its support of charter schools, at the expense of Maori and public education. He challenged Sharples to resign if today’s budget fails to adequately support kura kaupapa and the Manaaki Tauira programme.
City Rail Link in the Budget?
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 pm, May 15th, 2013 - 45 comments
A reader sent us a comment from another blog by someone who was polled a couple of weeks back. The questions are very interesting, especially once you realise that it’s clearly being done for National and the Right in Auckland (one of the questions gives it away). Have a read, then I’ll tell you why I reckon the Nats are going to fund the City Rail Link in the Budget.
The budget’s flawed premise
Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, May 15th, 2013 - 27 comments
The whole austerity driven focus of the budget and National’s economic policy is based on a premise which is in turn based on a spreadsheet error.
GCSB is watching you? Won’t ‘confirm or deny’
Written By: - Date published: 10:46 am, May 15th, 2013 - 37 comments
The GCSB won’t “confirm or deny” if they spied on individual Kiwis. Concerned citizens might contact the Privacy Commissioner or start a class action. John Key’s rushed GCSB Bill won’t prevent mission creep, surveillance to support international corporate interests or inadequate oversight of the GCSB. [Update]: link to Waitakere News
This is what corporate dictatorship looks like
Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, May 14th, 2013 - 32 comments
The compensation part of Joyce’s and Key’s dirty, undemocratic SkyCity deal, could legally be over-turned by a future government, as proposed by the Greens. However, the TPPA could weaken NZ’s parliamentary sovereignty and open the government to claims by secret private offshore tribunals. Opposition needs to step up!
The meaning of utu
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, May 14th, 2013 - 115 comments
Aaron Gilmore has promised ‘utu’, or reciprocation, against a select band of National insiders. What’s going on behind the scenes?
Claudette Hauiti
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, May 13th, 2013 - 60 comments
After a brutal smear-campaign from Key, Gilmore is gone. Nothing he did made him unfit to be an MP ,* but lying to Key meant Key had to get him out of the caucus or look weak. And the only safe way to do that was have him resign. That done, we get Claudette Hauiti. Who’s she? Well, here’s a measure of her calibre. In a 2010 Auckland local board competition, she came 10th out of 12.
Key’s no-shows – protecting Brand Key
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, May 13th, 2013 - 15 comments
Who was missing from the Mighty River and SkyCity launches? Being seen at the front of positive government stories is a big part of the PM’s job, unless concerns over protecting Brand Key override that. The fact Key has been a no-show at these two announcements of central planks of National’s agenda tells you a lot about what the Nats’ polling says about them.
What’s done can be undone
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 13th, 2013 - 220 comments
SkyCity will get more pokies and cashless gambling in return for building the convention centre that it always wanted to build. (…excuse me, I’m just trying not to puke watching Len Brown on Breakfast as he shrugs off the problem gambling increase from this deal…) The convention centre will be a white elephant. SkyCity should know that what’s done can be undone.
Update: Anyone buying in to the Nats’ “Labour did it too” line should read Russell Brown’s demolition of that lie.
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