Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, April 21st, 2013 - 123 comments
The Key government and its allies are playing the “red scare” gambit, the Greens get to the heart of the reason for NZ Power, Parker goes Third Way, while Bernard Hickey and Matt McCarten weigh in to support the (alleged) “socialist” NZ Power policy. Bomber Bradbury adds some words of caution. [updated title]
Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, April 19th, 2013 - 16 comments
National, far from being their idealised “low tax party” are in fact the “stealth tax party”. While they’ve lowered the top rate of tax and the company rate, helping out the wealthiest, there has been regressive tax after regressive tax increase on the smaller hidden things.
Written By: - Date published: 4:28 pm, April 18th, 2013 - 23 comments
The best that the Nats can come up with in response to the Labour / Green electricity reforms is juvenile posturing about Stalinist extremism and “comrades Norman and Shearer”. This from the National Party that brought you cancelled democratic elections, harsh punishments for protestors, and increased powers to spy on the people. Oh, the irony.
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, April 18th, 2013 - 51 comments
This government is tough on welfare cheats and soft on tax cheats, and they shouldn’t bother trying to pretend otherwise.
Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, April 15th, 2013 - 8 comments
It was announced today that Government-owned Orcon was sold off last Friday.
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 15th, 2013 - 107 comments
I didn’t see Key’s Q+A interview on Sunday, but it seems to have been an interesting one. Speculation about the leadership of the Nats appears to be growing.
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, April 13th, 2013 - 12 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 we continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. In current news a new UNICEF report stresses the huge impact that the choices of governments can have on poverty. Our government quite literally does not want to know…
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, April 12th, 2013 - 134 comments
National’s 3 quarters of the way through its time at the crease now. And what has it achieved? A record debt pile. 300,000 jobless. 100,000 underemployed. Rising poverty. 1,000 a week fleeing to Australia. A new housing bubble. A record high dollar that’s killing our businesses. And falling household incomes. A list of articles on Stuff sums it up.
Written By: - Date published: 4:34 pm, April 11th, 2013 - 20 comments
The government doesn’t measure child poverty, so has no way to tell if it is getting better or worse. Hilarious right? Paula Bennett certainly thinks so. “Gosh!”
Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, April 6th, 2013 - 8 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 we continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Comissioner, and in current news a World Bank report on eradicating extreme poverty by 2030.
Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, April 5th, 2013 - 32 comments
So, the trend in the Roy Morgans continues, ever so painfully slowly to move in the Left’s favour. Since Labour recovered from its election disaster level to 30+, the Left’s support has risen at a bit under 0.2% per month, the Right vice versa. Lab+Green now outpolls National as often as not. But ‘if these trends continue’ is the most dangerous phrase in politics.
Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, April 4th, 2013 - 9 comments
Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, April 4th, 2013 - 8 comments
I/S at No Right Turn on the undermining of the Resource Management Act…
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, April 2nd, 2013 - 166 comments
Our “let’s make a deal” PM is outclassed on this one. I actually have some sympathy this time, the government is between a rock and a hard place. But while most of us worry about Southland, I suspect the Nats’ concerns will be a little closer to home…
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, April 2nd, 2013 - 43 comments
The Nats have sold favours to Hollywood, to Sky City, to Rio Tinto (work in progress), and now with the “Petrobras law” it looks very much like they’re selling us out on our right to protest too.
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, April 1st, 2013 - 49 comments
Changes to the tax rules that kick in today reverse two decisions made earlier by the government. Dither dither dither.
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, April 1st, 2013 - 79 comments
A raft of Tory policies have been dismantling the British welfare state: bedroom tax, privatising the NHS: NZ’s NAct government is following the same pattern of slyly changing small things, adding up to major changes that are ultimately socially & economically destructive.
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, March 31st, 2013 - 61 comments
Significant International Affairs files, relating to dodgy Pokies’ trusts, going missing, SkyCity convention centre deals made through flawed government processes. No corruption in NZ, just governance through sloppy processes? Cui bono?
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 30th, 2013 - 13 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 we continue with the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Comissioner, and note the Mana Party’s call for support for their Feed the Kids Bill.
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, March 29th, 2013 - 190 comments
The ideological loonies advising the government want us to go even further down the stupid and damaging path of income tax cuts. Surely even the Nats have too much sense to listen this time.
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 pm, March 28th, 2013 - 56 comments
National ministers – Nick Smith, Steven Joyce, John Key – come up with their stories, but reality keeps on not fitting to their stories. I call bullshit.
Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, March 28th, 2013 - 23 comments
New figures show that the wage gap with Australia is still increasing. National has nothing to offer but useless policies and excuses, while the captains of industry trot out the old productivity lie again.
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, March 27th, 2013 - 11 comments
Audrey Young and Simon Collins should get danger money for spinning this hard on jobs. But at least they’re trying, the best that Key can manage is some waffle about a “fluid market”…
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, March 25th, 2013 - 120 comments
National, the party of beneficiary bashing that has lead a crusade against parents on the DBP, appears to have triggered a surge of new births to DPB parents.
Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, March 23rd, 2013 - 7 comments
I/S at No Right Turn on youth rates…
Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, March 23rd, 2013 - 17 comments
Three of the Herald’s political staff has a crack at trying to explain why National polled 48.5% in the latest Herald-Digipoll. Consensus seems to be that John Key’s an angel sent to earth to do very little but keep enough of the middle class happy enough who’ll never lose. May I humbly suggest an alternative theory – that the Herald-Digipoll is broken.
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, March 23rd, 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, we start on the 2012 report from the Office of the Children’s Comissioner. NZ is a signatory to UN conventions that give children the right to adequate resources…
Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, March 21st, 2013 - 12 comments
Government MPs vote down a request for an enquiry into Solid Energy.
Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, March 20th, 2013 - 13 comments
The Nats are in trouble with their budget deficits and looking to raise money via increased taxes. But they are tinkering at the edges of the problem, and were quick to chuck Peter Dunne under the bus when the latest proposals didn’t fly.
Written By: - Date published: 1:54 pm, March 19th, 2013 - 35 comments
Profit-driven private sector cowboys are damaging the reputation of our education system. Naturally, National wants to make matters worse by subsidising foreign owners of profit-driven charter schools. Brilliant.
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