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Herald editorial nails Government over climate change inaction

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:49 am, April 28th, 2016 - 31 comments

The Herald castigated the Government over its inaction over climate change in an editorial released this morning.

Oravida and the water that no one owns

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:44 am, April 21st, 2016 - 86 comments

Oravida is in the news again. It is exporting hundreds of millions of dollars of fresh water and the cost to the authorities of $500 per year.

John’s Key’s “lawyer” is not a lawyer

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 9:00 am, April 21st, 2016 - 199 comments

John Key, explaining why he had an account with tax avoidance specialists Antipodes Trust Group, said he used the firm because his long-term friend, Ken Whitney, is a principal at the firm and has been his private lawyer for many years. The flaw in that theory is that Whitney is not currently a lawyer.

McCully, the National Party donation and the Niue resort

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:05 am, April 18th, 2016 - 57 comments

Murray McCully has assured New Zealand that there is no link between the granting of valuable rights to manage a luxury resort in Niue and the making of large donations to the National Party.

Which National Party muppet appointed Peter Boshier to be Chief Ombudsman?

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 9:16 am, April 8th, 2016 - 15 comments

One of the few things the Nats normally excel at, is selecting a suitably unqualified flunkey to ensure an office they have no regard for is suitably undermined – witness the Race Relations Commissioner. Why then Boshier, whose only previous was an eight year stretch as a highly competent and effective Principal Family Court Judge? […]

Panama tax rort stirs world leaders but not Key

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 8:00 am, April 7th, 2016 - 18 comments

The Panama Papers highlight a significant problem for the countries of the world. The actions of the 1% is robbing countries throughout the world of funds needed to run their countries and underlines that the capitalist system is based on greed. Most leaders see this but not John Key.

John Key’s response to the Panama Papers leak

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:13 am, April 5th, 2016 - 42 comments

John Key and National are floundering and trying urgently to work out what lines they should use concerning the release of the Panama Papers.

Deborah Russell: What’s going on with foreign trusts?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:00 am, April 5th, 2016 - 66 comments

Deborah Russell provides expert analysis and commentary on the treatment of foreign trusts in New Zealand and how there is actually a loophole.

The sock puppets, the media and the UBI

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, March 31st, 2016 - 117 comments

Labour’s discussion of a possible UBI is still generating debate.

Key wants to turn New Zealand into a haven for the 1%

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:30 am, March 29th, 2016 - 95 comments

Fran O’Sullivan has spilt the beans. John Key thinks that overseas terrorism and by implication climate change are good for the New Zealand economy and that the country should not do anything about overseas corporates paying low tax rates because investment will occur. And he wants New Zealand to become a haven for people overseas fleeing from terrorism and climate change. But only if they are wealthy.

Here we go again – from leaky homes to porous pipes

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 12:32 pm, March 21st, 2016 - 24 comments

As if leaky buildings was not enough, New Zealand’s lax standards and lack of inspection may be contributing to new problems in the Building Industry.

National tricky on climate change aid

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:27 am, March 19th, 2016 - 10 comments

TVOne has discovered that National’s preposed climate change aid spend announced at COP21 would result in a reduction in the amount spent compared to previous years.

National admits the ETS is broken

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:04 am, March 18th, 2016 - 12 comments

Paula Bennett has conceded that the Emissions Trading Scheme is not working and that the two for one scheme which halves the cost of carbon credits for major polluters will be phased out. But when?

Key fiddles while dairy industry burns

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:27 am, March 16th, 2016 - 46 comments

The dairy crisis is escalating with a further drop in prices occurring overnight. And John Key has chosen to defend the Government’s handling of the crisis by attacking Andrew Little. He would be better off explaining what his Government is doing to address what is becoming a crisis.

Safe As Milk

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 1:44 pm, March 14th, 2016 - 110 comments

Labour is calling for an urgent summit of the dairy industry players to avoid the looming bankruptcy of one in ten farmers. National’s response? Crisis, what crisis?

Wee Todd Barclay may have a wee problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:47 am, March 12th, 2016 - 63 comments

Clutha Southland National MP’s employee dispute has escalated with a police inquiry into the possible secret recording of a staff member being conducted.

Stacey Kirk’s Stuff Up

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 9:29 am, March 7th, 2016 - 37 comments

Fairfax journalist Stacey Kirk has published a vicious smear against a group of cancer sufferers. Is this the nastiest lie ever published in the NZ media?

Bridges to Nowhere

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 9:13 pm, February 29th, 2016 - 37 comments

Lying, incompetent or duped. One of these descriptions applies to Transport Minister Simon Bridges. He’s been sprung allowing Kiwirail to mothball a rail line he has repeatedly said was not under threat. What did he know and when? If he didn’t know, why the hell didn’t he know?

Fuster and Cluck ride again?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:39 pm, February 27th, 2016 - 13 comments

John Palino has all but announced that he will also stand for the super city Mayoralty and there is a rumour that Simon Lusk will be his campaign manager.

The flag change campaign’s last throw of the dice

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:11 pm, February 23rd, 2016 - 133 comments

The pro change Flag Campaign has been launched on Social Media using themes that will appeal to progressives about the need for change. The problem is what they want it to be changed to.

Homosexual law reform happened 30 years ago

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:16 am, February 21st, 2016 - 95 comments

Some thoughts on yesterday’s gay pride parade and why National has in the space of 30 years changed from being deeply anti gay rights to being superficially in support.

The responses to the Bain report leak

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:26 am, February 20th, 2016 - 47 comments

A review of some commentary about the leak of information from the Bain compensation claim report includes a comment from David Seymour which is surprisingly good.

Shock Horror media bias exists in New Zealand

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:31 am, February 15th, 2016 - 85 comments

Claire Robinson has analysed press use of photos during the 2014 general election campaign and has concluded that the major newspapers exhibited substantial bias in favour of Prime Minister John Key.

Key’s Bitter Legacy; Gareth Hughes Nails the PM’s Vanity.

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 11:06 am, February 12th, 2016 - 218 comments

The Green’s Gareth Hughes delivered a blistering speech in reply to the PM’s statement to the House. It begs the question ‘what will Key’s lasting legacy be?’. A failed flag referendum? Poverty? Inequality? Corruption? Selfies with AB’s?

As Key’s star fades, the less he seems to have left us to remember him by. What was the point of him anyway?

Establishment appointed Council protects Establishment

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 5:21 pm, February 11th, 2016 - 39 comments

So National’s appointed ECan (undermining democracy since 2010) has decided that leading business man Hugh Fletcher & Chief Justice Sian Elias shouldn’t be fined for their cows sh!ting in a lake. National were accused of taking voting rights so they could favour dairy over Christchurch, and this seems a good example. Canterbury has suffered enough – it needs democracy back.

Northland Fishing Competition

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 2:25 pm, February 11th, 2016 - 35 comments

Winston Peters has stitched John Key up again, this time hook, line and sinker. When Key lied in Parliament about the Northland MP’s supposedly leisurely lifestyle, Peters offered a challenge: provide some evidence or donate $100k to charity. Will cowardly Key take the bait?

Key’s sham “consultation” an insult to Māori

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:19 am, February 11th, 2016 - 17 comments

Last week 95bFM tweeted some audio from a Key media session, which shows his “consultation” with Māori over the TPP to be a condescending sham.

Private group sells tickets to Prime Minister’s official speech

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:30 am, February 10th, 2016 - 56 comments

It has become clear that John Key’s recent SOTN speech was delivered to an audience that paid for the privilege of attending.

The Whitehead Report does not exonerate Murray McCully

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:28 am, February 7th, 2016 - 11 comments

The Whitehead report into the circumstances surrounding the failed waiver of diplomatic immunity for the Malaysian attache charged with sexual assault charges has been released and blames the incident on an inadvertently worded email. But questions remain about why Murray McCully only took active steps after media broke the story and the effects his reorganisation of MFAT has had on its ability to do its job.

The TPPA day of shame

Written By: redfed - Date published: 7:00 am, February 4th, 2016 - 224 comments

Undated: The TPPA has now been signed, but not ratified, and not (hello NZ Herald!) “passed in to law”. There have been widespread protests throughout Auckland.

RNZ had live coverage with John Campbell.

A tale of two States of the Nation speeches

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:57 am, February 2nd, 2016 - 6 comments

The State of the Nation speeches provide an interesting start to the political year. John Key’s speech borrowed Labour Green policy that until now the Government has consistently derided and tried to present it as a “kickstart” while Andrew Little’s tertiary education policy announcement has received almost universal support and National is struggling to work out what attack lines to use.