same old national

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First they sold Auckland, then the rest of NZ…?

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:00 am, October 3rd, 2014 - 28 comments

A quiet shift in a dodgy Key govt-SkyCity deal: TVNZ land, sold to SkyCity for its convention centre, is to be used for a new hotel. Plus: non-mandated deal between Auckland Transport Authority & a US corporate – intense surveillance of Aucklanders’ diverse activities.

NRT: A model for unaccountability

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:32 pm, September 30th, 2014 - 14 comments

The Act party, well known for rorts, dodgy deals, general corruption, and the poor calibre of their candidates, is doing it again. National gave their single novice MP an “under-secretary” position to allow Act to rort extra money from taxpayers. It also provides him with a position that is wholly unaccountable to parliament or the public via OIA.

Hello National, bye bye breaks …

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:00 pm, September 28th, 2014 - 53 comments

Our guest poster has a look at the Employment relations Amendment Bill that National will attempt to sneak through during Labour’s leadership primary. This bill is clearly targeted at those employees who are most vulnerable. It reinforces the Nat’s slow and steady but effective chipping away of employee’s rights and will really resonate with its core constituency

Local Bodies: Greens Immediately Become the Opposition.

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:16 am, September 27th, 2014 - 63 comments

bspout at Local Bodies was well up on the Greens list, but as the Greens only got 10%, he didn’t get into parliament. But as he says, with Labour navel gazing and NZ First lacking experience, the greens are currently the only effective opposition at present.

National’s promises to you. #1.

Written By: KJT - Date published: 1:57 pm, September 22nd, 2014 - 31 comments

Nationals promises to you. #1.

Jackal: A conspiracy theory too far

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:15 am, September 17th, 2014 - 114 comments

Over the last month John Key has been displaying behaviour of being a raving right wing conspiracy theorist. Over the weekend megalomaniacal John Key even said that he wants the governor general to stage a coup to allow him to remain in power. The Jackal summarises recent nutty right wing conspiracy theories from the PM and others.

Eminem sues National

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:11 pm, September 16th, 2014 - 182 comments

Eminem is suing the National Party for breaching his copyright in the song “Lose yourself” used by National in its campaign video. Stephen Joyce previously claimed that National had the full rights to use it. But it appears that this may not be the case. Update: There may be some interesting legal issues for National if it loses in terms of its spending cap and the Electoral Commission broadcast allocation.

The blowoff stream

Written By: lprent - Date published: 6:02 pm, September 15th, 2014 - 348 comments

The queue is enormous. But here is the feed. Thanks Selwyn for the link….. 19:05: Liala Harre has been improving her speaking since I last heard her. Introduced the speaker guests. Looking at the progressive achievements of the NZ past. 19:07: Glenn Greenwald is first up. 19:10: Greenwald calls John Key an adolescent 🙂 John […]

John Key On Trial

Written By: Bryan Gould - Date published: 4:35 pm, September 15th, 2014 - 27 comments

The latest instalment in the saga of John Key’s struggle to maintain his image as someone above suspicion has produced the amazing spectacle of a Prime Minister in free fall. Faced with the threatened revelation that he has been – not just economical with, but contemptuous of – the truth as to whether or not […]

John Key planned our mass surveillance

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:07 am, September 15th, 2014 - 65 comments

John Key and National let the GCSB spend 12 months on plans to conduct our mass surveillance. Without telling us. And he intends to release the details now only for political considerations. Without Glenn Greenwald’s presence we probably would never have learned about this.

Blue on the polls

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:04 pm, September 14th, 2014 - 62 comments

Landline polls are a traditional gripe for lefties. But this election polls look seriously out of whack with reality. Is National at 55%, 50%, 48% or 46%? But it’s always far too large for a party at National’s current stage in the political cycle. Just unbelievable and highly unlikely.

Nat two track strategy – March to Sept

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:58 am, September 13th, 2014 - 26 comments

Nicky Hager has exposed the two track strategy of the Whale Oil, Kiwiblog, Nat smear machine. Why is it allowed to continue?

Donghua Liu Letter: More Dirty Politics

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 7:06 am, September 12th, 2014 - 55 comments

Frank Macskasy at the Daily Blog has produced a timeline on the 11 year old David Cunliffe – Donghua Liu letter that shows some more seriously dodgy Dirty Politics

Cunliffe v Key – Round 3

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:01 pm, September 10th, 2014 - 87 comments

Round three between David Cunliffe and John Key is scheduled for tonight. John Campbell will moderate and Paul Henry will provide expert comment …

Slater backs down

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:08 am, September 10th, 2014 - 67 comments

The Slater application for an injunction against various media outlets has been settled by the media agreeing to not to use information that was not in the public interest, including but not limited to Mr Slater’s wife, children, medical information, the death of his mother and other inherently personal information regarding Mr Slater and his friends. The way is now clear for further stories on Dirty Politics.

NRT: That empty void again

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:21 pm, September 9th, 2014 - 8 comments

A bit over a week ago, I complained about the empty void at the heart of the election: Nationals refusal to release policy. And it has struck again today, in the form of Nationals fiscal “plan”. We actually have a government seeking re-election while offering no specifics about what it intends to do in office. But don’t they have a lovely picture of John Key?

Is National’s sleaze unit feeding the Slater again?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 11:10 am, September 8th, 2014 - 138 comments

Cameron Slater, National’s attack blogger has written a sleaze post on Martyn Bradbury. This shows far too much intelligence for the ever lazy Cameron to have researched it. Has National’s research unit (into dirt) resumed using that sock puppet again? We should be able to look and find out which blackmailed journalists they touch up as this story progresses. Time to follow the dots.

Perceptions of National’s government

Written By: lprent - Date published: 12:57 pm, September 6th, 2014 - 114 comments

There is how John Key and a few of his acolytes like to think of his government. Then there is how everyone else now does. The many ministers who have been abusing their position, were caught and ‘resigned’. Now we can see the true nature than lurks beneath. A vote for National is a vote for Cameron Slater.

Two weeks to go …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:05 am, September 6th, 2014 - 139 comments

Two weeks to go and polls suggest that National’s slide in the poll may be arrested. But for how long?

NRT: Sensationalising the status quo

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:41 pm, September 4th, 2014 - 55 comments

Pity the political reporter. Committed to horse-race style reporting and desperate for an ‘angle’. Patrick Gower on 3 News last night was desperately talking up how “complicated’ National’s… current arrangements are?? Use your brain Paddy…

National’s campaign train wreck

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:33 am, September 3rd, 2014 - 243 comments

So far National’s election campaign has been a train wreck. What was meant to be a leisurely walk to the finish line has turned into a limp. David Cunliffe is more than holding his own against John Key. And dirty politics is having a gradual corrosive effect on National’s support.

Labour’s broadcasting policy: public service TV-RNZ

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:03 pm, August 31st, 2014 - 40 comments

Labour’s broadcasting policy includes setting up a new public service TV channel, to be located with RNZ, incorporating RNZ values. The Greens are open to the idea. NZ First has a similar policy. Laila Harre makes some good points about public broadcasting and industrial relations. [Update: RNZ report; video clip added]

From Twitter

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 8:18 pm, August 31st, 2014 - 34 comments

All your trashing the SFO connections. h/t DebsHancock

Well that deteriorated quickly

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, August 31st, 2014 - 170 comments

The Sunday Star Times has reported on the Hotchin – Slater attack on SFO boss Adam Feeley. The email which caused John Key to effectively sack Judith Collins as a Minister was provided by Cathy Odgers. The intent was to put off a SFO/FMA investigation into Hotchin. This is third world stuff.

Is Judith Collins gone?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:57 am, August 30th, 2014 - 39 comments

Judith Collins’ tenure as a Minister may be in some doubt.

Look over there! Tax cuts!

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 9:06 am, August 26th, 2014 - 7 comments

So National are both so out of ideas and so desperate to take the spotlight off their Dirty Politics that they’re now promising tax cuts. Tax cuts straight after we have a panel of our most prominent economists warning that the ‘rock star’ economy is going to hit the rocks.

Tax cut cynicism

Written By: Stephanie Rodgers - Date published: 6:20 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 52 comments

According to the PM, Bill English saying there won’t be tax cuts was both true and untrue at the same time, like a fiscal Schroedinger’s Cat.

Polity: Smoke and mirrors on housing

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:11 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 14 comments

National’s own fine print takes us from “you can get up to $20,000!” to, at best, “11% of qualifying couples get up to $20,000.” Ouch…. Typical National. Long on glitz. Long on smoke. Long on mirrors. Short on actually helping people.

Just answer the questions John

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:00 am, August 25th, 2014 - 41 comments

John Key has taken to answering relevant questions about Dirty Politics by refusing to answer them. But these questions go to the heart of the issue of whether he is fit to be New Zealand’s Prime Minister and deserve to be answered.

John Key’s groundhog day

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:00 am, August 21st, 2014 - 52 comments

Poor John Key must think he is in the movie Groundhog Day. The media clearly do not accept his explanation for Dirty Politics. And each day further information comes out which casts more and more doubt on the veracity of what he has been saying.

National’s campaign video and Eminem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:01 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 69 comments

In 2008 National breached copyright by using a song suspiciously like Coldplay’s Clocks. The DVD had to be withdrawn. It may not have learned as its latest campaign video has music that sounds suspiciously like an Eminem song. Has it learned and does it have permission?