same old national

Categories under same old national

No categories

Shadow play: Key’s 2-track politics

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:31 am, August 16th, 2014 - 40 comments

Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics tells of the “two track strategy” of John Key’s leadership of the National Party & the country: a smiley nice front, & vicious, covert black ops behind the scenes. Key has overseen one of the darkest, nastiest periods in NZ politics. Vote Left for necessary, democratic change, for people-centred governance.

GCSB, privacy & Facebook messaging

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:42 pm, August 15th, 2014 - 7 comments

How private are communications on social media platforms such as Facebook? It is claimed that the GCSB law’s definition of “privacy” leaves a loophole for warrantless surveillance of messaging by Kiwis on platforms like Facebook.

Polity: Dirty politics: My 2c

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:48 am, August 14th, 2014 - 104 comments

The use of clandestine SIS files as a weapon of partisan politics is needs to be investigated. John Key or his office discovered classified SIS files that were embarrassing to Phil Goff, got them declassified, then immediately told a right-wing blogger to seek those same newly-declassified files under the OIA, all as a means of smearing a political opponent.

Dirty Politics: The Brestapo

Written By: rocky - Date published: 7:00 am, August 14th, 2014 - 88 comments

I have foolishly never taken Cameron Slater very seriously except when his attacks have been obviously for the benefit of the National Party. I actually believed that the misinformed and bigoted viewpoints that prevail in his posts were his genuine opinions. It fits his character to drone on about “The Breastapo” “Sucking on the Taxpayers’ Tit”. To discover that such posts were actually written and paid for on behalf of Fonterra actually shocked me.

Naming the game

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 6:34 pm, August 12th, 2014 - 78 comments

It’s been interesting to watch the nats and their busy little helpers working away at branding the election campaign as a nasty one.

It’s been disappointing to watch the media falling for it so hard.

ACT goes weird

Written By: redfed - Date published: 8:05 am, August 12th, 2014 - 43 comments

ACT Epsom candidate David Seymour is complaining that left voters in the seat may vote tactically.

Polity: Mr Angry tries to reheat 2011 campaign

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:31 pm, August 11th, 2014 - 13 comments

Steven Joyce is asking about how Labour can afford their policies. Half of the money is what National is planning to spend unwisely. The rest is from documented increases in revenue in a fiscal plan. Unlike National’s mythic surplus, these are solid values. They will produce a solid surplus to pay down National’s debt.

Local Bodies: National and the Poverty Deniers

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:11 pm, August 8th, 2014 - 24 comments

Poverty deniers are also adamant that the ‘relative’ poverty that may exist has been flatlining for some time and the best way of stopping poverty is just getting people into work. They ignore the fact that 40% of children living in poverty have at least one parent in full-time employment.

NRT: Cronyism in Christchurch

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:33 pm, August 8th, 2014 - 26 comments

Yes, National just gave an enormous government contract to an MP’s brother. Now, he may have been the best bidder, but up-front it looks like cronyism, if not outright corruption. Shouldn’t the media be asking some very pointy questions about this?

Greens: Falling milk prices highlight danger of National’s economic strategy

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:11 pm, August 6th, 2014 - 39 comments

This press release from the Greens pretty well sums up the situation that National have left the economy in. Once you remove the rebuild effects from the Christchurch earthquakes, our increasingly undiversified economy is looking in pretty poor shape for the decade ahead.

NRT: 32,000 out of work under National

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:21 pm, August 6th, 2014 - 54 comments

The latest Household Labour Force Survey was released today, showing a drop in unemployment. But while its an improvement, there is far less employment than when National came into office 5 years ago. That is a monumental fail.

Polity: In search of National’s ideas

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:19 pm, August 5th, 2014 - 14 comments

Rob Salmond has noticed recently that National likes to talk a lot about everyone else’s ideas, but it prefers not to discuss its own.

Steven Joyce is a pillock

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:16 pm, August 2nd, 2014 - 131 comments

If you need proof watch this morning’s TV3 debate with Grant Robertson.

Polity: Herald on regional roads fiasco

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:52 pm, August 2nd, 2014 - 13 comments

The National Government’s $212 million plan has Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee explicitly admitting that it is a massive pork-barreling for government MPs with public funds, and explicitly tells people to piss off if they don’t like it.

National and the Kiwi aversion to arrogance

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:05 am, August 2nd, 2014 - 35 comments

Simon Bridges has spent $237,000 of taxpayers money to wine and dine and house eleven oil executives. And Tim Groser, Murray McCully and Claudette Hauiti have spent up large on the taxpayer tab. Way to reinforce the born to rule feeling National.

NRT: Breach of contract

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:50 pm, August 1st, 2014 - 9 comments

When National set up charter schools, they promised that they would be more accountable, and that contracts were a better means of enforcing standards than the usual school system. That works only if they’re enforced. NZ First has shown that at least one school is completely in violation of at least one part of their contract. So is the National government enforcing a contract? Yeah right….

McCully’s incompetence and the ongoing case of the Malaysian diplomat

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:01 pm, July 31st, 2014 - 18 comments

The Malaysian diplomat charged with serious offences has not returned to New Zealand. Despite previous assurances given by John Key it appears that his formal extradition will be required. And as further evidence of incompetence Murray McCully did not read the email advising him that Malaysia had invoked diplomatic immunity for weeks after it had been sent.

Local Bodies: Novopay Exemplifies National’s Governance

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:45 am, July 31st, 2014 - 26 comments

This National led Government is strong on ideology, weak on process and reluctant to accept responsibility. The Novopay debacle exemplifies all of these well. When questioned about Novopay, National Ministers will never accept full responsibility. Stephen Joyce has just announced that the Government will be taking over the management of Novopay after almost two years of stress and wide-ranging issues. No matter what National and its Ministers claim, Novopay is largely their fault, and taking responsibility and making apologies are not what this Government does readily.

Dairy drops further

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:42 am, July 30th, 2014 - 35 comments

As expected, Fonterra has dropped the milk solid payout from $7 per kilogram to $6. New Zealand needs a different economic approach for a long term sustainable future that doesn’t rely on strip mining soil and water or other resources. National have been consistently mismanaging the NZ economy in putting far too much emphasis on resource extraction and the systematic degradation of our ability to earn our own way in the world. Time to get rid of National’s lack of imagination and long-term planning from the direction of our economy.

NRT: National’s roads are pure pork

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:03 pm, July 29th, 2014 - 13 comments

The extent that the National minister have been pork-barreling the roading budget for their electorates is crazy. The OIA’s show that most of the $212 million announced by John Key at the National party conference is pure pork for ministers. They are assessed as costing more money to build than they will ever produce in benefits, even using NZTA’s infamously overoptimistic assessments. National MPs and Ministers want to be seen as delivering something for their electorates before the election. So much for assessing needs based on merits. They must be really worried about this election to misuse so much pork.

Blinglish’s boondoggle bridge

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:15 am, July 29th, 2014 - 34 comments

Rob Salmond at Polity has discovered that amongst the $212 million worth of road projects to be accelerated by the Government is a bridge that will speed up Bill English’s trip to his Queenstown home. But officials have said that under current policy settings it is unlikely that the bridge will ever be built.

Local Bodies: Manipulated Data and the Art of Deception

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:28 pm, July 28th, 2014 - 7 comments

The National led Government are desperate to present the good news stories to promote the success of the past six years of their governance. They have increased the budget and the numbers of their spin doctors to ensure that it is mainly positive messages that make into the public domain. The Government cleverly manipulates data to hide the extent of poverty the degradation of the environment and the success of our economy. Of course most of us who live in the real world know that National’s reality is a falsely constructed one.

National’s arrogant problems

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 5:18 pm, July 26th, 2014 - 26 comments

Claudette Hauiti, Gerry Brownlee, Jonathan Coleman… 3 National MPs mired in scandal this week. A serious lack of discipline, and each in their own way they betray an attitude of lack of concern for the public they’re meant to serve.

Why can’t John Key tell us how much Hauiti has ripped us off?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:50 am, July 24th, 2014 - 30 comments

John Key claims to not know how much money Claudette Hauiti has spent on her credit card and suggests that a list demotion has persuaded her to stand down. Surely he should ask. If he doesn’t then the media should ask why not. And was Hauiti persuaded or pushed into not standing again?

Claudette Hauiti is gone

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:12 pm, July 22nd, 2014 - 74 comments

National’s Kelston candidate Claudette Hauiti has announced that she will no longer stand and will step down as an MP at this year’s election.

NRT: More statistical censorship from National

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:54 am, July 17th, 2014 - 1 comment

Last year, the Ministry for the Environment reported that 61% of New Zealand’s rivers were unsafe for swimming. National’s response? Shut down the monitoring program.

Dotcom – Who applied the political pressure?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:46 am, July 16th, 2014 - 219 comments

National is claiming that Immigration NZ’s decision to allow Kim Dotcom to stay was made without any political pressure being applied. But it was the decision of the SIS to remove its block on Dotcom’s application that let the approval be granted. Why did the SIS remove its block and who applied the political pressure?

NZ First conference – the kingmakers?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 4:48 pm, July 15th, 2014 - 50 comments

It looks like I’ll be able to head to the NZ First conference at Alexandra Park racecourse on the weekend as media. This election the position of NZ First party members is probably going to be crucial for any coalition that forms. In this rather long post I explain my (and other peoples) thinking on possible coalition results for National after the election. They aren’t good because they really depend on a political group that National has been denigrating for quite a while.

NRT: Election 2014: A clear choice on clean rivers

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:37 am, July 15th, 2014 - 6 comments

The National government’s policy for economic growth has been simple: pump up dairy production, export more low-value milk powder, and keep low-value farmers as the “backbone of the economy”. To achieve this, they have dismantled the protections for and then defiled our fresh water on an industrial scale. The Greens want to reverse that and thereby ensure a long-term future for both our farming and peoples. Updated.

Polity: National rejects helping the most vulnerable kids

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:45 am, July 11th, 2014 - 48 comments

Reposted from Polity. Here is Vernon Small this morning: The Government rejected plans to include beneficiaries in a package to help families with newborn babies, despite official advice they were the most vulnerable. Budget papers show that last November, Treasury, Inland Revenue and Social Development jointly considered ways to give more help to families after […]

Polity: The ENV debate: Some more data

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:27 am, July 11th, 2014 - 14 comments

Rob Salmond presents the David Farrar / Steven Joyce / John Key argument that 2011 non voters are a National-leaning bunch. Then he shows that a better look at their own data undermines their claim. This matters because it helps us understand which bloc has more to gain from voter mobilization efforts in 2014. This means the left has a lot more to gain than the right from mobilization in 2014.