political parties

Coat-tail of Many Colours

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 1:19 pm, November 22nd, 2013 - 72 comments

Te Reo Putake speculates on exactly what plan that National and John Key have to distort the MMP review and Iain Lee Galloway’s private members bill so that it allows them to stay in power. Most probably by gifting Crazy Colin and the Conservatives with several chances to get several partners into parliament while discarding the husks of their former coalition partners.

150 years: tell us your NZ Herald Story

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:47 am, November 22nd, 2013 - 29 comments

NZ Herald has a long history as the voice of the (most often white, masculine, middle/upper class, Pakeha) conservative establishment. Dr Hope shows how this happened in the past. NZ Herald online provides 21st century support for Key’s government. Tell us your NZ Herald stories.

Proud to be a westie?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:44 am, November 22nd, 2013 - 56 comments

Formerly proud to be a westie National MP Paula Bennett has decided to seek to become the MP for the new Upper Harbour seat. Does this mean that she will now give up wearing leopard skins?

Draft electoral boundary changes released

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:22 am, November 21st, 2013 - 105 comments

The draft boundaries for the 2014 election have been released. Down south there are significant changes in Christchurch. In West Auckland the changes are most pronounced, with a new North Harbour seat being proposed.

Nat government treachery destroys public broadcasting

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:16 am, November 21st, 2013 - 30 comments

Key’s government has destroyed the weak attempts by Labour to enable some public service broadcasting on Freeview. The NActs have employed ideologically-driven, irrational, bad faith, underhand, agreement-breaking moves to protect commercial monopoly. The CBB is campaigning for non-commercial TV channels.

Enrol for the referendum by the 21st

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:57 pm, November 19th, 2013 - 41 comments

If you aren’t currently enrolled or are unsure, then you will have to be enrolled in the next few days. We can shove the lie of “mandate” straight back into this National government’s lying face. Maybe when National are deprived of that silly excuse for their theft, they will stop stealing.

Nats’ demolition derby

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:20 pm, November 18th, 2013 - 107 comments

John Key’s government is going full tilt at dismantling everything of value in NZ, and selling as much as possible to the overseas investors. It’s the government of Drill It, Mine it, Sell it. Find out about the asset sales referendum & how to vote.

Air New Zealand sale starts tomorrow

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:40 pm, November 17th, 2013 - 294 comments

The Government has announced that the sell down of Air New Zealand shares will occur over the next two days.

Everything you need to know about National, in two paragraphs

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 3:12 pm, November 16th, 2013 - 60 comments

Andrea Vance reports: “Foreign minister Murray McCully returned from the Tamil-led north of Sri Lanka last night and indicated he believes New Zealand should not support an independent investigation into war crimes.

Shortly after his return to Colombo, McCully signed a dairy co-operation agreement with his counterpart Professor GL Peiris, worth about $2 million.”

Key refuses to pay compensation for Pike River

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:53 am, November 16th, 2013 - 120 comments

John Key this week ruled out any Government contribution to compensation ordered to be paid by Pike River to the deceased miners’ families despite a strong suggestion by Judge Farrish that this should occur. Now that the photo opportunities have finished and the effect of the corporate PR spin has worn off the Government’s handling of the issue appears to be deeply cynical and totally unjust.

Coleman’s disgracefully cowardly display

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:38 am, November 15th, 2013 - 151 comments

National’s, weird, favourite line at the moment is to say ‘we’re going to ignore the asset sales referendum and the opposition are hypocrites because they ignored the smacking referendum’. Russel Norman finally had had enough yesterday, and asked Jonathan Coleman just who had been PM when the referendum happened. Coleman’s answer was textbook cowardliness.

ImperatorFish: Are they really the Green Taleban?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:02 pm, November 14th, 2013 - 21 comments

A two-fer: are the Greens really like the Taleban, & the Conservative’s new campaign poster…

Colin Craig and the Conservative Tea Party are National’s best chance

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:08 am, November 14th, 2013 - 109 comments

The possibility of a National Conservative coalition was raised this week by John Key. It appears that everything may be on the table as National seeks to retain power. So will child bashing again be allowed and what would happen to New Zealand’s climate change policies? The prospects are rather terrifying.

Groser says govt ministers in denial of reality

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 7:25 am, November 14th, 2013 - 145 comments

3news has shaken out hidden science denialists in National. This follows the disgraceful booing of Russel Norman by National MPs who did not want to hear him ‘inappropriately’ quote a Filipino official attributing the typhoon to climate change at a time apparently meant for empty platitudes. Meanwhile, the Filipino official that Norman was quoting has written to thank him.

What the Waitakere Myth says about pundits’ attitudes to the working class

Written By: QoT - Date published: 7:00 pm, November 13th, 2013 - 99 comments

I finally found the words, in a comment at The Standard, to explain something I’ve been feeling for years about the Waitakere Man thesis: I keep thinking about how to express this exact idea: that the whole Waitakere Man myth says way more about Chris Trotter and Josie Pagani’s attitudes towards the working class than […]

Key rewrites history for “Crazy Colin”

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:00 pm, November 13th, 2013 - 68 comments

Answering questions on the up-coming Asset Sales referendum, John Key spoke some appalling un-truths. He is rewriting political history to suit “Crazy” Colin Craig’s possible coalition bottom lines on the “anti-smacking” law. Cunliffe finally got there in the General Debate, but the opposition was too slow in countering Key’s lies & spin.

Crony Capitalism, Chorus and Pike River compensation

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:41 pm, November 12th, 2013 - 98 comments

Today in Parliament David Cunliffe neatly skewered John Key with a series of questions that showed the Government will decline to ensure that the Pike River families are paid out because there is no legal obligation to do so, yet it is happy to pay out large sums to its corporate friends even though there is no legal obligation to do so.

NAct MPs: heckling from “their armchairs”

Written By: karol - Date published: 3:01 pm, November 12th, 2013 - 128 comments

Today in speaking to John Key’s motion on the Typhoon in the Philippines, Russel Norman read out a statement that was spoken by Philippines climate negotiator Naderev “Yeb” Saño, who called for urgent action on climate change. Sounds of heckling could he heard from the comfort of the government benches. [update: Yeb Saño to Russel Norman]

Shock finding that ACC cover improves people’s lives

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:50 am, November 12th, 2013 - 38 comments

A recent Massey University study found that that those with a spinal cord injury who are covered by ACC are more likely to get back to work while those who don’t receive assistance start a downward spiral into poverty. Who would have thunk it?

Rorty rorty

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:44 am, November 11th, 2013 - 89 comments

You’ll remember that, back in 2009, Bill ‘Double Dipton’ English was caught claiming an ‘out of town’ allowance – intended to pay for non-Wellington-based MPs’ accommodation in the capital – to pay the mortgage on his family home in Karori. Key’s solution was to let all his ministers claim the rort. Now, it turns out some of them are doubling down on the rort.

Like nats leaving a sinking ship …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:49 am, November 8th, 2013 - 48 comments

So far seven National MPs have announced they will not stand in next year’s general election and more announcements are rumoured to be in the pipeline. Is the writing on the wall for this Government and will it become the first two term National Government in history?

Kate Wilkinson to stand down and Matthew Doocey may seek nomination

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:14 am, November 7th, 2013 - 37 comments

Kate Wilkinson has announced that she will stand down at the next election as the MP for Waimakariri and National candidate for Christchurch East, Matthew Doocey is said to be in the mix for the nomination and has not ruled this out. Shouldn’t he be focussing on helping the good people of Christchurch East?

Everything you wanted to know about the Chorus deal …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:19 am, November 6th, 2013 - 108 comments

The Chorus fibre roll out deal with the Government is one of those issues that promises to embarrass the Government deeply, more deeply than us lefties may think. Because amongst the ranks of this Government’s supporters are those who hold close to principles. They not be our principles but nevertheless from the view of the right are just as if not more important than ours. One of the most important is the sanctity of the market. This is why some on the right are distraught at the generosity being shown to one of our largest corporates.

Couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:18 am, November 6th, 2013 - 99 comments

National was warned not to give the main ultrafast broadband contracts to Chorus. All it would do would restore and strengthen the monopoly that had kept internet prices too high (which Cunliffe has addressed). Of course, National ignored that. And now, once again, National finds itself in a corner, about to bailout out a large corporate that is using its market power to threaten its political agenda.

Gambling harm: “commercially sensitive”

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 5:40 pm, November 5th, 2013 - 23 comments

Are we to expect that next time a cigarette company wants to withhold the evidence that smoking will take 11 years off the life of every second smoker, they just need to do a dodgy deal with National to build a convention centre with added ciggie sale points right? Or the booze barons could build a convention centre / mega-bar and no papers will be allowed out on alcohol harm either presumably? At what point do the best interests of New Zealanders get to trump the best interests of foreign corporates?

Does Key want to nationalise Chorus Soviet style?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:46 pm, November 5th, 2013 - 62 comments

The Commerce Commission has now decided that there should be a significant reduction in broadband costs although not as much as previously proposed. Chorus has responded by saying that it may not be able to complete the fibre outlay. John Key is suggesting that Chorus could be nationalised. And the right wing are in revolt. How has National been able to muck this issue up so badly?

It’s not just about cyber-culture, Judith

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:59 pm, November 4th, 2013 - 310 comments

The reports of the Roast Busters are chilling. Watching 3 News tonight was very upsetting. Reported responses by the police, John Key and Judith Collins are inadequate. Key & Collins seem to be shifting the focus to cyber-bullying and away from the brutality of the physical acts. [Update: Scuba Nurse – positive steps to make a difference]

Govt responsible for 7 NZ deaths

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 6:05 pm, November 4th, 2013 - 25 comments

National has agreed to lower the drink drive limit. Over 2 years ago they blocked a Labour amendment to do exactly the same thing. Their dithering has cost 7 New Zealand lives by their own measurements – 7 lives unfulfilled and families faced with unnecessary grief.

The Kiwibuilt announcement

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:15 pm, November 4th, 2013 - 69 comments

David Cunliffe has announced further proposals regarding Housing with a Christchurch flavour. The temporary use of red zone houses that are otherwise habitable, the proposed construction of 10,000 houses over four years and the recreation of New Brighton into a vibrant and modern beachside community are amongst the announcements.

Doing what works

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:21 am, November 4th, 2013 - 88 comments

One of Steven Joyce’s favourite refrains is that Labour is trying to take us back to the 1970s. You know, those dark days when unemployment was near non-existent, wages were high, growth was strong despite external shocks, we had nearly no foreign debt, profits stayed here, were we one of the richest and most egalitarian countries. He’s not far wrong.