political parties

The ThinThread of GCSB surveillance

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:30 am, May 25th, 2013 - 11 comments

A surveillance device, Thin Thread, was probably sent from the US to NZ’s GCSB in 2000-2001 for testing. ThinThread collects local meta data, and can pass it on to foreign agencies. This raises fresh calls for an inquiry into GCSB activities.

Banana republic

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:41 am, May 24th, 2013 - 78 comments

People are starting to notice that the Nats are taking us into banana republic territory.

The shameless Nick Smith

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:43 am, May 24th, 2013 - 31 comments

Nick Smith has a long history of slippery dealings. He apologises but accepts no blame, then is resurrected: contempt of court, a defamation case, the Pullar-ACC “conflict of interest”, bad faith negotiations with Auckland Council, the Denniston Plateau deal. Yesterday on RNZ, Smith exposed the government’s agenda on mining conservation land.

High interest in Ikaroa-Rawhiti

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 3:37 pm, May 23rd, 2013 - 22 comments

Labour will hold three selection meetings in the very large electorate, in Seaview, in Tolaga Bay, and the final one in Napier on Sunday. Labour has a very strong slate of six high-calibre candidates. New members are flocking to the party, and with over 500 electorate members having a say this time the meetings will be full on as well as full. All Party members can attend; anyone can register to get the result.

Cynical

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:37 am, May 23rd, 2013 - 82 comments

It looks like Nick Smith will today grant access to West Coast conservation land for mining. This looks like a cynical attempt to enforce the government’s anti-conservation agenda by avoiding the legal and democratic requirement for public consultation. When will the NZ Herald headline: “Democracy Under Attack!”? [updated]

Nats’ environmental record

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:25 pm, May 21st, 2013 - 40 comments

Long time commenter BLiP on the National government’s environmental record.

Then why don’t you release the advice John?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:49 am, May 21st, 2013 - 151 comments

A legal expert has raised the alarm over the Nats’ latest outbreak of constitutional arrogance. So too has the Attorney General, and the media. Key says it’s all OK (of course), but why should anyone believe him when his government won’t release the advice that it has received?

Swivel-eyed loons

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:44 pm, May 20th, 2013 - 24 comments

Why do right-wing leaders have such low opinions of their activist supporters?

NRT: National’s “innovation” agenda

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:19 am, May 19th, 2013 - 65 comments

No Right Turn on National’s science funding scam. Read it in conjunction with this piece in Stuff today on falling numbers of senior students following National’s axing of the postgrad student allowance. Welcome to the Brighter Future.

Constitutional arrogance

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 5:05 pm, May 18th, 2013 - 86 comments

The invaluable Andrew Geddis has yet another good post on Pundit, describing National’s latest outbreak of constitutional arrogance. Add to the long list. These are the actions of politicians who are drunk on power, and not being held to account for it.

Poverty Watch 31

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:11 am, May 18th, 2013 - 92 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 – reaction to the budget’s lack of significant action on poverty, and CPAG’s court case on the In Work Tax Credit.

When an “accord” is not

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:08 am, May 17th, 2013 - 130 comments

Yesterday’s budget is a sop to affordable housing & aims to privatise state housing. Penny Hulse says the government’s related “housing accord” Bill is at odds with the agreement her council has not yet ratified. It overrides local democracy & endangers the AKL “agreement”. [Update] Waitakere News analysis

‘That’s what the fuss is all about’

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:00 am, May 16th, 2013 - 22 comments

Hone Harawira challenged the Maori Party for its support of charter schools, at the expense of Maori and public education. He challenged Sharples to resign if today’s budget fails to adequately support kura kaupapa and the Manaaki Tauira programme.

City Rail Link in the Budget?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:57 pm, May 15th, 2013 - 45 comments

A reader sent us a comment from another blog by someone who was polled a couple of weeks back. The questions are very interesting, especially once you realise that it’s clearly being done for National and the Right in Auckland (one of the questions gives it away). Have a read, then I’ll tell you why I reckon the Nats are going to fund the City Rail Link in the Budget.

The budget’s flawed premise

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:02 pm, May 15th, 2013 - 27 comments

The whole austerity driven focus of the budget and National’s economic policy is based on a premise which is in turn based on a spreadsheet error.

GCSB is watching you? Won’t ‘confirm or deny’

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:46 am, May 15th, 2013 - 37 comments

The GCSB won’t “confirm or deny” if they spied on individual Kiwis. Concerned citizens might contact the Privacy Commissioner or start a class action. John Key’s rushed GCSB Bill won’t prevent mission creep, surveillance to support international corporate interests or inadequate oversight of the GCSB. [Update]: link to Waitakere News

Budget: corporate “charity” not the solution to Feeding the Kids

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:21 am, May 15th, 2013 - 24 comments

Thursday’s budget is likely to make businesses central to blunting the edge of child poverty. Campbell Live is concerned about the marginalisation of skilled community organisations. Harawira has delayed the reading of his Feed the Kids Bill & argues for the state to play a stronger role.

Judith Collins, MMP, “consensus” & democracy

Written By: karol - Date published: 6:33 pm, May 14th, 2013 - 69 comments

Holly Walker dragged out of Judith Collins that the government will not implement the Electoral Commission’s recommendations for MMP. Collins argues there is no “consensus” between all political parties on possible changes. The Greens say National has not kept the promise of changes, out of self interest.

This is what corporate dictatorship looks like

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:45 pm, May 14th, 2013 - 32 comments

The compensation part of Joyce’s and Key’s dirty, undemocratic SkyCity deal, could legally be over-turned by a future government, as proposed by the Greens. However, the TPPA could weaken NZ’s parliamentary sovereignty and open the government to claims by secret private offshore tribunals. Opposition needs to step up!

The meaning of utu

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:37 am, May 14th, 2013 - 115 comments

Aaron Gilmore has promised ‘utu’, or reciprocation, against a select band of National insiders. What’s going on behind the scenes?

Claudette Hauiti

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:18 pm, May 13th, 2013 - 60 comments

After a brutal smear-campaign from Key, Gilmore is gone. Nothing he did made him unfit to be an MP ,* but lying to Key meant Key had to get him out of the caucus or look weak. And the only safe way to do that was have him resign. That done, we get Claudette Hauiti. Who’s she? Well, here’s a measure of her calibre. In a 2010 Auckland local board competition, she came 10th out of 12.

Key’s no-shows – protecting Brand Key

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:45 am, May 13th, 2013 - 15 comments

Who was missing from the Mighty River and SkyCity launches? Being seen at the front of positive government stories is a big part of the PM’s job, unless concerns over protecting Brand Key override that. The fact Key has been a no-show at these two announcements of central planks of National’s agenda tells you a lot about what the Nats’ polling says about them.

Banks to stand again

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:49 am, May 13th, 2013 - 28 comments

John Banks has announced that he will stand in Epsom again at the next election. That is, of course, always assuming that he doesn’t get chucked out of Parliament first.

What’s done can be undone

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:52 am, May 13th, 2013 - 220 comments

SkyCity will get more pokies and cashless gambling in return for building the convention centre that it always wanted to build. (…excuse me, I’m just trying not to puke watching Len Brown on Breakfast as he shrugs off the problem gambling increase from this deal…) The convention centre will be a white elephant. SkyCity should know that what’s done can be undone.

Update: Anyone buying in to the Nats’ “Labour did it too” line should read Russell Brown’s demolition of that lie.

Sky City, pokies and corruption

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:56 am, May 13th, 2013 - 51 comments

Key and Joyce made sure Gilmore was out of the way before they announced their dubious Sky City for (more) pokies deal. The pokies system in NZ is rife with dubious goings on. It’s bad for low income families, communities and their children. [update: responses]

Gilmore Goes

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 5:59 pm, May 12th, 2013 - 68 comments

Aaron Gilmore has given into pressure from his National “mates” and resigned.

Poverty Watch 30

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:11 am, May 11th, 2013 - 10 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, and “sympathise” with those poor Herald readers who are just sick to death of all those beggars on Queen St…

Nats sign up for KiwiBuild?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:16 pm, May 10th, 2013 - 26 comments

KiwiBuild has already been a success, scaring the Nats in to producing, in conjunction with Len Brown’s Auckland, a more significant housing policy. The “Unitary Plan” is woefully short on detail, but it concedes that KiwiBuild’s target of 10,000 new homes a year is easily achievable (I guess it’s only impossible when Labour propose it).

John Key’s disaster capitalism

Written By: karol - Date published: 1:07 pm, May 9th, 2013 - 31 comments

The latest Household Labour Force Employment statistics are out, and on the surface, look good for John and Bill. But this is driven by improved employment in Canterbury over the last quarter. Grant Robertson says, “Disaster recovery is not a plan for jobs”.

MRP sale fail numbers

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:03 am, May 9th, 2013 - 194 comments

Here are the numbers that sum up the MRP sale fail – foremost among them the $1,000 that the government has spent per Kiwi investor attracted.

What if Gilmore quits?

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:25 pm, May 8th, 2013 - 105 comments

Stuff is reporting that John Key is signalling for Aaron Gilmore to stand down. What are the possible implications? [update: information about Claudette Hauiti, next National’s list]