political parties

Key’s plan arse backwards

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:21 am, May 25th, 2012 - 23 comments

Getting back to surplus is not the first step to growing the economy. It’s the other way round.

Fail Budget

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:09 pm, May 24th, 2012 - 106 comments

Budget reaction here. Seems the Nats’ preferred budget tag line is ‘Investing in the future’. Should have called it ‘Waiting for Godot’. Here’s a quick summary: Zero = Fail.

Update: Nats planning to tax kids’ after school jobs. No, not joking.

Cry me a river John

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 5:56 pm, May 23rd, 2012 - 16 comments

Exercise for the reader – post links to occasions of Key and the Nats ignoring official advice.

David Parker’s Greece-proof paper

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 5:05 pm, May 22nd, 2012 - 30 comments

Don’t blame Greece: if you change nothing, nothing changes. National’s problems are their own to solve, but they don’t have the guts to look at the big problems in New Zealand’s economy. 0.6% growth in total over the last 3 years – less than population. But National only tinkers and distracts, as our brightest and best head to Aussie.

Four years of failed promises

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:57 pm, May 22nd, 2012 - 22 comments

Labour has published its budget website and a video ripping John Key’s record of broken promises. It’s pretty damning. Yet Key and English want to claim that there’s nothing wrong and growth has been in line with projections. It’s like they’re operating in a parallel universe.

McCarten: Waging war on working class

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:09 am, May 22nd, 2012 - 11 comments

Matt McCarten’s latest column is a must read. There is something nasty going on…

Spin v reality

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 6:45 pm, May 21st, 2012 - 13 comments

National have become a very adept PR machine. While not adept at running the country, they’ve become great at running statistics. John Key was pushing things a little too far with his lines that unemployment rising to 6.7% showed an improved economy and that Europe electing anti-austerity leaders showed their austerity policies were right, but […]

Greens Budget Alternative

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 1:11 pm, May 21st, 2012 - 68 comments

The Greens launched their Budget alternative this morning. Titled “Smart Green Economics” it lived up to the billing. Extra heft was provided by BERL economist Dr Ganesh Nana paper arguing that the Government’s asset sales programme leaves the government accounts permanently worse off. It was also good to hear about opportunities and their alternatives. We’ve had enough of TINA.

Dunne angry

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:39 pm, May 18th, 2012 - 106 comments

Underneath the ‘common-sense’ exterior, and all that hair, Peter Dunne is an angry man. He lashed out that those who pointed out he’s voting for asset sales he never told his electorate he would support. He screamed at losing TVNZ7 – Backbenches is his one chance to get on the telly. And he’s going feral on the Conservatives because they could usurp him.

Pride cometh

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:47 am, May 17th, 2012 - 52 comments

Judith Collins has finally filed defamation action against Trevor Mallard and Andrew Little. She’s waited until close to the Budget so that the story would be quickly overshadowed and then forgotten. You see, Collins had foolishly got herself between a rock and a hard place. Suing wasn’t the optimal choice but she’s too prideful for the alternative.

Much ado about nothing

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:23 pm, May 15th, 2012 - 39 comments

So, Cunliffe was invited on The Nation. He said, yup but not if leadership nonsense is raised. Garner agreed. Then the leader office said it should be Parker as Finance spokesperson this close to the Budget. Cunliffe agreed. And this is meant to be some huge ado? Get real.

The only growth industry

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:13 am, May 15th, 2012 - 29 comments

I guess we should give credit to National, in this time of economic stagnation, for the one and only growth industry that they have accomplished.

Tea ladies to be drug tested

Written By: Jenny Michie - Date published: 10:13 am, May 11th, 2012 - 45 comments

Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson seems to be living in an alternative universe, with her comment on Checkpoint yesterday that tea ladies in the adventure tourism industry could be drug tested: “The boss might be tested, it could be his turn or it could be the tea lady.” We’ll take it as a given that Kate assumes the boss […]

Seriously extreme and nutty

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:27 am, May 10th, 2012 - 82 comments

Amongst all the topical chatter about the Conservative Party there was one comment that I think we should get on record for future reference.

Nat Civil War: ceasefire breached

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:35 am, May 9th, 2012 - 90 comments

Well, that didn’t take long. A couple of weeks of quiet (probably thanks to some good polls more than anything) and, now, the National Party Civil War has re-erupted as the Collins and Joyce factions fight over the post-Key future. The leaking of National Party board minutes shows how serious the fighting is and reveals strong opposition to Slater/Lusk’s tactics.

Contraception debate

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:48 pm, May 8th, 2012 - 96 comments

The Government is planning to offer free long-term contraception for beneficiaries and their daughters. At one level its a sensible idea. But it comes with too much baggage attached. The Nats have already made such a mess of it that they can’t make this proposal with any credibility.

Resignationwatch: constraints

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:38 am, May 6th, 2012 - 61 comments

Banks is deadmeat. It’s just a matter of time before Key gives him the boot. Politically, he must. He has grounds, even on the limited ‘ethics while a minister’ test he has created. We’re now just waiting for something sufficiently new that Key can use it as justification for an about face. Then comes the question of a by-election. And that’s where it gets tricky for Key.

Another MMP rort?

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 11:50 am, May 4th, 2012 - 44 comments

The media are doing a good job investigating John Banks’ donation history. The Police are presumably also doing theirs, and it seems clear that the matter must end up in Court and the issue of who is telling the truth will be decided by a judge. Some in the media have dismissed the question of any threat to National’s majority. Short-term maybe, long-term I’m not so sure.

Nice work

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 9:57 am, May 4th, 2012 - 15 comments

Number of additional jobs per year needed to match population growth: 25,000 * Jobs promised by National last Budget to be added in March 2012 year: 36,000 * Actual number of jobs added: 20,000 * Additional unemployed: 5,000 * Change in number of fulltime jobs: -6,000 * Change in number of parttime jobs: 25,000 * Growth in underemployment: 4,000 * Broken promises: 1 really big one

Resignationwatch: too many questions

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:38 am, May 4th, 2012 - 156 comments

Why did Banks lie about a discount hotel room where Dotcom was staying, then say he bargained it himself? Who made $15K of radio ad donations to his campaign? What did Nats on Banks’ ‘mentor group’ and ACT leaders know about the anonymised donations? How much info did Banks get from Williamson on Dotcom’s OIO application? Why has Key still not spoken to Banks to ask any of these question?

1000 more jobless each week

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 2:17 pm, May 3rd, 2012 - 28 comments

The unemployment rate has jumped to 6.7%, as National delivered only 20,000 of the 36,000 jobs promised last budget. Last quarter there were 12,000 more jobless.

Where’s our recovery John? Have you sold that off too?

Resignationwatch: Oopsie

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:27 pm, May 2nd, 2012 - 121 comments

ACT Party President Chris Simmons – who opposed the Brash coup that lead to John Banks being ACT’s sole MP – ‘accidentally’ dropped Banks right in it on Radio New Zealand’s Checkpoint. He said “[Banks] made the suggestion to Dotcom” to split his donation into two $25,000 pieces and implied the purpose was to have a number of identically-sized donations he could claim were anonymous.

Ask no questions?

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 9:02 pm, May 2nd, 2012 - 4 comments

There’s the facts, the questions and the legal opinions. Today in Parliament John Key stuck to his lack of interest in detailed questions, and adherence to Banks’ reliance on legal opinions. He even alleged that the Labour Opposition agreed with these opinions. Not likely. The Police need to ask all the relevant questions that have so far not been answered by Banks or asked by Key, then their veracity and reliability should be established by a judge.

Wages rise faster than inflation!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 7:27 am, May 2nd, 2012 - 26 comments

For the first time under this National government, average wages and salaries actually rose (2%) faster than inflation (1.6%), so in the last year people are ever so slightly better off – I think congratulations are in order!

ImperatorFish: Government Moves To End Boat People Crisis

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:28 pm, May 1st, 2012 - 24 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here.

John Key comes up with a crisis.

If Banks resigns

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:21 pm, May 1st, 2012 - 70 comments

A by-election in Epsom. If ACT or National win, the Right retains 61 votes. But, between resignation and swearing in typically takes 3 months during which the Right would have 60 v 60. Legislation fails on draws. Asset sales, SkyCity, welfare cuts, even the Budget could all fail if the Maori Party wants. And what if the Conservatives win? They’re anti-asset sales and crony capitalism. You can see why Key is turning a blind eye.

Twisting in the wind

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:03 am, May 1st, 2012 - 24 comments

According to 3 News, Kim Dotcom paid cheques into John Banks’ campaign account in Queenstown. Duncan Garner says this would show up on Banks’ bank records as “anonymous”. So how did Kim Dotcom get TeamBanksie’s account number? Two days after he had had a lunch meeting with Banks.

More questions for the Police to ask and Banks to answer.

The name’s on the cheque!

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 11:04 pm, April 30th, 2012 - 55 comments

Campbell Live showed us pictures of the Cheques by which Kim Dotcom’s company Megastuff made donations to Team Banksie 2010. How can John Banks argue that the two donations of $25,000 from Kim Dotcom’s company Megastuff Limited are anonymous when the company name is on the cheque? You could look up their address on the website. Game over, John and John.

Firewalls up in smoke

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 6:35 pm, April 30th, 2012 - 34 comments

David Cameron’s defence of embattled Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been called a “firewall” that’s failing to hold.

Cameron needs Hunt to stay or else Cameron is the next to go. It is the same for John Key.

As the stench of corruption around John Banks grows, he desperately needs him to stay or else all he loses legitimacy for asset sales and potentially his majority on the issue as well.

Will Dunne heed his own poll on asset sales?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:48 am, April 30th, 2012 - 46 comments

United Future are polling the public about their support for partial privatisation. Will Peter Dunne heed his own poll?

Classy

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 10:49 am, April 30th, 2012 - 37 comments

What your ruling party got up to at its South Island Regional Conference. Michael Woddhouse, list MP and failed candidate for Dunedin South, speaking at a podium behind a toilet seat with Dunedin South MP Clare Curran’s face attached. It’s witty, too. That’s what I like about it.