political parties

Nats lying over firing Aroha’s mum?

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 7:07 am, February 8th, 2010 - 30 comments

Jackie Blue's magical Tardis Electorate Office that both is, and isn't

In yesterday’s Herald Jackie Blue told us she’d sacked the mother of young Aroha because she had to merge offices with Sam Lotu-Iiga. But some investigative work at The Hand Mirror suggests otherwise…

National, time to put your dog on a leash

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:17 pm, February 7th, 2010 - 49 comments

As surely an endorphin high fades, Cameron Slater was going to do something to get his name back in the media. He’s been trying to test the boundaries for a few weeks. He’s been ignored. So, stepped it up a few gears. He’s named another person on name suppression. He doesn’t care that the name […]

The Government is to blame for record unemployment numbers

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:54 pm, February 4th, 2010 - 59 comments

Andrew Campbell It should come as no surprise that unemployment hit 7.3% today. That’s what happens when a government does virtually nothing to support job creation when there is a recession. But instead of announcing a plan to address this massive economic and social issue the Minister for Unemployment, Paula Bennett, is blaming a growth […]

More jobs lost, govt does nothing

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 9:24 am, February 4th, 2010 - 13 comments

Telecom is threatening to throw up to 1,500 workers out of their jobs so it can increase profits by offshoring. A good government in this situation is talks to the company, uses the bully pulpit. Telecom should be reminded that it is hoping to make a bomb off the government’s broadband fund. They should be reminded that the one […]

Not a good look

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:24 am, February 4th, 2010 - 22 comments

So, John Key and Pita Sharples put Hone Harawira in charge of deciding which flag will fly to represent Maori on government buildings on Waitangi Day. Only four options are put up: the New Zealand flag, the New Zealand ensign, the 1835 United Tribes flag, and Tino Rangatiratanga. It was always pretty obvious what the result […]

Wages dropping under Key, as promised

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:26 am, February 3rd, 2010 - 28 comments

Remember how John Key said he “would love to see wages drop“. You might remember the big corporate media refused to run it, and the head of APN held an emergency meeting with Key then pressured the journalist who had reported the comments to retract them, which he would not do, and then APN published […]

Nats soft on crime

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:36 am, February 2nd, 2010 - 38 comments

Oh, sure, the Nats will lock a person up longer after they commit a crime, if they get caught. But what they won’t do is prevent them commiting the crime in the first place. National will spend a fortune on counter-productive vengence after you’ve become a victim of crime but not a fraction of that on saving the crime from happening in […]

Speak up, Pita. We can’t hear you

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:04 am, February 2nd, 2010 - 20 comments

TVNZ reports: “Associate Education Minister Pita Sharples has labelled the National Standards policy as damaging to Maori but later refused to comment after being shut down by the Prime Minister.” Well, Pita, points for having your heart in the right place but how much longer will you put up with the indignity of being gagged […]

Colin James on Labour’s election record

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:05 am, February 1st, 2010 - 3 comments

Dancr linked to Colin James’ piece in the Press the other day, in which he writes: Here’s Labour’s record for the five decades years since the end of 1959: in government 19 years, out of government 31 years. Its best five decades were 1929-79, when it had 20 years in government, its worst just 12 […]

That made my Auckland anniversary day

Written By: lprent - Date published: 9:45 am, February 1st, 2010 - 21 comments

Peter Dunne on his record against Jeanette Fitzsimmons is really an exercise in ego instead of substance

Colin James on Labour 2010

Written By: Dancr - Date published: 8:46 pm, January 31st, 2010 - 2 comments

I know Standard readers follow politics closely almost by definition, but for those who don’t here’s Colin James’ observations on the year ahead for Labour, and for Phil Goff (Press, 30 Jan ’10). He asks: Phil Goff cooks sausages to a turn on the barbecue. But can he cook up a strategic future for Labour? […]

Turei pushing me back to RAM

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:23 am, January 29th, 2010 - 62 comments

Check out this exchange between Trevor Mallard and Metiria Turei on his Facebook page (great how the new media allows these spur of the moment debates): Trevor Mallard: 25c/hour. $10 week for 40 hours then minus tax, extra acc, ets charges. Not fair John Key. It should be $15 Metiria Turei: Trevor, with genuine respect, […]

Thanks Jeanette

Written By: r0b - Date published: 8:45 am, January 29th, 2010 - 14 comments

So Jeanette Fitzsimons is, as expected, resigning from Parliament. After 13 years her last day will be February 11th. Parliament will miss her energy, her honesty, her sanity, and her clear strong voice on Green issues. It is a huge loss, but no one deserves a long and happy retirement more than Jeanette. Frogblog has […]

The many. Not the few

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:16 pm, January 28th, 2010 - 104 comments

Phil Goff has just delivered his first major speech of the year to state what Labour stands for and where it is going. I have to say, I’m impressed. You really should read it. It sets out a clear agenda for Labour and that agenda is firmly rooted in Labour’s deepest principles – decent pay […]

The danger of pre-writing your narrative

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:53 pm, January 25th, 2010 - 27 comments

It was clear that the Herald had decided how Ratana would play this year: eveyone loves Key, Goff gets the cold shoulder. It didn’t matter what actually happened, that was going to be the Herald’s narrative: Ratana pats Key on the back Labour gets icy reception at Ratana You would think those headlines had been […]

Hide opens door for Winston?

Written By: Sam Cash - Date published: 12:01 pm, January 23rd, 2010 - 14 comments

Eddie has already covered the story of Hide giving the middle finger to the people of Franklin regarding the Supercity. Franklin is Tory heartland. However the current local National MP for Hunua, the underwhelming Dr Paul Hutchinson, has consistently been taken to pieces over his government’s decision to destroy the district. Locals are furious with […]

Say what?

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:40 am, January 18th, 2010 - 12 comments

Statements made in Parliament last year, in chronological order: Hon BILL ENGLISH: They have been telling us that we should copy the Australian fiscal stimulus, when Australia’s unemployment rate is close to 6%â€”whereas our fiscal stimulus has kept our unemployment rate down to 5%. So which one is it: copy Australia’s plan and force the […]

How Act’s failed coup went down

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:49 am, January 7th, 2010 - 39 comments

Spotted on Facebook:

Government barely survives first year

Written By: r0b - Date published: 10:22 am, December 19th, 2009 - 39 comments

Audrey Young finally gets around to mentioning how close the government came to imploding last month: Rodney Hide survived moves to oust him as Act Party leader last month after Prime Minister John Key privately indicated National’s deal with Act would be off if the minister were dumped. And it is believed that at the […]

Nats offer Maori flags & baubles, not representation & jobs

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:13 pm, December 15th, 2009 - 12 comments

NZPA: The Maori Party has withdrawn its support for a government bill after its bid to have Maori members on polytechnic councils failed. The Maori Party put up an amendment which would have ensured that councils had at least three Maori members. The Government didn’t accept the amendment and it was defeated. The Maori Party […]

Labour’s flag strategy

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 2:48 pm, December 15th, 2009 - 44 comments

Colin Espiner: After making inroads in the latest TV3 poll, Goff has clearly taken fright after the reaction to his nationhood speech. How else to explain his perplexing decision not to comment on the announcement by Prime Minister John Key that the Maori tino rangatiratanga flag will fly on Waitangi Day? This decision by Key […]

Nats’ ‘stimulus’: $200K per job

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:45 am, December 15th, 2009 - 12 comments

National claims it created 2,300 jobs with its stimulus spending. Of course, most of this supposed stimulus was smoke and mirrors – re-announcing existing spending – and 2,300 is bugger all when there are over quarter of a million Kiwis out of work. But I had a few more problems with this announcement. Firstly, I […]

Maori flag, so what?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:34 am, December 15th, 2009 - 46 comments

I’m fine with a flag representing Maori flying on Waitangi Day. Some argue there are constitutional concerns with flying a flag representing Maori self-determination next to the New Zealand flag. They say it implies (as Pita Sharples seems to believe) two separate sovereign powers in this country, the Government of New Zealand and Maoridom (represented […]

Sharples: ‘ETS short-sighted, that’s why we supported it’

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 1:00 pm, December 14th, 2009 - 27 comments

I could hardly believe my ears when I heard Waatea News on RNZ this morning. Pita Sharples admitted that the Maori Party knew supporting National’s ETS would mean worse environmental outcomes and would cost the country $110 billion in subsidies for polluters but they did it anyway to keep the price of fuel a bit […]

Govt stimulus creates 2300 jobs

Written By: r0b - Date published: 9:45 am, December 14th, 2009 - 8 comments

“Govt stimulus creates 2300 jobs” reads the headline! It’s a bit misleading though. A more accurate headline would have been – “Labour Govt stimulus creates 2300 jobs”. How’s that, I hear you cry? Follow the money: The Government estimates its economic stimulus package has created about 2300 jobs through increased infrastructure spending of more than […]

Govt spending – the big lie

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 3:30 pm, December 10th, 2009 - 45 comments

I’m kind of embarrassed. I should know by now never to trust a word out of Bill English’s mouth. I should have checked his repeated claims that government spending rocketed under Labour. English likes to say that because of Labour government spending increased by 45% over the five years from 2004 to 2009. As David […]

Shame on Labour for backing Goff

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:30 am, December 9th, 2009 - 42 comments

By Andrew Campbell Shame on the Labour caucus. If it’s true that they back Phil Goff’s Nationhood speech without reservations and therefore his strategy to use dog whistling racist tactics to win back the white male vote then they deserve the long period in opposition such an approach will bring. The closing of the ranks […]

Greens’ 10 year anniversary

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:30 pm, December 8th, 2009 - 12 comments

The Green Party celebrated 10 years in the New Zealand Parliament yesterday. Happy birthday! It was especially fitting that the anniversary coincided with the beginning of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In the past ten years climate change has evolved from a fringe topic into the most pressing issue of the global […]

Silly stories

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:12 am, December 8th, 2009 - 44 comments

Helmetless Hone: Keen to continue the Hone Harawira saga, One News reported that complaints had been laid over Harawira not wearing a helmet when he rode the motorcycle of a visiting anti-violence campaigner on Parliament’s forecourt. I hope the Police have better things to do than investigate an MP for taking a 50m spin on […]

Capitalism in its wonderful natural form.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 7:55 pm, December 7th, 2009 - 29 comments

Following on from our report earlier this year about ideal places for libertarians to go, it appears that we are now seeing capitalism in its wonderful Ayn Rand style libertarian idealized form. Somali ‘maritime companies” have setup a stock exchange to help incubate free enterprise in its natural form. From Reuters we have this report. […]

Enough considering already!

Written By: Dancr - Date published: 3:15 pm, December 7th, 2009 - 14 comments

When first writing about my thoughts on Phil Goff’s speech little did I realise that it was turning into an ongoing issue! Perhaps some closer consideration should have been given to the ‘internal communication’ – the speech now appears as a stand-alone issue (although maybe that counts as ‘got headlines – tick?), distracting from the […]