political parties

The trouble with MMP

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:11 am, March 3rd, 2020 - 93 comments

The trouble with MMP is that sometimes members of minority parties court media attention by being overtly racist.

Climate change – the right schemes and the left despairs

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:02 am, March 2nd, 2020 - 27 comments

The Australian Liberal Government has signalled a movement away from solar and wind power to untested technologies including carbon capture, hydrogen and lithium. Meanwhile the woman who led the negotiations for the Paris Agreement is calling for civil disobedience to force institutions to respond to the climate crisis.

National’s new conservation policy was previously announced in 2014

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:29 pm, February 29th, 2020 - 12 comments

National has announced a “new” policy that it previously announced in 2014. And that has already been implemented.

Do not deport your people and your problems to New Zealand

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:33 am, February 29th, 2020 - 53 comments

Jacinda Ardern has trashed traditional notions of how New Zealand Australia relations are conducted when making the clear point that Australia should not be exporting Australian made problems who are barely kiwis to New Zealand.

National is going low on law and order issues

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:48 am, February 27th, 2020 - 10 comments

Over the past week National has shown a willingness to take really base aggressive positions on law and order issues for political advantages no matter what principles are at stake. And at the same time show a complete lack of understanding of the issues that are involved.

The right politicising the coronavirus

Written By: weka - Date published: 2:38 pm, February 26th, 2020 - 113 comments

NACT’s values are showing.

Someone should keep a Talley

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:51 am, February 26th, 2020 - 15 comments

Radio New Zealand has published details of Talley donations totalling $27,000 being made to the NZ First Foundation.

The real cause of New Zealand’s failing housing system

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:16 pm, February 23rd, 2020 - 139 comments

Simon Wilson has set out in a Herald article historical data which suggests that the cause of the housing crisis can be dated back to decisions made generations ago. But Steven Joyce thinks that the cure is actually the cause of the problem.

WTAF NZ First?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:44 am, February 22nd, 2020 - 148 comments

It has been reported that NZ First will oppose the Green’s attempt to make the country’s car fleet more sustainable and that it may hold up proposed gun law changes designed to address the problems clearly shown by the Christchurch massacre.

Sustainable NZ not so sustainable after all

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:42 pm, February 21st, 2020 - 23 comments

It appears that National’s dream of an alternative Green party that would drive the real Green Party below the threshold is in tatters with news that Sustainable NZ is on the skids.

Pure clear water

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:15 am, February 21st, 2020 - 44 comments

It’s probably time to notice why Jones’ Provincial Growth Fund had to step in and provide several million of funding to patch up the water supply emergency in Northland.

National has nothing to be afraid of

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:03 am, February 20th, 2020 - 54 comments

National has absolutely nothing to worry about the prosecution of four people for carving up a donation to the National Party.

SFO: The National Party Four are Named

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 3:20 pm, February 19th, 2020 - 107 comments

Name suppression has been lifted for the four National Party associates charged by the SFO.

National’s donation reporting problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:19 am, February 19th, 2020 - 25 comments

National’s recent donations returns suggest that a large total of their donations are made in the under $15,000 category, the benefit of which is that the donor’s identity does not have to be disclosed. Update: The four accused have been named.

Green Party call for national discussion on political party funding and donations reform

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:10 am, February 19th, 2020 - 61 comments

It’s clear that Parliament is incapable of meaningful reforms to itself, as some political parties have a vested interest in the status quo, a citizens’ assembly would remove bias around these important decisions.

– NZ Green Party

BREAKING NEWS: Simon Bridges Calls on Simon Bridges to Stand Down

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 6:30 pm, February 18th, 2020 - 5 comments

BREAKING NEWS: Simon Bridges calls on the leader of the opposition to stand down while the SFO case is before the courts.

National received two dodgy $100,000 donations

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:25 am, February 18th, 2020 - 46 comments

The SFO charges laid in the District Court reveal that it investigated not one but two dodgy $100,000 donations to National.

National’s big economic policy announcement

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:42 pm, February 17th, 2020 - 83 comments

Simon Bridges has claimed that the average wage earner in the country pays almost 33c in the dollar in taxes. Spoiler alert, they do not.

National is not counting its chickens for granted

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:47 am, February 17th, 2020 - 27 comments

National will announce today that tax cuts will be a major policy plank for the next election.

What was Winston thinking?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:52 am, February 15th, 2020 - 120 comments

It has been revealed that NZ First acquired photographs of its former President and two reporters emerged on the Whaleoil mark 2 site, raising the concerning possibility that Simon Lusk may be involved in helping NZ First.

The problem with opinion polls

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:38 am, February 14th, 2020 - 77 comments

This week the Reid Research Poll predicted a Labour Green government and the Colmar Brunton poll predicted a National ACT government. Which one will be proved correct?

Fact checking National

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:51 am, February 13th, 2020 - 14 comments

Simon Bridges has claimed that a GDP growth Jacinda Ardern used was wrong even though it was the figure released by Statistics NZ.

Bridges’ many and varied positions on coalition with NZ First

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:48 pm, February 12th, 2020 - 18 comments

In the past 10 days Simon Bridges has said that National will not go into coalition with NZ First after the next election, to it could consider coalition in the future, to there is no way it will ever go into coalition with NZ First.

Will the last remaining National MP please turn off the lights

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:35 pm, February 11th, 2020 - 58 comments

Three more National MPs have joined the ranks of those leaving Parliament this year.

Will DPF condemn National for hiding the identity of its donors?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:35 am, February 11th, 2020 - 59 comments

David Farrar has called for the suspension of Winston Peters from Cabinet for reasons which would also justify the suspension of Simon Bridges from the National Party.

The big State Media Merger?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, February 8th, 2020 - 27 comments

Looks like there’s a ways to go before New Zealand gets an integrated state-backed broadcaster. But the Government’s recent proposal is a big step in the right direction.

No mates Simon

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:48 am, February 7th, 2020 - 86 comments

The repercussions from Simon Bridges’ disastrous Waitangi performance continue to reverberate. His suggestions that Māori seats and the Waitangi Tribunal should be done away with have resulted in the Māori Party indicating it is more likely to support Labour after the election.

The MPs go to Waitangi

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:04 am, February 5th, 2020 - 93 comments

Yesterday the political parties were welcomed onto the upper Marae at Waitangi. Jacinda Ardern took the occasion to give a stock take of what the Government was doing to address Iwi concerns, Andrew Little gave his speech totally in te reo, and Simon Bridges chose to use the opportunity to politic.

Mike Moore

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, February 3rd, 2020 - 104 comments

It’s not often you find New Zealanders who give every single breath they have to the left and do it with resounding and even global success. Such a person was Mike Moore.

Bridges’ biggest gamble

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:46 pm, February 2nd, 2020 - 103 comments

Simon Bridges has mimicked John Key and ruled out National working with NZ First after the election. The difference is however that back then Key ruled out working with NZ First because NZ First was involved in a SFO investigation about the hiding of a $100,000 donation. This time it is National.

Pay the money back Simon

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:17 pm, February 1st, 2020 - 33 comments

Simon Bridges has stated that National wants to pay the undeclared $100,000 donation back but even though nearly two years have passed since it was made it still remains unrepaid.