political parties

Labour to relax fiscal responsibility rules

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, May 24th, 2019 - 72 comments

Grant Robertson has announced there will be a relaxing of the fiscal responsibility rules, although not until after the next election.

Will the Christian Conservatives rise again?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:07 am, May 20th, 2019 - 78 comments

Simon Bridges has conceded that his claim that talk about Alfred Ngaro setting up a conservative party was “rumour and speculation” was not actually true. And Ngaro has gone on the offensive describing abortion as an unholy holocaust.

The hard change of forestry

Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:41 am, May 18th, 2019 - 98 comments

Forestry is forcing an important tilting point between mitigating climate change and land use, and it’s going to affect the viability of some North Island towns.

In praise of Judith Collins

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:58 pm, May 17th, 2019 - 35 comments

In what is possibly a first ever occurrence the Standard is publishing a post in praise of Judith Collins for standing up for Green MP Golriz Ghahraman.

Is National thinking of a conservative puppet party?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:12 am, May 17th, 2019 - 251 comments

The Herald has reported that National is considering allowing Alfred Ngaro to form another break away party this time with a definite christian conservative bent and also to take over the Botany electorate.

Auf Wiedersehen Iraq

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 12:49 pm, May 16th, 2019 - 30 comments

The Germans and the Dutch have suspended training Iraqi soldiers citing increased tensions in the area. What do they know that Ron Mark doesn’t? Cabinet is due to make a decision shortly on our long-planned decision to withdraw, and he seems to want us to stay. Labour’s policy at the election was to withdraw, it should prevail.

Why Labour’s student debt policy is a success

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:56 pm, May 15th, 2019 - 85 comments

National has claimed that Labour’s tertiary fees policy is failing because numbers applying for it have not increased. But National clearly has failed to understand that the policy is about reducing student loan totals or it is deliberately misinterpreting the reason for the policy.

Swarbrick 2 Bennett 0

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, May 14th, 2019 - 56 comments

Paula Bennett has declined to engage in a debate with Chloe Swarbrick on National TV.

I agree with DPF

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:51 am, May 14th, 2019 - 95 comments

David Farrar has written saying that National should not underestimate Jacinda Ardern and describes a recent performance at an InternetNZ meeting as highly impressive.

@Melulater on Teachers’ Strike

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:10 am, May 13th, 2019 - 98 comments

Reprinted with permission from the blogsite How Melulater sees it, an important backgrounder to the impending teachers’ strike.

Simon’s unfortunate pecuniary register omission

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:39 am, May 10th, 2019 - 31 comments

Jami-Lee Ross has alleged that Simon Bridges pecuniary interest return is not correct because it failed to disclose an expensive dinner and a case of wine donated by Zhang Yikon.

Swarbrick 1 Bennett 0

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:11 pm, May 9th, 2019 - 47 comments

Chloe Swarbrick has responded Paula Bennett’s derisory comments about the proposed cannabis drug reform with a very elegant burn.

Zero carbon bill – let the battle commence

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:21 am, May 9th, 2019 - 102 comments

The Zero Carbon bill is already being attacked by farming groups who are clearly concerned at the implications for their industry. And National is already showing signs that it will play politics with the issue.

Zero Carbon bill announced

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:44 pm, May 8th, 2019 - 40 comments

The Government has announced that the Zero Carbon Bill will have as a goal carbon neutrality by 2050 and the halving of methane emissions by that time.

Reeferendum madness

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:39 am, May 8th, 2019 - 121 comments

The Government parties have all decided to support draft drug reform legislation should the referendum to be held at the next election succeed. But National is refusing to say what it will do.

Eugenie Sage vetos vast tailings dump

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:46 am, May 6th, 2019 - 72 comments

Green Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage has vetoed Oceania Gold’s attempt to buy a 180-hectare dairy farm to store mining tailings from its Waihi gold mines.

Pike River re-entry delayed

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:53 am, May 3rd, 2019 - 51 comments

Re-entry to the Pike River mine has been delayed so that a high oxygen reading from within the mine can be understood.

National’s bad day in the house

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:28 am, May 2nd, 2019 - 70 comments

In an unprecedented move yesterday in Parliament Government MPs agreed to Simon Bridges having extra time to harangue them during the general debate.

Climate change is this Government’s nuclear free issue

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, May 1st, 2019 - 50 comments

The results of the Zero Carbon Bill negotiations are due to be announced shortly. This Government has a political imperative to make sure that the final proposal is resolute.

Death by a thousand cuts

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:20 am, May 1st, 2019 - 74 comments

It has been reported that John Key has shown some support behind the scenes for Judith Collins. And someone in National’s caucus has leaked to Newshub that MPs were told not to leak to Newshub.

The ides of April

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:34 am, April 30th, 2019 - 87 comments

National’s first caucus meeting in a while is scheduled for today. And the leaks are continuing.

Slushiegate

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:46 am, April 29th, 2019 - 101 comments

Simon Bridges has decided to attack Corrections management for installing slushie machines designed to help cool prison guards in full uniform and heavy stab proof vests on hot days.

Splitters!

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:37 am, April 26th, 2019 - 34 comments

David Moffett, a Former board member of the New Conservative Party has announced the launch of a new new conservative party.

About the CGT decision

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:06 am, April 18th, 2019 - 232 comments

With the benefit of hindsight the decision not to proceed with a capital gains tax was almost inevitable.

CGT Dumped

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 2:08 pm, April 17th, 2019 - 244 comments

The Government has announced that there will be no Capital Gains Tax. It’s a shame, but it’s good politics.

Should he stay or should he go?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:04 am, April 17th, 2019 - 68 comments

Tova O’Brien has reported that different National MPs are speaking out against Simon Bridges and that a coup against him may be in the offering.

1 NEWS Colmar Brunton Poll April 2019

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:45 pm, April 15th, 2019 - 50 comments

The latest 1 News Colmar Brunton Poll is out and it says that a Labour/Greens Government is what NZ wants. Oh, and we quite like Jacinda Ardern.

National’s culture review shambles redux

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:19 am, April 15th, 2019 - 32 comments

Simon Bridges has given a train wreck of an interview this morning on Radio New Zealand’s morning report about National’s culture review. It appears that National is keeping the report secret because of fears that the report may be leaked.