political parties

MSSA Bill reported back

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:10 am, April 9th, 2019 - 10 comments

The Finance and Expenditure Select Committee has reported back the Arms Amendment Bill which will ban the general availability of military style semi automatic weapons with only modest changes.

David is delayed

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:27 am, April 3rd, 2019 - 13 comments

David Seymour has done something even more embarrassing than twerking on Dancing with the Stars.

Dumb as a plank

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:18 pm, April 2nd, 2019 - 80 comments

Pro gun lobby groups are making some outlandish claims about the Government’s proposed gun law changes.

The benefits of a Labour led Government

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:18 pm, April 1st, 2019 - 67 comments

Today marks the day that the largest ever increase in the minimum wage will occur.

Simon Bridges is seeking to join the Labour Party

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:30 am, April 1st, 2019 - 32 comments

The Standard understands from two reliable sources that Simon Bridges has applied for membership of the Labour Party. More news as it comes to hand …

The gun lobby fights back

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:27 pm, March 30th, 2019 - 16 comments

The Herald is reporting that Gun City the business that sold the military style semi automatic weapons to the Christchurch Mosque killer, has urged customers to sign a petition against banning military style semi automatic weapons.

The Green Party on the Mosque murders

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 am, March 29th, 2019 - 194 comments

Recent criticism of Marama Davidson and Golriz Ghahraman over their drawing links between racism and the Mosque murders is misplaced.

The Repentant Right

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 10:00 am, March 27th, 2019 - 121 comments

The former leader of various NZ neo Nazi groups reckons the kiwi far right are being driven underground. TRP argues they will instead look for another home.

We need more than capital gains tax to address inequality

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 2:41 pm, March 25th, 2019 - 46 comments

The most important comment in the Tax Working Group’s Final Report is that even the reasonably comprehensive capital gains tax proposed is likely to have only a minor impact on addressing inequality — what is needed is a more progressive income tax system that lifts the top marginal tax rate

Reform of the SIS

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:29 am, March 25th, 2019 - 60 comments

Following the Christchurch Mosque murders there are strong calls for an inquiry into the SIS. But should it be given more power or should it be reformed to remove a pretty clear blind spot.

Adequate gun control and (almost) complete party support.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:43 am, March 22nd, 2019 - 128 comments

Now that I’ve had time to look through what has been implemented and what is proposed to happen with changes to gun laws and think about it. I’m almost satisfied. Since that so seldom happens that I suspect a gotcha, I’m now going to keep debugging until I am sure that it is actually as good as it looks.

Westland Dairy sale

Written By: advantage - Date published: 12:08 pm, March 20th, 2019 - 30 comments

Westland Dairy has done a deal to sell out to Yili industrial Group of Mongolia. This company is the third largest dairy company in New Zealand.

The power of compassionate politics

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:20 am, March 20th, 2019 - 205 comments

Jacinda Ardern has shown over the past week that she is one of the country’s best leaders.

National’s unfortunate misstatement about its migrant petition

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:51 am, March 19th, 2019 - 76 comments

National has been caught out in what is euphemistically called a misspeak about when it took its odious anti UN Migration pact petition down from its website. It said it was weeks before the Christchurch murders but it appears the petition was still live after the event.

DPF does the right thing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 5:05 pm, March 18th, 2019 - 101 comments

Kiwiblog comments have been turned off as David Farrar grapples with how to handle a crisis concerning hate speech.

Lets ban assault weapons – now

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:45 am, March 18th, 2019 - 284 comments

The Government needs to urgently change the law to ban the sale of military style semi automatic weapons.

Ardern backs students striking for climate change

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:43 am, March 15th, 2019 - 70 comments

Jacinda Ardern has publicly supported the School students strike about climate change and urged them not to underestimate the power of their voices.

James Shaw Assaulted

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 11:34 am, March 14th, 2019 - 188 comments

Green co-leader James Shaw has been assaulted near Parliament. The MP is in hospital and a man has been arrested.

Simon Bridges is distancing himself from Simon Bridges

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:01 am, March 13th, 2019 - 44 comments

Simon Bridges did the remarkable thing yesterday of distancing himself from his own party over events he had major involvement in.

Pretty Legal: SFO to Investigate Nat Donation

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 10:36 am, March 12th, 2019 - 77 comments

NZ Police have confirmed that the Serious Fraud Office is investigating donations received by the National Party.

Simon Bridges is rooting for the Greens*

Written By: Incognito - Date published: 4:12 pm, March 9th, 2019 - 28 comments

Simon Bridges makes a passionate plea for the environment and for a mate.

The tax debate – Dogwhistle time

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:07 am, March 7th, 2019 - 111 comments

National has resorted to race baiting in its attempt to denigrate the Tax Working Group’s proposed capital gains tax.

Young people and climate change

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:56 am, March 6th, 2019 - 50 comments

School students are planning national protests against climate change on March 15, 2019. The response of some politicians to this news is less than optimal.

National’s Tax review strategy

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:22 am, March 5th, 2019 - 107 comments

The Government is not due to announce its response to the Tax Working Group’s recommendations for a few more weeks. It appears that National using outrageous assumptions will take the opportunity to raise horror stories in the media on how bad the tax could be.

Sage gets the money

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, March 5th, 2019 - 47 comments

Greens Minister Eugenie Sage deserves praise for securing some solid funding increases for her Conservation portfolio.

The Green’s electoral law reform petition

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:47 am, March 4th, 2019 - 389 comments

The Green Party’s launching of a petition to seek changes to the electoral system has met with some Trumpian style rhetoric from the right.

MAFS National Style*

Written By: Incognito - Date published: 10:32 am, March 3rd, 2019 - 61 comments

National is grooming the voters for another dirty ACT.

National’s Maggie Barry problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:20 am, March 3rd, 2019 - 25 comments

The Herald has reported that there has been concerns at Maggie Barry’s behaviour towards staff has been raised on three separate occasions. And Parliamentary Services is at the suggestion of the Auditor General investigating claims of misuse of Parliamentary Services resources.

Lies damn lies and tax analysis

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:21 pm, March 2nd, 2019 - 67 comments

National’s claim that a capital gains tax would reduce the value of an average worker’s Kiwisaver account by $64,000 over a 45 year working life seems to be as valid as Steven Joyce’s claim there was an $11.5 billion dollar hole in Labour’s draft budget.