political parties

Dear Judith burning Oil and Gas is the worst thing for the climate

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:45 am, April 14th, 2018 - 73 comments

National now seems to adopt the position that climate change is real and has to be addressed. But it is refusing to accept that to address the problem New Zealand is going to have to give up its reliance on oil and gas.

Homeless families are living in cars … and tents

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, April 13th, 2018 - 84 comments

Remember how early on during his reign as National leader John Key talked about the underclass and how they were a blight on New Zealand society? Well over the past year WINZ has been giving grants to homeless families to live in tents.

Government blocks off shore oil and gas drilling

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:13 am, April 12th, 2018 - 158 comments

The Government has announced that there will be no new offshore oil and gas exploration permits issued under the block offer process.

We did not know it would be this bad

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:10 am, April 11th, 2018 - 173 comments

Marama Davidson’s question to Jacinda Ardern in Parliament yesterday allowed Jacinda to outline the enormous mess the last National Government has left the country in.

What did we want from Marama Davidson?

Written By: Matthew Whitehead - Date published: 8:30 am, April 10th, 2018 - 68 comments

James Shaw and Marama Davidson, standing together as Green Party co-leaders

While there has been some informed commentary on Marama Davidson’s ascension as co-leader of the Green Party, some of the more right-wing outfits have failed to understand the dynamics within the party right now. What did Marama promise, and what were Greens expecting of her?

The hidden infrastructure fiscal crisis gets real

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:19 am, April 10th, 2018 - 245 comments

Steven Joyce’s $11.7 billion fiscal hole is becoming more and more of a reality although it is in hidden infrastructure costs that National had suppressed in search of the elusive surplus.

Explaining is losing (but only in politics)

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 6:24 am, April 9th, 2018 - 48 comments

Politics is war by other means and nobody likes losing.

Green Party female co-leader announcement: Marama Davidson (updated)

Written By: weka - Date published: 10:47 am, April 8th, 2018 - 208 comments

Marama Davidson is the new female co-leader. Speech and transcript, with a bit of analysis of what this means for the party and NZ politics.

Labour speaks up.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 9:50 am, April 8th, 2018 - 5 comments

Partial transcript of a speech as reported in “The Independent”

Doofus of the week – April 7, 2018

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, April 8th, 2018 - 17 comments

Another easy decision. Gerry Brownlee wins for overseeing a $210 million blow out in EWC’s liability for Christchurch earthquake re-repair work and for being upset when Megan Woods called him on it.

Regrets, John Key’s had a few *

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, April 6th, 2018 - 43 comments

or more accurately one. A failed vanity flag referendum.

National’s strong economic management …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 am, April 6th, 2018 - 47 comments

Between the crisis facing Middlemore Hospital’s buildings and the farce surrounding the cost of repairs of repairs of the Canterbury rebuild, National’s claim that it is a party of strong economic management looks at least misguided.

Northland politicians want to drop more trucks into Auckland

Written By: lprent - Date published: 6:24 am, April 5th, 2018 - 75 comments

Politik reports that some mayors from Northalnd are upset that they aren’t going to get a four lane boondoggle to feed more heavy trucks into traffic chaos that is the Auckland isthmus. They can stick their trucks up their body cavity of choice and learn to love rail. We don’t need more traffic in Auckland until we fix the disaster that National have left us.

Labour aims to make transport system more sustainable

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:03 pm, April 4th, 2018 - 89 comments

The Government has released a draft Government Policy Statement on Transport for consultation. A radical shake up of the Transport system is being proposed.

Hallelujah Parliament to pass law allowing for wiping of convictions for engaging in homosexual behaviour

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 am, April 3rd, 2018 - 13 comments

It is predicted that today Parliament will pass a law allowing for the expunging of convictions of adults for engaging in homosexual behaviour.

Evidence-based foreign policy

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 6:07 pm, April 2nd, 2018 - 99 comments

In the second stage of a false flag attack, facts go out the window and the sole issue becomes “are you for us or against us.” Our media and National Party politicians are well into this stage in the Skripal affair. But as questions mount and skeptics proliferate from all sides, Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters may well be wiser than media advisers by not following blindly the western herd. 26 countries is not the whole world. Update: Porton Down unable to establish Novichok of Russian origin.

The manufacturing of a narrative

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:27 pm, March 31st, 2018 - 606 comments

The past week has seen the Herald focus on issues concerning Clare Curran to the almost exclusion of anything else, including the perilous state of our Health system and Kim Dotcom’s successful appeal against the last Government’s breach of his rights of privacy.

Megan Woods’ speech to the Petroleum Conference

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:49 pm, March 29th, 2018 - 18 comments

The text of Energy Minister Megan Woods’ speech to the recent petroleum conference where she outlined the Government’s approach to the oil industry and the Government’s intention to achieve sustainable change.

Joyce may have been right about the Fiscal hole

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, March 28th, 2018 - 100 comments

Steven Joyce’s prediction of a $11.7 billion deficit in the Government’s finances may be true. But this is because the last Government has underfunded health and hidden problems.

Writehanded: A sea change – or just more weasel words?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:26 am, March 28th, 2018 - 69 comments

A few weeks ago Sarah Wilson at Writehanded looked at the promise in Labour’s welfare policy and whether we are going to be disappointed.

Finlayson found to have breached Dotcom’s rights

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:13 am, March 27th, 2018 - 59 comments

The Human Rights Tribunal has found that the last Government and Chris Finlayson breached Kim Dotcom’s rights in not providing him with information requested by him. And awarded him $90,000 for the breach.

Local Bodies: NZ Politics, a rocky road ahead.

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:25 am, March 27th, 2018 - 29 comments

Dave Kennedy at Local Bodies looks at the tough task ahead for Labour, and where retired MPs are landing.

Kiwibuild kicks off

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:59 am, March 26th, 2018 - 218 comments

The first big Kiwibuild announcement, 3 to 4,000 houses in Mt Albert has been made. And National has responded that it was all their idea and they did not want to announce it because it would be seen as pork barrelling.

Marama Davidson – Te Pire Haeata ki Parihaka – Parihaka Reconciliation Bill – First Reading

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:36 am, March 23rd, 2018 - 10 comments

“I will apologise to the people of Parihaka who are here, while I do recount some of the important history that they have heard and know and live and breathed, but that still today, too many in our country are not aware of and are not familiar with and so I seek to put it on record in the House as part of my contribution.”

Painting by George Clarendon Beale (1856–1939)

Coleman is quitting

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:16 pm, March 22nd, 2018 - 193 comments

Jonathan Coleman has announced his resignation from Parliament.

Naughty Nick’s Parliamentary Porkie

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 7:39 am, March 22nd, 2018 - 39 comments

Nick Smith has been caught out by Trevor Mallard telling a porkie in Parliament.

NRT on transitioning off fossil fuels

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:10 am, March 21st, 2018 - 68 comments

Two posts from No Right Turn.

“Fundamentally, climate change means it is us or the oil industry. We know whose side the Greens are on. But people are doubting Labour, and they only have themselves to blame for it.”

Also a post on banning fossil-fueled cars.