political parties

Tumbleweeds from National on the Tax Working Group

Written By: Enzo - Date published: 12:37 pm, December 21st, 2017 - 40 comments

A month ago Labour announced that Sir Michael Cullen would chair the tax working group and the National Party was cock-a-hoop! Steven Joyce said: “Sir Michael is many things but a politically independent voice on taxation policy he is not,” Judith Collins had fun with it too, in her regular spot on Newshub she dubbed […]

Jian Yang wanted to help the SIS with recruitment

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:31 am, December 21st, 2017 - 24 comments

Matt Nippert has made further revelations about Jian Yang including that he lobbied on behalf of an unsuccessful applicant for a security sensitive job with the New Zealand Defence Force and that he disclosed to Auckland University but not to Immigration that he had worked for a PLA University.

The Medicinal Marijuana Bill

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, December 21st, 2017 - 40 comments

Will the Medical Marijuana Bill just introduced into Parliament be as effective as proponents wish?

The End of Life Choice Bill

Written By: Matthew Whitehead - Date published: 7:30 am, December 21st, 2017 - 155 comments

We recently got the first reading on the End of Life Choice Bill, which aims to create a controlled regime for euthanasia. What are the pros and cons of the Bill?

National brings its B game to social media

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, December 20th, 2017 - 52 comments

A couple of recent examples suggests that National’s social media game is well below standard. And Judith Collins is no longer the Parliamentary Queen of twitter.

Broadcasting Standards Authority finds Mike Hosking’s election comments about the Māori Party inaccurate and misleading

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:15 am, December 20th, 2017 - 56 comments

“Further, his comments the following evening were confusing and insufficient to correct the inaccurate information for viewers.”

The Herald is obsessed with the latest Colmar Brunton poll

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:17 am, December 17th, 2017 - 47 comments

The Herald’s weekend political comment includes detailed analysis of the Colmar Brunton poll, now a week old, but ignored the details of the mini budget.

Tory Translation Service

Written By: Enzo - Date published: 9:39 am, December 17th, 2017 - 211 comments

I don’t often admit that there is anything that the right do better than the left, but, credit where it’s due, there are a few things. Chief amongst them are dog whistling and wedge politics. These are calculated political silencing tactics that use language to belittle the left and make us appear alienated from […]

Doofus of the week – Jami Lee-Ross

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:30 am, December 16th, 2017 - 69 comments

Jami Lee-Ross wins the award this week for trying to hold up the passage of a law designed to make sure kids get enough to eat just so he could eat his lunch and then throwing the most amazing of temper tantrums when he did not get his way.

Media response to Labour’s budget

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:42 am, December 15th, 2017 - 115 comments

Media response to the new Government’s mini budget has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Minister of Finance’s Mini-Budget

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:59 am, December 14th, 2017 - 88 comments

Big day today as Labour’s mini budget is announced.

The Herald thinks Jacinda Ardern is a Marxist

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:38 am, December 13th, 2017 - 204 comments

The Herald has equated Jacinda Ardern’s desire to temper the worst excesses of capitalism with the full embrace of marxist communism.

It was one year ago today

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:45 am, December 12th, 2017 - 75 comments

It was one year ago today that John Key formally resigned as Prime Minister.

National needs a friend

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, December 12th, 2017 - 43 comments

National is pondering one of the realities of MMP. Without friends its chances of becoming Government are very limited.

Nine years of National rule brought us …

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:01 am, December 11th, 2017 - 56 comments

One of the worst consequences of nine long years of National rule presented by that well known left wing periodical the Financial Times.

Latest Comar Brunton poll result

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:08 pm, December 10th, 2017 - 88 comments

The latest Colmar Brunton results just released suggests that support for the Government parties is stable and support for Jacinda Ardern is surging.

Doofus of the week

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:09 pm, December 9th, 2017 - 40 comments

Bill English claims the award for doofus of the week with his incredible statement that the country being 72,000 houses short is not a crisis and Labour should just deal with it anyway.

Twyford reverses National’s flawed methamphetamine housing policy

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:29 am, December 9th, 2017 - 71 comments

Phil Twyford has shown this new Government has a brain as well as a heart by halting National’s ridiculous state house methamphetamine policy where the presence of minuscule traces would result in eviction even though there was no proof the tenant was responsible and he has apologised to Robert Erueti for the harm caused.

Another day, another piece of bullshit from someone in the MSM

Written By: weka - Date published: 6:44 am, December 8th, 2017 - 109 comments

Misleading the NZ public about a political party, its policy, and how government works actively harms democracy.

National Standards causes decline in educational levels

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:13 am, December 7th, 2017 - 30 comments

The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study results suggests that National Standards has been a failure.

First year of study free launched by Prime Minister Ardern

Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:09 pm, December 5th, 2017 - 83 comments

Jacinda Ardern has formally launched the Government’s free tertiary education policy.

Shane Jones and work for the dole

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:24 am, December 4th, 2017 - 94 comments

Shane Jones has muddied a perfectly good job creation policy by talking about work for the dole.

Deranged Golriz Syndrome

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:36 am, December 3rd, 2017 - 102 comments

David Farrar has continued his crusade against Golriz Ghahraman with a claim of 15 instances where she has by implication deceived us.

Phil Twyford: the future of housing in New Zealand

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:30 am, December 3rd, 2017 - 190 comments

The text of an important speech from Phil Twyford where he talks about the 6th Labour Government’s plans for housing.

Progress from the Labour led government

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:04 am, November 30th, 2017 - 44 comments

Just over one month in the new Labour led Government and it is time to measure progress.

Introductory ramble to save you Googling me

Written By: Enzo - Date published: 8:00 pm, November 29th, 2017 - 24 comments

Hi. I’m Enzo (yes that’s my real name) and I write for The Standard now. Just thought I should introduce myself and tell you a little bit about my background – so hopefully it doesn’t become A THING. No, I have not defended war criminals in Rwanda, secretly taped staff members in an electorate office, […]

Key and Mass Surveillance: Was this the reason for the Golriz distraction?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:42 pm, November 29th, 2017 - 100 comments

David Fisher has written an in-depth article for the Herald that suggests that John Key’s promise, three years ago, that the Government had cancelled the Speargun project which would have allowed for the mass surveillance of New Zealanders was not actually correct.