political parties

A tale of three immigrants

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:52 am, July 29th, 2017 - 26 comments

The Government is refusing to allow a Tongan family with a very sick child and an American family who ran a very successful cafe from staying in New Zealand but rolled out the red carpet to an uber rich American who did not meet all of the requirements.

Reactions to Metiria – the political and the personal

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:04 am, July 29th, 2017 - 181 comments

There are basically two kinds of reaction to Metiria’s bombshell, the practiced “outrage’ of the usual political operatives, and the support of the ordinary people. I think that the louder the operatives shout, the more that people are going to side with the under-dog.

Blind to the facts on Auckland rail

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:03 am, July 28th, 2017 - 59 comments

Ben Ross at The Spinoff “The government’s continued support of the road freight industry in preference to expanding the role of rail, in the face of the data in this report, makes a complete mockery of its claim to prudent economic management. It makes, instead, a pretty good case for incompetence, or cronyism, or both.”

Paula Bennett gets owned by Phil Twyford in question time

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:35 pm, July 27th, 2017 - 22 comments

This afternoon in Parliament during question time Paula Bennett showed clearly that this Government has no idea what to do about the housing crisis.

ETS – That’s our coffin they’re talking about

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:29 pm, July 27th, 2017 - 4 comments

Professor Euan Mason of the University of Canterbury’s School of Forestry in response to the proposed changes: “This is the nail in the coffin of our ETS.”

National’s Bennett problem

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:17 am, July 27th, 2017 - 94 comments

Graham Adams at Noted on Paula Bennett: “Nevertheless, these questions are not going to go away and what is certain is that Bill English can not afford to have Bennett share billboard space with him until they are answered satisfactorily”.

Raging at Metiria is not about the fraud – it’s that she sided with the lepers

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:01 am, July 27th, 2017 - 324 comments

Graham Cameron cuts through the obsession over fraud to the cultural values of the last 30 years and the fear beneath.

National will distort MMP for its own benefit, again

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:02 pm, July 26th, 2017 - 80 comments

Without a cup of tea in sight National has announced that it will asking supporters to vote for Act leader David Seymour in Epsom and United Future leader Peter Dunne in Ohariu.

Did English break the law during Dotcom debacle?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:15 am, July 26th, 2017 - 44 comments

David Fisher on the Dotcom spying debacle: “But the legal action which disclosed the extended spying also targets English specifically, saying he acted “unlawfully” when he signed a ministerial certificate intended to bury the spying operation forever.”

Beneficiary reduction targets, homelessness and suicide

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, July 26th, 2017 - 41 comments

Most people would be shocked to learn that each WINZ case manager is assigned the target of getting a certain number of people off the benefit every month. This is one of the reasons why we have such a punitive and aggressive welfare system. Fewer than half of those removed from the benefit go to jobs. The Nats neither know nor care what happens to the rest, but links to the rising number of homeless and our shocking suicide statistics should be investigated.

Let’s get rid of these clowns

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:30 am, July 25th, 2017 - 46 comments

The Government’s failure to do anything about the housing crisis or about zombie cannabis is evidence they should be removed from office.

Greens: Grandparents and children deserve better than National’s ‘penal welfare’

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:13 am, July 25th, 2017 - 34 comments

National’s ‘penal welfare’ approach is failing kids, failing caregivers and failing New Zealand.

Transport in Auckland and National’s deliberate incompetence

Written By: lprent - Date published: 6:58 am, July 25th, 2017 - 36 comments

National appear to be completely uninterested in spending Aucklander’s transport taxes on Auckland. Instead they want to put in roads that have no economic measurable benefits for Auckland except to increase the road congesting trucks on our roads. Why do National hate Auckland?

The MoU and social intelligence

Written By: weka - Date published: 12:23 pm, July 24th, 2017 - 122 comments

The deputy leader of the Labour Party wants to be the Minister for Children and to put a progressive government ahead of her own career. This is the kind of politician we need in government.

Delivering pizza for NZ

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:19 am, July 24th, 2017 - 16 comments

Full marks to Nathaniel Watson for what Newshub called “an incredible work of graphic design satire”:

Nat U-turn on immigration must include protection from exploitation

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, July 24th, 2017 - 24 comments

The Nats have U-turned on their immigration restrictions. It must come with better protection for migrant workers. The way we exploit them in NZ is shameful.

Nats won’t follow Australia and UK in crackdown on multinational tax avoidance

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:30 am, July 23rd, 2017 - 14 comments

Collins’ excuse is just waffle. Why won’t the Nats follow Australia and UK in a crackdown on multinational tax avoidance?

Least surprising news ever – IPCA won’t review police decision not to pursue complaint on Barclay investigation

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 8:00 am, July 22nd, 2017 - 14 comments

The reason the police dropped an investigation into the PM’s political son will forever remain a mystery. Total mystery. Nothing to see here. Move along.

New Zealand is number 1! *

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:21 am, July 22nd, 2017 - 127 comments

* in a list of developed nations for homelessness.

Government admits it has “no idea” on homeless

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:54 am, July 21st, 2017 - 61 comments

Today in news that makes you want to scream: “Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has admitted “in hindsight” the Government’s response to the housing crisis has been too slow.”

Bravo Clare Curran

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:33 am, July 21st, 2017 - 48 comments

Labour MP Clare Curran has been camping in Dunedin’s Octagon to protest against the MSD’s treatment of two homeless mothers. Bravo Clare for putting yourself on the line to draw attention to this issue!

Tax cuts or fix this…

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:01 am, July 21st, 2017 - 54 comments

Auckland City Councilor Richard Hills yesterday tweeted some of the things we would like to see fixed before a tax cut. You might want to add to the list. Good thing Labour is promising to cancel the cuts and spend billions more on health and education.

Why be a public servant?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:16 pm, July 20th, 2017 - 28 comments

Today thousands of IRD workers face the prospect of losing their jobs while two MOT workers who lost their jobs for whistle blowing are vindicated. Who would be a public servant?

Break Left!

Written By: Bill - Date published: 1:01 pm, July 20th, 2017 - 109 comments

A simple and obvious message to the Green Party that others have ignored to their cost. Please don’t join that list.

Maori Party proposes immigrant slave labour!

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 12:37 pm, July 20th, 2017 - 36 comments

Is how the media would report the plan – to have immigrants work here for 2 years unpaid – if it was a Labour Party policy. (Lookin’ at you Newshub)

National reckon public health and education are a waste of money?

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 9:11 am, July 20th, 2017 - 27 comments

According to Morning Report the Nats are calling Labour’s budget for more spending on health and education “a plan to waste more money”. Tell it to the people who can’t afford private alternatives and depend on the public systems.

There is something rotten in the Ministry of Transport

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:29 am, July 20th, 2017 - 28 comments

Radio New Zealand is reporting that the State Services Commission will report today that it believes that the convicted fraudster Joanne Harrison forced whistleblowers out of the Transport Ministry in 2015. Updated with link to formal announcement.

#IamMetiria

Written By: Bill - Date published: 7:00 am, July 20th, 2017 - 35 comments

If you know that feeling of dread when you get a WINZ letter, or if you’ve had roiling anxiety from being ‘called in’ for a WINZ interview, or sighed with relief when the letter from WINZ turns out to be a replacement community services card, then follow #IamMetiria. And if you just don’t recognise those, then you might want to follow #IamMetiria to find out why others do…