political parties

Grant Robertson’s pre-budget speech

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:08 am, May 23rd, 2016 - 31 comments

Grant Robertson has just delivered his pre-budget speech. One takeaway message: “Labour’s finance spokesman Grant Robertson says Labour will set out a tax package before the 2017 election to set out how it will raise revenue to address issues in education, health and housing”.

Little’s $50 a week message getting through

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:03 am, May 23rd, 2016 - 116 comments

A great reception for Little’s speech, and a take-home message that resonates well.

Dodgy Niue deal back in the headlines

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 11:03 am, May 21st, 2016 - 200 comments

Good of the hotel to keep the Nats’ dodgy deal in the headlines. Andrew Little has called their bluff – of course.

All aboard the charter schools gravy train

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:34 am, May 21st, 2016 - 32 comments

Charter schools are pretty nice work if you can get it, no wonder groups are lining up. But there’s no evidence that they are good for education.

Petition to forgive emergency accommodation debt

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:30 am, May 20th, 2016 - 18 comments

A petition: “As Minister of Social Development we call upon Minister Anne Tolley to urgently forgive all debts incurred by people who have been forced to stay in Motels as emergency accommodation….”

In the middle of a housing crisis Housing Corp is selling state houses

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:31 am, May 20th, 2016 - 49 comments

John Campbell is covering the homeless crisis with stories that highlight the personal tragedies that are occurring and the complete indifference of the Government to their plight.

We’re going to burn it all, until we burn it down.

Written By: Colonial Viper - Date published: 12:11 am, May 20th, 2016 - 173 comments

What does it really mean to reduce NZ’s total fossil fuel use by 50% by 2030: a warm up discussion for an upcoming thought experiment.

Glib words and false hope aren’t going to cut it

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, May 19th, 2016 - 151 comments

This is a massive market and moral failure. The problem isn’t going to go away, it’s going to get worse, and the media are going to stay on the case. Time for National to borrow some more Labour / Green policy thinking.

Labour would legalise medical cannabis

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 5:26 pm, May 18th, 2016 - 99 comments

On Stuff: “Little said cannabis products should be available to anyone suffering chronic pain or a terminal condition if their GP signed off on it.”

A message for our anti-science government

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 3:00 pm, May 18th, 2016 - 37 comments

Here’s some more science for the government to hate on: “Paris climate agreement cannot be met without emissions reduction target for agriculture”.

Government’s plan for housing crisis: tread water

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:42 am, May 18th, 2016 - 54 comments

The Government’s promised funding for 3,000 new beds for the homeless will not create any but will make sure that existing beds are kept available.

Homeless coverage goes international

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:52 pm, May 17th, 2016 - 97 comments

Coverage of Auckland’s homeless goes international. The working poor are now the working homeless.

We have to have poverty so we can have a tax cut

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:50 am, May 16th, 2016 - 163 comments

Despite record Crown debt and a crisis in the social sector National is getting ready to campaign in 2017 promising a tax cut.

The hidden homeless and the speculators

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:06 am, May 16th, 2016 - 44 comments

Speculators keep buying houses while families live in garages and cars. This is a moral failure, a leadership failure, a market failure – it is every kind of failure.

Matthew Hooton and the Radio New Zealand post

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:29 am, May 15th, 2016 - 192 comments

Radio New Zealand recently published a piece penned by well known supporter of the right Matthew Hooton. What has happened to the concept of balance?

It must have been on Planet Key

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:50 pm, May 12th, 2016 - 59 comments

John Key thinks that he was thrown out of Parliament straight after Helen Clark a few years ago. The only problem is that Hansard thinks it was Don Brash.

National Party President selling out?

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 12:09 pm, May 12th, 2016 - 14 comments

The $25 million deal prompted considerable curiosity because it involved an off-market purchase of shares from Sanford’s second biggest shareholder, Avalon Investment Trust, which is run by the family of Peter Goodfellow.

Welsh Assembly.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 11:12 am, May 12th, 2016 - 20 comments

A post to illustrate how fixed term parliaments work…off the back of some really woeful reportage.

Petition on tax dodging

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:30 am, May 12th, 2016 - 50 comments

tax-dodging

John Key’s dead cat strategy

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:14 am, May 12th, 2016 - 52 comments

National is hoping to avoid a proper debate about issues raised by the Panama Papers by raising a series of idiotic diversions.

Key thrown out of Parliament

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:01 pm, May 11th, 2016 - 138 comments

John Key was given his marching order from the House today for repeatedly disobeying the speaker.

John Key chickens out of #panamapapers interview

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:31 am, May 9th, 2016 - 37 comments

This morning John Key refused to be interviewed on Radio New Zealand after learning that they intended to ask him questions about the Panama Papers. And some elements of the media are for some strange reason trying to say there is nothing to see because he personally has not been implicated.

Sprung! New Panama Papers dump confirm NZ is a tax haven

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 7:33 am, May 9th, 2016 - 277 comments

A new release of Panama papers absolutely confirms New Zealand is a tax haven says Nicky Hager. And ironically, it is because of New Zealand’s squeaky clean reputation that tens of thousands of foreigners have come flooding here.
Rather than actually dealing with the issue, John Key is using his old classics “nothing to see here” coupled with “Labour did it too”, “nicky hager is a conspiracy nut”, and “wait for the (Shewan) whitewash enquiry” defenses.

If we tax the multinational corporations will they leave?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:27 am, May 8th, 2016 - 151 comments

Rodney Hide thinks that making multinational corporations pay their fair share of tax will make them leave.

Why was John Key singled out by Panama Papers hacker?

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 1:03 pm, May 7th, 2016 - 169 comments

Why, out of all the rotten, corrupt and unprincipled nations of the earth, did the Panama Papers hacker single out New Zealand’s John Key for special mention?

NRT: A Poor Choice

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:55 pm, May 6th, 2016 - 26 comments

I/S at No Right Turn on the irony of sending Judith “Minister of Corruption” Collins to an an anti-corruption summit in London next week.

A week is a long time in politics

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:36 am, May 5th, 2016 - 17 comments

Over the past week the Government has gone from “there is no problem with the Overseas Investment Office” to announcing an urgent review and a staffing boost to make sure that approvals of foreign purchases of land are being properly processed.

Unemployment jumps

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:38 am, May 5th, 2016 - 212 comments

After eight long years of National there are almost 40,000 more unemployed than when they came to power.

Little’s Healthy Homes Bill passes first reading

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:02 am, May 5th, 2016 - 22 comments

Last night Andrew Little’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill passed it’s first reading. Bravo to Andrew Little, Labour, The Greens, NZF, The Maori Party, and Peter Dunne, who voted in support.

Little’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill up today

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:39 am, May 4th, 2016 - 29 comments

And this time it might get through.

The unfortunate case of the Overseas Investment Office handling of the purchase of a Taranaki Farm

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:15 am, May 4th, 2016 - 39 comments

They say in politics that a news story is good for the opposition/bad for the Government if it hits the media cycle two days in a row. If it appears for a third or a fourth day then it is a crisis and urgent action is required. Louise Upston’s handling of the OIO is clearly a crisis.