Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, February 17th, 2021 - 144 comments
Yesterday Jacinda Ardern chose to use decidedly undiplomatic speech to address Australia’s removal of its citizenship from a Jihadi bride leaving her as New Zealand’s problem, even though her link to New Zealand was tenuous and she was for all intents and purposes Australia’s problem. And even though Ardern had previously asked Scomo to be careful with the issue.
Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, January 4th, 2021 - 27 comments
Statements by the Minister for Corrections and Corrections themselves asserting that there had been no complaints about prison conditions at Waikeria, in the face of the Ombudsman’s report, just look to me to be pure sophistry and bullshit. The report on conditions in the high security make grim reading. Even ignoring the inmates protest – I want to protest about the waste of my taxes in providing such a unproductive, inhumane and outright evil environment.
Written By: - Date published: 4:08 pm, October 31st, 2020 - 139 comments
Which way are the Greens going to jump?
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, October 13th, 2020 - 30 comments
A recent series of advertisements placed by National MPs in Auckland seeking electorate votes and not seeking party votes show that central control of National’s campaign and discipline are completely lacking.
Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 29th, 2020 - 304 comments
The Green Party is facing major push back from members relating to a decision to give shovel ready funding to a private school involved in education about the environment.
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, August 2nd, 2020 - 33 comments
Back in 2017 I was upset, we had a leadership vote only in caucus – just before the election. I didn’t realise at the time that Andrew Little was actually stepping down in favour of Jacinda Ardern. She’d had the potential, but I hadn’t realised that Little thought she was up for the task. I’m delighted with the result. Thank you Andrew.
Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, July 13th, 2020 - 39 comments
The Serious Fraud Office has commenced an investigation in relation to donations made in 2017 to the Labour Party.
UPDATE: The investigation may involve donations made at a ‘silent’ art auction, something that Labour was upfront about back in February.
Written By: - Date published: 12:54 pm, June 15th, 2020 - 38 comments
The Labour Party has released its list lineup. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to refresh the caucus, and it’s down to one leader’s sacrifice and another’s steller performance.
Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, February 27th, 2020 - 10 comments
Over the past week National has shown a willingness to take really base aggressive positions on law and order issues for political advantages no matter what principles are at stake. And at the same time show a complete lack of understanding of the issues that are involved.
Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, February 5th, 2020 - 93 comments
Yesterday the political parties were welcomed onto the upper Marae at Waitangi. Jacinda Ardern took the occasion to give a stock take of what the Government was doing to address Iwi concerns, Andrew Little gave his speech totally in te reo, and Simon Bridges chose to use the opportunity to politic.
Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, December 4th, 2019 - 11 comments
I’ve always liked Punch magazine’s famous cartoon “True humility” where the curate assures his bishop noticing his bad egg that parts of it are excellent. Most discussion on Little’s Bill has focused on the bad bits regarding foreign donations. The good bit requires all political ads online to be attributed.
Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, December 3rd, 2019 - 66 comments
The Government has announced that it will pass under urgency changes to the Electoral Law to ban overseas donations.
Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, November 26th, 2019 - 44 comments
Andrew Little has announced a review of prisoner voting rights to overturn National’s law change which the Courts have ruled to be in breach of fundamental rights and unjustified. Simon Bridges has announced that National will reverse any such law change. And he has topped this off by proposing that Tauranga City Council should prosecute and fine beggars and homeless people.
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 23rd, 2019 - 24 comments
National has welched on a promise to support the Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill so that it can play politics with law and order issues.
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, August 20th, 2019 - 71 comments
The Government has announced policies designed to reduce Maori incarceration rates dramatically.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, August 1st, 2019 - 63 comments
Australia is responding to New Zealand’s concern at the forced repatriation of New Zealand citizens from Australia who fall foul of the law by dramatically increasing the potential for this to occur.
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 am, June 12th, 2019 - 94 comments
Andrew Little’s letter to the Select Committee on election interference puzzled me – it seemed to be out of the blue and not particularly relevant to our system. Then I read about a meeting on the Gold Coast last year and it became clear as to why – FiveEyes pressure.
Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, May 3rd, 2019 - 51 comments
Re-entry to the Pike River mine has been delayed so that a high oxygen reading from within the mine can be understood.
Written By: - 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.
Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, January 24th, 2019 - 47 comments
Mark Mitchell is an early contender for most stupid utterance by a politician this year. And Stuff has packaged up his utterance and uncritically made it a headline.
Written By: - Date published: 2:52 pm, November 29th, 2018 - 29 comments
The GCSB ban on Spark’s use of Huawei technology means this government has gone from “honest broker” to poodle in a very short time. Pressure has been applied by the US and others, apparently fearing we are the “soft underbelly” of the Five Eyes spy network. Maybe its time we got out of that too – it was designed for war.
Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, November 18th, 2018 - 102 comments
Stacy Kirk has made the outlandish claim that Andrew Little is prepared to risk someone’s life in his desire to have the Pike River mine properly investigated.
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, November 14th, 2018 - 121 comments
Pike River mine is to be re-entered and finally the truth will be told. Victory for the 29 is victory for all of us.
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, September 19th, 2018 - 14 comments
Andrew Little is seeking a Youth MP using an unusual technique.
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, September 1st, 2018 - 30 comments
Simon Bridges has justified his claim that the three strikes law is working by releasing an Italian study that has not been peer reviewed on the effects on white collar criminals of a pardon system.
Written By: - Date published: 11:40 am, July 22nd, 2018 - 89 comments
Earlier this year the United Nations expressed shock and concern at New Zealand’s rates of child poverty, homelessness, incarceration and violence. What is this Government doing to address these issues?
Written By: - Date published: 4:59 pm, July 19th, 2018 - 46 comments
The Australians are upset with Andrew Little expressing concern about their inhumane treatment of some Kiwis living in Australia and are throwing Donald Trump type tantrums to show their displeasure.
Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, July 9th, 2018 - 60 comments
The Court of Appeal has released its decision in the Kim Dotcom extradition case. The case has had a lot of resources thrown at it by both sides and I hope my brief description does the arguments and the judgment justice. The decision can be read here. As befits the resources that have been poured […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, June 1st, 2018 - 170 comments
Andrew Little has proposed the repeal of the irrational three strikes law. But signs are that National will not engage in a reasoned debate about what the law should be.
Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, May 22nd, 2018 - 36 comments
The Government has announced it will not proceed with the Waikeria mega prison as part of its policy to decrease the prison muster by 30%. And the called for public debate starts off with one of the major players using a study the author of which subsequently retracted because the data he relied on was wrong.
Written By: - Date published: 12:59 pm, March 11th, 2018 - 18 comments
Stuff have published online a video interview with Andrew Little where he goes through the circumstances of his resignation as leader, the ascension of Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister and his work as a Minister.
Recent Comments