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Local Bodies: Politics, Sharks and Voter Apathy

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:00 am, June 23rd, 2014 - 10 comments

I had a conversation at our farmer’s market this morning about how my election campaign was going and the person I was speaking to had the view that all politicians don’t actually do much, apart from talking. I find that this thinking is actually fairly common, many people talk about the nonsense that goes on in Parliament and how all politicians are as bad as each other, “It doesn’t matter who you vote for, nothing really changes.” I find this view really frustrating, but at the same time I can see why people may feel this way.

Local Bodies: National’s Campaign Strategy Stinks

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:58 am, June 20th, 2014 - 25 comments

We all know from reading Nicky Hager’s The Hollow Men (or watching the documentary) that the National Party actually advocates for a small section of society. Their policies rarely support most New Zealanders and after each period of a National led Government we have costly messes like leaky buildings and dead miners as the aftermath. This isn’t to say that Labour shouldn’t take responsibility for not repealing dodgy legislation, but National has always stood for less regulation, fewer protections for workers and the environment and an upward flow of money to the already rich.

Polity: The game is the game

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:24 am, June 20th, 2014 - 24 comments

Rob Salmond offers some advice to the National smear team. When you screw up and start contradicting each other’s stories, you look like a pack of low-rent numpties. And it reveals your tactics for all to see, which is what you were trying to avoid in the first place. Bill English and John Key should really communicate so they don’t trample over each others stories. And the spectacle of Michael Woodhouse changing his mind within hours about when he first saw the letter, and what he did with it? Pure comedy

The anatomy of a smear campaign

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:59 am, June 20th, 2014 - 322 comments

David Cunliffe does not recall signing a letter 11 years ago which did not advocate for Donghua Liu’s application for residence yet gets pilloried by the media for stating that he did not advocate for Mr Liu. Michael Woodhouse denies telling John Key about the letter, then says officials from his office briefed Mr Key’s office on the letters and then his office admits that he told Key’s office about the letter yet there is no media criticism of what clearly is an attempt to hide a smear campaign. Is this yet more evidence of media bias?

Arses and Elbows

Written By: Bill - Date published: 1:21 pm, June 19th, 2014 - 123 comments

So, the Deputy Prime Minister insists that no-one from the ruling National Party knew of an eleven year old letter from Labour’s David Cunliffe asking Immigration about time frames for decision making. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister states he knew of the letter for some weeks. Scandalously, some ministers from the ruling National Party have sought […]

Polity: Nats’ sanctimony on tactical voting

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 5:56 pm, June 16th, 2014 - 34 comments

Poor David Farrar, he can’t write a post without getting accused of hypocrisy these days. It must have to do with that rancid stench he emanates whenever he gets on his high horse to lecture others. There’s only one political leader out there saying: “Tactical voting is a good idea for my supporters, and long may it continue, but it is a dreadful crime by others.” That leader is John Key.

Iraq and Syria

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:30 pm, June 16th, 2014 - 77 comments

The situation in Syria and Iraq is becoming dire as two separate civil wars rage on. This raises as an issue National’s and John Key’s attitude to the war in Iraq which has clearly destabilised any hope of civilised rule. He is now claiming to be an internationalist and to only be interested in multilateral action. But has this always been the case?

Humourless Key pours scorn on Civilian

Written By: lprent - Date published: 11:58 am, June 10th, 2014 - 44 comments

John Key has been making a joke of the electoral system in recent days with his support of criminal MPs and his veiled attempts to foist the crazy Conservatives on various electorates. But he was quick to pour scorn on a very popular micro-party who were less likely to become a pliant tool of the National party. Clearly he hasn’t realised who the Civilians are satirising and why so many taxpayers support them. Updated with Occasionally erudite’s analysis.

National’s mating dance with the Conservatives

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:30 am, June 10th, 2014 - 160 comments

National is clearly getting ready to throw one of its North Shore MPs under a bus in the hope that the Conservative Party can coat tail people with extreme views into Parliament.

NRT: Good riddance to John Banks

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:56 pm, June 9th, 2014 - 62 comments

The government has been stripped of its legislative majority and its policy programme, especially employment relations “reform”, is now in tatters. Now that Banks has going, we are seeing an extensive rewriting of history by the National government. Kind of pathetic really.

David Farrar badly needs night school

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:08 pm, June 6th, 2014 - 45 comments

In Kiwiblog this morning, David Farrar appeared to be running a 9th floor pre-pump for John Banks to resign. But I was rather incredulous when I read this “I don’t think the Judge has actually helped the Government by delaying the decision on entering a conviction. Now that it is the Judge’s role to care about the impact on the Government.”. Huh? DPF badly needs to go back to do some adult education. Perhaps to night school?

David Farrar is (still) the hypocrite

Written By: lprent - Date published: 1:31 pm, May 27th, 2014 - 23 comments

It appears that David Farrar, paid rubber mouthpiece for the National party, is exercising his right to be a hypocrite again. Surely he remembers his attitudes back in 2012 when he was acting as their mouthpiece to discourage other economic migrants seeking a better life in NZ? And it looks like Key is parroting the message tested at Kiwiblog… How predictable.

Of polls and elections

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:07 am, May 26th, 2014 - 116 comments

Two new polls are out and the Government has enjoyed a post budget bounce. But when the post budget glow wears off and the inevitable seepage of support starts what will National do then?

Still an honest man?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:14 am, May 26th, 2014 - 31 comments

BLip has been maintaining for quite a while, a little list of Honest John’s statements that aren’t exactly true. One iteration of this list “An Honest Man” is still one of the most popular posts here with many page views on a daily basis – more than a year after it was posted. Looks like someone has made a video of a few of the times when some of these were made. There is also a more recent BLip list of the words of our favourite lying politician.

The political beliefs of political reporters

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:57 pm, May 25th, 2014 - 61 comments

Television New Zealand is requiring political reporters to divulge political affiliation, membership and other political party activity. And John Key attacks TV3’s Linda Clark for allegedly helping the Labour Party. Yet Mike Hosking and Paul Henry are free to trumpet right wing spin lines. See the problem?

Tony Astle does not want progressive customers

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, May 24th, 2014 - 100 comments

Tony Astle apparently wants to ban some left wing politicians from his restaurant Antoines. He should get a life. Because the idea is stupid and reinforces the impression that National is a party insisting on the retention of privilege for the few.

Key-Fletcher nexus: anti-democratic ‘Intelligence communities’

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:36 am, May 23rd, 2014 - 47 comments

Campbell Live pointed to a massive, integrated shift in NZ governance under John Key’s watch. This enhances the power of international trade and commerce, incorporating the GCSB the US, & 5 Eyes . At the centre of this shift, is the murky relationship between John Key & Ian Fletcher.

Pot: Kettle, you’re black!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:20 pm, May 22nd, 2014 - 33 comments

John Key has warned MPs to behave in parliament. I hope he’ll be taking his own advice.

Death by remote drone

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:32 pm, May 22nd, 2014 - 202 comments

John Key has not received any advice about the legality of drone killing and is totally comfortable with the extra judicial killing of civilians by remote drone.

The smoke & mirrors of the surveillance-military-economic-complex

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:22 pm, May 21st, 2014 - 29 comments

There are a range of issues, which are part of a GCSB-intelligence-surveillance-military-complex. Some significant elements seem to be posing as diversions from other parts of the complex, and the way all parts hang together. What will he offer Obama to advance NZ’s position in the TPPA?

Campbell Live: Fletcher, Key, Clapper et al

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:23 pm, May 20th, 2014 - 208 comments

Campbell Live broadcast a special on the GCSB. It is presented information never before made public. Campbell pointed to how a major shift in NZ and 5 Eyes’ approach to intelligence. Whose interest is the GCSB operating in? Why has John Key mislead us, or at least, fudged the details? Updated.

National don’t know and don’t want to know about foreign ownership of housing

Written By: geoff - Date published: 1:09 pm, May 20th, 2014 - 43 comments

National’s pandering to foreign money is disturbing their supporters

Polity: Key: Pathological liar about tax

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:05 pm, May 18th, 2014 - 30 comments

John Key is clearly lying about tax again. He claims that most of “all nett tax” is paid for by the wealthy. As usual he ignores the 15% GST tax, the various sales taxes on things like petrol, and the many other sales and consumption taxes. GST and other consumption taxes are largely paid for by the not wealthy. Which is why they were raised to pay for National’s tax cuts for the wealthy.

“Collect it all”, “exploit it all”: 5 Eyes economic surveillance

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:10 pm, May 15th, 2014 - 54 comments

Glenn Greenwald, interviewed on Democracy Now, outlines the extent of the NSA-led 5 Eyes surveillance systems. It is a leap from sci fi into our daily lives. Economic surveillance dominates. John Key & Ian Fletcher have some questions to answer – have they misled us? [Update: documents link]

Tax cuts for all!

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:01 am, May 15th, 2014 - 227 comments

Despite having never presided over a budget surplus and despite the nearly tripling of core crown gross debt John Key is talking about the possibility of future tax cuts.

The desperation of the National’s sockpuppets

Written By: lprent - Date published: 6:51 pm, May 14th, 2014 - 77 comments

National Party pollster David Farrar must be seeing some numbers he really doesn’t like because he is claiming that David Cunliffe photoshopped himself into a rally that he was really at! Yeah right – a doyen of the local net governing body failed to use google before making a complete dick of himself on the net. I expect we will see a lot more of National’s paid for bloggers acting like fools heading into this election because National only being good at putting us heavily into debt (again!) rather limits the good news they can write.

John Key’s bullshit about rising inequality

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:41 pm, May 14th, 2014 - 86 comments

In Question Time today. John Key has rejected evidence such census statistics, as reported on RNZ, that the inequality gap in Auckland is growing. He crowed about his government’s record & launched diversionary attacks on the opposition. Update: Question One video; Transcript links – Transcripts & other links updated. #realbudgetnumbers

Polity: Key – “Meh. Maybe I lied to Parliament.”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:38 am, May 14th, 2014 - 39 comments

Misleading parliament is serious. If it happens, MPs are supposed to make a stand-alone statement to the House about what they said, why it was wrong, and what they should have said instead. Key didn’t do that at all. He just inserted a pathetic “meh” concession into an answer to a question. And the speaker diminished parliament by letting him get away with it.

John Key challenged!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 4:57 pm, May 13th, 2014 - 24 comments

Nah, just kidding, here’s a few more examples of journalists just printing what he says…

NRT: “A wish, a target, and a dream”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:47 pm, May 12th, 2014 - 58 comments

No Right Turn shows that John Key has no real understanding of the economic and political history of this country. Probably because the last time another economic illiterate from National said that the prospect of reducing unemployment in NZ to below 6% was “a hoax”, John Key wasn’t here. He probably heard it from that illiterate, who once again is our minister of finance. Unemployment under Labour was as low as 3.3%

Sausagegate

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:27 pm, May 12th, 2014 - 76 comments

It just goes to show how National’s luck is running. John Key has arguably committed the offence of treating by handing out free sausages and has sabotaged the fundraising attempts of a couple of Queenstown kids. Now imagine if Cameron Slater had his hands on this story …