john key

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Key’s speech bereft of vision

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, January 26th, 2013 - 36 comments

Key’s opening speech for the year is a dreary, dishonest, and vacuous affair, completely bereft of vision. I haven’t seen an enthustastic response reported anywhere yet.

‘Nuff said

Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, January 25th, 2013 - 23 comments

wave goodbye billboard words are cheap

Key’s brighter future

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, January 24th, 2013 - 8 comments

“I’d love to see wages drop”. Remember when John Key  said that? Well now our glorious PM is getting all excited about how we can attract investment with our low wages and lack of employment protections.

ImperatorFish: John Key’s Reshuffle Analysed

Written By: - Date published: 1:41 pm, January 23rd, 2013 - 7 comments

The biggest winner is Dr Nick Smith. He returns to Cabinet after his fall from grace last year, and is appointed as Minister for Creating a Perception of Crisis in Order to Justify Savage Cutbacks in Entitlements.
The biggest losers are Kate Wilkinson and Phil Heatley, who have been dropped from Cabinet altogether. Both have failed to perform, and their inability to communicate with the smoothness of someone like Hekia Parata will have counted against them.

Hello everybody! Hi Dr Nick!

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, January 22nd, 2013 - 39 comments

So Nick Smith is to be returned to cabinet after spending nearly a year on the bench for his ethical flaws.  Presumably 10 months on the back benches heals all those desires to abuse your powers to try to help your friends get money.

Mega overloads

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 pm, January 20th, 2013 - 72 comments

In the continuing saga of Kim Dotcom against the forces of blind, silly, and technically illiterate conservatism, amongst whom John Key (our Minister of International Embarrassment) fits pretty well. Kim Dotcom has launched a new file storage service. Although that is not strictly correct – rather people associated with him did. It is the “Mega” and is accessible at present only using the https://mega.co.nz. And it is a bit bogged down with mega demand…

A plea to deaf ears

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, January 19th, 2013 - 12 comments

The Antarctic Ocean Alliance is hoping that Key’s experience in Antarctica will move him to join the effort to create a marine reserve there. Seems unlikely to me – but I hope that Key proves me wrong…

I know, how about a Jobs Summit

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, January 12th, 2013 - 150 comments

Today, Fran O’Sullivan calls Key out on his complete failure on jobs: “If I have one New Year’s wish it is that John Key returns from his Hawaiian summer holiday brimming with enough determination to challenge the nation’s employers – and himself – to tackle youth unemployment.” In fact, she is the latest of the rightwing’s pundits to conclude neoliberalism has failed.

2012: “celebrity” PM – collective action

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 23rd, 2012 - 47 comments

Individualism & “celebrity” PM, John Key were still strong in 2012.  But, there was opposition from some (often local) groups working collaboratively:  Occupy, Glen Innes protesters, MUNZ, Asset Sales referendum, AAAP advocacy activism, manufacturing inquiry, NZLP democratisation, TS nest of vipers. And 2013?

Parata won’t quit, Key won’t sack her

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 pm, December 19th, 2012 - 59 comments

Parata isn’t the most corrupt minister Key has but she’s definitely the most incompetent. Now, the Secretary of Education has been paid out to take the fall for Hekia’s incompetence and that of her sister, Apryll, Deputy Secretary Performance and Change. Parata has maintained her reputation for nepotism being an appalling people manager. But she won’t go, and Key won’t make her.

The spinmeister of Planet Key: Retrospective

Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, December 18th, 2012 - 37 comments

On TV3 this morning, John Key was soothing and slick.  All is well on Planet Key, and critics are delusional.  He reeled of numbers and facts, but material realities of daily lives, and the suffering of people on low incomes aren’t mentioned. And asset sales?

Don’t blame MMP for Nat stupidity

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, December 18th, 2012 - 18 comments

Recent pieces by Bernard Hickey and John Armstrong both highlighted the problem of our aging population and the unsustainability of super – in Hickey’s memorable words we are “consuming our future”.  Armstrong tries to balme MMP, but that won’t wash, it’s just the usual short-sighted Nat stupidity…

Boot camps – Key doesn’t know best

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, December 17th, 2012 - 106 comments

Key was wrong about boot camps.  He’s wrong about education, the environment, the democratic rights of Canterbury, the miraculous power of cycleways, the economy, New Zealand’s international obligations on climate change, and much more besides. Every year in office this arrogant government does yet more damage.

Mega-screenshots promise more embarassment

Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, December 10th, 2012 - 6 comments

Kim DotCom has been twittering about his new website that is under development to the amusement of some observers. But for us in NZ we’re probably less interested in the layout of his file manager than what is actually in the screenshot of the file manager. Promises yet more pain for the government and it’s inept police and security services.

For what it’s Worth

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 pm, December 5th, 2012 - 23 comments

John Key on whether Brendan Horan has the moral right to stay in Parliament: “I don’t think he would do if Winston Peters can really put up the arguments that he is that whatever he (Horan) has done is so bad that he deserves to be expelled from the party and has really bought (sic) Parliament into disrepute, but the issue is: can and will he prove that?”. Can anyone say: Richard Worth?

Horan has no moral grounds to stay

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 5th, 2012 - 56 comments

Brendan Horan has been booted out of New Zealand First’s caucus over the scandal involving his late mother’s estate. Legally, he can now remain on in Parliament as an independent MP, or join another party. But he ought not. He has no claim to represent anyone but those who party voted NZF, and if he can’t represent them, he must let the next person on the list do so.

Govt to ban cheap broadband

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, December 4th, 2012 - 46 comments

There’s a fabulous win for consumers and a Government good news story out of the Commerce Commission yesterday – significant cuts in the cost of broadband for consumers. You. But John Key’s not happy and is threatening to legislate over the decision.

Caption contest

Written By: - Date published: 4:06 pm, December 3rd, 2012 - 30 comments

Meanwhile, on Planet Key

Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, December 3rd, 2012 - 26 comments

Sure, National is still in the mid-40s and Key will back himself to crucify Shearer in the debates, but his own brand is suffering badly. He’s failed on jobs and increasingly being seen as out of touch. So, is making the news for eating a grasshopper really a smart move?

I’m ashamed to be a New Zealander

Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, November 28th, 2012 - 111 comments

With its head deep in the rapidly warming sands, John Key and the National government have been rolling back climate change measures. We are not even “fast followers”, we are stand-out obstacles to progress, and subject to international ridicule. On climate change they have made me ashamed to be a New Zealander. They shame us all as a nation.

Key smacked down on jobs failure

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, November 28th, 2012 - 68 comments

Dr Russel Norman: Does it not all boil down to the fact that whichever way you cut it, whichever statistics you care to choose, the Government has failed on jobs, unemployment has grown in New Zealand, and the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector has not grown; and is it not time he just admitted it and figured out what to do about it?

Explaining is losing

Written By: - Date published: 4:58 pm, November 27th, 2012 - 73 comments

David Shearer had Key on the back foot today in the House over Labour’s housing policy. Even Speaker Lockwood Smith sat Key down for going on too long and off the point. He had to be rescued by Chief Whip Michael Woodhouse with a patsy question, but the leadership crack it was designed to bring out fell flat too.

Marketing Clown

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 27th, 2012 - 70 comments

There are some similar things between McDonald’s and New Zealand – they’re both currently run by a clown at any rate – but I didn’t think cynical marketing was one of them. Apparently Key is “lovin’ it” how our rivers and lakes are far from “100% Pure”.

In other news: the failings of Key’s government

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, November 21st, 2012 - 20 comments

John Key’s crony-capitalist, neoliberal government is failing NZ on the environment, affordable housing, and a living wage. Mana and the Greens  are leading the way on affordable housing and anti-poverty campaigns.  The Greens still lead the way on pressing environmental issues.

KiwiBuild vs. what?

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, November 21st, 2012 - 50 comments

KiwiBuild is an excellent policy that would make a real difference to housing, jobs, and the economy in NZ. John Key’s critique had all the credibility you’d expect from the man whose major economic policy was a cycleway.

Winners and losers

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, November 21st, 2012 - 156 comments

So, who won and who lost?

In other news, selling NZ: TPP, Hobbit rulz …

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, November 20th, 2012 - 57 comments

John Key is steaming ahead in selling NZ.  He is Obama’s wing-man to extend the TPP into the Asia-Pacific region.  Meanwhile, the “Hobbit Law” is taking a heavy toll on many NZ actors.  And there are claims that the Hobbit production has been harming animals.

Dotcom claims proof Key lied

Written By: - Date published: 12:25 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 47 comments

Kim Dotcom claims to have proof that John Key has been lying about him, and he will reveal that evidence in court…

Polish that turd, John

Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, November 17th, 2012 - 16 comments

John Key knows his economic failures are coming out in to the open, so he came to The Nation this morning expecting a fight. And he knew his lines well and it all sounded good. If you didn’t think about it. Basically, he said the solution to the fact unemployment has risen by 80% under his failed economic policies was… wait for it … his failed economic policies.

Nats in the bunker of stupid

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, November 13th, 2012 - 16 comments

The bunker of stupid is where you go to hide from facts you don’t like. John Key is there, hiding from the latest record unemployment figures. Joining him today is Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew, reportedly denying the rapidly increasing gender pay gap in NZ.

We have a lemming instead of a leader

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, November 13th, 2012 - 80 comments

John Key doesn’t want NZ to be a leader in the fight against climate change.   Much better to be a lemming (sorry – a “fast follower”) and follow all the other lemmings off the cliff.

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