politicans

Categories under politicans

Are We Expecting Too Much Of Our Political Leaders?

Written By: Incognito - Date published: 11:12 pm, April 8th, 2019 - 122 comments

Political leaders must have expert knowledge on many topics and near-perfect recall. No naps allowed and no room for error.

Trump’s tax returns and the Mueller investigation

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:40 am, April 5th, 2019 - 53 comments

Donald Trump and his supporters have been celebrating Mueller’s finding as interpreted by William Barr. But with Congress formally requesting his tax records and with the Mueller report not being yet released the celebration could be premature.

David is delayed

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:27 am, April 3rd, 2019 - 13 comments

David Seymour has done something even more embarrassing than twerking on Dancing with the Stars.

Life and Death in Aotearoa – Debating Euthanasia

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:48 am, April 3rd, 2019 - 210 comments

David Seymour’s Private Member’s Bill on euthanasia is back for debate in Parliament. Maggie looks at one of the great social issues of our time.

Brexit: May’s Remaining Options for Leaving

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 6:24 pm, April 2nd, 2019 - 28 comments

Theresa May is entering the Brexit death spiral. Her last real chance to get her own preferred deal over the line will happen in a Tory cabinet meeting overnight. But what are the other options?

UPDATE: May has now invited Jeremy Corbyn for talks on a soft Brexit. But will the Labour leader be in a mood to help?

Dumb as a plank

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:18 pm, April 2nd, 2019 - 80 comments

Pro gun lobby groups are making some outlandish claims about the Government’s proposed gun law changes.

The benefits of a Labour led Government

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:18 pm, April 1st, 2019 - 67 comments

Today marks the day that the largest ever increase in the minimum wage will occur.

Simon Bridges is seeking to join the Labour Party

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:30 am, April 1st, 2019 - 32 comments

The Standard understands from two reliable sources that Simon Bridges has applied for membership of the Labour Party. More news as it comes to hand …

The gun lobby fights back

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:27 pm, March 30th, 2019 - 16 comments

The Herald is reporting that Gun City the business that sold the military style semi automatic weapons to the Christchurch Mosque killer, has urged customers to sign a petition against banning military style semi automatic weapons.

Xi-ing Jacinda

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 8:32 pm, March 29th, 2019 - 73 comments

Jacinda Ardern will get a very warm welcome in Beijing based on immense respect for her and for New Zealand. Xi Jin-Ping has just returned from a very successful visit to Europe, joining Italy to the Belt and Road initiative and buying 300 jets from Airbus. Pepe Escobar outlines the implications for Eurasia. Much food for thought.

The Green Party on the Mosque murders

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 am, March 29th, 2019 - 194 comments

Recent criticism of Marama Davidson and Golriz Ghahraman over their drawing links between racism and the Mosque murders is misplaced.

Leading a feminist Pacific

Written By: advantage - Date published: 3:19 pm, March 28th, 2019 - 63 comments

It’s time to convert Ardern’s massive global symbolic capital into a lasting legacy for the Pacific. It’s time for a feminist international development policy.

WTF Free Speech coalition?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:54 am, March 26th, 2019 - 564 comments

The Free Speech coalition has attacked the Chief Censor’s decision to rule the Christchurch Mosque killer’s manifesto as objectionable as an attack on free speech. But the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has characterised the Censor’s decision as being entirely conventional.

We need more than capital gains tax to address inequality

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 2:41 pm, March 25th, 2019 - 46 comments

The most important comment in the Tax Working Group’s Final Report is that even the reasonably comprehensive capital gains tax proposed is likely to have only a minor impact on addressing inequality — what is needed is a more progressive income tax system that lifts the top marginal tax rate

Trump: Nyet Collusion!

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 10:15 am, March 25th, 2019 - 138 comments

The Mueller report apparently clears Donald Trump of collusion. However, charges of obstruction of justice against his team remain possible.

Reform of the SIS

Written By: mickysavage - 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.

Mueller Report Complete

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 10:34 am, March 23rd, 2019 - 120 comments

The Mueller report has dropped. The next few days are going to be crucial for the Trump presidency.

Adequate gun control and (almost) complete party support.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:43 am, March 22nd, 2019 - 128 comments

Now that I’ve had time to look through what has been implemented and what is proposed to happen with changes to gun laws and think about it. I’m almost satisfied. Since that so seldom happens that I suspect a gotcha, I’m now going to keep debugging until I am sure that it is actually as good as it looks.

Rambo has been constrained. Now about those other semi-automatics?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 4:39 pm, March 21st, 2019 - 80 comments

Jacinda Ardern has announced an effective ban by an order in council on the current sales of all military-style semi-automatic weapons and all assault rifles. There will be legislation passed to remove them from the hands of the public including a buyback and prison terms for possession. Not quite far enough yet. (Updated as I see other details)

Banning Rambo weapons not a knee-jerk

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 5:35 am, March 21st, 2019 - 185 comments

Passing stringent gun controls is far from a knee-jerk reaction to the Christchurch massacre – our politicians of all stripes have procrastinated over this ever since the 1990 Aramoana massacre. We already have the 13 recommendations of the 2017 Law & Order committee that were rejected. Let us at the very least now accept those.

Westland Dairy sale

Written By: advantage - Date published: 12:08 pm, March 20th, 2019 - 30 comments

Westland Dairy has done a deal to sell out to Yili industrial Group of Mongolia. This company is the third largest dairy company in New Zealand.

The power of compassionate politics

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:20 am, March 20th, 2019 - 205 comments

Jacinda Ardern has shown over the past week that she is one of the country’s best leaders.

National’s unfortunate misstatement about its migrant petition

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:51 am, March 19th, 2019 - 76 comments

National has been caught out in what is euphemistically called a misspeak about when it took its odious anti UN Migration pact petition down from its website. It said it was weeks before the Christchurch murders but it appears the petition was still live after the event.