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Trade retaliation

Written By: - Date published: 1:21 pm, August 3rd, 2016 - 50 comments

The Nats are in a difficult spot here, no doubt about it. The weak steel is a serious issue and it should be investigated. But their usual tactics of deny and lie have been caught out yet again.

Listen to Nick Smith trying to defend fudged foreign ownership data

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, August 2nd, 2016 - 22 comments

Anyone who believes the Nats’ figures needs to listen to yesterday’s interview – Why won’t Nick Smith answer this one simple question? Excellent work from Garner.

CYF massively underfunded

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, July 26th, 2016 - 28 comments

National pays electoral homage to our vulnerable children. They talk a big game about putting “the needs of our most vulnerable children and families at the centre of decisions”. Their actions tell a different story – of under-funding at CYF and falling numbers of social workers.

Predator free a fantastic goal – but…

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, July 26th, 2016 - 231 comments

Feel-good promises for 2050 are easy. Add this one to the list with a cycleway the length of NZ, a secret plan to end Japanese whaling, the War on P, our emissions reduction (hah!) targets, plans to be a “financial hub”, the promise of pandas, and so on and so on.

Who could build social housing?

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 am, July 25th, 2016 - 226 comments

The plan to have the private sector build social housing appears to be a flop. We need a large, well resourced organisation to take on the task of building these desperately needed houses. Wherever will we find one?

Oram – seven warning signs for the economy

Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, July 24th, 2016 - 23 comments

Rod Oram’s Sunday Star-Times, reprinted on Facebook here, adds yet another voice to the chorous of economic warnings: “Our Road Runner economy is zooming towards the cliff-edge”…

Auckland without workers

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, July 19th, 2016 - 73 comments

The unaffordability of Auckland housing is now seriously impacting even moderately well paid professions. As these trends continue, how is Auckland going to cope without without workers?

O’Sullivan and Watkins – warnings to the Nats

Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, July 18th, 2016 - 196 comments

Even National’s fans are worried for them these days. The “third termitis” meme is becoming well established.

Nats abandon social housing target

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, July 15th, 2016 - 22 comments

As part of their “comprehensive” response to the housing crisis, the Nats are backing off their promise to increase the number of social housing places. Great news for those families sleeping in cars tonight.

Do you pray to take on crushing debt for the rest of your life?

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, July 13th, 2016 - 89 comments

housing-crisis-silly-questionPathetic tinkering with loan limits does nothing realistic for first home buyers, but it does add more fuel to the debt fire. We need to actually build some affordable houses. If only there was a party that would do that…

Nats on HNZ dividend – Yes! No! Maybe!

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 12th, 2016 - 62 comments

That’s three positions in 2 days. Stay tuned to see what these headless chooks come up with tomorrow!

Reserve Bank gives Key the fingers on housing crisis

Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, July 8th, 2016 - 14 comments

In The Herald Liam Dann asks – Did the Reserve Bank just give two fingers to the Prime Minister?. That would be a “yes”.

Housing bubble inflating faster – Key’s panic now obvious

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 6th, 2016 - 157 comments

The housing bubble is inflating faster than ever, and Key is visibly panicking. His political problem is insoluble and his electoral problem is about to get worse.

A week at Te Puea Marae

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, July 4th, 2016 - 8 comments

Unlike our “government”, Te Puea Marae is trying to do something practical for the homeless. Madeleine Chapman spent a week volunteering there, and wrote about it for The Spinoff. Note that The Warehouse will match donations made through Spinoff.

Billion dollar boondoggle

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, July 3rd, 2016 - 112 comments

In an effort to be seen to be doing something about a housing crisis that they say doesn’t exist, the Nats have offered to lend councils $1 Billion that they can already borrow. Homeless families will also be offered a free deckchair on the Titanic to re-arrange as they please.

A bit wet lately

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, June 30th, 2016 - 105 comments

emmerson-climate-change

No accountability under Key

Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, June 24th, 2016 - 63 comments

Rebstock’s report into into leaks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been absolutely torn apart by the Ombudsman, with multiple serious flaws identified. This morning Key expressed his continuing confidence in Rebstock. Of course.

ECAN turning a blind eye

Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, June 21st, 2016 - 41 comments

Is ECAN just another typical Nat party fuckup, or are they deliberately turning a blind eye?

I think we can all agree that Paula Bennett is the real victim here

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, June 18th, 2016 - 56 comments

Te Puea Marae, whose only “crime” in this the Brighter Future was to try and help the homeless, “has fears of ‘smear campaign’ “. Naturally Paula Bennett is the real victim here. And furthermore, it’s all Labour’s fault.

Housing policy omnishambles rolls on

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, June 16th, 2016 - 64 comments

The government that will pay you $5000 to leave Auckland and $3000 to move to Auckland has been selling state houses so recklessly that it is now considering building temporary ones. Headless chickens make more sense.

Key on Pulse nightclub massacre

Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, June 14th, 2016 - 83 comments

key-on-florida-pulse-lgbt-shooting

Police undermined by their own minister

Written By: - Date published: 12:59 pm, June 11th, 2016 - 100 comments

Good piece by Jo Moir on Stuff this morning, about National’s train-wreck week. Follow it up with Andrew Geddis on the legality of the Collins blurt.

Banks act on housing affordability crisis (while National sits on its hands)

Written By: - Date published: 6:29 am, June 10th, 2016 - 144 comments

Despite Key’s barnstorming 2007 speech on the housing affordability crisis, National these days prefer to deny that it exists. Apparently fed up with waiting for the government to take action, banks are moving to reduce their risk and limit foreign buyers.

FIFY: Bennett too embarrassed to visit marae

Written By: - Date published: 2:58 pm, June 9th, 2016 - 72 comments

bennett too busy

National’s lies, damn lies and statistics on housing

Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, June 9th, 2016 - 43 comments

The housing crisis is not going away, and National needs to offer something better than lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Stick a Fork in Him, He’s Dunne

Written By: - Date published: 6:57 pm, June 1st, 2016 - 140 comments

The Labour/Greens electoral pact spells the end of the line for Parliament’s most self serving MP, Peter Dunne. National have a choice to make; stand down in Ohariu or stab him in the back. And then there’s the equally supine Maori party.  Te Ururoa Flavell’s hold on his seat is also shaky. No Flavell, no Maori Party.

No Mates National. The Brighter Future just arrived!

The Mother Budget

Written By: - Date published: 6:21 pm, May 26th, 2016 - 89 comments

There are budgets and there are budgets. And for all the presence or absence of bright ideas, there’s a budget that threatens to subsume all others…

National standards – a failed crusade

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, May 3rd, 2016 - 260 comments

National told us “New Zealand elected a Government that promised to introduce national standards so that every single child could read, write, and do maths when they left school.”

House Tales.

Written By: - Date published: 3:01 pm, March 22nd, 2016 - 32 comments

If ‘home is where the heart is’ then what’s the story when everything’s heartless?

Todd Barclay imploding in Clutha-Southland

Written By: - Date published: 10:01 am, March 8th, 2016 - 170 comments

High profile electorate resignations, a Parliamentary Services investigation, talk of a selection challenge – Todd Barclay has made a real mess of the gift of Clutha-Southland. What a surprise.

National willfully stupidly blind on climate change

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, November 20th, 2015 - 98 comments

As the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warns of the risks of sea level rises and recommends action, National are clear that they will take none. They are determined to leave all the risks and costs of climate change to future governments.