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Gillard gives Key the finger
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, October 27th, 2010 - 13 comments
It’s highly unusual for a new PM to meet a foreign leader of the opposition before she meets her fellow leader. But Julia Gillard’s direct snub of John Key is a fair payback for the leaks by the Key Government to try to help his mate Tony Abbott win the Australian election. Key didn’t set up the Gillard-Goff meeting. But his actions certainly cleared the way.
Tax Cuts or High Wages?
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 27th, 2010 - 17 comments
At the last election we chose tax cuts and unemployment instead of stimulus and stability – which was the more ambitious, high wage way to go?
National are not fulfilling their government’s core reason for existence: closing the wage gap with Australia. No, we’re fast going backwards on that score, and it’s predictable: high unemployment causes low wages.
Bending over for Warner Brothers
Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, October 26th, 2010 - 30 comments
Otago Law Professor Paul Roth says possible law changes by the Key Government to provide more tax-payer funded charity to corporate giants Warner Bros Entertainment is ‘Third-World’ lawmaking and a ‘race to the bottom’ in an attempt to compete against developing nations with little or no labour rights. Roth says if we ‘lie back and prostitute ourselves […]
Win win for Key
Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, October 26th, 2010 - 156 comments
Lucky John Key – he’s going to have a great week! It’s hard to see how he can lose. He’ll either be the man who single-handedly saved The Hobbit, or he’ll be handed a big stick to beat the evil unions with forever. In reality, however, the decision to keep the movies here is probably already made. Key’s ego will be just another tool used against him in negotiations as the studios go for the best deal they can get…
Key the real target of Hobbit producers’ game
Written By: - Date published: 2:01 pm, October 24th, 2010 - 75 comments
The Hobbit ‘crisis’ is all about money. It’s about the producers of this long-troubled production, who are in financial difficulty, wanting to minimise their up-front costs. The mark in the con is the only one with cash to offer on the scale they need – the Prime Minister. He’s the one with the most to lose and the most ability to pay.
A noose around students’ necks
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, October 22nd, 2010 - 27 comments
Every time I think John Key can’t get any more cynical and hypocritical in his messaging, he manages to take it to a new level. Apparently spending money on the education system will create “a noose around the neck of young New Zealanders”…
Key’s economic bravado now reduced to whining
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, October 21st, 2010 - 25 comments
In three short years John Key and National have gone from economic bravado, to failure, to lies, excuses and whining. As the economy languishes they will have nothing to offer except more lies and excuses.
This is a time for fresh thinking, both globally and locally. But we won’t get it from National.
I’m confused
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, October 20th, 2010 - 32 comments
Trying to get my head around the economic arguments going on. Hearing contradictory things. Who’s telling the truth? ls Labour’s new overseas investment policy Stalinism that will ruin the economy, as Key claimed on Monday and Tuesday? Or is the same as the existing law, as Key claimed on Monday and Tuesday?
Nats’ ideology costing us millions
Written By: - Date published: 11:24 pm, October 19th, 2010 - 40 comments
This post isn’t about National cutting education at every level, which will damage our country for decades to come. Nor is it about how they’re cutting cost-efficient preventative medicine to fund ‘sexy’ elective surgery. It’s not even about how they’re pouring billions into holiday highways in the era of peak oil. This is about the Cullen Fund.
Discontent within National
Written By: - Date published: 1:14 pm, October 18th, 2010 - 25 comments
The Sunday Star Times had an interesting piece quoting a National MP on growing discontent within the party. Discontent at the public perception of National as a “one man band”, and the way that the party has been reduced to “The John Key Show”. With National’s failure on the economy growing ever more evident, is the power of brand Key enough to carry the Nats to a win in 2011?
Why the Right is worried 1: Economy
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, October 18th, 2010 - 35 comments
Yesterday, former National media trainer Paul Holmes and former National Party President Michelle Boag attempted an extraordinary hatchet job on Phil Goff on Q+A. No analysis of the real policy divide that Goff and Labour with National carved out at the national conference, just attack – why? The economy, policy, Key’s fading brand, and the polls.
Jobs for their mates
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, October 15th, 2010 - 37 comments
So John Key was unusually forthcoming to a question this morning – he was very keen to give poor Kerry Prendergast a job.
Key knows how hard his government has made it to get a job, so he’s eager to help her out.
Doing nothing as dole numbers rise
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, October 13th, 2010 - 17 comments
It was a year ago that Paula Bennett first declared victory over rising unemployment. Since then, John Key has been working his economic strategy hard: high-fiving every schoolgirl he can find, playing with spiders, announcing and re-annoucing literally tens of kilometres of cycleway, smiling and waving till it hurts. But dole numbers are rising.
A PM but not a leader
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, October 13th, 2010 - 92 comments
New Zealand is small country, far from anywhere, always on the edge of irrelevance. To continue our proud heritage of principled and effective international contributions, to hold our heads up high on the world stage, New Zealand needs a leader. But all we have is a PM.
‘Ask Me No Questions’ Key
Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, October 11th, 2010 - 14 comments
John Key has claimed that he doesn’t turn down many interview requests – but he turned down another one from Morning Report this morning. In fact you can count on one hand the number of times he has appeared on Morning Report in each of the last 2 years.
Next time, could we have a PM that looks and sounds a bit more like a PM?
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, October 11th, 2010 - 37 comments
Here’s John Key this morning on Breakfast, talking about Paul Henry’s resignation. Naturally he’s eager to downplay the influence of Kiwi-Indian business and diplomatic interests, and to deny any government involvement in the decision. The most revealing part of the interview is when Key stammers: “I have not spoke [sic] to Paul Henry” Key says […]
Key’s culture of impunity
Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, October 11th, 2010 - 18 comments
Despite a slew of scandals, Key has not enforced any ethical or professional standards on his ministers (apart from Worth, for whatever he did). Ministers know that Key will keep his personal brand clean but won’t do anything to pull them into line. This has created a culture of impunity in the government, which has started to spread wider.
Sunday Morons: an omnibus of silly people
Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, October 10th, 2010 - 19 comments
With all of the political activity over the last week, there are a few items that missed getting covered as well as the ones that we covered extensively. Rather than do individual posts on the idiots of the week, I’ve written an omnibus post of my notes from the last week.
“John Key’s smile only goes so far”
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, October 9th, 2010 - 24 comments
National Party pollster David Farrar must have seen bad numbers on the Mana by-election, he’s already making excuses. Apparently, Hekia Parata is a top candidate but it’s the voters’ fault – they’ll be confused by having two elections close together. It’s Farrar’s comment about Key, though, that is most revealing.
Little Mr Key, the spider & the sunny day
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 pm, October 7th, 2010 - 13 comments
Had a crack at writing my kid a story. What do you reckon?
Once upon a time there was a little man called John Key. He told everyone that if they trusted him he would lead them to a brighter future. Some of the people said he was lying to get power. More people said that they liked that nice man, Mr Key, and wanted the brighter future he promised…
Key loves to see wages drop
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, October 7th, 2010 - 36 comments
The just released Income Survey is more evidence of the Key Government’s failure to deliver for working Kiwis. After inflation, this is the third successive year in which the median income of New Zealanders has fallen. It’s now nearly 5% lower than when National came to power. This year alone, the median income fell 3.5%.
The leadership vacuum
Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, October 5th, 2010 - 41 comments
Paul Henry has a racist rant to the Prime Minister and what does John Key do? He laughs along and tries to make a joke. A PM that is afraid to be a leader. A Leader of the Opposition who is afraid of ticking off racists. A Green Party that is afraid of making a claim for the Left vote when Labour fails. Come back, Helen, all is forgiven.
NZ’s new racist international image, proudly brought to you by TVNZ
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, October 5th, 2010 - 82 comments
Here’s some of the international coverage of New Zealand that Paul Henry’s racist outburst against our Governor General Anand Satyanand has sparked. In India and here. Cool, after the recent effigy burnings of a certain Kiwi in New Delhi on the grounds that he was racist, that should really help things heaps. Australia, UK, USA, […]
Sack Paul Henry – protests at TVNZ
Written By: - Date published: 6:01 am, October 5th, 2010 - 81 comments
Join the protests this evening outside TVNZ in both Auckland and Wellington calling for Paul Henry to be sacked.
AUCKLAND: 5pm, TVNZ HQ, 100 Victoria Street West
WELLINGTON: 5pm, TVNZ, 86 Lambton Quay
GST is going up today
Written By: - Date published: 1:23 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 62 comments
Remember how John Key used to talk about GST? Here is a video reminding everyone of the past before he did his usual flip-flop to favour the rich while increasing costs on most people. The GST increase and the consequent inflation will make almost everyone worse off unless they are wealthy enough to bribe the NACT’s.
Caption Contest
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, September 30th, 2010 - 39 comments
“The Cabinet Manual clearly states that Ministers are responsible to me for their ethical behaviour, not for their judgment.” “Mr Hide has carried out his affairs in a personal and private capacity to a high ethical standard.” John Key, 22 Sep 2010
Over promise under deliver
Written By: - Date published: 8:22 am, September 24th, 2010 - 22 comments
“I also want to pay a special acknowledgement to my friend and deputy, Bill English. What a great job he is doing as Finance Minister. He’s delivered two Budgets that have steered New Zealand out of recession and put the economy firmly back on track to grow and create jobs”. Or has he?…
Caption Contest
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, September 23rd, 2010 - 31 comments
“All I can say is that in the 22 months that Mr Hide has been a minister in my Government he’s shown very good judgement and he has my full support.” John Key, 17 Sep 2010
Key ties himself to Hide
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, September 23rd, 2010 - 36 comments
What is John Key thinking? Why would he tie himself so firmly to the mast of the sinking ship that is Rodney Hide and ACT?
Key backs Hide’s lies
Written By: - Date published: 12:47 pm, September 20th, 2010 - 31 comments
John Key doesn’t want to touch the Garrett fiasco with a barge-pole. He wants to keep his brand clean. But here he is backing Rodney Hide, the shyster who kept Garrett’s secrets from the public, as one of his ministers. In the fight to keep his government together, all Key’s supposed principles go out the window.
Key’s crocodile tears for teachers & doctors
Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, September 20th, 2010 - 31 comments
John Key says he supports the teachers and junior doctors’ claims for a pay rise ‘but we simply don’t have the money’. Yet Key who is borrowing half a billion dollars this year for tax cuts for the wealthiest 9%. It isn’t a question of what the government can afford. It’s who matters to National – the rich do, teachers and doctors don’t.
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