Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, August 7th, 2020 - 110 comments
In a sign of desperation National has trotted out John Key to campaign that the country’s success in containing Covid should be put to risk because of a misguided perception that it would be good for the economy.
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, August 6th, 2020 - 73 comments
I normally do not do this, tempting fate and all that. But the forces behind this election are so strong that it would take a really dramatic event to change current momentum.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 20th, 2020 - 106 comments
The media is reporting there will be a vote of no confidence in Simon Bridges’ leadership at next week’s National caucus meeting.
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, April 23rd, 2020 - 241 comments
It appears that the National Party is engaged in a bitter discussion of when Simon Bridges should be rolled, not if. Will it be before or after the election?
Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, January 26th, 2020 - 34 comments
Team play is more important than ever in politics.
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, April 6th, 2018 - 43 comments
or more accurately one. A failed vanity flag referendum.
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, December 26th, 2017 - 111 comments
An accidental tweet from a Government account has led the right to claim the existence of all sorts of conspiracies.
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, March 22nd, 2017 - 25 comments
Even then, local “journalists” were just parroting overseas reports despite having a major vanguard for the post-truth epoch playing out right before their very eyes
Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, February 26th, 2017 - 24 comments
Today’s news, tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper. Tracy Watkins grieves. Max Rashbrooke explains.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, February 10th, 2017 - 33 comments
The Herald informs us that Key is going on the speaking circuit and will go back into finance (not that he ever left). Like John Howard before him, he also intends to carry on chairing the International Democratic Union of right-wing parties. Not a surprise.
Written By: - Date published: 6:12 am, December 4th, 2016 - 169 comments
Audrey Young: “The Labour leader has described the win as ‘a bloody nose for National’. It is more like a bloody nose, a black eye and broken jaw.”
Update: As of 11am not a single story on Mt Roskill appears on the online front pages of either The Herald or Stuff. What a surprise!
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, October 21st, 2016 - 140 comments
The Court of Appeal has ruled that Darren Watson’s Planet Key song should not have been banned during the 2014 election campaign.
Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, August 10th, 2016 - 163 comments
In Parliament yesterday John Key showed a clear lack of understanding of what being poor in New Zealand entails.
Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, May 9th, 2016 - 277 comments
A new release of Panama papers absolutely confirms New Zealand is a tax haven says Nicky Hager. And ironically, it is because of New Zealand’s squeaky clean reputation that tens of thousands of foreigners have come flooding here.
Rather than actually dealing with the issue, John Key is using his old classics “nothing to see here” coupled with “Labour did it too”, “nicky hager is a conspiracy nut”, and “wait for the (Shewan) whitewash enquiry” defenses.
Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, May 8th, 2016 - 28 comments
Lynton Crosby on his knees receiving a knighthood for services to conservative politics. To me, this really signals who is running the show, who is still running the show, and what their values are.
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 pm, May 7th, 2016 - 14 comments
“I did a little yelp of joy…like an excited puppy,” wrote Farrier, the former Newsworthy presenter at TV3, on hearing of Weldon’s resignation
Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, May 4th, 2016 - 56 comments
MediaWorks CEO and mate of the PM, Mark Weldon, has quit his job. Is it too late to save MediaWorks? Should we care?
EDIT: Staff get in the champers shock!
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 21st, 2016 - 199 comments
John Key, explaining why he had an account with tax avoidance specialists Antipodes Trust Group, said he used the firm because his long-term friend, Ken Whitney, is a principal at the firm and has been his private lawyer for many years. The flaw in that theory is that Whitney is not currently a lawyer.
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, March 3rd, 2016 - 108 comments
Key is running from the flag debacle, further evidence that “preferred PM” and “popular” are not the same thing.
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, February 17th, 2016 - 265 comments
What would the adoption of John Key’s flag symbolise? Well, nothing, really.
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, February 15th, 2016 - 85 comments
Claire Robinson has analysed press use of photos during the 2014 general election campaign and has concluded that the major newspapers exhibited substantial bias in favour of Prime Minister John Key.
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, February 12th, 2016 - 218 comments
The Green’s Gareth Hughes delivered a blistering speech in reply to the PM’s statement to the House. It begs the question ‘what will Key’s lasting legacy be?’. A failed flag referendum? Poverty? Inequality? Corruption? Selfies with AB’s?
As Key’s star fades, the less he seems to have left us to remember him by. What was the point of him anyway?
Written By: - Date published: 5:56 pm, December 11th, 2015 - 138 comments
John Key’s $26 million dollar flag flop bores it’s way to the halfway line tonight. The first referendum closes at 7 PM, first results at around 8.30. $26 million … that’s a lot of cancer drugs, child care centres and elder care we won’t be getting because the PM wants a signature legacy his dreary leadership doesn’t actually deserve.
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 am, November 13th, 2015 - 18 comments
It takes fortitude to admit you are wrong. That’s right, not weakness but, strength, courage, resilience, grit, determination, endurance, guts, and staying power. When you won’t admit you are wrong you end up having to justify wrong decisions. That takes time and energy (and money) away from what actually needs to be done for the greater good. John Key won’t admit he is wrong. Because of this he has to keep going down several paths of “wrongness”, and because he is Prime MInister, he is taking us all with him. Some people think he does admit he made mistakes. But when you examine the few instances closer (if you can find them), it looks like something else.
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 18th, 2015 - 45 comments
John Key seems to prefer that New Zealand provides leadership in entertainment than in the areas that really matter.
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, October 1st, 2015 - 41 comments
Pandas – one lightweight piece of fluff too far?
Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, August 19th, 2015 - 27 comments
Unbelievable.
Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, July 23rd, 2015 - 115 comments
The “rags to riches” narrative is changing to “out of touch”.
Written By: - Date published: 9:13 pm, May 26th, 2015 - 61 comments
Richard Harman concluded his presentation to the recent Fabian “Destination Next Progressive Majority” event by quoting the noted political scientist Bob Chapman’s remark that he had “reluctantly come to the conclusion that it was far more important for a political party to have a communication strategy than an economic policy.” I’m inclined to agree.
Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, May 19th, 2015 - 22 comments
Creepy Key has dodged a question from the Green Party about any contact he may have had with the New Zealand Fox News Herald in the lead-up to Rachel Glucina’s hit job on the cafe worker who’s ponytail he pulled.
Written By: - Date published: 7:17 am, March 27th, 2015 - 98 comments
“John Key heckled in Northland” – ouch.
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