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Public support for the Iraq deployment (In which the insightful and knowledgable Mike Hosking springs to the defence of the embattled PM!)

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:11 am, February 27th, 2015 - 89 comments

Despite the best efforts of Mike Hosking, the poll numbers tell us that Kiwis have lost their historical appetite for this kind of misadventure.

The SkyCity Deal

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:11 pm, February 10th, 2015 - 76 comments

Eighteen months ago Stephen Joyce said about the Sky City Convention Centre deal that anything not written down was not happening. It appears that he was wrong as John Key softens us up for more public money being spent on a private convention centre.

Captain’s Call

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 7:32 pm, February 9th, 2015 - 53 comments

Leaving Mike Sabin in charge of the Law and Order Select Committee was certainly a captain’s call by John Key. Just like Tony Abbott’s award of a knighthood to the Duke (as if he needed more fruit salad), this was a judgment call. And it does call Key’s judgment into question. It’s not about when he knew what he knew, it’s about what he did when he knew.

Forgetting what the game is for

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:17 am, January 29th, 2015 - 19 comments

The Herald’s coverage of yesterday’s speeches gives us the opposite extremes of journalism. But the headline slot goes to the superficialities of the game, and spinning for their man Key at all costs.

Trump or Palin for the US Presidency?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:10 pm, January 26th, 2015 - 37 comments

Donald Trump and Sarah Palin are reported to be considering runs for the Republican nomination for the United States Presidency.

Only in Queensland

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:22 pm, January 25th, 2015 - 13 comments

Queensland Liberal Country Party Premier Campbell Newman has claimed that the Queensland Labor Party is funded by gangs because some people have told him so. Yet he refuses to acknowledge the urgency of climate change even though pretty well every climate change scientist in the world is telling him it is real and we need to act now. Can you detect the scent of hypocrisy?

TV3, Cameron Brewer and more of the same

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:06 pm, January 17th, 2015 - 39 comments

TV3 recently interviewed Cameron Brewer to provide adverse commentary on a story about Labour seeded by David Farrar and Cameron Slater. And they did not even mention Brewer’s links to the National Party.

Shortlist for GCSB Chief announced

Written By: tracey - Date published: 1:31 pm, January 16th, 2015 - 15 comments

It makes for great reading and throws the net wider than last time… just Check it out here

The state of freedom of the press in the world in a series of tweets

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:16 am, January 12th, 2015 - 31 comments

An English student, Daniel Wickham has in a series of tweets questioned the commitment of various world leaders who marched in support of freedom of the press to that concept.

Rupert Murdoch on Charlie Hebdo

Written By: redfed - Date published: 8:30 am, January 11th, 2015 - 123 comments

Rupert Murdoch has tweeted questioning if most Moslems are peaceful and saying they are responsible for extremists within their ranks.

The difference between the left and the right

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:10 am, January 10th, 2015 - 250 comments

The recent handling of Charlie Hebdo by the Standard and by Kiwiblog provides a startling contrast. And neatly underlies the reality that the left wing blogs are in no way just the same as the right wing blogs despite what John Key may say.

The meaning of dirty politics

Written By: Stephanie Rodgers - Date published: 10:00 am, January 7th, 2015 - 171 comments

One of the strategies of the right is to take any complaint levelled against them and reduce it down until it’s meaningless. Now they’re doing it to Dirty Politics.

SkyCity’s expected subvention explained for John Roughan

Written By: lprent - Date published: 9:28 am, December 27th, 2014 - 42 comments

At last, some of our conservative short-term thinkers have woken up to the elephant in the room with the SkyCity convention centre subvention. Years late and their previous support has cost taxpayers dearly already. Perhaps they could learn to read reports? And think before committing us to be suckers?

The Government wishes Andrea Vance a very merry Christmas

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:50 am, December 25th, 2014 - 25 comments

On the eve of Christmas in a cynical attempt to avoid political damage the Government has apologised to Andrea Vance for breaching her rights of privacy in 2013 after requiring Parliamentary Services to hand over her metadata and attempting to cover up the exercise.

Denying the truth no way to run a country

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:09 pm, December 10th, 2014 - 16 comments

Right-wingers recently got all hot and bothered about the idea of “recall elections”. Perhaps we do need them, not for the scandal of a Mayor having a bathroom, but for governments that systematically and cynically deny the truth, to the detriment of us all.

Teapot tapes released!

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:00 pm, December 9th, 2014 - 7 comments

As the matter seems to be heading for trial now is a good time for the audio from the teapot tapes to be released.

Groser and National have a plan to save the world from global warming

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 pm, December 6th, 2014 - 61 comments

Tim Groser and National have a plan to solve global warming so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel.

Armstrong still pulling his punches

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:54 am, November 29th, 2014 - 41 comments

What does it take for Armstrong to call for Key’s resignation, the way he called for Cunliffe’s?

A Breakdown.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 10:44 am, November 26th, 2014 - 25 comments

There’s a lot of smash flying around concerning the SIS, the PM’s office, OIA requests, Judith Collin’s and what not. So here’s a simple, stripped back, breakdown

Vance on terrorism scare tactics

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:29 am, November 10th, 2014 - 33 comments

An excellent piece by Andrea Vance in the weekend, on Key’s terrorism dog and pony show.

NRT: National’s failure on housing

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:54 pm, October 21st, 2014 - 25 comments

A year ago National rammed through special housing areas promising 9000 homes consented in the first year under it. Over the last year they have managed to build 5 and consented 294. Nick Smith fails maths yet again. This year 13,000 – yeah right!

Off to war

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:00 am, October 16th, 2014 - 70 comments

Broken promise. Lies. War. The Herald willing to believe anything to defend Brand Key. Just another day in NZ politics.

Harawira’s recount bid did not “backfire”

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 3:17 pm, October 9th, 2014 - 155 comments

The usual Tory cheerleaders have been quick to heap further bile on Hone Harawira.

Cause of poverty and inequality found!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:06 am, October 8th, 2014 - 36 comments

Good news citizens! The National government has revealed unto us today the cause of poverty and inequality.

Clean it up

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:00 am, September 23rd, 2014 - 70 comments

Action Station has a full page ad in today’s NZ Herald, asking to clean up dirty politics. Dirty Politics is not any isolated attack politics or criticism of those in power. It is a relentless two track strategy, an orchestrated smear machine, aimed at moving politics rightwards & disengaging (left wing) voters. Update: Hager comments on the election.

The lurch to the right begins

Written By: Stephanie Rodgers - Date published: 9:20 am, September 22nd, 2014 - 129 comments

Expect to see a lot of drastic rightwing policies this term as John Key redefines the term “centre ground.”

Eminem sues National

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:11 pm, September 16th, 2014 - 182 comments

Eminem is suing the National Party for breaching his copyright in the song “Lose yourself” used by National in its campaign video. Stephen Joyce previously claimed that National had the full rights to use it. But it appears that this may not be the case. Update: There may be some interesting legal issues for National if it loses in terms of its spending cap and the Electoral Commission broadcast allocation.

VRWC rises from the grave

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 8:35 pm, September 14th, 2014 - 29 comments

They’re at it again. David Farrar has a guest post from fellow VRWC member Charles Finny about FiveEyes, arguing that it’s kept us safe in foreign wars and Labour did it too. Which of course is not the point of the current debate about massive government surveillance of innocent citizens. Farrar then gets himself tangled in knots – if Dotcom is right Labour did it too – but he’s not of course says Farrar.

Jackal: Spin Hooton spin

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:02 pm, September 13th, 2014 - 32 comments

The Jackal cleared up some more strange tweeting behaviour from Matthew Hooton. It appears that he has been tweeting that he has heard from a “left source” that The Standard have the last whaledumps. Yeah right…. Perhaps he should ask before making a fool of himself.