zzero use

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Budget gives with one hand and takes with the other

Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, May 22nd, 2015 - 188 comments

An increase to the base rate of benefits is welcome, but it comes with nasty fishhooks. As the Nats are forced to address leftie / progressive issues – a capital gains tax, Auckland housing, poverty – we the people need to keep the pressure on.

Budget speeches

Written By: - Date published: 4:42 pm, May 21st, 2015 - 44 comments

Budget debate speeches – Little, Key and Turei.

Dotcom’s open letter to Banks

Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, May 21st, 2015 - 59 comments

Last night Kim Dotcom released an open letter to John Banks.

Budget 2015 – A reactive budget

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, May 21st, 2015 - 161 comments

A panicked response to the Auckland property crisis. A welcome (albeit inadequate) adjustment to benefit rates. Public pressure is forcing action on the Left’s political agenda. Still no surplus, and no one believes the projected one next year. A reactive budget – there is no vision.

John Banks; Conviction Quashed

Written By: - Date published: 12:14 pm, May 19th, 2015 - 198 comments

John Banks has been acquitted of electoral fraud and his re-trial has been abandoned. Kim Dotcom has once again failed to follow through. Banks vs Goff in next year’s mayoralty race?

Curiouser and curiouser

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.

Herald praises Cunliffe for CGT policy

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, May 19th, 2015 - 29 comments

The Herald has praised David Cunliffe with changing public opinion about the introduction of a capital gains tax. And rubbished John Key’s suggestion that the announced limited tax on increasing housing values is not a capital gains tax.

Poverty and the budget

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, May 18th, 2015 - 13 comments

The levels of poverty and inequality in NZ are a disgrace. Apparently the budget is to “arrest the decline”, but we have heard such promises again and again from Key.

Your pre-budget speech

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, May 16th, 2015 - 38 comments

What would be in your budget speech if you were leader of the opposition?

Grant Robertson’s pre-budget speech

Written By: - Date published: 2:59 pm, May 15th, 2015 - 59 comments

Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson gave his pre-budget speech this morning. “So, what would a responsible government be doing in the Budget next week?”…

McCready back again on Key’s harassment

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, May 15th, 2015 - 23 comments

I’m all in favour of holding Key accountable for his actions in general, but not when the victim herself has asked McCready to desist. McCready should respect her wishes.

McCready case thrown out

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, May 14th, 2015 - 25 comments

Given that Amanda Bailey asked McCready to withdraw his case, this is good news.

The surplus lie

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 14th, 2015 - 68 comments

One of the biggest political deceptions in our lifetime? Or just an honest mistake by our noble Finance Minister?

Calling people names

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, May 14th, 2015 - 24 comments

Pulling ponytails and calling people names – I guess it’s true, the PM is 11 years old.

Uncomfortable reading for Key

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, May 12th, 2015 - 40 comments

Two opinion pieces yesterday make uncomfortable reading for Key.

Caption competition

Written By: - Date published: 3:06 pm, May 7th, 2015 - 23 comments

media-hairnets

The Whisky’s In.

Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, May 7th, 2015 - 32 comments

Before the turgid post-election hell that the British Establishment will undoubtably unleash…

NRT: There is too much money in our politics

Written By: - Date published: 3:27 pm, May 6th, 2015 - 60 comments

Our political system is awash with money. There is clearly an arms race going on where National is trying to spend everyone else into the ground. National includes significant funding from Auckland property developers and real estate agents, and probably explains their effective disinterest in fixing Auckland housing.

Worst. Excuse. Ever.

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, May 6th, 2015 - 11 comments

a-man's-hair-tui

Embarrassed? Us?

Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, May 5th, 2015 - 27 comments

“John Key … hopes he hasn’t embarrassed New Zealand in the wake of the embarrassing saga, which made headlines worldwide.” Ummm….

Worst. Interview. Ever.

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, May 4th, 2015 - 85 comments

On Radio NZ this morning John Key gave an interview that was cringe-worthy, defensive and accidently hilarious. The man is a joke … and not even an original one.

Ports of Auckland is out of control

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, May 3rd, 2015 - 30 comments

Ports of Auckland’s recent behaviour outlines a major weakness with Auckland super city.  Corporate interests are able to take precedence over the wishes of our democratically elected representatives.

Key on women’s rights

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, May 1st, 2015 - 29 comments

Key dodges women’s rights issues in Saudi Arabia. For obvious reasons really. In other media coverage of ponytail fallout…

(Image from Emmerson in The Herald)

Embarrassed for NZ

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 30th, 2015 - 87 comments

key-embarrassed-for-nz

Gilmore Sutton Key

Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, April 29th, 2015 - 8 comments

Don’t be mean to John!

I Fought the Law

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 pm, April 28th, 2015 - 148 comments

A quick look at the legalities of Ponytailgate as it affects the worker, the cafe, the NZ Herald and the PM. There could be court, tribunal and commission hearings that drag on for months, with potential big financial and political implications for the players.

Casual harassment

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, April 28th, 2015 - 89 comments

It was all a bit of fun. Have we become so casual about harassment?

Last Week Tonight on Key

Written By: - Date published: 6:25 pm, April 27th, 2015 - 70 comments

last-week-oliver-on-key

#casualjohn

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, April 27th, 2015 - 32 comments

Since when was harassing a waitress “casual”? John Key’s “excuse” blew up all over Twitter last night…

Our “casual” PM

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 26th, 2015 - 145 comments

creepy-key

Abusive and creepy

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, April 24th, 2015 - 274 comments

Of all the ways Key could have shot his leadership and his legacy in the foot – this really was the stupidest.

Image from Emmerson in The Herald – definitive.