Fallout

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, August 6th, 2008 - 47 comments
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National’s attempt to contain the meltdown from Bill English’s secret agenda comments at the National conference and on TV1 collapsed when it emerged Lockwood Smith was also talking about a secret agenda at the conference. Now, the fallout is raining down on them. So, National has moved to stage four of the Crosby/Textor technique for covering ‘accidental honesty’ – attack the source while ‘feigning anger’, as Brash was advised to do over the Exclusive Brethren.

The Nats seem to have no evidence as to who did the recording but that hasn’t stopped an apperantly furious Key from blaming Labour. Labour denies all knowledge and frankly they wouldn’t have the balls to do something like this. In desperation, Key also suggested that the tape is somehow doctored, which is ludicrous, seeing as English has already confessed to his comments and anyone can listen to the audio here and here.

Don’t forget that this is just an attempt by National to distract from the actual issue, the secret agenda that senior Nats were discussing with delegates behind closed doors.

To recap: English says they will sort out Working for Families and are consciously choosing try to shut it down as a campaign issue, ie not seeking a mandate for changes they intend to make. He says Kiwibank would be sold eventually. He says the “punters”have been taken in by “that nice Mr Key’ like country bumpkins taken in by a con-man. He says Key didn’t understand basic maths in Working for Families. Lockwood confirms that there are policies National intends to put in place that it will not make official policy now, for fear of “scaring the horses”.

That’s a secret agenda. And don’t think for a moment that two senior Nats just happened to be caught on tape the only time they said these things – this is clearly an agenda that senior Nats regularly reassure their members is in the pipeline, despite Key’s moderate facade.

I can understand if Key genuinely is furious, he is seeing his chance to put PM on his CV melt before his eyes, but he shouldn’t be looking to blame the person who caught his senior MPs telling the truth. National would not be in this position if they had just been honest with the public. They have no-one to blame but themselves.

47 comments on “Fallout ”

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  1. jafapete 1
    6 August 2008 at 12:36 pm

    Terrible timing for the Nats too. Gets in the way of the campaign to eliminate Peters.

  2. Scribe 2
    6 August 2008 at 12:37 pm

    Steve,

    Did Labour announce they’d be passing the Prostitution Reform and Civil Union legislation before the preceding elections? (Genuine question; was overseas at the time.)

    And I hope National does sort out Working for Families because it is not delivering assistance to the people who MOST need it, as some experts in this area, eg Child Poverty Action Group, have pointed out. It’s distinctly possible that some analysis of the package will need to be done before National knows that steps to take.

  3. Matthew Pilott 3
    6 August 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Scribe, WfF is fine. If you want benefits increased, say so, and then vote against National!

    Can’t recall specifics, though, about those two socially progressive pieces of legislation, but the key is Labour campaigned on a socially progressive manifesto; those law changes took no one by surprise.

    National are campaigning one a broad centrist bullet-point list, and sound like there’s some heavy lurches to the right planned behind our backs – that’s not what people would be voting for. Do you agree there’s a difference?

  4. Felix 4
    6 August 2008 at 12:46 pm

    Scribe: Do you think the Nats intend to sort out wff to give more money to poorer families? (Genuine question – I wasn’t here yesterday when you were born)

    jp:
    “Gets in the way of the campaign to eliminate Peters.”

    How conveeeeenient for Mr Peters. Didn’t he say last thursday he would “deal with” the Nats this week? Hmmmmm….

  5. r0b 5
    6 August 2008 at 12:47 pm

    Scribe: Did Labour campaign on the passage of the Prostitution Reform Act and the Civil Union Act

    Same question on another thread so here’s my same answer.

    I don’t recall. But for the sake of argument assume that they didn’t. Your point would be that Labour did something they didn’t campaign on, har har gotcha it’s just the same.

    But it isn’t the same at all. The PRA and CUA were not major election issues that Labour made very clear statements on, and then when on to do the opposite.

    Here’s what we are looking at with National. Very clear statements (sadly lies) about preserving Labour’s KiwiBank, Working for Families etc. But speaking to the faithful their people are caught telling the truth. The real agenda is privatisation and the gutting of social services. Same old Nats.

  6. Scribe 6
    6 August 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Felix,

    Do you think the Nats intend to sort out wff to give more money to poorer families?

    Well, John Key has wondered aloud why families making more than $100k need assistance of this kind, suggesting he thinks that wealthy families are the ones that don’t need it.

    (Genuine question – I wasn’t here yesterday when you were born)

    Ouch, my side.

  7. Scribe 7
    6 August 2008 at 12:52 pm

    rOb,

    Thanks for answering twice — or at least posting it twice. I feared my question might be ignored on the other looooooooong thread.

    The PRA and CUA were not major election issues that Labour made very clear statements on, and then when on to do the opposite.

    They were issues that certainly didn’t have overwhelming support, so ones that a party wouldn’t want to openly discuss before an election at the risk of losing votes. That was the comparison I was trying to draw.

  8. r0b 8
    6 August 2008 at 12:55 pm

    They were issues that certainly didn’t have overwhelming support

    Maybe not where you come from Scribe. Oddly enough they had overwhelming support amongst the people most affected though.

  9. Scribe 9
    6 August 2008 at 12:59 pm

    Maybe not where you come from Scribe. Oddly enough they had overwhelming support amongst the people most affected though.

    That’s an interesting criterion, rOb.

    So if rich people wanted a top tax rate of 25%, and National supported it, then making that law would be OK because, wait for it, it “had overwhelming support amongst the people most affected”.

  10. Draco TB 10
    6 August 2008 at 1:10 pm

    What you should be looking for, Scribe, isn’t overwhelming support but overwhelming opposition which there wasn’t for either the PRA or the CUA but which there would be for Nationals mass privatisation.

  11. r0b 11
    6 August 2008 at 1:11 pm

    That’s an interesting criterion, rOb.

    Not a criterion at all, just an observation. The criterion is does legislation get support in parliament, which it did.

    So if rich people wanted a top tax rate of 25%, and National supported it, then making that law would be OK because

    Making it law would be OK if it had support in Parliament – that’s how our representative democracy works. They could certainly do that, and live with the consequences, which is exactly what Labour did.

    wait for it, it “had overwhelming support amongst the people most affected’.

    I imagine that it would have such support, but that’s not a criterion, just an observation.

    Are you done with the thread jack? Do you have an opinion on National lying to the public, and intending to run their hidden agenda when in power?

  12. Felix 12
    6 August 2008 at 1:13 pm

    Well, John Key has wondered aloud why families making more than $100k need assistance of this kind, suggesting he thinks that wealthy families are the ones that don’t need it.

    Yes, he thought he could fix that – now he (and English) says he can’t – and yet English says they’re still going to “sort it out”.

    So the question is what do they intend to “sort out”? Going by their own statements it can’t possibly be what you suggest – they’ve both admitted they can’t do anything about that.

    Do you think they’ll be rearranging wff to give poorer families more money?

  13. Sue 13
    6 August 2008 at 1:16 pm

    <>

    For the record, Prostitution Law Reform was a Private Member’s Bill, not a Government one and was – if I remember correctly – a conscience vote.

  14. r0b 14
    6 August 2008 at 1:18 pm

    Thanks Sue. I was out of the country at the time and don’t recall.

  15. Scribe 15
    6 August 2008 at 1:22 pm

    MP,

    WfF is fine.

    It’s helped, no doubt. But those who need assistance the most are missing out: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10520418

    rOb,

    Making it law would be OK if it had support in Parliament – that’s how our representative democracy works. They could certainly do that, and live with the consequences, which is exactly what Labour did.

    So if National did sell Kiwibank, and did so with the support of Parliament, that would be OK with you?

    And not sure how this discussion is a threadjack.

  16. Matthew Pilott 16
    6 August 2008 at 1:24 pm

    Cheers Sue – I keep forgetting about them, the wild card…

    I’m furious at Key for blaming Labour with no evidence whatsoever (I say no evidence with the only evidence that if there was evidence Key ‘knew’ it was Labour he would be releasing it. Got that?) when there are a fair few people and groups who would like to see him and his carefully stage-managed campaign go down the drain.

    I don’t recall Clark saying Key’s “Luke, I am your Lesbian Father” young tories were behind the Williams recording on nationwide tv.

    He is a prick. (so Cullen was half right)

  17. Scribe 17
    6 August 2008 at 1:25 pm

    Sue,

    For the record, Prostitution Law Reform was a Private Member’s Bill, not a Government one and was – if I remember correctly – a conscience vote.

    Thanks for that information.

    So would a private member’s bill to sell Kiwibank, and a conscience vote that supported that bill, mean selling it was OK?

  18. Matthew Pilott 18
    6 August 2008 at 1:30 pm

    Scribe,

    That article shows that it’s not reaching everyone because some people are on benefits, people don’t work enough to get a specific credit, and losing a job means losing a big part of the benefit – so the solution would be to apply WfF benefits to those on a benefit. I agree WfF isn’t ‘fine’ (bit of a mis-speak, maybe I should say it’s not perfect) but I sure don’t see National’s policy – spoken or otherwise – likely to help.

    Labour’s tax cuts will assist these people a fair bit, but more can always be done – I guess they have to balance a good social system with a disincentive from working though. So much to take into account it boggles the mind.

    edit – selling an asset can hardly be put down to a conscience vote, scribe, that’s not what they are for!

  19. Lew 19
    6 August 2008 at 1:36 pm

    Scribe: “So would a private member’s bill to sell Kiwibank, and a conscience vote that supported that bill, mean selling it was OK?”

    Notwithstanding that such a bill wouldn’t be a conscience issue, it would mean that responsibility for its passage couldn’t legitimately be laid upon the government of the day. That’s the issue – not whether it’s right or wrong by some unspecified metric.

    L

  20. r0b 20
    6 August 2008 at 1:41 pm

    So if National did sell Kiwibank, and did so with the support of Parliament, that would be OK with you?

    It would be fine as a process of law. And National could live with the consequences.

    You’re confusing two issues here. The criterion for making laws is a legal / procedural one. Whether those laws are “right” or “wrong” is about public opinion, public reactions, “consequences”.

    Labour might have suffered some consequences from the passage of the PRA etc on their watch, but they weren’t large, in the public’s eyes such legislation was either OK or they didn’t care (strong disapprovers must have been small in number). National could pass the kind of tax law that you describe which would be fine as a legal / procedural process. The public would let them know whether they thought the law was right or wrong though, there would be consequences.

    In short, what is law is up to parliament, and what is OK is up to the public to decide.

    So now Scribe, I’ve been answering your questions, how about you answer mine: Do you have an opinion on National lying to the public, and intending to run their hidden agenda when in power?

  21. Scribe 21
    6 August 2008 at 1:44 pm

    MP/Lew,

    I’m aware that it wouldn’t be a conscience vote, but thanks for the political education 😉

    it would mean that responsibility for it couldn’t legitimately be laid upon the government of the day.

    I think that if a government MP introduces a private member’s bill that passes then the government can be held responsible for the bill’s passage (except in very rare circumstances).

    captcha: $100,000,000 Cyrus — must be Miley (sp?), not Billy Ray

  22. Scribe 22
    6 August 2008 at 1:53 pm

    rOb,

    So now Scribe, I’ve been answering your questions, how about you answer mine: Do you have an opinion on National lying to the public, and intending to run their hidden agenda when in power?

    Some of the “lies” that have been outlined on The Standard are not lies, in my opinion. For example, English suggesting National might eventually sell Kiwibank doesn’t, from what I’ve read, contradict National policy.

    And as far as what Lockwood said, I think it’s the sort of thing Labour MPs would have thought and maybe said in 1999, and National before that in 1990, and Labour in 1984, but this was caught on tape.

    I hate people, regardless of their political affiliation, lying to the public, but the sad fact is many — or most — politicians are willing to lie to get ahead, to varying degrees.

  23. r0b 23
    6 August 2008 at 2:09 pm

    I hate people, regardless of their political affiliation, lying to the public

    Agreed so far.

    but the sad fact is many — or most — politicians are willing to lie to get ahead, to varying degrees.

    It’s a popular stereotype, and a popular accusation, because circumstances change and it isn’t always possible to do what one hoped to do. But I don’t think its actually the case that most politicians consciously lie. I think only some of them do.

    Sadly, I think the Crosby / Textor tactics do amount to lying to the public, and I think that is what the current National leadership have brought in to. And I think they’ve been caught here on these tapes with their truth (that they don’t want us to know) hanging out.

    And I think New Zealand deserves better.

  24. Scribe 24
    6 August 2008 at 2:25 pm

    rOb,

    Well, at least we finally agreed on something.

    But I don’t think its actually the case that most politicians consciously lie. I think only some of them do.

    And we found out I’m more sceptical than you. And if it’s only “some” politicians, as you suggest, I think they’re spread fairly evenly across the political spectrum.

  25. randal 25
    6 August 2008 at 2:37 pm

    they lie when they have to. otherwise the peasants kick up too much of a stink about everything and think they are in control. Its the broad intentions that are important and we elect our politicians and give them licence and that is right. so in that way it is like business in that you build up relationships with people you can trust and at the moment that aint the nats.

  26. Matthew Pilott 26
    6 August 2008 at 2:56 pm

    Scribe, you underestimate the power of country music! heh

    If a pvt Mbr bill passes you can put the responsibility at the feet of those who supported it, agreed. What you can’t do is say that they should have campaigned on it in the first place, or that it could be considered lying by omission.

    Such a bill comes up and the government surely has a duty to enact it if in the country’s best interests. I’d consider it neglect if it happened any other way.

  27. Scribe 27
    6 August 2008 at 3:32 pm

    What you can’t do is say that they should have campaigned on it in the first place, or that it could be considered lying by omission.

    I think prostitution and civil unions were essentially Labour policies for which front men were selected to enter the legislation as private member’s bills.

    I suspect National, if elected, might have similar private member’s bills put in the ballot, so I’ll expect an equally ambivalent response from you and others if that happens.

  28. Lew 28
    6 August 2008 at 4:01 pm

    Scribe: “I think prostitution and civil unions were essentially Labour policies for which front men were selected to enter the legislation as private member’s bills.”

    That’s a bit conspiratorial, but nevertheless, it’s irrelevant: they were both conscience votes. There’s a degree of correlation between party and conscience votes, but unless you presume collusion among caucuses to ensure it passes or doesn’t, this is a dead argument. Government MPs voted against both of these bills. Opposition MPs voted for them. They passed nonetheless. The most you can say about it is the extent to which a parliament (and moreso a proportionally-elected parliament) reflects the underlying values and opinions of society in its conscience votes, and that ain’t a very big statement.

    Other acts – the S59 repeal is one – are less clear, being not a full conscience vote.

    “I suspect National, if elected, might have similar private member’s bills put in the ballot, so I’ll expect an equally ambivalent response from you and others if that happens.”

    Ah, hypotheticals. What would, to your mind, be `similar private member’s bills’ – anything that you personally think `looks like’ National policy, but for some inexplicable reason isn’t on the order paper as such?

    Notwithstanding these objections over definition, if a private member’s bill introduced under a National government by a National or allied MP were put to a conscience vote and passed, I would consider it a reflection of the underlying opinions and values of NZ society as a whole, even if it looked to some cynical onlooker as National party policy in drag.

    L

  29. lprent 29
    6 August 2008 at 4:06 pm

    Scribe: There are a *lot* of private members bills from all sides of the house. I have no idea of the numbers but I seem to remember that it is usually in the order of scores, and only a few are selected each year.

    I’ve heard of private members bills that have been sitting in the pool from the time a MP started in the house to when they left a decade or so later. The bill often gets passed to other MP’s.

    Anyway the probability of a private members bill coming up is pretty low.

    They are also bills that parliamentary party isn’t willing to put into its legislative program. Typically they are low priority, often not supported by party remits (in the case of the NZLP) and often go to a conscience vote because they are usually contraversaial even in te party of the MP.

    Frankly I think you are trying to find a rationale where there isn’t one. Unless you think that the random ballot isn’t? In which case I urge you to check what the speaker of the house can do for disrespect to parliament before you say that.

  30. pinetree 30
    6 August 2008 at 6:06 pm

    “….Sadly, I think the Crosby / Textor tactics do amount to lying to the public, and I think that is what the current National leadership have brought in to….”

    r0b…I’m not across all of what “The Standard” defines as C/T tactics (but I can hazard a guess)…

    …to be clear, it’d be yours, and that of your peers here, contention that these are ‘tactics’ used solely by the National Party…?

    Given the quality of the postings here (and they are good, granted) I can’t believe that to be the case, you guys seem far too grizzled and battle scarred to be seriously trotting that line….

    In itself this consistent ‘faux horror’ line around C/T is straight from the ‘C/T playbook’…

    …either that or I’m missing a monumental injoke somewhere….(not unusual I might add)…

    ….either way, I’d suggest Helen get herself a decent glazier before this election is all done and dusted…

    I enjoy the site guys, like I said, good quality stuff….not always my cup of tea, but then that’s why I like reading it…

    [lprent: So you should know that “The Standard” is a program running on a webserver. As a machine it doesn’t have an opinion. Since we don’t have an editorial policy your statement doesn’t make sense. Have a look at the About because we don’t all have the same opinions and I don’t allow things to be ascribed to “The Standard” that don’t exist.
    Public service announcement is now over.]

  31. r0b 31
    6 August 2008 at 6:33 pm

    to be clear, it’d be yours, and that of your peers here, contention that these are ‘tactics’ used solely by the National Party ?

    I can only speak for myself. I believe that most parties use something like C/T tactics on occasion, but only one, National, has elevated it to way of life. Only one, National, actually employs C/T (and refuses to admit it). Only one, National, arguably lost the last election because of C/T tactics. Only one, National, might just lose the next election because of C/T tactics.

    National are just slow learners I guess…

  32. pinetree 32
    6 August 2008 at 7:01 pm

    Lprent – point well made and understood….not my intent to do anything other than relfect what I felt was a ‘theme’…

    …r0b – know where your coming from, but I’ve no reference other than experience….

    Obviously I’d prefer this sort of debate framed outside the brand of C/T, but hey, C/T themselves would obviously have it no other way, bogeymen and agendas being THE valuable commodity in any election I guess…

    …anyhow, he who lives, dies, swords and all that stuff….so no complaints from me when we start getting slapped around as a result…we’ll see what the damage is soon enough…

    …can’t fault the PM for making hay on it, gilt edged political opportunity that be returned in kind if the shoe were on the other foot…

  33. Lew 33
    6 August 2008 at 9:27 pm

    Pinetree: You are curiously fair-minded. But the thing all the ethicists are arguing and asking is: should a party really emulate those they claim to oppose? Should a party not, in response to abhorrent tactics, disavow them and strike out on their own, dare I say, positive and ambitious path?

    L

  34. Razorlight 34
    6 August 2008 at 9:52 pm

    Lets assume National are lieing and there are two agendas. Not that I believe there is

    I think it is more believable that they are lieing to the hard right individual that hits them up over a cocktail.

    Do they want to get elected and stay in government for a decade. Yes. So they will do what the electorate is asking for.

    But when a right wing supporter hits them up over a cocktail at the conference demanding they throw out all those Labour initiatives, the obvious way to avoid confrontation with that supporter is to smile and nod. Say what he wants to hear. He is voting for them regardless so let him go away happy even though the Party has no intention of doing that.

    If there are two agendas, why is it automatically assumed that the hard right agenda is the one the party will take?

  35. RedLogix 35
    6 August 2008 at 9:58 pm

    Razor,

    Brilliant defense. It almost works. Except that now you have National lying to it’s own supporters. Which is not quite as bad I guess.

    Still as a line goes… hell I would be proud of it.

  36. Razorlight 36
    6 August 2008 at 10:05 pm

    RedLogix

    Thanks for the compliment, but as I said I don’t believe they are lieing to begin with.

    But doesn’t what I said make sence to you. Smile and nod to the hard righty knowing that if you are to be elected and stay elected you have to dismiss those hard right ideals of some of your supporters.

    Wont tell him that but it is a political neccessity as every politician knows.

  37. pinetree 37
    6 August 2008 at 11:04 pm

    Lew

    “…You are curiously fair-minded” – I’ll take that as a positive, I’ve been called worse…

    To be honest, I consider myself no more than a dabbler in matters politics, so presume the depth of my supposed insight to be broadly ‘puddle’…

    ….lot of passionately held views on this site, me, I’m not so black and white on some of this stuff…

    ….and staw-polling it with my mates, most of them are the same…they like a bit of policy and party political pick and mix….aside from myself who has always been largely right (and just how far right varied through age, employer and experience, I’ve mellowed)….I see a lot of people these days who find it hard to really find any one ‘home’ politically….

    To your point….did you mention ethics and politics in the same para….? sheesh, yellow card…..

  38. r0b 38
    6 August 2008 at 11:20 pm

    Lets assume National are lieing and there are two agendas … I think it is more believable that they are lieing to the hard right individual that hits them up over a cocktail.

    Nice try! Can you sell me that pretty bridge while you’re at it?

    What was it Key called WfF again – communism by stealth? Kiwibank, interest free student loans, many other policies, all ruthlessly attacked and vilified. Why? Because Nats hate them.

    Then phase two – swallowing dead rats. We’ll keep WfF (choke). We’ll not privatise state assets (retch). Down goes another dead rat. It’s called swallowing dead rats because that’s about how much National enjoys publicly signing up for policies that the public loves and it hates.

    Make no mistake. The Nats hated these policies and at first they spoke their minds publicly. They lost those arguments and the public forced them to swallow the rats. But the Nats still hate them and still speak their minds – not to the public anymore, only to their inner circle. And now the taped evidence confirms for all what anyone with any political brain knew anyway – the real agenda is still alive and well. The Nats are just lying to the public to make themselves electable.

  39. Razorlight 39
    6 August 2008 at 11:30 pm

    rOb I completley agree. Many inside national hate them.

    But they have swallowed the rat as you say. They are keeping the policies. They still hate it (as Cullen hates tax cuts) but have done it because the electorate wants it.

    Those hard righties will be the ones dissapointed when Kiwibank isn’t sold by National. Not the centre voters as nothing will change.

  40. r0b 40
    6 August 2008 at 11:46 pm

    They are keeping the policies.

    RL – don’t take offence – are you young?

    The Nats aren’t “keeping the policies” because they aren’t in government. We get to find out if they keep the policies ONLY if they actually get elected.

    NZ has quite a shameful history of politicians saying one thing while in opposition and then doing the opposite when in government. That is why the incoming Clark government of 1999 was so brilliantly refreshing. They set out their policies clearly before the election, and then they delivered. The kept their word. Sadly – it is very rare.

    So if you are supporting the nats becuase you believe them, because you think they have had a genuine change of heart, I’m sorry, because you are going to be bitterly disappointed. Go study some history. It matters little what (most) politicians say while in opposition.

  41. Razorlight 41
    7 August 2008 at 12:02 am

    No rOb.

    I support National because I am sick to death of this government. I do not believe in any ideology so do not fit in the right or left. I am sick of the arrogance of Labour and am seeing a countery really struggling at the moment. Why on earth shuld we give them another chance.

    I believe National will be a pragmatic government dealing with challenges as they arise. Pragmatism is the reason why they have adopted some of the policies that they earlier opposed. If they fail, as this government is failing, then they will not survive more than one term. Hence the reason they will not make overly unpopular decsions based on hard right ideology.

  42. r0b 42
    7 August 2008 at 12:24 am

    I’ll take that as a “yes” to my original question.

    I do not believe in any ideology so do not fit in the right or left.

    You may not think you believe in ideology, but you have opinions. Arrange them into things you believe in and things you don’t, and I think you’ll find yourself somewhere on the known political spectrum

    I am sick of the arrogance of Labour

    I am sick of the arrogance of National.

    and am seeing a countery really struggling at the moment.

    If you are as free of ideology as you think you are then you should be able to read the numbers. Take a look at the statistics. Under Labour – wages up, employment up, economy growing faster, beneficiary numbers down, crime down, poverty down and so on and so on – all of it covered here by authors on The Standard. The country is struggling a bit right now because of extraordinary international circumstances, but all the numbers tell you that Labour is better at running the country than National. Once again, if you are as free of ideology as you think you are, read the numbers, the numbers do not lie.

    Why on earth shuld we give them another chance.

    Because they are better managers of the economy, and better at supporting the average New Zealander. Because National are lying to you.

    If they fail, as this government is failing, then they will not survive more than one term. Hence the reason they will not make overly unpopular decsions based on hard right ideology.

    Your faith is touching. Once again, please, study some history.

  43. Razorlight 43
    7 August 2008 at 12:32 am

    “Your faith is touching. Once again, please, study some history.”

    That left wing arrogance is shown there in your statement. You are basically telling me I am naieve and if I do some study I will see the light and the light is Labour. What arrogant rubbish.

    It is this attitude more than the state of the nation that will lose Labour this election. The economy is bad yet the attitude of some on the left which is that those opposed to Labour are greedy or stupid is the real reason people are angry.

    National has the same objective. Just a different means to that end.

  44. r0b 44
    7 August 2008 at 1:04 am

    It is this attitude more than the state of the nation that will lose Labour this election.

    You think an invitation to learn from history is an attitude that is more important to the people of NZ than people’s livelihoods and living standards? What arrogant rubbish! How blinkered in your own narrow perceptions and concerns you have become!

    Sigh. See what a silly game that is RL? So learn from history or be doomed to repeat it. Whatever, it’s you that the Nats are going to disappoint, not me.

    Ok – and since it’s Thursday: And don’t for a second think I am comfortable with this revelation. It is not a good look for National. It’s just I believe it will not be making headlines in two days time. Correct me if I am wrong on Thursday.

    I predict that in the morning you will find that you were wrong.

  45. Razorlight 45
    7 August 2008 at 1:38 am

    I can admit I am wrong. something the left struggles with.

    It wasn’t an invitation to learn history. It was you telling me I think the way I do because I do not know my history. Basically saying if i did I would then see the wisdom in voting this mob back in. That is what I see every day is those who disagree simply don’t know. You cant see that we believe in reaching Nirvana down a different road, the objective is still the same though.

    I know my history. So do not assume because I disagree with you I don’t.

  46. Razorlight 46
    7 August 2008 at 1:49 am

    Sorry its late

    That last one didnt make sense. I think you get it though. Dismissing opponents as ignorant and naieve is arrogant.

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  • Climate Change: The wrong direction
    This week the International Energy Association released its Net Zero Roadmap, intended to guide us towards a liveable climate. The report demanded huge increases in renewable generation, no new gas or oil, and massive cuts to methane emissions. It was positive about our current path, but recommended that countries with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    9 hours ago

  • “Racism” becomes a buzz word on the campaign trail – but our media watchdogs stay muzzled when...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Oh, dear.  We have nothing to report from the Beehive. At least, we have nothing to report from the government’s official website. But the drones have not gone silent.  They are out on the election campaign trail, busy buzzing about this and that in the hope ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago

  • Play it, Elvis
    Election Hell special!! This week’s quiz is a bumper edition featuring a few of the more popular questions from last weekend’s show, as well as a few we didn’t have time for. You’re welcome, etc. Let us press on, etc. 1.  What did Christopher Luxon use to his advantage in ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    10 hours ago

  • Pure class warfare
    National unveiled its fiscal policy today, announcing all the usual things which business cares about and I don't. But it did finally tell us how National plans to pay for its handouts to landlords: by effectively cutting benefits: The biggest saving announced on Friday was $2b cut from the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    11 hours ago

  • Ask Me Anything about the week to Sept 29
    Photo by Anna Ogiienko on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour, including:duelling fiscal plans from National and Labour;Labour cutting cycling spending while accusing National of being weak on climate;Research showing the need for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    14 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 29-September-2023
    Welcome to Friday and the last one for September. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt highlighted at the latest with the City Rail Link. On Tuesday, Matt covered the interesting items from Auckland Transport’s latest board meeting agendas. On Thursday, a guest post from Darren Davis ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    18 hours ago

  • Protest at Parliament: The Reunion.
    Brian’s god spoke to him. He, for of course the Lord in Tamaki’s mind was a male god, with a mighty rod, and probably some black leathers. He, told Brian - “you must put a stop to all this love, hope, and kindness”. And it did please the Brian.He said ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    18 hours ago

  • Labour cuts $50m from cycleway spending
    Labour is cutting spending on cycling infrastructure while still trying to claim the higher ground on climate. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Labour Government released a climate manifesto this week to try to claim the high ground against National, despite having ignored the Climate Commission’s advice to toughen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    19 hours ago

  • The Greater Of Two Evils.
    Not Labour: If you’re out to punish the government you once loved, then the last thing you need is to be shown evidence that the opposition parties are much, much worse.THE GREATEST VIRTUE of being the Opposition is not being the Government. Only very rarely is an opposition party elected ...
    Bowalley Road
    19 hours ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #39 2023
    Open access notables "Net zero is only a distraction— we just have to end fossil fuel emissions." The latter is true but the former isn't, or  not in the real world as it's likely to be in the immediate future. And "just" just doesn't enter into it; we don't have ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Chris Trotter: Losing the Left
    IN THE CURRENT MIX of electoral alternatives, there is no longer a credible left-wing party. Not when “a credible left-wing party” is defined as: a class-oriented, mass-based, democratically-structured political organisation; dedicated to promoting ideas sharply critical of laissez-faire capitalism; and committed to advancing democratic, egalitarian and emancipatory ideals across the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 day ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Road rage at Kia Kaha Primary School
    It is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha Primary School!It can be any time when you are telling a story.Telling stories about things that happened in the past is how we learn from our mistakes.If we want to.Anyway, it is not the school holidays yet at Kia Kaha ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Hipkins fires up in leaders’ debate, but has the curtain already fallen on the Labour-led coalitio...
    Labour’s  Chris Hipkins came out firing, in the  leaders’ debate  on Newshub’s evening programme, and most of  the pundits  rated  him the winner against National’s  Christopher Luxon. But will this make any difference when New  Zealanders  start casting their ballots? The problem  for  Hipkins is  that  voters are  all too ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 day ago

  • Govt is energising housing projects with solar power – and fuelling the public’s concept of a di...
    Buzz from the Beehive  Not long after Point of Order published data which show the substantial number of New Zealanders (77%) who believe NZ is becoming more divided, government ministers were braying about a programme which distributes some money to “the public” and some to “Maori”. The ministers were dishing ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW: Election 2023 – a totemic & charisma failure?
    The D&W analysis Michael Grimshaw writes –  Given the apathy, disengagement, disillusionment, and all-round ennui of this year’s general election, it was considered time to bring in those noted political operatives and spin doctors D&W, the long-established consultancy firm run by Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Known for ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • FROM BFD: Will Winston be the spectre we think?
    Kissy kissy. Cartoon credit BoomSlang. The BFD. JC writes-  Allow me to preface this contribution with the following statement: If I were asked to express a preference between a National/ACT coalition or a National/ACT/NZF coalition then it would be the former. This week Luxon declared his position, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • California’s climate disclosure bill could have a huge impact across the U.S.
    This re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Andy Furillo was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The California Legislature took a step last week that has the potential to accelerate the fight against climate ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Untangling South East Queensland’s Public Transport
    This is a cross post Adventures in Transitland by Darren Davis. I recently visited Brisbane and South East Queensland and came away both impressed while also pondering some key changes to make public transport even better in the region. Here goes with my take on things. A bit of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    2 days ago

  • Try A Little Kindness.
    My daughter arrived home from the supermarket yesterday and she seemed a bit worried about something. It turned out she wanted to know if someone could get her bank number from a receipt.We wound the story back.She was in the store and there was a man there who was distressed, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • What makes NZFirst tick
    New Zealand’s longest-running political roadshow rolled into Opotiki yesterday, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters knowing another poll last night showed he would make it back to Parliament and National would need him and his party if they wanted to form a government. The Newshub Reid Research poll ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • September AMA
    Hi,As September draws to a close — I feel it’s probably time to do an Ask Me Anything. You know how it goes: If you have any burning questions, fire away in the comments and I will do my best to answer. You might have questions about Webworm, or podcast ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • Bludgers lying in the scratcher making fools of us all
    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    3 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    3 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    4 days ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Another Labour bully
    Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
    Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • JERRY COYNE: A good summary of the mess that is science education in New Zealand
    JERRY COYNE writes –  If you want to see what the government of New Zealand is up to with respect to science education, you can’t do better than listening to this video/slideshow by two exponents of the “we-need-two-knowledge-systems” view. I’ve gotten a lot of scary stuff from Kiwi ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • Good news on the GDP front is accompanied by news of a $5m govt boost for Supercars (but what about ...
    Buzz from the Beehive First, we were treated to the news (from Finance Minister Grant Robertson) that the economy has turned a corner and New Zealand never was in recession.  This was triggered by statistics which showed the economy expanded 0.9 per cent in the June quarter, twice as much as ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • The Scafetta Saga
    It has taken 17 months to get a comment published pointing out the obvious errors in the Scafetta (2022) paper in GRL. Back in March 2022, Nicola Scafetta published a short paper in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) purporting to show through ‘advanced’ means that ‘all models with ECS > ...
    Real ClimateBy Gavin
    1 week ago

  • Friday's Chorus: Penny wise and pound foolish
    TL;DR: In the middle of a climate emergency and in a city prone to earthquakes, Victoria University of Wellington announced yesterday it would stop teaching geophysics, geographic information science and physical geography to save $22 million a year and repay debt. Climate change damage in Aotearoa this year is already ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • CHRIS TROTTER: Calling the big dog’s bluff
      For nearly thirty years the pundits have been telling the minor parties that they must be good little puppies and let the big dogs decide. The parties with a plurality of the votes cast must be allowed to govern – even if that means ignoring the ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 week ago

  • The electorate swing, Labour limbo and Luxon-Hipkins two-step
     Another poll, another 27 for Labour. It was July the last time one of the reputable TV company polls had Labour's poll percentage starting with a three, so the limbo question is now being asked: how low can you go?It seems such an unlikely question because this doesn't feel like the kind ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago

  • A Womance, and a Nomance.
    After the trench warfare of Tuesday night, when the two major parties went head to head, last night was the turn of the minor parties. Hosts Newshub termed it “the Powerbrokers' Debate”.Based on the latest polls the four parties taking part - ACT, the Greens, New Zealand First, and Te ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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    7 days ago

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    1 week ago

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    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
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    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
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    2 weeks ago

  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
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    2 weeks ago

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    2 weeks ago

  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
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    3 weeks ago

  • Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience
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