Exactly!
A well rehearsed exit stage left! Couldn’t wait to get out of there!
And thereby avoiding any retraction or apology.. appalling behaviour.
And this is the man who “leads” the country. Scumbag!
Yep this (insert appropriate adjective)PM makes a mockery of Parliament -basically he gives the middle finger to the whole parliamentary process. Which, if you think about it, is the same as giving the middle finger to us -the voters.
I know what I will do when in the polling booth I have a chance to respond.
“The Prime Minister will leave the chamber.”
PM (thinks) ..’Oh saved..’Thank god for that. but wot took you so long Dave?
I was losing my mojo there, Little by Little.
You got it. Notice too that Key was standing with his back to the speaker so he could claim not to be aware of him standing up.
Also, what’s to say this wasn’t planned distraction between Carter and Key.
The smiling faces of the National MPs filing out of the chamber said it all. “That’s one way to avoid embarrassing questions. By next week everyone will have forgotten. Well excuted maneuver Key and Carter.”
Did Carter kick Little out a couple of minutes later?
I can remember one occasion when then Speaker Margaret Wilson had to order Helen Clark to leave. Wilson had made a threat that the next MP who interjected when the Speaker was on her feet would be ejected.
The next one to do so was Helen Clark with a very loud, long interjection. Wilson had to go through with her threat, try as she might to get out of it. If looks could have killed the glare she got from Helen would have turned poor Margaret into a little pile of ashes.
Obviously scared stiff of the telling off she was going to get later Wilson ordered a totally innocent, at least at that moment, National leader, Don Brash, out of the House a couple of minutes later. Perhaps she thought this might save her from the worst of H1 and H2’s tongues. A Speaker has never looked so worried about her actions.
It was quite funny at the time.
Good on Carter though. What happened to the later question from Ron Mark to the PM? I doubt that Bill English was properly prepared.
If you missed it you missed the context of how Key carter and English, all serious and heads down entered the chamber.
I knew something was up.. then he went on his usual build up to a childish tirade, and being as John is , so arrogant and probably either has carter in his back pocket or plainly just ignores him and keeps on finishing his attack too the childish amusement of his gay fan club cheering and laughing it’s disgusting.
Upston plain lying on figures, and the next question to Smith should have got her done for perjury if it was a court room.
Quite frankly it looks like governments run by a gang of bloody crooks, thumbing there nose and with an inside man at the top. Carter.
They deserve an IRD probe up each and every one of their greed lined bottom opening.
Actually, my memory was slightly astray. Helen interjected while a question was being asked, not while the Speaker was on her feet. At least according to TVNZ.
“The last time a prime minister was ejected from parliament was in 2005 when Helen Clark interjected as National’s Nick Smith was asking a question.
All questions must be heard by the House in silence, so Speaker Margaret Wilson was forced to ask Miss Clark to leave”.
As it isn’t something to be ashamed of and I sense no malice in alwyn’s statement I see it as nothing more than a related anecdote. The key message being that Margaret Wilson had to remove Brash after she removed Clark. In this case Key was probably aiming to be kicked out and Carter knew it.
Everything Alwyn Troll says is malice motivated. He unconditionally proselytises for the Fake Man. He’s doing it today with the device “Labour did it too !” Not really pointing up anything in particular, distracting mostly, looks benign, but just trolling. A nasty insides. Doing his 30 hours a week.
People nominate a recipient lets say red cross, that way they can also use the more powerful and less regulations of the “CHARATIBLE TRUST” type trust.
pure smoke and mirrors and a tax evasion scam.
The issue is Keys deny and obfuscating it, as that, when the issue damn well lays elsewhere and he refuses to do anything about it. Or mention the fact MF is the fourth largest of said tax evasion specialist companies, the issue he minimizes whilst it is in fact is far bigger then he desperately, doesn’t want us to know.
I don’t know why the media and key are playing this game, at election time he will win or lose on how he deals with it.
digging his heals in to keep the status quo until Sherwins report comes out. Good pressure by the opposition.
I think Double Dipper will be extremely annoyed to say the least that he was left to carry the can, the PM is becoming even more than ever a liability for the present gov. Yes, Carter seems to be a bit more on the ball today, this certainly would be a weasel’s way to get out of answering difficult questions – what a tosser.
I think that the concept of it being theatre and all on a script is far closer to the truth. WK above is still judging it by historic ideas of how politics works. But the age of the celebrity is in, where people enjoy the drama, with most feeling confident that they are secure in their satisfactory economic position which they expect to continue while others are still struggling. Change that, and it means adjustments, which the rich don’t welcome, they will get less for sure and stuff the plebs. Now for todays fun.
Key being thrown out of Parliament, well lawks a’ mussy!!!! – I wonder, could this be a jack-up with our ever so professional and neutral Speaker, so as to avoid having to answer later even more curly questions? It would be well worth it to Key to help him avoid more of those tough questions – after all there’s only so much shouting and sucking in of the breath that one can do, right? It seems from some of the preceding comments that many of us are using our “snofflers” to pick up a nasty rodent-like odour!
For a moment John Key made me think Greenpeace, Amnesty and Red Cross were hiding ill gotten money in shady tax haven trust accounts. But it was all a lie, as fabricated as the use of their names by the scum who used their names. Turns out in reality they weren’t doing anything of the sort, their names were used falsely by the very people Key wants to accomodate in our tax haven.
What must reputable decent organisations think of having their name trampled in the cesspool that someone as awful as Key inhabits?
Just another everyday lie from our thoroughly untrustworthy Prime Minister.
Surely this could affect them adversely, what Key has done, I saw Red Cross collecting today & I couldn’t help but think of Keys bullshit, but I know it’s bullshit, others are more gullible.
Fint trouble yourself outside the beltway people don’t care, they are to busy watching the Batchelor and the going ons at the Warriors and the Hurricanes
“were hiding ill gotten money in shady tax haven trust accounts”.
That is because you have been listening to Little and Shaw. They are deliberately trying to encourage you to think that everyone mentioned on that database is a crook. Why do you think they word their questions in the way they do?
Unfortunately John Key has pointed out the fact that these organisations are also on the database and the effect of the Green Party and the Labour Party allegations is to smear them too.
You really ought, as Key has pointed out, not believe everything that those parties are trying to tell you. You should also not follow along with Little’s knee-jerk reaction to claim that all Foreign Trusts are for tax evasion. That way Mathers gets caught up in Little’s smear campaign.
It isn’t Key who should be apologising to Greenpeace, Amnesty International, The Red Cross and Mathers. It is little and Shaw who should be doing so. They are the ones who have been smearing everyone whose name appears on the database.
” They are the ones who have been smearing everyone whose name appears on the database.” Can you give me an example please, I would like to see what they say.
Thats not what Little says you deceitful liar, he said this “If there is no convincing reason, then they will go.” I won’t engage with you again, you proved your words worth.
Key is conflating these august organisations with “Typical clients are an Ecuadorian banker, two Colombian car dealers (one New Zealand trust each), a Mexican film director, and wealthy Mexican society figures” (http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/panama-papers/303356/nz-at-heart-of-panama-money-go-round“. This info has been out there for days, Alwyn. We are in bed with the devil.
“Colombian CAR DEALERS???” ffs.
Get it right Alwyn. They may be on the database but as beneficiaries… not clients/owners, therefore fraudulently.
JFK is spinning so wildly over this potentially fatal scandal it’s a wonder he doesn’t have whiplash.
You are getting a bit confused.
That piece you linked to isn’t anything John Key said.
It is some journalists, seemingly rather high who are basically saying that anyone who has had anything to do with that law firm is a crook.
Then they label the database as being the evidence.
As Key pointed out there are all sorts of people mentioned on that database who are in fact innocent but who Little and Shaw are smearing by innuendo.
It isn’t Key who is doing it. It is these hyperbolic raves from these “journalists” and Little and Shaw cheering them on.
Oh quit the false equivalence bullshit and show some mature, moral and adult behaviour.
Amnesty International, Red Cross, Greenpeace, and Ms Mathers are innocent victims in this corruption. They have been dragged into this without their knowledge and for totally dishonest purpose. They are victims in this filthy debacle.
Perhaps you’d like to apply the same line of thought to victims of rape or domestic violence.
No, that’s Key’s framing. The opposition have been saying that the trust regulations need to be altered so that, on the one hand. it is as easy as possible to prevent people from avoiding tax in ways that were not foreseen by the NZ electorate and would not be condoned by it. On the other, it is suggesting the legislation concerning trusts and look-through companies should be made transparent enough that we can have the highest confidence that no money is being laundered.
The opposition, along with some journalists, have also zeroed in on Mr. Whitney on account of the sequence: Whitney conversation with PM → email from Whitney to revenue minister claiming reassurances from PM → meeting of revenue minister with trust lobbyists in Whitney’s offices → Minister advocating lobbyists’ interests to IRD → confirmation from IRD that they would take these interests into account → IRD foregoing mooted review of trust regulations. That is evidence of ministerial (and possibly Prime Ministerial) interference, not a smear.
Mr. Key’s statements in the house about Greenpeace etc., on the other hand, were simply a smear, since they simply rely on a simple name-check that wouldn’t even undermine the opposition’s arguments if Mr. Key had some substance to lend weight to it.
He’s behaving like we don’t understand that is pathetic, he knows of the 2013 case, greens were asking reasonable questions , so are NZ first, key has spun that into what’s he’s pointing out, any name can be on there.
Does he think we really think amnesty international are scamming, or greenpeace? Well that would be spectacular show me the ird proof.
He uses weak excuses for his actions. the excuses of a child.
Parliament works better without Key – and absenting him got him off the hook of the questions – temporarily. He’s a crook, such a person has no business being in parliament.
I wonder when Crosby Textor came up with this stunt.
Everyone – esp. Opposition MPs – needs to focus on the fact he is *avoiding questions over the Panama Papers*. That is the real story here. No one really cares if he was ‘unruly’ in the house or disobeyed the Speaker. Does anyone really think he didn’t do this as a PR stunt…?
It is becoming increasingly obvious that parliament is not an appropriate forum for questioning the Prime Minister on these issues. The speaker would serve question time better if he repeatedly ruled that the Prime Minister had not addressed the question, rather than kicking him out. Seeing as we can more or less guarantee that he won’t do that, it must be up to journalists to ask him these questions, and deny his statements any oxygen until he fronts up and answers the questions adequately, filling the vacuum with their own investigation and the opinions of other politicians and experts who are prepared to engage in debate.
Unfortunately, we can more or less guarantee that journalists by and large won’t do that either.
Wouldn’t be surprised if that were true…but as mentioned the other day, C/T maybe losing their touch as evidenced by their Zac Goldsmith campaign for mayor of London, a disaster, even the Tories were complaining
They tried to pull out before and distance themselves, but yes it adds to the signs they have lost their midas touch, be good if NZ could wake up to their tactics too.
In his fantasy world he’ll be giggling in anticipation of hoots of delight from big mouthed self-employed cargo-cult tradies who loudly bray words like ‘munter’.
Yeah, I saw it on TV, got to my feet cheering the Speaker.
My take is that this was a predictable outcome looking back. 🙂 Key was on the attack from answer #1 to question #1. He pushed the boundaries.
He has a habit of ignoring the Speaker, instead talking to his own side down the Chamber. He was so busy into yelling at the Greens that he forgot the Speaker.
Who could not conscience such a disregard for his mana.
Carter was peeved, as he showed later when Brownlee, another abuser of House procedure, tried to shut down Ron Mark asking his question.
Carter was very clear. Government’s got into this mess. Someone on that side will have to stand in. Or the public will judge………..
I don’t think that Carter was in on the game. I don’t think there was a game. This is John Key under pressure, exceeding the boundaries- a narcissist under attack and unable to do as he wants.
I agree Mac1, I thought Carter looked furious at having to interject and shut him up. He won’t like being used in his position of Speaker. The PM will use anybody who stands in his way and the fact Carter has been lenient for so long I think he is starting to feel like a patsy and he isn’t impressed. Fun days ahead.
Agreed mac1. Have looked at the video. Carter came across as quite angry at Key’s blatant disregard of him. It’s possible Key did it in order to be thrown out (so as to avoid further questioning) but Carter wasn’t in on it.
Who cares who was “in on the game”? The end result is that Key didn’t have to answer further questions. Being ejected from parliament will always be more of a beltway issue than any answers the PM might have given. Does anybody even register when Peters or Mallard are ejected? They won’t care much more if it’s the PM.
It matters if Key was playing games with the Speaker. It matters whether he is a devious schemer or an out of control bully. It matters that people should know about who our PM is.
Whilst this issue lives, Key is vulnerable, so it does also matter that he has failed to answer fully in the House. The issue is still alive.
The chip chip chip at Key’s nice guy teflon coating continues. I would not be surprised that elements in the National Party use this opportunity and issue to undermine Key in the preparation for 2017 and their hopes for a fourth term.
As for the smiling Key photo after being shown the door below at 19.2? How to smile without smiling. I’ve seen that dead-eye bravado in countless boys who got tossed out of class and sent to student management. “Whatever..”
No, it doesn’t matter if Key was playing games with the Speaker. That’s a trivial issue and we have seen countless examples where we strongly suspect that to be the case, but can wind ourselves up until we’re blue in the face pointing the finger at them without proving a thing.
All that matters is that Key is avoiding answering questions. Once he gets a reputation as someone who runs away from questions, doesn’t give straight answers and whose answers either don’t make sense or don’t stack up when he does occasionally give them, then all of the suspicions that he has managed to keep at bay over the past few years will suddenly seem validated in the eyes of the electorate. At that point, he is doomed.
It doesn’t help to distract from that by highlighting parliamentary antics.
. Feb 14, 2016 – “Prime Minister John Key has been booed off stage at today’s Big Gay Out festival” Herald
. Feb 5, 2016 Key Booed at Football Nines
. May 11, 2016 Key bundled out of Parliament ranting and raving like a 13 yr old.
Having smeared falsely, Greens, Red Cross, Amnesty International, et al, he was hysterically weaving fabrications in total denial. Like a crazy screechy girl out of control.
Crazy screechy girl here.
Fully in control, and resentful about being compared to a crazy screechy right wing conspiracy theorist. Even if he is Prime Minister.
I reckon Johnny is gone in 2017, his continual bad behavior has become unacceptable for a PM, he’s become a liability and an international embarrassment.
I agree with all above, it certainly looks like a duck, it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, a premeditated plan maybe, there must have been dozens of occasions where Key should have been ousted but wasn’t, so maybe there is more to this than meets the eye.
So do you think it will be Crusher Collins 2017?
Her wig of the party might make its move and Cameron Slater now owes her a big solid for having got him off with diversion for trying to pay for a hack on this website.
So he will very likely help in the SlezeOil blog with any campaign for her to take over from Key!
I think Carter was genuiinely angry – the real giveaway would be Key’s reaction.
In my experience, entitled jerks who suddenly find that the rules apply to them get a sort of stunned look on their gobs, then get angry. And key never seems able to suppress smug when he’s feeling it even at the best of times.
Did commenter here see key’s reaction when Carter kicked him out?
No, after the firing the camera went to Carter and stayed there. The Speaker did not even look Key’s way.
Yesterday Parker got the heave and after a very short outraged response from Carter, audio-visual contact was broken.
Same with Key. His microphone got turned off during the long shot down the chamber as the Speaker was on his feet, raising his voice assertively. After that, no sign of Key. The camera, dare I say it, was off-Key.
Watch the deaf interpreter giving the sign language as the Speraker gives the marching orders.. Even I could read the sign for get out and the sign for start walking!
In addition I must compliment The Green questioner for his calm demeanour and aplomb.
I also noticed the other day when the panama papers data base was released, that Key was getting through several glasses of water, which is a sign that he was lying, one of the signs of lying is getting dry mouth & having to drink lots.
Heh, I think when Key left the House today Gerry quietly mumbled “I got a bad feeling about this” & English looked at him & said “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in”. What a day!
“…Amnesty International condemns all forms of tax evasion and avoidance; and we would not accept any donation which we considered designed to evade or avoid tax.”
key is more than okay to smear these organizations (and he knows why they’re in the Panama papers), because it obfuscates, distracts, deflects, etc. Getting the boot is just another childish game…. He’s so cynical about the country he pretends to represent…… Bizarre that he hates NZ so much
If John Key is this evasive about protecting and defending rich privilege that is one step removed from himself (probably) – wait until someone finally puts him on the spot to reveal his own wealth and tax arrangements!!
. John Key has deliberately smeared a number of this Planets’ most respected and wonderful organisations. The Nationals are not known for doing humane voluntary deeds. There is no money in it.
But to smear and rubbish these great organisations FALSELY for two days in a row, makes you realise just how low the nationals and their supporters are. Rotten to the core.
The billboards should come out with slurred speech of Key rubbishing The worlds best Organisations.
Having done far too little for New Zealand, the NZ Nationals are going to demolish all that is noble in the World. For the love of Key the Crook.
he didn’t smear anyone. when you go around throwing mud, don’t expect it not to come back at you.
He was simply pointing out how stupid it is little saying foreign trusts are all dirty.
none of you seem to be able to actually grasp this.
[BLiP: Your next comment here will provide a link to a reputable source confirming your statement that Andrew Little has said “foreign trusts are all dirty” or your next comment here will not be until after 18/05/16]
Then in the next breathe he says he’s not going to do anything to increase the data the government gets about them.
So there is a problem, just not everyone in Brazils trust is crooked and set up to dodge tax, and I don’t want to know who they are, because if we don’t know when their IRD asks us we can say um dunno amigo. Hey presto tax evasion ho.
A couple who are dear friends of ours have always been of the opinion that smiling John can do no wrong. They are 100% pure National worshipers.
We rang them today and asked what they thought. The wife said, “Key is looking very silly.”
The Opposition may be finally making headway against Teflon John.
Or maybe Key is creating a situation where he can get dumped and exit parliament “for personal reasons.” Would anyone care if the former PM, who’s now living overseas, was discovered to be a likely tax evader? That would be my exit strategy.
Actually, the fact that Key can get away with bawling his illiterate shit in Parliament testifies to the absence of a Lange, a Norm Kirk, a Norman Douglas (guess whose daddy), a Mabel Howard, a Bob Semple. Dare I say a Bob Tizard ?
So sad that New Zealand is now so cheap, so E! Channel, so low class. The Parnell Ponce Fake Man and idolators mostly responsible for that.
Oooh…….IQ round 180 ? That’s Einstein-ish. No disrespect for Bob…….he did however have a capacity to identify and blitz shit. This ponce we have as PM wouldna’ stood a chance. He’s basically illiterate.
Yeah, way above the norm intellectually. Add to that a rambunctious heart. And a wonderful, retributive, lashing tongue deployed against entitled, selfish, crooked rightists. Petty self-employed, shopkeepers, real estate agents, petite bourgeoisie aspirants and cargo-cultists.
Mr. Key has, in fact, clearly misled the House. He claimed on 11 May that, if one looked at the Hasard (for May 10), one would see that he said that he referred to Greenpeace etc. as being “in the database”. So far, so good. We know (and he knows) that he was implying that they are implicated in the Panama Papers, but he is relying on his fastidiously having avoided that explicit statement in favour of “the database”, However, he later says, “I suggest the member leave the House and ring Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and Red Cross because they are implicated in the papers.“. Greenpeace is mentioned as being a beneficiary of the Exodus Trust, based on information from “offshore leaks”, current through 2010. That is the trouble when you know what you are trying to say but have to avoid saying it. Sometimes you slip up and say what you’re actually thinking. Mr. Key did on May 10, and now he should be forced to apologise or clarify.
Just get used to it folks. John Phillip Key is collateral scum more or less, pathologically expressing the no-daddy-no-role-model-thing. That’s why in middle age he’s into Richie McKey so embarrassingly.
. Men who scream and screech are not taken seriously by other men or by women. The exception being the members of the current National rabble.
Not one single member of National caucus, nor one single national voter has risen to show respect for Red Cross, Anmesty International, or Greenpeace.
The reason is that John Key has sucked out whatever decency existed within National, and replaced it with incompetence, non stop abuse, and too much corruption (Sky City eg). John Key is attempting to cover his failures with screaming and screeching.
He may well be on the way to becoming physically dangerous, so tortured is his ranting and raving and his disgusting abuse, along with his equally disgusting behaviours.. Hopefully his bodyguard will keep an eye on his mental state.
John Key was booed at the Eden Park football Nines ( Feb 5, 2016 TV 3)
John Key “Prime Minister John Key has been booed off stage at today’s Big Gay Out ” Herald Feb 14, 2016
John key was denied his strange, non historic, and appallingly shallow flag ..Mar 24, 2016 Herald and Audrey.
John Key was bundled ranting and raving out of Parliament, May 11, 2016
Be ready for more abuse from this very weird Prime Minister and his weird friends and devotees. He will increasingly clock up more and more failures.
And as for Bill English’s defense, . . . well utter bollocks. Two points:
1. Questions are supposed to be answered through the Chair (i.e. through the speaker). The fact that Key was facing the wrong way and didn’t see the Speaker rise to his feet is irrelevant as a defense.
2. The Speaker thundered out “The Prime Minister will resume his seat . . . ” before ordering Key to leave. Unless the PM wants to argue that he is hard of hearing, then Bill English’s defense simply doesn’t wash.
it didn’t show up in the live broadcast, but in the One News clip, the PM clearly made body contact with Brownlie before leaving the Chamber. It looked to me a lot like the “Nudge” part of a “Nudge-Nudge, wink-wink”).
For what its worth, the staged walkout was not done in cahouts with the Speaker, IMO. But it may well have been done in cahouts with Jerry Brownlie. Especially given the follow-up comments from Brownlie, soon after the ejection – comments which were subsequently rejected by the Speaker.
Incidentally, there was an odd mismatch between the video and the audio in yesterday’s live broadcast – a lag of about 4 or 5 seconds between the two, which made it very difficult to watch. (Something do do with a precaution in case there arose a need to censor out expletives or other non-broadcasting-standard problems that the broadcaster suspected might arise perhaps?)
For what its worth, the staged walkout was not done in cahouts with the Speaker, IMO. But it may well have been done in cahouts with Jerry Brownlie. Especially given the follow-up comments from Brownlie, soon after the ejection – comments which were subsequently rejected by the Speaker.
I agree. Carter was being used and I’m picking he’ll have been furious but he won’t say anything or take any action over it.
For goodness sake…….PM’s seat is no more than 7 metres away from the Speaker. It’s a child’s fib that he didn’t know the Speaker was on his feet. Or that he didn’t hear the Speaker yelling at him to sit down. The misconduct was deliberate. The Fake Man was always going to engage whatever it took to avoid answering parliamentary questions.
Alwyn Troll and others……..you love having an entitledly ill-behaved, bully/coward child for PM do you ?
For years I’ve posed this question – whom amongst the great bulk of decent caring parents when discussing values with youngsters cites this PM as a role model for decent, honourable behaviour ?
That’s an equally live question in regard to most of his cabinet and caucus colleagues. ‘The Character Question’
Let us not forget the very quick removal of the video of the throat slitting gesture of the PM just before 2 election s ago. This revealing clip has completely disappeared and if John Oliver could find it…
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Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
Te Pāti Māori has had to adopt a new way of debating, operating and even thinking in Parliament in response to the Government’s “onslaught” against te ao Māori, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says.In an end-of-year interview with Newsroom, the Te Tai Hauauru MP reflected on how 2024 has differed from her ...
Opinion: The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science report was announced earlier this month, yet it didn’t get the flurry of media attention and political hand-wringing that typically accompanies these announcements. This might be because it presented good news, or you could argue, no news; the results paint a ...
NewsroomBy Dr Lisa Darragh, Dr Raewyn Eden and Dr David Pomeroy
At long last, The Spinoff shells out for a nut ranking. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.It recently came to The Spinoff’s attention ...
I was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here’s exactly how it played out. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a ...
Summer reissue: One anxiously attentive passenger pays attention to an in-flight safety video, and wonders ‘Why can’t I pick up my own phone?’ The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up ...
Summer reissue: Why do those Lange-Douglas years cast such a long shadow 40 years on? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. First published June ...
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The Government’s social housing agency has backed out of a billion-dollar infrastructure alliance that would have built about 6000 new homes in Auckland – less than 18 months after signing a five-year extension.Labour says the decision to rip up the contract and sell off existing state houses could lead to ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
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This is what happens when you remove the prospect of a cushy London sinecure.
My immediate thoughts, too.
heh
My immediate thought was that it was one way of getting out of answering questions…
@ McFlock (1.2) yes, I thought the same thing, particularly with Ron Mark’s tricky questions coming up later on in the session.
Yep my thoughts too!
Also my immediate reaction.
Yea, me 2
Exactly!
A well rehearsed exit stage left! Couldn’t wait to get out of there!
And thereby avoiding any retraction or apology.. appalling behaviour.
And this is the man who “leads” the country. Scumbag!
Yep this (insert appropriate adjective)PM makes a mockery of Parliament -basically he gives the middle finger to the whole parliamentary process. Which, if you think about it, is the same as giving the middle finger to us -the voters.
I know what I will do when in the polling booth I have a chance to respond.
“The Prime Minister will leave the chamber.”
PM (thinks) ..’Oh saved..’Thank god for that. but wot took you so long Dave?
I was losing my mojo there, Little by Little.
You got it. Notice too that Key was standing with his back to the speaker so he could claim not to be aware of him standing up.
Also, what’s to say this wasn’t planned distraction between Carter and Key.
The back turning thing was so obvious, hard to believe Key wasn’t completely aware of what he was doing.
Jack up!!
The smiling faces of the National MPs filing out of the chamber said it all. “That’s one way to avoid embarrassing questions. By next week everyone will have forgotten. Well excuted maneuver Key and Carter.”
Yup
Sounds and feels like a jack up
Key and Carter and Nat MP’S treat parliment like a joke and the smiles give it away.
Their arrogance is reprehensible.
LMAO! Gold :o)
Maybe he did it all on purpose- make everything about him rather than the actual issue
Just a thought.
double down on the bullshit, drop the mic and walk away?
He’s been learning from Trump.
Trump been learning from him you mean? I wonder which business is running Trumps campaign. There must be big money in it.
All part of his psychopathic personality.
http://m.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Psychopath
And still no apology to Mojo Mathers and no retraction of his statements from yesterday re Greenpeace and Amnesty International.
Again the speaker saves the PM
Did Carter kick Little out a couple of minutes later?
I can remember one occasion when then Speaker Margaret Wilson had to order Helen Clark to leave. Wilson had made a threat that the next MP who interjected when the Speaker was on her feet would be ejected.
The next one to do so was Helen Clark with a very loud, long interjection. Wilson had to go through with her threat, try as she might to get out of it. If looks could have killed the glare she got from Helen would have turned poor Margaret into a little pile of ashes.
Obviously scared stiff of the telling off she was going to get later Wilson ordered a totally innocent, at least at that moment, National leader, Don Brash, out of the House a couple of minutes later. Perhaps she thought this might save her from the worst of H1 and H2’s tongues. A Speaker has never looked so worried about her actions.
It was quite funny at the time.
Good on Carter though. What happened to the later question from Ron Mark to the PM? I doubt that Bill English was properly prepared.
no.
If you missed it you missed the context of how Key carter and English, all serious and heads down entered the chamber.
I knew something was up.. then he went on his usual build up to a childish tirade, and being as John is , so arrogant and probably either has carter in his back pocket or plainly just ignores him and keeps on finishing his attack too the childish amusement of his gay fan club cheering and laughing it’s disgusting.
Upston plain lying on figures, and the next question to Smith should have got her done for perjury if it was a court room.
Quite frankly it looks like governments run by a gang of bloody crooks, thumbing there nose and with an inside man at the top. Carter.
They deserve an IRD probe up each and every one of their greed lined bottom opening.
Actually, my memory was slightly astray. Helen interjected while a question was being asked, not while the Speaker was on her feet. At least according to TVNZ.
“The last time a prime minister was ejected from parliament was in 2005 when Helen Clark interjected as National’s Nick Smith was asking a question.
All questions must be heard by the House in silence, so Speaker Margaret Wilson was forced to ask Miss Clark to leave”.
The rest of what I said is accurate though.
You’d think Ponyboy would’ve known better.
You still on the – “Labour did it too!” – jag are you Alwyn ?
As it isn’t something to be ashamed of and I sense no malice in alwyn’s statement I see it as nothing more than a related anecdote. The key message being that Margaret Wilson had to remove Brash after she removed Clark. In this case Key was probably aiming to be kicked out and Carter knew it.
Thank you. It was quite funny at the time. As that TVNZ quote shows it is a very rare occurrence.
Everything Alwyn Troll says is malice motivated. He unconditionally proselytises for the Fake Man. He’s doing it today with the device “Labour did it too !” Not really pointing up anything in particular, distracting mostly, looks benign, but just trolling. A nasty insides. Doing his 30 hours a week.
He’s a dicktraitor
Prime Minister, I can’t keep up. Does being on the “database” make you a baddie or not? Arrgh! Confusing.
No and it’s misleading issue,
People nominate a recipient lets say red cross, that way they can also use the more powerful and less regulations of the “CHARATIBLE TRUST” type trust.
pure smoke and mirrors and a tax evasion scam.
The issue is Keys deny and obfuscating it, as that, when the issue damn well lays elsewhere and he refuses to do anything about it. Or mention the fact MF is the fourth largest of said tax evasion specialist companies, the issue he minimizes whilst it is in fact is far bigger then he desperately, doesn’t want us to know.
I don’t know why the media and key are playing this game, at election time he will win or lose on how he deals with it.
digging his heals in to keep the status quo until Sherwins report comes out. Good pressure by the opposition.
I know, his blatant obsfucation is rather amusing. This guy really can’t give a straight answer hey?
I think Double Dipper will be extremely annoyed to say the least that he was left to carry the can, the PM is becoming even more than ever a liability for the present gov. Yes, Carter seems to be a bit more on the ball today, this certainly would be a weasel’s way to get out of answering difficult questions – what a tosser.
Thats blinglush’s job, covering for shonky and fronting bad news. Cry me a river
I think that the concept of it being theatre and all on a script is far closer to the truth. WK above is still judging it by historic ideas of how politics works. But the age of the celebrity is in, where people enjoy the drama, with most feeling confident that they are secure in their satisfactory economic position which they expect to continue while others are still struggling. Change that, and it means adjustments, which the rich don’t welcome, they will get less for sure and stuff the plebs. Now for todays fun.
And his diction is going from bad to worse.
Key being thrown out of Parliament, well lawks a’ mussy!!!! – I wonder, could this be a jack-up with our ever so professional and neutral Speaker, so as to avoid having to answer later even more curly questions? It would be well worth it to Key to help him avoid more of those tough questions – after all there’s only so much shouting and sucking in of the breath that one can do, right? It seems from some of the preceding comments that many of us are using our “snofflers” to pick up a nasty rodent-like odour!
For a moment John Key made me think Greenpeace, Amnesty and Red Cross were hiding ill gotten money in shady tax haven trust accounts. But it was all a lie, as fabricated as the use of their names by the scum who used their names. Turns out in reality they weren’t doing anything of the sort, their names were used falsely by the very people Key wants to accomodate in our tax haven.
What must reputable decent organisations think of having their name trampled in the cesspool that someone as awful as Key inhabits?
Just another everyday lie from our thoroughly untrustworthy Prime Minister.
Surely this could affect them adversely, what Key has done, I saw Red Cross collecting today & I couldn’t help but think of Keys bullshit, but I know it’s bullshit, others are more gullible.
Fint trouble yourself outside the beltway people don’t care, they are to busy watching the Batchelor and the going ons at the Warriors and the Hurricanes
That is exactly what I was thinking Keith! And being kicked out today would have suited him perfectly if he didn’t actually plan it with Carter
“were hiding ill gotten money in shady tax haven trust accounts”.
That is because you have been listening to Little and Shaw. They are deliberately trying to encourage you to think that everyone mentioned on that database is a crook. Why do you think they word their questions in the way they do?
Unfortunately John Key has pointed out the fact that these organisations are also on the database and the effect of the Green Party and the Labour Party allegations is to smear them too.
You really ought, as Key has pointed out, not believe everything that those parties are trying to tell you. You should also not follow along with Little’s knee-jerk reaction to claim that all Foreign Trusts are for tax evasion. That way Mathers gets caught up in Little’s smear campaign.
It isn’t Key who should be apologising to Greenpeace, Amnesty International, The Red Cross and Mathers. It is little and Shaw who should be doing so. They are the ones who have been smearing everyone whose name appears on the database.
” They are the ones who have been smearing everyone whose name appears on the database.” Can you give me an example please, I would like to see what they say.
Then
(1) read their Parliamentary questions.
(2) Listen to what they say on Morning Report
(3) Read their press releases.
Try this one as an example. Then look at all the others they have come out with.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1604/S00176/foreign-trusts-review-a-charade.htm
He does push the idea that a foreign trust is for tax evasion, doesn’t he?
Then have a look at this from TVNZ
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1605/S00091/andrew-little-i-would-get-rid-of-foreign-trusts.htm
Foreign trusts evil. Anyone who has anything to do with them is a crook.
Try this one
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1605/S00156/government-helped-mossack-fonseccas-tax-avoidance-business.htm
That law firm is for tax avoidance. Nothing else. Anyone who is mentioned in the same breath is involved in Tax Evasion sums up that little gem from Shaw wouldn’t you say?
Thats not what Little says you deceitful liar, he said this “If there is no convincing reason, then they will go.” I won’t engage with you again, you proved your words worth.
To be specific, can you show me where they smear everyone whose name appears on the database (I assume you mean the Panama Papers database?).
Key is conflating these august organisations with “Typical clients are an Ecuadorian banker, two Colombian car dealers (one New Zealand trust each), a Mexican film director, and wealthy Mexican society figures” (http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/panama-papers/303356/nz-at-heart-of-panama-money-go-round“. This info has been out there for days, Alwyn. We are in bed with the devil.
“Colombian CAR DEALERS???” ffs.
Get it right Alwyn. They may be on the database but as beneficiaries… not clients/owners, therefore fraudulently.
JFK is spinning so wildly over this potentially fatal scandal it’s a wonder he doesn’t have whiplash.
Time to DO SOMETHING JFK.
You are getting a bit confused.
That piece you linked to isn’t anything John Key said.
It is some journalists, seemingly rather high who are basically saying that anyone who has had anything to do with that law firm is a crook.
Then they label the database as being the evidence.
As Key pointed out there are all sorts of people mentioned on that database who are in fact innocent but who Little and Shaw are smearing by innuendo.
It isn’t Key who is doing it. It is these hyperbolic raves from these “journalists” and Little and Shaw cheering them on.
Oh quit the false equivalence bullshit and show some mature, moral and adult behaviour.
Amnesty International, Red Cross, Greenpeace, and Ms Mathers are innocent victims in this corruption. They have been dragged into this without their knowledge and for totally dishonest purpose. They are victims in this filthy debacle.
Perhaps you’d like to apply the same line of thought to victims of rape or domestic violence.
No, that’s Key’s framing. The opposition have been saying that the trust regulations need to be altered so that, on the one hand. it is as easy as possible to prevent people from avoiding tax in ways that were not foreseen by the NZ electorate and would not be condoned by it. On the other, it is suggesting the legislation concerning trusts and look-through companies should be made transparent enough that we can have the highest confidence that no money is being laundered.
The opposition, along with some journalists, have also zeroed in on Mr. Whitney on account of the sequence: Whitney conversation with PM → email from Whitney to revenue minister claiming reassurances from PM → meeting of revenue minister with trust lobbyists in Whitney’s offices → Minister advocating lobbyists’ interests to IRD → confirmation from IRD that they would take these interests into account → IRD foregoing mooted review of trust regulations. That is evidence of ministerial (and possibly Prime Ministerial) interference, not a smear.
Mr. Key’s statements in the house about Greenpeace etc., on the other hand, were simply a smear, since they simply rely on a simple name-check that wouldn’t even undermine the opposition’s arguments if Mr. Key had some substance to lend weight to it.
He’s behaving like we don’t understand that is pathetic, he knows of the 2013 case, greens were asking reasonable questions , so are NZ first, key has spun that into what’s he’s pointing out, any name can be on there.
Does he think we really think amnesty international are scamming, or greenpeace? Well that would be spectacular show me the ird proof.
He uses weak excuses for his actions. the excuses of a child.
I am beginning to lose count, is it lie #125;-)))???
Parliament works better without Key – and absenting him got him off the hook of the questions – temporarily. He’s a crook, such a person has no business being in parliament.
John Key’s name will almost certainly be revealed. He knows that. That is why he is trying to confuse the issue.
When his name does come out he will be like – “so what dude? So is Green Peace”.
He is laying the ground work for his defence once his moment of truth comes.
It is becoming clearer by the day that his involvement is neck deep and probably on a criminal level.
Reckon you could be onto something there, just heard Key framing it as such on RNZ, basically equating himself with Mojo Mathers.
Saw a funny comment on Twitter earlier, “Keys concern about tax havens are hackers”.
I wonder when Crosby Textor came up with this stunt.
Everyone – esp. Opposition MPs – needs to focus on the fact he is *avoiding questions over the Panama Papers*. That is the real story here. No one really cares if he was ‘unruly’ in the house or disobeyed the Speaker. Does anyone really think he didn’t do this as a PR stunt…?
It is becoming increasingly obvious that parliament is not an appropriate forum for questioning the Prime Minister on these issues. The speaker would serve question time better if he repeatedly ruled that the Prime Minister had not addressed the question, rather than kicking him out. Seeing as we can more or less guarantee that he won’t do that, it must be up to journalists to ask him these questions, and deny his statements any oxygen until he fronts up and answers the questions adequately, filling the vacuum with their own investigation and the opinions of other politicians and experts who are prepared to engage in debate.
Unfortunately, we can more or less guarantee that journalists by and large won’t do that either.
Wouldn’t be surprised if that were true…but as mentioned the other day, C/T maybe losing their touch as evidenced by their Zac Goldsmith campaign for mayor of London, a disaster, even the Tories were complaining
C/T lost it for Harper in Canada as well.
They tried to pull out before and distance themselves, but yes it adds to the signs they have lost their midas touch, be good if NZ could wake up to their tactics too.
Maybe some Clockwork Orange-like aversion in the people…? Seen and heard enough hate- and fear-based crap from CT, grown sick of it…
Perhaps more people are consciously realising “reality”, as espoused by CT politicians, bears little resemblance to their own day-to-day experiences.
Yes, becoming immune from the spin I hope
Mouth Almighty finally gets the boot, but it was a well planned stunt imho.
In his fantasy world he’ll be giggling in anticipation of hoots of delight from big mouthed self-employed cargo-cult tradies who loudly bray words like ‘munter’.
Yeah, I saw it on TV, got to my feet cheering the Speaker.
My take is that this was a predictable outcome looking back. 🙂 Key was on the attack from answer #1 to question #1. He pushed the boundaries.
He has a habit of ignoring the Speaker, instead talking to his own side down the Chamber. He was so busy into yelling at the Greens that he forgot the Speaker.
Who could not conscience such a disregard for his mana.
Carter was peeved, as he showed later when Brownlee, another abuser of House procedure, tried to shut down Ron Mark asking his question.
Carter was very clear. Government’s got into this mess. Someone on that side will have to stand in. Or the public will judge………..
I don’t think that Carter was in on the game. I don’t think there was a game. This is John Key under pressure, exceeding the boundaries- a narcissist under attack and unable to do as he wants.
We were cheering as well. My mate gave me a high 5 as Carter was sending him out.
It was awesome
I agree Mac1, I thought Carter looked furious at having to interject and shut him up. He won’t like being used in his position of Speaker. The PM will use anybody who stands in his way and the fact Carter has been lenient for so long I think he is starting to feel like a patsy and he isn’t impressed. Fun days ahead.
I don’t think that Carter was in on the game.
Agreed mac1. Have looked at the video. Carter came across as quite angry at Key’s blatant disregard of him. It’s possible Key did it in order to be thrown out (so as to avoid further questioning) but Carter wasn’t in on it.
Carter may have been kept in the dark to make his response more authentic.
Quiet possible. Key is basically a bully and when it comes to the crunch all bullies are cowards.
Carter will NOT like being played like this.
Who cares who was “in on the game”? The end result is that Key didn’t have to answer further questions. Being ejected from parliament will always be more of a beltway issue than any answers the PM might have given. Does anybody even register when Peters or Mallard are ejected? They won’t care much more if it’s the PM.
It matters if Key was playing games with the Speaker. It matters whether he is a devious schemer or an out of control bully. It matters that people should know about who our PM is.
Whilst this issue lives, Key is vulnerable, so it does also matter that he has failed to answer fully in the House. The issue is still alive.
The chip chip chip at Key’s nice guy teflon coating continues. I would not be surprised that elements in the National Party use this opportunity and issue to undermine Key in the preparation for 2017 and their hopes for a fourth term.
As for the smiling Key photo after being shown the door below at 19.2? How to smile without smiling. I’ve seen that dead-eye bravado in countless boys who got tossed out of class and sent to student management. “Whatever..”
No, it doesn’t matter if Key was playing games with the Speaker. That’s a trivial issue and we have seen countless examples where we strongly suspect that to be the case, but can wind ourselves up until we’re blue in the face pointing the finger at them without proving a thing.
All that matters is that Key is avoiding answering questions. Once he gets a reputation as someone who runs away from questions, doesn’t give straight answers and whose answers either don’t make sense or don’t stack up when he does occasionally give them, then all of the suspicions that he has managed to keep at bay over the past few years will suddenly seem validated in the eyes of the electorate. At that point, he is doomed.
It doesn’t help to distract from that by highlighting parliamentary antics.
Looked orchestrated to me. No usual hullabooloo from the Despicables.
Hello New Zealand
. Feb 14, 2016 – “Prime Minister John Key has been booed off stage at today’s Big Gay Out festival” Herald
. Feb 5, 2016 Key Booed at Football Nines
. May 11, 2016 Key bundled out of Parliament ranting and raving like a 13 yr old.
Having smeared falsely, Greens, Red Cross, Amnesty International, et al, he was hysterically weaving fabrications in total denial. Like a crazy screechy girl out of control.
The Nationals are a rabble. Hopeless
Crazy screechy girl here.
Fully in control, and resentful about being compared to a crazy screechy right wing conspiracy theorist. Even if he is Prime Minister.
😆
Plus – Key fails to front up for usual RNZ interview with Espinar. (not sure of the date).
I reckon Johnny is gone in 2017, his continual bad behavior has become unacceptable for a PM, he’s become a liability and an international embarrassment.
I agree with all above, it certainly looks like a duck, it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, a premeditated plan maybe, there must have been dozens of occasions where Key should have been ousted but wasn’t, so maybe there is more to this than meets the eye.
So do you think it will be Crusher Collins 2017?
Her wig of the party might make its move and Cameron Slater now owes her a big solid for having got him off with diversion for trying to pay for a hack on this website.
So he will very likely help in the SlezeOil blog with any campaign for her to take over from Key!
I think Carter was genuiinely angry – the real giveaway would be Key’s reaction.
In my experience, entitled jerks who suddenly find that the rules apply to them get a sort of stunned look on their gobs, then get angry. And key never seems able to suppress smug when he’s feeling it even at the best of times.
Did commenter here see key’s reaction when Carter kicked him out?
No, after the firing the camera went to Carter and stayed there. The Speaker did not even look Key’s way.
Yesterday Parker got the heave and after a very short outraged response from Carter, audio-visual contact was broken.
Same with Key. His microphone got turned off during the long shot down the chamber as the Speaker was on his feet, raising his voice assertively. After that, no sign of Key. The camera, dare I say it, was off-Key.
Watch the deaf interpreter giving the sign language as the Speraker gives the marching orders.. Even I could read the sign for get out and the sign for start walking!
In addition I must compliment The Green questioner for his calm demeanour and aplomb.
Given the shit-eating grin he’s wearing here, he seems to have got the result he wanted.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/79880503/why-john-key-went-on-the-attack-over-the-panama-papers
PM looked like a sheepish joker to me. One news did a good job on the trust situation tonight. Corin was nowhere to be seen, that probably helps.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/video-grinning-john-key-exits-parliament-after-getting-boot
On the TV1 News tonight the camera did follow Key, (very unusual when being sent out) and he seemed to be smirking ear to ear but his caucus seemed to just watch and not return his smirk much. He exited from the door near the Speaker.
Found it:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/video-grinning-john-key-exits-parliament-after-getting-boot?autoPlay=4887965906001
Oops. Should have read further.
Don’t know if anyone else noticed but at the beginning of Key’s rant, the piece of paper he was holding clearly showed he was shaking uncontrollably
Good point Neil. Any behaviour specialists lurking here who could give a read on him? Manic come to mind…
I also noticed the other day when the panama papers data base was released, that Key was getting through several glasses of water, which is a sign that he was lying, one of the signs of lying is getting dry mouth & having to drink lots.
Twice in as many days FJK has avoided tough questioning, through absenting himself … Monday with RNZ and now today in the House!
Demonstrating he’s not fit to lead in a spitting contest, let alone a country! The man is as spineless as a reptile, that he so closely represents!
Get him out!
He’s lost control, not good for a leader.
Silence of the trolls….
I think they have gone to the mattresses, they will be back, & in force.
You mean they startle easily, but will soon return and in greater number?
Tell me more about this “force” 🙂
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=going%20to%20the%20mattresses This is what I was thinking.
I watched the Sopranos when it was on.
But I also saw Star Wars recently and read the last half dozen words of that sentence in Alec Guinness’ voice 🙂
Heh, I think when Key left the House today Gerry quietly mumbled “I got a bad feeling about this” & English looked at him & said “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in”. What a day!
Statement from Amnesty International https://www.amnesty.org.nz/prime-minister-john-key-must-be-transparent-and-correct-record-his-misleading-statement
“…Amnesty International condemns all forms of tax evasion and avoidance; and we would not accept any donation which we considered designed to evade or avoid tax.”
key is more than okay to smear these organizations (and he knows why they’re in the Panama papers), because it obfuscates, distracts, deflects, etc. Getting the boot is just another childish game…. He’s so cynical about the country he pretends to represent…… Bizarre that he hates NZ so much
Nick
I just don’t think Key is particularly good at operating in a democracy, he’s very use to authoritarianism.
Wonderful! He’ll enjoy prison.
Yeah, only if he’s the Governor though, in NZ, wealthy people don’t tend to be convicted, justice is dependent on how much your willing to pay.
LOL!! Thread winna….
If John Key is this evasive about protecting and defending rich privilege that is one step removed from himself (probably) – wait until someone finally puts him on the spot to reveal his own wealth and tax arrangements!!
Yes Nick – and Fellow Commentators
. John Key has deliberately smeared a number of this Planets’ most respected and wonderful organisations. The Nationals are not known for doing humane voluntary deeds. There is no money in it.
But to smear and rubbish these great organisations FALSELY for two days in a row, makes you realise just how low the nationals and their supporters are. Rotten to the core.
The billboards should come out with slurred speech of Key rubbishing The worlds best Organisations.
Having done far too little for New Zealand, the NZ Nationals are going to demolish all that is noble in the World. For the love of Key the Crook.
A psychopathic prime minister in charge of a psychopathic government!
he didn’t smear anyone. when you go around throwing mud, don’t expect it not to come back at you.
He was simply pointing out how stupid it is little saying foreign trusts are all dirty.
none of you seem to be able to actually grasp this.
[BLiP: Your next comment here will provide a link to a reputable source confirming your statement that Andrew Little has said “foreign trusts are all dirty” or your next comment here will not be until after 18/05/16]
Then in the next breathe he says he’s not going to do anything to increase the data the government gets about them.
So there is a problem, just not everyone in Brazils trust is crooked and set up to dodge tax, and I don’t want to know who they are, because if we don’t know when their IRD asks us we can say um dunno amigo. Hey presto tax evasion ho.
http://www.labour.org.nz/key_shrugs_shoulders_at_tax_haven_status
Is that supposed to support Infused’s witless smear? It doesn’t.
A couple who are dear friends of ours have always been of the opinion that smiling John can do no wrong. They are 100% pure National worshipers.
We rang them today and asked what they thought. The wife said, “Key is looking very silly.”
The Opposition may be finally making headway against Teflon John.
Or maybe Key is creating a situation where he can get dumped and exit parliament “for personal reasons.” Would anyone care if the former PM, who’s now living overseas, was discovered to be a likely tax evader? That would be my exit strategy.
You’re onto it possibly and if so you can expect this to accelerate as he’ll want to be gone burgers ASAP.
Even my national voting neighbours text me to say what happened…….waking people up to Key’s arrogance I hope
Actually, the fact that Key can get away with bawling his illiterate shit in Parliament testifies to the absence of a Lange, a Norm Kirk, a Norman Douglas (guess whose daddy), a Mabel Howard, a Bob Semple. Dare I say a Bob Tizard ?
So sad that New Zealand is now so cheap, so E! Channel, so low class. The Parnell Ponce Fake Man and idolators mostly responsible for that.
Bob Tizard would have had his guts for garters. IQ level somewhere around 180.
Oooh…….IQ round 180 ? That’s Einstein-ish. No disrespect for Bob…….he did however have a capacity to identify and blitz shit. This ponce we have as PM wouldna’ stood a chance. He’s basically illiterate.
180 may have been a bit high, but his IQ was known to be near the top of scale.
Yeah, way above the norm intellectually. Add to that a rambunctious heart. And a wonderful, retributive, lashing tongue deployed against entitled, selfish, crooked rightists. Petty self-employed, shopkeepers, real estate agents, petite bourgeoisie aspirants and cargo-cultists.
Not to mention incomprehensible North.
Mr. Key has, in fact, clearly misled the House. He claimed on 11 May that, if one looked at the Hasard (for May 10), one would see that he said that he referred to Greenpeace etc. as being “in the database”. So far, so good. We know (and he knows) that he was implying that they are implicated in the Panama Papers, but he is relying on his fastidiously having avoided that explicit statement in favour of “the database”, However, he later says, “I suggest the member leave the House and ring Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and Red Cross because they are implicated in the papers.“. Greenpeace is mentioned as being a beneficiary of the Exodus Trust, based on information from “offshore leaks”, current through 2010. That is the trouble when you know what you are trying to say but have to avoid saying it. Sometimes you slip up and say what you’re actually thinking. Mr. Key did on May 10, and now he should be forced to apologise or clarify.
Precisely.. and that info was made public (ie leaked) a couple of years ago.
Misleading? YES!
Alwyn and other trolls please note.
Just get used to it folks. John Phillip Key is collateral scum more or less, pathologically expressing the no-daddy-no-role-model-thing. That’s why in middle age he’s into Richie McKey so embarrassingly.
“Back from the wilderness” 🙂
Good to see I haven’t missed much, usual faux outrage from the usual suspects here and life goes on for middle NZ
You wish…
You obviously don’t read or see much at all Tory. Try this thread for starters.
Time to get out more!
“Tax havens ‘serve no useful economic purpose’ and benefit rich at expense of poor, leading economists warn”
I guess that is why Key wants NZ to be one!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/tax-havens-serve-no-useful-economic-purpose-and-benefit-rich-at-expense-of-poor-leading-economists-a7019816.html
Key very rarely gives direct answers to questions.
Since the release of the so called Panama Papers his evasiveness is being accentuated.
He is behaving like someone who has something to hide.
The parliamentary ejection was an orchestrated stunt, yet another “look over there..”
The Green Peace etc diversion was clearly a failure. Something else had to be done otherwise links back to the USA may become apparent.
the usual dog whistle about “left wing conspiracies” did not seem to gain much traction either.
I wonder if this ex state house boy will ever become “an honest John?”
Staged
Oh looks like the PM has made it off the NZ sub and onto the front page of hot reddit topics tonight…
https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/4it0om/new_zealand_prime_minister_john_key_thrown_out_of/
. Men who scream and screech are not taken seriously by other men or by women. The exception being the members of the current National rabble.
Not one single member of National caucus, nor one single national voter has risen to show respect for Red Cross, Anmesty International, or Greenpeace.
The reason is that John Key has sucked out whatever decency existed within National, and replaced it with incompetence, non stop abuse, and too much corruption (Sky City eg). John Key is attempting to cover his failures with screaming and screeching.
He may well be on the way to becoming physically dangerous, so tortured is his ranting and raving and his disgusting abuse, along with his equally disgusting behaviours.. Hopefully his bodyguard will keep an eye on his mental state.
John Key was booed at the Eden Park football Nines ( Feb 5, 2016 TV 3)
John Key “Prime Minister John Key has been booed off stage at today’s Big Gay Out ” Herald Feb 14, 2016
John key was denied his strange, non historic, and appallingly shallow flag ..Mar 24, 2016 Herald and Audrey.
John Key was bundled ranting and raving out of Parliament, May 11, 2016
Be ready for more abuse from this very weird Prime Minister and his weird friends and devotees. He will increasingly clock up more and more failures.
Poor Aotearoa
Looks like JK is losing it ?
And as for Bill English’s defense, . . . well utter bollocks. Two points:
1. Questions are supposed to be answered through the Chair (i.e. through the speaker). The fact that Key was facing the wrong way and didn’t see the Speaker rise to his feet is irrelevant as a defense.
2. The Speaker thundered out “The Prime Minister will resume his seat . . . ” before ordering Key to leave. Unless the PM wants to argue that he is hard of hearing, then Bill English’s defense simply doesn’t wash.
it didn’t show up in the live broadcast, but in the One News clip, the PM clearly made body contact with Brownlie before leaving the Chamber. It looked to me a lot like the “Nudge” part of a “Nudge-Nudge, wink-wink”).
For what its worth, the staged walkout was not done in cahouts with the Speaker, IMO. But it may well have been done in cahouts with Jerry Brownlie. Especially given the follow-up comments from Brownlie, soon after the ejection – comments which were subsequently rejected by the Speaker.
Incidentally, there was an odd mismatch between the video and the audio in yesterday’s live broadcast – a lag of about 4 or 5 seconds between the two, which made it very difficult to watch. (Something do do with a precaution in case there arose a need to censor out expletives or other non-broadcasting-standard problems that the broadcaster suspected might arise perhaps?)
For goodness sake…….PM’s seat is no more than 7 metres away from the Speaker. It’s a child’s fib that he didn’t know the Speaker was on his feet. Or that he didn’t hear the Speaker yelling at him to sit down. The misconduct was deliberate. The Fake Man was always going to engage whatever it took to avoid answering parliamentary questions.
Alwyn Troll and others……..you love having an entitledly ill-behaved, bully/coward child for PM do you ?
For years I’ve posed this question – whom amongst the great bulk of decent caring parents when discussing values with youngsters cites this PM as a role model for decent, honourable behaviour ?
That’s an equally live question in regard to most of his cabinet and caucus colleagues. ‘The Character Question’
Let us not forget the very quick removal of the video of the throat slitting gesture of the PM just before 2 election s ago. This revealing clip has completely disappeared and if John Oliver could find it…