Mayhem in the UK

Written By: - Date published: 11:56 am, May 25th, 2019 - 68 comments
Categories: International, uk politics - Tags: ,

So Theresa May is on the way out.

The Guardian has the details:

Theresa May has given an emotional farewell to “the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold”, pledging to step aside as Conservative leader on 7 June and kicking off a frantic scramble to become Britain’s next prime minister.

Calling time on a turbulent three-year premiership punctuated by revolts and resignations, May said she would leave “with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.

The prime minister will remain in place until a new leader has been chosen by her party: a process senior Conservatives hope will be completed by late July.

Boris Johnson is the frontrunner to succeed May, but he will be one among a crowded field of contenders, with the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, declaring his candidacy on Friday. A host of others are expected to follow.

Johnson was quick out of the blocks after May’s resignation, insisting the UK must leave the EU on 31 October, “deal or no deal”, in an attempt to shore up his appeal to the right of the party.

She will not be remembered fondly.  She almost lost the unlosable election and if Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister she can be thanked.

The Guardian has prepared this brief video covering the lowlights of her time as PM:

It is fitting that two conservative Prime Ministers have seen their reign ended because of Brexit.  You wonder who will be next.

 

68 comments on “Mayhem in the UK ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Dukeofurl 1
    25 May 2019 at 12:32 pm

    Lost the un-loseable election – where have I heard that before.

    In reality the Conservatives vote went up over 5%, just that labour went up more. The biggest losers were the remain supporting SNP who lost 40% of their seats

    • jpwood 1.1
      25 May 2019 at 10:44 pm

      Fact check: The Conservatives' share of the vote increased from 2015 because UKIP's vote collapsed to 1.8% and when had received 12% of the vote in 2015, predominantly in Tory seats (which is why David Cameron proposed the referendumb in the first place).

  2. Morrissey 2
    25 May 2019 at 1:22 pm

    Song in response to Mrs May's allegedly 'heartfelt' resignation statement

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-uecpfaci0

    (Hat tip to Mark Nadim of The Lifeboat News.)

    • Pierre 2.1
      25 May 2019 at 9:15 pm

      I love this song!
      Used to listen to their English Rebel Songs album, sounds like we might hear those songs ringing out before long 🙂

  3. Philg 3
    25 May 2019 at 1:31 pm

    Surprise surprise … hardly news imo. Politics has become a reality show, minus the reality lol.

  4. SPC 4
    25 May 2019 at 1:37 pm

    You wonder who will be next

    Whomever they elect … will enact Brexit with no deal. They will then lose a no confidence motion in the House of Commons and then it will go to an election.

    The EU calls on the next Tory PM to stay in the EU.

    The election will be a new referendum of sorts.

  5. Ad 5
    25 May 2019 at 1:43 pm

    Shifted this from Open Mike as it's better here:

    Next.

    1. Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister in June, and government continues until 2022.

    2. Brexit with No Deal goes ahead. Immediate trade, pharmaceutical, and grocery supply crisis with trucks at both borders for miles. Brexit together with US-China trade war tips the OECD countries into economic stagnation.

    3. Prime Minister Johnson announces massive and deep deregulation of the British economy to outcompete the EU. Economic growth crashes and unemployment goes from 4% to 7% inside a year.

    4. Scotland votes to join the EU independently.

    5. Wales protests mount, also seeking a referendum to join the EU.

    6. Decline in the City of London as a financial centre compared to Frankfurt, Berlin, and Paris.

    7. Queen dies by 2022. No one knows what happened to the country.

    8. By 2022, India overtakes UK in economic size.

    • OnceWasTim 5.1
      25 May 2019 at 2:48 pm

      Plus a few more steps.

      Like

      9. The number of applications from the Empire for residency (in the hope of eventual dual citizenship) in the former colonies swamp officials.

      etc.

      etc. etc.

      • Anne 5.1.1
        25 May 2019 at 4:00 pm

        You mean British boat people? The Aussies won't be happy with that. We'll have to offer to take them. Can't have our kith or kin (some of us anyway) floating around the oceans with nowhere to go. 😥

        • OnceWasTim 5.1.1.1
          25 May 2019 at 8:19 pm

          No no, the Aussies will be fine with it just so long as they aren't Brown Brits. Officials here will have developed a more efficient and effective demographic spreadsheet (for managing any risk) by then anyway so we needn't worry too much.

          /sarc (just in case)

    • Wensleydale 5.2
      25 May 2019 at 3:07 pm

      God forbid Boris Johnson becomes PM. It'll be like Trump has had himself cloned and installed in Number 10. Boris always reminded me of Harry Enfield's comedic creation, Tim 'Nice But Dim'.

      https://youtu.be/l1f8UOWF4RY

    • Anne 5.3
      25 May 2019 at 3:56 pm

      OMG Ad you are a bearer of bad news.angry

    • mickysavage 5.4
      25 May 2019 at 7:48 pm

      That's pretty good. The one thing I would look forward to is Northern Ireland deciding to reintegrate with Eire because the alternative was so crazy …

      And the really disturbing thing is there are a bunch of venture capitalists waiting for the chaos because they think it is an opportunity for profit …

    • Katipo 5.5
      25 May 2019 at 9:59 pm

      6. Not so sure about the decline of The City of London. Some argue that they and the super rich would love a Brexit especially a hard one, as it would mean no need to abide by all those recent pesky EU attempts to clamp down on tax evaders and money launderers. Probably explains why Farage seems to be attracting some big donnonations from the likes of Arron Banks.

      • George 5.5.1
        27 May 2019 at 8:27 am

        The toff's…them what thinks they're entitled to more than the rabble (rabble being what the toff's were yesterday before they scammed a bunch of people of their hard earned) want a better defined class system so they can be noticed as toffs more often and be given the deference they deserve as c"entrepreneur types". Brexit will create the environment for this.

    • Pierre 5.6
      25 May 2019 at 9:59 pm
      1. General election is called, the Party of Labour sweeps into government along with the trade unions and the social movements.
      2. Brexit with no deal goes ahead. British people regain popular sovereignty as well as the legal ability to control capital flows. John McDonnell initiates wide-reaching social transformation outlined in the 2017 manifesto.
      3. Facing resistance from the monopolies and the oligarchs, the country enters crisis. After years of deep suspicion about the British state, the Labour Party falls back on an empowered and politically-conscious activist base, who set about steadily dismantling capitalist power structures. Britain pulls out of NATO, removes US military bases, and establishes friendly ties with non-aligned countries.
      4. The Scottish working class rejects reactionary nationalism and joins with their English, Welsh, and Cornish counterparts to create a federal Britain. British troops withdraw from the north of Ireland, ending the occupation and paving the way for the reunification of Ireland.
      5. Decline in the City of London as a financial centre compared to Frankfurt, Berlin, and Paris. The glass towers are turned over to social housing, meanwhile the seat of capitalist central planning – the London Stock exchange – is placed under popular and democratic control. Market imperatives are replaced by social imperatives.
      6. Queen dies by 2022. The people constitute themselves as a Republic and the institution of the monarchy is abolished. Citizen Charles is put in a municipal retirement home.
      • greywarshark 5.6.1
        25 May 2019 at 10:33 pm

        Pierre – C’est un miracle que personne n’ait été tué.

        It sounds interesting and totally impossible. Citoyen Charles can live with Camilla where he likes – good bloke who has been through difficult times.

        • Pierre 5.6.1.1
          25 May 2019 at 11:49 pm

          Greywarshark, je peux plutôt rêver… devant les faillites de la droite, la République avance.

      • mike 5.6.2
        26 May 2019 at 5:28 pm

        scotland will go this time

    • George 5.7
      27 May 2019 at 8:22 am

      @Ad ..yup. And Russian money is laundered through Britain and outwardly from there through Europe with no controls.

  7. Sabine 7
    25 May 2019 at 2:18 pm

    Brexit for thee but not for mee

    🙂

    https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/top-north-east-candidate-for-brexit-party-lives-in-france/24/05/?fbclid=IwAR1JmRKOMZz2xIPU58NcuAjLS71eIzk6uSQ5lrW_5VpXpPGTMbujIZiJeCc

    Voters in the North East came in for a shock yesterday after discovering the Brexit party’s main candidate lists his primary residence in France.

    but don't call him immigrant, he is of course an expat.

    • greywarshark 8.1
      25 May 2019 at 3:50 pm

      Thanks Mosa While I don't expect even 95% for candidates standing for prominence in anything, that is based on normal, expected human values.

      These ones seems to be trending below zero.

  9. Gosman 9
    25 May 2019 at 3:38 pm

    The trouble for the left in the UK is Brexit is as bad for Labour as it is for the Tory's

    • Sam 9.1
      25 May 2019 at 3:45 pm

      So the Tories are gone burger? Glorious.

    • woodart 9.2
      25 May 2019 at 11:07 pm

      trying to find a spark of glory in a sea of shit gosman? there's no winners in this, but the right will wear this disaster for all time, so far has cost two tory p.m. there reputations and place in history.may has been desperate to try and pin some of the shit onto british labour ,but they mostly have kept out of it.

      • Wayne 9.2.1
        26 May 2019 at 7:41 am

        You can't assume that is all going to be disaster for the Conservatives. Johnson (assuming it is him) is just as likely to do a ScoMo as lose.

        Everyone here seems to think a No deal Brexit, which is now more likely than before, will prove a complete disaster. It is not obvious why that will be the case.

        Britain can still trade with the EU on WTO terms, just like the US and China. But there will be a lot of pressure within the EU to do art least a Canadian style FTA. The UK is a large market for them.

        Anyway we will see.

        • Sam 9.2.1.1
          26 May 2019 at 7:57 am

          May resigning is just another headline for talking heads to come out and justify the stupidity and things will get better. You've been talking about this for a couple years, Wayne. It hasn't gotten better. The pound has been falling against its partners for the whole 2 years so if anyone is sitting outside of the U.K. Thinking they're going to make bucket loads of money out of it think again. UK industry is already a wasteland so its up to UK business to make better products and come up with new ones.

        • lprent 9.2.1.2
          26 May 2019 at 10:01 pm

          I'd say that a early no-deal brexit is by far the most likely. Not because that is what any (apart from artisans of strange economics) want, but simply because there are too many political factions to unable to agree.

          Problem for the UK is that the supply chains have essentially been integrated into Europe and into the long-haul trucking and trains. It cause a pretty massive productivity hit in the short to medium term on the UK side because all of their costs will rise as they transition through tariffs and extra customs regulations.

          There will be a hit on the EU side. But it is likely to be way less. Apart from anything else, simply because businesses will relocate so they aren't on an island and are in the market that they were originally located to serve. It has been about 40 years after all.

          If they do a Canada type FTA, then I can't see it as being achieved before the UK economy has had its short-term doubling in general unemployment and massive loss of high paying jobs.

          As I said, we shall see. However I'd advise that we should be looking at tightening up on migration rules again. While I don't care about immigration that much apart from overall volumes (still too high for infrastructural growth), I do care about having dominating groups, and the UK are already our largest source and has been for far too long.

          • Sam 9.2.1.2.1
            26 May 2019 at 11:22 pm

            Whats an early no-BREXIT deal? The U.K. has gone 2 months over the deadline and are asking for more extensions, good sir. They'll need massive ECB stimulus to inflate there way out.

      • Pierre 9.2.2
        26 May 2019 at 8:57 pm

        Back in 2015 the main Tory angle was that a Miliband-led Labour government would lead to inevitable chaos, the breakup of the Kingdom, the dreaded 'death tax.' So, people voted for a 'strong and stable' government, and look where that got us. Chaos with Ed Miliband is looking better by the day.

        Chaos with Ed Miliband

  10. Rae 10
    25 May 2019 at 3:50 pm

    I have a grudging respect for May. She was handed the hell hospital pass of hospital passes and quite honestly, she was on a hiding to nothing from there.

    The whole stupidity started with the referendum in the first place, Cameron should have had the foresight to put a higher threshold than 51% on it, they should have nutted out some of the very sticky issues, such as the Irish border and not every UK country going for the leave, among them, and presented them along with the vote.

    Now we have the prospect of the preening Johnson thinking he can come in like the big boy and stick it those Europeans and that'll teach them. What makes him think the EU is going to cower at the sight of him.

    What a ballsup

  11. Cantabrian 11
    25 May 2019 at 4:03 pm

    May wanted the job. She put party above country. Her record as PM and Home Secretary are equally appalling. Good riddance I say.

  12. greywarshark 12
    25 May 2019 at 5:14 pm

    It came to me that May and Thatcher might have things in common that could give us a picture of the UK Conservative Woman Leader's Template.

    So have gathered some info on them reasonably comparative from Wikipedia.

    Margaret Thatcher background:
    Alfred Roberts [father] was an alderman and a Methodist local preacher,[7] and brought up his daughter as a strict Wesleyan Methodist,[8] attending the Finkin Street Methodist Church.[9] He came from a Liberal family but stood (as was then customary in local government) as an Independent. He served as Mayor of Grantham in 1945–46 and lost his position as alderman in 1952 after the Labour Party won its first majority on Grantham Council in 1950.

    Margaret Roberts attended Huntingtower Road Primary School and won a scholarship to Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School, a grammar school.[4][10] Her school reports showed hard work and continual improvement; her extracurricular activities included the piano, field hockey, poetry recitals, swimming and walking.[11] She was head girl in 1942–43…[Her boyfriend while at Oxford Tony Bray described her parents] Bray later met Roberts' parents and described them as "slightly austere" and "very proper".

    Thatcher did not devote herself entirely to studying chemistry as she only intended to be a chemist for a short period of time. Even while working on the subject, she was already thinking towards law and politics….She was reportedly prouder of becoming the first Prime Minister with a science degree than becoming the first woman…

    Roberts became President of the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1946.[22] She was influenced at university by political works such as Friedrich Hayek's The Road to Serfdom (1944),[23] which condemned economic intervention by government as a precursor to an authoritarian state.

    Theresa May background:
    Only child. Her father was a Church of England clergyman (and an Anglo-Catholic… May's mother was a supporter of the Conservative Party.[19] Her father died in 1981, from injuries sustained in a car accident, and her mother of multiple sclerosis the following year…

    May attended the University of Oxford, read geography at St Hugh's College, and graduated with a second class BA degree in 1977.[27] She worked in a bakery on Saturdays to earn pocket money, and was a "tall, fashion-conscious young woman who from an early age spoke of her ambition to be the first woman prime minister," according those who knew her.[28] A university friend, Pat Frankland, said: "I cannot remember a time when she did not have political ambitions. I well remember, at the time, she was quite irritated when Margaret Thatcher got there first."…

    Between 1977 and 1983, May worked at the Bank of England, and from 1985 to 1997, at the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS), as a financial consultant. She served as Head of the European Affairs Unit from 1989 to 1996 and Senior Adviser on International Affairs from 1996 to 1997 in the organisation.[

    (She talked the talk about better conditions but)…After she became Prime Minister, May's first speech espoused the left, with a promise to combat the "burning injustice" in British society and to create a union "between all of our citizens" and promising to be an advocate for the "ordinary working-class family" and not for the affluent in the UK. "The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours. We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives … When we take the big calls, we’ll think not of the powerful, but you. When we pass new laws we’ll listen not to the mighty, but to you. When it comes to taxes we’ll prioritise not the wealthy but you."…

    May aimed to put workers' and consumers' representatives on boards to make them more accountable….Workers' representatives it appeared, would have made UK companies more like those in Germany and France.[276] May was accused of backtracking in November 2016 when she said that firms would not be forced to adopt the proposal, saying "there are a number of ways in which that can be achieved".

    So there are connections between the two. Parents both with strong religious backgrounds and political interests, able to step forward and take public office. Margaret Thatcher had one older sister. Theresa May was an only child and was on her own after her second parent died in 1982, when May was 26 years.

    Both girls were willing to study, gain advancement, went to University, were studious and gained degrees. Both interested in politics and ambitious from an early age. Both from middle class, Thatcher's father owned grocery shops and was a lay clergyman; May's father was a clergyman, and she worked as a shop assistant at a bakery for pocket money.

    Thatcher was influenced by Austrian economist Hayek whose ideas led to neo-liberalism. She was scientific minded studied and worked in the chemistry field, but was really fixed on politics. Being the first scientist as PM was more important than being the first woman. She had twins, a boy and girl.

    Note that Thatcher wrote in her book Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World 2003 :…the European Union (EU) was a "fundamentally unreformable", "classic utopian project, a monument to the vanity of intellectuals, a programme whose inevitable destiny is failure". She argued that Britain should renegotiate its terms of membership or else leave the EU and join the North American Free Trade Area.

    May gained a geography degree, then went into finance and then into the international side of that. She was in local politics first from 1986 to 1994 in Education and Housing, then stood in a long-held Labour seat in 1994 and received a low vote, tried again in 1997 in Maidenhead seat and won. She is married to an investment relationship manager and couldn't have children.

    It sounds like hard work, ambition, discipline, not much time for enjoyment or mixing with a range of people, or humour, not extended family life; May and husband go tramping in Switzerland.

    And ultimately it seems that the Conservatives, have left May carrying the weight of the Iron Lady's dictum on her shoulders; a heavy legacy remaining despite the Lady's death in 2013.

  14. mosa 14
    25 May 2019 at 7:13 pm

    " A bitter future indeed "

  15. mosa 15
    25 May 2019 at 7:19 pm

    Boris Johnson is a shallow, narcissistic, womanising liar

    Boris and Donald will make a superb team should he get the keys to number 10

    https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/brian-reade-boris-johnson-shallow-16196976

  16. mosa 16
    25 May 2019 at 7:32 pm

    Oh god not Boris.

    • greywarshark 16.1
      25 May 2019 at 8:05 pm

      Now I feel sorry for May. By the time screwed up hackers and manipulators finish with you you won't know yourself and no-one else will either.

  17. Stuart Munro. 17
    26 May 2019 at 10:33 am

    The Tories are, as in NZ, irrelevant. They've been philosophically bankrupt for half a century. But Corbyn's opportunity to lead England hinges on the SNP, who rightly pivoted away from Blairism early. The Tories only hope is fratricidal competition between Labour and the SNP, which saved them last time, or the recrudescence of a Faragian deceit party. The former is likely, the latter, not so much.

    • mike 17.1
      26 May 2019 at 5:45 pm

      scotland is on a different path to england the first minster has already out lined the road ahead and it isnt part of the uk

  18. Obtrectator 18
    26 May 2019 at 11:23 am

    Another victim of the "glass cliff". (Anyone remember Kim Campbell in Canada, in 1993?) One doubts if any of the wannabees now savagely elbowing each other could have done any better.

    I hadn't realised TM had lost both parents comparatively early, or that she has so little in the way of family. Can't be good for the psyche. And don't forget she's diabetic. That can have an insidious effect too.

    All in all I think she can be allowed a wee show of vulnerability right at the end.

  22. Sabine 22
    27 May 2019 at 8:39 am

    England too will be made great again. One bullied migrant a time (never mind that they may be born englanders) and one hungry and homless one.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/edl-sikh-manchester-homeless-abuse-volunteers-feeding-english-defence-league-racist-a7787241.html?fbclid=IwAR2XOH97YuKgMYfh9XrxEZCcQwYv-Mmr7RuG0BXEbbLpf7EpFg90QRWxeHg

    the elite fucks up malevolently and intentionally to steer government funds away from he people to themselves and the mates that hire them and this shit is gonna happen eventually and then well, maybe this is the intended outcome.

  23. cleangreen 23
    27 May 2019 at 11:05 am

    Britain has always weathered the pressure from Europe through the middle ages to now.

    Britian has flourished when they produced the 'british empire' whom the sun never set apon, so we need to return to this 'Island nation' again 'dogedly independant' from the overpowering influence from France and Germany as 'self appionted master powers of the EU.'

    "There will always be an England"

  24. Gosman 24
    27 May 2019 at 11:24 am

    As predicted the Tories AND Labour have suffered appalling losses at this election. The Conservatives are likely 5th placed and Labour is a distant 3rd at this stage. Both parties have a lot of soul searching to do.

  25. Siobhan 25
    27 May 2019 at 12:36 pm

    Well.. all the MSM and centrist political bloggers who have pushed the narrative about how the Brits who voted 'leave' regret voting for Brexit…how we should have a second 'correct' referendum, how the voters 'didn't understand'…then UKIP slam dunk win the eu elections..Ha..looking forward to the 'spin'..

    • Gosman 25.1
      27 May 2019 at 12:41 pm

      Ummm…. UKIP lost badly. I think you mean the Brexit party.

      • Siobhan 25.1.1
        27 May 2019 at 1:16 pm

        oh heck and bother..after 25 years with him at the helm..I see Farage and my brain always says UKIP. But indeed you are right. Thats what I meant.

  26. Sanctuary 26
    27 May 2019 at 12:47 pm

    The logic of the first past the post means if in any electorate Labour's vote drops to 26%, the Tories get 25%, Brexit Party 25% and the Greens 24% Labour would still win the seat.

    In other words, if Labour and the Tories both lose votes, but the Tory vote collapses totally, then Labour will win in a landslide.

      • Sanctuary 26.1.1
        27 May 2019 at 1:20 pm

        On what turnout?

        Having said that, my take on the EU elections is that within an utterly polarised electorate hard line middle class remainers are now prepared to say "fuck you" to the poor and the NHS and everything else that needs fixing in the UK in their ever more hysterical tantrum at not getting their own way in the 2016 referendum. It is quite clear that the remain subset of the UK middle class is prepared to destroy everything – the UK Labour party, even UK democracy – in order to re-assert their poltical control of the political narrative and shore up their position as the dominant managerial enablers of the neoliberal economic order.

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    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

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