National filibustering EFB

Written By: - Date published: 12:54 pm, December 6th, 2007 - 42 comments
Categories: election funding, national - Tags: ,

So it’s official: National is filibustering the Electoral Finance Bill. This really is childish, and it’s directly at odds with what Bill English was telling the public on Morning Report on Tuesday. These were his exact words:

“How long the debate takes will be largely up to the government. We don’t intend to filibuster…”

It’s pretty clear now that English was being economical with the truth. Today’s Questions for Oral Answer shows ten additional questions to members. Given questions to select committee chairs are so rare that you’re lucky to see one or two a week, the fact National and Act have chosen to pose ten in one day shows they’re deliberately trying to tie up Parliament because they can’t get their way on the bill.

No Right Turn has picked up on this too, and sums up the situation well:

These are not the actions of a serious, responsible party truely interested in reform. Rather, they are the actions of a self-interested party eager to please its rich mates and rort and abuse the electoral process to buy their way to power, just as they tried to do in 2005.

Fortunately the bill has the numbers to pass, and National’s deliberate bad faith over electoral reform is becoming clearer every day.

42 comments on “National filibustering EFB ”

  1. Simeon 1

    If the Electoral Finance Bill is so good, why can’t it go back to the people of New Zealand for another round of consultation??

  2. Camryn 2

    NRT’s comment doesn’t sum up the situation at all. The situation at hand is the alleged filibustering. It’s a complete non sequitur to suddenly jump to their motivations.

    Wouldn’t they oppose the bill in exactly the same way if their motivation was to prevent Labour from skewing the electoral process in their favour? Or because the moon is spherical? Or any reason?

    NRT just wanted a chance to rant in a partisan fashion about their motivation and would’ve said exactly the same thing in any context.

    As to whether it’s actually ‘filibustering’ (even ignoring the misuse of the term in this context) – do you think that National has to suspend the normal business of the opposition just because Labour is also trying to ram through a law change at faster than usual speed? Or should National let Labour set the agenda and only talk about what Labour talks about? Who knows how many of those questions relate to items that National considers Labour to be saving up as items to sneak out in the Christmas lull?

    P.S. The link to the oral questions has a typo.

    [Tane: Camryn, thanks, have fixed the link]

  3. Benodic 3

    1. It’s already been through standard Parliamentary consultation. It’s unprecented to send it back to select committee.

    2. It’s supposed to come into force on January 1st so needs to be passed before the New Year.

    3. The major issues around definition of advertising that had people worried about effects on free speech have been fixed. The rest is politics.

    4. Regardless of all this, National are acting like spoilt brats who can’t get their way. It’s a rather unedifying sight to behold.

  4. Gruela 4

    This is simply another facet of the way National would like political debates conducted in New Zealand. As there is no substance to their Party, (a fact illustrated by a continuing drought of policy,) they have come to the conclusion that if they talk the longest, or shout the loudest, they will win the argument.

    The increasingly mad statements being made equating the passing of the EFB to the fall of civilization and very probably the extinction of all life on Earth is another symptom of this. If you shriek and wail like a five year old who has lost their favourite toy then maybe no-one will notice how thin your claims actually are.

  5. Camryn 5

    OK, apologies to NRT. I read his post now, and it’s actually Tane that is linking NRT’s comment to the alleged filibustering in a nonsensical fashion.

    NRT’s post, however, is basically “National opposes the EFB in it’s current form so must not be serious about reform at all” which is a completely different type of nonsense. The answer is “Nooooo… they just oppose poorly-drafted self-serving changes pushed through under urgency and without bipartisan agreement in the guise of reform and under a cloud of obscuring slander about their motivation”

  6. Benodic 6

    Camryn: there’s a difference between being a constructive opposition and deliberately tying up Parliament because you can’t get your way.

  7. Simeon 7

    Why does it “need” to be passed before the end of this year. It will be a significant change to electoral law. The Government should have introduced it to Parliament last year then.

  8. Benodic 8

    Camryn I think you may have misread the posts – Tane and NRT are making exactly the same points.

    You also seem surprisingly unfazed by the point of this post, which is that National have lied about their filibustering. They used the term. They said they wouldn’t do it. Now they are and that’s dishonest.

  9. insider 9

    Benodic

    They have had over two years to get this legislation consulted drafted and debated. Why was it only introduced in the last couple of months with such a tight deadline?

    They originally said it was to stop the influence of anonymous donations, yet that was missing in the original draft and has only grudgingly been brought in.

    Even one of its major supporters the Greens think it needs a review barely two months after introduction…what does that tell you about the process and the quality of the legislation?

    I’d hardly say that questions to members is going to take much time and is a filibuster. And there have been plenty of occassions where there have been a number at the end of QT, though I’ve not seen this many.

  10. Of course the Nats are fillibustering.

    That’s what you get when you stitch up legislation in secret, put up Bills affecting major constitutional change without any of the normal public consultation in the policy formation process, rush through a select committee process, ignore official advice, ignore the overwhelming position of submitters in select committee, see your legislation face unprecedented condemnation from media and civil society organisations, fail so comprehensively to articulate what the law will do, and then land 150 amendments on the House, just two weeks after the Select Committtee report back was supposed to clean up all of the issues, and even then, just two hours before those 150 amendments are due to be debated in the House.

    And the Standard has the gall to claim that the National Party misuses the parliamentary process. Tane, you really are on a hiding to nothing with that claim.

  11. Graeme Edgeler 11

    National weren’t filibustering on Tuesday, when Labour moved to close off debate on Part 1 (with the important definitions of election advertisement, party advertisement, publish, etc. and clause 17 which prohibits registering as a third party after writ day etc.) after National had had 9 5 minute slots (they ended up with 11).

    National wanted to be constructive – why is the non-commercial internet exemption only about blogs, and not YouTube or message boards? Why does the editorial exemption not apply if the editorial seeks to persuade in addition to enlightening, informing or entertaining? Etc. They didn’t even get time to ask these questions, let alone have someone from Labour answer them.

    I disagree with a number of National’s proposed amendments, but they’re constructive. Do you support their proposed amendment to allow authorities to prosecute political parties? I certainly do.

    Will anyone from Labour take a call explaining why they won’t (if, that is, they won’t)? National, I think, wanted a debate (they’ve a lot of ammunition) but Labour has refused to debate over any of the detail – a fillibuster is all that National has left.

  12. Gruela 12

    insolent

    “Of course the Nats are fillibustering.”

    “We don’t intend to filibuster.”: Bill English.

    So I guess Bill English went on national radio and outright lied, then.

  13. the sprout 13

    oh no it’s not called lying when the Nats do it gruela, it’s called ‘defending democracy’. a bit like their anti-EFB posturing.

  14. Gruela 14

    Sprout

    I know. They really mean the best for us.

  15. No, Gruela.

    National expected a proper debate on the Bill. When the Minister in charge of the Bill can’t even explain what the crucial Clause 80 means–covering the use of MPs’ parliamentary expenditure during the election period–and never even takes a call to address any of the issues National is raising–then National is entitled to drag the debate out as long as possible to force the Government to justify itself.

    It does depend on your definition of fillibustering. If your definition is standing up and talking mindless babble, then to be fair, yes, National is doing that. If your definition is to stand up and speak ad nauseum, hammering the same points to get the Government to justify itself when it has refused to do so, then yes, National is doing that as well.

    National has very good motives. This is bad law, that has followed a fundamentally flawed process, which nobody at the Standard has been able to hold up their heads and honestly justify. To try and claim National is abusing the legislative process by holding the Government to account is the most hypocritical claim I’ve heard the Standard ever make. And there’s been enormous competition for that title.

  16. the sprout 16

    i am forever grateful for thier presence. i was especially grateful for Brash and Bush, and now after so many cock-ups and flip-flops i am beginning to realise what an unwitting force for progress Key is too.

  17. insider 17

    MAybe it is as Graeme says (who has been a voice of reason on this for some time), they tried to get good faith engagement on the substance and Labour and the Greens have decided to steamroller it through, changing the ground again. You don’t have a lot of options in such situations.

    Filibuster is a long and honorable tradition in Parliamentary systems. There has been an example here in the last couple of years where Cullen eventually had to give up forcing something through and agree to a brokered agreement. Again it was very close to the closure of the house from memory.

    Incidentally Graeme, it is disappointing that COG has been so quiet about the process and the post select committee flaws. Why the free pass after earlier being so vocal?

  18. the sprout 18

    impotent, it doesn’t matter how much you vigorously excercise yourself on here with your endlessly recycled cut and pastes, it’s just not going to get hard. you should consult a physician.

  19. Graeme Edgeler 19

    So I guess Bill English went on national radio and outright lied, then.

    No. They didn’t intend to fillibuster.

    Their intention was to debate.

    Their intention changed when Labour refused to allow them to debate, and refused to engage in debate.

    The discussion on part 1 of the EFB was really short for something so important. The discussion of part 2 – which contains 10 sub-parts – was about the same. I was appalled that Labour wouldn’t answer the serious concerns National was raising – why wouldn’t they defend the bill? Etc. They’ve got good arguments, but they didn’t want to use them.

    National have been far from constructive on the EFB at times, but they were being constructive on Tuesday, and to my great disappointment Labour didn’t rise to the occasion. Unfortunately, if Labour won’t play ball, there’s not much more than fillibustering available to National to draw attention to that fact.

  20. Gruela 20

    Insolent

    The EFB hasn’t even been given a chance yet, but already the various factions of the Kiwi Taliban are calling it the worst piece of legislation since Herod signed the “Kill All the Jew Kids” Bill in 3 A.D.

    Take a deep breathe, man.

  21. the sprout 21

    “National have been far from constructive on the EFB at times, but they were being constructive on Tuesday”

    gosh Graeme, perhaps Labour just didn’t really trust National on Tuesday to do anything other than showboat and continue their msm-backed populist misinformation campaign.

  22. Sam Dixon 22

    Becuase of different Parlaimentary rules, a filibuster can’t actually block a Bill in New Zealand – speaking times are limited and the House can always go into urgency for as long as needed, unlike in the States where the filibuster can be a very effective techique as speaking times are not limited as long as the speaker continues talking and times for debate are more limited (and its very hard for the legislature to do the equivilant of going into urgency).

    A successful filibuster in the US blocked changing the eleciton of Presidental to a direct popular vote among other important policies; i’m unaware of a filibuster ever affecting legislation in New Zealand.

    Given that the filibuster cannot stop the Bill and will not add anything constructive to the Bill, all Naitonal is doing is wasting poltiicans’ time and taxpayers’ money.

  23. Simeon 23

    If National was in Government and they were passing legislation to sell of all state assets, what do you think Labour would be doing?

  24. James Kearney 24

    Selling state assets doesn’t require legislation. But thanks for reminding us all of National’s most unpopular policy. I encourage you to do it more as the election nears.

  25. Graeme Edgeler 25

    gosh Graeme, perhaps Labour just didn’t really trust National on Tuesday to do anything other than showboat

    And they’d probably have been right not to. So as soon as National started time-wasting, or raising irrelevancies, etc. they could have used their majority in the House to close debate. They didn’t need to trust National while National were being constructive, because as soon as any trust was broken, that would have been it for National, and they’d have had nothing to complain about.

    Sam – that’s only the US Senate (or the House before 1842), and because of the process involved in amending the US Constitution, I’m not sure your example can be correct. A filibuster of the type where someone takes the floor and holds it can’t stop something being passed (rather, it can only delay it as long as the person is speaking – the record is just over 24 hours straight). Filibusters under Senate Rule 22 only last until cloture (closure in NZ) is successfully invoked with a three-fifths majority. Given that constitutional amendments require a higher two-thirds majority, the suggestion that a filibuster stopped direct election seems unlikely. But I’d certainly be interested in any evidence you have to the contrary (if it was many years ago under some different rules I suppose it may have been possible).

  26. Graeme Edgeler 26

    the filibuster cannot stop the Bill and will not add anything constructive to the Bill, all Naitonal is doing is wasting poltiicans’ time and taxpayers’ money.

    One thing a filibuster might do is delay a vote on a particular amendment – for example Chris Finlayson’s proposal to allow political parties – rather than just party secretaries and financial agents – to be charged with electoral law breaches.

    Such an amendment would not pass today, but if the vote was delayed until Tuesday, maybe there’d be time for you, and me and other people to try to influence the Greens to support it. That amendment is something I think most people would agree with, and it could be useful in situations similar to National’s GST breach at the last election – charge the National party, even though the police couldn’t work out exactly which individual’s fault it all was.

  27. insider 27

    Sam

    speaking is not the only tool. National latched onto the use of points of order to filibuster, which drove Cullen to pull a bill (can’t remember what it was). There they kept using PoO to table endless reports and pieces of legislation. You can;t close off PoO like you can debates.

    PS Parliament’s session is being extended a week

    captcha – house handbook (spooky)

  28. Graeme Edgeler 28

    Insider – I remember that. Normally that would be be way out of line doing that with Points of Order, but in the very particular circumstance it was justified.

    Dean Knight carries the Hansard here: http://www.laws179.co.nz/2005/04/collapsing-parliament.html

    Basically, Labour, so that all their members could attend a state dinner, refused to have a minister in the chamber for part of a Members’ day. The Standing Orders require that a minister be present at all times or the House is inquorate, and can’t do anything. By withdrawing all the ministers from the House, Parliament couldn’t continue to debate the Greens’ Employment Relations (Flexible Working Hours) Amendment Bill, and several hours of members time was lost.

    The following day, National objected strongly (supported by the Greens) – they couldn’t object strongly at the time because Parliament was inquorate – raising all those points of order seeking to table standing orders and Hansard pre-prints. Ultimately, the Government relented and allowed the debate on the Flexible Working Hours bill to be completed.

  29. insider 29

    Those evil nats and their filibuster. They have wasted 12 precious minutes

    Does their evil know no bounds?

  30. MikeE 30

    Interestingly enough the conseqeunece of this is that BZP will not be banned in 2007, and it won’t be voted on untill Feb 2008 🙂

  31. Tane 31

    Obviously they’re not very good at it. Who’d have thought the Nats were incompetent?

  32. insider 32

    Or maybe you saw a conspiracy where there wasn’t one….

  33. James Kearney 33

    So you’re saying Insolent Prick, Graeme Edgeler, Bill English and others were engaging in conspiracy? Nice one mate.

  34. the sprout 34

    “as soon as National started time-wasting, or raising irrelevancies, etc. they could have used their majority in the House to close debate”

    oh yes, and i wonder what National would have done then – retired gracefully or started turbo-showboating in the media?

  35. the sprout 36

    guess it isn’t the beltway he’s inside?

  36. Robinsod 37

    Interestingly enough the conseqeunece of this is that BZP will not be banned in 2007, and it won’t be voted on untill Feb 2008

    Does that mean the Nat’s have fought for our right to party? (hmmm, now I’m thinking there might be a different song for them to slap on that DVD!)

  37. Draco TB 38

    Camryn said:
    “and without bipartisan agreement”

    The bill has at least three parties supporting it so a call for bipartisan agreement is disingenuous as it seems to indicate that there’s only two parties in government that actually count. It does seem to have bipartisan condemnation though. All that’s required to get the bill passed is a simple majority in parliament and the bill has that.

  38. the sprout 39

    “three parties supporting it”

    hmm, that would make it tri-partisan support for the EFB then.
    unless of course you’re National who obviously is yet to cotton on to there being more than two parties.

  39. Nick C 40

    Wow, National took up about 10 minutes of time in the house with questions to select commitee chairs! Oh the horror.

  40. Nick C 41

    Oh and BTW with the Bi-partisan thing. Would you guys be happy for National and Act to completely alter the system if they win a majority the next election to blatantly favour them?

  41. James Kearney 42

    But their motive was clear. That just means they’re crap at filibustering.

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    Completed reads for November: A Modern Utopia, by H.G. Wells The Vampire (poem), by Heinrich August Ossenfelder The Corpus Hermeticum The Corpus Hermeticum is Mead’s translation. Now, this is indeed a very quiet month for reading. But there is a reason for that… You see, ...
    4 days ago
  • Forward to 2017
    The coalition party agreements are mainly about returning to 2017 when National lost power. They show commonalities but also some serious divergencies.The two coalition agreements – one National and ACT, the other National and New Zealand First – are more than policy documents. They also describe the processes of the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Questions a nine year old might ask the new Prime Minister
    First QuestionYou’re going to crack down on people ram-raiding dairies, because you say hard-working dairy owners shouldn’t have to worry about getting ram-raided.But once the chemist shops have pseudoephedrine in them again, they're going to get ram-raided all the time. Do chemists not work as hard as dairy owners?Second QuestionYou ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Finally
    Henry Kissinger is finally dead. Good fucking riddance. While Americans loved him, he was a war criminal, responsible for most of the atrocities of the final quarter of the twentieth century. Cambodia. Bangladesh. Chile. East Timor. All Kissinger. Because of these crimes, Americans revere him as a "statesman" (which says ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Government in a hurry – Luxon lists 49 priorities in 100-day plan while Peters pledges to strength...
    Buzz from the Beehive Yes, ministers in the new government are delivering speeches and releasing press statements. But the message on the government’s official website was the same as it has been for the past several days, when Point of Order went looking for news from the Beehive that had ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • DAVID FARRAR: Luxon is absolutely right
    David Farrar writes  –  1 News reports: Christopher Luxon says he was told by some Kiwis on the campaign trail they “didn’t know” the difference between Waka Kotahi, Te Pūkenga and Te Whatu Ora. Speaking to Breakfast, the incoming prime minister said having English first on government agencies will “make sure” ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 at 10 am for Thursday, Nov 30
    There are fears that mooted changes to building consent liability could end up driving the building industry into an uninsured hole. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of the top 10 news and analysis links elsewhere as of 10 am on Thursday, November 30, including:The new Government’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how climate change threatens cricket‘s future
    Well that didn’t last long, did it? Mere days after taking on what he called the “awesome responsibility” of being Prime Minister, M Christopher Luxon has started blaming everyone else, and complaining that he has inherited “economic vandalism on an unprecedented scale” – which is how most of us are ...
    5 days ago
  • We need to talk about Tory.
    The first I knew of the news about Tory Whanau was when a tweet came up in my feed.The sort of tweet that makes you question humanity, or at least why you bother with Twitter. Which is increasingly a cesspit of vile inhabitants who lurk spreading negativity, hate, and every ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Dangling Transport Solutions
    Cable Cars, Gondolas, Ropeways and Aerial Trams are all names for essentially the same technology and the world’s biggest maker of them are here to sell them as an public transport solution. Stuff reports: Austrian cable car company Doppelmayr has launched its case for adding aerial cable cars to New ...
    5 days ago
  • November AMA
    Hi,It’s been awhile since I’ve done an Ask-Me-Anything on here, so today’s the day. Ask anything you like in the comments section, and I’ll be checking in today and tomorrow to answer.Leave a commentNext week I’ll be giving away a bunch of these Mister Organ blu-rays for readers in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • National’s early moves adding to cost of living pressure
    The cost of living grind continues, and the economic and inflation honeymoon is over before it began. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: PM Christopher Luxon unveiled his 100 day plan yesterday with an avowed focus of reducing cost-of-living pressures, but his Government’s initial moves and promises are actually elevating ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Backwards to the future
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed that it will be back to the future on planning legislation. This will be just one of a number of moves which will see the new government go backwards as it repeals and cost-cuts its way into power. They will completely repeal one ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • New initiatives in science and technology could point the way ahead for Luxon government
    As the new government settles into the Beehive, expectations are high that it can sort out some  of  the  economic issues  confronting  New Zealand. It may take time for some new  ministers to get to grips with the range of their portfolio work and responsibilities before they can launch the  changes that  ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    6 days ago
  • Treaty pledge to secure funding is contentious – but is Peters being pursued by a lynch mob after ...
    TV3 political editor Jenna Lynch was among the corps of political reporters who bridled, when Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told them what he thinks of them (which is not much). She was unabashed about letting her audience know she had bridled. More usefully, she drew attention to something which ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • How long does this last?
    I have a clear memory of every election since 1969 in this plucky little nation of ours. I swear I cannot recall a single one where the question being asked repeatedly in the first week of the new government was: how long do you reckon they’ll last? And that includes all ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • National’s giveaway politics
    We already know that national plans to boost smoking rates to collect more tobacco tax so they can give huge tax-cuts to mega-landlords. But this morning that policy got even more obscene - because it turns out that the tax cut is retrospective: Residential landlords will be able to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER: Who’s driving the right-wing bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In 2023, ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • GRAHAM ADAMS:  Media knives flashing for Luxon’s government
    The fear and loathing among legacy journalists is astonishing Graham Adams writes – No one is going to die wondering how some of the nation’s most influential journalists personally view the new National-led government. It has become abundantly clear within a few days of the coalition agreements ...
    Point of OrderBy gadams1000
    6 days ago
  • Top 10 news links for Wednesday, Nov 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere for Wednesday November 29, including:The early return of interest deductibility for landlords could see rebates paid on previous taxes and the cost increase to $3 billion from National’s initial estimate of $2.1 billion, CTU Economist Craig Renney estimated here last ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Smokefree Fallout and a High Profile Resignation.
    The day after being sworn in the new cabinet met yesterday, to enjoy their honeymoon phase. You remember, that period after a new government takes power where the country, and the media, are optimistic about them, because they haven’t had a chance to stuff anything about yet.Sadly the nuptials complete ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • As Cabinet revs up, building plans go on hold
    Wellington Council hoardings proclaim its preparations for population growth, but around the country councils are putting things on hold in the absence of clear funding pathways for infrastructure, and despite exploding migrant numbers. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Cabinet meets in earnest today to consider the new Government’s 100-day ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • National takes over infrastructure
    Though New Zealand First may have had ambitions to run the infrastructure portfolios, National would seem to have ended up firmly in control of them.  POLITIK has obtained a private memo to members of Infrastructure NZ yesterday, which shows that the peak organisation for infrastructure sees  National MPs Chris ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • At a glance – Evidence for global warming
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    6 days ago
  • Who’s Driving The Right-Wing Bus?
    Who’s At The Wheel? The electorate’s message, as aggregated in the polling booths on 14 October, turned out to be a conservative political agenda stronger than anything New Zealand has seen in five decades. In 1975, Bill Rowling was run over by just one bus, with Rob Muldoon at the wheel. In ...
    7 days ago
  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • Sanity break
    Cheers to reader Deane for this quote from Breakfast TV today:Chloe Swarbrick to Brook van Velden re the coalition agreement: “... an unhinged grab-bag of hot takes from your drunk uncle at Christmas”Cheers also to actual Prime Minister of a country Christopher Luxon for dorking up his swearing-in vows.But that's enough ...
    More than a fieldingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • National’s murderous smoking policy
    One of the big underlying problems in our political system is the prevalence of short-term thinking, most usually seen in the periodic massive infrastructure failures at a local government level caused by them skimping on maintenance to Keep Rates Low. But the new government has given us a new example, ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    7 days ago
  • NZ has a chance to rise again as our new government gets spending under control
    New Zealand has  a chance  to  rise  again. Under the  previous  government, the  number of New Zealanders below the poverty line was increasing  year by year. The Luxon-led government  must reverse that trend – and set about stabilising  the  pillars  of the economy. After the  mismanagement  of the outgoing government created   huge ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    7 days ago
  • KARL DU FRESNE: Media and the new government
    Two articles by Karl du Fresne bring media coverage of the new government into considerations.  He writes –    Tuesday, November 28, 2023 The left-wing media needed a line of attack, and they found one The left-wing media pack wasted no time identifying the new government’s weakest point. Seething over ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • PHILIP CRUMP:  Team of rivals – a CEO approach to government leadership
    The work begins Philip Crump wrote this article ahead of the new government being sworn in yesterday – Later today the new National-led coalition government will be sworn in, and the hard work begins. At the core of government will be three men – each a leader ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago
  • Black Friday
    As everyone who watches television or is on the mailing list for any of our major stores will confirm, “Black Friday” has become the longest running commercial extravaganza and celebration in our history. Although its origins are obscure (presumably dreamt up by American salesmen a few years ago), it has ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    7 days ago
  • In Defense of the Media.
    Yesterday the Ministers in the next government were sworn in by our Governor General. A day of tradition and ceremony, of decorum and respect. Usually.But yesterday Winston Peters, the incoming Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister, of our nation used it, as he did with the signing of the coalition ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Tuesday, Nov 28
    Nicola Willis’ first move was ‘spilling the tea’ on what she called the ‘sobering’ state of the nation’s books, but she had better be able to back that up in the HYEFU. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago
  • PT use up but fare increases coming
    Yesterday Auckland Transport were celebrating, as the most recent Sunday was the busiest Sunday they’ve ever had. That’s a great outcome and I’m sure the ...
    7 days ago
  • The very opposite of social investment
    Nicola Willis (in blue) at the signing of the coalition agreement, before being sworn in as both Finance Minister and Social Investment Minister. National’s plan to unwind anti-smoking measures will benefit her in the first role, but how does it stack up from a social investment viewpoint? Photo: Lynn Grieveson ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Giving Tuesday
    For the first time "in history" we decided to jump on the "Giving Tuesday" bandwagon in order to make you aware of the options you have to contribute to our work! Projects supported by Skeptical Science Inc. Skeptical Science Skeptical Science is an all-volunteer organization but ...
    1 week ago
  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago
  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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