Posts Tagged ‘broken promises’

ECE costs increasing

Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, April 21st, 2011 - 19 comments

The Nats’ attack on early childhood education (ECE) is starting to bite.  As surely as night follows day, the cuts in funding for childcare centres are showing up as increased costs for parents.

Little impact from Hughes affair, NZF on the rise

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 pm, April 8th, 2011 - 50 comments

The latest Roy Morgan poll shows little impact from the Darren Hughes affair to date. We still don’t know how the investigation will play out but the poll suggests dithering leadership matters less than economic fundamentals. The big news, though, is that New Zealand First would be back under these numbers.

This brighter future

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, April 6th, 2011 - 26 comments

Government reneges on Pike River

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, March 13th, 2011 - 38 comments

Gerry Brownlee promised the West Coast a stimulus package.  The government has now ruled that out. Those with whom John Key so public sympathised will not get what they were promised; they’ll be left to pick up the tab, whilst he works on his next PR opportunity.

No Aroha for Key

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, February 7th, 2011 - 27 comments

Tomorrow is the first day of Parliament for the year, so I’m picking we’ll see John Key’s annual passing mention of the ‘underclass’. You remember Key’s promise to make lifting the underclass his priority, eh? Well, Key doesn’t. He has abandoned Aroha Nathan after using her for PR and now says he can’t do anything for the poor.

Competent economic management

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, February 4th, 2011 - 20 comments

John Key Oct 2010: “I don’t think we should argue we are in a recession … now that summer has come, economic activity is starting to pick up.”
Building consents lowest on record * unemployment hits 6.8% * retail spending falls * We’ve had double dip recession

Don’t abandon Pike River recovery

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, January 26th, 2011 - 21 comments

Good news for families of the Pike River miners. The Police have shown them video proving their mens bodies are still intact. It raises questions about the government’s actions. Why was this footage previously withheld? Why were the Nats spinning that there was nothing left to recover? And why was the recovery really abandoned so hastily?

Benefit numbers continue to climb

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, January 20th, 2011 - 43 comments

Remember back when Labour was in power and the Right had this myth that dole numbers had only dropped because Labour had moved people to other benefits? It wasn’t true but that didn’t stop John Key saying it during one of the 2008 debates as he promised to get more people into work. Now, 2 years later, 83,879 more Kiwis are on benefits.

A failure of leadership over Pike River

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, January 15th, 2011 - 115 comments

Like smiling and waving, frowning and looking sombre, is easy. But satisfying the expectations you create can be hard. This is where Key consistently fails. He has failed again over Pike River. The sudden and inadequately explained end to the recovery operation is bad enough. Lying about the promises he made is gravely insulting.

Front on Pike River

Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, January 14th, 2011 - 75 comments

Sad news for Coasters. Recovery of bodies at Pike River abandoned. Key promised ‘whatever it takes’ to get them out. He’s breaking his word. He should front up and justify it. Instead, he’s hiding from the media.

Amazing coincidences

Written By: - Date published: 2:07 pm, November 23rd, 2010 - 35 comments

You remember John Key’s ‘blind trust’ that turned out not to be so blind. Key denied all but anyone could easily see into the ‘blind trust’. Key certainly knew of his wine and dairy interests, giving him a conflict of interest he failed to declare. Now, after the furor, the ‘blind trust’ has sold the shares. Funny things, coincidences.

Dole numbers still rising

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, November 10th, 2010 - 10 comments

While the unemployment rate continues to jump around like mad, the dole numbers are telling a consistent story. And it’s not a good one. Every month this year has been worse than normal. In October, the number of Kiwis on the dole fell by 0.1%, that’s compared to a 1.1% fall last October and an average 3.1% drop each October under Labour. This October there were 4,800 more people on the dole than last October. Didn’t you say we were coming out of the recession strongly, Mr Key?

National’s Broken Promises

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, November 1st, 2010 - 18 comments

National are a land of broken promises – from GST rises and tax cuts to falling wages and attacks on education.  Here’s my list – help me with any I’ve forgotten.

It’s the economy, stupid

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, October 16th, 2010 - 11 comments

John Armstrong is at his insightful best today. He’s hit on the emerging change in the political discourse – the economy is going to crap and that’s what really matters, not the meltdowns of minor MPs and racist TV monkeys. And this do nothing government doesn’t care and has no solutions. This is Labour’s chance to offer a real alternative:

Little Mr Key, the spider & the sunny day

Written By: - Date published: 7:25 pm, October 7th, 2010 - 13 comments

Had a crack at writing my kid a story. What do you reckon?

Once upon a time there was a little man called John Key. He told everyone that if they trusted him he would lead them to a brighter future. Some of the people said he was lying to get power. More people said that they liked that nice man, Mr Key, and wanted the brighter future he promised…

Promises

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, July 26th, 2010 - 14 comments

When is a promise not a promise? Clearly John Key has promises that he is afraid to break, promises that he tries to break (and backs down when caught), and promises that he feels he can break with impunity.

Empty promises on employment law

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, July 22nd, 2010 - 29 comments

National’s promises aren’t worth the paper that they’re printed on. They’ve broken plenty and downgraded most of the rest to “aspirational goals”. Now John Key’s current anti-worker employment policies add a whole new chapter to the list of broken election promises.

National: Irresponsible Economists and Liars

Written By: - Date published: 1:46 pm, June 10th, 2010 - 21 comments

National’s budget broke a number of economic promises. One that’s not been emphasised enough is their commitment to be fiscally neutral. Labour got New Zealand to $0 net government debt. Now we are headed back into the red again and National is making it worse, not to create jobs to help ordinary Kiwis through the recession, but to fund tax cuts for their rich mates.

Garner sez ‘take the fight to Key’

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, May 13th, 2010 - 15 comments

Phil Goff has put some good solid (if rather moderate) left-wing substance on the table in his pre-budget speech yesterday. Duncan Garner says that was the right move, but wonders if Labour now needs to focus on the questions surrounding John Key. Garner says in the wake of several questionable moves Key’s integrity is now on the line and Labour should exploit it.

Collins: All talk, no crush

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, May 2nd, 2010 - 16 comments

We all know that Police and Corrections Minister Judith Collins has, for all her tough talk, failed to bring down crime, and suppressed the official advice that her 3 strikes law may increase murders. But what about the policy that got her the nickname that she revels in? How many cars has ‘Crusher’ crushed? The answer may surprise you.

Nats paving the way for ECE cuts

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 pm, April 28th, 2010 - 19 comments

The Nats are getting ready to cut 20 Hours Free Early Childhood Education, after having promised during the election campaign not only to keep it but extend it. The Nats don’t have to lie. If they want to break their promises they should just say ‘we just wanted to get elected, so we said what you wanted to hear. We’re going to break our promises and cut ECE’.

Brownlee digs the Nats a deeper hole

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, April 27th, 2010 - 20 comments

On March 22, Gerry Brownlee took Mt Aspiring off his mad mining wish list saying “the government has decided, for reasons of its own, not to pursue mining potential in that area”. But Brownlee was lying. The very same day, he signed an order temporarily blocking mining companies from prospecting in areas that would be subject to a $4 million government minerals survey. Mt Aspiring was included.

Can the Maori Party save itself?

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, April 23rd, 2010 - 59 comments

On Wednesday, I asked whether we, the Left, could save the Maori Party. The response from Maori Party supporters was a lot of misplaced invective at Labour. Its by its own values that the Maori Party is failing. No-one’s forcing the Maori Party support a government that is working against its values. Perhaps, my question should have been: can the Maori Party save itself?

Remember, John, you promised no asset sales

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, April 20th, 2010 - 29 comments

In 2008 John Key made this crystal clear promise: “That in the first term of the National government there will be no state assets that will be sold either partially or fully.” Now, Land Information New Zealand is proposing the sale of seven high country stations as part of the tenure review process. Key must keep his promise not to sell state assets and turn down this proposal immediately.

When did telling the truth become a mistake?

Written By: - Date published: 1:09 pm, April 15th, 2010 - 71 comments

Phil Goff is being attacked by John Key’s apologists because he won’t pledge to reverse National’s GST hike given he can’t yet know the state of the government’s books when he becomes PM. How ironic to see the Right, who supposedly want accountable government, pillory a politician for being straight up with the public, rather than telling them what they want to hear.

How’s that change coming? – Emigration

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 am, April 7th, 2010 - 16 comments

That Nice Mr Key promised that, through the power of tax cuts, he would stop so many Kiwi emigrating to Australia. Well, we had tax cuts so what happened to the number of Kiwis heading over the ditch? Must have dried up, right? Sorry kids, after a recession-induced lull, emigration is climbing as Kiwis seek greener pastures in the red country. Just one more promise Key couldn’t keep.

Over-promise, under-deliver

Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, March 31st, 2010 - 7 comments

The Key Government is constantly promising us great results and actually do nothing that improves things for New Zealanders. English, Bennett, Brownlee, and Tolley are prime examples of this MO. While they promise great things and fail to deliver unemployment is rising, wages are falling, crime is up, and the government has no plan to move us forward.

Nats fail to keep biggest promise (and the rest)

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, March 29th, 2010 - 51 comments

The economy finally managed to grow faster than the population in the December quarter but it was still slower than Australia. With weak growth, wages falling in inflation-adjusted terms, and unemployment now 2% higher than in Australia and rising the question has to be asked: when is John Key going to keep his promise to close the gap with Australia?

‘Front-line’ needs ‘back-office’

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 am, March 19th, 2010 - 9 comments

The head of the nurses’ union, Geoff Annals, has given a vivid analogy for why his ‘front-line’ nurses oppose ‘back-office’ staff cuts: “I’ve flown very often but I’ve never seen many staff essential to the safety of my flights. I’ve never seen an air traffic controller for example. Does that mean that air traffic controllers should be dispensed with?”

50 dollars and northwards

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, March 16th, 2010 - 14 comments

Felix can hardly contain himself at the prospect of National’s tax changes: Woohoo!! Told you my mate Mr Key would be able to deliver a “north of $50 a week” tax cut. And you all said he wouldn’t. So who’s looking stupid now eh? I mean sure, you need to bring in $180,000 a year to get it but just get off your arse and be a bit more ambitious whydontcha?

Wage gap is the John Key credibility gap

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, March 13th, 2010 - 46 comments

There’s a nickname for John Key that’s picking up currency from both Left and Right around the blogosphere: ‘smile and wave’. The one thing Key can be depended on is to turn up grinning in some cheesy photo op. All his promises fall by the wayside. Meanwhile, 276,000 Kiwis are jobless, the wage gap with Australia keeps widening, and so does Key’s credibility gap.