Posts Tagged ‘bully state’

Nat tactics Ngaro and third term arrogance

Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, May 24th, 2017 - 41 comments

Ngaro has fronted up with another grudging apology. English should have fired him and it speaks volumes of third-term arrogance that he hasn’t.

National’s long history of intimidation

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, May 16th, 2017 - 37 comments

It isn’t just third term arrogance. Ngaro is merely the latest example of National’s long history of attacking, intimidating, and trying to silence critical voices and facts. Take a stroll with me down memory lane…

Bullying schools – again

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, July 16th, 2012 - 29 comments

Threats to schools over the contents of their newsletters?  The “brighter future” doesn’t like dissent.

Worse than I imagined

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 pm, November 15th, 2010 - 98 comments

We learn from rort-buster Pete Hodgson that Pansy Wong and her husband have been running private companies out of her taxpayer-funded electorate office. I don’t see how she can remain in Parliament now. Who set and enforced the standards that have seen so many ministers involved in rorts? There’s only one person to point the finger at: Key

Nats bullying schools again

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, November 11th, 2010 - 61 comments

The latest Nat campaign to stifle those who speak out against them is in full swing.  A report that a “Third of rebel schools appear to soften stance on standards” goes on to note the bullying tactics being used against schools to achieve this “compliance”.  These tactics have already caused a senior Ministry official in the Auckland region to refuse to participate in the harassment of schools in protest.

Key backs the bully, loses a good minister

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 19th, 2010 - 24 comments

John Key allowed one of the ministers he appointed to be bullied out of her job and replaced by a man chosen by Rodney Hide, and he didn’t even ask Hide why. As more details emerge, it looks like Hide is the one in the wrong. Will Key now discipline Hide and invite Roy, who has been acclaimed as a good minister in a bad bunch, back on board? Not likely. The guy’s barely awake these days.

Authoritarian Key

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, June 22nd, 2010 - 28 comments

Once again the government is employing the power of the state against someone who has embarrassed them.

Perhaps when Key talks warmly about Singapore it’s the authoritarianism he likes.

Privacy Commissioner tells Bennett to pay up

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, May 27th, 2010 - 122 comments

For her own petty political purposes, Paula Bennett has put Natasha Fuller through hell. Now (finally) the Privacy Commissioner has asked Bennett to apologise to Fuller for the damage she caused and pay her $15,000. Predictably, this awful person has refused. Paula Bennett, you are a disgrace to your office and a disgrace to New Zealand.

Bully Brownlee forces SOE CEO to withdraw critical blog

Written By: - Date published: 11:26 am, January 12th, 2010 - 55 comments

Powershop is a subsidiary of Meridian Energy, an SOE. It is the most highly rated power retailer by its customers, with 92% satisfaction. On the Powershop website, there’s a blog. On this blog, the CEO of Powershop, Ari Sargent, wrote a post on the Government’s proposed electricity sector reforms. It’s insightful, adroit, politically neutral, and scathing […]

Lee’s fingers in the till covered up by Coleman

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 pm, October 12th, 2009 - 4 comments

A leak has revealed that Melissa Lee is under investigation for pilfering taxpayers’ money. Before the Mt Albert by-election she was cleared of a different rip-off, but it turns out that NZ on Air was still investigating her for keeping $100,000 of contingency funds that should have been returned to NZ on Air. Lee denies any […]

The story Bill English doesn’t want you to see

Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, September 22nd, 2009 - 43 comments

On Wednesday last week, Labour released new information on Bill English’s housing allowance rort. Naturally, the media raised the issues with English. TVOne and TV3 ran stories that night. They weren’t particularly harsh stories. They didn’t really editorialise. They didn’t even say English should give the money back or resign. Later that night, in a fury […]

Standing up for our rights

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 13th, 2009 - 37 comments

Remember the petition to state your opposition to Paula Bennett’s attack on our privacy rights. The idea is it will be tabled in Parliament next week. It’s a chance to take a symbolic stand against this bullying Key Government. You can download the pdf here or by clicking on the image and mail it freepost by […]

Of witch hunts and solo mums

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, August 8th, 2009 - 62 comments

Frank Macskasy The recent witch-hunt against solo-mums would have done the old Salem village-elders proud. The fires, though, could have been stoked just a bit harder and higher. But as a first attempt at demonising a minority in our community, it wasn’t a bad effort for Minister of Social Services, Paula Bennett. When Bennett ordered […]

Stand up for free speech, stand against Bully State

Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, August 7th, 2009 - 21 comments

As you know, when Natasha Fuller and Jennifer Johnston spoke up against the Key government’s cancelling of the Training Incentive Allowance, Paula Bennett tried to silence them by releasing their private information to the media. That was a flagrant breach of her fiduciary duties as minister and the Privacy Act, and a threat to free […]

Uncowed

Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, August 6th, 2009 - 9 comments

Shh. Hear that sound? It’s National’s mud throwing machine gearing up again. Inevitably, they’ve released Labour’s ministers’ spending. No evidence of any rort but the big numbers work into the media narrative. It’s all about taking the focus off ministers ripping us off by taking allowances they shouldn’t and making it ‘gosh, everyone spends lots huh?’. […]

Comfortable with bullying

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, July 30th, 2009 - 96 comments

John Key is “comfortable” with his Minister Paul Bennett releasing private information (in breach of the Cabinet Manual, Privacy Commission guidelines, and the Privacy Act). This was a move designed solely to harass and bully two individuals that Bennett wanted to silence. How could that Nice Mr Key be comfortable with such a gross abuse […]

Bully State

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, July 29th, 2009 - 42 comments

NZPA reports: An MP from government confidence and supply party ACT today told prison officers who spoke out against private prisons that they had hurt their future job prospects. David Garrett’s remark came hot on the heals of accusations yesterday that the Government attempted to intimidate and silence people. Those claims were sparked by Social […]

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