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Posts Tagged ‘Tony Ryall’

More blood on its hands as National Ltd™cuts mental health funding in Christchurch

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, February 16th, 2016 - 101 comments

‘ In between slurping simpers during his most recent session of MediaWorks virtual fellatio, John ‘The Liar’ Key managed to express concern for the emotional well being of Cantabrians after yet another earthquake rattled their region. Whether John Key is actually concerned is moot,  but he is certainly in a position to know there is real […]

LocalBodies: National Slumps in Polls As Ministers Struggle

Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, March 24th, 2014 - 22 comments

There is danger of reading too much into polls months out from an election. Commentators were claiming that National was too strong to lose the next election based on a rogue poll. Few looked at multiple polls, accounted for the margin of error nor the trends over past months. The last fortnight has seen a National with the latest Roy Morgan Poll plummeting from the Colmar Brunton result of 51% to 45.5%. And it is based on a lack of ministerial performance…

Tony Ryall standing down

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, February 27th, 2014 - 64 comments

Tony Ryall has announced that he will not seek re election at this year’s general election. He brings to ten the number of sitting National MPs who will not be contesting the election this year.

This reeks of kickbacks

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, March 6th, 2013 - 41 comments

It appears that someone in the government is leaking private information from the asset stripping of SOE value. Serious questions are being asked about how a sharebroking firm managed to obtain the details of a woman who’d just registered her interest in buying Mighty River Power shares. Is there a kickback system in operation? Perhaps to help fund the exorbitant upfront costs of sale?

Nats lied – power prices to rise

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 15th, 2012 - 36 comments

Minister after Minister denied it, but it turns out that common sense is right. Private power companies charge more. Privatisation surely means that prices will rise. Is it even news when this government lies these days?

1600 dead, power prices 2/3 higher than Oz/US: Market working – Ryall

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, June 19th, 2012 - 81 comments

Independent energy analyst Molly Melhuish is putting out some facts that Tony Ryall will not find comfortable: we pay on average 28.1c per kWh from private companies and 24.79c per kWh from state owned companies. Why is the asset sales process being rushed through parliament, before Treasury can analyse Molly Melhuish’s research?

And so it begins

Written By: - Date published: 10:47 pm, December 15th, 2011 - 218 comments

Mighty River Power is first on the block, to be sold in the third quarter of next year (weather conditions permitting).

Please advise

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, April 7th, 2011 - 21 comments

Government ministers seem blind to the most obvious of issues because they have “received no advice”.    Remember back in the dark ages when Ministers had some initiative?  Remember when we elected leaders to lead?

Useless ministers wasting our money

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, February 3rd, 2011 - 5 comments

Crushless Collins’ double-bunking money saver costing $2.6m.

Shock! Paying someone else to build and operate our schools won’t save money.

Nat-appointed public service chiefs paid to air-commute. Pay cuts for frontline.

Key smiles at launch of new science ministry, waves in $3m of science funding cuts.

National’s Privatisation Agenda Continues

Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, November 4th, 2010 - 25 comments

National are continuing their privatisation by stealth.  Hospitals services and a new prison are the current targets.  Tony Ryall, Judith Collins and Bill English are the ministers currently pushing their ideology in their respective areas.

I’ve had enough and I want my share

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, October 24th, 2010 - 10 comments

The Secretary for Education Karen Sewell has just had a minimum pay rise of $30,000p.a. Ironically the same 4% that teachers are after. Here is some maths for Mrs Sewell. Her 4% is 30,000 dollars. 4% of a teachers salary of around $65k is $2,600 dollars.

Ryall: Our Only Plan Is Cuts

Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 12 comments

Treasury in their first year under National tripled their expenditure on contractors whilst forcing all other departments into cuts.  Bill English decided against having any public accountability, and left Tony Ryall talking rubbish trying to explain it.

Slippery old Ryall

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 pm, August 12th, 2010 - 26 comments

Tony Ryall’s been running significant health-cuts under the radar for a while now.

But with the heat going on down south he’s breaking out the “spot check” story to show he’s in touch.

He’s a slippery old bugger…

Govt to slash jobs in health and education

Written By: - Date published: 7:35 pm, June 26th, 2010 - 31 comments

Before the last election John Key promised the public service would be capped, because that’s what Kiwis wanted. That promise is now lying in tatters as jobs in education and health are to be slashed. With mining, privatisation, and now this, Mr Key shouldn’t act surprised if he suffers from the Rudd effect. This government is getting more and more out of touch.

Money for tax cuts for rich, none for doctors’ pay

Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, June 21st, 2010 - 9 comments

Tony Ryall, like Anne Tolley, is facing a big fight over wages. The health budget is chock-full of cuts as it is and Ryall says there simply isn’t any money to give doctors pay rises as they and other workers face nearly 6% inflation next year. The government can find billions for tax cuts for the rich but not to pay doctors and teachers. Priorities.

Wee gripes: Cop attacks, whaling, dr shortage

Written By: - Date published: 1:15 pm, February 22nd, 2010 - 26 comments

No chance some gang f#ckwits would be deterred by longer sentences.
What happened to that plan of Key’s to end whaling?
How do we get a high wage economy when National opposes each and every wage rise?

Hoist with his own petard

Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, August 26th, 2009 - 10 comments

Last week, Tony Ryall used his time in the big chair for, surprise, surprise, a little preening. He decided to take credit for the 12,000 more elective surgeries conducted fiscal year, a year in which Labour set the budget and Ryall was only minister for the second half (of which he took one month off) Well, […]

When preening goes wrong

Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, August 21st, 2009 - 14 comments

Tony Ryall had his chance in the big chair yesterday, sitting in for the Prime Minister in Question Time. A chance for self-promotion, naturally. So the first question was from Jackie Blue to Ryall on elective surgery numbers: Dr Jackie Blue: What reports has the Minister seen of the results for the 2008-09 year just […]

Protest for pay equity

Written By: - Date published: 1:21 pm, June 22nd, 2009 - 47 comments

Earlier this year the National/ACT government announced it would be closing the Department of Labour’s Pay and Employment Equity Unit, which was set up by the previous government to address the 12% pay gap experienced by women workers. The excuse given by State Services Minister Tony Ryall was that ending discrimination and paying women what […]

Reminder: Pay Equity Faxathon

Written By: - Date published: 1:52 pm, March 6th, 2009 - 10 comments

Quick reminder – today’s Pay Equity Faxathon Day, your chance to have a go at State Services Minister Tony Ryall for his decision to cancel two enquiries into pay equity for women. According to Ryall, getting rid of gender discrmination would “generate an additional form of remuneration pressure that is unaffordable in the current economic […]

The praiseworthy and the pitiful

Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, February 20th, 2009 - 23 comments

The praiseworthy and the pitiful is our weekly post on the little things that caught our eye but didn’t lead to a full post. This week: Tracy Watkins’ new blog A best of the political journos’ blogs I reckon. Watkins has been responding to comments, showing a bit of a sassy side, and her pieces […]

Ryall sacks DHB Chair

Written By: - Date published: 5:47 pm, February 17th, 2009 - 31 comments

Health Minister Tony Ryall’s decision to sack Richard Thompson as Chairman of the Otago District Health Board on the grounds of historical fraud by a staff member has a nasty whiff of political interference to it. Considering the fraud began before Thompson became Chairman and it was caught and stopped under his watch the case […]

John Key keeps disappearing into satire

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, January 29th, 2009 - 3 comments

Danyl at The Dim-Post has been indulging in his favored pastime again – satire. In this case Cabinet expresses concern over missing PM is about John Key going missing all of the time. Danyl compares him to a pooch avoiding something… Finance Minister Bill English has accepted responsibility for his leader’s absence. ‘I usually let […]

‘Cos I say so

Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, November 26th, 2008 - 22 comments

Following Tony “cos I say so” Ryall’s media success with his plan to cut down waiting lists using the King Canute model of governance, the word around the traps is that several of National’s front bench are planning similar moves. Over the next few days expect the following: Simon Power will announce plans to tell […]

Ryall: disgraceful

Written By: - Date published: 1:28 pm, May 30th, 2008 - 34 comments

National’s Tony Ryall has made a disgrace of himself, yet again. This time, by labelling a Government initiative to hasten improvements in the detection of colon cancer (which kills 1200 people a year) ‘a political stunt’. Here is Health Minister David Cunliffe and Ryall on National Radio: CUNLIFFE: I’m not doing this because of votes, […]

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