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Politics

Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation

Categories under Politics

Why was Judith Collins appointed as a KC?

Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, December 17th, 2023 - 35 comments

Judith Collins has been appointed a Kings Counsel even before she has had time to show her performance as Attorney General and even though previous highly respected lawyers such as David Lange, Geoffrey Palmer and Margaret Wilson were not appointed while serving as Attorneys General.

The week of going backward

Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, December 15th, 2023 - 30 comments

National has this week chosen to smash through under urgency legislation that will increase unemployment and interest rates, reduce workers wages and increase the country’s emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Political comeback – Getting the sequencing right

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 pm, December 14th, 2023 - 40 comments

A notably different approach to sequencing political comeback was on show at the VUW post-election seminar last week. Luxon put rebuilding the party first, Hipkins put it last. On policy Luxon was bottom-up and early, Hipkins was top-down and late.

Shame Jones

Written By: - Date published: 11:33 am, December 13th, 2023 - 24 comments

In one speech Shane Jones has talked about the “hysteria surrounding climate change”, promised to disregard targets agreed to under the Paris Agreement, ordered the halting of work at the Ministry for the Environment, promised the lifting the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration at pace, and said that Mining on Department of Conservation (DoC) and Stewardship land is also in the pipeline.

About the Te Papa protest

Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, December 12th, 2023 - 183 comments

Yesterday’s protest at Te Papa is but a teaser of what can be expected when Act’s Treaty Principles Bill is introduced.

National’s contradictory stance on Immigration

Written By: - Date published: 8:38 am, December 12th, 2023 - 38 comments

So Christopher Luxon thinks there is too much immigration.  It was not what he was saying last year.

How To Make Bad Law

Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, December 11th, 2023 - 15 comments

The cutting of Regulatory Impact Statements is a very serious weakening of holding lawmakers and decision makers  to account.

About that First Speech from Luxon as PM

Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, December 10th, 2023 - 58 comments

Chris Luxon failed miserably at his first character test as PM.

The Government is leaking like a leaky thing

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, December 9th, 2023 - 15 comments

Another day and another leak. And this time it calls into question the Government’s commitment to informed decision making.

Who leaked the Fair Pay Cabinet Paper?

Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, December 7th, 2023 - 33 comments

My initial impression was that the person who leaked the Fair Pay Cabinet Paper to the media was probably a disgruntled Public Servant but was it?

About that Speech from the Throne

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 pm, December 6th, 2023 - 45 comments

The new Government blows the dog-whistle like the pied piper.

The inspiring Pope Francis

Written By: - Date published: 5:36 pm, December 6th, 2023 - 18 comments

Pope Francis has been pope for a bit over 10 years. He’s made a difference.

What does National have against Te Reo?

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, December 6th, 2023 - 177 comments

It may have been coincidental but the day after there were mass protests against the new Government’s actions in undermining te Tiriti o Waitangi it was announced that National would seek to remove bonus payments for Public Servants learning Te Reo. Not only is this petty and vindictive, it may also be a breach of te Tiriti.

Tobacco bans in NZ and the UK.

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, December 6th, 2023 - 9 comments

The decision in 2021 to introduce the smoking ban was a courageous one. Smoking causes many deaths each year and places a strain on the country’s health system. Smoking is addictive and we should do all we can to discourage young people from taking up this habit. This being said, putting a total ban on tobacco sales of people born after 2009 is well-meaning, but would likely have unintended and profoundly negative consequences.

Willis’s budget analysis is either deeply cynical or evidence she does not know what she is talking about

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, December 5th, 2023 - 75 comments

Recent claims by Nicola Willis that the Governments Finances are full of fiscal cliffs is evidence either that National will cynically make baseless claims to attack Labour or that Nicola Willis has no idea about what she is talking about and has not been doing her most basic job of reading and comprehending previous budget documents.

Cutting fair pay agreements will disproportionately impact women, Māori and Pasifika and young people

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, December 4th, 2023 - 15 comments

The Cabinet Paper dealing with the Government’s proposal to do away with fair pay agreements has hit the media.  And the advice suggests that Cabinet is completely disinterested in the on the ground reality of what their shitty policy will do to ordinary Kiwis.

The long wait – dithering, inexperience and wreckers

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, December 4th, 2023 - 48 comments

After 59 days after election day, parliament will finally sit today with a new government. The process has mostly been notable for its incoherent dithering, inexperience, and general stupidity. It is a coalition based on chaos,lack of usable policy and based on wrecking rather than work. It took so long because of wishful thinking and laziness.

Chris Bishop can’t count

Written By: - Date published: 12:26 pm, December 3rd, 2023 - 48 comments

This morning on Q&A and despite being pulled up on it Chris Bishop repeated National’s claim that under the Smokefree reforms there would only be allowed one tobacco retail shop in Northland when there would actually be at least 34.

Labour needs to open the military-political front

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, December 3rd, 2023 - 28 comments

The new National coalition cares little about defence. Defence is surprisingly a large and under-appreciated strength for Labour.

Just One Term

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, December 2nd, 2023 - 74 comments

There is every reason to believe National will be chucked out in 2026.

Gangs rejoice as Pseudoephedrine is back

Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, December 2nd, 2023 - 18 comments

For a Government that hates gangs you would think that they would be more circumspect with policies that may enrich gangs and increase illicit drug use.  But this is exactly what the current Government is planning.

100 days of chaos

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, December 1st, 2023 - 18 comments

National’s 100 days of action is to address the rhetoric of economic difficulties but the announced policies will do nothing to help the pressure that ordinary people are feeling.

Why is the right so afraid of Tory Whanau?

Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, December 1st, 2023 - 119 comments

Tory Whanau is the latest high ranking female Politician to be the subject of a media onslaught based on rumour and innuendo.

How not to make friends and influence people

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, November 28th, 2023 - 130 comments

An increase in lung cancer rates and a decrease in the amount that working families receive so that tax credits for landlords can be put in place tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of this Government.  Your blood should be boiling by this stage and it is only two days in.

Nigel Haworth – Back to the Future?

Written By: - Date published: 10:08 am, November 27th, 2023 - 22 comments

“Labour should be as focused on production as it is on distribution. Labour’s job is not simply to distribute such resources as accrue to the state; it is to promote production and trade that underpin fairer distribution, but under particular conditions.”

The Left Do Not Own Maori

Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, November 26th, 2023 - 52 comments

Labour, the Greens and liberal parts of the media have not adjusted to the fact that liberal and Maori are different things.

Aotearoa the way you want it?

Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, November 26th, 2023 - 47 comments

The new Government’s policies give the impression they were formulated by members of a Workingman’s club in the 1970s and negotiated over a few beers.

Highlights quoted out of the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, November 25th, 2023 - 73 comments

Some of the more unusual policies from the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement.

The long wait still continues

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, November 25th, 2023 - 48 comments

On Friday, three parties finally signed agreements to gain a slim majority in parliament. What this means is that some time on Monday Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro will be able to swear in the new ministers of the Executive Council. On Monday Labour and the Greens will have their constitutional muzzle removed. On December 5th parliament will lumber back into work. Then the fun begins for this political blogger.

Strong stable Government?

Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, November 23rd, 2023 - 102 comments

Today may be the day we have a new Government, that is as long as Act and NZ First can resolve their fight over who is to be Deputy Prime Minister.

The baubles of office

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, November 22nd, 2023 - 93 comments

Now that the policy negotiations between Act National and NZ First have been concluded talks have progressed to the most sensitive and difficult area, who will get the baubles of office.