Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, June 23rd, 2023 - 22 comments
Fresh from his success at selling off part of Auckland Council’s Airport shares Wayne Brown has proposed another privatisation, that of Ports of Auckland Operations by way of the granting of an operating lease for the Port’s activities.
Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, June 21st, 2023 - 55 comments
Fresh from news that Christopher Luxon ordered a State supplied Tesla when his household already owns one comes news that the household Tesla was upgraded, and that the clean car discount was obtained.
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 am, June 21st, 2023 - 146 comments
Another week and another example of National using dog whistle racism to stir up hatred and try and gain political advantage. This time it is to attack the notion that our health system should be seeking to look after those most in need.
Written By: - Date published: 6:16 am, June 21st, 2023 - 20 comments
“Meanwhile, oil companies are enjoying record profits”
Written By: - Date published: 3:03 pm, June 20th, 2023 - 21 comments
The latest from the fledgling Democracy NZ is a classic schism by people who don’t want to actually achieve anything useful. It has lost about a third of its senior candidates. Classic for those who prioritise their own personal freedom over cooperation and community in their pursuit of power.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, June 18th, 2023 - 34 comments
New Zealand is not an intellectual or innovation powerhouse but the rapid decline of our entire tertiary education is a tragedy.
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, June 16th, 2023 - 48 comments
Ad reports on Christopher Luxon’s meeting in Wanaka.
Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, June 14th, 2023 - 96 comments
Over recent periods National has run a very tightly focused campaign against state support for Tesla owners. But news that Christopher Luxon actively sought a Government supplied Tesla when he already owns one suggests that he thinks that the rules should be different for him.
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, June 13th, 2023 - 172 comments
Christopher Luxon has gone onto the charm offensive by describing New Zealand as a negative, wet, whiny, inward looking country that has lost the plot.
Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, June 12th, 2023 - 13 comments
According to National holding a modest shareholding can open a Minister to allegations of conflict of interest but owning seven investment properties and proposing beneficial tax treatment of landlords does not.
Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, June 12th, 2023 - 29 comments
Last night I watched Christopher Luxon in a interview with Jack Tame on Q&A from youtube. My takeaway from it was that I don’t want this fool anywhere near actual policy. He exhibited a blissful ignorance about downstream effects of genetic engineering, climate change, and productivity in our economy. Even where I agreed with him like on GE – I didn’t want this idiot implementing policy on it.
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, June 12th, 2023 - 160 comments
Poverty is a political choice, and the Green Party is choosing to end it. – James Shaw
Written By: - Date published: 6:31 pm, June 11th, 2023 - 65 comments
The Green Party has today announced an income guarantee and a wealth tax.
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, June 11th, 2023 - 19 comments
National continues to appease Federated Farmers and has just announced a policy of easing up of restrictions and safeguards on Genetic Engineering.
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 pm, June 6th, 2023 - 227 comments
Michael Wood has been attacked today for some slightly sloppy handling of personal paperwork and not getting rid of shares as quickly as he wanted to.
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 pm, June 5th, 2023 - 34 comments
Gerald Hensley was David Lange’s chief of staff when New Zealand’s nuclear free policy was adopted. He opposed what happened then and opposes it still. He now argues we should prepare for war with China.
Written By: - Date published: 3:29 pm, June 4th, 2023 - 96 comments
A fine example of when a free speech advocate is spouting garbage that serves nothing and nobody well except his own biased views.
Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, May 31st, 2023 - 36 comments
National is blowing hard on the racist dog whistle by claiming that replacing signs with a Te Reo English version will affect the number of potholes that can be repaired.
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, May 30th, 2023 - 26 comments
The focus groups have spoken. National has performed a complete reversal on the bipartisan changes to the Resource Management Act amendments designed to improve housing supply and introduced only 18 months ago.
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, May 29th, 2023 - 68 comments
National’s promise to increase the age of retirement and likely cuts to Cullen fund contributions and state Kiwisaver payments have been seized on by Labour as evidence that National does not care about ordinary people.
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 pm, May 27th, 2023 - 49 comments
Carmel Sepuloni’s speech to the 2023 Labour Party Congress.
Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, May 26th, 2023 - 68 comments
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; send him off to fish and you get a matrilineal society.
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, May 24th, 2023 - 30 comments
Christopher Luxon had no idea that National has recently used artificially generated images in what appears to be a crude attempt to avoid historical issues National has had with respecting the intellectual property rights of artists.
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, May 24th, 2023 - 155 comments
“I am deeply concerned at the escalation of intimidation and threats against women and girls for expressing their opinions and beliefs regarding their needs and rights based on their sex and/or sexual orientation”
– Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, May 23rd, 2023 - 22 comments
National has hatched on its attack line which we will hear about a lot over the next few months. But it may have a problem. Because the phrase “coalition of chaos” clearly applies to its leadership team.
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, May 22nd, 2023 - 102 comments
The Government has done a deal with the owners of New Zealand Steel that will see the company replace its coal fired furnace with a renewable energy supplied electric arc furnace and will significantly reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, May 21st, 2023 - 41 comments
When we continue to spend our money on stupid stuff, we get a dumb country.
Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, May 20th, 2023 - 11 comments
The Green Party has announced its list for the 2023 election.
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, May 19th, 2023 - 28 comments
Almost all of the extra heat that humans have captured by adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere over the last few centuries has wound up warming the deep oceans. We’re now starting to feel the effects of that excess heat.
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, May 19th, 2023 - 77 comments
National has promised to reverse the removal of prescription charges even though it has a strong policy support and is an example of the state taking less of individuals’ private wealth.
Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, May 18th, 2023 - 15 comments
“All of these things were impossible, until they weren’t” – Chloe Swarbrick
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