political parties

Muller goes, bring back Simon?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:15 am, July 14th, 2020 - 181 comments

In breaking news Todd Muller has resigned for “health reasons”, effective immediately.

Time to bring back Simon?

Updated with some breaking links.

SFO to Investigate Labour Donations

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 4:32 pm, July 13th, 2020 - 39 comments

The Serious Fraud Office has commenced an investigation in relation to donations made in 2017 to the Labour Party.

UPDATE: The investigation may involve donations made at a ‘silent’ art auction, something that Labour was upfront about back in February.

National’s ethics

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:05 am, July 13th, 2020 - 49 comments

There is a particularly resonant piece by Tim Watkin in Pundit. “National’s problem with privacy and privilege”. I’m only surprised that he seems to think that the National party is redeemable. They’re so into their internal myths that they fail to regard anyone or any threat as unless their voting base poll well on it. But that is National for you – they’ve consistent…. Stupid, unhelpful and short on ethics.

Of course it’s dirty politics

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:01 am, July 13th, 2020 - 39 comments

National’s latest attempted spin is to try and suggest that last week’s clusterfuck of rolling events did not involve in any way the slightest trace of dirty politics. How wrong they are.

Greens policy announcement: Our Clean Energy Plan

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:37 pm, July 12th, 2020 - 26 comments

Our Clean Energy Plan is the first part of our transformational proposal to end the use of fossil fuels in Aotearoa. It will help to ensure our grandchildren inherit a world where they can not only survive, but thrive.

The Christian Right and the 2020 election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:29 am, July 12th, 2020 - 90 comments

A variety of Christian parties have attempted to gain a place in Parliament. What are the chances in 2020 of a conservative Christian Party succeeding in gaining seats?

Jian Yang announces retirement so he can spend more time with his family

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:06 am, July 10th, 2020 - 54 comments

Jian Yang, he with impeccable Chinese Communist Party links and of formidable fundraising ability, has announced that he is is retiring from politics.

Did any National MP not receive confidential information from Michelle Boag?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:07 am, July 10th, 2020 - 128 comments

Michael Woodhouse has admitted that he received confidential information from Michelle Boag a couple of weeks before he said that it was “unconscionable and unacceptable” that the leaks were happening.

Everybody gets a road

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:57 am, July 10th, 2020 - 13 comments

National has made two major roading project announcements in the past week. Both announcements recycled announcements that were also made before the last election.

Some Random impertinent questions about Michelle Boag’s access to confidential medical information

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:24 am, July 9th, 2020 - 81 comments

Westpac Helicopter Trust’s claim that it had not breached privacy rights of Covid sufferers raises some serious questions about why Michelle Boag was provided with sensitive information. And who she has provided it to.

Walkergate: MP Quits

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 1:49 pm, July 8th, 2020 - 65 comments

Privacy breaching MP Hamish Walker has announced he will step down at the next election. But who else should go?

Update: Muller tries to divert attention by announcing that National still want a 4 lane highway from Chch to Ashburton. Problem solved!

Trashing the country’s Covid response for political advantage

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:39 am, July 8th, 2020 - 126 comments

As details emerge about Hamish Walker’s leaking of confidential information of Covid sufferers for political advantage, questions are being asked about Todd Muller’s leadership and if National is actually committed to assisting the country’s response to Covid 19.

Clusterfuck

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:31 pm, July 7th, 2020 - 210 comments

Hamish Walker and Michelle Boag have admitted leaking private information about covid sufferers for political gain.

Does National actually have any policy?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, July 6th, 2020 - 66 comments

National has recently been upping the campaign rhetoric but there is a disturbing lack of policy detail.

Jacinda’s address to the Labour Congress

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:57 pm, July 5th, 2020 - 40 comments

The text of Jacinda’s address delivered to the Labour Congress this afternoon.

National’s “intelligence unit” kicks into gear

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:01 am, July 5th, 2020 - 120 comments

A month ago a leak from National’s caucus said that they had set up an intelligence unit designed to dig up dirt on opponents. Yesterday Newshub ran a story based on a candidate’s seven year old tweets. It looks like the intelligence unit has been busy.

National wants to open up our borders, unless you are Indian, Pakistani or Korean

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:08 am, July 3rd, 2020 - 55 comments

National Backbench MP Hamish Walker has claimed that Queenstown is to be invaded by people from India, Pakistan and Korea when the reality is the Government is considering using empty Hotels for quarantining returning kiwis.

Green Party and No Right Turn on the RMA fast-track bill

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:05 am, July 3rd, 2020 - 8 comments

No Right turn on the undemocratic and Muldoonist nature of the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020, and the Greens on why they opposed it and what they managed to get changed.

Minister Clark resigns

Written By: advantage - Date published: 11:45 am, July 2nd, 2020 - 32 comments

David Clark has announced his resignation as Health Minister.

David Clark Resigns

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 11:28 am, July 2nd, 2020 - 146 comments

Health Minister David Clark has resigned.

Muller is floundering

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:39 pm, June 30th, 2020 - 47 comments

Todd Muller had a bad day yesterday with adverse confidential National polling leaked to the media and with Grant Robertson and Winston Peters showing in the house that Muller’s denial that he had proposed opening up the border with China was simply not correct.

National’s Internal Polling Leaked

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 7:21 pm, June 30th, 2020 - 45 comments

The good ship Muller has sprung a leak. NewsHub are reporting that the National caucus has been told today that they are polling worse than under Simon Bridges.

The many and varied Covid reckons of Mike Hosking

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:56 am, June 30th, 2020 - 49 comments

A review of recent opinion pieces by Mike Hosking shows that he has adopted a series of contradictory positions with the one common feature that they are critical of the Government’s actions.

Bye bye Paula

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:36 am, June 29th, 2020 - 79 comments

Paula Bennett has announced that she is standing down from politics and will not seek re-election on National’s list at this year’s election.

Paora Goldsmith in fake news scandal

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:41 am, June 29th, 2020 - 33 comments

Paora Goldsmith has shown either that he is lacking in basic numeracy and literacy skills or that he is prepared to tell porkies for political advantage.

Green Party rocks their new Guaranteed Minimum Income policy

Written By: weka - Date published: 7:05 am, June 29th, 2020 - 263 comments

The Greens’ audacious new social security policy, the Poverty Action Plan, places manaakitangi and compassion at the centre. It includes guaranteed income across the board for those in need, reorientating ACC to include illness and prioritise care, support for children and single and double parented families, and it pays for it all by taxing some of the assets and income of the wealthy.