political parties

Labour speaks up.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 9:50 am, April 8th, 2018 - 5 comments

Partial transcript of a speech as reported in “The Independent”

Doofus of the week – April 7, 2018

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, April 8th, 2018 - 17 comments

Another easy decision. Gerry Brownlee wins for overseeing a $210 million blow out in EWC’s liability for Christchurch earthquake re-repair work and for being upset when Megan Woods called him on it.

Regrets, John Key’s had a few *

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, April 6th, 2018 - 43 comments

or more accurately one. A failed vanity flag referendum.

National’s strong economic management …

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 am, April 6th, 2018 - 47 comments

Between the crisis facing Middlemore Hospital’s buildings and the farce surrounding the cost of repairs of repairs of the Canterbury rebuild, National’s claim that it is a party of strong economic management looks at least misguided.

Northland politicians want to drop more trucks into Auckland

Written By: lprent - Date published: 6:24 am, April 5th, 2018 - 75 comments

Politik reports that some mayors from Northalnd are upset that they aren’t going to get a four lane boondoggle to feed more heavy trucks into traffic chaos that is the Auckland isthmus. They can stick their trucks up their body cavity of choice and learn to love rail. We don’t need more traffic in Auckland until we fix the disaster that National have left us.

Labour aims to make transport system more sustainable

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:03 pm, April 4th, 2018 - 89 comments

The Government has released a draft Government Policy Statement on Transport for consultation. A radical shake up of the Transport system is being proposed.

Hallelujah Parliament to pass law allowing for wiping of convictions for engaging in homosexual behaviour

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 am, April 3rd, 2018 - 13 comments

It is predicted that today Parliament will pass a law allowing for the expunging of convictions of adults for engaging in homosexual behaviour.

Evidence-based foreign policy

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 6:07 pm, April 2nd, 2018 - 99 comments

In the second stage of a false flag attack, facts go out the window and the sole issue becomes “are you for us or against us.” Our media and National Party politicians are well into this stage in the Skripal affair. But as questions mount and skeptics proliferate from all sides, Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters may well be wiser than media advisers by not following blindly the western herd. 26 countries is not the whole world. Update: Porton Down unable to establish Novichok of Russian origin.

The manufacturing of a narrative

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:27 pm, March 31st, 2018 - 606 comments

The past week has seen the Herald focus on issues concerning Clare Curran to the almost exclusion of anything else, including the perilous state of our Health system and Kim Dotcom’s successful appeal against the last Government’s breach of his rights of privacy.

Megan Woods’ speech to the Petroleum Conference

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:49 pm, March 29th, 2018 - 18 comments

The text of Energy Minister Megan Woods’ speech to the recent petroleum conference where she outlined the Government’s approach to the oil industry and the Government’s intention to achieve sustainable change.

Joyce may have been right about the Fiscal hole

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, March 28th, 2018 - 100 comments

Steven Joyce’s prediction of a $11.7 billion deficit in the Government’s finances may be true. But this is because the last Government has underfunded health and hidden problems.

Writehanded: A sea change – or just more weasel words?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:26 am, March 28th, 2018 - 69 comments

A few weeks ago Sarah Wilson at Writehanded looked at the promise in Labour’s welfare policy and whether we are going to be disappointed.

Finlayson found to have breached Dotcom’s rights

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:13 am, March 27th, 2018 - 59 comments

The Human Rights Tribunal has found that the last Government and Chris Finlayson breached Kim Dotcom’s rights in not providing him with information requested by him. And awarded him $90,000 for the breach.

Local Bodies: NZ Politics, a rocky road ahead.

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:25 am, March 27th, 2018 - 29 comments

Dave Kennedy at Local Bodies looks at the tough task ahead for Labour, and where retired MPs are landing.

Kiwibuild kicks off

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:59 am, March 26th, 2018 - 218 comments

The first big Kiwibuild announcement, 3 to 4,000 houses in Mt Albert has been made. And National has responded that it was all their idea and they did not want to announce it because it would be seen as pork barrelling.

Marama Davidson – Te Pire Haeata ki Parihaka – Parihaka Reconciliation Bill – First Reading

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:36 am, March 23rd, 2018 - 10 comments

“I will apologise to the people of Parihaka who are here, while I do recount some of the important history that they have heard and know and live and breathed, but that still today, too many in our country are not aware of and are not familiar with and so I seek to put it on record in the House as part of my contribution.”

Painting by George Clarendon Beale (1856–1939)

Coleman is quitting

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:16 pm, March 22nd, 2018 - 193 comments

Jonathan Coleman has announced his resignation from Parliament.

Naughty Nick’s Parliamentary Porkie

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 7:39 am, March 22nd, 2018 - 39 comments

Nick Smith has been caught out by Trevor Mallard telling a porkie in Parliament.

NRT on transitioning off fossil fuels

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:10 am, March 21st, 2018 - 68 comments

Two posts from No Right Turn.

“Fundamentally, climate change means it is us or the oil industry. We know whose side the Greens are on. But people are doubting Labour, and they only have themselves to blame for it.”

Also a post on banning fossil-fueled cars.

Ardern suggests that oil exploration may cease

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:39 am, March 20th, 2018 - 83 comments

The Government is reconsidering the future of New Zealand’s block offer process which releases exploration permits to the oil industry for exploratory drilling.

Green Party statements on giving their parliamentary Questions to the Opposition

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:03 am, March 19th, 2018 - 49 comments

“As Greens, we’ve always stood for modernising our democracy, making MPs more accountable and giving the public better access to the levers of power.”

Greens give National their primary questions for oral answer

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:48 am, March 19th, 2018 - 268 comments

The Greens have offered National their Primary Questions for oral answer in Parliament without conditions.

Du Plessis-Allan jumps the shark

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:59 am, March 18th, 2018 - 87 comments

Heather Du Plessis-Allan has suggested that there is a power struggle happening in the Labour Party. Without the benefit of things normally considered to be important elements of an argument, those things being facts.

Tell the Health Committee: Make our cannabis law fair for those in pain

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:05 am, March 18th, 2018 - 10 comments

“The Health Select Committee is about to consider the government’s changes to medicinal cannabis law. This is your chance to tell politicians they have not gone far enough.”

The Greens have a handy online submission form that you can send as is or add your own thoughts. Submissions close on Wednesday.