On needless Police pursuit deaths, and the new Catch 22 powers of the SIS
At his post Cabinet press conference yesterday, Prime Minister John Key confirmed that 18 people had died in police pursuits this year. Scoop asked him […]
General Politics
On Treasury’s ideological hostility to film tax breaks
Treasury’s religious objection to tax breaks and the left wing’s objection to paying subsidies to US multinationals like Warners have converged in their joint hostility […]
On the Pike River inquiry
Image: TV3 – Flames seen from above the Pike River mine The Royal Commission of inquiry into Pike River disaster has an open slate to […]
On the Welfare Working Group’s latest round of welfare bashing
Well, in its Options report this week, at least the Cabinet-appointed Welfare Working Group was clear about whose interests it is there to serve: ‘The […]
On the Mana by-election results
Chris Faafoi. Image: Budget 2005 – Scoop Photo Essay When you’re hot you’re hot, the Nashville musician Jerry Reed once explained, and when you’re not, […]
On the travel perks, and Ireland’s demise
On RNZ this morning, Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith took us back down memory lane to a bygone era when MPs lived in log […]
On John Key’s illusory gains on free trade
John Key’s tendency to govern by photo opportunity took a drastic new turn on the weekend. As Radio New Zealand reported this morning, the New […]
on John Key’s hopes for trade progress at APEC (and the war on P)
Later this week, Prime Minister John Key heads off to the APEC conference in Yokohama, where his hosts seem to be living through some very […]
On the Hillary Clinton visit
Click for big version Prime Minister John Key and Secretary Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Beehive Theatrette – More images, audio and video […]
On a White Paper that puts us back into the ANZUS club
The purpose of a Defence White Paper is to inform the public about how the government plans to arm and use the armed forces to […]
On the Government’s bogus victory over price increases
Out in the real world, it is hard to see why anyone would want to take credit for the current state of the economy. Economic […]
On aged care, and the Len Brown, Celia Wade-Brown triumphs
The Greens/Labour Party investigation of conditions in the aged care sector in New Zealand paints a hair-raising picture of this country’s quality of care for […]
Gordon Campbell: Key's backbone problem with China
On the evidence of the past week, New Zealand has a Prime Minister who seems chronically unable to stand up for himself – or this […]
On the Paul Henry saga
So far, the penalties levied on Paul Henry’s have gone no further than a two week suspension for his on air querying of whether Kiwis […]
Gordon Campbell on the trade unions vs Peter Jackson wrangle over 'The Hobbit'.
If the production of The Hobbit does finally move to eastern Europe, it would not be because of the actors’ wage bill or any fresh […]
On taking away the right to vote from prisoners, and John Key’s latest slur on MMP
Click for big version For the last few months a silly and spiteful private members Bill sponsored by National MP Paul Quinn has been working […]
On the draconian Christchurch Earthquake legislation
Come back Frank Bainimarama, all is forgiven. As of last night, New Zealand has surrendered the moral high ground from which to could denounce the […]
On John Key’s false rationale for being in Afghanistan, and Vincent Gallo’s sweet revenge
Late last week, a major bi-partisan American organization released its report on the policy options facing the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. This was […]
On the ‘quake aftermath, and Sean Plunket’s exit
The news that Police have reported a 53% leap in domestic violence incidents in the wake of the Christchurch earthquake stands in stark contrast to […]
On the South Canterbury Finance bailout
Like the war in Iraq, there doesn’t seem to have been an exit strategy for the Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme – and the extension of […]
On the mainstream media, and the expanding war in Yemen
Safe to say the mainstream media and the blogosphere do not hold particularly positive views of each other. Its like a family affair. In general, […]
On the government’s selective targeting of young drinkers
Frontispiece of Hobbes’ “Leviathan”. How times change. Only a couple of years ago, New Zealand was allegedly beset with Nanny Statism because the Clark government […]
The ACT horror show, and the Ground Zero mosque
Images, Audio & Report: Hide Ducks Questions on ACT Leadership Coup There’s one way for the ACT Party to solve its current financial problems – […]
On the Heather Roy coup, and the liquor vote
Image & Audio: Hide Ducks Questions on ACT Leadership Coup The entire Act caucus would fit comfortably into a small rowing boat. If Rodney Hide […]
On Labour’s money problems and looming by-elections
If Labour and its leadership didn’t have enough immediate problems, the party’s capacity to mount an effective election campaign next year is certain to come […]
On the government’s hostility towards women
Image: Pay equity campaigners want “no stone unturned” Once again, the Key government has shown it doesn’t give a stuff about issues that primarily affect […]
On welfare bashing, and driving up a dead end in Afghanistan
The government’s welfare working group has dutifully delivered the findings the government wants to hear. To Paula Rebstock and her colleagues, being on welfare is […]
On the appointing of Zaoui’s tormenter to investigate complaints against the Police
There’s no success like failure, as Bob Dylan once pointed out, and failure is no success at all. A reward for failure is the only […]
On our first combat death in Afghanistan
The first fatality in the New Zealand deployment in Afghanistan has occurred on the same day the Dutch ended their deployment in Uruzgan province, as […]
On the Gaza inquiry, and new twists in the Carter affair
It may seem ‘too late’ to announce the appointment of a UN inquiry panel into the Gaza flotilla raid. Whether it is also ‘too little’ […]