On asset sales and the Mallard ticket saga
Click for big version. Way back at the start of this week, the government was in deep trouble on at least three fronts. First, came […]
General Politics
On the Crafar Ruling, and the New Asset Sales Shortfall
Clearly, even when you’ve got a rubber stamp, the rubber can still fall off the stamp. That’s what happened yesterday to the Overseas Investment Office. […]
On the Law Commission plan to scrap jury trials
Chances are, scrapping the system of trial by jury is not the top priority for most New Zealanders. Not many of us woke up this […]
On bank profits, and Gerry Brownlee’s asset sales plans for Christchurch
Click for big version. The news that the banks in New Zealand have returned to their pre-global recession levels of profit comes as no real […]
On today’s protest march in Christchurch
Reading meaning into the utterances of Christchurch mayor Bob Parker is always a risky business, but Parker’s comment to the Press the other day that […]
On taking the fall for Anne Tolley
Anyone looking for a textbook case of the apparent politicisation of the public service need look no further than the case of former Northland kura […]
On Cunliffe’s likely role, and France as the next Eurozone crisis country
Later this afternoon, we’ll find out just how the new Labour leader David Shearer has managed the difficult task of rewarding his faction while bringing […]
On Peter Dunne’s casting vote on asset sales
As the late Roger Kerr pointed out in 2005, Peter Dunne went into the election that year advocating the 40% selldown of the government’s stake […]
On the Labour leadership change
So it is to be David Shearer as leader, and Grant Robertson as deputy. With David Cunliffe, there were always two concerns. One, whether the […]
On the coalition agreements
Now that the three deals done to maintain the National-led coalition are all on the table, its pretty clear how shabby these arrangements really are. […]
On income inequality
The OECD report this week that has found New Zealand to have one of the fastest growing income gaps in the entire OECD will come […]
On charter schools
Since its inception. Act has been the party of American Crackpot Theories, so we should probably be thankful that the coalition agreement between Act Party […]
On the Labour Party leadership race
Newness is in the air, in every sight and every sound. Both candidates seeking to become Labour’s next leader have been citing the need for […]
On the upcoming Cabinet re-shuffle
Prime Minister John Key has indicated that a Cabinet re-shuffle is on the cards. In all likelihood that re-shuffle won’t be moving Bill English, Tim […]
On David Shearer, and the Maori Party
Of the three Davids contesting the Labour leadership, David Shearer’s main appeal is as the anti-candidate, the guy who aspires to the top job after […]
On the challenges facing Labour’s new leader
While some are urging Labour to take its own good time over deciding on a new leadership team, there is little reason to think that […]
On the election outcomes
Well, at least the election has pinpointed the site of Labour’s Last Stand – on Saturday night, south Auckland was almost the only place in […]
On Information Shearing
“If God did not want them to be sheared, He would not have made them sheep” — Calvera, the bandit leader, explains the nature of […]
On why even financial analysts are jumping ship on the asset sales plan
Barring a miracle, John Key will be getting the green light in 48 hours time to sell off a 49% stake in several of our […]
On child poverty
Last night, if you missed Bryan Bruce’s brilliant TV3 documentary on child poverty in New Zealand –or would like your relatives and friends to see […]
On last night’s TV3 debate
Phil Goff’s won last night’s TV3 leaders’ debate handily, such that it seemed as if John Key has already decided that Goff is no longer […]
On the Greens’ end game this week
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com Into the home stretch, and National is moving the campaign focus from one diversion (the Epsom tape) to the […]
On whether politicians should have the same rights to privacy
Eight days before an election. The Police are poised to search major newsrooms to try and validate the government’s determination to conceal (at least until […]
On Epsom, and dodgy aspects of the asset sales programme
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com So last night, even Peter Dunne – always a reliable weathervane on which way the political wind is blowing […]
On the cuppa tea tape and billboard circuses
First the secret cuppa tea tape, then the billboard defacement plot. Just when the election campaign looked like the mainstream media might have to focus […]
On the Banks/Key taping saga
Bringing in the heavy legal artillery to suppress the contents of the Banks/Key conversation – the Police and/or a court injunction if necessary – may […]
On the Nats’ secret agenda for MMP, and a political star in the making
One of the odder subtexts of the campaign is the serial ‘spontaneity’ with which National Party candidates are endorsing the SM (Supplementary Member) system in […]
On credibility, and the government’s irrigation plans
Like the Biblical loaves and fishes, the government’s Future Investment Fund from asset sales just keeps on giving – $1 billion for schools and hospitals […]
On the only foreign policy issue in this campaign
Ten years ago come Saturday, the Taliban fled Kabul as the US–led forces of Operation Enduring Freedom reached the gates of the Afghan capital. Things […]
On some possible options for the Greens
Is it written in the Green Party’s DNA that they will eventually become the nation’s sole centrist party? Events seem to be conspiring to push […]