Hard News: Spring Timing
270 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 11 Newer→ Last
-
Richard Aston, in reply to
That would have made him one of those foreign students then, squeezing out the locals?
Zinger!
-
I guess everyone already saw Cunliffe has a plan about coalition wrangling. I guess he's keeping his options open when mentioning Winston, doh, NZ First. It's not likely they'll be able to help Labour govern on their lonesome, unless they double their support by September, but there is a very good chance that Winston would be an option for making up the numbers if they're just short.
But Winston will not be able to exclude the Greens, unless he does deliver the entire coalition himself. The opposite is far more likely. I'd see managing the Winston wild card as being a game more in the Green court than the Labour one. They are, at least, both parties strongly opposed to asset sales. But there's little else in common that I can see. On the flipside, I see even less in common between NZF and National. But they could certainly throw him any bone they cared to outside of that sticking point, and they wouldn't have to OK that bone with the Greens.
So if I were the Greens, I'd be talking with Winston quite a lot. They'll never see eye to eye on a number of social issues, but their economics could be the common ground. If it is, they could, between them, force real change on Labour.
-
Tinakori, in reply to
I think the problem is that Cunliffe said that his was from the B School not the far less competitive, prestigious and rigorous pub admin school of which I believe Shane Jones is also a graduate. I don't care but I think Cunliffe does and was trying to move up the prestige gradient and generate some unearned social income, a bit like Winston Peters when he introduced one of his candidates as a graduate of West Point when, in fact, he was once an athletics coach there.
-
Idiot Savant, in reply to
I'm kind of amazed at how vague her ministerial declarations were allowed to be.
They wouldn't have been. I've linked to Cabinet office's summary of those declarations, which sanitises all relevant details, so we don't even know which companies to look out for.
But its all on DocumentCloud now, so we can annotate them in if we can find sources.
-
Idiot Savant, in reply to
No Right Turn says she declared no interests as an MP and it's unclear whether her declarations as a minister were sufficient.
I should add: Adams' press secretary has provided some answers, and it appears she has behaved ethically in regards to Central Plains Water. As for the wider issue of the Canterbury dictatorship, I'd still like to see some answers on that.
-
BenWilson, in reply to
Probably. It's what people do, when presenting a CV. You're not required in a CV to point out the negatives. You don't write "Graduated from Harvard, but only from the lowly public policy faculty". You just write "Graduated Harvard, Majoring in X".
-
Seems Judith Collins might not have been entirely straight with that nice Mr Key...
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9818950/Judith-Collins-comes-clean-about-dinner
Prime Minister John Key has signalled Justice Minister Judith Collins is on her final warning after she withheld details of a dinner in China with a company linked to her husband.
The dinner was with senior members of Oravida, a company that deals with New Zealand dairy products, and a senior Chinese government official. Collins' husband David Wong Tung is a director of the company.
-
Please refer to the research by Jack Vowles mentioned earlier about voters not bothering if they think the election is a foregone conclusion. And keep your pessimism to yourselves.
Myles: Please don’t do that. It never ends well.
I’m kind of amazed at how vague her ministerial declarations were allowed to be.
Well, what amazes me is everyone clutching their pearls in shock and horror when piss-weak rules operate precisely as they were carefully designed to.
And for all the theatrical outrage we’ve been seeing from all sides over the last couple of weeks, has anyone made a hard pledge to tighten up the transparency rules and give them real teeth? Didn’t think so…
-
Paul Williams, in reply to
From memory, Australians put as much thought into electing the individual state governments as we do into electing city councilors. So they get the Australian version of Dick Quax holding very high office, and it’s small wonder that highly dysfunctional coalitions form.
Ben, your memory is faulty on this. The powers of the Territories, which Tasmania is not, are somewhat limited by being subject to Commonwealth enabling laws however it's wrong to compare States with local governments. For example, the vast majority of funding and regulation of schools is a matter for States.
-
NBH, in reply to
I think the problem is that Cunliffe said that his was from the B School not the far less competitive, prestigious and rigorous pub admin school
Um, the Kennedy School of Government is exceptionally prestigious. I'm personally not a fan because I prefer the European policy tradition over the US approach, but it's one of the highest-ranked public administration schools in the world (around 3rd or so).
-
Greg Dawson, in reply to
the Kennedy School of Government is exceptionally prestigious.
I think we're meant to be accepting that a Business school is by default better than a school of Public Administration, because free market.
-
andin, in reply to
Oh you were talking about me.
I thought I was being funny or droll or something
Pessimistic Moi! Nevah -
Hebe, in reply to
What was Amy Adams' role in the governmental and Cabinet decisions re CPWL? Did she stand aside? That's the test.
-
Keir Leslie, in reply to
I don’t think that when you’ve graduated from Harvard and have worked for BCG and have thrown it in to become the MP for New Lynn you’re that worried about climbing up the prestige ladder. If anything I’d be trying to downplay my “technocratic master of the universe’ background.
[Edited to add: I mean, should Cunliffe have just said "oh, a college in Boston"?]
-
Rich of Observationz, in reply to
So basically, she was and is part of a government that, as its decided policy, sacked a council, disenfranchised (forever?) half a million Canterbury voters and thus enabled a few thousand farmers (including her family) to make a lot of money.
But because she left the room for the key decisions, she's Teflon.
Making a tiny minority rich at the expense of the rest of us, it's what it says on the tin, and people seem to like it for some reason.
-
BenWilson, in reply to
it’s wrong to compare States with local governments
I'm comparing my subjective evaluation of people's level of interest in them. Admittedly I was hanging with a younger crowd then, nobody had kids so the regulation of the school system was not a big concern to us.
-
Question: Have there been any (recent) polls on attitudes to the TPPA? For me it's the biggest political issue going at the moment, but no party seems willing to make it a campaign plank. (The Greens told me some time back that it's there in their policy but they limit campaign focus to three policy areas).
IMO Maori MPs of every political colour should be vocal opponents given the huge sovereignty issues it raises, but I've heard very little.
Labour seems divided and unwilling to get off the fence, although their union base is clearly anti. - do they have info that opposing might cost them votes? -
Craig Ranapia, in reply to
So basically, she was and is part of a government that, as its decided policy, sacked a council, disenfranchised (forever?) half a million Canterbury voters and thus enabled a few thousand farmers (including her family) to make a lot of money.
But because she left the room for the key decisions, she’s Teflon.
No, Rich - voters get to pass judgement on her (and every other MP) at the ballot box on whatever grounds they choose. What you seem to find objectionable is allegations she corruptly abused her position as a Minister of the Crown for her own profit, by failing to properly disclose and manage a potential conflict of interest as laid down in the Cabinet Manual haven't panned out.
Want to argue those rules are weak, poorly enforced and don't have real penalties attached? No argument here. But I don't think you get to throw Amy Adams under a metaphorical bus just because you don't like her or the government she's a part of.
-
TracyMac, in reply to
Which all summarises nicely why Australian politics are not the same as NZ politics, and the issues with coalition-forming between the Greens and Labo(u)r parties in each country are quite different.
I could conceivably see myself voting for NZ Labour - Australian Labor's arse-kissing of heavily-polluting industries such as mining and coal and complete lack of interest in developing sustainable industries puts them beyond the pale for me.
-
Phil Wallington, in reply to
jMate, I was Head of ABC News and Current Affairs in Tasmania for 10 years. Although born in Sydney I have worked in all states of Australia as a journalist. I have reported state politics extensively during the Franklin Dam crisis in Tasmania iand .covered the final years of Joh Bjelke Petersen in Queensland. Believe me -- state politics are of vital interest and import to Australians and often overshadow the battles in Canberra. My original comments regarding the inability of Labor and Greens to sustain a lasting coalition is a matter of record... and BTW Tasmania is much like NZ relying on primary exports and tourism.... it has snow capped mountains, beautiful scenery and no air force
-
Sacha, in reply to
fighting mongrel
Stuff-all use when they bite your friends, not your enemies. Totally agree with Gordon Campbell on this:
One would love to have been a fly on the wall as Cunliffe’s new chief of staff Matt McCarten discussed this matter with Jones.
-
Sacha, in reply to
Adams' press secretary has provided some answers, and it appears she has behaved ethically in regards to Central Plains Water.
Seems like she has actually paid some attention to the conflict, yes.
As for the wider issue of the Canterbury dictatorship, I'd still like to see some answers on that.
A few comments later in that Standard thread, someone points out this January 2014 Chch Press story:
Canterbury's elected leaders recently met Environment Minister Amy Adams to discuss the Crown's ECan review this year
Doesn't really sound like staying out of it.
-
Hebe, in reply to
One would love to have been a fly on the wall as Cunliffe’s new chief of staff Matt McCarten discussed this matter with Jones.
Four letters: STFU
-
BenWilson, in reply to
Mate, I was Head of ABC News and Current Affairs in Tasmania for 10 years. Although born in Sydney I have worked in all states of Australia as a journalist. I have reported state politics extensively during the Franklin Dam crisis in Tasmania iand .covered the final years of Joh Bjelke Petersen in Queensland.
Mate, you could have summed that up with "I'm a wonk". Most people aren't wonks.
Tasmania is much like NZ relying on primary exports and tourism…. it has snow capped mountains, beautiful scenery and no air force
...or natives to deal with. I'm happy to leave this with "maybe things are different in Tasmania", since I've never been to Tasmania. My point wasn't really that state politics is irrelevant, just that comparing it with the way a sovereign government works is pretty suspect.
-
Sacha, in reply to
more blunt. :)
Post your response…
This topic is closed.