Politics
Everything about politics
News Briefing: 5 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards BUDGET, ECONOMY, RESERVE BANK Matthew Hooton (Herald): Labour’s credibility demands big new tax promises (paywalled) Vernon Small (Post): Is all this belt-tightening really the best option right now? (paywalled) Liam Dann (Herald): Are Kiwis about to be hit with an ‘austerity Budget’? (paywalled)
New Choppers, Fewer Numbers, and a Sinking Feeling: NZ’s Defence Spending Conundrum
This helicopter deal is a step but it’s a wobbly one. Five to replace eight feels like a downgrade dressed up as an upgrade. The lack of drone investment is a missed opportunity. And the price tag, driven by ‘interoperability’, smells like we’re paying a premium to keep Uncle Sam smiling.
Seymour’s Razor: Slicing Through New Zealand’s Bloated Bureaucracy
New Zealand doesn’t need a government that looks like a corporate org chart gone rogue. We need one that’s lean, mean and focused on results. Seymour’s got the razor out. Let’s see if he’s got the guts to make the deep cuts we really need.
News Briefing: 2 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR, WEEK IN POLITICS Lillian Hanly (RNZ): NZ Initiative 'absolutely delighted' Seymour wants to slash ministerial line-up Adam Pearse (Herald): David Seymour proposes abolishing some portfolios and cutting minister numbers Craig McCulloch (RNZ): ACT's David Seymour wants to
Malcolm Turnbull’s Relevance Deprivation Syndrome: A Pompous Lecture from a Failed PM
Turnbull’s RNZ sermon is just another chapter in his long history of self-important drivel. He’s a failed PM who couldn’t hack it at home, so now he’s preaching to the Kiwis like he’s some elder statesman.
News Briefing: 1 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards BUDGET, ECONOMY Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government not ruling out cuts to its $521 a year KiwiSaver contribution Gordon Campbell: On Our Austerity Fixation Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: What could be cut as Government slashes operating allowance for Budget 2025 Bernard Hickey (The Kākā)
Judge Ema Aitken’s Disgrace: A Judicial Scandal That Demands Accountability
How can the public trust Aitken to preside impartially when she’s shown such blatant disregard for judicial decorum?
Face of the Day
Goldsmith said allowing prisoners to vote was “typical of the previous government’s soft-on-crime approach”.
News Briefing: 30 April 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards BUDGET, ECONOMY Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government trimming spending in big way - here’s what it might cut and why (paywalled) Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Five key insights into Budget 2025 Dennis Wesselbaum (The Conversation): Willis warns of a ‘tight’ budget to come, but NZ
Tory Whanau’s Exit: A Chaotic Farewell to Wellington’s Most Authentic Disaster
Tory Whanau is on her way out, thank goodness, but her legacy of chaos will linger like a bad smell. Andrew Little might be next in line but his history suggests he’ll just swap one set of disasters for another.
They Want a Licence to Kill
The average number of sunshine hours in New Zealand is above 2,000 per year. In the United Kingdom, it averages around 1,350.