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On 5/30/2018 at 2:40 PM, Ohokaman said:

How convenient that Gluckman has now come out to tell us that P houses were fine all along. Why now ? Why not before ?

And sitting next to him is Twat Twyford basking in the revelations. 240 more houses you can use now eh Phil....?? Lovely....

Do we believe this stuff or not...just how robust are these "findings"....??

They have obviously known about this for a while but apparently "kept it quiet"...until now....

Home Owners and Buyers Association president John Gray said he was "shocked" by the report, with the contamination standards set just last year.

"It was done by a representative from the Ministry of Health, Insurance Council, Local Government New Zealand, Housing New Zealand, Environmental Science New Zealand and many others. So we had faith they had come up with an appropriate standard based on the research available.

"It appears some of the same research was actually reviewed by Sir Peter and his team yet we've come up with a totally different stand. So rather than clear the air we've actually now been left with greater uncertainty."

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Andrew Little swimming against political tide on ‘three strikes’

by CS
 
 

Andrew-Little.jpg?w=1094&ssl=1

Andrew Little had better make a good case to cabinet as to why Labour and more importantly NZ First should swim against the political tide with three strikes.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust has commissioned a poll and the results suggest that Andrew Little is dead wrong in assuming the public support him: Quote:

The Sensible Sentencing Trust has today released the results of a poll commissioned to gauge public support for the Three Strikes law.

Sensible Sentencing Trust Founder, Garth McVicar, today said: “Public safety has always been important to the New Zealand public, and this poll confirms support for Three Strikes is strong at 68% overall support.

The poll also provides a breakdown of support by Party Voter.  “As we expected, support is strongest amongst National and New Zealand First voters.  What we did not expect was the strong level of support amongst Labour voters, which at 63% is also very strong.   
“Justice Minister Andrew Little’s wholly ideological desire to repeal Three Strikes runs counter to not only the views of the general public, but a substantial proportion of his own party’s voters.  He risks blood on his hands when the inevitable re-offending by Second and Third-striker career criminals are back on the streets.

“The poll showed respondents had even greater support for Three Strikes when key data about the risk profile and criminal convictions records of the Second and Third-Strike offenders was explained.

“Data complied by the Sensible Sentencing Trust indicates Second and Third Strikers make up only 1.35% of the prison population – about 140 of the most serious violent or sexual offenders.  These are some of the most prison-worthy offenders.  If Andrew Little wants to free up prison space, it won’t be achieved by repealing Three Strikes and letting out some of the highest risk offenders in New Zealand.” concluded McVicar.

The poll was conducted by Curia Market Research in late February and early March 2018 and was based on the responses of 965 respondents.  The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.

The full poll results are available here.  End quote.

National voters support three strikes (78% in favour), as do NZ First (66%) and Labour (63%) voters. Andrew Little is going against his own voters if he pushes this through. Even amongst Green voters the 48% who support three strikes outnumber those who disapprove.

Andrew Little is going to find this very difficult and rather embarrassing if he can’t muster the numbers to push it through.

Perhaps he should have talked to Winston Peters before gobbing off about how he was going to get rid of the law.

Labour continues to be the catch and release, soft on crime party.

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The secret diary of Phil Twyford

by Deb 
 
 

GettyImages-826804884-phil-twyford-1120.

Monday

I don’t understand why everyone thinks this is so hard! It’s just four walls and a roof for goodness sake. I was able to whip one up out of lego the other day, only took a few minutes. I mean, really, it’s not difficult. But then I am quite clever, so maybe I shouldn’t rush to judge people who aren’t as smart as me. Jacinda might tell me off for being too judgy. She’s already had to use her frowny face on me this week. Thank goodness that Curran woman is making such a mess of her job. She’s taking the heat off me for the moment, but I’d better hope Jacinda sees how clever I am soon.

So silly not being allowed to use my phone on the plane, don’t they know how important I am? I mean, it’s not as if the plane fell out of the sky. If I ever find out who ratted me out to that Collins woman…

Tuesday

Just when I think I’m finally beginning to cobble a plan together, someone comes along and spoils it. These silly people complaining about where the houses are going to be built. Bunch of nimbys. I mean, here I am being all clever and making stuff up on the fly when we’re not exactly overflowing with options. If they don’t like it, they can just move out. Go to Pokeno or Dairy Flat. That’s the answer. I’ll just tell them that.

Wednesday

The other day, I overheard someone saying how clever I think I am. I’m so glad others have noticed it too. Then they started talking about fig jam. I’ve never tried fig jam. I wonder what it tastes like? I might like it. I must ask Joanna to get some for my toast in the morning.
Speaking of jam, those nasty people at Treasury are trying to paint the worst possible scenario for my housing numbers. So wet behind the ears, I’m sure they are straight out of University. They get one little degree and think they know everything. I have this all figured out, no need for them to come along and confuse things with the facts.

Thursday

I think I’ve hit on my cleverest idea yet. Genius, I really think it’s genius. Some scientist chap reckons we can tweak the numbers for testing meth contamination. Well good news, that means a whole bunch of houses that are empty waiting for meth clean-up can now be used. How clever is that? This homelessness thing will be done and dusted and I can get on with the really fun stuff.

A tram down Dominion Road, what a brilliant idea!  It’s my secret vanity project. Everyone thinks it will be good for Auckland, but really it’s just something for Auckland to remember me by. Every time they whizz to the airport in one of my trams, they’ll think about me and remember how important I was.
I wonder if I will get to have my name on a tram?  Or a stop named after me.  Phil’s stop.  Ha!  Now that really is clever.  I must get my secretary to fill out that MENSA application again, they must take me this time.

Friday

Friday, I hate Fridays. The A.M. show with that horrible Collins woman. She has no idea how clever I am and she thinks she can catch me out with all sorts of fancy numbers. It’s almost as if she thinks I can’t do my job!
Maybe I should pat her on the arm again, she seems to like that, it makes her feel important.
I have to say I really like this fig jam, it sets the mood perfectly for the day.
Ah well, another week gone. No houses built yet, but I’ve been so brilliant this week that this housing crisis will be fixed in no time at all.  I just need to find a way to make that Collins woman see how clever I really am.

 

Collins-and-Twyford-on-the-AM-show.jpg?w

Judith Collins and Phil Twyford on The AM Show. Photo credit: The AM Show.

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This shows us that the Greens and James Shaw are just plain inept and haven't got a clue.

Commie Corin grills a Green

by WH on June 5, 2018 at 9:00am
 

The Minister for (or against) Climate Change, James Shaw was interviewed by Corin Dann on TVNZ Q&A on Sunday 3 June.

cd_JS.jpg?w=541&ssl=1

Screen grab Whaleoil

After a bit of preamble: Quote.

Corin: Every piece of law in this country will be viewed through a climate change lens?

James: Well that is it a component of it were looking at ways of basically trying to join government up to make sure we are all rowing in the right direction End of quote.

 

Freudian slip right there, James.  Were you subconsciously channelling the National campaign advert or were you looking forward to the grand culmination of your ‘zero carbon’ stupidity when manually powered boating is all that is available to us? Quote.

James: [We have an] ambition to be a carbon neutral economy by 2050. But the bill itself it puts in place this target of getting there.

Corin: So it will have a target on Thursday?

Well it’s got a range of targets so when we say, you know, a net zero economy that is actually interpretable so we want to make sure that people are clear about what the different, you know, versions of that might be. End of quote.

Translated: We don’t have a clue. Quote.

Corin: So does it actually say how we are going to get there?

James:  Well, ah, ah, not really, so the idea is that the bill creates an overarching kind of architecture, if you like, and then every government between now and then will continue to have arguments about particular policy responses about how to get there. The purpose of the Bill is to set the target, to create an independent climate change commission to guide us there. […]

I do hope to work with [National] to design this piece of legislation because it does have such, kind-of, a long reach, there will be three or four or five changes of governments, you know, between now and when we want to hit that target. End of quote.

Translated: We don’t have a clue. Let’s virtue signal, stuff the economy completely and leave it for the next three, four or five governments to sort it all out.  I will have my pension and free first-class flights by then so why should I worry about the details?

And later, moving on to the Emissions Trading Scheme, Corin pointed out that the price would rise from $21 to $75 with “pretty dramatic impacts on emitters and consumers.” Quote.

James: Well I imagine the price will rise in the ETS but it will do so gradually and over time.

Corin:  Will consumers, and I am particularly concerned with low income consumers who will bear the cost of this and the Productivity Commission notes that, and says they are the ones that will wear the costs of higher transport and higher electricity. How will they be compensated? End of quote.

James waffled on about the “Just Transitions” work that his colleague Megan Woods was working on.  Yeah, well that was just peachy for Taranaki, wasn’t it?

So Corin cut to the chase: Quote.

Corin: Will they get money

James: Yes, absolutely!

Corin: So they will be financially compensated to offset the higher cost of transport and higher cost of electricity from your climate change policy.

James: Well first of all it’s not actually guaranteed that there will be higher prices. End of quote.

James spouted some more waffle, so Corin asked: Quote.

Corin: So give me an example of how a low income earner might be assisted with the costs, say, of their electricity bill going up?

James: Well, for example, the home insulation scheme, making sure that houses are warm and dry in the first place means that your bill will not necessarily go up because you won’t be consuming as much. End of quote.

power.jpg?resize=354%2C299&ssl=1

A very quick glance at that graphic shows that insulation will affect about 11% 30% of typical household power consumption.   89% 70% is going to be hit by the higher electricity prices due to climate change legislation. [Thanks to Erayd for pointing out the error in the graphic]

James, you are talking nonsense.  We will all be lining up for the “Yes, absolutely”, money you promised.  Remember this day!

James continued: Quote.

If we can incentivise rooftop solar and battery … it means that when you get those winter peaks, you’ve got enough juice that you have generated yourself that you won’t necessarily be drawing on the grid to the same extent. End of quote.

As someone who actually owns “rooftop solar” it is clear that James does not understand anything more than marketing slogans from the solar panel salespeople.  The “winter peaks” on the days when the sun does shine are well down on the summer peaks. Relying on “winter peaks” even if the poor can afford batteries, is not going to help them out. Here is some real world data off my roof.  It is a 3kW array and the winter peak on a totally sunny day is just over 1.5kW:

solar.jpg?resize=630%2C399&ssl=1

;

In the summer at 5pm the array is generating 1.5kw; in winter zero!

James continued: Quote.

If you are looking at fuel costs, you know, what can we do to incentivise the uptake of electric vehicles which are far cheaper to run per kilometre than a petrol powered car. End of quote.

How many of the low income people that currently buy cars in the under $5000 bracket are going to stump up the high up-front cash for an electric vehicle so that they can get cheaper running costs, which will not be cheaper once James and the gang have done their worst, because the power price is going to rise.

How on earth do these non-thinkers get into government?


Continuing from where we left off: Quote.

Corin: What about consumers, what can they do? The best thing they could do [according to an article in the Guardian] to curb climate change is to stop eating meat and dairy, do you agree?

James: Well look, 95% of New Zealanders consume meat and it is, kind of, fairly obvious that there is a lot of water, a lot of energy and a lot of land use that goes into protein production that way. Um, if somebody wanted to have an immediate impact, they could eat one less meat meal per week.End of quote.

 

What a load of complete tosh!  There would be absolutely zero impact on climate change if the whole country ate one less meat meal per week.

Someone has been motivated to lodge an OIA request to James to quantify this “immediate impact”: (From the web)

FYI.jpg?w=869&ssl=1
James then clarified that was his personal view and that they were not encouraging that as a government.  So Corin pushed on: Quote.

Dann: But that is a huge threat to our economy, given how much we do do in meat and dairy, how important it is as we heard from Damien O’Connor . If there are messages going around the world, “stop eating meat and dairy” are you worried about that?

Shaw: No, no I’m not. We know that it is a very big planet. NZ has enough land to feed about 40 million people with current production methodologies, we know that the middle classes in China and India and parts of Europe and so on, there is a huge demand for our food products and you heard Damien O’Connor talking about some of the highest quality protein for some of the most discerning customers in the world …

Dann: It’s a little bit of a contradiction isn’t it? On an economic level we want people to keep eating meat and dairy but the logic is for climate change you need them to eat less? We are not getting it right.

Shaw: No it’s about, it’s about, the mix right? So and, and I, I think that the the whole point is that what we are doing is, is, we are engaging in a thirty year transition, ah, and, and, we know that we are going to have to match consumer demand. […] End of quote.

A lot of stuttering and hesitation there James. You did not answer the question, James. Did that question catch you out?  Have you not realised that you cannot have it both ways?  We can feed 40 million people but we have reached “peak cow” already, according to the government.

We are not allowed to use more water for agriculture or horticulture and yet we can output enough for 40 million people?

 

 

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Quote

After a bit of preamble: Quote.

Corin: Every piece of law in this country will be viewed through a climate change lens?

James: Well that is it a component of it were looking at ways of basically trying to join government up to make sure we are all rowing in the right direction  End o

 

The essence of these statements brings about more regulations, more burden, more costs to businesses and average Nz'ers

The highlighted emphasis on "rowing in the right direction" is a parroted narrative thats been echoed... by many leaders......

.... The exception being President Trump!!

Perhaps James Shaw could learn something... from taking a leaf out of President Trumps action on the Paris Climate Agreement!

 

heres something to consider....

looking back on a past event... The greatest ever climate change event that has ever occurred... was the Noah's Flood event,  The connection to this major event can be understood in..   Genesis 6:5-8 

Again Luke 17:20-29 makes a connection between Noahs Flood and the place of Sodom in which it reigned down fire and brimstone!!

 

Heres the reality with Climate Change advocates pushing the narrative...  they believe money and more restrictive laws will fix the problem!!

.... this is not only oppressive... it is downright deception!!

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Mike Hosking: Welfare out of control, won't be fixed by review

Boy, I tell you what this government is outstanding when it comes to job creation. No-one in modern history has created more work in the area of committee review.

Hundreds are now employed "looking into things”. And the latest is the record breaking 11 member panel looking into the state of welfare.  

11 members, unionists , advocates  and academics. They're all there and they're all going to look into ways to ensure people have "an adequate income and standard of living ,are treated with respect, can live with dignity, and are able to participate meaningfully in the community."

And when they’ve found all that out and put it into their report we will either be dead of old age or be able to join hands and sing Kumbaya.

Nothing good ever came of 11 people sitting around looking at anything. Can you imagine the wastage in time energy and effort, as they battle their way through just the sheer weight, of each and every member and their various ideas experiences thoughts and inputs?

Committees by their very nature water things down. By the time you start with a good clean clear simple idea and put a committee onto it, it emerges thrashed, reworked, tipped upside down and virtually unrecognisable.

And in reality this is all a smoke screen for a government that’s big on the concept of consultation and not so much on the reality.  

Ask Chris Hipkins and his gargantuan probe into education. We can't have enough people putting ideas forward, except the ones on charter schools. He's not interested in those, despite the fact he said he was.

But it provides them with the oft used cliché, "after much consultation with the community."

What this welfare committee is really all about is taking restrictions off it, making it easier to get, giving more of it out.

It's an ideology, and you can trace it back to the likes of Metiria Turei, the former Green Party co-leader who lied about her benefits.   

Who's utopian view of welfare involved her being allowed to steal from the system if the circumstances in your own mind thought it was acceptable?  

Welfare, and the word itself is open to tremendous interpretation, has become an industry in this country as we have hooked more and more people into it.  

The dole is welfare, but what about Working for Families?

The sickness benefit has been used to hide unemployment by simply shifting people into a different form of welfare.  

If you include everyone who receives any form of government assistance based on nothing more than their income or circumstances it captures millions of us. And that is what they really should be looking at.  

Looking at how out of control it is, how many are on it for life, how much it's been abused by the political system to ensnare votes and how the idea of it being a safety net as opposed to a lifestyle hammock have been blown out of the water.  

What about how we've raised now several generations of state dependants who know nothing else but welfare assistance?

Will the 11 member panel address any of that?

Of course not. Look at the names they’ve picked, look at the direction they’ve given them. It’s a forgone conclusion and the conclusion leads us nowhere productive.   

 

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If the Welfare review brings the reform of getting people back to work. Its a good thing!!

then perhaps the real issues of Jobs Creation can be dealt with... ie. less burdensome regulations, less taxes on businesses, encouraging re-investment and re-building of the Agricultural industry that Nz is known for!!

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5 hours ago, 6xes said:

If the Welfare review brings the reform of getting people back to work. Its a good thing!!

then perhaps the real issues of Jobs Creation can be dealt with... ie. less burdensome regulations, less taxes on businesses, encouraging re-investment and re-building of the Agricultural industry that Nz is known for!!

:lol: 

Not with this coalition government!! 

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13 hours ago, poundforpound said:

Note ( I’m told ) 20 recipients of Queens Birthday honours were for “services to conservation”.....and the man who sang at the NZF campaign launch got a knighthood....so much for integrity and transparency in government

i dont see how Queen's Birthday honours tie into the integrity or transparency of the Nz government..

something wrong with your logic there *shrugs*

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is there a unwritten rule that says... you must live in Nz for X number of years... thereby negating the fact he's a New Zealander??

Perhaps you missed the fact that he's a entertainer

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Obviously you are a left winger Uriah  as you would not get so uptight with Hoskins.     You have to remember he is a journalist not a reporter and as such Journalists can align themselves to whichever side of the fence they wish.      I presume you also detest Mark Richardson too :D     If you want the other side of the coin most of the left wing Journalists write in the NZ Herald!

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23 hours ago, poundforpound said:

Note ( I’m told ) 20 recipients of Queens Birthday honours were for “services to conservation”.....and the man who sang at the NZF campaign launch got a knighthood....so much for integrity and transparency in government

AND--my late mother was a friend of the Holyoakes and later became a JP. Had plenty of connections in Government and assured me that 60% of honours recipients were "self-nominated".No surprise there with all the sycophants and wannabes in our society.Helen Clark achieved 2 worthy results in her tenure--1. Banning smoking inside public gathering areas and 2. Getting rid of the BS titular honours.

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Nothing wrong with Knighthoods  to those who have genuinely given exceptional service to the Country, however i feel these days they have become a handout like the old retirement watch used to be.      I suppose Winston will get one when he retires too simply because he will be acting PM while Taxcinda is on "leave".      And yes he has introduced the odd initiative which has benefited many but has he done enough to qualify.    I'm afraid I don't think so.    These honours need to span a person's service over many years  not just for a one off like coaching the AB's to win the World Cup - two consecutive world cups and a successful reign in between may qualify but other activities initiated would certainly help.     An Americas Cup - now come on.    Lesser honours (MBE/OBE) should suffice in many of these achievements.   I suppose it will be Steve Adams next who not even plays for NZ

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This just adds to the myth that Ardern's government will be open and transparent. MIA Labour deputy leader Kelvin Davis:

Vacant and complacent

By CS

Kelvin Davis has come out of witless protection and attended a select committee hearing as a minister. It didn’t go so well: Quote:

National has accused Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis of being “vacant” and “complacent” when he fronted MPs at Parliament on Thursday.

Davis was before select committee to answer questions about the tourism sector in the wake of the Budget, but National’s tourism spokesman Todd McClay has described it as “one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard”.

“I think the tourism sector, the public who maybe interested in how all of this money that was promised before the election might be spent, were left without the answers,” McClay said.

Chair of the Economic Development select committee, National MP Jonathan Young, said the transcript of the meeting would need to be looked at to consider whether the level of information provided in Davis’ answers was satisfactory.

If it’s not then the committee can choose to recall Davis providing it had a majority – there’s an even split of five MPs from Government and five from Opposition.

Young said prior to the Budget MPs were told “you’ll have to wait and see and here we are investigating the Budget and we’re getting, you’ll have to wait and see again, and I just think that’s totally unacceptable”.

McClay said Davis “must be recalled to the committee and answer questions about how he will spend this money and what the taxpayer can expect from him”.  End quote. 

 

Pretty vacant. But what about his misogyny? Quote:

Davis was questioned by MPs about a variety of tourism issues, including a proposed international visitor levy, freedom camper regulations, and jobs.

At one point he accused National MP Jacqui Dean of being “hysterical” for asking whether there might not be tourism jobs for Kiwis in the future due to the impact of increasing costs for small businesses.

Dean responded that the comment was “offensive” and “it was a fair question”.

“I don’t think you really need to lower yourself to those depths, do you Minister?”

Davis replied, “you’ll be right”. End quote.

I doubt we will see any column inches of wailing from the likes of Lizzie Marvelly. Quote:

Young, who was becoming visibly frustrated by some of the responses, raised his voice asking “when do we get to see?” after weeks of being told to wait and see what the Budget delivered

Davis shot back, “I’m sorry, don’t talk to me like that”.

Becoming frustrated with the questions from the Opposition, Davis offered his own metaphor to add to the many the committee had heard earlier in the day from Regional Development Minister Shane Jones.

“What did Minister Jones say today? You guys are in the bilges while we’re up on the bridge looking at the big thing.

“In a tourism sense I’d say we’re looking at the lakes and you guys are looking at puddles,” Davis said. End quote.

Such arrogance for a minister only barely six months into a job that is clearly beyond his meagre abilities.

It is this sort of arrogance that costs elections.

 

 

 

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Cindy gets snaky as Bridges calls out the 122 reviews the government has initiaited

by CS
 

Jacinda-screw-face-e1523481864567.jpg?w=

Jacinda Ardern has gone all snaky attacking Simon Bridges over his claims about the 122 working groups, reviews, inquiries and investigations currently underway with this inept government.

She’s told an outright lie, declaring that there are only 36 working groups, reviews, inquiries and investigations: Quote:

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has hit back at criticism by National leader Simon Bridges over the number of reviews her Government has initiated since taking office in October.

She rejects his claim that it has announced 122 reviews and says the number is 38 reviews or working groups that involve external agencies and work beyond the normal business of Government.

By settling on a lower number, she also rejects his estimate that the cost is $114 million and says it is $34.5 million. End quote.

 

Well that is easily disproved, and classifies as a lie, something Jacinda Ardern said she would never do. Clearly that was her first lie. The NZ Herald conveniently lists the 122 working groups, reviews, inquiries and investigations.Quote:

Ardern defended the use of reviews and working groups by saying it was a way to involved experts and ordinary New Zealanders in solving some big challenges and potentially save taxpayers millions of dollars in the long run.

National had made false claims about the extent of the work and inaccurately labelled regular Government business as review and working groups.

“Where we are doing review work, it’s because the public have called for it or there are genuine issues that need to be fixed – be it bowel screening, mental health or insurance claimed in Canterbury,” she said.

The review into the meth contamination of state houses by Sir Peter Gluckman was a is a prime example.

“We could have ignored the problem, or brought in the experts to stop more families being evicted, and avoiding unnecessary clean-up costs for landlords. ”

The $100 million National wasted on decontaminating houses could have built 300 more state homes – instead perfectly good ones sat empty.

“Now we are reopening those homes,” she sdaid.

“I’ve always said we are going to do Government differently, and one of the main ways we’re different is that we listen to experts and make sure everyday people have a say about the public services they rely on.” End quote.

But not the people of Taranakl though, they don’t get a say, they just get ordered to close down their most useful industry, and biggest employers all for a publicity and virtue-signalling prime minister. No consultation, no everyday people having a say. Obviously Taranaki’s industry isn’t at all a “big challenge”, and the closure of Methanex is neither here nor there. I can’t wait for question time, poor Winston is going to have to answer these questions when they are raised, and he is asked if he stands by all the governments statements and actions. Quote:

Ardern was responding to a press statement by Bridges today in which he targeted a review of the healthy system by Heather Simpson, a part-time adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office and the former chief of staff of Helen Clark when she was Prime Minister.

“While staffers in the Prime Minister’s Office get plum roles reviewing the health system, designated mental health and Maori development funding have been cut by $100 million, ” Bridges said.

“The Government needs to shelve its reviews and get its priorities straight – the $114 million could hire 2,100 extra teachers or pay for an extra 20,000 elective surgeries. Instead, the Government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars for others to do the work for it.”

The Government’s “underwhelming Budget” also showed that Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens could not figure out their priorities, were not ready to govern and were out of their depth.

“Whether it’s the broken promise on cheaper GP visits for all New Zealanders, the broken promise on affordable KiwiBuild housing, or the broken promise on school donations, the message is clear: New Zealanders cannot rely on Labour to deliver.” End quote.

Bridges came good yesterday. He attacked Ardern over this, and also the cash for access hypocrisy. The question will be whether or not he can maintain the headlines, or is this just a one hit wonder.

Labour are clearly struggling though, they had no plans or policy to implement upon gaining office. They never expected to govern and it shows. Their talent pool has proved to be as shallow as a bird bath.

One thing is certain…the “relentless positivity” has disappeared.

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5 hours ago, rdytdy said:

This just adds to the myth that Ardern's government will be open and transparent. MIA Labour deputy leader Kelvin Davis:

Vacant and complacent

By CS

Kelvin Davis has come out of witless protection and attended a select committee hearing as a minister. It didn’t go so well: Quote:

National has accused Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis of being “vacant” and “complacent” when he fronted MPs at Parliament on Thursday.

Davis was before select committee to answer questions about the tourism sector in the wake of the Budget, but National’s tourism spokesman Todd McClay has described it as “one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard”.

“I think the tourism sector, the public who maybe interested in how all of this money that was promised before the election might be spent, were left without the answers,” McClay said.

Chair of the Economic Development select committee, National MP Jonathan Young, said the transcript of the meeting would need to be looked at to consider whether the level of information provided in Davis’ answers was satisfactory.

If it’s not then the committee can choose to recall Davis providing it had a majority – there’s an even split of five MPs from Government and five from Opposition.

Young said prior to the Budget MPs were told “you’ll have to wait and see and here we are investigating the Budget and we’re getting, you’ll have to wait and see again, and I just think that’s totally unacceptable”.

McClay said Davis “must be recalled to the committee and answer questions about how he will spend this money and what the taxpayer can expect from him”.  End quote. 

 

Pretty vacant. But what about his misogyny? Quote:

Davis was questioned by MPs about a variety of tourism issues, including a proposed international visitor levy, freedom camper regulations, and jobs.

At one point he accused National MP Jacqui Dean of being “hysterical” for asking whether there might not be tourism jobs for Kiwis in the future due to the impact of increasing costs for small businesses.

Dean responded that the comment was “offensive” and “it was a fair question”.

“I don’t think you really need to lower yourself to those depths, do you Minister?”

Davis replied, “you’ll be right”. End quote.

I doubt we will see any column inches of wailing from the likes of Lizzie Marvelly. Quote:

Young, who was becoming visibly frustrated by some of the responses, raised his voice asking “when do we get to see?” after weeks of being told to wait and see what the Budget delivered

Davis shot back, “I’m sorry, don’t talk to me like that”.

Becoming frustrated with the questions from the Opposition, Davis offered his own metaphor to add to the many the committee had heard earlier in the day from Regional Development Minister Shane Jones.

“What did Minister Jones say today? You guys are in the bilges while we’re up on the bridge looking at the big thing.

“In a tourism sense I’d say we’re looking at the lakes and you guys are looking at puddles,” Davis said. End quote.

Such arrogance for a minister only barely six months into a job that is clearly beyond his meagre abilities.

It is this sort of arrogance that costs elections.

 

 

 

He's not the only one...Shane Jones is the worst. People out of their depth and not used to being in Government.

 

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