My Right

Scorn for porno movie shot in Taranaki

“In the past social policy has tended to be treated as an area of expenditure without any clear evidence of what particular policies lead to improvements for society and the economy,” the Ministers said. “This government has been taking very important steps to find out which social policies work so it can invest in what is effective and not continue with policies that don’t prove themselves.”

“If we work to turn around struggling businesses, we are accused of backing losers. If we work with successful businesses, to accelerate their growth, we’re accused of throwing money at businesses that don’t need it".

Court allows ACT to seek Awatere Huata's expulsion from Parliament

"Dr Cullen savaged the opposition today as the committee stage debate began.

"They're going to bash their gums for the next 24 hours with absolutely no purpose. They don't understand the bill and don't understand the law," he said."

"I am perfectly comfortable with returning the gain (after the pain) to those who suffered most, and to whom it would make the most difference. That is what Working for Families does, through tax credits and other mechanisms.

If your position is basically that high income earners deserve this dividend more than low income earners who have families to support, then I charge you sir with being immoral."

Re-crunched figures supplied by Treasury on changes to household incomes and taxes dig the Finance Minister into a deeper hole, confirming that Kiwi households have been harder hit in real terms under Labour than even I initially thought, ACT New Zealand Leader Rodney Hide said today.

"Dr Cullen's new figures were compiled hastily by Treasury in an attempt to save the Minister's face over earlier data, he signed out, that showed cuts in nominal net incomes," Mr Hide said.

"I waited for the better news but unfortunately it didn't come - in fact, quite the opposite. The new figures reveal that the average Kiwi household is $1,740 a year worse off, with Labour's extra taxes swallowing up two-thirds of the increase in household income between 2000 and 2004.

"Dr Cullen is right when he says the figures only tell half the story. The 6 percent increase in net income must be offset by inflation. However, under Labour, inflation was at 10.4 percent from 2000-04. The fact is that a dollar today just doesn't buy what it did when Labour took office.

"Inflation and higher taxes have squeezed hardworking Kiwis, meaning in real terms, the average household is nearly 4 percent worse off over the last four years.

National's finance spokesman John Key said the figures meant taxpayers were forking out $8m more every day.

"The tax bucket is so full even (Progressive Party leader) Jim Anderton thinks it's time to cut taxes," he said.

"Many families are struggling to make ends meet under this high-tax, anti-family Government – not that it appears to care," Hide said.

The ACT leader pledged to cut top personal and company rate to 20c in the dollar.

National has yet to announce its tax policy.

That's not what I said

Being a court reporter (of the stenographer rather than journalist variety) can be a challenging job, as Hamilton District Court reporter Jane Stearns pointed out in a recent LawTalk article.

Usual problems include counsel asking questions too quickly, tapping the microphone or having quiet chats with colleagues when their microphones are still on.

However, when Stearns started out, she had the added challenge of being from England and thus having the odd problem understanding every word that Kiwis were saying. "My best effort so far must be when I transcribed, 'I wrote out a cheque,' which I heard clearly.

In fact, the defendant had said, 'I rooted a chick'."

"The trick now is for National and whoever else ties to their boat to get their act together (no pun intended nor Freudian slip) and show the country they are a real alternative. All they have to do is be honest. Labour has always been all about dishonesty this time; they tell porkies yet make the media think its fact or true."

"So once again, as in any New Zealand election, it appears the middle is where it's at.

But with more people identifying themselves as right wing than left and so many examples of old-fashioned left-wing intervention from this government, success for the right at the next election must surely be a matter of good communication."

A literal rebranding, drop the blue or at least incorporate some other colour (s). (When Joe New Zealander sees a politician wearing a Blue Button at Election time - they also expect to see someone talking with a silver spoon coming out of there mouth as well).

Candidate Selection! My Right has blogged before on a talented, dynamic, young Maori candidate in the 1999 Election (who missed out that year) being given a disgracefully low list ranking in 2002. It just so happened he would have been perfect to step into the Maori Affairs spokemanship when Georgina stepped aside. (A balanced, fresh and confident line up please. Everything in moderation - even white middle class males like My Right!).

Change the emphasis of the tax policy to highlight things that are stinging all of us - i.e. petrol tax, other stealth taxes and levies. (Broad base support requires broad messages).

Don - liven up mate and throw some sound bites around (they don't have to be personal attacks - you're above that - that's fine). Confident and forceful delivery can get you through the odd gaffe with credibility in one piece - in fact Helen has shown you can get away with saying just about anything if you keep a straight face. (My Right is all for deliberate and considered debate - but getting beaten up by Helen ain't a good look for a future PM).

Accept that on some key policy planks - there is very little difference between National and Labour, focus on idealogy and liberalism. (Helen is quite an inexperienced Mother to be trying to bring up 4 million of us).

4.11.04 | KEITH LOCKE CARPS, WHINES

Rodney Hide: In light of the Prime Minister’s response, what has changed since yesterday, when she promised this House due process for Mr Tamihere, and today, when she accepted his resignation? [Interruption]

Mr SPEAKER: I am not going to warn people about interjecting or making noises while questions are being asked. Questions are entitled to be heard in silence.

Rt Hon HELEN CLARK: As I told the House yesterday there is a process in train—and it still is in train—to have a report on a range of allegations, many of them mounted by the member, concerning Mr Tamihere. That process is going on. Mr Tamihere meantime has decided he will resign.

ACT leader Rodney Hide and National leader Don Brash accused Miss Clark of doing a deal to ensure Mr Tamihere's support for the controversial foreshore and seabed legislation.

"We know her people were talking to John Tamihere, and here's the deal. Resign, sit in the back seat quietly like a good Maori Labour MP, vote for the seabed and foreshore bill, and you might be back," Mr Hide said.

Dr Brash said Labour was doing deals on an "extraordinary scale". She's playing for time. She desperately needed, and still needs, Mr Tamihere's loyalty."

Ron Mark: Does the Minister not remember receiving this letter of 29 September 2002 from a southern communications centre officer, addressed to him, where the officer pointed out a further problem, that being: “I have logged on seven highway patrols working from the Rangiora base, and our instruction is that they are not to attend any events, including traffic accidents.”, and if he does remember receiving that letter and reading it, can he tell us what he has done to ensure that strategic traffic units, highway patrols, excess blood/alcohol units, are all available for general duties call-outs such as the two that we have heard of, most disastrously, in the papers of late?

Hon GEORGE HAWKINS: All staff who are on patrol are available to attend—

Ron Mark: They are not.

Hon GEORGE HAWKINS: They are, and of course one letter from one disillusioned constable does not say what police policy is all about, but Mr Mark might believe anyone. He probably believes in Santa Claus!

Ron Mark: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr SPEAKER: No, no, the member is going to stand, withdraw, and apologise.

Hon GEORGE HAWKINS: I withdraw and apologise.

Hon Peter Dunne: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I raise this point of order in respect of the ruling that you made regarding my colleague Marc Alexander’s supplementary question. You have long ruled that Ministers are required to address questions, and that you are not responsible for the quality or content of the answer. I think you may have made, as it is, a rod for your own back in that regard. But leaving that aside, in this instance your ruling was that my colleague’s specific question was one of a number of questions contained within the question that had been put to the Minister, and that essentially the Minister was not obliged to address any of them in responding. Now I think that actually takes the ruling to an extent that makes it a somewhat pointless exercise if addressing a question means that, in fact, someone merely has to get up and utter some words.

Mr SPEAKER: I think the member, who usually always raises a point of order when it is valid, has made a very interesting point. I want to give that some consideration, and I will come back with an answer.

MP Donna Awatere Huata and her husband are to go on trial on charges of fraud and perverting the course of justice.

Awatere Huata and Wi Huata will face 19 charges of misusing $95,000 of cheques from the taxpayer-funded Pipi Foundation when they stand trial at Auckland District Court.

This goes to the heart of what kind of society we want to build. Do we want to copy the Americans, the Aussies and the Brits with a long-hours culture? Or do we want to follow a more European model where people work fewer hours and fewer days, but are more productive when they do work?

My view is the latter. Not many people are lucky enough to have jobs they love. Those who do are always going to lavish as much time as they can on them. For the rest of the workforce, the saying is very apt: we work to live, we don't live to work. Decent wages and a REAL forty-hour week can help contribute to a whole range of positive outcomes for workers and their families.

I would favour making overtime payments mandatory once 40hrs are passed for people on wages, and some education work for employers about the benefits of having people keep to their 40hr (or shorter) week.

Maybe this is something Labour can look at next term. Higher productivity, shorter hours and more holidays - sounds pretty attractive to me :)