Public Address | Cafe | Legal Beagle: Despite Simon Bridges' idiocy, does he have a point on overall (subject) select committee membership?

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 07:26:50 +1300

Surely they are trying to ride the coat tails of Taika Waititi's 'What we do in the shadows'
But Steven Joyce would be merely the 'not-so-slim Shady Finance Minister'!

izogi

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 06:58:02 +1300

Just on Simon Bridges, what's with all the sudden media referring to him as Shadow Leader of the House, and other National MPs as shadow Ministers? Eg https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98721388/question-time-confusion-chaos-and-comedy-as-mps-faceoff-for-first-time

I know it's common in Australia, but I don't recall the terminology ever being repeatedly used here by media until National is…

Kumara Republic

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 17:35:13 +1300

The polarisation became visible during the Reagan presidency – widening inequality and the scrapping of the Fairness Doctrine among the factors – but the fuse was lit in the 1960s with the Vietnam War, the Southern Strategy and the Silent Majority. The following decade saw Watergate permanently hardening political cynicism…

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 08:10:15 +1300

It also reminds me of the wonderful world of Klecksography ...

(above: Rorschach card #10)

simon g

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 06:48:09 +1300

You know all those frothers who said they'd leave the country if "she" got in?

At least one of them was telling the truth.

So Ardern is making NZ a better place, just by taking office. More please.

Ian Dalziel

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 06:24:29 +1300

Great info graphic
It looks like reverse entropy,
from amorphous to polarised.
or planetary disc formation,
or maybe just 4th of July fireworks...

Kumara Republic

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 01:57:37 +1300

In any case, NZ seems to be following overseas political trends in the decline of bipartisanship. With USA leading the pack, of course. (HT Iyad El-Baghdadi)

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 14:06:14 +1300

It seems to me that it's not so much National doing their job of putting a spoke in the wheels of government as that Labour didn't really bother for much of the last nine years. Did they ever question whether National were entitled to rely on Todd Barclay's vote when…

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 07:56:23 +1300

Maggie Barry preparing to 'conserve' her chewing gum – one hopes it doesn't lose its flavour in the chamber overnight....

simon g

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 20:21:24 +1300

Some of today's panting opinion pieces did look strangely familiar, so I thought I'd bring up the template, provided here to assist media space-fillers with any further cut and paste reckons. Nothing new under the sun, or on Stuff.

The line about the statute of limitations on blaming Labour was…

Neil

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 17:45:45 +1300

Peters’ Pride doesn’t often finish the race.

Trevor Nicholls

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:22:54 +1300

The Nats might be a more effective opposition than they were a government. Let's hope they have time to get used to it.

Hilary Stace

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:52:31 +1300

The two Labour MPs and Nat David Carter are at the Commonwealth Parliament Conference and David Parker and Winston at APEC. So all legitimately away on Parliamentary business. The government probably thought the convention that this is accepted in votes would be respected by the Opposition. But maybe because they…

linger

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:32:18 +1300

So the Nats are continuing their standard MO of bullshitting at every opportunity. In a sane world, people would stop taking them seriously.

Sacha

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:05:22 +1300

RNZ's political editor now saying govt had the numbers after all but were successfully bluffed by the Nats. How embarrassing.

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 13:57:49 +1300

Here's hoping Mallard chastises Nat MP Alistair Scott for swearing allegiance to the Queen and her 'airs and graces' !

Sacha

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 13:44:54 +1300

3 govt MPs were not at parliament and not out of the country – "Labour's Poto Williams and Priyanca Radhakrishnan and the Greens' Gareth Hughes". Grrr.

izogi

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 13:32:36 +1300

Probably old news for those following things today, but news just now is that Select Committee positions have now been raised from 96 to 108... seemingly because Labour didn't have enough MPs present to elect Trevor Mallard as Speaker.

RNZ: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/343269/house-trading-mps-strike-hasty-deal
Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98638163/government-forced-to-do-a-deal-with-national-after-failing-to-have-the-numbers-in-the-house

simon g

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 13:08:06 +1300

The news of the last hour perfectly illustrates the difference between the worlds seen by the press gallery and the one inhabited by their readers (viewers, etc), i.e. everyone else.

Much excitement for five minutes as Nats play hardball on Speaker ("Incredible scenes" tweets Newshub – seriously). Entertaining TV, which…

Tom Semmens

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 13:01:05 +1300

Simon Bridges: “We are the biggest party, and we are going to use our power to stymie the government, we will oppose, oppose and oppose, and oh my, we will use our muscle on select committies to MAKE THE GOVERNMENT FEEL THE PAIN AND STOP THEIR PROGRAM!!!!!”

Jacinda: “OK Simon….…

Sacha

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 12:57:47 +1300

Act's David Seymour will be spread a bit thin trying to get his proportional input on diverse committees

Nah, about 5 minutes per year should do it.

Sacha

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 12:56:27 +1300

Bill English told RNZ this morning that every MP has a 'right' to be on a select committee. Nice try, sunshine.

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 11:05:18 +1300

I'd have thought that as there are less parties represented in Parliament now, they would need less people to cover all party viewpoints on these committees.

Act's David Seymour will be spread a bit thin trying to get his proportional input on diverse committees – he'll be wishing he really…

Kyle Matthews

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 10:35:22 +1300

I don't really buy it that this is an issue that actually concerns national. If each select committee has 9 members, National, who have almost half the membership of the house, will get at least three, most likely four in each committee. They can't complain they're not well represented.
More…

Hilary Stace

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 09:41:52 +1300

The other side of the issue is that National gets to chair or deputy chair many of the committees (the last Opposition only had one chair) and that many of the committees have 50/50 membership so not the automatic Government majority the last Parliament had. (Which incidentally meant that Labour,…

Public Address

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 09:41:52 +1300

Discussion from blog post.