pn934. NZ MPs are in the top one percent of earners. Read how it happened.

 

Once, MPs were regarded as public servants and backbench MPs received salaries similar to secondary school teachers.

Now, MPs are in the top one percent of earners with backbench MPs being  paid $163,000, or $231,000 with perks added. The PM is paid $472,000 plus perks.

Bryce Edwards of the Democracy Project traces how it all happened in  "Accepting a significant pay rise shows how much MPs are out of touch."

He opens with: 

"How entitled are New Zealand’s politicians? Right now, MPs across the political spectrum look entirely out of touch in their unified stance of accepting the hefty pay increases recommended by the Remuneration Authority.

MPs should simply reject the pay increases – which they can easily do – rather than risk a legitimate public backlash from constituents who feel betrayed by an already well-paid political class that insists on austerity for others but not themselves."

 Read on by clicking here.

pn788. N: What a Time to be Quibbling! Spaced-out Parliament.

 

What a Time to be Quibbling! 

National wants the 10-member Covid Response Committee to sit so it can scrutinise the government's Covid-response; Labour wants a virtual parliament where our 120 MPs can debate on Zoom, the online technology that facilitates teleconferencing. National says it's untested and wants none of it. So, we're left with a (literal and metaphorical)  spaced-out parliament, one seat occupied out of ten or so. Click here for the original article. 

pn589. National's line-up, a shadow of its former self, and Education is bottom of the heap

It's a much smaller shadow cabinet line up than last time (click here), with National lacking numbers and strength after its election losses.  The appointment of Shane Reti as Deputy Leader is a welcome sign but the relegation of Paul Goldsmith from 4th to 12th, where he picks up Education, seems to say more about National's priorities, with Education at the bottom of the heap,  than it does about Goldsmith's previous shortcomings in Finance.   

It is pleasing to note that Labour places Education far higher, with Minister Chris Hipkins fifth in Cabinet, with two assistant Ministers to boot.

For Labour's Cabinet line-up, see pn584.

-- ACW

pn585. Fix long overdue reform of criminal justice system now

By Jonathon Milne*  in Newsroom: my editing.  Click here for full article.

This is where the buck starts.

The five new ministers responsible for New Zealand's criminal justice system are all Māori and Pasifika; their communities are now challenging them to completely overhaul a system that has put their young people in prison in record numbers.

Sixteen percent of the population is Māori, yet they make up 52.3 percent of the prison muster. Most of those were first funnelled through the youth justice system; an unspeakably awful 95 percent are former welfare kids. It isn't the gangs that act as a nursery for criminals; it is the state care system. 

pn582. Gordon Campbell warns the Greens

 

LATEST.        Greens  vote to be part of next government with Labour.

STOP PRESS. The Greens have been offered two ministerial posts outside Cabinet. They will vote on whether to accept the offer this afternoon.   See 1News release.

Gordon Campbell in Scoop  plays a game of "what ifs" while warning the Greens of the dangers of too close a marriage with Labour.  Why? "Because no amount of incremental policy gains will be enough to save you, next time around."

Click on link above ("plays a game of")  to read "On What Lessons The Greens Should Take From The Demise Of Winston Peters."

pn575. Labour, the Greens and Kaupapa Maori, a link to Dr Rawiri Taonui's article in Waatea News

The detail in this article will be instructive for Maori and non-Maori. Click here to read.   If you are Maori or interested in Maori politics, this is a MUST read.

A thank you also to Dr Bryce Edwards' NZ Politics Daily which provides links to most media political articles.You may subscribe here.

pn572. Hope for a fairer, more inclusive New Zealand. Rod Oram says there is a way

I must confess to having felt rather downhearted on the likelihood of transformational change under Labour as it enters its second term in parliament.  

How can it balance and retain the support of both voter wings of support: those who  previously voted  National and its core supporters on the Left? Or as Rod Oram says, balancing the "needs of the poor and the wealthy, of employers and employees, of rural and urban people (whose needs) so often seem contradictory. If one wins, another loses. Disappointing many voters (Labour) will fail to retain broad support." 

Oram says it can be done. He draws hope from our Covid-19 experience: and our Prime Minister's persuasive, inclusive skills.  He says we have learnt to "respond decisively, collectively and comprehensively (to the threat) and prioritise, communicate and support each other...

Local Elections: Why the Downhill Slide — Others' opinions and mine

pn512

Fewer people have always voted in local elections than in national elections but this year’s voting for mayors, wards, regional councils, health boards, and in some cases community boards and licensing trusts —all on the same voting paper! — seems likely to be even less than usual. And once again researchers and media columnists have tried to pinpoint causes and offer possible solutions.

SpinOff’s Alex Braae thinks this year’s slide could be due to

A Special Anniversary - and what the Labour Coalition has achieved in the last two years: Jacinda Ardern.

pn503

(What the Labour Coalition has achieved in the last two years is listed below)

A special anniversary -  Jacinda Ardern, Labour
Mon, 23 Sep, 19:19

 
Hi Crosbie,
Today’s a really special anniversary — it’s been two years since election night, when New Zealand voted for a change of direction and asked us to start tackling the long-term problems facing our country.

I hope over these past two years, we’ve shown you that we’re serious about those tough issues — issues like mental health, the state of our rivers and child poverty. The problems in these areas have taken years, if not generations, to develop, and they won’t be solved overnight. But I’ve always believed that the hardest challenges are the ones worth taking on, and over the past two years, we’ve made good progress.

Labour's Sex Allegations: Two Neglected Aspects

pn492

Gordon Campbell makes two overlooked and extremely important points in this article on Labour's Mishandling of the Alleged Sexual Assault, but they come almost as an afterthought in a footnote at the end when, in my opinion, they should have been at the centre of his analysis.

One. Why did the young women at the centre of the sexual harassment claim not take the matter to the police?

Two. Why has the mainstream and social media's sole focus been to cast doubts about the Labour "process" when National's "process" was found just as wanting last year with respect to the Jami-Lee Ross allegations?

Here is what Campbell wrote:

Some Useful Ideas on How to Resolve NZ's Housing Crisis

pn441

The Labour Coalition government has been attacked by the Right for shortcomings on Kiwibuild but with next to no suggestions about what should be done to resolve our housing crisis. Now, they're attacked from the Left by Bryan Bruce in The Daily Blog — but he has important suggestions about what should be done to resolve the crisis.   Click also on the 13 comments.

GUEST BLOG: Bryan Bruce – Housing 101

By The Daily Blog  /  June 29, 2019  /  13 Comments

Two Very Differing Polls, and TV1's Possible Biasses

pn410

When two polls taken within a week of each other come up with quite different results it's understandable that many people will question the value of polls, especially when the pollsters were wrong about the recent Australian election results.

Some said the difference was due to the (slightly) different poll dates when political interest was high due to National's budget leaks. Others said this would make no difference.

Taking a Leak with Simon Bridges

Taking two leeks.  pn394

UPDATE. On TVNZ1 News tonight  Simon Bridges said Labour was accusing it of responibility for the leak when Labour had only said Treasury had referred the matter to the police. Playing the victim?

Simple Simon went a-fishing,

For to catch a whale;

All the water he had got,

Was in his mother's pail.

-----

The last few days have really been amazing. We've had the leader of the political party that on good days has the support of at least 4 0ut of 10 New Zealanders — a lawyer in his past life — not only approving the  illegal act of stealing a copy of the draft Budget  but, in accepting and using the stolen missive, becoming an accessory to the theft, and potentially aiding and abetting simalar acts in the future.  No wonder he claims serious crime has increased under Labour. 

It can be argued whether his part in the crime is illegal, immoral or "merely" misconduct, but my guess is that many New Zealanders find it distasteful, more typical of the behaviour of a member of the paparazzi than a possible head of government.

NZ: A Glut of Reforms, and their Critics

pn376

■ Tax  
■ Oil Drilling 
■ Social Welfare
■ Employment Relations
■ Climate Change responses
■ Cannabis

It's taken a while, with so many advisory experts and commissions deliberating, but we're now being inundated with so many actual and proposed law changes that it's difficult to assess their likely impacts  and the  arguments of their critics.

First, we had the report of the Tax Advisory Working Group when government rejected its main proposal, the introduction of a capital gains tax,  and the ban on new oil exploration, and government's later controversial extension of lease dates.

Left-leaning Martyn Bradbury in The Daily Blog calls much of the latest proposed changes "window dressing exercises to look like progress is being made when sweet bugger all is actually being progressed." He may be right but government's response that some changes will be progressively introduced makes sense. It gives people time to adjust to the changes, and avoids increasing the national debt.

Let's take them one at a time.

Look After Yourself Jacinda

pn332

With most commentators talking of a Labour walkover at the next election, despite a possible economic turndown and concern about increased taxes,  it's essential that Jacinda remains in good health. 

This won't be easy given her work as a mother,  a wife and the demands on the country's leader. Think Christchurch, China.   She's been looking quite gaunt on TV lately. 

The election prediction is based on several factors: 

Why Are We So Unconcerned about Climate Change and Global Warming?

Four horses of the Apocalypse pn295

UPDATE. Here's the link to the NZ Listener article.
------------------------------
Why are we so unconcerned about climate warming? 

 Is it because we really believe it is not happening, that it's part of a natural cycle? After all, there have been warm and ice ages before? The dinosaurs died but humans lived. Or because we think scientists don't really know what's happening and are exaggerating its effects? Or because

Ian Shirley on Free Speech in Who's Interests?

Note the different scores. pn250

Free Speech in the Public Interest
By Late Emeritus Professor Ian Shirley

Published on August 21, 2018

Ian died on the 20th January this year. In this article he discusses free speech and hate speech, and free speech for personal aggrandisement and free speech in the public interest.-- ACW

The public discussions that have dominated the airwaves in New Zealand over the past two weeks serves to illustrate how far we have come as a country and how far we need to go!

How Much is Government the Cause of the Fall of Business Confidence?

False because either-or is not the only choice pn152

Despite New Zealand's relatively healthy growth and prospects (subject, of course, to international events over which we have no control) business confidence continues to fall. 

Business confidence, of course, is only one economic indicator —and a not very robust one at that— of how the economy is faring, and likely to fare over the next 12 months.

But the  latest  MYOB Business Monitor Snapshot poll  (412 interviewed) of small to mid-sized businesses shows a sharp slump in both general confidence and - more worryingly - actual revenue, with petrol costs standing out as the biggest concern, with taxes and the minimum wage.  

MYOB general manager Carolyn Luey said that while this was concerning business operators were not panicking.