Labour Thus Far....

[Lightspeed]

She's obviously got her supporters. I don't know how she keeps her broadcasting role after causing Carol Hirschfeld to resign.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

About time.

[The Edge]

Never liked her, and I thought her RNZ+ idea was idiotic (and I work in the industry). Pity she keeps the Broadcasting portfolio. Maybe her RNZ+ idea will be a bit harder to get through now.

[Lightspeed]

NZ tech is losing it over the idea of Derek Handley as CTO of New Zealand

[Lightspeed]

Labour MP accused of 'manhandling' press secretary

I doubt they'll resign if the accusation pans out, they'll need to be pushed (see what I did there?)

[pxpx]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

NZ tech is losing it over the idea of Derek Handley as CTO of New Zealand

"His most high profile directorship has been that of Sky TV, which has taken a sharemarket pounding these last few years, in large part due to its failure to adapt to the digital environment. Sky Go in particular is perhaps New Zealand’s most complained-about piece of digital infrastructure."

Brutal.

[Lightspeed]

Clare Curran's resignation has been accepted by the Prime Minister

Definitely an improvement.

[Ab]

Promoted way above her abilities and retained far too long after fuckups that should have had her shown the door years ago. I can only presume that Dunedin South is a strategically important electorate and Curran's somehow got a preselection lock on it.

[ZoSo]

"Clare Curran contacted me last night to confirm her wish to resign as a Minister and I accepted that resignation," said Jacinda Ardern.

Just this morning Ardern had said Curran's job was safe.

....

Downside is they might actually be able to boost their propaganda channels now that someone actually capable gets a crack at what she was so obviously trying to do.

[pxpx]

National is often accused of serving their rich buddies
Labour seem preoccupied with serving themselves.

[[Malks] Pixie]

Originally Posted by ZoSo

....

Downside is they might actually be able to boost their propaganda channels now that someone actually capable gets a crack at what she was so obviously trying to do.

Honest question; do you actually believe NZ has any propaganda outlets operating in the public sphere or are you just employing hyperbole?

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by pxpx

National is often accused of serving their rich buddies
Labour seem preoccupied with serving themselves.

*cough* Judith Collins *cough*

[Ab]

Jacinda just stepped in a big steaming pile. Good to see Labour’s comms incompetence is one thing we can rely on.

[Lightspeed]

Oh snap, does this mean this Handley guy loses his support for the CTO of NZ position?

That would be sweet icing on the cake.

[BoyWonder]

I'd be a bit perplexed if I was going for CTO of NZ and the minister responsible was contacting me via gmail. Doesn't quite seem right.

[Ab]

Curran and Labour muppetry continues.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12128164

[crocos]

... And Trev the Duck doesn't seem to be helping.

[Ab]

Signs of leadership from Jacinda: announces bad news on a day that isn't Friday

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12128751

Meka Whaitiri will be removed as a minister immediately.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters this afternoon she made the decision after receiving a report into an incident in Gisborne on August 27 between Whaitiri and one of her staff.

"While the facts are in dispute, the report says an incident occurred. Meka Whaitiri continues to contest details of the incident, but there are elements which are agreed," Ardern said.

Ardern would give further details because it was now an employment matter and protecting the privacy of the staff member involved was paramount.

[fixed_truth]

The PMs performance overseas this week has been gold for NZ & her popularity here. Will be interesting to see if swing voters are warming to Labour as a party yet though.

[pxpx]

Her UN address was a snooze-fest but I thought she was pretty good on The Late Show with Colbert.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

The PMs performance overseas this week has been gold for NZ & her popularity here. Will be interesting to see if swing voters are warming to Labour as a party yet though.

Yep. She's represented NZ well.

[StN]

Originally Posted by Ab

Yep. She's represented NZ well.

And like a true Kiwi, she neglected the Stewart. Only mentioning the comically named North and South

[Ab]

Yeah, I thought that myself Rakiura is home for a chunk of the whakapapa on my Dad's side.

[blynk]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

T& her popularity here.

Shit, not when listening to newstalk.

Apparently it's a disgrace and all that shit

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by pxpx

I thought she was pretty good on The Late Show with Colbert.

She sold out the Flight of the Concords. They were all "no, we haven't met her. Not everyone gets to meet the PM." Then she's all "oh yes, I've met them before."

[crocos]

Not to mention the "Come pick me up from the airport then come to dinner" comment

[The Edge]

Originally Posted by blynk

Shit, not when listening to newstalk.

Apparently it's a disgrace and all that shit

That's to be expected though from a right-wing radio station. Of course, if it was John Key it would be a different story.

[Ab]

One of the most surprising things about this government is the way it so quickly went from hopey changey stardust to the corruption that it was supposed to be a change from.

https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/09/t...s_un_trip.html

[Lightspeed]

Yeah, nah. The only thing to see here is spin.

If you're not communicating via social media, you're not communicating.

[Ab]

Yeah funneling taxpayer money to party donors for services already being performed by existing staff is totes stardusty

[Lightspeed]

lol. "Funnelling."

Social media being such a static environment, it's obviously corruption to all of a sudden to be paying professionals to get it right.

[Juju]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

lol. "Funnelling."

Social media being such a static environment, it's obviously corruption to all of a sudden to be paying professionals to get it right.

Augusto were the only marketing agency to donate more than $15k to labour. Heck, they were the only company outside of Unions and primary industries to donate more than $15k.

C'mon.. don't you think that's just a little bit fishy? Considering there are literally thousands of other social media marketing agencies out there?

[Lightspeed]

Potentially. But there's not nearly enough information for accusations of funnelling to stick.

You say there are thousands of such agencies. I'm sceptical this is true, at least in NZ. But if this was a unknown agency with a couple of clients that only got Labour on its books after it made a substantial donation, that would definitely be sketchy. Is this the case?

Or is this an agency that Labour has previously worked with that they're continuing to work with? In an attempt to be effective at something they've previously been mocked for failing at?

[pxpx]

At the end of the day, it looks bad - and it's yet another mark against 'our most transparent government ever'

[Ab]

Ardern:

“They did social media for us, they did a bit of work on the last campaign and so they’re doing work for us now, helping build up our stock footage and stuff. Campaign stuff.”

Jacinda just stepped in it. Taxpayer funds can’t be used for campaigning. Labour is trying another “pledge card” rort.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by pxpx

At the end of the day, it looks bad - and it's yet another mark against 'our most transparent government ever'

They don't need to be absolutely transparent to be our most transparent government ever. It's not exactly a high bar.

And looking shiny isn't the same as transparency.

[fixed_truth]

Government's surplus grows so substantially it hits 2022 debt target early
Good headline for the Govt.

[Juju]

it is, but the reality is it has little to do with Labour's operations.
Labour were in power for 2/3rds of the period. Nothing Labour has done would have had much of an effect in this period.
It's 90% due to outside powers. The economy, both national and international, and really, National setting things up well for them. Labour just need to not fuck it up in the coming years.

[pxpx]

Not entirely familiar with government accounting - but when do things like First year free tertiary education etc start hitting the books?

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by Juju

it is, but the reality is it has little to do with Labour's operations.
Labour were in power for 2/3rds of the period. Nothing Labour has done would have had much of an effect in this period.
It's 90% due to outside powers. The economy, both national and international, and really, National setting things up well for them. Labour just need to not fuck it up in the coming years.

A budget surplus doesn't necessarily mean that a Govt. is running things well. It just means there's extra funds to spend, which in Nationals case was because they severely underspent in health & education in particular.

Also according to Joyce having Labour in charge things would fall down a $11b hole pretty fast which hasn't happened & despite shonky business confidence surveys people are perfectly happy to get on with it.

Originally Posted by pxpx

Not entirely familiar with government accounting - but when do things like First year free tertiary education etc start hitting the books?

Yet turning to expenses, which only grew 5.1%, he warned this was largely due to “timing issues” and would “reverse out” in the 2018/19 accounts.

Quizzed on the extent of this, Robertson said about half of the 1.4% (or $1.1 billion) under-spend, relative to what Treasury projected in the Budget, is likely to be spent in the next year.