I now use the Irony meter as a fan

It’s been gobsmacking to see just how quickly the American left have forgotten their appalling abuse of George W. Bush, but this one pretty much tops everything you’ve ever seen.

Apparently this doofus forgot that his stuff is being cross-posted, and that it was being cross-posted to a site does exactly what he’s condemning – incivility.

But even without that irony and hypocrisy, the entire thesis of the post is luducris. The LA times is one of the most biased (so-called) MSM publications in the entire United States – toward the left. They didn’t even bother reporting to their readers recent comments by Helen Thomas.

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Interests of the Few

I agree with Idiot Savant on the minimum wage increase.

Labour is putting its money where its mouth is on the minimum wage, with employment spokesperson Trevor Mallard putting up a bill to raise it to $15 / hour over the next two years. Its a good move, and it perfectly highlights the difference between Labour and National: one promoting the interests of the many, the other those of a privileged and greedy few.

It’s nice to see National promoting the interests of the many who don’t want to subsidise the jobs of other people who aren’t (yet?) qualified or experienced enough to earn more than minimum wage.

On the other hand are the few on minimum wage. Last I checked demanding money you don’t deserve counts as greed.

Naturally, I’m being factious. But it’s worth pointing out the nonsense that is the “National are evil, Labour are sweetness and light” meme.

Life is a lot more complicated than that, and the minimum wage seems to bring out the simpletons every time it’s debated.

Labour and the Maori Party

NRT really puts the boot in.

For the past year, political commentator Chris Trotter has been urging Labour to advance its political fortunes by cynically playing the race card. Unfortunately, they seem to have listened to him. Today in Palmerston North (of course), Labour leader Phil Goff gave a speech to Grey Power (of course) attacking the government for dealing with the Maori Party, “reopening” Treaty settlements, and revisiting the Foreshore and Seabed Act. While carefully caveated (of course), the underlying message was loud and clear: “National is in bed with the bloody Maaris”.

 

Who’d have thought the Labour party might be playing Maori for its own political convenience?

Before the election Clark was clear about the status of the Maori Party, saying they would be the last cab off the rank in coalition talks. But the knife-edge result has levelled the playing field.

Gee, with National’s stirling work on treaty settlements in the 90’s, and now with a close relationship with the Maori party, not to mention Labour’s capituation of it’s “closing the gaps” policiy after Brash’s poll surge, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Labour’s relationship with Maori was for its own good, not that of Maori.

Actually, that sounds a bit dumb. Of course Labour was only in it for itself, it’s all politics, innit?

Goff’s speech was very, very well crafted to make an anti-maori statement sound pro. Brash was never quite so subtle. That subtlety might mitigate some damage. Well, it might have had Winston been out of the picture and National not been in cahoots with Turia. Plus, with Winston and Brash still in the public memory, the strategy is clear.

One thing is crystal clear, the Labour party is ceding the Maori electorate to the Maori party – at least for now. That’s a massive seismic shift from the Labour position a few  years ago.

We get it, No we Don’t

As I’ve pointed out before, The Standard are obsessed with John key. But today I saw this via the Dim-Post.

Demonising Key hasn’t and isn’t likely to work for Labour. It doesn’t accord at all with the public perception of him (as evidenced by the polls) and it positions Labour as negative and nitpicking right at the time the country is looking for positivity and vision. Is what drops out of Edwards’ piece the beginnings of an alternative strategy for the left?

Wow, so they’ve worked out what they’re doing wrong. Amazing.

So, as the Government slowly but surely rips the heart out of the welfare state, rewarding the rich and punishing the poor, Key’s job as frontman is to be the ultimate populist PM.

Heh, apparently not.

Motivation…

Well, this Paula Bennett thing is being hyped by all and sundry. I think MacDoctor has the most pertinent observation.

I would agree with Colin Espiner on this one, and ask really “what’s the big deal?” Colin correctly points out the Labour would have released the same information, but covertly, leaking it to a journalist or two, rather than releasing it officially.

This means that, essentially, Paula Bennett is being castigated by Labour for being upfront and forthright. My feeling is that Key should point this out in no uncertain terms, making sure that the public see the issues for what they really are. Hopefully, someone will actually lay a complaint with the commissioner, because, I am fairly certain, that she will find in Bennetts favour, her comments today, notwithstanding.

I suspect that Labour would have laid a compliant even if Bennett had done the covert thing. They’ve shown a distinct lack of shame when it comes to slamming their own favourite tactics when someone else uses them.

Considering this hypocrisy (especially that shown at The Standard) I came across my National Party membership renewal which hadn’t been actioned this year…

Shane Jones Disses the Maori Party

Was listening to Waatea News a few minutes ago.

A speaker, who proved to be Shane Jones, told us all that the Maori Party didn’t understand the treaty of Waitangi.

I also heard the other day on the same program that Sponge Bob may soon be available in Maori.

Maybe Jones could find another job? He’s clearly not doing his party any favours in his current one.

Labour Has a Really Bad Day

Item 1: A Labour party placed MSM story gets outed, along with a few details that were initially omitted.

And Labour have shown us exactly what their priority is for all the money their pixies are printing. It is to give out welfare to a couple where one partner is working, and they have over $600,000 of investment properties.

This is not turning into a good week for Phil Goff. It seems he literally does advocate welfare for millionaires.

And after saying they weren’t!

We see from this Twitter shot, that the story was obviously part of a Labour comms campaign. Goff twttering on it this morning, and asking questions in the House. So did Goff know this couple actually owns three propoerties worth around $1.4 million when he held them up as an example of why we should pay the dole to everyone?

Item 2: Phil makes a fool of himself in the house.

Hon Phil Goff: Why did the Prime Minister answer in the House yesterday that a person who has been made redundant and who has a spouse earning $26,000 a year is eligible for financial support for job search or retraining when he or she is not?

Hon JOHN KEY: Because it is correct.

Item 3:  Grant Robertson inadvertently admits that Labour reduced financial oversight of government departments. Worse, he’s horrified that this might have been reversed.

A horrified Grant Robertson claimed it signalled the resurgence of Treasury’s influence over the public sector.

Hang on. “Resurgence of Treasury’s influence?” Hadn’t his previous Labour government somehow banished Treasury to a corner where it could not exercise any influence over the financial performance of the public service?

Not like Labour cared about National policies that Labour turned back, in fact they seemed to make quite the song and dance when they did. In fact, they always do quite a lot of singing and dancing whenever anything happens!

A Good Credit Rating

Well, as so many have already blogged, our credit rating is off negative watch.

I remember well in the 90’s, the increase in our credit rating was the first good sign. Once our credit rating improved, our cost of debt (which was huge) reduced and thus started a virtuous circle.

Eventually, that turned into the prosperity of the 2000’s – which Labour squandered.

Luckily, not too badly and it looks like careful management of the government books will be all that’s needed to keep things ticking along.

Well, let’s hope so.

Update: Phil In just said on Closeup that we should be training more apprentices while so many are being fired.

Is it just me, or is that completely the reverse of the law of supply and demand?

Back in the parallel galaxy that is the political left…

…the theft of large numbers of an opposition MP’s private correspondence (that required heavy “interpretation” to show any wrongdoing) is just a minor crime, but one that exposed a massive conspiracy of high public interest.

I cannot imagine a judge forcing disclosure in a highly political leak case in which there was a high public interest in exposure and the alleged crime is so minor.

When, when will these people learn that it’s the goverment that must be held to account, not the opposition?

Why on earth should the emails be so “interesting” when they showed less wrongdoing by the National party than the front page of the Herald showed of the Labour party of the last 9 years? Where are Helen’s emails for us to examine?

After all, Brash is acused of, at worst, trying to win an election by pack door means. That claim is demonstrativly false, and is all the more absurd given he failed.

Labour and it’s MPs on the other hand have been acused of

• Assault (several MPs)
• Fraud (several MPs)
• Serious undermining of the neutrality of the public service
• Corruption of various sorts, including the first MP ever put on trial (oh, and he only got kicked out for party disloyalty, the corruption was apparently ok)
• Forgery of paintings and documents
• Telling some pretty whopping and obvious lies (I didn’t notice how fast we were going, was it really 180k?)
• Successfully rorting an election
• And openly, I repeat openly skewing electoral law to disadvantage their opponents – a wrongdoing that they have now repented of in spades.

That’s what’s made the front pages of the news.

Let’s not even start on the cabinet member who was caught taping tenis balls in various places in consenting adults who also tried the same on non-consenting children.

HT: MacDoctor

David Shearer puts his foot in it – will the media notice?

Whale Oil points out some comments by David Shearer.

In case you havn’t heard of him, he’s standing in Melissa Lee’s election (yes, there are other canditates!).

I was going to say something sarcastic like “now, back to bashing Lee“, but as  you can see from the clip they haven’t bothered to pause that pastime, slipping in plenty of references to her supposed gaffes.