Luckily, union membership is in long term decline and I will welcome the day when new teachers refuse to be intimidated into joining these ratbags.

You can’t prove that statement because like so many of your comments, Andrew, they are lies.

If teacher’s unions are so good at “intimidating” workers to “joining these ratbags” – why aren’t all workers around the country unionised? Why are the same methods of “intimidation” used?

I’ll tell you why; because you made it up.

The education portfolio was always going to be a challenge because it is the battleground against unionism in NZ

So?

Unionism is voluntary in this country, Andrew. So it’s none of your fucking business if people want to join or not.

Shame on you, Ms Kaye, shame!

Winston could say “apple trees” and if there weren’t suddenly 4 million more apple trees in Northland the upset Nat people would be grizzling about him not delivering on promises.

That’s how stupid the situation is and how stupid they are.

Auckland council has become much worse since Kaye has been involved.

from Wiki

Kaye joined the National Party in 1998, becoming women’s vice-chair of the southern region of the New Zealand Young Nationals. She is presently an International Vice-Chairman of the International Young Democrat Union.

She holds up former National MP Katherine Rich as one of her role models.[4] Kaye’s own policies, placing her in the socially liberal wing of the National Party,[5] have been criticised by some people in her own party, where some have called her a “high maintenance backbencher”. Others have called her “obsessive”, or, in a more positive vein, “driven”.[5] However, commentators have argued that her stance is unlikely to hurt her in her marginal electorate, which has traditionally voted Labour.[5]

Kaye was elected the deputy chair of the Government Administration Select Committee in February 2011. In her first parliamentary term, she also sat on the Local Government and Environment Select Committee and the Auckland Governance Legislation Select Committee. Through her time in Parliament on these committees she has been heavily involved in the review of the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Bill and legislation creating the Auckland Council.[10]

Please. Pretty please – this little petal would appreciate a Warning: trigger alert before that person is paraded.

Point noted,. Andrea. 🙂 (Especially, I am guessing, after mealtimes, when people have eaten…?) 😉

Which same also applies to Winston who has been lambasted for ‘not doing more for Northland; and what about the bridges, eh?’

To be fair, Winston Peters never made the “ten bridges” promise. That came from desperate Nats.

Hopefully Peters will make good use of the failure to meet that promises, come 23 September. He has every right to hold the Nats to account and make it an election issue.

Please. Pretty please – this little petal would appreciate a Warning: trigger alert before that person is paraded. 🙂

“The simple reality that being in Opposition renders an MP with very little legislative power.”

Which same also applies to Winston who has been lambasted for ‘not doing more for Northland; and what about the bridges, eh?’

It must be hard for any member of the Opposition to get traction and collaboration with the Treasury bench mob in an election year, when the sewers are running fast and deep.

I certainly agree with you there Frank, (and I especially love your photo essay!) but I tend to see opportunity rather than horror at bad behaviour.

The opportunity is simply just how little belief National have that they can win in September.

The more they sharpen their knives and buzz-saws, the more panicked they appear.

The more panicked they appear, the less they look like a government to be.

Hoo-bloomin’-ray!