Mike Butler: Moment of truth for Harawira

Former MP Hone Harawira blinking while refusing to admit defeat was probably the standout moment in election coverage last night. Harawira’s performance was pivotal for Kim Dotcom, the "billionaire" German internet entrepreneur facing extradition to face copyright infringement charges.

Dotcom launched the Internet Party in March of this year, and entered an agreement with Harawira's Mana Party under which the parties could demerge six weeks after polling day. Dotcom donated $3-million to the Internet Party, and shortly after former Alliance Party leader Laila Harré was announced leader.

Ron Smith: Terrorists and Drones

It should have come as no surprise to us that a New Zealander has been killed in a drone attack in Yemen.  I wrote earlier about the citizens of New Zealand, Australia and other western countries joining Islamic fundamentalists in global jihad and possibly getting killed. 

More importantly, I wrote about such individuals coming back, trained and further motivated, to kill persons here, as in the case of the murder of Lee Rigby in London (‘Terrorism, propaganda and war’, June 2013).  We could take comfort from the fact that the individual concerned in this case will not return to carry on jihad.  We might also be gratified that our intelligence services knew where he was and what he was doing and would (hopefully) have alerted the relevant authorities had he returned.

Mike Butler: Green plan to cut home values

Co-leader Metiria Turei said the Green Party wants to make sure house prices fall so young families could afford to buy a home but appears unaware of the impact of a house-price decline on young families who have already bought a home. When asked by presenter Duncan Garner in a debate on housing aired on TV3’s The Vote on Wednesday night whether she would like to see house prices fall, Turei said:

“Yes, actually we would like to make sure that they fall . . oh shocked looks on their faces . . oh dear, how terrible that young families could actually afford to buy a home.”

When Garner followed up by saying: “You want house prices to fall. That means some families would have negative equity which would be an economic disaster for New Zealand”, Turei said “that’s right”, adding:

“that means that those holding onto the wealth now will have to be prepared to let some of it go”

This is the latest in a series of Green Party policy gaffes:

Mike Butler: Sparks fly in electricity fight

A proposal from Labour leader David Shearer and Green co-leader Russel Norman, announced on Thursday, to bring down power prices, is the latest round in a tit-for-tat political struggle started by the National-led government’s policy of selling assets to keep the ship of state afloat. Labour had joined the Green Party in collecting 320,000 signatures to oppose the part-privatisation of electricity generating companies, and then 400,000 pre-registered for the Mighty River Power float, with 400,000 trumping 320,000.

Mike Butler: Green sub-prime housing

The latest Green Party policy-for-votes initiative, a rent-to-buy housing scheme, appears to have been created by someone unable to work out the numbers involved. Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei announced the policy on January 24, 2012, at Ratana festivities. The scheme involves building about 10,000 state houses for up to $300,000 each, in conjunction with tribal corporations, local government, and community groups, which families would live in and eventually own. The Crown would initially own all the equity in the house because families would not need to pay a deposit.

Mike Butler: Russel Norman on CGT (LOL)

Russel Norman seems to have sucked in a few unthinking reporters and sub-editors working for Fairfax, or so it would seem, because he was given space to write the pre-Budget opinion piece in today’s Dominion Post normally reserved for the leader of the opposition.

In that op-ed piece, Norman talks up a “smart green Budget” that “would position our nation to be a world leader in tomorrow's green economy”, and waffles on about “a plan that would take our national debt seriously”, “structural reforms aimed at rebalancing our economy”

Mike Butler: Partner of billboard vandal back at work in Green Party office

The partner of a man responsible for organising vandalism of National Party hoardings during the election campaign has been cleared to return to work for the Green Party, according to blogger Whale Oil.

Anne Heins, executive assistant to Greens co-leader Russel Norman, was last month stood down from her job after it was revealed her partner, Jolyon White, had led a campaign to attach stickers saying either “Drill it, mine it, sell it” or “The rich deserve more” on 700 National billboards.