Bob Edlin: Count the number of Finnish public servants.....

Count the number of Finnish public servants to see what happens when you trim govt department numbers

Paul Goldsmith, Minister for the Public Service and Digitising Government, was raring to go when asked what action the Government was taking to improve services and deliver better value for money in the public service.

The patsy question was lobbed by National MP David MacLeod.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 3/12/24

Yes, Givealittle has its fund-raising place – but it’s Christmas, and a govt-backed campaign will urge us to give a little bit more

Oops – a failure to press the right button yesterday followed by a failure to check what had (or hadn’t) been posted resulted in this Beehive Buzz report sitting in technical limbo overnight. Here it is. Meanwhile our team is working on the ministerial releases posted since then…

It looks like someone in the Luxon Government has lost the memo about keeping an eye on public spending and – imbued with festive-season spirit – is giving effect to how-to-be-kind guidance left behind by the Labour bunch.

Matt Ridley: Britain’s staggering productivity crisis explains so many of our woes

How is it possible that the public sector is no more productive today than it was in 1996, before the internet took off?

Britain has a chronic productivity problem. As the American economy marches upwards in output per person, Britain limps behind. As Ben Southwood, Samuel Hughes and Sam Bowman have calculated, if GDP per hour worked here had continued growing at the rate it grew between 1979 and 2008, we would now be 25 per cent richer and annual tax revenues would be £274 billion higher.

Simon O'Connor: A tale of three countries

A few thoughts and observations on the recent elections in the United Kingdom and France, and the upcoming Presidential election in the United States.

It has been a fascinating few days of international politics. We have just seen the United Kingdom and France conclude their elections, and of course the anticipation of the Presidential election in the United States.

Point of Order: NZ slaps more sanctions on Russia while welcoming Brits into the CPTPP

We haven’t exhaustively put this proposition to the test, but we suspect there’s just one thing Nanaia Mahuta has mentioned more often than “sanctions” in her press statements. That would be “three waters”.

Mahuta has popped up in the latest batch of Beehive press statements to announce a further tightening of the thumb screws she is applying to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Melanie Phillips: A referendum should be for the whole nation

 

The Scots have no right to amputate the UK

Once again, Scottish nationalism is on the march.

The Scottish National Party wants another referendum on independence from the rest of the UK. A referendum on this was held in 2014, when on a turnout of more than 84 per cent more than 55 per cent of voters said “no” and almost 45 per cent said “yes”. 

Mike Hosking: UK Free Trade deal a rare bright spot

 

Yet another reason to thank Boris Johnson and be grateful that there remain a few visionaries about the place that want us to prosper and succeed. 

By all accounts, our free trade deal with the UK is a winner. It's open and truly free, the hurdles remain few and far between. The gains we stand to make are enormous. 

It's a tangible example of what we envisaged when we entered into the world of free trading all those years ago under the previous Labour govt of David Lange and Sir Roger Douglas. We are the free trade pioneers and we deserve this level of success. 

Kate Hawkesby: UK will be an interesting experiment in managing Covid

 

I see Chris Hipkins is saying we won't, in this country, aim to be like the UK and take the approach that we just have to learn to live with Covid. Hipkins says lifting restrictions like the UK is about to is not a realistic option for us long term.

So it seems the eradication strategy is still NZ's goal. And if this is true, then are we in for a life of lockdowns and closed borders?

As of the 19th of July the UK, rightly or wrongly, is ditching all restrictions and opening the place back up, normal life can resume. They are desperate for it, let's be honest they've been locked down a very long time, but the new Health Minister's approach is – learn to live with Covid, take some personal responsibility, this is what it is.