The Herald reports:

Historic convictions for sex between men could soon be quashed by the Government.

Justice Minister Amy Adams has asked her officials to find a solution for those who were convicted of now-abolished homosexuality offences, TVNZ reported.

Rather than an automatic pardon, individuals or their families would have to apply to have their convictions erased. Before homosexual law reform in 1986, sex between men was illegal even if it was consensual.

The Government’s consideration of the issue comes after Britain agreed in October to pardon thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under obsolete legislation. It is known as the “Alan Turing law” after the World War 2 code-breaker who was posthumously pardoned for his gross indecency conviction in 2013.

Consensual sex between adults should never have been a crime.

The Herald reports:

The Labour Party has announced a reshuffle of its caucus this morning following the departure of MPs David Shearer and Phil Goff.

The party has also created a new portfolio, called New Economy, which will be held by leader Andrew Little.

What does that mean? Normally when you have to call something explicitly it means the opposite – as in any country that calls itself a democratic republic is invariably a dictatorship.  So I presume a portfolio of new economy means “1970s economy”.

David Parker has taken Shearer’s foreign affairs portfolio and Michael Wood, who won Goff’s Mt Roskill seat, will be Labour’s spokesman for consumer affairs, ethnic communities and revenue.

Imagine the outcry if National announce a European MP as the ethnic communities spokesperson or a man as the spokesperson for women!

Chris Hipkins will relinquish the senior whip position to focus his energy on the education portfolio. He will take over the tertiary education role, which was held by departing New Lynn MP David Cunliffe, who is leaving Parliament to do consultancy work next year.

This is a very sensible move. Having the one MP do education and tertiary education makes sense. Bill English should do the same with his reshuffle and give Tertiary Education and Education to the same Minister.

He said Parker was Shearer’s pick to replace him as Foreign Affairs spokesman, and as a senior MP was widely respected and brought “intellectual grunt” to a portfolio that needed it.

Parker is a fine choice there.

Kris Faafoi would pick up the whip’s job and would also be whip if Labour went into Government after 2017, a role Little said was a pathway into Cabinet.

A pathway into Cabinet means he won’t be there at first, if at all.

In other changes, Clare Curran will take on the ICT role and move into Labour’s shadow Cabinet.

Also sensible as Curran knows the area well.

Nash will also take the state-owned enterprises portfolio previously held by Clayton Cosgrove. Nash will also be the new spokesman for Innovation and science and for research and development.

Iain Lees-Galloway is Labour’s new defence spokesman, a role previously held by Goff. Megan Woods will become state services spokeswoman.

Good portfolios for Nash and defence works well for ILG as he has lots of NZDF interests in his electorate.

Michael Wood will take on consumer affairs, revenue and ethnic communities, which Little said reflected the diverse population in the Mt Roskill electorate.

So would you make a man the spokesperson for women because he has a lot of women in his electorate?

The Herald reports:

New Prime Minister Bill English has signalled his Government will have a stronger emphasis on addressing social issues but says he should not be confused as “Labour light.”

“I’m a strong believer that markets work, because people face consequences of their decisions and it’s a powerful positive force,” he told the Herald.

“At the same time you can still be concerned about what Government does for people. These things aren’t mutually exclusive.”

That is not something you hear from the left – that markets are a powerful positive force. But they are. Of course you need some interventions on top of market forces, but too many on the left just see any market as bad.

In an earlier press conference he said the Government was not the answer to everything.
Most answers could be found in families and communities and sometimes Government got in the way of that.

“It is a political difference between us and the current Labour-Greens coalition who believe the Government is the answer to everything.

Their solution to (relatively modest) power price increases was to effectively nationalise the entire generation market in NZ and have the Government set the price.

Asked if he was committed to reducing inequality, English said that was not how he would put it.

“I think lifting incomes is just more aspirational,” he said in an interview.

Ask a poor family what scenario they would rather have:

1. They get a 10% increase in income and wealthy families get a 15% increase
2. They get a 5% increase in income and wealthy families get a 5% increase

I bet you 95% would say (1) but all the poverty misery lobby groups out there would condemn (1) as increasing inequality.

“We are not as focused at the Opposition on everyone getting exactly the same result. We are happy to see people get reward for success.”

Again a nice distinction.

The Herald reports:

Scott Watson has been denied parole.

A report released by the New Zealand Parole Board revealed the decision today.

The report stated that Watson’s risk of violent recidivism was very high.

This is the top category. The four categories are:

• Low – below 50% chance of reoffending
• Medium – 50 to 65% chance
• High – 65% to 90% chance
• Very high – over 90% chance

So he is judged almost certain to reoffend violently.

On a psychopathy checklist he fell within a group of offenders “who show an elevated rate and speed of recidivism, particularly relative to violence”.

The report acknowledged that limited information is known about his index offending but identified “perceived sexual rejection, ruminations upon revenge, positive affect associated with inflicting pain and distress and a disinhibition through alcohol intoxication”.​

Sounds lovely doesn’t he.

Watson’s next parole hearing has been postponed for four years until December 6, 2020 due to the estimated time it will take Watson to be rehabilitated.

That is very significant. Basically they are saying he has no chance of parole in the near future as he has refused to go on any courses to reduce his chances of reoffending.

Some people assert he can’t be released on parole unless he admits he was guilty. This is not true. The Parole Board has often released people who have never admitted guilt. The criteria is whether or not they are likely to reoffend.

The Herald reports:

Two Green Party MPs have announced they will retire from politics after next year’s election.

Catherine Delahunty and Steffan Browning said they would not seek reelection in 2017.

Delahunty, who is the Green Party’s education spokeswoman, said she was proud of her eight years in Parliament.

“I feel particularly proud of the work I’ve done around building a quality, more inclusive public education system, leading our party’s nationwide campaign for swimmable rivers, speaking up for the people of West Papua, and working for a national register of contaminated toxic sites.

“I intend on spending the coming months campaigning hard on these issues, which I know many thousands of New Zealanders care deeply about. After that, I am looking forward to continuing my lifelong commitment to activism and community building, as well as spending more time writing and being with my family.”

There’s not much I agree with Catherine Delahunty on but she has been a tireless advocate within education and has always been a very pleasant person to engage with.

Steffan Browning is most famous for proposing homeopathy be used to treat Ebola and more recently decrying Cuban exiles for not liking Fidel Castro as much as he did.

The Herald reports:

Children’s commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft says he was “shaken” by the 2016 child poverty monitor, the first to be issued since he took the advocacy role.

What did it show? A huge increase?

Produced by the University of Otago, the annual monitor, released today, shows child poverty rates are stable, with a slight decrease.

Absolutely shocking.

The Herald reports:

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced he will not stand in the 2017 election.

In a statement, McCully said he would not put his name on the National Party list for 2017 and would bow out of politics at that point, but would stay on in Foreign Affairs until then if that was Prime Minister Bill English’s wish.

“In light of the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle, I want to be clear that I will not be a nominee for the National Party list. I have made the Prime Minister and other senior colleagues aware of this position,” McCully said.

This means four Ministers (and former PM John Key) are retiring in 2017 – McCully, Parata, Foss and Lotu-Iiga. Unless Bill English decides to keep them in their ministerial roles until the election, that means there may be five vacancies in the Ministry – which would be a very significant reshuffle and rejuvenation.

It is possible that a couple of them, might have replacements announces this week, but not have their successors take over until early in the New Year – McCully and Parata being the obvious ones.

“I want to ensure that New Zealand’s international relationships have a smooth transition from the Key Government to the English Government. How I might best contribute to that process is a matter for the Prime Minister.”

“We can look back on some significant foreign policy achievements, including New Zealand’s election to the United Nations Security Council, where I am currently attending my final meetings in New York prior to the conclusion of our term at the end of December.”

McCully has served eight years as Foreign Minister, making him one of the longest serving ones in the democratic world.

Much much better than the Rhys Darby one which was awful. Not one of their classic ones like Men in Black but still pretty good.

Radio NZ reported:

Tuaine Murray, her husband and her son, who has a disability, have been living in motels for most of the year, while they wait for a Housing New Zealand property.

Ms Murray said the $2300 per week was for a unit at the Allenby Park Hotel in Papatoetoe.

Initially the money had to be repaid, but now the government is paying for it.

They were recently placed in emergency housing at the motel after stints at various other motels and the Manurewa Marae.

Ms Murray said she desperately needed a Housing New Zealand house, because they were struggling to get a private rental and were at the mercy of Work and Income.

She said the room did not have a functioning oven or a laundry. They could not go on living with these conditions and needed more stability, she said.

“We can’t really carry on doing this. It’s really hard. We’ve been doing it for such a long time … We can’t keep doing this to my son.”

The Allenby Park Hotel has been charging Ms Murray and her family a premium – the normal rate would be slightly more than $1700 a week.

First of all Ms Murray is not paying a cent for the hotel room. Taxpayers are. But why is Ms Murray needing accommodation when Radio NZ reports:

Ms Murray said she had never been evicted.

However Whale Oil reports that she has been evicted, citing a Tenancy Tribunal decision online. Now why did Radio NZ and its many staff not do what Whale did, and spend 60 seconds searching the Tenancy Tribunal to verify who was telling the truth?

Also in an earlier post Whale Oil points out:

A little digging on Facebook is revealing. I wonder how much she “gives” to C3 Church in Manukau each week? Why aren’t they helping her?

They have plenty of money to book the Joseph Parker fight on Sky. Not mention the Jim Beams. The tattoos. I’m not sure posting photos of friends at your parties showing off the buds is a good idea either. Lots of people wearing blue, no red clothing in any photo, and loads of hand signals…Black Power through and through.

MSD pointed out:

Ms Murray had been repeatedly evicted due to her behaviour and, while she had a high-priority rating, there were a limited number of landlords willing to take a chance on her or properties that met her needs.

“We keep on working to find a permanent home for the family, and to ensure they’re getting all the support they require to stabilise their situation, despite these challenges, because her son needs a stable home.”

So the Government is doing what it can, but you know there is some responsibility on the family also.

The Herald reports:

Labour MP Jacinda Ardern has put up her hand to stand for Labour in Mt Albert in the likely byelection prompted by incumbent David Shearer’s departure.

Labour is almost certain to selected Ardern for the seat, which Labour has held since it was created in 1946 and was former Prime Minister Helen Clark’s stronghold between 1981 and her departure in 2009.

There have been only three MPs for Mt Albert over 70 years.

1. Warren Freer 1947 to 1981 – 34 years
2. Helen Clark 1981 to 2009 – 28 years
3. David Shearer 2009 to 2016 – seven years

If Ardern becomes MP for Mt Albert it will allow Labour to bring in a list MP ahead of the 2017 election – Labour leader Andrew Little is keen to get Raymond Huo back to give Labour some Chinese representation. That will mean Maryan Street and Moana Mackey will have to forfeit their places ahead of Huo on the party’s list.

Poor Raymond may not be an MP for long if he does come back. On current polling Labour would get very few List MPs.

Until Shearer’s resignation, Ardern had expected to stand again in the marginal Auckland Central for the third time after losing to National’s Nikki Kaye in 2011 and 2014. Kaye has a 700-vote majority – the slimmest in New Zealand. Kaye is still on leave being treated for breast cancer but has confirmed she will stand again.

Asked if Ardern was effectively conceding defeat to Kaye in Auckland Central, Ardern said “everyone knows I lost twice – the results are pretty clear. But no, it’s not a concession. I still genuinely believe Auckland Central can be won and I intend to work closely with whoever is the new candidate if I get selected [for Mt Albert].”

You generally only swap seats for one reason – because you don’t think you’ll win the one you are in.

She had recently moved into the Mt Albert electorate, but said the decision to switch her candidacy to Mt Albert had been a genuine dilemma because she had worked in Auckland Central for eight years and built up a good team.

If Jacinda moved some time ago, maybe she had an idea the seat would become vacant?

Anyway it is a sensible move for Jacinda. On the latest Roy Morgan poll she would not make it back as a List MP – even if ranked No 2 on the list. This gives her a likely seat for life.

Mike Hosking writes:

What do you reckon, have the Bernie Monk/Pike River protesters gone a little bit too far?

The great problem with all this is that it’s driven by tragedy and grief and, as we have said a number of times before, if you haven’t been through it personally, how can any of us really know what it’s like?

Making it even more complicated is the fact that what they’re doing appears perfectly legal. The latest development of the farmer gifting the road to the protesters seems perfectly legal and driven by genuine sympathy, and it’s his road to gift and the protesters to accept.

If they want to put up a gate to block truck access who are we to argue?

You can also bring in Solid Energy and ask why on Earth they didn’t secure the access road for their purposes and have some sort of binding agreement.

If that was the only road, what on Earth were they going to do if anything, far less a protest, happened to it?

How can you run a business if the entry to said business hangs in the balance and at the behest of the owner who is a separate entity from that business?

Now back to Bernie Monk, and here’s what worries me.

Bernie’s language is getting increasingly aggressive.

They’re doing to the Government and owners, he says, what they’ve been doing to us.

That sounds sort of tit for tat to me. That sounds needlessly full of aggro.

Yes, it will have been born out of frustration and I am sure there are many who share that frustration. But here I think is the critical bit of all of this.

Bernie keeps saying: “All they want is to be listened to.” Which I am afraid to say, technically isn’t true. Why?

Because they have been listened to, they have been listened to for six years. They have had meeting after meeting, they have protested and complained and petitioned.

You can’t possibly argue they haven’t been listened to.

What Bernie is really saying, if he were blunt and honest, is “we want it our way, we want you to change your mind and do what we want”, which is different to being listened to.

And in that is the stalemate.

The Government have listened, and they have reports, and they disagree with the protesters. It’s that simple.

They have not set out to make this any more difficult than it already is, but as the owner of the mine they have the ultimate responsibility, and safety comes first.

And as much as you might want it to be different, putting up gates and blocking roads doesn’t change that.

There is a sad irony that the Pike deaths came about due to a lack of attention to health and safety. And now some of the families of the dead are demanding that health and safety concerns be ignored, and more people be put at risk of dying. The very organisation that got set up as a result of Pike River has ruled the mine should be sealed as it is too great a risk. Solid Energy are obliged under law to do this.

Audrey Young writes:

The Labour Party was quietly thrilled last week after getting over the shock of John Key’s resignation as Prime Minister and his endorsement of Bill English.

It has less reason to be thrilled after English’s election as leader and appointment as Prime Minister.

In a 40-minute press conference English showed a political dexterity that would have matched Key and a depth that surpassed him.

Key was usually well briefed and could answer most questions.

Even when he nothing to say, he could say it rather well.

But English, after a life-long relationship with the National Party, 26 years in Parliament and eight years as Finance Minister, has an unrivalled breadth of knowledge about New Zealand, its constitution, its history, Government, economy and politics.

And yesterday, all of that was on display.

Bill is not and won’t be John. But he is a politician who is now comfortable in himself, who has a mastery of detail and it has been years since I have seen him have an uncomfortable question time.

The English story is an ongoing and forward story; his idea is to concretely tackle social ills through the social investment approach, in parallel with a healthy economy.

A healthy economy allows you to generate the tax revenue for the social investment, and the big thing English has pushed through (and Bennett) is that this should not just be untargeted spending, but spending on the most vulnerable.

English could be a harder target for Labour than it thinks.

The change of leadership in National gives Labour an opportunity – to become relevant. They may be able to seize that opportunity and life their polling to the high 30s where a Labour/Green Government becomes a possibility. Otherwise it will remain a choice between a National-led Government or Winston deciding.

Gerald Hope writes:

Watson was elusive about what he did on 1 January 1998. I concluded he had rehearsed his responses to much of the evidence we discussed. His response was absolute silence on some of the more circumstantial elements of the prosecution case such as the disposal of the bodies in a sleeping bag. When confronted with this he was mute, unemotional, disconnected – Watson definitely did not convince me that he is innocent on this point.

He failed to convince me that what he said he did on the 1st of January 1998 actually took place. Our conversation left me with four specific points where I was not convinced of his innocence:

· Sighting at Marine Head – his response was that he never stopped. The evidence was that a boat was seen there and that it was confirmed as Blade and Watson.

 

· The squabs from the main cabin with large sections cut out and then carefully picked out are crucial to the case. I was not convinced that they were caused by paint spillage or accidental burning from a cigarette.

· His arrival time at Erie Bay. He said he was there by lunchtime – whereas [name suppressed] and [name suppressed] confirmed his arrival around 5pm. This is crucial to the conviction and leaves many hours in the day unaccounted for. What was Watson doing?

· Finally, the art work – supposedly a personal statement, a visual expression by Watson not long after he was arrested. When I look at the drawing I see a disturbed person, evil depictions and undertones of death and retribution. This draws me to the conclusion that at that time in his life Watson had no respect for women and was living a dark fantasy where death was the currency of the day.

There has been so much said, written, filmed and speculated since 1998 that I now request that no further interviews be requested.

So Hope got to actually ask some inconvenient questions of Watson (he never testified at trial) and found the answers implausible.

For this he gets attacked by Watson’s father reports the Herald:

That has prompted Scott Watson’s father, Chris Watson’s response tonight.

He said he read Hope’s views with “some surprise”.

“After the trouble and expense that Scott, his legal rep, and I went to, to fulfil his wish to meet with Scott, his uninformed views can only be regarded as a slap in the face.”

You’re calling the father of one of the murder victims uninformed. Shame on you.

He said he would have reminded Hope – if he had been present – that his son was “nearly as uninformed as himself as to the finer points of this case”.

But not uninformed as to what he did and when. He is the only person who knows that – well the only person living.

Craig Foss has also announced his retirement in 2017. Another good guy who won a seat off Labour and has kept it since. Tukituki may come into play with Craig retiring.

What is interesting is to look at the makeup of both National’s and Labour’s caucuses in terms of who is standing again. Of those standing in 2017

• Only 12% of Nats entered before 2005 and 21% of Labour MPs
• 38% of remaining Nats entered from 2005 to 2010 and 45% of remaining Labour MPs
• 50% of National’s remaining caucus entered in 2011 or later compared to 34% for Labour

So again National is managing to achieve greater rejuvenation in Government than Labour is managing in opposition.

David Shearer made his valedictory speech on Tuesday. Some highlights:

The reason for my attachment to the Labour Party is quite heartfelt and very simple: over the past century no other institution has more shaped New Zealand and how we see ourselves as people. We take its boldness and its achievements for granted. But my fascination has always been with what went through the minds of those leaders before their landmark decisions, before they launched into the unknown. How did Michael Joseph Savage feel before pioneering the social safety net for New Zealanders, in a world where it had never existed before? What was Kirk thinking before deciding to send a frigate into Mururoa Atoll? Or those who sought to take a risk to settle Māori grievances right back to 1840? The Waitangi Tribunal is, I want to say, an institution that has been extraordinarily healing our country. It is simultaneously a truth commission, drafts history, acknowledges wrong, and compensates for loss. I actually think we should export it; the world needs it more than anything else.

But those nation-shaping decisions and others relied on courageous people who stood up in spite of what the polls said or the focus groups. They were big and they were visionary and occurred under Labour. They were about being progressive. So if I could make one teeny-weeny, wafer-thin criticism of this Government with such immense political capital: I think it could have been more ambitious.

A reasonable criticism.

I believe in free-trade agreements because we will always have greater opportunities and strategic leverage being connected than being disconnected at the bottom of the Pacific. Free trade can concentrate wealth though, and it is the job of Governments to ensure that prosperity is shared and that inequality is addressed. If there is one thing that Brexit and the US elections have shown us, it is that Governments can no longer sit back in their sort of laissez-faire splendour, as they have done for the last two generations.

One of the few remaining Labour MPs who support free trade agreements.

My daughter, when she was about 11, said to me: “Why are people so nasty and rude to you?”. I said “I think it’s because I’m a politician.”, and she said: “They should remember that you’re a human being, as well.” It is tough for kids to see their parents attacked through the media, and it is impossible to hide it from them. When I came into Parliament, my kids, Vetya and Anastasia, were at school, and today they are young adults, and I am immensely proud of them. My wife, Anuschka, has simply been my rock, and I thank her.

Wise words from the young.

Many years ago, some friends and I followed the Nile River on a boat down to Juba in the south of Sudan, and from there we paid a Somali truck driver to take us for 4 days across the south of Sudan and into Kenya. At one of the stops we were in the back of the truck and we were peeling mangos and throwing the skins and some stale bread we had not eaten over the side, and a dozen kids below us were fighting, we found, over our rubbish. It was probably the only food that they had had that day. It had a profound effect on me. It spurred me into humanitarian work around the world, and I have been privileged to work side by side with some wonderfully dedicated people.

So when I received a call a couple of weeks ago offering a position in the same region, I did not hesitate. It was, in many ways for me, completing the circle. My hope, as always, is that I can make something of a difference.

A dedicated humanitarian who does make a difference.

And, wouldn’t you believe it? When I was in New York last week, I remembered I had a bank account there.

Heh now that is funny.

Stuff reports:

Former corrections minister Sam Lotu-Iiga, who came under fire when allegations of fight clubs in a Serco-run prison surfaced, has announced he won’t run in next year’s election.

The MP for Maungakiekie was demoted in December last year when Judith Collins was reinstated in the Corrections portfolio.

Lotu-Iiga said the job had been “immensely challenging” and it’s one that is “taxing on families and your personal relationships”.

In a statement on Tuesday he said it had been “an absolute honour and a privilege to serve the people of Maungakiekie and to be part of the John Key and National-led Government”.

He told media he’d been thinking about stepping down for about two months and had planned to do so last week but delayed it after former Prime Minister John Key made his shock announcement. He told Prime Minister Bill English late last week that he wouldn’t be seeking re-election.

“I enjoyed the job, certainly there were challenges and a lot of issues that came up but at the same time you serve New Zealanders and try and improve their well being and I think we’ve achieved that as a government and I’ve achieved that as a minister.”

Sam entered Parliament in 2008 by winning a seat off Labour and has defended it in both 2011 and 2014. It is only a 2,348 majority so will be competitive in 2017. Sam would have kept the seat I am sure, but will now be in play.

Sam is a genuinely nice guy who will be a loss to National. But his family will be looking forward to having him around more, and I am sure will be snapped up by his former law firm or better.

One News reports:

After 30 odd years, Laila Harre has re-joined the Labour Party – and she wants to be a Labour candidate at next year’s election.

“It’s been a while. It’s really great to be back,” says Ms Harre, who first joined Labour in 1982 at the tender age of 15.

Can’t get much of a better sign that haw far left Labour is going, that Laila wants to stand for Labour.

Harre says she’s Andrew Little’s “biggest fan”.

What about Kim?

“I’ve never really felt strongly reconnected to a political party since the Alliance and I am rediscovering those connections in Labour which is a really great place to be,” she said.

You’re saying you never felt strongly connected to the Internet Party which you were the leader of?

The veteran campaigner says she does regret her four months with the Internet Party because of the damage it did to her reputation.

It did.

“We did what we did to make it possible to change the government.

So the ends justify the means, including working for the guy who faces allegations of paying his servants below the minimum wage.

Labour’s general secretary Andrew Kirton said it was great to have someone with “her talent and experience” back to the party.

And while she’s welcome to stand, she’ll have to go through Te same process as other hopeful candidates.

I hear she is interested in either the Mt Albert or New Lynn nominations, which would be seats for life.

While I disagree with her politics, Laila is a formidable politician and does fight hard for the causes she believes in. Will be an interesting battle for the seats.

A former union boss (Andrew Little) who campaigned on worker safety, along with Winston, is basically demanding that the Government allow entry into the Pike River mine, instead of sealing it.

Now let;’s be clear that the only ones who can make the decision about Pike River are the directors of Solid Energy. The Board have had advice that it is unsafe to allow entry, and that it should be sealed.

So what would happen to a Director who because of political pressure said “Let’s risk it” and allowed entry – and someone was harmed.

You can see above the average of the public polls over the last three years of the Key Government. National is polling 5% higher than the same time three years ago and Labour around 7% lower. No Prime Minister has ever retired in such a strong position.

The executive summary of the monthly newsletter is:

Curia’s Polling Newsletter – Issue 103, November 2016

There were two political voting poll in November 2016 – a Roy Morgan and a One News Colmar Brunton. 

The average of the public polls saw John Key leave office with National a massive 24% ahead of Labour in November, up 9% from October.

 The current seat projection is centre-right 62 seats, centre-left 46 which would see a National-led Government with ACT and/or United Future.

We show the current New Zealand poll averages for party vote, country direction and preferred PM compared to three months ago, a year ago, three years ago and nine years ago. This allows easy comparisons between terms and Governments.

In the United States Trump won the November election in a massive upset. Since then his favourability rating has increase by a net 18%. However, it is still slightly negative at -2%.

 Obama is set to leave office with a respectable +11% approval rating.

 In the UK the Conservatives remain dominant with a 15% lead over Labour.

In Australia the Coalition remain behind Labour and Turnbull’s approval rating remains low.

In Canada there is little change where almost two thirds say the country is heading in the right direction.

We also carry details of polls on Scott Watson, the economy, a foreign property tax, a plastic bag levy, the government surplus plus the normal business and consumer confidence polls.

This newsletter is normally only available by e-mail.  If you would like to receive future issues, please go to http://curia.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e9168e04adbaaaf75e062779e&id=8507431512 to subscribe yourself.

 

The Herald reports:

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has offered himself to be the first to re-enter the Pike River mine where 29 miners perished in 2010.

Peters told families gathered at Parliament today that he’s read the safety reports and he’s willing to go in.

I say we accept the offer and then seal the mine.