Transtasman Political Letter – 11 October Digest

11th October 2007

Govt sits on another cash mountain, handy for election year...
Cullen feels heat for tax cuts...
Foreign Minister accused of being “careless with truth” insists he’s misled no-one...
PM, without reconditioning, shows more stamina than All Blacks...
Energy strategy fits into big policy roll-out...
PM ready to lower boom on has-beens...
State power companies fatten up Govt revenues...
And Ontrack plays Russian roulette to get Toll to pay up.

Govt Worries On Poll Trends And Demands For Tax Cuts

Polling this week is likely to confirm National has taken a hit from its mini-disasters of the past fortnight.

Winston Gets A Taste Of His Own Medicine

National hit Winston Peters where it hurt this week, accusing him of being “careless with the truth” over the issue of Air NZ charter flights of Aust troops to the Middle East.

Pursuing The Country’s Interest

After a dismal night in Cardiff and a 22-hour flight home, Helen Clark might have been expected to take time out to recuperate. Instead she went straight to a Cabinet meeting in Wellington on Tuesday, followed by Caucus, before she fronted in Parliament.

Labour Rolling Out Big Policies

Labour seems comfortable it can hold on to office so long as Clark is in charge, even when it is polling well behind National.

CAPITAL TALK

Journalists are queuing up to join Foreign Minister Winston Peters on his projected mission to North Korea, the first by any NZ Minister to the benighted country, despite the high costs involved, perhaps $1000 a day.

Play Of The Week: A Dickens Of A Surplus

Before our very eyes, the Minister of Finance is morphing into a Mr Macawber in reverse. Michael Cullen is forever expecting something to turn down.

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