UK: Uniting the right, wooing Trump on trade, driving test wait
UK correspondent Dan Bloom joins Kathryn to talk about leaked audio from Tory Robert Jenrick, a former leadership hopeful, suggesting Britain's warring right wing parties could be brought together. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has signaled the UK could lower tariffs on US car imports in return for a trade deal and the government has pledged to tackle the half-year wait for driving tests. Dan Bloom is Political Editor of Politico's London Playbook
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Kiwiblog
2 days ago
- Kiwiblog
The Telegraph review of the Ardern book
Tim Stanley is a former UK Labour Party candidate, and writer for The Telegraph. He reviews the recent autobiography by Jacinda Ardern: Don't read this book. You won't, anyway: it's by Jacinda Ardern. But if I tell you that it's a memoir dedicated to 'the criers, worriers, and huggers,' you'll have an idea of the nightmare you've dodged. A Different Kind of Power reads like a 350-page transcript of a therapy session: 'My whole short life,' the author writes, 'I had grappled with the idea that I was never quite good enough.' Regrettably, she persisted, rising through the two or three ranks of New Zealand society to become prime minister at the age of 37, from 2017 to 2023. And yet the practicalities of the job don't interest her: this book hinges on how everything felt . A fairly brutal introduction. As for what drew her into politics: was it Marx? Or Mahatma Gandhi? Well, one influence came early on: she saw a newspaper cartoon of a Tory stealing soup from children and thought, 'that definitely didn't feel right.' Few people know this, but this is factually correct. In the 1990s, teams of Young Nationals roved the nation breaking into the homes of poor people, and stealing soup from them. she wants us to know, too, that she replied to every child who wrote to her As did John Key, just that he didn't feel the need to tell everyone about it. By contrast, the anti-lockdown crowd Ardern describes protesting outside New Zealand's Parliament, wore 'literal tinfoil hats', flew 'swastikas' and 'Trump flags'. This is exactly how centrist dads (and mums) subtly vilify their opponents: set a perfect example and imply a comparison. I am so kind that anyone who disagrees with me must be nasty; so reasonable that my critics must be nuts. There were a few fringe figures there, but the vast majority were just people angry that they had lost their jobs on the basis of vaccine mandates that turned out to be based on an incorrect assumption that they would stop transmission. A poll of around a third of the protesters done by Curia staff found that 27% of the protesters were Maori (so unlikely to be Nazis!) and 40% of the protesters voted for Labour, Greens or Te Pati Maori in 2020. Post-office, Ardern became a fellow at Harvard University, teaching a course in… you guessed it: 'empathetic leadership'. The principle that the world would be a better place if we just empathised with each other is nice in theory, but codswallop in practice. How does that work with Vladimir Putin or the boys in Hamas? On the contrary, true leadership is about making tough judgments, guided by sound philosophy: St Jacinda bungled the former, lacked the latter. By reducing all government to thoughts and prayers, she transformed humility into vanity – a softly photographed carnival of her own emotions. Ouch, and a final jab: But there is one wonderful moment of zen. It comes when Ardern meets the late Queen in 2018, and asks whether she has any advice on raising children. 'You just get on with it,' said the monarch. It must have been a put-down; it sounds like a put-down – and yet Ardern is too naive to notice. The Queen of course became Queen at age 26, and had two children while in office.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
What is Trump's Big Beautiful Bill and why does Elon Musk hate it?
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 26 March. Photo: Francis Chung/Politico/Getty Images via CNN Newsource A rift is brewing within the US Republican Party as President Donald Trump attempts to muscle his Big, Beautiful Bill through Congress. Billionaire ally and former Department of Government Efficiency spearhead Elon Musk on Tuesday made headlines for his criticism of the proposed act, calling it an "abomination". Here's a look at what is in the bill, and why not all Republicans are backing it. Its full name is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but it's also shorted to the OBBBA or BBB. In essence, it is a budget reconciliation bill - a tool to fast-track policy around spending, revenue and the debt ceiling. The 1038-page bill rolls together hundreds of proposed changes from tax cuts to changes to social benefits programs. Here's an overview of some of the key changes put forward in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Court restrictions Experts have warned a single sentence in the bill would weaken the powers of federal judges to enforce contempt when the government defies the court. "No court of the United States may enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued," the provision says. According to Reuters, "security" in this case refers to monetary bonds that can be used when injunctions are issued. If the injunction is later reversed, the bond helps cover the defendant's losses. The Trump administration argues the provision would deter frivolous lawsuits, but Democrats argue it would leave judges powerless to rein in defiance. Golden Dome On social media, Trump has claimed the bill would secure funding to develop a network of missile defence systems. The BBB would provide a US$25 billion ($38 billion) initial investment to develop the "golden dome". The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the cost of developing a sophisticated missile defence system could exceed US$500 billion. The bill would also commit US$21 billion to restock the US ammunitions arsenal and US$34 billion to expand its naval fleet. Immigration Trump would revive construction of the wall along the US-Mexico border, which he began during his first term, with a US$46.5 billion injection. The bill would also set aside US$4 billion to hire thousands more Border Patrol and customs officers, and a further US$2.1 billion for signing and retention bonuses. Asylum seekers would be required to pay at least US$1000 on filing an application for asylum. While it would be a first for the US, other nations charge a fee for asylum applications, but the costs are significantly lower - $45 in Australia's case. The debt ceiling The debt ceiling is a limit on the amount of money the federal government can borrow. The BBB would raise it by US$4 trillion to US$40 trillion. Medicaid The bill would introduce additional restrictions on Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for millions of elderly, disabled and low-income earning Americans. That would include a requirement for able-bodied adults with no dependents to work at least 80 hours a month to qualify for benefits, starting December 2026. Recipients would also need to reapply for benefits every six months, rather than every year. Republicans also hope to strip Planned Parenthood of funding from Medicaid. As well as providing abortion care, the organisation offers cancer screenings, pap smears and birth control. No tax on tips, overtime One of Trump's key campaign promises - to end taxes on tips and overtime pay - would be ticked off by the BBB. The bill would also temporarily increase the Social Security income tax deduction of up to US$4000 for recipients aged 65 and over. Snap benefits The One Big Beautiful Bill Act would introduce work requirements to able-bodied recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) who do not have dependents. More than 40 million low-income earners rely on SNAP to boost their grocery budgets and access nutritious food options. The bill would also require states to contribute more to the program, which is partly funded by the federal government. Student loans All existing student loan repayment plans would be replaced with just two classifications: a fixed rate monthly repayment plan over the course of 10 to 25 years, or an income-based "repayment assistance" program. It would scrap current rules that allow borrowers to temporarily defer their loan repayments due to financial hardship or unemployment. Tax cuts for higher earners On average in its first year the BBB would deliver the nation's wealthiest an extra US$389,280 through tax breaks. At the other end of the scale, the lowest income earners will take a US$1035 pay cut. The White House has confirmed that Elon Musk has left President Donald Trump's administration. Photo: AFP Musk has been an outspoken critic of the bill in the past. He argues the bill's spending would increase the "already gigantic budget deficit" and "burden America citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt". The South Africa-born tech investor worked as a consultant for the administration's Department of Government Efficiency until recently , working to slash government spending. He's often noted the US pays more interest on its debts than it spends on defence. Independent analyses have found it will add between US$2.5 trillion and US$3.1 trillion debt to the US budget. Government debt is already roughly 121 per cent of the nation's GDP and has grown exponentially in recent years to exceed US$35 trillion. Government debt is already roughly 121 per cent of the nation's GDP and has grown exponentially in recent years to exceed $US35 trillion. Photo: US Dept of Treasury "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," Musk wrote on social media on Tuesday. "Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it." It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt According to the New York Times, others close to the congressional negotiations have suggested Musk was unhappy with a measure in the bill that would scrap electric vehicle subsidies. House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged the change would negatively affect Tesla, but said he did not believe the government should subsidise a transition to electric vehicles. "I know that has an effect on his business, and I lament that," Johnson said. The bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives in May, by a vote of 215-214. It's now with the Senate, where the bill is likely to be held up further, despite the Republican majority. Some senators have already indicated they intend to make changes to the bill, which would send it back to the House of Representatives for another vote. Rand Paul, a GOP senator for Kentucky, said he is "just not open to supporting $5 trillion … debt ceiling increase", which the bill currently includes. If Congress can't even cut $9 billion in foreign aid welfare — a rounding error — the country is doomed. Voters deserve to know who refuses to cut anything while we drown in $1 trillion annual interest payments. In response, Trump took to social media on Tuesday to voice his disapproval of the senator, telling his Truth Social followers Paul "never has any practical or constructive ideas". "His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can't stand him," Trump wrote. In other social media posts, he has urged senators to pass the bill "AS SOON AS POSSIBLE". "There is no time to waste," he posted on May 22. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate will need to sign off on the bill if it gets enough senatorial support. Trump will then have 10 days to sign or veto it. House Speaker Mike Johnson has predicted the bill will be signed by July 4. Given the bill was only passed in the House of Representatives with the finest possible margin of support, even a small loss of support could hold it up indefinitely or kill the bill entirely. Even if Republicans who back the bill manage to get it through the Senate without changes, it's highly possible it won't be signed off. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Photo: AFP / Getty Since the House vote, representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has voiced her regret for supporting the bill, and indicated she would not vote in favour if it returns to the House for approval without changes. In a post on X, the outspoken GOP politician said she was not aware the bill would block states from regulating artificial intelligence industries for a decade. Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in… "I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there," she said. "This needs to be stripped out in the Senate." - ABC
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
UK: Defence spending, winter fuel payment U-turn
UK correspondent Dan Bloom joins Kathryn to talk about how Britain's plan to lift defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP over the next decade is still not enough for the US. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is still locked in talks with holdout departments over funding for the next fuel years and PM Keir Starmer is set to deliver a U-turn to pensioners over their winter fuel payments. Dan Bloom is Political Editor of Politico UK To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
