Author Archive

A Dear Len letter

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:20 am, March 8th, 2012 - 103 comments

Len Brown gets a Dear Len over his performance over the Ports of Auckland dispute.
“I delivered your leaflets in the rain. I erected your hoardings across Auckland. I phoned and canvassed support for you. I encouraged my friends to vote for you. But it’s over. Frankly, I find your protestations that you could not help the 292 sacked wharfies asking to be able to work to live and not live to work offensive. Don’t play the victim: your salary is too big.”

Trial? Why would you bother with that?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:40 am, March 1st, 2012 - 16 comments

No-one wants to see people who are likely to hurt people released on bail. That’s why successive governments have tightened bail rules. Now Sensible [sic] Sentencing wants every charged with a crime bearing 2 or more years locked up without bail. Not the first organisation with those initials to favour guilt upon accusation and punishment without trial. Michael Bott takes up the story.

Jobs Summit: Celebrating 3 years of success

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:14 pm, February 28th, 2012 - 34 comments

Don’t panic. It’s 3 year since the National Ltd™ “Job Summit”. I’m really looking forward to the 3000km Kaitaia-to-Bluff cycle way, the nine-day fortnight, and the $1 billion contribution from the banks plus $8 billion from government to invest in job-producing industry. Can’t be long now before we start to see jobs being created . . . John promised.

Support MUNZ workers in port dispute

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:05 am, February 24th, 2012 - 52 comments

Show your support for the MUNZ workers in the Ports of Auckland dispute, including a picket today from 10am.

Young Labour taking the lead

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:13 pm, February 20th, 2012 - 2 comments

Labour is currently undertaking a review of its organisational capabilities. It’s a process looking at what it means to be a Labour member and supporter and how Labour can better engage with our supporters. Young Labour have a website for ideas. The Labour party website still hasn’t heard about it.

A call to arms for all coders

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:33 pm, February 19th, 2012 - 10 comments

The Global Square “aims to be the first massive decentralized social network in the history of the Internet”. Can you help?

Brand Key, a do nothing Government & the hidden agenda

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:37 am, February 14th, 2012 - 40 comments

A number of terms are bandied about to describe both John Key and the John Key Government. Using such terms and trying to reconcile their seeming contradictions can prove confusing. Indeed, from time to time we have seen such confusion manifest itself on this blog amongst the right wing who argue how Key can indeed have a ‘hidden agenda’ whilst simultaneously being ‘smile and wave’ or ‘clueless’ and ‘doing nothing’.

TEU: Treasury’s attack on ordinary Kiwis

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 4:05 pm, February 3rd, 2012 - 117 comments

Public education is the cornerstone of a good country and a buoyant economy. And New Zealanders have long enjoyed the benefits that come to them individually, to their families, their communities, their country, and the economy from having access to quality public education. But all this now seems under attack from a small group of Treasury officials.

WTF is a “primary” anyway?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:25 am, January 26th, 2012 - 36 comments

Even we political junkies have a hard time figuring out what the heck’s going on in American politics sometimes.

And it’s not like our media are any help.

Queen of Thorns takes a look…

The limits of resilience

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:15 am, January 26th, 2012 - 26 comments

Christchurch has been back in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. What’s going on behind the public narrative of a tough and resilient populace soldiering on in the face of all these obstacles?

It’s not about Race or Age or Gender or Religion…it’s about Poverty

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:16 am, January 19th, 2012 - 16 comments

An insightful piece by Pat Brittenden. How can we fix our problems if we won’t acknowledge (and National wants to stop the media talking about) their cause?:

For a long time I have had a bit of an untested theory. I’ve come to a place where I don’t think the negative statistics in New Zealand are about race, age, gender or religion. I think they’re about poverty and the by products of poverty.

Why the acronyms PIPA and SOPA should worry Kiwis

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:54 am, January 18th, 2012 - 9 comments

Green’s MP Gareth Hughes explains the new US internet laws that have the likes of Wikipedia upset, and why we should care: The Green Party is deeply concerned about the Stop Internet Piracy (SOPA) and PROTECT IP (PIPA) Acts currently causing quite a stir in the US and its impacts on New Zealanders access to a free and open Internet and online businesses.

Workers worried about job security

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:42 am, January 12th, 2012 - 33 comments

Employment confidence has plunged to its lowest level in 2 years, according to the latest Westpac survey. A bosses’ shill says workers are wrong to be worried about their jobs. Unfortunately, the bosses have been promising us that everything’s going to be OK for four years now, and workers have a good track record on picking the state of the job market.

No mystery over Waitakere votes

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:49 am, December 20th, 2011 - 48 comments

There was some pretty low-grade reporting on the Waitakere race that suggested some kind of organised voter fraud may have taken place. Under the title Questions over Waitakere vote, the Herald reporter said 9 dual votes had been found and 393 special votes had been cast by people not enrolled to vote. But that’s not evidence of foul play: it’s par for the course.

Theorising the Labour leadership selection

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:55 am, December 16th, 2011 - 78 comments

“British philosopher Edmund Burke termed two different modes of viewing representation as the trustee and delegate models. ” Guest poster Pointy looks at this related to the recent Labour leadership selection debate.

Nanaia Mahuta

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:18 pm, December 12th, 2011 - 21 comments

I believe that a strong platform of investment in education, skills and training makes all the difference for many hard working families.

We need to be relevant to aspirations in the provinces, this means that we need to support our provincial candidates more effectively so that they are not having to fight an election on a single issue and not without the resources and support of the party.

Grant Robertson

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:23 pm, December 8th, 2011 - 80 comments

In 1997 after six years fighting for fair access to tertiary education through the student movement I joined the Labour Party. I didn’t join to become leader or deputy leader or even to become an MP. I joined because I believed then, and I believe now in the values of social justice, fairness and equality that are the foundation of our party.

David Cunliffe

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:52 am, December 7th, 2011 - 193 comments

I am tribal labour. I am the son of an Anglican Minister known as the “Red Reverend” and a stalwart member of Timaru Labour. My political beliefs were instilled into me from birth. For me the foundation is that every human being is of equal moral worth and the structures of our society must give everyone a chance to be the best that they can be. That means leaning against the free market when it undermines human dignity and starves many of the opportunities they need to build a good life.

Musings on Mana

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:49 am, December 7th, 2011 - 22 comments

David Small offers his views on offers his views on the Mana party effects on left politics in NZ.

Where to now for progressive electoral politics in Aotearoa?

Watching the specials

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:47 pm, November 27th, 2011 - 43 comments

The specials are going to be crucial in a number of seats, and to determine whether National can form a majority without needing the Maori Party. National could easily lose 2 seats on specials, leaving 58. Banks and Dunne bring 1 each, which equals 60 out of 121, not enough to pass legislation without at least tacit support from elsewhere.

Solidarity with Egypt

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 4:56 pm, November 22nd, 2011 - 3 comments

The Arab Spring hangs in balance, as protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and in other cities in Egypt battle the riot police of the ruling Egyptian military junta.

The Goldsmith Gambit

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 3:22 pm, November 21st, 2011 - 49 comments

This will be one of the dirtiest political and anti-democratic tactics ever designed in NZ history. It has the potential of delivering a second John Key term, gifting Epsom to ACT and of discrediting MMP in one foul swoop: a true Tory Trifecta.

How bad are National’s internals?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:33 pm, November 19th, 2011 - 135 comments

Some say the tea tapes haven’t hurt Brand Key. In fact, National is down 2% last week and those polls were largely taken before the tea tapes hit overdrive. It also takes time for impressions and media narratives to bed in. The 26th will be the first poll to really tell us how much the tea tapes have hurt. But the internals could give us a clue.

A wee reminder

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 4:16 pm, November 15th, 2011 - 21 comments

MANA’s Epsom Candidate Pat O’Dea, reminds the voters of Epsom who they are really voting for.

A new type of coup?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 5:27 pm, November 13th, 2011 - 36 comments

In the old days soldiers marched onto the floor of parliament with fixed bayonets to replace governments and frustrate the popular will.
Now it is being done differently

Praise for the Occupation movement

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:10 pm, November 7th, 2011 - 15 comments

In an Editorial that would not have been out of place as a post on ‘The Standard’ The Herald praises the Occupiers of city squares around the country, (and around the world).

Show me the policy

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:05 pm, November 7th, 2011 - 51 comments

We’re three weeks out from the election, and there’s something funny going on. National has hardly any policy out. Parties typically go into an election with a pretty comprehensive lineup of policy covering a very wide range of issues. Do the Nats really not have any plans, or are they just keeping them quiet to win a second term?

Why the Nats Youth Rate is just plain bollocks

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:03 pm, October 31st, 2011 - 20 comments

Labour candidate for Northcote Paula Gillon has submitted us a post on National’s proposed starting Youth Rate that appears to be ready for peer-review – with academic references and everything.