Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, February 5th, 2011 - 65 comments
OK, that title is pure spin. National has dropped from 55% to 49% in the latest Roy Morgan, and Labour’s up from 29% to 34.5%. But that just shows the last poll was a rogue. Now, normal transmission, and National’s decline, has resumed. When you look at the Nat/ACT and Lab/Green/New Zealand First potential coalitions – the race is tight and closing fast.
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, January 31st, 2011 - 71 comments
Russel Norman followed Phil Goff and John Key’s state of the nation speeches with the annual Greens state of the planet address. The capital gains tax initiative grabbed headlines but there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface. As we face myriad economic and environmental problems, the Greens have the real answers.
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, December 22nd, 2010 - 37 comments
It’s First Past the Post thinking to look at the polling gap between National and Labour and conclude National will romp home. MMP is here and set to stay – it means the coalition with the support of a majority of MPs governs, not necessarily the largest party. The final Roy Morgan of the year lets us look at the trends in support for Left and Right.
Written By: - Date published: 9:28 pm, December 6th, 2010 - 48 comments
In my final post I look at the possible influence coalition partners could have on a future National government. Even if Labour loses in 2011, an outright win for right-wing economic doctrine is not necessarily on the cards.
Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, November 20th, 2010 - 3 comments
Rod Donald died, so very young, five years ago this month. Tomorrow there is a memorial lecture in Christchurch. Jeanette Fitzsimons will speak on the topic “Democracy is New Zealand: Lost, Stolen or Just Misplaced?”. A timely topic indeed.
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 pm, November 12th, 2010 - 24 comments
Dr David Suzuki has given the keynote speech at the Green Party Conference on Sustainable Economics. Here is a fantastic presentation of his, about why our obsession with economic growth is suicidal. Watch it – it’s pretty powerful stuff.
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, November 6th, 2010 - 49 comments
According to some, the very definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In economic terms the world, and NZ, have been doing the same neoliberal economic agenda over and over for the last 30 years. It hasn’t worked. It’s time for a change…
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, November 3rd, 2010 - 10 comments
Last week Speaker Lockwood Smith rolled back transparency on MPs expenses, by making travel spending secret again. John Key came out “against” the move. Yesterday Labour and the Greens called his bluff by releasing their details. Over to you John, once again you’re too late to lead, but you can still follow…
Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, October 21st, 2010 - 39 comments
The trend is quite clear now. The Right’s support peaked and the Left’s support reached is nadir last year. The gap has been gradually closing ever since. From a 24.5% gap between National and ACT a year ago, the gap in the latest Roy Morgan has fallen to 5.5%. About quarter of a million Kiwis have switched their support to the Left in a single year.
Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, October 5th, 2010 - 35 comments
Paul Henry has a racist rant to the Prime Minister and what does John Key do? He laughs along and tries to make a joke. A PM that is afraid to be a leader. A Leader of the Opposition who is afraid of ticking off racists. A Green Party that is afraid of making a claim for the Left vote when Labour fails. Come back, Helen, all is forgiven.
Written By: - Date published: 8:32 pm, September 16th, 2010 - 104 comments
The Labour and Green parties’ activists are in uproar over their parliamentary wings’ decision to vote for the Gerry Brownlee Enabling Act. A lot of people are saying they won’t campaign for these parties and talking of voting for a minor party or independents. Is it time to damn them and leave them? No. We’re going to win our parties back.
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 pm, September 4th, 2010 - 49 comments
Where are the Greens and Labour on the South Canterbury Finance issue? Just looking at the sheer politics of the situation, this is something they should be all over. There is enormous public anger at the way National was willing to magic up $1.7 billion of taxpayer cash for its rich mates while services are being cut. This should be the tipping point, when the Left seizes the public mood for its economic vision but where’s the leadership?
Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, June 23rd, 2010 - 40 comments
The most disturbing aspect of the handling of the Chinese security guard’s assault on Russel Norman is the way that the Nats are going to use it as an excuse to further restrict free speech. Don’t let them set us on the path to America’s notorious “free speech zones”.
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, June 22nd, 2010 - 48 comments
I’m not sorry about Russel Norman standing up to Chinese imperialism, I’m proud that he did. While I don’t personally have a lot of time for Norman, I very much respect his willingness to behave like an actual representative of the New Zealand people and voice his opposition to the immoral Chinese occupation and subjugation of …
Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, June 21st, 2010 - 30 comments
The Environmental Risk Management Authority has given approval for shipments of uranium to pass through New Zealand on the way to the United States. This seems to violate the principles of the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987.
Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, June 18th, 2010 - 162 comments
A security guard for Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping attacked Green MP Russel Norman today while Norman was protesting at the Chinese delegation’s arrival, and holding a Tibetan flag. Our Government needs to make a formal protest to China over this incident.
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, June 16th, 2010 - 77 comments
Of the political parties in Parliament, only the Greens are likely to oppose the ‘new’ foreshore and seabed law. So, the Greens will be the only place for disaffected Maori Party voters to turn to. And why not? Their values are very similar. I expect that the Greens will make a strong play for the party votes in the Maori seats, winning over a lot of people who feel betrayed by the Maori Party.
Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, June 3rd, 2010 - 34 comments
Fresh from a stinging rebuke from the public over mining, Gerry must have hoped he was on to a winner with the announcement of offshore oil exploration. But of course the timing could hardly be worse, with an environmental catastrophe unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. The Greens are right to call for a moratorium until the industry proves that it has the ability to rapidly and effectively deal with leaks.
Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, May 18th, 2010 - 46 comments
The Greens have released their alternative budget, “Mind the Gap”. It focuses on the inequality between rich and poor in NZ (rightly called “the scourge of modern societiesâ€). It’s great to see the Greens tackling this issue head on.
Written By: - Date published: 10:04 pm, April 12th, 2010 - 20 comments
How dumb was John Carter to use his speech at the Grey Power National Conference to have a cry because Grey Power’s participating in an inquiry into aged care by Labour, the Greens, and the Progressives? You don’t try to bully Grey Power with its 100,000 members. The grey voters will be leaving National in droves.
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, February 11th, 2010 - 26 comments
As I have mentioned before, Jeanette Fitzsimons is one of the very few members of parliament for whom I have the utmost respect. Yesterday she gave her valedictory speech, and showed us yet again what sanity, vision and compassion looks like. The core of the speech was this powerful message: Yet I have to say, …
Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, February 1st, 2010 - 21 comments
Peter Dunne on his record against Jeanette Fitzsimmons is really an exercise in ego instead of substance
Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, January 29th, 2010 - 62 comments
Check out this exchange between Trevor Mallard and Metiria Turei on his Facebook page (great how the new media allows these spur of the moment debates): Trevor Mallard: 25c/hour. $10 week for 40 hours then minus tax, extra acc, ets charges. Not fair John Key. It should be $15 Metiria Turei: Trevor, with genuine respect, …
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, January 29th, 2010 - 13 comments
So Jeanette Fitzsimons is, as expected, resigning from Parliament. After 13 years her last day will be February 11th. Parliament will miss her energy, her honesty, her sanity, and her clear strong voice on Green issues. It is a huge loss, but no one deserves a long and happy retirement more than Jeanette. Frogblog has …
Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, December 15th, 2009 - 11 comments
National claims it created 2,300 jobs with its stimulus spending. Of course, most of this supposed stimulus was smoke and mirrors – re-announcing existing spending – and 2,300 is bugger all when there are over quarter of a million Kiwis out of work. But I had a few more problems with this announcement. Firstly, I …
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, December 8th, 2009 - 11 comments
The Green Party celebrated 10 years in the New Zealand Parliament yesterday. Happy birthday! It was especially fitting that the anniversary coincided with the beginning of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In the past ten years climate change has evolved from a fringe topic into the most pressing issue of the global …
Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, December 3rd, 2009 - 19 comments
Anyone who thinks that our economic troubles are over because the economy grew 0.1% is delusional. And no-one seriously believes that we don’t have to act quickly to stop the rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A Green New Deal is as necessary now as ever. The Greens have come out with the …
Written By: - Date published: 3:38 pm, November 23rd, 2009 - 10 comments
Good video from the Greens’ Kevin Hague. Gotta love the dirty mo:
Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, November 14th, 2009 - 10 comments
The Greens have announced the collapse of the cornerstone of their Memorandum of Understanding with National. With Gerry Brownlee as Minister for Energy, National hasn’t only failed to make progress on energy efficiency and conservation, it is taking illogical, retrograde steps. So why are the Greens continuing to provide greenwash for this government? I’m thinking about …
Written By: - Date published: 2:35 pm, November 11th, 2009 - 14 comments
One of the things that has surprised me about the government and Brownlee’s energy policy is that it is so mundane and 20th century. In every other area of their political electoral strategy we saw a pithy slogan, often pinched from overseas, substituting for policy and dumbed it down to the level of the dittoheads …
Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, November 10th, 2009 - 47 comments
I’ve been saying for a while now that folks should be reading Pundit. Recent excellent new author there Claire Browning has a real scoop today: After the honeymoon, divorce: Greens break up with National by Claire Browning The Greens have walked away from part of their working arrangement with the government. Jeanette Fitzsimons revealed exclusively …
Comments