Grassroots healthy

Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, February 16th, 2009 - 12 comments
Categories: activism - Tags:

It’s great to see a lot of grassroots activity around the Left at the moment.

No Right Turn has set up the Progbills wiki. It’s open-source legislation, that works similarly to Wikipedia. You can go on and contribute to formulating draft Bills on left-wing issues, small bite-size pieces of draft legislation that would be ideal for MPs to pick up for Private Members’ Bills. I think this is a great idea, in fact I’ve tried to talk the left parties into trying something similiar – hopefully, they’ll be watching both for ideas for Bills and to see how the project works. NRT explains the purpose of the wiki here. I reckon I’ll have a crack at a minimum wage bill and look forward to your input.

The Hand Mirror has just had a piece from our youngest MP, Labour’s Jacinda Arden. Great to see MPs interacting with people via the blogosphere.

Labour has set up a ning site. Ning is a grassroots networking site with all sorts of cool stuff, forums, pictures, videos, the ability to create one’s own page. It’s really a very cool tool. Go have a look and, if you’re a Labour supporter, join up.

Drinking Liberally is back for the new year. This come-one-come-all gathering for lefties to hear a speaker and have a chat over a beer, which arch-nutter Matthew Hooton once called a “secretive clique” (not sure that that secretive cliques have Facebook groups), went from strength to strength last year, starting off in Wellington with chapters then springing up in Auckland, Palmsterton North, and Christchurch. Good to hear the first DL this year went well too.

There’s some other stuff too, but I can’t find the emails in my cluttered inbox right now.

12 comments on “Grassroots healthy ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. randal 1
    16 February 2009 at 12:22 pm

    whipty doo
    however nothing is going to happen till the left establish free giveaway newspapers at urban transport centres in the mornings and a series of micropulse radio stations to counter the insidious propoganda let loose by the overseas owned radio networks.
    time for all the button pushers and the wonks to put their hands in their pockets and start doing something that has meaning and relevance instead of puffing away on here where they dont have to actually do anything

  2. Julie 2
    16 February 2009 at 12:30 pm

    Thank you kindly for the linky love. We also have something else coming up in March that may be appealing to left wing ladies, if I can get it sorted.

    Auckland DL has been working on new event but I think we are still suffering from New Year malaise a bit!

  3. Rudith 3
    16 February 2009 at 12:41 pm

    [Tane: Deleted. This is a forum for grown-ups.]

  4. Julie 4
    16 February 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Well clearly Rudith you are not the BIG WIT.

  5. Rudith 5
    16 February 2009 at 12:55 pm

    [Tane: Deleted. This is a forum for grown-ups.]

    [but, Tane, if her description of herself was accurate, she must have been a grown-up. SP]

  7. northpaw 7
    16 February 2009 at 2:35 pm

    Head in the door comment, as it were… from the man on the milking stool who said, rudamentary old gal, rudamentary..

    heck I’m still laughing…

  8. MikeE 8
    16 February 2009 at 2:50 pm

    Dirty right winger here, who is keen to get involved with teh Progbills wiki, in that it provides an avenue to draft some drug law reform related bills and get some input!

    I’d suggest it isn’t limited to those on the left, but more those who are liberal!

    PS: Captcha is giving unreadable words!

  9. Darien Fenton 9
    16 February 2009 at 3:33 pm

    My minimum wage bill is due for committee stages next Members’ Day which should be the first Wednesday in March. We are working on some additional amendments, but a bit of support would also help, because the Nats will vote it down.

  10. Julie 10
    16 February 2009 at 4:12 pm

    Nice to see an MP commenting here Darien! What kind of support would help? Feel free to email if you prefer 🙂

  11. Rudith 11
    16 February 2009 at 4:18 pm

    I can assure you all I am a pretty faced large girl who is so sorry to have offended anybody.My bad.

  12. Julie 12
    16 February 2009 at 4:49 pm

    I wasn’t so offended I thought it required deletion, just a good chance for a quip back again 😉 But it’s not my place so it’s not my rules.

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