There is a reasonable chance on one more term for Slippery (I say this mainly because of the TV debates), but I suspect that Key will want to slit his own wrists before putting up with the pain of a 4th lame duck term in office.
However the polls are right – Labour are in with a chance but I believe that chance relies entirely on either Winston, or on the Greens hitting no less than 14% to 15%. One question which no done has answered for me: will Labour be brave enough to include Hone in the next coalition, in Cabinet. Or will they try and hold the radical extreme left maori guy that the middle class thinks is fringe and dangerous, out at arms length.
Shearer is going to need a lot of training if he is to succeed in the debates.
Also if the economy doesn’t tank or if power prices remain static then Key will have a ‘told you so’ angle so yeah, a third term is highly possible.
My general feeling is the public generally want to change after 9 years, no matter who is in charge which is why I couldn’t see a 4th term IMO.
Dumping Shearer now is the only sane course of action. The Labour caucus is divided and broken. The sooner the broken parts are swept aside, the better. One of the worst things that I can see happening would be for the present front bench to run the country, which they’d do in much the same way Key is. That would be the death knell of the parliamentary left for a generation. Mana and the Greens are not yet in a position to fully take over and, even though parliament is largely a sideshow, it is a highly visible one.
They have some inspiring people. Give them a chance. If Cunliffe is on top of a bus talking, at least workers are in the street listening. When Shearer mumbles and makes excuses, who can be bothered listening? What do Mallard and Hipkins stand for except themselves? What do they have to say about the invasion of the Urewera that happened on their watch? Pffft. Let them go. Make them go.
You and all the other righties backed Shearer over Cunliffe from the start of Labour’s leadership campaign. You did this because you were afraid of Cunliffe and you knew the right’s best chance of success was to have Shearer in charge.
Now when you think it is too late to change you are dumping on Shearer.
Little bit skeptical Mr Hooton.
I think you always knew he’d be:
a) hopeless
b) in favour of the neo-liberal project your puppet masters benefit from.
Isn’t that why you encouraged him to go for the job at that bbq?
Labour are in a mess because they have a poor leader.
Isn’t this what you always wanted?
Everyone is amazed – I’m sure even hoots is amazed how the circumstances have changed so much that he had to completely reverse a weeks-old assessment.
Or maybe things have merely altered in their own, gradual way, passing no major threshold or “tipping point” one way or the other, and hoot’s reversal is simply the result of his natural spin cycle. In which case I reckon it does not cause amazement for anyone 🙂
It’s not so long ago you and every other National Party operative in the country was praising Shearer, and lobbying for his appointment as Labour leader as enthusiastically as anybody in his official team.
There’s a football analogy for this nasty manipulation of the unwitting. Back in 1966 the All Blacks pulled off a similar coup over the management of the touring British Lions. Whenever journalists asked anyone in the All Blacks who impressed them the most in the tourists, they always said “the captain, Campbell-Lamerton”. They made sure to praise Campbell-Lamerton with special fervour and generosity after every test, when the Lions were disconsolately licking their wounds. Of course, anyone with any nous knew that Campbell-Lamerton was not up to the task of playing test football. The All Blacks wanted the Lions to keep selecting him in the test team, where he was repeatedly outclassed, indeed destroyed, by the Meads brothers, Waka Nathan, Kel Tremain and the rest of the formidable NZ pack, as the Lions lost all four tests.
Maybe someone should appoint you to a football team somewhere, Mr Hooton. After all, you couldn’t possibly be as controversial a choice as the war criminal that came down here in 2005 as the “manager” of the British & Irish Lions.
Rob/Felix/SP/Paul/Morrissey/Saarbo: It wasn’t like that at all. I had no preference of Shearer over Cunliffe until, yes, Shearer turned up to my post-election party and Cunliffe didn’t, after both were invited by – small country we live in – Martyn Bradbury. And Shearer impressed all the politicos there that day – from memory, as well as Martyn and some of his crowd like Phoebe Fletcher, there was Willie & JT, Matt McCarten, Sean Plunket, Fran O’Sullivan, John Pagani, Andrew Campbell from the Greens, Chris Trotter …. So it really wasn’t a right-wing conspiracy (in fact, Slater and Farrar refused to show up in protest that Martyn was invited) . What happened is that we all just thought Shearer would do a good job – “50 million lives vs 50 million dollars” etc – and wrote columns and did radio and TV stuff accordingly.
There is probably a lesson here – parties should listen to their own members rather than the media talking heads. It would be interesting to look back to 2003, and I think most of the talking heads thought Brash was too dangerous for National and supported the moderate Bill English. In that case, the party membership, especially in the North Island, demanded Brash and the caucus followed (just). And, for all Brash’s awkwardness and ultimate failure, he certainly turned the polls around more than English ever could have (until now it seems thanks to his economic management).
Compared with Brash, English was the moderate candidate in 2003.
It shows how far National has shifted left under Key that English is now seen as the bold reformer within the government.
Well, its a line made famous in the Hollow Men. There was a speech written for Brash to give to the caucus that referenced the line and much was made of that, but it was never given by Brash. “No Brash No Cash” was a theme but it was as much about ordinary party members deciding whether or not to go to $40 party fundraisers as the bigger donations.
It was all just a big coincidence and $40 donations that made National flush and caused ACT to have to go selling itself to climate denial loons and the SST mob.
Come on Hooton you were engaging in sabotage of Cunliffe well before election day. This was calculated on your part and on the part of Farrar et al. I bet you even had a media strategy behind it.
There is a lesson here. The left should never, ever follow your advice. In fact the left should most of the time do the exact opposite.
But don’t think that you have succeeded. This Government is that appalling that there is this grim determination on the part of the left to get rid of it. And this will happen whoever the leader of the Labour Party is, be it Shearer, Cunliffe, Robertson or anyone else.
“The left should never, ever follow your advice. In fact the left should most of the time do the exact opposite.”
No mickey. the left should take no regard. Frankly I wouldn’t even let him comment here. What good can it possibly serve to invite a vampire into your house?
I was talking about here Hooton, but in the nation in general.
And I’m not saying you should be silenced, I’m saying people would be wise to discount your views to zero. You add nothing of value to anyone’s understanding because you are a bullshit artist.
You are an unreliable narrator in the novel of life, as it were.
He may or may not agree that the discourse here would be improved without alternative views.
We (as in the site) like people who can express their own clear opinions with intelligence, articulation, and support when they rely on specific facts.
We tend to restrict the mindlessly repetitive, those who can’t express a clear opinion or assert facts without support, and those who are needlessly argumentative. That is because they tend to add nothing to the debate apart from boring the crap out of me us.
Both you and Pascal’s Bookie do it pretty well in all of the important criteria. Of course none of those things mean that we have to be particularly polite to each other. I never try for that lofty standard myself, I usually just go for the mutually exclusive (with politeness) objective of clarity.
“Frankly I wouldn’t even let him comment here. What good can it possibly serve to invite a vampire into your house?”
Got to disagree with you there Felix. I like to see him here, spouting his lying bullshit This way it can get dissected and revealed for what it is, and answered. Otherwise he will regurgitate (throw up, spew) his right wing crap on radio where he does his utmost to talk down any opposition, or write in the pathetic excuses we have as newspapers, We need good opposing arguments to his crap, otherwise he and his mates from the right will start to believe the crap he expounds that this is how the real world should work.
I laugh that you guys think Farrar, Slater, Hooten etc have such a huge impact on who ended up leader of labour – and your your own members cannot make the same impact.
Don’t understand what you are trying to say?? Are you really saying there was a right-wing conspiracy, led by or at least involving me and also people like Chris Trotter, to impose Shearer as Labour leader because he was known to be hopeless??? I wish the NZ right was that good!
No, I backed him (and many others did) because I thought he would make a great leader and prime minister. Now I have learned he is a lemon and I (and many others) were totally wrong. This is embarrassing and Mickey is right – don’t take my advice on Labour’s leader ever again! I am not close enough to the individuals to make a good assessment (although I did get to work with Cunliffe over the carpark tax issue and found he was much better to deal with and switched on than I had thought).
Amusing, and, at the same time, annoying, isn’t it? Watching Hooten’s lies spill out so easily is the fun part, but the Aaron Gilmore level of arrogance in thinking he will get away with is, oh, I dunno, just aggravating.
Ladies and germs, one of New Zealand’s elite rightwing spin geniuses political commentators, Matthew “No Spin Here” Hooten.
Why don’t you just accept that your credibility here is zero? No one swallowed your weak concern tr0ll shit before, why do you think we’ll suddenly give you the benefit of the doubt?
I recommend a story for you call ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ it’s a good one. It’s about a boy who thinks it’s funny to fool people, until nobody believes anything he says. Usually it’s to help small children grasp this point, but you’re a big boy who can’t figure it out.
Maybe try logging in under a different name so you can commence bagging Shearer more freely? How about ‘Mud’?
Felix, I mentioned Cunliffe because those are the two Labour MPs Martyn invited to my party because they had appeared on the iPredict TV show in the week or so before the election. That’s why Tim Groser was invited too – I think he did the iPredict show the Friday before the election. This really was just a party, hosted by me and Busted Blonde, to drink the Veuve Clicquot she had won from the NBR (which reminds me, Ellen Read from the NBR, now Fairfax, was also there, which led to Shearer getting good coverage in the NBR over the following week or so – not that that would have mattered much. Also, while Farrar and Slater boycotted the party on political grounds, Cactus Kate showed up for reasons discussed in the previous sentence). You would do better understanding political developments if you look Freud’s advice – sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Nup. Blatant and deliberate racist hatemongering did that: aided, abetted, planned and delivered by the very same clique that delivered and now fetes this latest poll.
A poll of 863 by landline with an undisclosed several thousand who refused to participate.
Well if you are right Matthew, and the Labour leader was chosen mainly because he was endorsed by a number of commentators at a piss up, it pretty much explains why the decision has turned out to be a major fuck up for Labour.
If this is the way politics and by extension public policy gets done in this country, then I spit on the lot of you. Political operators are a pack of contemptible lizard brained psychopaths.
The interesting thing about psychopaths is that they have the ability to choose to believe their own lies. That’s what makes them such good liars. They also genuinely believe they are doing nothing wrong.
No mention of a margin of error, wow what a surprise.
No mention of the methods of polling, wow what a surprise.
And of course, no mention of the actual questions asked.
How can you defend the publication of fraudulent statistics?
Yes we know, it just makes us all want to not vote for Labour or the Green Party’s in 2014,
Snigger, the Slippery slope National are now on is known to the present Government best illustrated by the Slippery Prime Minister brushing crumbs off of the Tory table of over abundance in the direction of kiwi kids that do not have the income directed at them so as to guarantee their nutritional needs…
Rational??? who me ??? around these parts i am known as anything but rational, cult doesn’t quite ascribe a correct descriptive either,
But enough about ‘i’, the fact that you base your view of the electoral cycle on polling data that has continually in the face of reality loudly proclaimed to all and sundry that National have the numbers to ‘govern alone’ makes yours the voice of the rational does it ???,
Any Government that bounces up and down 4 whole % points between polls barely a month apart is in my opinion on the Slippery slope, Slippery the PM of course also knows this and He is operating with the added bonus of a damned sight better data source than little old ‘i’ can manage, (which of course is why the Shyster has managed to swallow such a large dead rat and pretend to unveil a comprehensive ‘food in schools program’,
i do of course except you critique of the one eyed nature of my political view which extends as far as holding a belief that the National Government’s suffered by this country are usually made up of well practiced liars and in some cases outright scum,
Perhaps you would care to post a comment, any comment, which would tend to offer a re-education to me changing my overall view of the present National Government, at the least you will be providing the readers with a much needed dose of mirth at the effort…
Polls have a margin of error, Y or N ?
Has this margin of error been reported, Y or N ?
Polls have a methodology of data collection Y or N ?
Has this methodology been reported Y or N ?
are you a pavlovian reactionary with the comprehension skills of an innebriated mollusc
Y or N ?
p.s. I made no such accusation of conspiracy against the polling companies as they are not the vehicle with which the information was made public. I merely stated that the basics of poll data reporting i.e: margin of error and method are no longer reported to the public. I am convinced both of those items would have been supplied to the publishers and it is the news services themselves that decided to publish the polls sans that particular information.
I also noticed that Mike Williams (on nine to noon on Monday) was rather negative on Shearer, up to now he has been one of his strong supporters. I expect to see more of Shearers supporters squirming away from him as his poll rating and performance continues to languish. The unfortunate thing is it is probably too late to change leaders now, whoever takes over will be accepting a hospital pass.
If Labour don’t win in 2014 there needs to be a serious cleanout of deadwood. And you don’t have to be a politics graduate to realise that Labour has a very low chance of winning with Shearer as Leader.
What a crappy but predictable situation Labour has found itself in!
It is not too late provided that a change of leader also means a genuine change of tactics, but it is far too late for another round of “let’s put in x and urge everyone to love x,” especially when the people doing the urging have diminished credibility. However, the longer they fail to rattle National from the opposition benches, the more confident National becomes and the more ground they lose.
I’ve had a quick look up the page, and I haven’t seen anyone else question this.
In the highly unlikely event of the leadership challenge against Shearer, does the membership get a vote?
I only ask because the Labour caucus does tend to feverishly enslave itself to the will of the MSM, and the MSM does seem to be actively on the hunt for a new scalp….. and Shearer does seem to be the one they ‘prepared earlier’, so to (cooking show) speak…..
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the only reason that the Labour Leadership would be willing to buck the msm was that doing so might allow the rest of the membership to participate democratically.
Well, if Tracey Watkins and Matthew Hooton are now questioning Shearer’s leadership, so much for pandering to the media. I am not sure about the rules of voting in the case of a leadership challenge. With the vote of confidence, Shearer needed at least 40% support and did manage to get it, arguably helped by Hipkins being included among the vote-counters. If he had not got that level of support the vote would have gone to the members. Given that, in the absence of a resignation, it would take over 50% against him to end his leadership, you would think that the members would get to vote, but I am not sure that is so.
[lprent: charts – still not happy with the GCR.
Amidst all of the random spiking and slumping, Labour has a slight trend upwards. National has a stronger long-term trend downwards. At present with the usual fortune shifts towards the election, I suspect that Winston would be the decider. I wonder how Key will like the replaying of those 2008 statements about Winston? Of course the National caucus could just dump Key and put in someone without that baggage…
BTW: National should sack Brownlee as I suspect that his mishandling of Christchurch is not helping them. Of course I personally hope that they do not. He is so useful at educating Christchurch residents on National party attitudes.. ]
* * * * Coming soon: Look for our Matthew Hooton feature! * * * *
See also….
No. 14: Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No.13: Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052013/#comment-638881
No. 12: U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11: Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10: Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9: NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21052013/#comment-635850 No. 8: Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20052013/#comment-635343
No. 7: Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632598
No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594
No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628803
No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628703
No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.” (TV3 News, 24 April 2013) http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25042013/#comment-624381
No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19042013/#comment-621738
Yes please make your series more contemporary.
Focusing on Messrs Hooton, Farrar and Slater would be a more relevant area today.
Fair point, Paul. I was going to put up a choice lie from Hooton—there are so many to choose from—but I had to put in the Rumsfeld thing to reinforce yesterday’s Colin Powell obscenity. The Powell-Rumsfeld lies were always a twofer, and work most effectively when they are put together like that. They’re funnier (in a black kind of way) when they’re back to back.
Hooton will keep, as will Michelle Boag and Bill English….
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira, who came up with the original idea, has criticised the Government’s scheme because it involves the private sector. He claims that while corporates may be prepared to bankroll the programme now, they could walk away if times got tough.
First, big ups to Harawira for essentially railroading the Government into adopting his idea. It’s an unfortunate political reality that governments of all hues pinch the best ideas opposition parties come up with. It would have been a nice gesture if Key could have used Harawira in the programme in some way (and who knows, the pair may yet need each other).
But Harawira can rest assured that Fonterra and Sanitarium are not going to walk away from this scheme for all the milk powder in China. You can’t buy better publicity for your brand than umpteen thousand grateful children chowing down on the sponsor’s product each morning.
And even if they did pull the pin, the Government would simply cast around for a new sponsor, which isn’t going to be hard to find given the nature of the cause.
In my opinion Espiner is wrong in thinking;“It’s an unfortunate political reality that governments of all hues pinch the best ideas opposition parties come up with.”
Harawira actively lobbied all parties to take up his idea.
(Though not as comprehensive as what he sought he has achieved a hell of a lot for a party pretty much isolated with only one MP. And he can count this as a success, and hungry children who would not be fed will now will be.)
When political parties refuse to forward good solutions to pressing problems facing their constituents and the country, because they fear their opponents will take them, then you know that they are being run by sectarian careerists who put their narrow sectarian interests before helping solve society’s most pressing problems.
I hope I never again hear such an argument put forward for keeping a political party’s policies under wraps.
You may say that there are other reasons why politicians, oft time argue not announce their party’s policies to the last minute. But what are they? Is it because they have none? Is it because they have none that are different to their erstwhile opponents? Is it because they have policies that are so close to their opponent’s policies, that they need to ambush their members and supporters at the last minute?
The other reason of course is to limit democratic discussion within a political party to just a few at the top, asking their membership to take them on trust.
When a political party says that they are holding off their policy announcements until closer to the election then you know that they have seriously lost their way.
Hone Harawira just on RNZ actually sounding like a real opposition when talking about this governments priorities on spending. Maybe Shearer and the Labour Party could listen to that interview.
It’s called standing up for the people.
Olwyn+1 and his swearing was appropriate if there was any. Certainly the message was most memorable and had the punch of an unwavering and sincere politician committed to NZ people, and particularly Maori and the low-income.
Must suck to be a Labour supporter right now (not as bad for the Greens) but don’t worry about the polls I’m sure they’re not indicitive of the massive groundswell of support building for Labour under the astute stewardship of David Shearer…at this rate Labour will be back in power by 2020 🙂
Interesting poll, that Reid one. Of course, the sample is too small to justify your confidence but did you see that most National Ltd™ voters were in favour of the NZ Power solution to being rorted by the corporates? There’s a skerrick of hope for youse yet. Psychologically, I mean.
You actually put your reasoning on one poll a year out from election day? National doesn’t have that great a lead, and all these polls always write off NZ First and Mana, even though they have a strong following in their own way. I doubt even National’s inner circle believe you can know who will most likely win, till the months or weeks before election day.
Snigger, we really really believe it when we are told constantly by the polls that National have enough support to govern alone,
We all know this has to be true because for the past two election cycles the polls have been telling us this,
There is of course only one small problem with that which in abbreviated terminology says, ”they didn’t and they still haven’t”
Minus 1 or 2% in November 2014 and it’s haere ra National and who cares who the leader of the Labour Party is if He or She supports the stopping of the electricity rort with things like NZPower and intends to support a guaranteed living wage for ALL workers…
Minus 1 or 2% in November 2014 and it’s haere ra National and who cares who the leader of the Labour Party is if He or She supports the stopping of the electricity rort with things like NZPower and intends to support a guaranteed living wage for ALL workers…
Well most of Europe right now has weak coalition governments (especially Germany – where NZ took it’s MMP system from), Australia really is no different, and the US is very much divided. It is doubtful that even if National wins again, it would have anything but a weak coalition, it can’t break international trends. 😉
So good to know that NZ tax payers money went to a good cause. Also, how about sparing an extra pittance or three so that NZ workers can have union protection just like the actors you hire from Australia and USA? Or in fact, just like you have yourself?
Because he is a manipulative arsehole. What was your point?
We aren’t politicians. We have sufficient rejects from real life for that task (you look quite good as a potential National candidate BTW). What happens here is that we express our opinions. And occasionally in my moderator role I’ll squash some cretinous fuckwit like yourself (see that is an opinion) who wants to insinuate that the site or the commentators are a political organisation.
I insinuated nothing, I said “keep attacking Sir Peter Jackson because its worked so well in the past” because this blog has had numerous attempts at smearing Sir Peter Jackson…as a rich prick, anti-union, lackey of Warner Bros etc etc
Nothing to do with this site or the commentators being a political organisation or otherwise
Yeah, this winston has a problem with individualism. Seems like one of those conformist totalitarian dickheads to me… Obviously every author and commentator is “The Standard” – including himself.
After all he reads like just about every other right wing troll to me. Dispose of one and another duplicate pops up like a head at a fair’s shooting gallery with the same lame assertions about computer programs having opinions.
At least this one tries to reply and even attempts the difficult art of arguing rather than doing crapping an assertion and then immediately leave (like an incontinent poodle moving down a street).
So, basically, he read the book and thought it was all about communism, so figured he would use the name as a pseudonym in his valiant, solitary struggle against the left.
Yeah. Of course as with many of the Orwellian novels it is often hard to figure out which brand of totalitarian conformist nutters he was parodying. He was after all a democratic socialist* with a distinct dislike of all brands of conformist totalitarianism.
But it is clear that if that was where he got his name from and why he took it, then he clearly hasn’t read to the end of the book. After the rat room the fictional Winston Smith become just another blob staring adoringly at the image of his leader with an inability to think. Just like this one I suspect…..
* A stream of political thought that encourages individualism – far more so than the daft conformity of the libertarians with their obsessive theology of toy collection. Or for that matter or almost any other political philosophy I have seen. Even the anarchists have this strange obsession at having to all agree (conformity) or they’ll dissolve into complete societies of one. The democratic socialist acceptance and even promotion of eccentricity amongst groups has always been a wonder to behold. And most importantly it fosters agreeing to disagree….
Indeed he did. But you know what’s more depressing? !!!!
It’s when someone (with a history of someone struggling in the industry, and having sampled the lowliest of the low – including serious jailtime as a result of Sth American totalitarian juntas) becomes so SO immune to the plight of ‘the film-maker’s community’ (i.e. his peers). That Petey isn’t such a bad bloke after all – AYE?.
I’m not exactly sure what the Paekak dak delivers – but it’s obviously pretty potent.
Nope. If I was to even use the title “sir” (not going to happen because I’m not a brown noser like yourself) to someone it would be to someone I respect. I don’t respect liars.
Peters asks Dunne (during an unrelated committee meeting) if it was him what leaked the Kitteridge report. Cue arguments about whether the question is in order or whatever nevermind Dunne ends up confirming that he’s been spoken to as part of the investigation into who leaked ouch. *laughs*
With a few exceptions most forget ( or don’t want to acknowledge ) that poll proportions are a % of those who didn’t say fuck off( not of the general population. Therefore 45% may well be only 45% of 18-20% of those with a landline. That should leave at least 70% to be influenced by good policy and if that policy is telegraphed too early pale imitations or window-dressed versions of it will be stolen, and thats why we have a ( albeit better than nothing ) half-arsed ” Breakfast in Schools” programme.
On Shearer/ Cuniliffe, be careful not to buy in and feed the MSM’s castigation of DS, if DC was leader the arseholes would be in paroxysms of red-baiting and thunderous editorials of communist takeovers and I’m sure that that buck-toothed idiot Gower would even come in his pants on a live cross to the Beehive over some concocted Stalinist bullshit.
Remember Hooten et al are just doing what they are paid for.
Level the playing field for solar power in New Zealand!
As an investor in a NZ solar company, I was shocked to discover that a careless change in the rules – requiring solar companies to use a particular inverter technology that hasn’t even been invented yet – could come into force any day now and stop our solar industry dead in its tracks. If this were the fossil fuel lobby, would we ever have to worry about something like this?
Solar panels are not just a green technology, they’re also a great financial investment for New Zealand homes and businesses and a potentially huge source of economic growth. We should be pulling out all the stops to help the solar industry develop, not putting one obstacle after another in its path. Even John Key called for reducing “the Pacific region’s reliance on expensive fossil fuels for electricity” a few weeks ago.
New Zealand has almost unlimited potential to generate clean energy from the sun. That’s why I’m calling on regulators — who have been asleep at the wheel — to roll up their sleeves and level the playing field for solar energy by creating a clear, nationally-enforced standard; reducing the soft costs for installing solar; and creating a nationwide financing scheme and easy way for people to sell back their extra solar power production with a net-metering law. These measures would give so many more people access to this smart, environmentally beneficial investment! Please add your name and tell all your friends, and I’ll make sure the law-drafters get our message loud and clear.
Join us! Click below to sign the petition and forward to everyone:
If people think that the (from the earth) fuel companies, will take solar heating lying down, I would be very surprised.
The oil/banking cartel own the politicians, and are not going anywhere, as long as they can drill it from the earth!
The other problem to deal with for the solar energy proponents, is that of global dimming, and the impact of geo-engineering on the amount of suns rays reaching the planets surface!
Former National MP Jackie Blue formally submitted her interest in a top government job more than a month after the closing date, documents show.
The documents also show that in a briefing dated November 1, the Justice Ministry identified eight candidates. The paper recommended Collins indicate which candidates she wanted to have interviewed. Collins did not sign the paper.
So, firstly the applicant didn’t apply in time and then the minister didn’t accept the candidates until she had the one she wanted in the list.
GRANT ROBERTSON to the Minister of Justice: How many expressions of interest or nominations for the position of Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner were received by the Ministry of Justice after the advertised deadline of 13 October 2012?
S.S. thugs still getting free air time on public radio
Will Kyle Chapman be next?
Nine to Noon, Radio NZ National, Wednesday 29 May 2013
Host: Lynn Freeman
First item up on Nine to Noon this morning was an interesting and learned discussion about the insane “Three Strikes” legislation. The guests were Hastings barrister Eric Forster and Victoria University criminology professor John Pratt. In contrast to many of the blowhards, maniacs and hypocrites who usually get air time on this issue, both of these men are learned and serious scholars of the law; both of them condemned the Three Strikes legislation as “insane”, and the consequence of a small number of ignorant politicians who believed in “magical thinking” being given a totally disproportionate amount of power. This discussion ended about 9:40 a.m.
Just over two hours later, host Lynn Freeman felt compelled to read out a long and belligerent email in favour of Three Strikes. This email was written by the disgraced, discredited convicted grave-robber, doctor-assaulter, serial sexual harasser, former ACT MP, and S.S. man David Garrett. Poor old Lynn Freeman, who I know detests and despises David Garrett and his evil organization, read the email in a tone of obvious distress, as well as distaste.
Then, incredibly, a few minutes later, just before the end of the programme, she read ANOTHER urgent email from the bowels of Hell. This time it was from the Grand Wizard of the S.S. himself, Garth “The Knife” McVicar. In contrast to the rabid David Garrett, the Grand Wizard’s email was written in a tone of wounded disappointment; the two experts, he whined, were “well known opponents of the legislation”. The entirely false display of emotion by this creep rendered that email even more offensive and insulting than Garrett’s.
Surely, if any organization has thoroughly discredited itself and should not be indulged in any way, it is this vicious and hypocritical bunch of gangsters. I know that there is not one person at Radio New Zealand who feels anything other than loathing for the S.S. Trust and for David Garrett and Garth “The Knife” McVicar. Yet here we were, this morning, forced to listen to the thoroughly unedifying phenomenon of a fine broadcaster being forced to read out crass emails from not just one, but TWO personae non grata.
I have no doubt that the receptionsists at Radio NZ National suffered a deluge of coordinated abuse, through telephone calls and emails, for the two hours before those two emails were read out.
I wonder who made the decision to cave in to their hectoring; I know that it was not the journalists.
Everytime I think of the SS Trust, I think of a bunch of hooded people standing round a lynched brown person.
Entirely understandable, millsy, but in reality it’s a bunch of intolerant people sitting in a radio studio (NewstalkZB) pouring scorn and abuse on a lynched brown person in South Auckland, and ridiculing his family. That’s what they did, day in, day out, session after session, hour after hour in 2008 and 2009, and still occasionally do whenever somebody mentions the word “tagger”.
Something called “Dv” tried, unwisely, to be clever….
Wait until a two strikes offender kills a victum because he cant [sic] get his skateboard.
What possible precedent do you have to suggest such a scenario?
What a fuss that will cause.
Nonsense. Your dull fantasy lacks even the slightest plausibility.
I thought the most compelling argument was that those on 2 strikes dont really have the moral judgemnt needed to ‘obey’ the law.
Nor, as recent events have reinforced, do the people in the top echelons of the New Zealand police. And, as shown by their failures in Afghanistan, neither do the top brass in the New Zealand Defence Force.
No doubt you will be calling for these people to be sent to jail for fifteen to twenty years. Or do you get ALL your opinions directly from talk radio?
Am I correct in believing that a third guest (aside from Eric Forster and John Pratt) was invited to participate, but declined?
The ‘trickle down’ effect does work! – at least at RNZ.
The DEFENDANT – ‘dodgy’ John Banks is back in the Auckland District Court, (Albert St) Thursday 30 May 2013.
As I understand it – this case will be stood down until 11.45am, because Private Prosecutor Graham McCready will not be able to attend before that time.
It is my intention to have banners up outside the Court from 11am.
Do come along if you are able! 🙂
Being FINALLY held accountable in a Court of Law – has been a VERY long time coming for the DEFENDANT John Banks.
The BIG question is – how come Prime Minister John Key has not yet stood down as Minister, the DEFENDANT, Minister of Regulatory Reform, Minister of Small Business, Associate Minister of Education and Associate Minister of Commerce – ACT MP for Epsom – the arguably ‘Not-So-Honorable’ John Banks?
Former National MP Aaron Gilmore, was effectively forced to leave Parliament, yet he never faced charges in Court, unlike the DEFENDANT John Banks!
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
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Tracy Watkins asks……How long before Labour asks whether David Shearer is the solution or the problem?http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8728086/Shearers-invisible-cloak-thinning
Some on the site have been asking this for a while.
Yes, surely he must go now. The detailed poll results are at http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/8728030/National-leaving-Labour-in-its-wake
Right wingers bash left wing leader. Should I be surprised?
Hooton on Shearer:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20022013/#comment-592184
Yep, I was wrong. But how was anyone to know he would be this hopeless?
No, you were lying. Just like we all said you were.
No. No-one lies all the time. Shearer is hopeless.
But by dumping him now the Labour caucus would be hopelessly divided and broken. Just in time for the next election.
I’m resigned to Key being Prime Minister for two or three more elections.
Maybe one more, but I doubt two.
There is a reasonable chance on one more term for Slippery (I say this mainly because of the TV debates), but I suspect that Key will want to slit his own wrists before putting up with the pain of a 4th lame duck term in office.
However the polls are right – Labour are in with a chance but I believe that chance relies entirely on either Winston, or on the Greens hitting no less than 14% to 15%. One question which no done has answered for me: will Labour be brave enough to include Hone in the next coalition, in Cabinet. Or will they try and hold the radical extreme left maori guy that the middle class thinks is fringe and dangerous, out at arms length.
Shearer is going to need a lot of training if he is to succeed in the debates.
Also if the economy doesn’t tank or if power prices remain static then Key will have a ‘told you so’ angle so yeah, a third term is highly possible.
My general feeling is the public generally want to change after 9 years, no matter who is in charge which is why I couldn’t see a 4th term IMO.
Sometimes, no amount of training can make up for an innate skill deficit.
CV
Surely the only answer in a democracy is. “We must and will, work with whoever the people vote for..Hone, Winston,……… (gulp).. Banks.
Actually, in a democracy, the answer is to let the people decide and not dictate from on high. What we have in our parliamentary system is the latter.
Dumping Shearer now is the only sane course of action. The Labour caucus is divided and broken. The sooner the broken parts are swept aside, the better. One of the worst things that I can see happening would be for the present front bench to run the country, which they’d do in much the same way Key is. That would be the death knell of the parliamentary left for a generation. Mana and the Greens are not yet in a position to fully take over and, even though parliament is largely a sideshow, it is a highly visible one.
They have some inspiring people. Give them a chance. If Cunliffe is on top of a bus talking, at least workers are in the street listening. When Shearer mumbles and makes excuses, who can be bothered listening? What do Mallard and Hipkins stand for except themselves? What do they have to say about the invasion of the Urewera that happened on their watch? Pffft. Let them go. Make them go.
I disagree with pretty much every assessment, comparison and solution you offered in that comment.
As I would have expected.
A Fairfax poll? Would that be the same Fairfax that in September 2011 gave the National Party 54%?
He should rename that trash he calls an article in the NBR to Hootens Horseshit, All the lies that are current!!
You and all the other righties backed Shearer over Cunliffe from the start of Labour’s leadership campaign. You did this because you were afraid of Cunliffe and you knew the right’s best chance of success was to have Shearer in charge.
Now when you think it is too late to change you are dumping on Shearer.
You are so predictable Hooton.
Little bit skeptical Mr Hooton.
I think you always knew he’d be:
a) hopeless
b) in favour of the neo-liberal project your puppet masters benefit from.
Isn’t that why you encouraged him to go for the job at that bbq?
Labour are in a mess because they have a poor leader.
Isn’t this what you always wanted?
Yep, I was wrong. But how was anyone to know he would be this hopeless?
You were lying, and everyone knows it.
Not at all – it’s amazing how the situation has completely turned on its head in only three months.
“Its amazing”
You mean “I’m amazed” right McFlock?
Everyone is amazed – I’m sure even hoots is amazed how the circumstances have changed so much that he had to completely reverse a weeks-old assessment.
Or maybe things have merely altered in their own, gradual way, passing no major threshold or “tipping point” one way or the other, and hoot’s reversal is simply the result of his natural spin cycle. In which case I reckon it does not cause amazement for anyone 🙂
Ah so you were being sarcastic about Hooten’s sudden ‘abandon the Shearer ship’ call after months of talking him up on this blog. Fair enough.
A contemptibly cynical stirrer writes….
Yes, surely he must go now.
It’s not so long ago you and every other National Party operative in the country was praising Shearer, and lobbying for his appointment as Labour leader as enthusiastically as anybody in his official team.
There’s a football analogy for this nasty manipulation of the unwitting. Back in 1966 the All Blacks pulled off a similar coup over the management of the touring British Lions. Whenever journalists asked anyone in the All Blacks who impressed them the most in the tourists, they always said “the captain, Campbell-Lamerton”. They made sure to praise Campbell-Lamerton with special fervour and generosity after every test, when the Lions were disconsolately licking their wounds. Of course, anyone with any nous knew that Campbell-Lamerton was not up to the task of playing test football. The All Blacks wanted the Lions to keep selecting him in the test team, where he was repeatedly outclassed, indeed destroyed, by the Meads brothers, Waka Nathan, Kel Tremain and the rest of the formidable NZ pack, as the Lions lost all four tests.
Maybe someone should appoint you to a football team somewhere, Mr Hooton. After all, you couldn’t possibly be as controversial a choice as the war criminal that came down here in 2005 as the “manager” of the British & Irish Lions.
Interesting. Its a very simple strategy and worked well then, has worked well again for National and the right.
Rob/Felix/SP/Paul/Morrissey/Saarbo: It wasn’t like that at all. I had no preference of Shearer over Cunliffe until, yes, Shearer turned up to my post-election party and Cunliffe didn’t, after both were invited by – small country we live in – Martyn Bradbury. And Shearer impressed all the politicos there that day – from memory, as well as Martyn and some of his crowd like Phoebe Fletcher, there was Willie & JT, Matt McCarten, Sean Plunket, Fran O’Sullivan, John Pagani, Andrew Campbell from the Greens, Chris Trotter …. So it really wasn’t a right-wing conspiracy (in fact, Slater and Farrar refused to show up in protest that Martyn was invited) . What happened is that we all just thought Shearer would do a good job – “50 million lives vs 50 million dollars” etc – and wrote columns and did radio and TV stuff accordingly.
There is probably a lesson here – parties should listen to their own members rather than the media talking heads. It would be interesting to look back to 2003, and I think most of the talking heads thought Brash was too dangerous for National and supported the moderate Bill English. In that case, the party membership, especially in the North Island, demanded Brash and the caucus followed (just). And, for all Brash’s awkwardness and ultimate failure, he certainly turned the polls around more than English ever could have (until now it seems thanks to his economic management).
“the moderate Bill English”
?!!!?????!!???
Compared with Brash, English was the moderate candidate in 2003.
It shows how far National has shifted left under Key that English is now seen as the bold reformer within the government.
Four words missing from your memory there :
no no brash cash
It’s no secret why Brash got the nod from caucus.
The “no brash no cash” speech was never given.
Who said anything about a speech? oops.
Well, its a line made famous in the Hollow Men. There was a speech written for Brash to give to the caucus that referenced the line and much was made of that, but it was never given by Brash. “No Brash No Cash” was a theme but it was as much about ordinary party members deciding whether or not to go to $40 party fundraisers as the bigger donations.
Again, who said it was a speech?
Laugh.
It was all just a big coincidence and $40 donations that made National flush and caused ACT to have to go selling itself to climate denial loons and the SST mob.
Key ….left wing ….you must try to stop those porkies Mr Hooton.
“Compared with Brash, English was the moderate candidate”
Compared with nuclear weapons, cluster bombs aren’t so terrible.
Come on Hooton you were engaging in sabotage of Cunliffe well before election day. This was calculated on your part and on the part of Farrar et al. I bet you even had a media strategy behind it.
There is a lesson here. The left should never, ever follow your advice. In fact the left should most of the time do the exact opposite.
But don’t think that you have succeeded. This Government is that appalling that there is this grim determination on the part of the left to get rid of it. And this will happen whoever the leader of the Labour Party is, be it Shearer, Cunliffe, Robertson or anyone else.
+1
“The left should never, ever follow your advice. In fact the left should most of the time do the exact opposite.”
No mickey. the left should take no regard. Frankly I wouldn’t even let him comment here. What good can it possibly serve to invite a vampire into your house?
+1. The man is a worthless blight on the discourse. Active poison to the demos, etc.
You should raise this matter with lprent. He may or may not agree that the discourse here would be improved without alternative views.
I was talking about here Hooton, but in the nation in general.
And I’m not saying you should be silenced, I’m saying people would be wise to discount your views to zero. You add nothing of value to anyone’s understanding because you are a bullshit artist.
You are an unreliable narrator in the novel of life, as it were.
The way I understand it alternative views are welcome here, but tr0lls get banned.
We (as in the site) like people who can express their own clear opinions with intelligence, articulation, and support when they rely on specific facts.
We tend to restrict the mindlessly repetitive, those who can’t express a clear opinion or assert facts without support, and those who are needlessly argumentative. That is because they tend to add nothing to the debate apart from boring the crap out of
meus.Both you and Pascal’s Bookie do it pretty well in all of the important criteria. Of course none of those things mean that we have to be particularly polite to each other. I never try for that lofty standard myself, I usually just go for the mutually exclusive (with politeness) objective of clarity.
“Frankly I wouldn’t even let him comment here. What good can it possibly serve to invite a vampire into your house?”
Got to disagree with you there Felix. I like to see him here, spouting his lying bullshit This way it can get dissected and revealed for what it is, and answered. Otherwise he will regurgitate (throw up, spew) his right wing crap on radio where he does his utmost to talk down any opposition, or write in the pathetic excuses we have as newspapers, We need good opposing arguments to his crap, otherwise he and his mates from the right will start to believe the crap he expounds that this is how the real world should work.
I laugh that you guys think Farrar, Slater, Hooten etc have such a huge impact on who ended up leader of labour – and your your own members cannot make the same impact.
cracks me up.
Who said anything about Cunliffe, Matthew? Gave the game away with that comment mate.
No, the truth is you backed Shearer because he was a mug, knowing that later you could attack him for being a mug.
It was obvious then, it’s obvious now, we all said all along that this is exactly what you would do, and you fooled no-one.
(Except the Labour hierarchy and front bench of course, but hey…)
Mickey/Felix/One Anon: No, that’s not the truth. That is your constructed view of reality.
And now you are taking the piss Matthew.
Can I urge everyone to take steps to prevent Hooton’s lot from remaining in power because the future of your country depends on it.
If you want to join the Labour Party go to http://www.labour.org.nz/join
If you want to donate go to http://www.labour.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=8
If you want to join the Greens go to https://my.greens.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=17
And if you want to donate go to https://my.greens.org.nz/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=19
Don’t understand what you are trying to say?? Are you really saying there was a right-wing conspiracy, led by or at least involving me and also people like Chris Trotter, to impose Shearer as Labour leader because he was known to be hopeless??? I wish the NZ right was that good!
Why are you trying to make out that conspiracies are required?
You backed Shearer because he’s a lemon. And now you’re attacking him because he’s a lemon.
Where’s the conspiracy?
No, I backed him (and many others did) because I thought he would make a great leader and prime minister. Now I have learned he is a lemon and I (and many others) were totally wrong. This is embarrassing and Mickey is right – don’t take my advice on Labour’s leader ever again! I am not close enough to the individuals to make a good assessment (although I did get to work with Cunliffe over the carpark tax issue and found he was much better to deal with and switched on than I had thought).
The more you say it the more ridiculous it sounds.
Keep talking.
‘
Amusing, and, at the same time, annoying, isn’t it? Watching Hooten’s lies spill out so easily is the fun part, but the Aaron Gilmore level of arrogance in thinking he will get away with is, oh, I dunno, just aggravating.
Yeah, he’s just smart enough to be devious but still dumb enough to let his ego get the better of him and tell everyone what he’s up to.
Ladies and germs, one of New Zealand’s elite
rightwing spin geniusespolitical commentators, Matthew “No Spin Here” Hooten.Why don’t you just accept that your credibility here is zero? No one swallowed your weak concern tr0ll shit before, why do you think we’ll suddenly give you the benefit of the doubt?
I recommend a story for you call ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ it’s a good one. It’s about a boy who thinks it’s funny to fool people, until nobody believes anything he says. Usually it’s to help small children grasp this point, but you’re a big boy who can’t figure it out.
Maybe try logging in under a different name so you can commence bagging Shearer more freely? How about ‘Mud’?
Whatever Matthew. Our amateur view of reality is nothing compared to the one you’ve been paid to construct.
That’s the point. Hooton is a paid puppet.
Like you give a flying fuck about the truth Hoots.
Felix, I mentioned Cunliffe because those are the two Labour MPs Martyn invited to my party because they had appeared on the iPredict TV show in the week or so before the election. That’s why Tim Groser was invited too – I think he did the iPredict show the Friday before the election. This really was just a party, hosted by me and Busted Blonde, to drink the Veuve Clicquot she had won from the NBR (which reminds me, Ellen Read from the NBR, now Fairfax, was also there, which led to Shearer getting good coverage in the NBR over the following week or so – not that that would have mattered much. Also, while Farrar and Slater boycotted the party on political grounds, Cactus Kate showed up for reasons discussed in the previous sentence). You would do better understanding political developments if you look Freud’s advice – sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
don’t you righties know as/call shearer ‘the insurance-policy’..?
phillip ure..
Matthew you protest too much.
No-one cares about your party or your mates. You’ve done exactly what everyone said you would do, more or less to the day.
A cigar is just a cigar indeed.
Whereas Hoots proves that a dick is indeed a dick.
Brash…. he certainly turned the polls around
Nup. Blatant and deliberate racist hatemongering did that: aided, abetted, planned and delivered by the very same clique that delivered and now fetes this latest poll.
A poll of 863 by landline with an undisclosed several thousand who refused to participate.
Lets panic. Until the next Roy Morgan. Yawn.
Next Roy Morgan will be released in 24 hours or so. You won’t have long to wait. Big bounce back up for Labour to 35% or 36% you reckon?
Well if you are right Matthew, and the Labour leader was chosen mainly because he was endorsed by a number of commentators at a piss up, it pretty much explains why the decision has turned out to be a major fuck up for Labour.
😀
yes, that is my theory
If this is the way politics and by extension public policy gets done in this country, then I spit on the lot of you. Political operators are a pack of contemptible lizard brained psychopaths.
The interesting thing about psychopaths is that they have the ability to choose to believe their own lies. That’s what makes them such good liars. They also genuinely believe they are doing nothing wrong.
just like Shonkey ??
we call him donkey jonkey at our place.
I’ve started referring to him as ol’ brain fade.
Hmmmm at the rate we are going you might have to specify which political leader you are referring to
No mention of a margin of error, wow what a surprise.
No mention of the methods of polling, wow what a surprise.
And of course, no mention of the actual questions asked.
How can you defend the publication of fraudulent statistics?
oh that’s right, you are paid to.
and the other two polls this week that also showed labour looking poorly ????
rouges as well?
Yes we know, it just makes us all want to not vote for Labour or the Green Party’s in 2014,
Snigger, the Slippery slope National are now on is known to the present Government best illustrated by the Slippery Prime Minister brushing crumbs off of the Tory table of over abundance in the direction of kiwi kids that do not have the income directed at them so as to guarantee their nutritional needs…
Shows just how one-eyed and blind you are. The poll results hardly point to a slipery slope for national and to think it does just beggars belief.
Makes you sound more like a cult than a rational person.
Rational??? who me ??? around these parts i am known as anything but rational, cult doesn’t quite ascribe a correct descriptive either,
But enough about ‘i’, the fact that you base your view of the electoral cycle on polling data that has continually in the face of reality loudly proclaimed to all and sundry that National have the numbers to ‘govern alone’ makes yours the voice of the rational does it ???,
Any Government that bounces up and down 4 whole % points between polls barely a month apart is in my opinion on the Slippery slope, Slippery the PM of course also knows this and He is operating with the added bonus of a damned sight better data source than little old ‘i’ can manage, (which of course is why the Shyster has managed to swallow such a large dead rat and pretend to unveil a comprehensive ‘food in schools program’,
i do of course except you critique of the one eyed nature of my political view which extends as far as holding a belief that the National Government’s suffered by this country are usually made up of well practiced liars and in some cases outright scum,
Perhaps you would care to post a comment, any comment, which would tend to offer a re-education to me changing my overall view of the present National Government, at the least you will be providing the readers with a much needed dose of mirth at the effort…
James, who mentioned rogues?
All I stated are simple facts. The polls are fraudulently represented statistics and have repeatedly been published as such for about two years now.
Not including the statement of methodology and the margin of error are deliberate exclusions that skew any data they purport to represent.
“All I stated are simple facts. The polls are fraudulently represented statistics and have repeatedly been published as such for about two years now.”
says it all really. Everyone is against us. Its a conspiracy of all the polling companies.
Not simply facts – more the rantings of somebody who has lost the plot.
Polls have a margin of error, Y or N ?
Has this margin of error been reported, Y or N ?
Polls have a methodology of data collection Y or N ?
Has this methodology been reported Y or N ?
are you a pavlovian reactionary with the comprehension skills of an innebriated mollusc
Y or N ?
p.s. I made no such accusation of conspiracy against the polling companies as they are not the vehicle with which the information was made public. I merely stated that the basics of poll data reporting i.e: margin of error and method are no longer reported to the public. I am convinced both of those items would have been supplied to the publishers and it is the news services themselves that decided to publish the polls sans that particular information.
jeez, james – even hoots thinks the polls are biased…
Is Hooten not yanking on the collective Open Mike chain today?
Gee i thought you meant the other anking word beginning with the letter W…
I also noticed that Mike Williams (on nine to noon on Monday) was rather negative on Shearer, up to now he has been one of his strong supporters. I expect to see more of Shearers supporters squirming away from him as his poll rating and performance continues to languish. The unfortunate thing is it is probably too late to change leaders now, whoever takes over will be accepting a hospital pass.
If Labour don’t win in 2014 there needs to be a serious cleanout of deadwood. And you don’t have to be a politics graduate to realise that Labour has a very low chance of winning with Shearer as Leader.
What a crappy but predictable situation Labour has found itself in!
It is not too late provided that a change of leader also means a genuine change of tactics, but it is far too late for another round of “let’s put in x and urge everyone to love x,” especially when the people doing the urging have diminished credibility. However, the longer they fail to rattle National from the opposition benches, the more confident National becomes and the more ground they lose.
I’ve had a quick look up the page, and I haven’t seen anyone else question this.
In the highly unlikely event of the leadership challenge against Shearer, does the membership get a vote?
I only ask because the Labour caucus does tend to feverishly enslave itself to the will of the MSM, and the MSM does seem to be actively on the hunt for a new scalp….. and Shearer does seem to be the one they ‘prepared earlier’, so to (cooking show) speak…..
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the only reason that the Labour Leadership would be willing to buck the msm was that doing so might allow the rest of the membership to participate democratically.
Well, if Tracey Watkins and Matthew Hooton are now questioning Shearer’s leadership, so much for pandering to the media. I am not sure about the rules of voting in the case of a leadership challenge. With the vote of confidence, Shearer needed at least 40% support and did manage to get it, arguably helped by Hipkins being included among the vote-counters. If he had not got that level of support the vote would have gone to the members. Given that, in the absence of a resignation, it would take over 50% against him to end his leadership, you would think that the members would get to vote, but I am not sure that is so.
+1
Shearer will be breathing a big sigh of relief at the latest Roy Morgan. National down to 41%, Labour up to 35% and the Greens on 12% …
Of course what the reality is is something that we can only speculate on.
http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/new-zealand-voting-intention-may29-201305290604
[lprent: charts – still not happy with the GCR.
Amidst all of the random spiking and slumping, Labour has a slight trend upwards. National has a stronger long-term trend downwards. At present with the usual fortune shifts towards the election, I suspect that Winston would be the decider. I wonder how Key will like the replaying of those 2008 statements about Winston? Of course the National caucus could just dump Key and put in someone without that baggage…
BTW: National should sack Brownlee as I suspect that his mishandling of Christchurch is not helping them. Of course I personally hope that they do not. He is so useful at educating Christchurch residents on National party attitudes.. ]
LIARS OF OUR TIME
No. 15: Donald Rumsfeld
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
—-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, speaking in Atlanta, Friday May 5, 2006.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1FTmuhynaw
* * * * Coming soon: Look for our Matthew Hooton feature! * * * *
See also….
No. 14: Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
No.13: Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27052013/#comment-638881
No. 12: U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
No. 11: Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”
No. 10: Boris Johnson: “Londoners have… the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
No. 9: NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21052013/#comment-635850 No. 8: Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20052013/#comment-635343
No. 7: Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15052013/#comment-633295
No. 6: NZ Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632598
No. 5: Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13052013/#comment-632594
No. 4: Willie and J.T.: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628803
No. 3: John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.” http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-06052013/#comment-628703
No. 2: Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.” (TV3 News, 24 April 2013) http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-25042013/#comment-624381
No. 1: Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19042013/#comment-621738
Yes please make your series more contemporary.
Focusing on Messrs Hooton, Farrar and Slater would be a more relevant area today.
Yes please make your series more contemporary.
Focusing on Messrs Hooton, Farrar and Slater would be a more relevant area today.
Fair point, Paul. I was going to put up a choice lie from Hooton—there are so many to choose from—but I had to put in the Rumsfeld thing to reinforce yesterday’s Colin Powell obscenity. The Powell-Rumsfeld lies were always a twofer, and work most effectively when they are put together like that. They’re funnier (in a black kind of way) when they’re back to back.
Hooton will keep, as will Michelle Boag and Bill English….
Fair call Morrissey
Colin Espiner on ‘Feed The Kids’
In my opinion Espiner is wrong in thinking;“It’s an unfortunate political reality that governments of all hues pinch the best ideas opposition parties come up with.”
Harawira actively lobbied all parties to take up his idea.
(Though not as comprehensive as what he sought he has achieved a hell of a lot for a party pretty much isolated with only one MP. And he can count this as a success, and hungry children who would not be fed will now will be.)
When political parties refuse to forward good solutions to pressing problems facing their constituents and the country, because they fear their opponents will take them, then you know that they are being run by sectarian careerists who put their narrow sectarian interests before helping solve society’s most pressing problems.
I hope I never again hear such an argument put forward for keeping a political party’s policies under wraps.
You may say that there are other reasons why politicians, oft time argue not announce their party’s policies to the last minute. But what are they? Is it because they have none? Is it because they have none that are different to their erstwhile opponents? Is it because they have policies that are so close to their opponent’s policies, that they need to ambush their members and supporters at the last minute?
The other reason of course is to limit democratic discussion within a political party to just a few at the top, asking their membership to take them on trust.
When a political party says that they are holding off their policy announcements until closer to the election then you know that they have seriously lost their way.
Exactly. Parties are policy delivery devices, no more.
When a party that is normally useless to you, is ‘stealing’ policies from a party that usually delivers what you want, it’s a win.
Hone Harawira just on RNZ actually sounding like a real opposition when talking about this governments priorities on spending. Maybe Shearer and the Labour Party could listen to that interview.
It’s called standing up for the people.
harawira was also good on tv3 this morn..
..well worth the watch..
..phillip ure..
I agree, he was clear, forthright and did not pull his punches.
Olwyn+1 and his swearing was appropriate if there was any. Certainly the message was most memorable and had the punch of an unwavering and sincere politician committed to NZ people, and particularly Maori and the low-income.
you most probably won’t get this from the mainstream media..
..but colorado has just become the first place in the world to sign into law a legalised/regulated/taxed pot-regime for adults..
..so there is our blueprint of how to do it..eh..?
..apparantly they are so onto it..the regulators are able to track from seed to end-product..
..phillip ure
Lolz, learn how to clone and free the weed…
Must suck to be a Labour supporter right now (not as bad for the Greens) but don’t worry about the polls I’m sure they’re not indicitive of the massive groundswell of support building for Labour under the astute stewardship of David Shearer…at this rate Labour will be back in power by 2020 🙂
‘
Interesting poll, that Reid one. Of course, the sample is too small to justify your confidence but did you see that most National Ltd™ voters were in favour of the NZ Power solution to being rorted by the corporates? There’s a skerrick of hope for youse yet. Psychologically, I mean.
You actually put your reasoning on one poll a year out from election day? National doesn’t have that great a lead, and all these polls always write off NZ First and Mana, even though they have a strong following in their own way. I doubt even National’s inner circle believe you can know who will most likely win, till the months or weeks before election day.
Snigger, we really really believe it when we are told constantly by the polls that National have enough support to govern alone,
We all know this has to be true because for the past two election cycles the polls have been telling us this,
There is of course only one small problem with that which in abbreviated terminology says, ”they didn’t and they still haven’t”
Minus 1 or 2% in November 2014 and it’s haere ra National and who cares who the leader of the Labour Party is if He or She supports the stopping of the electricity rort with things like NZPower and intends to support a guaranteed living wage for ALL workers…
Well most of Europe right now has weak coalition governments (especially Germany – where NZ took it’s MMP system from), Australia really is no different, and the US is very much divided. It is doubtful that even if National wins again, it would have anything but a weak coalition, it can’t break international trends. 😉
Have you got anything better to do than trolling for comments?
Constructive debate and discussion, maybe…
Peter Jackson takes to skies in $80M style
So good to know that NZ tax payers money went to a good cause. Also, how about sparing an extra pittance or three so that NZ workers can have union protection just like the actors you hire from Australia and USA? Or in fact, just like you have yourself?
The very definition of “rich prick”.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/8728148/Jackson-takes-to-skies-in-80m-style
Well well. There’s a lesson for us all in that possums – something we can all ASPIRE to aye? (not)
An economy for the elite that we can all expire to
Yes keep on attacking Sir Peter Jackson because its worked so well in the past.
Because he is a manipulative arsehole. What was your point?
We aren’t politicians. We have sufficient rejects from real life for that task (you look quite good as a potential National candidate BTW). What happens here is that we express our opinions. And occasionally in my moderator role I’ll squash some cretinous fuckwit like yourself (see that is an opinion) who wants to insinuate that the site or the commentators are a political organisation.
This is a “gentle” warning..
I insinuated nothing, I said “keep attacking Sir Peter Jackson because its worked so well in the past” because this blog has had numerous attempts at smearing Sir Peter Jackson…as a rich prick, anti-union, lackey of Warner Bros etc etc
Nothing to do with this site or the commentators being a political organisation or otherwise
Bit touchy at the moment…
“…this blog has…”
Sigh, and 😆
Yeah, this winston has a problem with individualism. Seems like one of those conformist totalitarian dickheads to me… Obviously every author and commentator is “The Standard” – including himself.
After all he reads like just about every other right wing troll to me. Dispose of one and another duplicate pops up like a head at a fair’s shooting gallery with the same lame assertions about computer programs having opinions.
At least this one tries to reply and even attempts the difficult art of arguing rather than doing crapping an assertion and then immediately leave (like an incontinent poodle moving down a street).
So, basically, he read the book and thought it was all about communism, so figured he would use the name as a pseudonym in his valiant, solitary struggle against the left.
Yeah. Of course as with many of the Orwellian novels it is often hard to figure out which brand of totalitarian conformist nutters he was parodying. He was after all a democratic socialist* with a distinct dislike of all brands of conformist totalitarianism.
But it is clear that if that was where he got his name from and why he took it, then he clearly hasn’t read to the end of the book. After the rat room the fictional Winston Smith become just another blob staring adoringly at the image of his leader with an inability to think. Just like this one I suspect…..
* A stream of political thought that encourages individualism – far more so than the daft conformity of the libertarians with their obsessive theology of toy collection. Or for that matter or almost any other political philosophy I have seen. Even the anarchists have this strange obsession at having to all agree (conformity) or they’ll dissolve into complete societies of one. The democratic socialist acceptance and even promotion of eccentricity amongst groups has always been a wonder to behold. And most importantly it fosters agreeing to disagree….
Yes you got something right, the anti union antics of the Warner Bros lackey have been well documented here and elsewhere…
Arsehole Peter Jackson smeared himself with his lies. All that happened on this blog was that those lies were pointed out.
Indeed he did. But you know what’s more depressing? !!!!
It’s when someone (with a history of someone struggling in the industry, and having sampled the lowliest of the low – including serious jailtime as a result of Sth American totalitarian juntas) becomes so SO immune to the plight of ‘the film-maker’s community’ (i.e. his peers). That Petey isn’t such a bad bloke after all – AYE?.
I’m not exactly sure what the Paekak dak delivers – but it’s obviously pretty potent.
Thats Sir Peter Jackson to the likes of you
Fucktard McSellout, more likely. Not everyone immediately cums at the thought of someone who bought a tin-plate title off a used currency salesman.
Nope. If I was to even use the title “sir” (not going to happen because I’m not a brown noser like yourself) to someone it would be to someone I respect. I don’t respect liars.
“Sir” Graham Henry is another notorious liar.
Watch for him in my series Liars of Our Time….
Jackson is yesterday’s news.
Game of Thrones is a much better watch than his dragged out travelogues.
Season 3 was more anticipated in this household than the Hobbit was, and it will be the same for season 4.
Movies are dead. High end TV series with a guaranteed pay TV audience are the future.
lol.
Peters asks Dunne (during an unrelated committee meeting) if it was him what leaked the Kitteridge report. Cue arguments about whether the question is in order or whatever nevermind Dunne ends up confirming that he’s been spoken to as part of the investigation into who leaked ouch. *laughs*
With a few exceptions most forget ( or don’t want to acknowledge ) that poll proportions are a % of those who didn’t say fuck off( not of the general population. Therefore 45% may well be only 45% of 18-20% of those with a landline. That should leave at least 70% to be influenced by good policy and if that policy is telegraphed too early pale imitations or window-dressed versions of it will be stolen, and thats why we have a ( albeit better than nothing ) half-arsed ” Breakfast in Schools” programme.
On Shearer/ Cuniliffe, be careful not to buy in and feed the MSM’s castigation of DS, if DC was leader the arseholes would be in paroxysms of red-baiting and thunderous editorials of communist takeovers and I’m sure that that buck-toothed idiot Gower would even come in his pants on a live cross to the Beehive over some concocted Stalinist bullshit.
Remember Hooten et al are just doing what they are paid for.
Level the playing field for solar power in New Zealand!
As an investor in a NZ solar company, I was shocked to discover that a careless change in the rules – requiring solar companies to use a particular inverter technology that hasn’t even been invented yet – could come into force any day now and stop our solar industry dead in its tracks. If this were the fossil fuel lobby, would we ever have to worry about something like this?
Solar panels are not just a green technology, they’re also a great financial investment for New Zealand homes and businesses and a potentially huge source of economic growth. We should be pulling out all the stops to help the solar industry develop, not putting one obstacle after another in its path. Even John Key called for reducing “the Pacific region’s reliance on expensive fossil fuels for electricity” a few weeks ago.
New Zealand has almost unlimited potential to generate clean energy from the sun. That’s why I’m calling on regulators — who have been asleep at the wheel — to roll up their sleeves and level the playing field for solar energy by creating a clear, nationally-enforced standard; reducing the soft costs for installing solar; and creating a nationwide financing scheme and easy way for people to sell back their extra solar power production with a net-metering law. These measures would give so many more people access to this smart, environmentally beneficial investment! Please add your name and tell all your friends, and I’ll make sure the law-drafters get our message loud and clear.
Join us! Click below to sign the petition and forward to everyone:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Save_New_Zealands_solar_industry_from_accidental_death/?bhNKcdb&v=25172
With hope,
Iain, Michelle, Scott and the whole Avaaz team
PS: This petition was started by an Avaaz member on our Community Petitions site. It’s quick and easy to start a petition on any issue you care about, click here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=25121
If people think that the (from the earth) fuel companies, will take solar heating lying down, I would be very surprised.
The oil/banking cartel own the politicians, and are not going anywhere, as long as they can drill it from the earth!
The other problem to deal with for the solar energy proponents, is that of global dimming, and the impact of geo-engineering on the amount of suns rays reaching the planets surface!
More cronyism from National:
So, firstly the applicant didn’t apply in time and then the minister didn’t accept the candidates until she had the one she wanted in the list.
This was raised yesterday in Question Time by Robertson.
Robertson has a further question on it scheduled for today’s QT:
The database server (and therefore the site) will be offline for a period late tonight.
I need to adjust some of the settings and that will require it to be offline for up to 20 minutes.
unexpected earthquake observation # 432
The Great Earth Monster shivers in the snow…
S.S. thugs still getting free air time on public radio
Will Kyle Chapman be next?
Nine to Noon, Radio NZ National, Wednesday 29 May 2013
Host: Lynn Freeman
First item up on Nine to Noon this morning was an interesting and learned discussion about the insane “Three Strikes” legislation. The guests were Hastings barrister Eric Forster and Victoria University criminology professor John Pratt. In contrast to many of the blowhards, maniacs and hypocrites who usually get air time on this issue, both of these men are learned and serious scholars of the law; both of them condemned the Three Strikes legislation as “insane”, and the consequence of a small number of ignorant politicians who believed in “magical thinking” being given a totally disproportionate amount of power. This discussion ended about 9:40 a.m.
Just over two hours later, host Lynn Freeman felt compelled to read out a long and belligerent email in favour of Three Strikes. This email was written by the disgraced, discredited convicted grave-robber, doctor-assaulter, serial sexual harasser, former ACT MP, and S.S. man David Garrett. Poor old Lynn Freeman, who I know detests and despises David Garrett and his evil organization, read the email in a tone of obvious distress, as well as distaste.
Then, incredibly, a few minutes later, just before the end of the programme, she read ANOTHER urgent email from the bowels of Hell. This time it was from the Grand Wizard of the S.S. himself, Garth “The Knife” McVicar. In contrast to the rabid David Garrett, the Grand Wizard’s email was written in a tone of wounded disappointment; the two experts, he whined, were “well known opponents of the legislation”. The entirely false display of emotion by this creep rendered that email even more offensive and insulting than Garrett’s.
Surely, if any organization has thoroughly discredited itself and should not be indulged in any way, it is this vicious and hypocritical bunch of gangsters. I know that there is not one person at Radio New Zealand who feels anything other than loathing for the S.S. Trust and for David Garrett and Garth “The Knife” McVicar. Yet here we were, this morning, forced to listen to the thoroughly unedifying phenomenon of a fine broadcaster being forced to read out crass emails from not just one, but TWO personae non grata.
I have no doubt that the receptionsists at Radio NZ National suffered a deluge of coordinated abuse, through telephone calls and emails, for the two hours before those two emails were read out.
I wonder who made the decision to cave in to their hectoring; I know that it was not the journalists.
Sometimes, sunshine, I worry about you……..
Sometimes, sunshine, I worry about you……..
Thanks, buddy! I’m feeling the love.
Where are the ‘three strikes’ against ‘white collar’ crime and ‘white collar’ criminals?
Penny Bright
Where are the ‘three strikes’ against ‘white collar’ crime and ‘white collar’ criminals?
For them, it’s three chances.
Or, to use corporate-speak, three OPPORTUNITIES.
Or more, if they need them.
Everytime I think of the SS Trust, I think of a bunch of hooded people standing round a lynched brown person.
Everytime I think of the SS Trust, I think of a bunch of hooded people standing round a lynched brown person.
Entirely understandable, millsy, but in reality it’s a bunch of intolerant people sitting in a radio studio (NewstalkZB) pouring scorn and abuse on a lynched brown person in South Auckland, and ridiculing his family. That’s what they did, day in, day out, session after session, hour after hour in 2008 and 2009, and still occasionally do whenever somebody mentions the word “tagger”.
Wait until a two strikes offender kills a victum because he cant get his skateboard. What a fuss that will cause.
I thought the most compelling argument was that those on 2 strikes dont really have the moral judgemnt needed to ‘obey’ the law.
Something called “Dv” tried, unwisely, to be clever….
Wait until a two strikes offender kills a victum because he cant [sic] get his skateboard.
What possible precedent do you have to suggest such a scenario?
What a fuss that will cause.
Nonsense. Your dull fantasy lacks even the slightest plausibility.
I thought the most compelling argument was that those on 2 strikes dont really have the moral judgemnt needed to ‘obey’ the law.
Nor, as recent events have reinforced, do the people in the top echelons of the New Zealand police. And, as shown by their failures in Afghanistan, neither do the top brass in the New Zealand Defence Force.
No doubt you will be calling for these people to be sent to jail for fifteen to twenty years. Or do you get ALL your opinions directly from talk radio?
Am I correct in believing that a third guest (aside from Eric Forster and John Pratt) was invited to participate, but declined?
The ‘trickle down’ effect does work! – at least at RNZ.
Am I correct in believing that a third guest (aside from Eric Forster and John Pratt) was invited to participate, but declined?
Possibly that awful Ruth Money, who I see has become the main spokesghoul for the S.S. Trust.
The ‘trickle down’ effect does work! – at least at RNZ.
This comment has me intrigued. Could you explain what you mean?
Martian thingamajig?
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd112/breadmaker99/corregated1_zpsc5e1f7c7.jpg
https://www.facebook.com/RichardC.Hoagland/posts/10200240732604487
Hoaxed. It’s part of the Rover.
http://marswatch.astro.cornell.edu/pancam_instrument/images/Sol3137B_Matijevic_Pan_L257atc.jpg
Better images here
http://earth-chronicles.ru/news/2013-04-09-42015
The DEFENDANT – ‘dodgy’ John Banks is back in the Auckland District Court, (Albert St) Thursday 30 May 2013.
As I understand it – this case will be stood down until 11.45am, because Private Prosecutor Graham McCready will not be able to attend before that time.
It is my intention to have banners up outside the Court from 11am.
Do come along if you are able! 🙂
Being FINALLY held accountable in a Court of Law – has been a VERY long time coming for the DEFENDANT John Banks.
The BIG question is – how come Prime Minister John Key has not yet stood down as Minister, the DEFENDANT, Minister of Regulatory Reform, Minister of Small Business, Associate Minister of Education and Associate Minister of Commerce – ACT MP for Epsom – the arguably ‘Not-So-Honorable’ John Banks?
Former National MP Aaron Gilmore, was effectively forced to leave Parliament, yet he never faced charges in Court, unlike the DEFENDANT John Banks!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201165223716343&set=p.10201165223716343&type=1&theater
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption/ anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate