Archive for November, 2011

Annette, Save Us!

Written By: - Date published: 2:18 pm, November 30th, 2011 - 47 comments

Labour would do well out of a long, positive leadership contest with all the contenders getting well-known by the country as they express their vision. If we can’t get Phil to stay, how about we have Annette hold the reigns as interim leader for the duration of the contest?

Turnout and the media

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, November 30th, 2011 - 56 comments

A Herald editorial today outlines some possible reasons for falling voter turnout.  It left one important reason off the list…

Paradigm shift

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, November 30th, 2011 - 79 comments

In the Budget, we were told to expect 4.2% growth in 2012, which would make getting back into surplus and creating jobs possible. The Pre-election Update reduced it to 3%. Now, the OECD says ‘2.5%, providing Europe doesn’t go to crap .. oh, and Europe’s going to crap’. We’ve got to accept that economic growth won’t fall on us like manna from heaven anymore and work out how to build an actual brighter future.

Open mike 30/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 30th, 2011 - 134 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Broken Promise No. 1

Written By: - Date published: 5:02 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 68 comments

In what must be a record for broken promises, National have on Day 1 of government delivered a letter to Forest and Bird that they will renege on their promise of public consultation before allowing mining on public conservation land. Denniston will be mined, without the public having a say.

Two weeks to choose

Written By: - Date published: 3:42 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 160 comments

Have just received an email from Labour’s President Moira Coatsworth. Phil Goff and Annette King to resign Labour’s leadership effective December 13. Moira is urging all Party members to make their views known to their MPs about the new leadership.The caucus will make the decision but members will have their say. Good.

Victim tales of the right

Written By: - Date published: 3:40 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 26 comments

Nationals yapping poodles here were doing it during the election by calling Labour “nasty” in violation of any level of common sense. John Key and teabags. In the US similar supporters are calling Obama nasty for pointing out a lying political ad by Mitt Romney.

Don’t ya know the right are always the poor victims… I just tend to find them to be whining dickheads. But I am actually trying to be nasty.

NRT on Democracy 101

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 20 comments

No Right Turn takes Key to task on his perception of a “large majority”.

Demise of the Maori Party

Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, November 29th, 2011 - 91 comments

I’m calling it right now. This is last election where the Maori Party’s will return MPs. It has gone from 5 to 3 MPs, 2 of whom are retiring this term, and the survivors have had their majorities slashed (on the back of scandalously low turnouts). Turia and Sharples will take the baubles again, which will just be the final nails in the party’s coffin.

Choosing our next PM

Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, November 29th, 2011 - 172 comments

Looks like Labour will have a proper leadership comp with Goff as caretaker till early next year. Good. Let’s get to know the options. Labour needs to get this right. Because the next Labour leader needs to be the next PM in 2014. Needs to be able to win. The poor people of NZ can’t afford another lost 3 years being squeezed and ripped off by the Tories.

Open mike 29/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 29th, 2011 - 162 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Leadership Elections: Getting it Right

Written By: - Date published: 4:35 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 37 comments

In 2005 the UK Conservatives badly lost a third election in a row and their leader announced his intent to resign. But they organised a well-run contest to replace him, and by the time he won David Cameron had gone from unknown outsider to popular public figure, and the once ‘toxic’ Conservatives were electable again.

Old Masters on Election 2011

Written By: - Date published: 3:54 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 11 comments

The Old Masters give us their verdict on the 2011 election.

Thought for the Day

Written By: - Date published: 2:51 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 62 comments

Not wanting to get into a fight with my fellow lefties who advocated a vote for NZ First, but did you want an 8th NZ First MP instead of the excellent Raymond Huo?

The dangers of voting strategically…

Islands in a sea of blue

Written By: - Date published: 1:59 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 25 comments

Moira Coatsworth is looking at a review of what worked and what didn’t this election. I’d participate, but I’ve long since found that the internal communications of the NZLP are too sclerotic to pass operational information through. Quite simply the message gets munged by political types with limited understanding of electorate campaigns long before it gets to the people who need to hear it – the mechanics in other electorates.

My views on one thing that does work – concentrating on electorate canvassing data.

Labour should not rush to judgment

Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 171 comments

One can understand why John Key is ‘speed dating” to form a one-seat majority in Parliament.  His honeymoon is likely to be a lot shorter in the next term of government. It is quite different for Labour. The caucus would be wise not to rush to decide  who leads Labour into the next election.

Bugger the polls

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, November 28th, 2011 - 141 comments

Pundit’s poll of polls tracked 57 individual polls this year, four of them appearing just a day or so before the election.  Every single poll predicted National with the seats to govern alone.  Didn’t happen.  The polls over estimate Nat support to the tune of about 4%.  They need to rethink their methods.

The rise of the Greens

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, November 28th, 2011 - 111 comments

The Greens can be very proud of their achievement this election. With 13, probably to become 14, seats, they have achieved the second-best ever result for a minor party under MMP. They have succeeded in becoming credible to mainstream New Zealand. What they do next carries big risks and big potential rewards.

Open mike 28/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 28th, 2011 - 161 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Watching the specials

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

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

Skirmish, battle, war

Written By: - Date published: 1:15 pm, November 27th, 2011 - 31 comments

I’m just back from cleaning up our election day HQ after last night’s party. With apologies to lefties who aren’t feeling too flash today, and with particular sympathies to Labour MPs who didn’t make it back, I had a good election night.

Ombudspin

Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, November 27th, 2011 - 22 comments

I agree with Anthony Hubbard in today’s SST “Turning the spin around” – not yet on-line. The most outrageous piece of spin in the election was Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem’s justification for allowing the Treasury to refuse to release documents relating to asset sales as requested by TV1, the Greens and Labour. Hubbard calls it a cop-out and a cave-in – he’s right.

A few thoughts on election 2011

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, November 27th, 2011 - 321 comments

It’s been a funny kind of election and there’s a lot to ruminate on over the next few days.

Here’s a handful of random thoughts on the matter…

Open mike 27/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 27th, 2011 - 126 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Open mike 26/11/2011

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 pm, November 26th, 2011 - 20 comments

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Election night roundup

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, November 26th, 2011 - 350 comments

We will try to keep updated with the results of the election as they come through. And we hope that you will do the same in comments. Hopefully we’ll keep the level of punditry down to a less boring level than dead time fill requires for broadcast media. Feel free to tell us what you’re […]

Time – last chance for comments

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 pm, November 25th, 2011 - 5 comments

We’re not posting posts and not allowing comments from 2359 tonight to 1900 tomorrow after the polls close.

Thanks everyone….

Where and how to vote

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 pm, November 25th, 2011 - Comments Off on Where and how to vote

Regardless of who you decide to vote for, it’s really important that you do exercise your democratic duty to vote. Here’s a link to the Electoral Commission site that gives information on voting booth locations, how to make a vote, the people and parties you can vote for in your area, and answers to any […]

A vote for Key is a vote for asset sales

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 pm, November 25th, 2011 - 66 comments

76% of Kiwis are against National’s plan to sell our assets. We know it just doesn’t make sense. We know privatisation leads to higher prices, under-investment, asset-stripping, and profits going overseas rather than into public services. Make no mistake: the only way to stop asset sales is to vote Green, Mana, Labour, or New Zealand First.

Who we’re voting for

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 pm, November 25th, 2011 - 238 comments

Over at norightturn idiot savant has declared his voting intentions. And let’s face it, in a representative democracy how you vote is where the rubber hits the road.

With that in mind Standard authors who feel comfortable with the concept are declaring the who and why of their democratic activities this Saturday. Commenters are free to join in.

Undecided? Try this website

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, November 25th, 2011 - 5 comments

If you’re still undecided, www.onthefence.co.nz is a cool little website that will help. You choose three issues that matter to you and how much you agree with two opposing statements on each those three issues – and it’s done with cute sheep graphics. The website then matches your priorities and the three parties that best fit them.