Archive for November, 2012

Any way you cut it, National’s failed on jobs

Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, November 14th, 2012 - 15 comments

It was a bizarre Question Time yesterday with Key, English, and Joyce all answering questions on the dire jobs numbers and giving contradictory excuses. It was statistical noise, the wrong statistic to look at, the rest of the world’s fault, pretty good comparatively… But the truth of it is that, any way you cut it, National has failed on jobs.

Break For The Future

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, November 14th, 2012 - 102 comments

When Margaret Thatcher was asked about her greatest achievement, she promptly answered: “New Labour.” And she was right: her triumph was that even her political enemies adopted her basic economic policies. True victory over your enemy occurs when they start to use your language, so that your ideas form the foundation of the entire field. Today, when neoliberal hegemony is clearly falling apart, the only solution is to repeat Thatcher’s gesture in the opposite direction.

Looking for a new left direction: more than just one housing policy

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, November 14th, 2012 - 218 comments

A policy focusing on increasing state housing and affordable rents would be a good start. However, my current criticism of Labour leadership focuses on the policy direction of the leadership team.  This requires more than just one policy. A bold new left wing plan is needed to deal with the difficult challenges ahead. Updated

Yet another reason to move to Australia

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, November 14th, 2012 - 13 comments

Here’s an entry to add to the already very long list of why people move to Australia. Apparently, they have much better taste in media there.

Open mike 14/11/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 14th, 2012 - 139 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…

Labour Conference 2012: how is social media formed?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, November 13th, 2012 - 81 comments

So, in an effort to make a post not calling for the head of David Shearer, I decided to take a look at the Labour Party’s conference webpages. And oh boy are they a treat. I’ve blogged before about Labour’s (or at least, Shearer’s office’s) poor grasp of social media, but whole new levels of “what r […]

Shearer Says – on leadership

Written By: - Date published: 4:12 pm, November 13th, 2012 - 93 comments

Nonsense

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, November 13th, 2012 - 70 comments

NZ Herald: ‘David Shearer is brushing off a crescendo of calls for him to step down by left-leaning bloggers and commentators, saying it is “nonsense” and should be ignored.’

Don’t worry, be happy

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, November 13th, 2012 - 53 comments

I don’t read the Listener or Kiwiblog, so it was 3 months until Anthony drew this article to my attention. The bit that caught my attention was oil and gas shill John Pagani saying The Standard‘s “idea of political is embittered and angry”. Allow me to respond.

Nats in the bunker of stupid

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, November 13th, 2012 - 16 comments

The bunker of stupid is where you go to hide from facts you don’t like. John Key is there, hiding from the latest record unemployment figures. Joining him today is Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew, reportedly denying the rapidly increasing gender pay gap in NZ.

We have a lemming instead of a leader

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, November 13th, 2012 - 80 comments

John Key doesn’t want NZ to be a leader in the fight against climate change.   Much better to be a lemming (sorry – a “fast follower”) and follow all the other lemmings off the cliff.

Jobs and wages

Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, November 13th, 2012 - 9 comments

While Audrey Young was giving the Key cabinet a glowing report card yesterday as they lurch from crisis to crisis (so many crises the Novopay scandal can’t make the front pages after 3 months of stuff ups), the economy continued to struggle.

At conference, vote for a members’ democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 13th, 2012 - 53 comments

The Labour Party conference this weekend is crucial for the democratic future of the party. A party member outlines his view on how to vote. His main point? In U.K. Labour you only need 20% of caucus to allow a vote on the leadership. That’s about right.

Open mike 13/11/2012

Written By: - Date published: 2:45 am, November 13th, 2012 - 119 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…

ImperatorFish: In Praise Of John Key

Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, November 12th, 2012 - 8 comments

I am filled with admiration for our Prime Minister. The latest employment figures are a disaster, and appear to show that this government does not know how to grow the economy. But our Mr Key is made of sterner stuff. He knows in his heart that these figures aren’t to be relied upon, because everything else tells him that things are getting better.

NRT: This week’s distraction

Written By: - Date published: 3:25 pm, November 12th, 2012 - 5 comments

No Right Turn on this week’s offering from the Nat roulette wheel of political distractions…

Shuffle the caucus deck

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, November 12th, 2012 - 95 comments

By all means, get rid of the unfortunate experiment that is the David Shearer leadership. But the problem is really with the NZLP’s parliamentary caucus who appear to have lost sight of what we want them to achieve. Until that problem is fixed the party will continue to shed people willing to exert effort supporting them.

Thanks DPF for my laugh of the day

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, November 12th, 2012 - 62 comments

DPF is peddling a conspiracy theory that The Standard is acting on instructions for a coordinated attack on Shearer. I can see how he’d make that mistake, being used to a command and control structure for his Nat blog – but here at The Standard we don’t take orders from anyone.

Remember Waihi 1912: who now has the courage?

Written By: - Date published: 10:28 am, November 12th, 2012 - 21 comments

Tomorrow is the centenary of the death of Fred Evans on 13 November 1912, during the Waihi gold miners strike.  Out of this struggle of ordinary, but courageous NZ workers, grew the NZ Labour Party.  Who now has such courage to lead NZ politics in a new direction? Update: Allison McCulloch’s article on the Waihi strike.

Which Parata to believe?

Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, November 12th, 2012 - 15 comments

Hekia Parata September dressed up plans for school closured and mergers in high-sounding language and pushed them hard. Hekia Parata November says that some of those plans were crazy. Which Hekia Parata should we believe?

Open mike 12/11/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 12th, 2012 - 52 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…

Don’t panic

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 pm, November 11th, 2012 - 77 comments

Twice this year we have seen Labour leaders  turn around perceptions of them and their party with one speech; Ed Miliband at the UK Party conference in November and Julia Gillard  in the Australian parliament in October. I think that calling for David Shearer’s head in the week before the Labour party conference is a sign of panic.

Who could replace Shearer?

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, November 11th, 2012 - 90 comments

Some people are Anyone But Cunliffe.  Some people think Cunliffe is the One True Leader.  Some people want more options.  So let’s make a case for it.

John Key Selling (out) New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, November 11th, 2012 - 56 comments

John Key’s selling out of NZ workers’ rights, tourism industry and identity to Hollywood, the TPP and US corporates, has reached a new low.  OIA papers reveal the extent to which Warners is dictating the NZ government’s promotion of 100% Middle-earth.

It’s time to go

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, November 11th, 2012 - 175 comments

Eddie is right.

David Shearer needs to step down.

Open mike 11/11/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 11th, 2012 - 49 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…

Jon Stewart having too much fun

Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, November 10th, 2012 - 3 comments

Jon Stewart’s Daily Show on the 7th – the day after the American elections – is a classic. Stewart is having more fun than is seemly or decent!

On David Shearer’s Leadership

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, November 10th, 2012 - 284 comments

For the Left to win in 2014, David Shearer has to resign as Labour Leader. This is a big call to make and one that I have agonised over, but the reality has become increasingly clear: under Shearer, Labour is all too likely to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in 2014.

Leaders under pressure

Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 10th, 2012 - 42 comments

Both John Key and David Shearer have had a bit of a pasting in the media lately. Shearer’s problems are solvable – Key’s are not…

Poverty Watch 11

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, November 10th, 2012 - 5 comments

Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week, another doctor warns us about poverty and disease in NZ, Peter Dunne betrays his pledge to back measures that reduce poverty, and inequality in New York exposed by hurricane Sandy.

Opposition Party statements; what the MSM doesn’t report

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, November 10th, 2012 - 39 comments

The MSM quickly picked up a press release on the failure of the Southern Cross Cable. Others that are ignored:  Bennett has either lied or is incompetent;  Nat-linked appointment to TVNZ board; Hone’s ‘feed the kids’ Bill; Joyce’s education agenda; John Key as a “bumbling Marxist”.

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