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The Catholic Church is urging its parishoners to vote

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, July 21st, 2017 - 29 comments

The catholic bishops of Aotearoa have released a pamphlet urging parishoners to vote. And apart from conservative positions on euthenasia and drug liberalisation the policies they support have a decidedly progressive bent.

Why be a public servant?

Written By: - Date published: 1:16 pm, July 20th, 2017 - 28 comments

Today thousands of IRD workers face the prospect of losing their jobs while two MOT workers who lost their jobs for whistle blowing are vindicated.  Who would be a public servant?

Skepticism cynicism lies and hypocrisy

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, July 8th, 2017 - 17 comments

There’s a very good / depressing long read in The Guardian on the dangerous “weaponising” of cynicism by climate change deniers. One of the most interesting sections was a discussion of the way that voters are more forgiving of lies than hypocrisy.

Does the left do more of the same or does it get radical this election?

Written By: - Date published: 11:12 am, July 7th, 2017 - 252 comments

Andrew Dean has written an opinion piece for Stuff where he suggests that to win this election Labour and the Greens have to become more radical.

Dirty Politics 2017 style

Written By: - Date published: 4:05 pm, June 8th, 2017 - 27 comments

Latest polls and some anecdotal evidence from the doorstep are showing a move back to the Tories in Britain. If so it may in part be due to last-minute dark and dirty personally targeted Facebook advertising to voters in marginal seats. They cost so will need to be watched later on here.

The UK elections – Has Labour got the big mo?

Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, May 21st, 2017 - 66 comments

And in the United Kingdom the election that was meant to be a foregone conclusion suddenly is suddenly tightening.

Slater v Craig – battle of the has beens

Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, May 21st, 2017 - 22 comments

The High Court this week has been asked to dissect the decline of the Conservative Party and of the 2014 form of dirty politics.

The looming battle over property

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, May 15th, 2017 - 122 comments

Housing may be the issue that decides this year’s election.  And if Labour wins Andrew Little will have a major crisis to deal with, one that he has to solve.

Prefigurative politics: being the change you want to see

Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, May 9th, 2017 - 10 comments

In election year, we have some choices about how to proceed.

The patriotic millionaires

Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, May 3rd, 2017 - 127 comments

In America a group of millionaires have emerged who are advocating for increased taxation for the wealthy and increased democratic rights to everyone else.

The French Presidential Runoff

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, April 26th, 2017 - 79 comments

The French Presidential run off presents worrying signs for progressives.  Why is the electorate sliding to the right?

Utopian Musings: Companionship, Community, Compassion, Passion

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, April 25th, 2017 - 43 comments

Incognito muses on the state of society, and that despite many of us feel relatively happy & content there seems to be an increasing feeling of ‘unease’, that something is not quite right in/with our society and where things might be heading. Rather than the ideologies and buzzwords, Incognito focuses on the factors that make humans happy in community.

Monbiot on the embedded economy

Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, April 14th, 2017 - 10 comments

A model for a sustainable economy. Something to ponder on a wet holiday weekend.

The neoliberal revolution

Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, April 1st, 2017 - 31 comments

Thirty years old today – the longest April Fool’s joke in history?

When right-wing hacks confess the damage that they do

Written By: - Date published: 9:11 am, March 26th, 2017 - 20 comments

Some right-wing hacks (like Glenn Beck) are recanting their rants and apologising for the damage that they’ve done. I reckon a few more should follow their brave lead.

Nicky Hager announces new book release

Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, March 20th, 2017 - 160 comments

Nicky Hager’s latest book is to be launched this Tuesday at Unity Books in Wellington.

International Women’s Day, 47 years on, how far have we come?

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 pm, March 8th, 2017 - 50 comments

Test of a speech given by feminist icon Sandra Coney on the state of the feminist movement in 2017

Slightly smug about MMP

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 4th, 2017 - 22 comments

2017 will be New Zealand’s eighth election under MMP, over 22 years. With very strong democratically elected governments appearing right across the world digging in for the long term, it’s useful to take a moment for MMP.

Is this the impossibility turning point?

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, February 14th, 2017 - 49 comments

There’s a wonderful fiction still propelling the world that the 21st century will bring an ever-expanding arc of freedom and prosperity to the vast majority of humanity but the reality seems to be anything but.

How do we increase voter participation?

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, January 17th, 2017 - 218 comments

Fewer people, particularly young people, are voting. How do we turn this around?

The CIA Director confirmation hearings

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, January 10th, 2017 - 17 comments

Mike Pompey is Donald Trump’s chosen head for the CIA.  He is someone who believes in the mass collection of all metadata and combining it with all publicly available information.  Are we going to see the unprecedented destruction of rights of privacy?

Refining that dog whistle

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, January 10th, 2017 - 71 comments

Bill English has used a proposal for timing of his Waitangi speech to wrongly claim that he is being silenced.  And most of the media bought it.

I have an idea

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, December 25th, 2016 - 12 comments

Advantage muses on the meaning of Christmas and how our response to it says a lot about who we are.

America’s broken democratic system

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, November 27th, 2016 - 91 comments

Through partisan control of the electoral system and continuing attempts to suppress votes America’s electoral system is in clear need of an overhaul.

Kindness

Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 13 comments

It has been a terrible year.  People should think about being kind to each other and looking after each other.

Democracy can be refined

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, November 15th, 2016 - 125 comments

Democracy is difficult. Government is far too complex and ordinary people have neither the time nor the inclination to spend time to understand it properly. So what are the alternatives?

Post-Election Recovery Salon

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, November 11th, 2016 - 60 comments

Need a haven from the post-election fall out?

Nothing’s Going to Happen.

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, October 11th, 2016 - 104 comments

A wee reflection on our psychological fuck-edness.

Our most effective Prime Minister

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, October 1st, 2016 - 234 comments

Ad ranks post second world war according to criteria which produces some interesting result.

Ombudsman to investigate John Key’s dirty politics communications

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, September 27th, 2016 - 91 comments

The Ombudsman is to investigate John Key’s failure to disclose communications with David Farrar and Cameron Slater

Post truth politics – White man behind a desk

Written By: - Date published: 1:59 pm, September 23rd, 2016 - 12 comments

Robbie from WBMAD analyses the current trend to make politics a truth free phenomenon, offers funny yet incisive comments on the effect of social media on politics and finishes with videos of cats.

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  • More proof National not delivering for New Zealanders
    The Ministry of Social Development’s latest Household Incomes Report is more hard evidence of the growing poverty in New Zealand, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “National claims to be delivering for New Zealanders. This report puts the lie ...
    Labour
    19 hours ago

  • Strong support from medical community for Healthy Homes Bill
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    Labour
    21 hours ago

  • Labour will fund Buller Health Centre
    A Labour Government will fully fund the Buller Integrated Family Health Centre in Westport, confirming its commitment to the people of the West Coast and the role of central government to fund essential public services, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David ...
    Labour
    22 hours ago

  • National’s affordable promise for Auckland more smoke and mirrors
    The 26,000 additional houses National plans to build in Auckland on public land over the next decade include fewer than 5,000 affordable homes, while more than 60 per cent will be available for speculators to buy, says Leader of the ...
    Labour
    1 day ago

  • National out of touch over immigration
    National’s abrupt backflip on their recently-announced changes to immigration shows they never understood the problem and just came up with a confused knee jerk response, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. “Regional communities and businesses were quite right to ...
    Labour
    2 days ago

  • English out of touch on homelessness
    Bill English’s comments that he doesn’t know why people are complaining about the blowout in the number of homeless families the government is putting up in motels just shows how tired and out of touch National is after nine years, ...
    Labour
    2 days ago

  • All Kiwis to have same standard of cancer care
    Labour is promising that all New Zealanders will have access to the same level of cancer care no matter where they live in the country, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little.   “As someone who has survived cancer I ...
    Labour
    3 days ago

  • Infrastructure announcement too long coming
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    Labour
    3 days ago

  • Time for a breather on immigration
    National has no idea how to house the record number of people entering New Zealand, let alone cope with the pressure on health, education, and transport from this record population growth, says Labour’s Immigration spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway. ...
    Labour
    5 days ago

  • Labour to invest $4 billion in education
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    Labour
    5 days ago

  • National’s shame: worst homelessness in the OECD
    National’s legacy is a housing crisis that has given New Zealand the worst homeless rate in the developed world, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...
    Labour
    5 days ago

  • Labour taking action on school donations
    Labour will end so-called voluntary school donations for the majority of parents across the country under its $4 billion plan to revitalise the education sector, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “Labour has always been committed to a world-class free education ...
    Labour
    5 days ago

  • Labour to work with Queenstown to build more houses
    Labour will work with Queenstown-Lakes District Council, iwi, and the Community Housing Trust to build the modern, affordable housing Queenstown desperately needs, says Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little. ...
    Labour
    6 days ago

  • Nats blow the Budget on motels after bowling state houses
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    Labour
    6 days ago

  • New revelations in Joanne Harrison report
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    Labour
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  • Snafu at Princess Margaret
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    Labour
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  • Labour’s fiscal plan to build a fairer New Zealand
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    Labour
    7 days ago

  • Nats show they’re the tax dodgers’ best friends
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    Labour
    7 days ago

  • Labour secures the future for NZ Super
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    Labour
    1 week ago

  • Multinationals must pay fair share of tax
    A Labour Government will crack down on multinational companies that are dodging paying their fair share of tax, says Labour Leader Andrew Little. “New Zealanders are missing out by hundreds of millions according to the IRD because multinational companies can ...
    Labour
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  • ACT’s approach to children backward and ill informed
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    Labour
    2 weeks ago

  • Canterbury hatchet job a disgrace
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    Labour
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  • Quality for Kiwi kids at ECE
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    Labour
    2 weeks ago

  • Labour to boost ECE quality
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    Labour
    2 weeks ago

  • Labour will stump up a million dollars for Maniototo Hospital
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    Labour
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  • No vision for the West Coast
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    Labour
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  • National’s youth work scheme too little too late
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    Labour
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  • Kiwis won’t fall for Joyce’s spin
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    Labour
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  • Labour prioritises families and public services
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    Labour
    2 weeks ago

  • Kiwis can’t sleep in your ghost houses, Nick
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    Labour
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  • Labour helps older New Zealanders and low income families with winter heating bills
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    Labour
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  • National must rule out retrospective override for Ruataniwha
    National must categorically rule out using retrospective legislation to override the Supreme Court’s decision that the land swap of conservation land flooded by the proposed Ruataniwha Dam was illegal, says Labour’s Shadow Attorney General David Parker. “Having not got their ...
    Labour
    3 weeks ago

  • Flavell’s failure a win for Māori landowners
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    Labour
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  • Stats confirm growing housing shortfall
    National’s failure to fix the housing shortage has been starkly illustrated by new statistics, says Labour Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...
    Labour
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  • Systemic abuse of kids in state care
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    Labour
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  • Migrant worker exploitation needs sharper focus
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    Labour
    3 weeks ago

  • Minister faces questions over dam debacle
    Today’s Supreme Court ruling dismissing an appeal to allow a land swap for the controversial Ruataniwha Dam is a victory for our conservation estate and Hawke’s Bay ratepayers, but leaves the Conservation Minister with serious questions to answer, says Ikaroa-Rāwhiti ...
    Labour
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  • Too little too late on Wellington housing
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    Labour
    3 weeks ago

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