democratic participation

Categories under democratic participation

Guess who needs help with his literacy and numeracy?

Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, September 5th, 2024 - 76 comments

Remember when Christopher Luxon told the National Party that we had a maths teaching crisis? Experts have concluded that the statement is misleading. And an OIA dump suggests that behind the scenes there is an attempt to radically rewrite the existing curriculum.

Local Councils Defy Central Government Agenda

Written By: - Date published: 4:16 pm, August 30th, 2024 - 38 comments

94% of councils that have voted vote to retain Maori wards. Many of them are National background Councillors and previously urged Central Government to not push ahead with the legislation. The forced local referendums are now expected to cost ratepayers and take away from Council workloads

UK General Election – the mood on the doorstep

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 pm, June 10th, 2024 - 12 comments

The UK still has the First Past the Post Electoral system. Something New Zealand should have absolutely no nostalgia for. This means that, while the campaign is UK-wide, a lot of campaign activity is directed into constituencies that are deemed marginal. In marginal constituencies, a General Election brings a conveyor belt of the good and the great supporting their prospective parliamentary candidate. In “safe seats” voters get much less attention.

Anti-Muslim, anti-black, pro-Zionist: UK Labour goes for purge

Written By: - Date published: 4:44 am, June 2nd, 2024 - 10 comments

I attended Faiza Shaheen’s impressive candidate launch in Chingford four years ago. She aimed to take on IDS and she dented his majority. Reselected two years ago by the local Labour Party, four days ago she was deselected by a 3-person kangaroo court from the party’s National Executive Committee.
Update: Faiza Shaheen to stand as an independent in Chingford.

The Budget Day Protests

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, May 30th, 2024 - 18 comments

Protests by Māori and Tangata Tiriti against government policy are underway on the day of the National government’s first budget. Carkoi and Hikoi are taking place in many locations across the country.

Where is Melissa Lee?

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, March 4th, 2024 - 44 comments

The New Zealand media sector has been in turmoil during the past week. But Broadcasting Minister has refused to publicly discuss what is happening or what her government proposes to do about it.

A sad lament from the serial left

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 pm, February 13th, 2024 - 103 comments

Attacking leftists attempts to expose the Atlas Network of right-wing think tanks, Chris Trotter offers this gem “Morally speaking, is taking money from oil companies really all that distinguishable from giving money to oil companies every time we fill up our petrol tank?”

National and the Gutting of Local Democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:57 pm, February 13th, 2024 - 16 comments

We have remarkably little democracy left in New Zealand. 

The best Electoral System that money can buy

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, January 19th, 2024 - 22 comments

The Independent Electoral Review Panel has recommended changes to the electoral system including the banning of any donations unless made by enrolled voters, a cap on the size of those donations and a requirement that third parties disclose all large donations that they receive.

The New Zealand’s New Neo-Authoritarian Coalition Government

Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, December 21st, 2023 - 20 comments

The coalition government has hijacked the democratic process for its own partisan and nefarious agenda.

Political comeback – Getting the sequencing right

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 pm, December 14th, 2023 - 40 comments

A notably different approach to sequencing political comeback was on show at the VUW post-election seminar last week. Luxon put rebuilding the party first, Hipkins put it last. On policy Luxon was bottom-up and early, Hipkins was top-down and late.

Has Labour become a cadre Party? Pt 1 Leadership

Written By: - Date published: 4:43 pm, November 2nd, 2023 - 18 comments

In 2021, I voted against Labour’s conference proposal for midstream leadership change to be determined by Caucus alone, saying that it risked Labour becoming a cadre party for elites. A series of posts will start with why the Caucus should not rush to a leadership vote.

Education policy and the compulsory teaching of subjects

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, August 22nd, 2023 - 26 comments

The brains trust of Labour’s leadership have recently released a policy providing for the compulsory teaching of financial literacy in schools. Tacking to the centre and seeking votes from the pro business part of the electorate is an interesting approach to campaigning.  Time will tell if it is the correct approach.

Taihoa on AUKUS Pillar 2

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 pm, April 24th, 2023 - 63 comments

Andrew Little says our government is willing to “explore” participating in AUKUS Pillar 2, but “foreign or local voices would not be a factor.” Our leaders will decide he says. I say “taihoa.”

Will Australia Hear The Voice?

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 pm, March 6th, 2023 - 10 comments

Australia’s Prime Minister Albanese is trying to get actual indigenous representation into the Australian Parliament with a referendum. Going to be tough.

Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation and Scottish Independence.

Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, February 16th, 2023 - 56 comments

While Sturgeon’s strong leadership and vision have helped build support for Scottish Independence, the Conservative and Unionist Party’s arrogance and self-serving incompetence in government have greatly aided her in this.

Too Old For Politics

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, October 13th, 2022 - 37 comments

Can you be too old to represent your people? New Zealand’s oldest person to first get elected was William Cargill at 71. Australia’ s John Howard was 68 when he retired, and Robert Menzies was 72 when he retired as Prime Minister. The previous US president is now 76 and will likely run again in […]

Local Body Election voting options: Taranaki Regional Council and Urs Signer

Written By: - Date published: 12:50 pm, September 30th, 2022 - 57 comments

Urs Signer is standing for the Taranaki Regional Council, and is speaking a lot of sense about working with farmers, iwi and greenies for a Just Transition.

How to get the progressive government we want

Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, May 23rd, 2022 - 95 comments

What if instead of waiting for a new left wing party to arise, the left worked with the three progressive parties we already have in parliament?

America’s Democratic Decline Really Matters

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, July 4th, 2021 - 48 comments

With the United States Supreme Court allowing individual states to choke voting rights into bare consciousness, that country is accelerating its democratic decline. That matters for every democracy including ours.

Hate speech wide-eyed scaremongering

Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, June 30th, 2021 - 111 comments

A guest post by Clint Smith who has actually analysed the effect of the proposed changes and makes comment on the detail of what is proposed.

Openness and transparency

Written By: - Date published: 12:20 pm, June 8th, 2021 - 117 comments

On the weekend Andrea Vance gave the Government a bit of a serve about its record on openness and transparency. But a deeper dig into the issue suggests that the cause may have nothing to do with the Government’s preferences and everything to do with the volume of information requests made by the opposition.

Why did ACT reject Lisa Lewis’s membership application?

Written By: - Date published: 3:29 pm, June 1st, 2021 - 7 comments

Two political blogs have asked why ACT turned down Sex worker Lisa Lewis’s application for membership of the party.  Here at the Standard we have what we believe is the best answer.

Bryce Edwards: The State of the political left (in the Age of Outrage)

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, May 31st, 2021 - 134 comments

What role has the political left played in helping create some of the changes to the current way politics is debated?

The Problem with Personification in Politics

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 19th, 2021 - 12 comments

It is a grave mistake to treat Ministries as if they are real persons.

Trifold Politics and Boundaries

Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, January 30th, 2021 - 34 comments

Over the past year I’ve outlined in the comments an alternative triplet political model to the standard left/right description that’s the usual default. It’s the default for a reason, it’s simple and most of the time it’s a ‘good enough’ approximation to reality, and nothing I’m going to suggest below is intended or expected to […]

Hong Kong arrests uncovering an ‘ugly plot?’

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 pm, January 25th, 2021 - 6 comments

Retired Hong Kong Final Court of Appeal Judge Henry Litton raises some important questions about the motivations of the 53 would-be legislators recently arrested in Hong Kong. Five Eyes countries including New Zealand were quick to condemn the arrests, but Litton states their aim was to implement a wider plot called “10-steps to mutual destruction,” and to use their powers as legislators to create chaos.

Are Revolutions A Good Idea?

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, January 23rd, 2021 - 24 comments

Revolt? Revolution? Pain in the ass? Depends, like comedy, on timing. And which side of history you end up on.

No extradition for Assange

Written By: - Date published: 12:27 am, January 5th, 2021 - 104 comments

Great news. While unexpected, Nicky Hager who was an expert witness for Assange at the trial, thought this might be a possibility when he spoke to the Fabian Society in November. More details tomorrow.

Update: Bail application to be heard on Wednesday London time.

Assisted dying law in New Zealand and the UK

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, December 9th, 2020 - 65 comments

Assisted Dying

There is now growing recognition internationally that the right to a dignified death is a fundamental human right. Assisted dying is not about reducing health care costs or pressuring those who are frail, old or disabled to end their life prematurely. It is about allowing those with a terminal illness the choice to die rather than face a period of significant physical decline and suffering before the end of their life.

The challenge to the reeferendum result

Written By: - Date published: 7:53 am, December 8th, 2020 - 57 comments

A group of more than 350 people have applied to the High Court to try and void the reeferendum result.