political education

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Off the Pages (impressions)

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, January 19th, 2014 - 11 comments

A very brief and broad brushstroke account of yesterday’s meeting at Dunedin Botanic Gardens.

Off The Pages – reminder

Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, January 16th, 2014 - 9 comments

Saturday afternoon. 1 O’Clock. Bandstand in Dunedin Botanic Gardens.

Muppets.

Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, December 16th, 2013 - 100 comments

It never fails to amaze me that supposedly experienced and professional (ie, paid) political figures routinely reaffirm a fairly deep sense of stupidity.

Off The Pages…

Written By: - Date published: 5:43 pm, December 15th, 2013 - 17 comments

…and into the world.

Hager on politics and journalism

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, November 2nd, 2012 - 20 comments

A couple of nights ago Nicky Hager gave his Bruce Jesson lecture on “Investigative journalism in the age of media meltdown: from National Party Headquarters to Afghanistan”. It is well worth a solid read, particularly his nine actions for democratic renewal.

On Democracy

Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, August 14th, 2012 - 97 comments

KJT defends the principle of Democracy against the same old arguments. Most of the objections apply to any system which allows the public a say in Government. As again we have the party in Government telling us, “We won the election. We can  do whatever we want. A dictatorship.

No asset sales without a referendum!

Written By: - Date published: 6:45 am, June 15th, 2012 - 137 comments

Peter Dunne would be really, really smart to back the Green amendment. He could still vote for the asset sales law but claim some moral high ground in saying ‘no sales until after the referendum’. Then, when the result is overwhelming opposition, he can do the commonsense shuffle and switch to opposing asset sales. It would be too late to stop the law passing but it might just save Dunne’s skin in 2014.

Give the future a vote

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, May 5th, 2012 - 93 comments

How to we improve the consideration of long term issues in the political process? How do we build in incentives to take these issues seriously?

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…

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”.

An Occupation Occupied. What’s Next?

Written By: - Date published: 3:31 pm, October 22nd, 2011 - 72 comments

Last week, several occupations ‘popped up’ around New Zealand. Well, they didn’t exactly pop up, did they? They weren’t more or less spontaneous, as in numerous countries in the Middle East, N. Africa, Europe and more recently, in Wall Street.

In New Zealand, there was, and is, no general out-pouring of anger or frustration from across large sectors of society. In New Zealand, the Occupations are contrived…pre-planned and organised.

Over or Into The Wall?

Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, October 15th, 2011 - 39 comments

Will the protests around the world hit the brick wall of ingrained habits? Or will we manage to get over, around or beneath that particular barrier to progress?

Lower the voting age?

Written By: - Date published: 2:10 pm, October 11th, 2011 - 47 comments

Mana has proposed lowering the voting age.  I’m in favour.

Disengaged

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, September 18th, 2011 - 114 comments

Why are the young so disengaged from the political process?  2011 is shaping up to be even worse than last election.

Fabian seminar

Written By: - Date published: 6:50 pm, June 7th, 2011 - 2 comments

Another Fabian seminar in Auckland: Ian Pool & Natalie Jackson – Our Demographic Dividend Wasted. Thursday 9th June, 7.00pm, in the Ellen Melville Hall, Freyberg Place.

The Right’s MMP conundrum

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, May 31st, 2011 - 12 comments

If there is one silver lining to the cloud of a National government, it is that the MMP referendum has come up on their watch.  It rather cripples their attack lines.

Fabians lecture

Written By: - Date published: 3:18 pm, May 9th, 2011 - Comments Off on Fabians lecture

“Inequality in New Zealand” with David Craig Venue: St John’s Church Hall, 176 Willis St, Wellington Time: Wednedsay May 11th, 5:30 PM

Fabians lecture

Written By: - Date published: 3:21 pm, May 4th, 2011 - 1 comment

“Capital Gains Tax” with Craig Elliffe and Chye-ching Huang

Venue: Owen Glenn Building, University of Auckland

Time: May 5th, 6:30 PM

Fabians lecture

Written By: - Date published: 3:11 pm, April 26th, 2011 - 1 comment

“Reconstructing Christchurch” with Peter Harris and Hon Lianne Dalziel. Venue: St John’s Church Hall, 176 Willis St, Wellington When: April 27th, 5:30 PM

What is important to voters?

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, April 23rd, 2011 - 52 comments

DPF reckons “that issues of policy are less important to voters than issues of competence”.  What an impoverished view of democracy!  Perhaps he should look a little deeper than last week’s poll…

Fabians lecture

Written By: - Date published: 3:09 pm, April 20th, 2011 - 2 comments

Bernard Hickey speaks about “The Plan for the Productive Economy” Venue: Ellen Melville Hall, High Street, Auckland. Time: 6:30pm, Thursday 21 April.

Candidate Conference

Written By: - Date published: 6:16 pm, April 18th, 2011 - 59 comments

This weekend just gone there was a conference in Wellington for Labour candidates to get us all up to speed with the campaign.  We’re ready to go out there and make it happen.

Why Revolutions Stumble and Fall

Written By: - Date published: 12:28 pm, February 15th, 2011 - 28 comments

Democracy doesn’t suddenly magically appear as though from a conjurers hat. We know that, right?  So why are revolutions seeking democracy  D.O.A?

Diplomatic Stupidity

Written By: - Date published: 11:47 am, December 23rd, 2010 - 13 comments

Do the wikileak cables illustrate just how stupid the diplomatic community is?  What’s it all about?  And why is our media not focussing any attention on this strange state of affairs where governments are seemingly informed by deaf and blind diplomats mouthing off?

An indelible stain on parliamentary lawmaking

Written By: - Date published: 2:50 pm, September 20th, 2010 - 11 comments

Andrew Geddis (Associate Professor of Law at Otago and writer at Pundit) is an expert on democratic theory.  He has become required reading for politics junkies.  His latest piece — a brutally honest analysis of the recent work of the Law and Order select committee — should be required reading for everybody.

Help the Campaign for MMP, they’re Internet illiterates

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 am, May 9th, 2010 - 53 comments

One thing that the election in Britain brought home to me, was how much I’m grateful for having Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation here. I didn’t start that way. Over time, I’ve grown to appreciate the gradual progress and stability offered by MMP. However the people at the Campaign for MMP could do with a little help in the Internet age. They’re operating like it was 1993.

Newswipe

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, February 20th, 2010 - 14 comments

If you’re not familiar with the manifold reasons why the news you get from corporate media is crap, here’s Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe. It’s funny, incisive and merciless.

It’s also a very damning indictment of the modern Fourth Estate that explodes the myths around corporations acting as watchdogs on behalf of citizens against powerful anti-democratic interests.

Remember this?

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, December 1st, 2009 - 23 comments

Pascal’s Bookie dug up this classic in the comments: Congratulations…. You always knew that politics would be exciting, but I guess that neither of us thought that it would get quite this exciting quite so soon. Don, I wish you all the very best I am confident of your capacity to lead National and ultimately […]

Equality Trust

Written By: - Date published: 2:45 pm, November 10th, 2009 - 4 comments

Fancy a link to a well laid-out repository of comparative social statistics with sound credentials, all arranged to demonstrate why inequality is bad for society? Here you go.

The Good Oil: Blast the Right

Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, November 7th, 2009 - 2 comments

God knows you’ll never hear this sort of stuff from the transnational corporate duopolies that are our erstwhile msm, so many thanks to one of our readers who kindly put me on to this excellent US grassroots site by Jerold Block. It’s a repository of podcasts that basically just contain countless well put counter-arguments to […]

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