elections

Categories under elections

by-election (108)
election 2017 (413)
election 2020 (166)
election 2023 (111)
election funding (182)
electoral commission (46)
electoral systems (183)
- First Past the Post (26)
- MMP (136)
- Single Transferable Vote (1)
- Supplementary Member (4)

Doofus of the week May 12, 2018

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:00 pm, May 12th, 2018 - 62 comments

There was intense competition this week. Paula Bennett with her attack on Jacinda’s Spotify playlist almost won but Northcote candidate Dan Bidois succeeded for managing to talk out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and only confusing his tongue.

The strange and unusual National Campaign Launch for the Northcote by election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:36 am, May 7th, 2018 - 52 comments

Dan Bidois has formally launched his campaign by blaming Auckland Council for the last Government’s shortcomings, and opposing the regional fuel tax while at the same time insisting that if there is intensification then it needs to be paid for.

English Council Elections

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:02 am, May 7th, 2018 - 16 comments

By Nick Kelly – Upper Hutt boy in London.

The election year party donations returns

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:12 am, May 6th, 2018 - 40 comments

The election year donation returns have been released and show a surge of donations for Labour but National still well ahead.

The Centre, the Left and UK local elections

Written By: Bill - Date published: 11:18 am, May 4th, 2018 - 14 comments

Thoughts on a resurgent left and a collapsing centre.

New Zealand Is all right, at the end

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, April 28th, 2018 - 27 comments

Democracy’s permanence is not inevitable. Its imagining is not beyond imagining. And New Zealand is one of the shrinking number of democracies who really have it.

The Northcote by-election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:59 am, April 17th, 2018 - 86 comments

Labour and National have both selected their candidates for the Northcote by election. Labour’s candidate is Shanan Halbert who cut significantly into Jonathan Coleman’s majority at the last election.

Andrew Little reflects

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:59 pm, March 11th, 2018 - 18 comments

Stuff have published online a video interview with Andrew Little where he goes through the circumstances of his resignation as leader, the ascension of Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister and his work as a Minister.

Is youth the new political divide?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:21 am, March 11th, 2018 - 44 comments

There is evidence in the United Kingdom and in New Zealand that youth and not class may be the new political divide.

Cullen says 2020 election effectively a referendum on tax

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 1:20 pm, March 7th, 2018 - 32 comments

Don’t hold your breath for recommendations of radical tax reform from the Tax Working Group. Chair Sir Michael Cullen says the 2020 election will be a referendum on tax and he is already kicking for touch

Facebook Bullshit

Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:04 pm, February 26th, 2018 - 70 comments

A very cursory glance at Facebook, Palantir Technologies, Cambridge Analytica, AggregateIQ, click bait, targeted ads…and what the hell is the FBI playing at?

The 2017 General Election electorate expense returns

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:49 pm, February 4th, 2018 - 27 comments

Last year’s electorate expense returns have now been made public.

Ideological issues more than leadership are Nat’s problem

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 8:19 am, February 4th, 2018 - 108 comments

Changing National’s leadership will not help the conservatives regain power if they fail to address questions of why they lost the 2017 election. National may be the biggest single party but it is unlikely to stay that. And they have no remaining parliamentary partners.You can’t form a MMP government from that…

Auckland Council by election hypocrisy alert

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:03 am, January 22nd, 2018 - 13 comments

The National candidate for the Maungakiekie Tamaki Auckland Council by election is complaining that if the Labour candidate wins it will trigger a costly by election. But he is ignoring the fact that the three current by elections have all been caused by National endorsed local government representatives resigning.

What will 2018 bring for National?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, January 4th, 2018 - 179 comments

What are National’s prospects this year? Will Bill English survive as leader? Will there be resignations and a clean out of the front bench? Stay tuned …

Another middle finger?

Written By: Bill - Date published: 10:33 am, December 22nd, 2017 - 3 comments

With just over half the votes counted, it looks like Catalonia has opted to ditch Spanish central rule.

National needs a friend

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:30 am, December 12th, 2017 - 43 comments

National is pondering one of the realities of MMP. Without friends its chances of becoming Government are very limited.

English still whining

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 12:51 pm, December 6th, 2017 - 58 comments

Surprise surprise – Bill English is still whining that 44.4% should really be counted as 50.1% – and other snippets from Parliament’s post election conference.

Progress from the Labour led government

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:04 am, November 30th, 2017 - 44 comments

Just over one month in the new Labour led Government and it is time to measure progress.

Can a Labour led Government win the tax debate?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:58 am, November 28th, 2017 - 48 comments

Why National is currently winning the debate about tax and what Labour needs to do to change this.

Once again: National lost the election

Written By: Matthew Whitehead - Date published: 9:17 pm, November 26th, 2017 - 154 comments

A rebuttal of Nick Smith’s claim to have “won the 2017 election, but lost the coalition negotiations.”

Doofus of the week – Nick Smith

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:58 pm, November 25th, 2017 - 60 comments

No competition in this one, Nick Smith for showing that despite the 27 long years he has spent in Parliament he still has no idea how our electoral system works and for claiming there is an electoral convention that simply does not exist.

The UK Social media political arms race

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:56 am, November 19th, 2017 - 8 comments

Robert Peston in the Spectator has analysed the social media performance of the two big parties in the United Kingdom and has concluded that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour had a significant advantage over Theresa May’s conservatives.

The Yellow Peril?

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:30 pm, November 15th, 2017 - 338 comments

What’s with the academic panic epidemic about China? Two in our media in the same week, referencing each other with vague warnings about the Chinese bogey. It’s not quite Lionel Terry in Haining Street again; more likely in my view a case of singing to someones else’s geopolitical tune. No prizes for guessing whose.