elections

Categories under elections

This should have been the climate election

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, October 16th, 2020 - 30 comments

A new Ministry for the Environment report on New Zealand and the climate crisis is sobering. If you haven’t voted, climate is still by far New Zealand’s biggest challenge, and it’s the Greens that have the plan for what to do.

Jacinda or Judith?

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, October 16th, 2020 - 65 comments

With election day tomorrow those who have not voted already need to decide, do they want Jacinda Ardern or Judith Collins to be the next Prime Minister.

Latest Colmar Brunton – Labour Greens ascendant

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, October 15th, 2020 - 62 comments

Labour is coming off strastopheric polling but the Greens are looking safer.  And National is still on the decline.  

Legalise it! The Socialist case for Cannabis reform

Written By: - Date published: 1:13 pm, October 15th, 2020 - 18 comments

Maria Hoyle of Socialist Aotearoa argues that from a socialist perspective the legalisation of the possession of cannabis should occur.

About the Greens…

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, October 15th, 2020 - 74 comments

Here’s the thing about the Greens. They want change. They want change more than they want power. I think that they fully understand that we are out of time on climate, poverty, the environment and now is the time to act boldly.

Backbench National MP proposes radical new tax to address deficit *

Written By: - Date published: 6:23 pm, October 14th, 2020 - 29 comments

* but I am not sure that all of his caucus colleagues would be happy with the proposal.

Greens: will push for more climate action to match the scale of the crisis

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, October 14th, 2020 - 12 comments

“The Green Party welcomes Labour’s commitment to reduce climate emissions in the next term of Government, but would go further and faster to address the true scale of the crisis.”

How not to campaign in an MMP environment

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, October 13th, 2020 - 30 comments

A recent series of advertisements placed by National MPs in Auckland seeking electorate votes and not seeking party votes show that central control of National’s campaign and discipline are completely lacking.

2020 election campaign – 6 days to go

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, October 12th, 2020 - 52 comments

With six days to go to election day the campaigns have reached interesting stages although the underlying trends and events appear to be good for the left.

Labour Increases Protection for Kauri Dieback

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, October 10th, 2020 - 10 comments

In an announcement that will probably gain them few extra votes but still warms the cockles, Labour have promised to put Kauri Dieback on the same scale of national disease response as Bovine Tuberculosis and Kiwifruit PSA.

Ngaro goes negative

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, October 10th, 2020 - 43 comments

National list MP Alfred Ngaro has shown that National’s message discipline has broken down completely by going negative and making some outlandish claims against Labour’s Phil Twyford.

Strong team at leaking

Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, October 9th, 2020 - 56 comments

Another day and another story about National MPs leaking against Judith Collins

The importance of party unity

Written By: - Date published: 9:33 am, October 7th, 2020 - 83 comments

If a party wants to become Government there are a few characteristics that is has to have.  Fiscal competence is one, unity is another.  National currently has neither.  

National leaks again

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, October 6th, 2020 - 62 comments

A highly critical email about Judith Collins written by National Maungakiekie MP Denise Lee has been leaked and indicates that National’s Auckland policy was made on the hoof and without reference to the person in caucus with actual responsibility for the subject.

POTUS, Covid and the New Zealand election

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, October 3rd, 2020 - 122 comments

News that Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid will have a significant effect on the US election as well as our local election.  It raises the issue who will you trust to lead the country against this most agile yet deadly virus?

The Votesafe campaign

Written By: - Date published: 11:44 am, October 2nd, 2020 - 35 comments

A well funded organisation has emerged from nowhere and is potentially having a significant effect on one of the referendum topics this year.

Leaders’ debate post

Written By: - Date published: 6:59 pm, September 30th, 2020 - 115 comments

Post for discussion of the latest leaders’ debate scheduled for this evening.  Be kind to each other.

Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand Health

Written By: - Date published: 11:59 am, September 30th, 2020 - 15 comments

Jacinda Ardern is a contender for winning a Nobel Peace Prize.  If she were to get it for anything, it will be for her leadership response to the national health crisis response to COVID19.

National’s alternative budget doesn’t add up

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, September 26th, 2020 - 23 comments

If ever you needed a symbol of National’s current plight it is the handling of the release of its alternative budget. It has been a complete and utter shambles.  A clusterf&*k of epic proportions.  Because if there is one part of National’s reputation that needs to be defended at all costs it is the perception that they are competent financial managers and making multiple billion dollar mistakes in your alternative budget at election time is the one thing over all else that will hurt that part of your reputation.

So much for the climate change consensus

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, September 25th, 2020 - 39 comments

Ten months ago National supported the Zero Carbon Bill and called for a consensus between the major political parties on the overall framework through which climate change issues are addressed.  This week National trashed all of that to try and shore up its sagging support.

National’s many and varied Covid border policies

Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, September 24th, 2020 - 12 comments

On Tuesday National announced the fifth variation of its Covid border policy this year.

The Greens on urban farming

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 24th, 2020 - 25 comments

This is exactly the kind of approach the Green Party would like to encourage – it’s strategic, it’s intergenerational and it recognises the interconnectedness of our people, the environment and local communities.

Last night’s leader debate

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, September 23rd, 2020 - 129 comments

The leaders of our both main parties committed to neoliberalism is another kind of brutality that we seem reluctant to address.

Colmar Brunton poll: Labour still way ahead

Written By: - Date published: 6:04 pm, September 22nd, 2020 - 90 comments

Judith will not enjoy this poll result.

How low can National go?

Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, September 22nd, 2020 - 43 comments

With news of a second mistake in National’s draft budget its campaign is in trouble and support for other right wing parties appears to be surging.  Update:  Stuff is reporting a further $3.9 billion dollar mistake …

The Auckland Central Poll

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, September 20th, 2020 - 33 comments

A Reid Research poll has suggested that Helen White is well ahead of Emma Mellow and Chloe Swarbrick and that Labour’s support is still sky high.

National’s lolly scramble tax cuts

Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, September 19th, 2020 - 55 comments

Despite claiming that the PREFU figures were catastrophic and despite stating a month ago that it would not do this National has come out with a policy of temporary tax cuts favouring the rich.  They must be desperate.

Reti’s running

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, September 18th, 2020 - 62 comments

Yesterday Shane Reti ignited leadership rumours after he was asked if he wanted to be National leader and did not pledge support for existing leader Judith Collins.

Greens: expanding living wage beyond public service with Fair Pay Agreements

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, September 17th, 2020 - 16 comments

The Green Party welcome Labour’s commitment to extend the living wage to Government contractors, but will push for Fair Pay Agreements across industries in the next Government so more New Zealanders can earn a dignified income.

Grant Robertson’s crisis leadership

Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, September 16th, 2020 - 22 comments

Much has rightly been made of the leadership quality of Prime Minister Ardern this year. But the PREFU results announced today shows that Minister of FInance Grant Robertson is by a long way the most effective Minister of Finance we have had since Dr Michael Cullen.

The PREFU is much better than National wanted

Written By: - Date published: 4:33 pm, September 16th, 2020 - 51 comments

The Prefu is out! And it is not as scary as National would have wanted.

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