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Green Politics

Written By: - Date published: 5:19 pm, September 25th, 2015 - 205 comments

Think the Green Party have just sold out and will do a deal with National next election? Think again…

The Attack

Written By: - Date published: 9:04 am, September 15th, 2015 - 52 comments

And they’re off!

Making Like Private Frazer

Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, September 14th, 2015 - 20 comments

Political awakenings.

Rob Salmond’s argument – too simplistic and wrong in its assumptions

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, August 23rd, 2015 - 140 comments

As Mike Smith’s post last night relates, Rob Salmond makes the case that a properly left wing Labour Party is always going to lose. Screw that. More like a Tory Labour doesn’t deserve to win.

Win or Lose: This is Labour

Written By: - Date published: 3:27 pm, August 7th, 2015 - 199 comments

Some people have suggested that the more progressive parliamentary elements of the left are done and dusted. I’m not so sure…

In Praise of Key

Written By: - Date published: 3:22 pm, May 27th, 2015 - 331 comments

Hardly a comprehensive take, but in the interest of stating some obvious stuff…

Outflanking Labour on the left

Written By: - Date published: 2:08 pm, May 23rd, 2015 - 154 comments

Aka “swallowing dead rats”. Aka “losing the argument”. Aka shifting the political center – yay!

Are the left really angry?

Written By: - Date published: 10:14 am, May 17th, 2015 - 52 comments

The latest attacks on the left involves the right claiming that left activists are too angry and hurting labour’s chances in the UK as well as New Zealand.

Dear NZ Labour. Listen up.

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, May 12th, 2015 - 48 comments

For the sake of reference – Nye Bevan was a Labour mp and the architect of the British NHS. Michael Sheen’s  speech was a defense of that institution, but the underpinning message is, well…

Pull the other one… ponytails, minimisation and male privilege

Written By: - Date published: 5:48 pm, April 25th, 2015 - 407 comments

From pulling ponytails to police minimisation, there is a deep problem in our country with attitudes towards women and to sexual violence.

Time for the Greens to transcend left vs. right.

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 am, March 14th, 2015 - 267 comments

The co-leadership race within the Greens has shown that they’re alive and kicking – if nursing a few wounds from the last election. Both Kevin Hague and Gareth Hughes have managed to enter the race with minimal belittlement – an impressive feat in itself, for a party as controversial as the Greens. Most interesting of […]

A Bright Spark Burning…

Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, March 11th, 2015 - 40 comments

A further piece on the peoples’ revolution within Northern Syria.

War HUH!

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, February 13th, 2015 - 417 comments

NZ is again being asked to go to war in Iraq. The Clark Labour Government said no a decade ago, but in 2015 there may be a compelling reason to join the fight; this time it’s the right thing to do. New Standard author te reo putake puts the case for NZ entering the battle against ISIS.

Revolutionary Spain, Revolutionary Syria, and the Bastards We Vote For.

Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, February 11th, 2015 - 63 comments

It seems that just as the 30’s offered the chance to turn dreams into reality, Syria is offering that chance up to ‘the left’ today. Suddenly, for me, the recent travel bans and the passport confiscation laws etc make sense since we are potentially looking at an international influx of non-nutters and non- psychopaths as happened during the Spanish Revolution of the 30s.

How do the Greens grow their base?

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, February 3rd, 2015 - 105 comments

Following on from yesterday’s discussion of the future for Labour – what next for the Greens?

Europe & the anti-austerity left

Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, December 24th, 2014 - 28 comments

The UK Green Party is gaining in popularity as many people turn away from the 3 established parties.  The radical left Syriza party in Greece could possibly gain power in their election – what powerful international right wing forces would then be unleashed?

Lessons from the ’30s and 40’s: culture and the left

Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, November 10th, 2014 - 70 comments

We often look to the first Labour Government for core left wing values, & a political way forward.  As well as massively restructuring of the NZ economy, work, welfare & housing, that Government aimed to restructure NZ culture & to combat capitalist-dominated popular culture.

Gough 1916-2014

Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, October 21st, 2014 - 46 comments

When Gough Whitlam was PM of Austrialia, it was a time when people were looking forward to a more inclusive, caring, and egalitarian society: a time of hope.  His PM-ship ended in controversy.

On Navel Gazing and Looking Out.

Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, October 6th, 2014 - 63 comments

As the NZ Labour Party stands on the cusp of some soul searching, it might want to note that there are alternatives to pointless navel gazing.

NRT: Will Key act on child poverty?

Written By: - Date published: 6:38 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 17 comments

While the left lost the election, it looks like we’ve won another battle in the war of ideas, with John Key being forced to at least pretend he wants to do something about child poverty. Ideas long recommended from the Children’s Commissioner may finally be implemented.

Clean it up

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, September 23rd, 2014 - 70 comments

Action Station has a full page ad in today’s NZ Herald, asking to clean up dirty politics. Dirty Politics is not any isolated attack politics or criticism of those in power.  It is a relentless two track strategy, an orchestrated smear machine, aimed at moving politics rightwards & disengaging (left wing) voters. Update: Hager comments on the election.

Looking Ahead

Written By: - Date published: 12:26 pm, September 21st, 2014 - 145 comments

Win or lose, there are never any final battles in politics. A defeat simply means the firing of the starting gun for the next round in a never-ending struggle. And, especially for the left, it is the struggle that matters. Without that struggle and the effort that has gone into it, the values of fairness, […]

My morning thoughts on the night before

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, September 21st, 2014 - 34 comments

It will take a flax roots, bottom-up, community-based movement to rebuild democracy and a fair, caring and sustainable society.

Mr Clean talks Dirty Politics: Key standup transcript pt2

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 12 comments

In this part of the transcript of John Key’s Aug 14  standup, Key repeats dubious spin lines, & tries to maintain his Mr Clean image. Topics include Jason Ede, Judith Collins, Bronwyn Pullar. Key tries to implicate left wing blogs, naming The Standard

Valuing child care: beyond ‘show me the money!’

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, August 19th, 2014 - 10 comments

Simon Collins has published a very good article comparing various parties policies on social security.  As is the current trend, he doesn’t fully examine the deep and lasting contribution good child care & education make towards society & the economy.  It’s about material and social well-being.

Left wing blogs aren’t “the same”

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 19th, 2014 - 165 comments

Part of John Key’s frantic spin is that left wing blogs are just the same as Whaleoil. As a left wing blogger I take personal umbrage – there is no equivalence. [Update: As also stated by RNZ political reporter Brent Edwards on Morning Report this morning (7:25am)]

The Left on policies and values

Written By: - Date published: 7:53 pm, August 16th, 2014 - 6 comments

In spite of what John Key & some of the media claim, Labour & the Greens have continued to campaign positively on policies and values throughout the week.  The Greens officially launch their campaign tomorrow.

The bottomless Labour-Green divide

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, August 11th, 2014 - 82 comments

It seems like every time Labour (or the Greens) announce a policy the first question (after “what does John Key think about this?”) is “But the Greens (or Labour) have a different policy to the one you just announced! How can you possibly work together in government?”

Get out the vote!

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, August 11th, 2014 - 3 comments

11,000+ voters enrolled in the last week – great work, more to be done.  For democracy & NZ’s sake, now and in the future, enroll, vote, vote left!

Spread the word: enrol to vote

Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, August 4th, 2014 - 15 comments

Live News is reporting that 40,000 people have been removed from the electoral roll because they have moved address. Their enrolment update packs were returned to sender with the message: “gone no address”.

State of the left in Aotearoa/NZ

Written By: - Date published: 1:21 pm, July 26th, 2014 - 112 comments

Sue Bradford’s PhD thesis on the Left & Think Tanks, went online this week. It outlines the state of the Left in NZ. Bradford concludes that the Left is strong but fragmented, and identifies some ways forward.