Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, December 9th, 2023 - 15 comments
Another day and another leak. And this time it calls into question the Government’s commitment to informed decision making.
Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, December 7th, 2023 - 33 comments
My initial impression was that the person who leaked the Fair Pay Cabinet Paper to the media was probably a disgruntled Public Servant but was it?
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, December 4th, 2023 - 15 comments
The Cabinet Paper dealing with the Government’s proposal to do away with fair pay agreements has hit the media. And the advice suggests that Cabinet is completely disinterested in the on the ground reality of what their shitty policy will do to ordinary Kiwis.
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, December 4th, 2023 - 48 comments
After 59 days after election day, parliament will finally sit today with a new government. The process has mostly been notable for its incoherent dithering, inexperience, and general stupidity. It is a coalition based on chaos,lack of usable policy and based on wrecking rather than work. It took so long because of wishful thinking and laziness.
Written By: - Date published: 8:51 am, December 2nd, 2023 - 18 comments
For a Government that hates gangs you would think that they would be more circumspect with policies that may enrich gangs and increase illicit drug use. But this is exactly what the current Government is planning.
Written By: - Date published: 10:58 am, December 1st, 2023 - 18 comments
National’s 100 days of action is to address the rhetoric of economic difficulties but the announced policies will do nothing to help the pressure that ordinary people are feeling.
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, November 26th, 2023 - 47 comments
The new Government’s policies give the impression they were formulated by members of a Workingman’s club in the 1970s and negotiated over a few beers.
Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, November 25th, 2023 - 48 comments
On Friday, three parties finally signed agreements to gain a slim majority in parliament. What this means is that some time on Monday Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro will be able to swear in the new ministers of the Executive Council. On Monday Labour and the Greens will have their constitutional muzzle removed. On December 5th parliament will lumber back into work. Then the fun begins for this political blogger.
Written By: - Date published: 10:19 am, November 23rd, 2023 - 102 comments
Today may be the day we have a new Government, that is as long as Act and NZ First can resolve their fight over who is to be Deputy Prime Minister.
Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, November 19th, 2023 - 105 comments
Christopher Luxon has always talked the big talk about his corporate experience with mergers and acquisitions. But the media are starting to ask questions and his positive rhetoric may not be well placed.
Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, November 15th, 2023 - 132 comments
So the coalition negotiations are going as well as I thought they would.
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, November 6th, 2023 - 37 comments
It is very early days and already, in what appears to be a finely calibrated insult to make David Seymour appear weak, Winston Peters has responded to the first overture from the Act leader for talks by ignoring him.
Written By: - Date published: 10:48 am, November 3rd, 2023 - 32 comments
Today we will get the final election counts. It will now include the estimated specials of 20.2% of the vote. This can change the precise balance in parliament. A NAct coalition will probably require a partner party to secure a reliable majority. Unfortunately past political history is going to make that awkward. The chaos will be great for a political blog of the left. Not so good for the country.
Written By: - Date published: 6:03 am, October 17th, 2023 - 45 comments
In parliamentary politics, there are no final victories. After losing the 2023 election, Labour must now immediately focus on winning in 2026.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, October 15th, 2023 - 129 comments
Last night was not a good night for the Labour Party …
Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, October 12th, 2023 - 52 comments
Two new polls were released last night and they both confirm a tightening of the race with the right slumping and the left improving.
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, October 11th, 2023 - 82 comments
A new poll has Labour surging into the 30s, Act continuing its decline and National going backward. This election is not over.
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, October 9th, 2023 - 46 comments
National has over the past couple of weeks indicated that it will ring Winston if it needs his votes, then saying that if he negotiates too hard it will seek a further election. This is real coalition of chaos stuff.
Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, October 8th, 2023 - 48 comments
Recent polls suggest that National and Act is going backward while Labour has stabilised. A win for the left is possible but this last week will be all important.
Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, October 6th, 2023 - 15 comments
The minor leader’s debate last night confirmed the fact that David Seymour and Winston Peters hate each other.
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, October 4th, 2023 - 30 comments
In a week of weird events National’s decision not to debate Labour in the Press’s leader’s debate has been a massive own goal because the country will be able to see how toxic David Seymour’s and Winston Peters’ relationship is.
Written By: - Date published: 1:13 pm, October 3rd, 2023 - 52 comments
To the those voting ACT or NZF or National this year because you are worried about co-governance. I have a secret for you. You have been co-governed by the richest 1% for decades.
Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 1st, 2023 - 5 comments
Skyfall was 10 years ago but it has a message for all public servants local or central as you choose your vote.
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, September 29th, 2023 - 39 comments
Chris Hipkins has upped the ante in the election campaign by directly calling out the right’s use of dog whistle racism.
Written By: - Date published: 2:18 pm, September 27th, 2023 - 26 comments
National’s failure to adequately explain how its new revenue policies will work has seen its support sag. And its problem is that if it depends on Winston Peters for confidence and supply he has expressed major reservations about these policies and there is no guarantee he will support them. And a significant majority of New Zealanders understand this.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 20th, 2023 - 67 comments
ACT’s proposal to put the potential meaning of the Treaty of Waitangi up for popular vote in a referendum is absurd dog whistling of the worst sort.
Written By: - Date published: 6:01 am, September 20th, 2023 - 15 comments
From the outside, the New Zealand 2023 General Election seems both lacklustre and slightly strange. The Labour Government, having won a huge majority in 2020 is now fighting for its political life. Yet National, the main centre-right opposition party is still on average polling significantly worse now than they were when it lost power in 2017.
Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, September 18th, 2023 - 26 comments
Ryan Hamilton, National’s Hamilton East candidate, has had social media released suggesting that he is against flouridation of water, opposed covid mandates and thinks that covid death numbers were inflated, is vehemently opposed to cycleways and thinks that poor people only drink Raro.
Written By: - Date published: 1:56 pm, September 12th, 2023 - 31 comments
The silver lining to last night’s Reid Research poll is that Act’s support is slumping and if there is a change in Government it may not be as extreme as it could have been.
Written By: - Date published: 8:21 am, September 11th, 2023 - 24 comments
At this rate Act may not have enough candidates to fill its list of MPs in Parliament.
Written By: - Date published: 1:29 pm, September 8th, 2023 - 38 comments
What will New Zealand look like if Act forms part of the next Government?
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