labour

A good week for the opposition

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:20 am, July 27th, 2012 - 52 comments

3 opposition private members’ Bills passed – extended paid parental leave, Mondayisation, and lobbying disclosure – on Wednesday (moving a ban on land sales to foreigners up the list). Then, all 5 drawn from the ballot on Thursday opposition bills too: marriage equality, $15hr minimum wage, super-majority/referendum protection for asset sales, charging government agencies that pay access to info, and controlling water pollution.

Member’s Day

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 8:21 am, July 25th, 2012 - 19 comments

2 great Member’s Bills are before the House today.  National oppose both the Mondayising of Holidays and Paid Parental Leave, but they should have the numbers to get through their first readings.

ImperatorFish: Whose Planet Is This?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:35 pm, July 23rd, 2012 - 17 comments

Imagine a place with a stagnant economy; led by a government that is anti-growth, doesn’t have any plan, and is not prepared to make the tough decisions needed to ensure the future prosperity of its people; where most people struggle to get ahead; and where those who aspire for better things are probably thinking of leaving.

An Auckland view on Labour’s changes

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:46 am, July 20th, 2012 - 75 comments

Here’s a guest post from an Auckland Labour Party member with a different take on the constitutional changes. It’s interesting and challenging. Good food for thought. – Let us consider Labour’s proposed constitutional reforms in its moment. New Zealand’s progressives continue to splinter, just as conservative variation contracts. As the progressives splinter, they are also […]

Questions on Labour leadership selection reform

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:31 am, July 12th, 2012 - 13 comments

Seeing coverage of the apparently unhurried steps towards Labour party members having a say in future leadership bids made me want to stop and ask some questions about whether they are telling the full story.

At least Parker’s onto it

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 5:33 pm, June 5th, 2012 - 80 comments

The news out of Europe, China and Australia is looking worse by the day. What’s coming at us doesn’t look pretty. I was about to do a post saying I hoped someone in Labour was doing some scenario planning and was very pleased to see today that Parker’s  eyes are open.

Four years of failed promises

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:57 pm, May 22nd, 2012 - 22 comments

Labour has published its budget website and a video ripping John Key’s record of broken promises. It’s pretty damning. Yet Key and English want to claim that there’s nothing wrong and growth has been in line with projections. It’s like they’re operating in a parallel universe.

Much ado about nothing

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:23 pm, May 15th, 2012 - 39 comments

So, Cunliffe was invited on The Nation. He said, yup but not if leadership nonsense is raised. Garner agreed. Then the leader office said it should be Parker as Finance spokesperson this close to the Budget. Cunliffe agreed. And this is meant to be some huge ado? Get real.

Nash to depart

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:49 am, April 13th, 2012 - 115 comments

Looks like Stuart Nash is going to quit as Shearer’s chief of staff and return to Napier. He has 2 solid reasons to do so: his 3 month old and beating Tremain in 2014. What worries me is the machinations behind this show some in Labour are more focused on internal politics than improving Labour’s performance against National. Put it another way, I think the odds of our first gay PM just grew.

TV1 Poll

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:40 am, April 2nd, 2012 - 40 comments

A TV1 poll yesterday had Key falling as preferred PM, but no significant change for the major parties.

Why Labour is not shifting to the centre

Written By: Jimmy Reid - Date published: 7:59 am, March 20th, 2012 - 55 comments

Surprising title given the discussion of here and elsewhere? Yeah, I know.

But I want to contribute two things to the discussion. First, Shearer’s speech did not signal a shift in policy to the centre. Second, Labour does not need to shift to the centre in policy.

Shearer’s speech exceeds expectations

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:50 am, March 15th, 2012 - 211 comments

You all know that many of  us authors at The Standard have been critical of David Shearer. Well, I’ve just read Shearer’s speech. It’s brilliant. It talks about the big issues head on and unapologetically. There’s no party line pap and some nice stylistic points. It damns Key without ever mentioning him or his government and is an even more devastating critique of Key for it.

Organisational review – Auckland

Written By: lprent - Date published: 5:14 pm, March 12th, 2012 - 10 comments

Just a reminder that Auckland’s first organisational review meeting is tonight.

Please encourage as many Labour members as possible to come along and contribute to the discussion.

Labour’s diminishing vision

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 1:04 pm, March 9th, 2012 - 90 comments

Our Labour activist guest poster asks where the coherence is in Labour’s communications strategy. Having a look at the lack of narrative across the Labour parties here, in Australia, and in the UK; he points to a place where narrative is done well in left politics – it is in the USA.

Greens becoming the new opposition leaders

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:00 am, February 20th, 2012 - 242 comments

Last night, I saw Kevin Hague on the news talking about mine safety – mining, West Coast, labour rights, and no Labour voice. Same with minimum wage and asset sales. A hungry Green Party is leading issues while Labour appears immobilised. No wonder Metiria Turei is saying they won’t play little sibling; I see them being a third or more of the next governing coalition.