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A broad church

Written By: r0b - Date published: 10:39 am, April 17th, 2011 - 36 comments

Ratana elders are unhappy with Labour over its list rankings, and have called on supporters to abandon the Party. Phil Goff needs to work on the relationship with the Church immediately. For Labour the only silver lining in this cloud, and the focus on its list in general, is the fact that it illustrates what a large and diverse group of people the Party has to represent.

I’m sorry, I’m out

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 2:00 pm, April 16th, 2011 - 68 comments

Every country that has ever sleepwalked from democracy to dictatorship has done it in the belief that it was taking extraordinary, temporary measures in response to an emergency. Seeing Labour denounce every aspect of CERA and then vote for it has shaken me to the core.

Stop asset sales

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:36 am, April 12th, 2011 - 24 comments

Little impact from Hughes affair, NZF on the rise

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:32 pm, April 8th, 2011 - 50 comments

The latest Roy Morgan poll shows little impact from the Darren Hughes affair to date. We still don’t know how the investigation will play out but the poll suggests dithering leadership matters less than economic fundamentals. The big news, though, is that New Zealand First would be back under these numbers.

John Key: let me eat cake

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 8th, 2011 - 68 comments

Labour’s candidate for Wairarapa, Michael Bott, on this out of touch government: “John Key smiles and waves for the cameras in Christchurch then jumps on a plane to Cape Kidnappers to spend the equivalent of a pensioner’s yearly income on one-off novelty dining with his wife – you can’t get more different than that.”

Tizard not coming back

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:14 am, April 3rd, 2011 - 66 comments

Judith Tizard won’t take Labour’s vacant seat in Parliament. It’s the right thing to do. It’s only a quirk that we should be looking back to a list written in 2008 to fill a seat for 6 months now. Tizard and the next four on the 2008 list aren’t on the 2011 list. Their lives have moved on. Better for the seat to go to someone with a Parliamentary future – Louisa Wall.

Small talk on party activists and blogs.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:23 pm, March 29th, 2011 - 52 comments

Vernon Small says “Its activists on websites and blogs are openly questioning the party’s direction and Mr Goff’s judgment.” He seems to be looking at our non-Labour activists of the left and the astroturfers and seeing a movement against Goff.

Mostly it isn’t from Labour activists. It isn’t real. It is just designed for him and other journos to read.

Goff’s leadership safe for now

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:21 pm, March 29th, 2011 - 171 comments

The Labour Party front bench meeting in Dunedin has just concluded. Goff’s leadership has been confirmed, with unanimous support.

Leadership rumours: Foreshore Bill passed

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:39 pm, March 26th, 2011 - 64 comments

The latest media frenzy about a Phil Goff coup is rapidly dying down. The Government passed some controversial legislation in double-quick time with little coverage and somebody made a killing on iPredict. Coincidence?

Leadership rumours

Written By: r0b - Date published: 6:45 am, March 26th, 2011 - 257 comments

It’s been a dreadful week for Labour. So out come the oft repeated rumours of a coup against leader Phil Goff. Usually this is just the ever predictable right wing blogs stirring. This time the excellent Scoop news site is making the claim. Scoop has it wrong.

Darren Hughes resigns

Written By: r0b - Date published: 5:50 pm, March 25th, 2011 - 204 comments

Darren Hughes has resigned as an MP.

Hughes stood down

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:02 pm, March 24th, 2011 - 114 comments

Darren Hughes has been suspended from his shadow portfolios due to the continuing police investigation. Goff probably should have done this earlier, despite the understandable wariness of a leader can’t punish an MP on the strength of a complaint alone. As Key did with Wong and Worth, Goff has waited until the media issue became too big.

Hughes investigation

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:56 pm, March 23rd, 2011 - 2 comments

Darren Hughes has identified himself as under investigation by the Police. No details on the issue. Hughes says he did nothing wrong. Clearly not what was needed with Labour hammering National on the economy. Comments off on this post and strict moderation elsewhere for legal reasons.

A hell of a speech 2

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:40 am, March 23rd, 2011 - 32 comments

“The Prime Minister’s out of touch. Here’s a man who got well over$1000 a week from his own tax cuts… He may know where his bread is buttered on but it’s a different side of the loaf to most Kiwis… who every time they go to the supermarket are asking “how come this trolley of groceries is costing $20 or $50 more than it seemed it did last week’?”

Labour exposes planless Key

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:04 am, March 16th, 2011 - 128 comments

There’s been increasing concern over the past week or two that not only has the government failed to communicate its plan for the Christchurch recovery, it doesn’t actually have one, and isn’t particularly worried about getting one. Yesterday in the House, Labour took Key to task on this important issue. And he was found terribly wanting.

No faith in Nats’ economic ‘plan’

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:53 am, March 15th, 2011 - 125 comments

So, how are you enjoying your brighter future? Not too flash, eh? GST up. Wages down. No jobs. More crime. Earthquakes. Oil and food shocks. No bloody cycleway. Discretionary income (after tax, housing, food, transport) is down about 15%. No wonder Kiwis don’t believe Key and National can deliver on their promises.

Ruling out Hone

Written By: r0b - Date published: 6:30 am, March 15th, 2011 - 77 comments

Labour leader Phil Goff has ruled out working with Hone Harawira even if Mr Harawira heads a party of several MPs. I think it’s a foolish decision and I think the reasons don’t stack up. Instead of ruling out Hariwria, Labour should rise to the challenge.

Christchurch Earthquake Bulletin #2

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:10 pm, March 11th, 2011 - 14 comments

Apparently Christchurch Labour MPs will be putting out their bulletin daily. Here’s the second update from Clayton Cosgrove (Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central). In future you can get to them here.

Christchurch Earthquake Bulletin

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:31 pm, March 10th, 2011 - 22 comments

The Labour Party’s Christchurch electorate MPs are today starting a regular bulletin designed to keep people in their electorates and media informed about what is happening at grass roots level in their electorates.

Everything is waffle

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 1:40 pm, March 8th, 2011 - 158 comments

There isn’t just one hard truth to NZ politics at the moment. The second is equally unpopular with people, but if it doesn’t offer a clear way forward it at least suggests a fixable problem. At the same time, it’s not the kind of thing Labour/the Left want to have bandied about too publicly in an election year.

Embarrassing result for Nats in Botany

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:22 pm, March 5th, 2011 - 78 comments

So another corrupt Nat minister has gone and Jami-Lee Ross has taken her seat in Botany. What an embarrassing resulting. The majority reduced by 7,000 and Michael Wood reduced the gap from 36% to 28%. Nat strategists will be crapping themselves over the New Citizens’ Party’s result. Considering that Wood had acknowledged from the start […]

Tax policy for economic stimulus and growth

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 12:00 pm, February 26th, 2011 - 79 comments

Last week, Treasury issued a press statement saying it had commissioned research on the impact of governments’ fiscal stimulus packages, now published in the influential publication the Economic Journal. One article, “Tax policy for economic stimulus and growth”, had this to say:

Lies make BMW story worse

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:27 pm, February 16th, 2011 - 37 comments

Key says he didn’t know about the BMW purchase. Funny cause on Tuesday, English was taking responsibility: “we could go out and buy second-hand cars but one way or another cars need to be maintained”. The Nats try to blame Labour but the contract Labour signed says replacing the cars was optional without penalty.

Hickey on the tax bludgers

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 9:00 am, February 6th, 2011 - 62 comments

Bernard Hickey looks at the tax bludgers. Labour’s plans to introduce a higher new top tax rate would raise needed tax from those who can most afford it. But it would also foster more tax bludging by the rich. Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater by abolishing the top rate, we need to eliminate the avenues for bludging.

Nats drop 6% on privatisation announcement

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:56 pm, February 5th, 2011 - 65 comments

OK, that title is pure spin. National has dropped from 55% to 49% in the latest Roy Morgan, and Labour’s up from 29% to 34.5%. But that just shows the last poll was a rogue. Now, normal transmission, and National’s decline, has resumed. When you look at the Nat/ACT and Lab/Green/New Zealand First potential coalitions – the race is tight and closing fast.

Time for the Goffice to step up to the plate

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:36 am, January 29th, 2011 - 137 comments

We face a stark choice this year: a Labour-led government, which will create fairer tax and invest in jobs and innovation, or National-led government, which will govern for the kleptocracy, giving them tax cuts, then selling our assets and slashing our public services to pay for them. So why is the Goffice doing such a bad job making the case?

States of the nation

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:40 am, January 26th, 2011 - 29 comments

It’s not radical, it’s not revolutionary but Phil Goff has laid out a positive, progressive, and affordable vision that contrasts with John Key’s directionless, lazy leadership. It seems to be popular. The PM’s state of the nation is expected to contain an interesting savings policy but always the question is: cue bono?

Phil Goff’s State of the Nation

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 3:22 pm, January 25th, 2011 - 203 comments

Phil Goff has just delivered an excellent speech to start a year of laying out Labour Policy. $100/week tax free, stopping tax-dodging bludgers, support for R&D and exporters, correcting housing market anomalies and encouraging investment in the productive sector. There was a lot to like.

Good day at Ratana

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 6:21 pm, January 24th, 2011 - 40 comments

A good day at Ratana today with the Labour party delegation led by Phil Goff and Annette King. For me personally, it was good to see and chat with many old friends. I and others also received a very warm welcome from Tariana Turia on the paepae. Labour and Ratana go back a very long […]

Granny sez: f**k the kids

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 7:23 am, January 21st, 2011 - 151 comments

It’s always so wonderful to load up Granny Herald and see some wealthy late middle-aged grump (I’m picking this one is John Roughan) taking a swipe at the poor in the editorial. Today, Granny says we can’t afford to give mums more paid leave or more Working for Families for young kids. Hmm. But we can still afford those tax cuts for the rich?

Labour’s Greatest Challenge for 2011 – consistency

Written By: Campbell - Date published: 7:45 pm, January 16th, 2011 - 23 comments

Recently, I did a post on how Labour should be focused on creating an over-arching narrative that embodies its broad set of policies. This should make Labour’s vision loud and clear in election year. While Labour continues to rebuild policy, I have a number of ideas on how Labour could best deliver a new narrative […]