political parties

Not the brighter future….

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:46 am, December 22nd, 2013 - 32 comments

Articles in the Sunday papers online, showing John Key’s “brighter future” is only for the well off, while more people than ever are struggling to get by.

How has the year been for you?

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:42 am, December 18th, 2013 - 145 comments

The government &  many of its cheerleaders are joining in a re-vitalised chorus of a brighter future right around the corner of “Christmas cheer”. Many Kiwis are struggling with the realities of poverty.  How was your year on the inequality scale?

Herald poll has Labour at 40% because of asset sales

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:09 am, December 15th, 2013 - 138 comments

A Herald poll this morning has Labour on 40% with many expressing concern with the asset sales programme.  And John Key displays a disturbing lack of numeracy literacy.

At least 225,000 Nats said “No” to asset sales

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:19 am, December 14th, 2013 - 90 comments

Rob Salmond runs the Polity blog and has given us permission to syndicate his posts. Long time readers will remember him from the brilliant posts on 08wire.org during the 2008 campaign, so expect us to often find something of interest.

Like this post looking at who voted No on the referendum. That number of previously National voters must be scaring the National party at present.

Cameron Slater: So who pays who?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 4:19 pm, December 12th, 2013 - 203 comments

Looks like John Key’s communications boss Jason Ede has been busted supplying material for the most disgusting site in local politics – Whaleoil. It has long been suspected that he supplies material and possibly even writes for that site as part National’s dirty tricks team. Looks like we have some confirmation. So how much is the taxpayer paying for this public servant to blog and does he do it for his job? How much does Cameron Slater “demand” from the taxpayer to provide this service?

Last day to vote

Written By: lprent - Date published: 7:11 am, December 12th, 2013 - 43 comments

This is the last day that you can vote No in the referendum on asset sales. So dig that form out, mark it and send it. This referendum vote is a clear way to send a message that even a self-serving delusional National MP can understand. Being able to form a government is not a mandate to do whatever you feel like with our assets.

Child Poverty in New Zealand

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:21 am, December 8th, 2013 - 212 comments

The Herald on Sunday this morning has produced a series of chilling articles showing that a computer glitch has caused the under reporting of abuse notifications, and a worrying increase in admission to hospital of children suffering form third world diseases.  And the Children’s Commissioner had to secure funding from a private trust so that the data for this report could be collated.  It makes you wonder if the Government wants to know the extent of child poverty in Aotearoa.

Why New Zealand’s educational standards are crashing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:29 pm, December 4th, 2013 - 55 comments

National’s carefully constructed Educational Policies, designed to give the impression of action but based on the transfer of riches to the children of the wealthy and the bashing of Teachers Unions, are in tatters following the release of the Pisa Report.  Cuts made to Teachers Professional Standards in 2009 made against advice are obviously having an effect.  And increasing child poverty must be having an effect, despite the Government’s refusal to even measure it.

Census 2013: increase in inequality

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:15 am, December 4th, 2013 - 26 comments

NZ Census 2013 shows a widening income gap: rises for the haves; more struggle for the have nots.  Gains for women in education and some in the highest income brackets; more struggle for those on low incomes, especially beneficiaries impacted by Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms. Welcome to Key’s “Brighter Future”.

NZ Herald editorial smears the Referendum

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:42 am, November 30th, 2013 - 28 comments

NZ Herald editor/s selectively reports, omitting the full facts, in favour of the National government.  It misrepresents the referendum on asset sales, ignoring significant facts – thereby also seeming to discredit the Green Party, the referendum, & democracy.

Axe the Copper Tax wins

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:49 pm, November 28th, 2013 - 32 comments

Every other political party has said an emphatic no to National’s proposal to override the Commerce Commission’s reduction in broadband charges.  I suspect that  Cabinet and Chorus’s board are not having a very good day …

The Christchurch East by election gets weird

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:03 am, November 28th, 2013 - 60 comments

The Christchurch East by election is getting really weird.  We have a National candidate who does not turn up to possibly the most important public meeting of the campaign, a spot of petty vandalism committed using a National MP’s van, a conservative party candidate who implies that legs on a billboard are his when they are not, a conservative party leader who does not rule out the possibility of chemtrails existing despite there being no supporting evidence while denying anthropogenic climate change when there is an abundance of evidence in support and Labour and the Greens contesting kindred votes when strategic voting could produce a positive result.

Confused?

Too close to call

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 5:46 pm, November 27th, 2013 - 111 comments

The latest Roy Morgan poll is out and things are neck and neck.

The Christchurch East by election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:25 am, November 25th, 2013 - 45 comments

This Saturday the voters of Christchurch East vote for their next MP.  Labour’s hopes are pinned on Poto Williams.  But even though the seat has been Labour’s for a considerable period of time anything is possible.  And turnout will be vital.

Granny damning of Crazy Craig

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:54 am, November 24th, 2013 - 88 comments

It’s not often that you’ll see a Herald editorial quoted at length here, but when they’re right, they’re right: Key [is] dead-set on forging a governing coalition with the Christian-Lite Conservative Party and its troublingly dim leader, Colin Craig. If Colin Craig is the answer to John Key’s problem, then National is in trouble.