political parties

Get on board

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 7:56 am, January 30th, 2013 - 15 comments

Now I don’t know if there will be a leadership vote in the next couple of weeks or not, but if there is, and you’re a Labour supporter, then you really want to be a Labour Party member beforehand so you can have your say.

ImperatorFish: Is National Really Hands-Off Then?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:03 pm, January 29th, 2013 - 16 comments

Scott examines National’s line that they aren’t “hands-off”, and finds them, if not entirely neo-liberal, still pretty dedicated to their worship of the invisible hand of the (private) market.

Building a movement: acting local, talking global

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:41 pm, January 29th, 2013 - 42 comments

The Greens, I’m in for the Future, is a promising initiative. The Greens’ focus on Auckland transport will be a great start. To end the “neoliberal” dominance, it is necessary to apply pressure from below. What can we learn from Canadian anti-“neoliberal” groups like Common Causes & Idle No More? [Updated]

Good coverage for Shearer

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:16 am, January 28th, 2013 - 339 comments

It was a slightly risky speech for Shearer, but the media reception has been decent. Labour will be pleased with the coverage, and especially so when compared (source by source) with John Key’s hapless effort last week.

States of it – Turei and Shearer

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:35 pm, January 27th, 2013 - 93 comments

Metiria Turei and David Shearer have today given their State of the Planet and State of the Nation speeches respectively. There’s a lot of commonality, which is good. A critique of the government is solidifying and it’s centred on jobs, housing, and the environment. The Greens’ policy agenda looks heftier than Labour’s but both are heading the right way.

Shearer promises active government

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:58 pm, January 27th, 2013 - 78 comments

David Shearer has just made his opening speech of the year at the Labour Party Summer School.

Green Party “I’m in – for the future”

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:21 am, January 27th, 2013 - 109 comments

For once lately, I agree with Matt McCarten on the Green Party being Centre Stage this week: a housing policy for renters and buyers on low incomes, including state housing. Memorable speech at Ratana by Turei. Today: Picnic for the Planet, State of the Planet speech & the launch of a new “I’m in – for the future” initiative.

Tell the truth

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:26 pm, January 25th, 2013 - 254 comments

Zetetic’s telling porkies. His talk of a rift in the Labour Party is crap. He hasn’t got a clue about what went on the Party conference – the idea that there should be a membership-wide vote on the leadership was voted down in November by a large majority of the 600-700 delegates present.

This

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 9:47 pm, January 25th, 2013 - 59 comments

How many times to we have to listen to Labour MP’s claim that they can’t stand up for labour values because they won’t be seen as “reasonable”.

Yeah, because your “reasonable” has really fired up the electorate thus far.

For a February leadership vote

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:07 am, January 25th, 2013 - 154 comments

No one in Labour can deny there’s a real issue with internal disunity. Not only is the caucus divided (and more than ever since the Shearer camp’s handling of the conference fallout), but there’s a major breach between the membership and the caucus. Unless this is fixed and we can get the party united we’re looking at another term in opposition after 2014.

Cunliffe rules out challenge

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:42 am, January 25th, 2013 - 81 comments

Tucked away on the One News site last night was a report that David Cunliffe has ruled out challenging for the Labour leadership.

Annette Sykes: a future MP?

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:30 am, January 25th, 2013 - 23 comments

Mana Party president, Annette Sykes could become an MP in the next election. The future of the Maori Party is in doubt. Hone Harawira is considering a Mana-Maori Party merger. Sykes is committed to left wing values, social justice, Maori land & water rights, and social & economic justice for Maori.

Complementary Housing

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 6:52 am, January 25th, 2013 - 94 comments

It’s great to see the Greens’ new housing policy nicely complementing Labour’s affordable housing policy.

Maori Party in terminal decline

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:33 am, January 24th, 2013 - 69 comments

What a mess. Katene wants Turia’s job but will she be the one given the tap or will it be a member of the Turia clan? Flavell has made a play for Sharples’ job, but there’s no mechanism for deciding leadership battles. Harawira has offered a re-merger. Sharples is open to it, Turia isn’t but she wants Sharples gone.

Let it go Pita

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:19 am, January 24th, 2013 - 10 comments

Pita Sharples should step down as a leader of the Maori Party and let someone else have a go. A merger with Mana seems to offer the most viable way forward, but the possibility has prompted a hysterical reaction from the outgoing Turia.

ImperatorFish: John Key’s Reshuffle Analysed

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:41 pm, January 23rd, 2013 - 7 comments

The biggest winner is Dr Nick Smith. He returns to Cabinet after his fall from grace last year, and is appointed as Minister for Creating a Perception of Crisis in Order to Justify Savage Cutbacks in Entitlements.
The biggest losers are Kate Wilkinson and Phil Heatley, who have been dropped from Cabinet altogether. Both have failed to perform, and their inability to communicate with the smoothness of someone like Hekia Parata will have counted against them.

Jobs(.govt.nz) to Australia

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:52 am, January 23rd, 2013 - 27 comments

Danyl at Dimpost has discovered that National is so serious about (enhancing) the drain of jobs and Kiwis to Australia that they’ve actually outsourced the Government Jobs website (http://jobs.govt.nz/) to… Australia. While I love irony, surely this says everything about National’s actually commitment to the people of our country.

NZ economic forecast “deteriorating”

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:18 am, January 23rd, 2013 - 51 comments

According to an international credit reporting agency our economic “risk profile” is “deteriorating”, due in part to rising unemployment. Good work National.

Media Bias & Democracy II: beyond 2 sides

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:56 am, January 22nd, 2013 - 52 comments

MSM “impartiality” focuses on two sides of a very narrow and shifting “centre”. Parliamentary Labour parties have got locked into appealing to this centre, over time shifting the caucus rightwards. Only momentum from the flax roots can break the resulting steady rightwards shift.

Hello everybody! Hi Dr Nick!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:50 am, January 22nd, 2013 - 39 comments

So Nick Smith is to be returned to cabinet after spending nearly a year on the bench for his ethical flaws. Presumably 10 months on the back benches heals all those desires to abuse your powers to try to help your friends get money.

Bugger the environment

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:42 am, January 22nd, 2013 - 41 comments

The Greens have learned (via OIA) that National ignored its own official advice in canceling the standard five-yearly State of the Environment Report.

NRT: Not even pretending anymore

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:20 pm, January 21st, 2013 - 66 comments

I/S at No Right Turn on the Nats’ contempt for democracy in Canterbury. Elections remain on hold so that the commissioners’ agenda can be completed without unwelcome input from urban representation.

Shearer to put it to the vote

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:49 am, January 19th, 2013 - 71 comments

Word around the traps is that David Shearer is going to use his state of the nation speech next weekend to announce that he will put his leadership to full membership vote in February. If it’s true, and it’s a big if, it’s a ballsy but smart move politically and a welcome sign that Labour’s leadership is embracing democracy.

If these trends continue

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 11:47 pm, January 18th, 2013 - 173 comments

Key’s government is falling apart, yet one fact remains stubbornly true: walk down the street and nearly 1 in every 2 people you see supports National, while less than 1 in 3 supports Labour (and the 1 in 8 who support the Greens don’t quite make up the difference). When tonight’s Roy Morgan came out I put down my whisky and pulled by my Roy Morgan excel doc. It’s some grim reading.

Doing the numbers: benefits & (un)employment

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:14 am, January 18th, 2013 - 92 comments

Paula Bennett stated that the numbers of people on benefits had dropped over the last quarter. The figures mask the reality of Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms, and the struggles of those living on low incomes. Meanwhile unemployment is still rising. [Update: RNZ]

Doubling down on Parata disaster

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:14 am, January 18th, 2013 - 42 comments

Protecting the incompetent Parata is a further sign that Key’s government is well in to sclerotic middle age.

Charter Schools: A failed idea

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:00 am, January 17th, 2013 - 36 comments

Submissions for the Education Amendment Bill 2012 (includes Charter Schools) close on 24 January. The PPTA reminds us that Charter Schools are a failed idea. Even Treasury documents show they are a bad idea.

Where is National on house prices?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:04 am, January 16th, 2013 - 41 comments

With a 10% increase in the median house price last year, we’re firmly back on a damaging house price binge. Labour has policies that address the issue. Where is National?

Ear treatment cuts another attack on the poor

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 3:58 pm, January 15th, 2013 - 27 comments

The Nats want to cut the budget for surgery to install grommets, a technique for treating persistent ear infection (especially in children). Naturally those most effected by this ill-considered move will be children from poor families.

Deja vu all over again: Labour in 2014 edition

Written By: QoT - Date published: 2:00 pm, January 13th, 2013 - 104 comments

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here: a Labour victory in 2014 isn’t necessarily better than a National victory in 2014.

State housing vs home ownership

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:45 am, January 11th, 2013 - 160 comments

Labour’s 2012 Kiwibuild policy has focused on building homes for first time buyers. Now we are told Labour’s 2011 policy pledging to increase the state housing stock still stands. This raises many questions: including do-ability and the Labour leadership’s continuing (neoliberal) focus.