political parties

Nat revolt over Crafars sale

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:15 am, March 4th, 2012 - 70 comments

Remember the hagiographies after the first hundred days of National’s first term? In the second term, things couldn’t be more different. The Sunday-Star Times has printed dozens of emails it obtained (a leak?) that were sent to Key opposing the sale of Crafar farms. Many of them are brutal comments from former National supporters. Key didn’t even provide comment for the article.

FIFY

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:05 pm, March 2nd, 2012 - 25 comments

Bill English: “A government can’t have a lot of impact on the job market. It is what it is.” He’s only half right.

Celebrating success: National’s jobs record

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:25 pm, February 29th, 2012 - 32 comments

Life in the front lines

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:36 pm, February 23rd, 2012 - 33 comments

Hey remember how the Nats weren’t going to cut frontline staff? How’s that working out?

Fry puts heat on broadband

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:47 am, February 22nd, 2012 - 64 comments

Steven Fry’s outburst on broadband in NZ, however confused, did at least succeed in putting the state of our broadband access back in the headlines for a bit. It’s an issue that the Nats would rather we forgot.

Young Labour taking the lead

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:13 pm, February 20th, 2012 - 2 comments

Labour is currently undertaking a review of its organisational capabilities. It’s a process looking at what it means to be a Labour member and supporter and how Labour can better engage with our supporters. Young Labour have a website for ideas. The Labour party website still hasn’t heard about it.

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.

The long slide

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:34 am, February 20th, 2012 - 66 comments

According to the latest 3 News poll. National’s long slide has begun. Key’s popularity has also fallen to its lowest level yet as PM…

Don’t celebrate too soon

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 7:34 am, February 17th, 2012 - 63 comments

National’s in retreat on every front. Its had to break its economic promises, again. Asset sales are a disaster. Ministers are exposed over the Crafar Farms, NZ on Air, and DJ Key affairs. The media’s gone off Key ever since he declared war on them. The bad stories that were getting nowhere a year ago now keep rolling. Even Mallard’s boorishness can’t halt National’s slide. But don’t celebrate too soon.

Just one fiasco after another

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:07 am, February 16th, 2012 - 151 comments

In yet another internet related act of stupidity Trevor Mallard has been busted scalping tickets to a bunch of kids.

It’s time David Shearer reined him in.

Maiden speeches continued

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 7:14 am, February 16th, 2012 - 2 comments

Felix recommended Denise Roche’s maiden speech and I can see why.

It’s good to see some strong left voices entering parliament.

New Labour MPs first speeches

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:01 pm, February 14th, 2012 - 9 comments

The four new Labour MPs make their first (“maiden”) speeches today in Parliament, starting at 5pm. I’d expect to hear some thoughtful and moving speeches.

Brand Key, a do nothing Government & the hidden agenda

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:37 am, February 14th, 2012 - 40 comments

A number of terms are bandied about to describe both John Key and the John Key Government. Using such terms and trying to reconcile their seeming contradictions can prove confusing. Indeed, from time to time we have seen such confusion manifest itself on this blog amongst the right wing who argue how Key can indeed have a ‘hidden agenda’ whilst simultaneously being ‘smile and wave’ or ‘clueless’ and ‘doing nothing’.

Selling asset sales to [insert region here]

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:09 am, February 13th, 2012 - 19 comments

Not everyone in the Beehive is thrilled that National is throwing away its chance at a third term for the sake of asset sales which make no sense, economically or politically. The Standard has obtained a copy of the generic column that National MPs are meant to add some ‘local flavour’ to and have published in their regional papers. It shows how cynical and shallow their position really is.

National standards fail in America

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:49 am, February 10th, 2012 - 51 comments

New Zealand schools achieve excellent results and are very cost effective. The Nats are determined to break this great system via the introduction of national standards. They’re ignoring the advice of their own experts, and all the international evidence. But will they be able to ignore the now self-evident failure of standards based testing in America, as Obama pulls the plug on No Child Left Behind?

NRT: Nats censoring the media

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:02 am, February 9th, 2012 - 9 comments

I/S at NoRightTurn writes – Fresh from his attempt to censor programmes likely to embarrass the government during the election, National’s hack on the NZ on Air board, Stephen McElrea, is now actually selecting the topics of political documentaries to receive NZ on Air funding. Its amazing how the topics chosen all just happen to align with the government’s political agenda.

A reply to Steven Joyce

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:00 am, February 9th, 2012 - 9 comments

Steven Joyce’s piece on Tuesday was a transparent and hypocritical attempt to frame political opponents negatively, and soften us up for more asset sales, mining, deep sea drilling and the like. Thing is, it’s the Nats with their misguided austerity cuts who are the real nay-sayers holding the country back.

Time for an anti-asset sales coalition

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:50 pm, February 7th, 2012 - 128 comments

Mana, NZF, the Greens, and even the Maori Party, are suddenly grabbing the asset sales issue from Labour, just when it actually started to be a really valuable issue to lead on. Shearer should stop playing pundit on whether the Maori Party will go and how ‘unstable’ that makes the government. Instead, realise the broad base of opposition to asset sales and build a coalition to stop them.

Super sized problem

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:32 am, February 6th, 2012 - 38 comments

The superannuation problem isn’t going away. The Nats will be fuming that Treasury have just dropped in their laps again.

Key gets what he wants at Waitangi

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:24 am, February 6th, 2012 - 171 comments

While Key was away on his 4-week holiday in Hawaii, the world economy deteriorated, reports on the dire state of poverty in our country came out, and access to strategic resources became a pressing issue – both with our farmland being bought and Iran threatening to close off the globe’s oil supply. But Key was working on a plan – to stoke up racial dissent at home.

ImperatorFish: Shock As Labour Discovers David Farrar Is Not The PM

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:07 am, February 2nd, 2012 - 12 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here

Labour Party MPs are said to be red-faced, after discovering that prominent blogger David Farrar is not the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Don’t dream it’s over

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:42 am, February 1st, 2012 - 76 comments

The Maori Party is threatening to leave the government over the asset sales legislation removing the companies’ Treaty obligations. Key knows their threat is hollow. He just got away for 3 years of insulting Maori and worsening Maori statistics. Why would Sharples and Turia take a pay cut and lose their limos for their last few months working before retirement?

Maori Party to quit Govt?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 2:04 pm, January 31st, 2012 - 86 comments

News in on the Herald says the Maori party are talking the talk over National’s latest insult to Maori.

Will they quit the Government? Or will the smell of those limo seats mean another backdown in a couple of weeks?

Key and Banks on ACT: snap elections, coups & Isaac

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:15 am, January 27th, 2012 - 56 comments

The tea tapes contain a pivotal exchange where John Banks and John Key talk about “restructuring” ACT – including Banks confirming his orders from Key to make Catherine Isaac the new leader. We also learn that National advisors called Key in a panic during the Brash coup calling on him to stage a snap election. It’s an insight into the cynicism of National and Key, and also Key’s poor political judgement.

Teapot tattle

Written By: lprent - Date published: 2:25 pm, January 26th, 2012 - 122 comments

The Teapot Tapes have leaked on to the internet.

You can torrent it and listen past all of the noise.

A brighter future for Maori?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:41 am, January 25th, 2012 - 11 comments

Headline – PM to Ratana: National has made a difference

Maori unemployment under National: +15,300
Median Maori income under National: -$78 per week

Are Maori looking forward to another three years of Key’s ‘difference’?

In the frame

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 10:25 am, January 25th, 2012 - 84 comments

Labour’s contrition is starting to look like weakness.

Rather than reinforcing their opponents’ framing of issues they need to articulate their own progressive values with authority.

If they fail to do this the momentum gained by their new leader will be lost.

Banks a fine ACT MP…

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 11:31 am, January 24th, 2012 - 39 comments

There are a couple of nice pieces in the Herald today on upstanding ACT MP John Banks – on his advising arrested Kim Dotcom on residency and the Overseas Investment Commission, and on his “National” billboards…

Two Left Feet, or a Kick Ass Combo?

Written By: RedLogix - Date published: 8:45 pm, January 20th, 2012 - 26 comments

1951 it ain’t, for now

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:38 am, January 16th, 2012 - 120 comments

Some have compared the Port of Auckland dispute to the 1890 waterfront dispute, 1913 general strike, and 1951 lockout. They want Labour and the Greens to get involved. Actually, this is no 1951 redux. The POA fight is just about one company trying to undercut another. The net effect on New Zealand is zero. The last thing the workers need is Labour creating an excuse for National to attack them.

Concerns Mount Over Absence Of Social Media Gaffes

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:52 pm, December 30th, 2011 - 1 comment

Scott at ImperatorFish is worried. A National Party MP’s colleagues have become increasingly concerned about his wellbeing, after he failed for two consecutive days to make a fool of himself on Twitter. Concerns were raised when colleagues of Tau Henare realised that they had not noticed a single social media brainfart from the list MP for over 48 hours.