political parties

David Cunliffe

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:52 am, December 7th, 2011 - 193 comments

I am tribal labour. I am the son of an Anglican Minister known as the “Red Reverend” and a stalwart member of Timaru Labour. My political beliefs were instilled into me from birth. For me the foundation is that every human being is of equal moral worth and the structures of our society must give everyone a chance to be the best that they can be. That means leaning against the free market when it undermines human dignity and starves many of the opportunities they need to build a good life.

Musings on Mana

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:49 am, December 7th, 2011 - 22 comments

David Small offers his views on offers his views on the Mana party effects on left politics in NZ.

Where to now for progressive electoral politics in Aotearoa?

Charter schools

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:30 pm, December 6th, 2011 - 112 comments

Once again, under National, we get to repeat an experiment that failed 20 years ago. All cooked up on the back of an envelope in a coalition deal. Education deserves much better.

What gains for Nat support “parties”?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:34 pm, December 5th, 2011 - 75 comments

Coalition agreements are expected to be signed today, with Ministerial roles expected for both Dunne and Banks. But it is the details of the policy gains that will tell us the mettle of these two. Did they achieve anything significant with their negotiating power?

Primary importance

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 7:41 am, December 5th, 2011 - 43 comments

Labour’s leadership primary was a great idea. Labour has an open, honest, and respectful debate about itself. Candidates tested in public. Can stumble without damaging the party like a failed leader does. Labour frames the political news with enthralling debates. If there was no primary, Parker would be leader now and NZ would be reaching for the remote.

Defending Nanaia Mahuta?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:58 pm, December 4th, 2011 - 33 comments

I’m afraid that I don’t know much about Nanaia Mahuta. In fact probably way less than I should have, bearing in mind that she stayed in the Labour and didn’t decamp over the Foreshore and Seabed. But there was this post “in support of nanaia” at the Hand Mirror that I found interesting so I’m quoting a […]

Questions for DS and DC

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:55 pm, December 4th, 2011 - 82 comments

What questions would you ask David Cunliffe, and why? What questions would you ask David Shearer, and why?

A two horse race

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 6:50 am, December 4th, 2011 - 194 comments

A tough decision for Labour looms – go for the gamble on the hero, or back the proven performer? (This post should have been on Friday night but got munched by Wordpress…)

The little I know about David Shearer

Written By: Jenny Michie - Date published: 1:55 pm, December 3rd, 2011 - 134 comments

I ran David Shearer’s campaign headquarters in the 2009 Mt Albert by-election. That gave me unique perspective to get a good hard look at a man in a pressure cooker environment. David arrived from the middle east literally a few short hours before the candidate selection speeches. It showed. He looked tired. But he went […]

“Conservation” Minister

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:40 am, December 3rd, 2011 - 103 comments

Quite apart from the broken promise, isn’t it the job of a “Conservation” Minister to, you know, conserve? Instead of leading the mining charge?

Post election commentary

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:51 am, December 2nd, 2011 - 51 comments

A lot has been written in the aftermath of the election. I want to quickly note two excellent pieces that you might have missed in the rush.

Parker withdrawing

Written By: lprent - Date published: 5:20 pm, December 1st, 2011 - 314 comments

David Parker has withdrawn from the leadership race of the Labour party according to Stuff. Predictably Kiwiblog, Stuff, and probably the other right-wing media fools are using this as an opportunity to hype up David Shearer as an easier opponent for John Key. It is not for nothing that David Farrar has “Fomenting Happy Mischief […]

Labour’s decision and Labour’s alone

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 12:34 pm, December 1st, 2011 - 84 comments

It worries me that the media and right wing are trying to take control of the Labour Leadership contest. There’s no great hurry with Christmas around the corner (no new leader is going to get a lot of traction over the summer holidays), but the consequences of making a hasty decision will be disasterous for the party, and disasterous for New Zealand.

The John Key Party

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:24 am, December 1st, 2011 - 121 comments

Ubiquitous Tory blonde #5 (Jo Goodhew?) was on Backbenches last night. At the factory where Nat backbenchers are stamped out, they’re programmed to say ‘John Key’ whenever possible. It went wrong, though, when Goodhew said she was proud to be a reelected member of the John Key Party. It was a slip that told the truth: National, and the Right, is now completely dependent on one man.

Annette, Save Us!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 2:18 pm, November 30th, 2011 - 47 comments

Labour would do well out of a long, positive leadership contest with all the contenders getting well-known by the country as they express their vision. If we can’t get Phil to stay, how about we have Annette hold the reigns as interim leader for the duration of the contest?

Broken Promise No. 1

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 5:02 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 68 comments

In what must be a record for broken promises, National have on Day 1 of government delivered a letter to Forest and Bird that they will renege on their promise of public consultation before allowing mining on public conservation land. Denniston will be mined, without the public having a say.

Two weeks to choose

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 3:42 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 160 comments

Have just received an email from Labour’s President Moira Coatsworth. Phil Goff and Annette King to resign Labour’s leadership effective December 13. Moira is urging all Party members to make their views known to their MPs about the new leadership.The caucus will make the decision but members will have their say. Good.

Demise of the Maori Party

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:15 am, November 29th, 2011 - 91 comments

I’m calling it right now. This is last election where the Maori Party’s will return MPs. It has gone from 5 to 3 MPs, 2 of whom are retiring this term, and the survivors have had their majorities slashed (on the back of scandalously low turnouts). Turia and Sharples will take the baubles again, which will just be the final nails in the party’s coffin.

Choosing our next PM

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 8:43 am, November 29th, 2011 - 172 comments

Looks like Labour will have a proper leadership comp with Goff as caretaker till early next year. Good. Let’s get to know the options. Labour needs to get this right. Because the next Labour leader needs to be the next PM in 2014. Needs to be able to win. The poor people of NZ can’t afford another lost 3 years being squeezed and ripped off by the Tories.

Leadership Elections: Getting it Right

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 4:35 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 37 comments

In 2005 the UK Conservatives badly lost a third election in a row and their leader announced his intent to resign. But they organised a well-run contest to replace him, and by the time he won David Cameron had gone from unknown outsider to popular public figure, and the once ‘toxic’ Conservatives were electable again.

Thought for the Day

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 2:51 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 62 comments

Not wanting to get into a fight with my fellow lefties who advocated a vote for NZ First, but did you want an 8th NZ First MP instead of the excellent Raymond Huo?

The dangers of voting strategically…

Islands in a sea of blue

Written By: lprent - Date published: 1:59 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 25 comments

Moira Coatsworth is looking at a review of what worked and what didn’t this election. I’d participate, but I’ve long since found that the internal communications of the NZLP are too sclerotic to pass operational information through. Quite simply the message gets munged by political types with limited understanding of electorate campaigns long before it gets to the people who need to hear it – the mechanics in other electorates.

My views on one thing that does work – concentrating on electorate canvassing data.

Labour should not rush to judgment

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 12:36 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 171 comments

One can understand why John Key is ‘speed dating” to form a one-seat majority in Parliament. His honeymoon is likely to be a lot shorter in the next term of government. It is quite different for Labour. The caucus would be wise not to rush to decide who leads Labour into the next election.

The rise of the Greens

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:24 am, November 28th, 2011 - 111 comments

The Greens can be very proud of their achievement this election. With 13, probably to become 14, seats, they have achieved the second-best ever result for a minor party under MMP. They have succeeded in becoming credible to mainstream New Zealand. What they do next carries big risks and big potential rewards.

Skirmish, battle, war

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:15 pm, November 27th, 2011 - 31 comments

I’m just back from cleaning up our election day HQ after last night’s party. With apologies to lefties who aren’t feeling too flash today, and with particular sympathies to Labour MPs who didn’t make it back, I had a good election night.

100,000 reasons to vote Left

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:20 pm, November 25th, 2011 - 10 comments

In the end its pretty simple for me. I’m asking you to vote for the Left this election, for 100,000 reasons.

Both Labour and The Greens have policies that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty.

Epsom voters: Please kill Act – you know you want to…

Written By: lprent - Date published: 12:45 pm, November 25th, 2011 - 21 comments

For the sake of your neighbors in Auckland and your extended family throughout New Zealand, could the voters of Epsom please terminate the twitching corpse of the Act party. Once they may have had a purpose. Now they just have John Banks and that other failed politician. Let us look forward into the sunset without this zombie party being maintained by the misplaced charity of the voters of Epsom.

Racism more than skin deep for Nats

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:06 am, November 25th, 2011 - 16 comments

This post originally appeared on the Hand Mirror and we reproduce it with their permission. It is an account of a National Party meeting in the Wairarapa, and a stark reminder of the dark heart of the Right that hates and fears anything different, which wants a New Zealand built for a rich, Pakeha, male, straight business-owning elite.

Nats resort to robo-calling

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:00 am, November 25th, 2011 - 25 comments

We’ve been getting emails and comments from people getting robo-calls from John Key. These pre-recorded calls are notoriously bad campaign tools. Invite lots of backlash. Odd National is introducing them (they used them last election but only on election day as a get out the vote tool, not to campaign). Shows they know this election is tighter than it looks.