political parties

Absurd arguments

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:45 pm, November 4th, 2011 - 69 comments

National likes to take Labour proposals and extend them to the point of absurdity.  Labour needs to fight fire with fire.  Here’s a few examples…

Key can’t count

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:37 am, November 4th, 2011 - 113 comments

It’ll be interesting to see the full fiscal details from Labour today. National is planning to borrow too, the question is how much they differ by. Only $2.6b in the first term with both having net debt about $50b. That’s the alternative to selling our profitable assets to pay for capital investment. The Nats’ $17b claim is riddled with basic errors. Updated with more bad adding from Key

Workers locked out because won’t take 25% pay cut

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 3:46 pm, November 2nd, 2011 - 45 comments

Over 100 meat workers have now been locked out for 10 days at the Canterbury Meat Packers works in Rangitikei. They are told they must sign an agreement that cuts pay by 25% and loses conditions in order to return to work. Some migrant workers face deportation if they lose their jobs. It’s a disgrace; they all need our support. Here’s how you can help.

Another empty promise

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:13 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 61 comments

National says it’ll get 57,000 more people off benefits and into work over 4 years. That would require 50% more job creation than Treasury projects. Unless you do something about the lack of jobs, you won’t get benefit numbers down. Promising the latter without doing the former is a fraud on New Zealand. Just another broken Nat promise waiting to happen.

Battle of the Henrys

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 1:08 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 29 comments

Watching Goff and Key last night was a bit like watching Graham Henry arguing with Paul Henry…

Nats’ ad claims credit for Lab’s infrastructure

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 9:43 am, November 1st, 2011 - 51 comments

Oh dear. This is not what National needed on the back of Goff besting Key in the first debate. National’s new TV ad is on the world-class infrastructure they claim to have built. But it was all planned, funded, and mostly built by Labour. Have National accidentally revealed their real achievement: taking credit for others work?

Caption Contest

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 1:01 pm, October 31st, 2011 - 42 comments

Key: tired & bereft of ideas

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 9:03 am, October 31st, 2011 - 32 comments

So, that was National’s ‘big announcement’^tm? Allocating money they’ve already banked into a fund which is just an accounting fiction for capital spending that was already budgeted for. A billion of it over five years to ‘transform’ schools? $80,000 a year per school … of already budgeted spending. Talk about tired and bereft of ideas.

Enough to finish us off

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 10:20 am, October 30th, 2011 - 58 comments

Five million kilos of radioactive yellow cake uranium are being shipped through New Zealand ports every year. ERMA was unaware this practice has been going on for the last 15 years and only learned of it in 2009, but not to worry, according to John Key’s spokesperson the yellow cake is “Australian dirt, which is […]

This is how you win

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:14 pm, October 29th, 2011 - 68 comments

Sprout’s post says it all. Labour’s opening address blew National’s out of the park. But I can’t help myself, I have to put in my analysis of why National’s was so awful and Labour’s so good. Almost out of nowhere, Labour has seized the discourse. It is dictating the run of play with its policies, its framing, and, now, with its marketing. This is how you win.

Opening addresses for your convenience

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:31 am, October 29th, 2011 - 32 comments

In case you missed them last night, here are the National, Labour and Green election opening addresses, collected for your convenience.

TV1 at 7:50 – Opening Address

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 4:58 pm, October 28th, 2011 - 67 comments

Labour’s election Opening Address will be broadcast on TV1 at 7:50pm tonight.  Labour is hinting that the address will be something different, and unlike anything we have seen before.  Given their gutsy campaigning so far, anything could happen!  Make sure you tune in…

Campaigning on policy – what a concept!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:55 am, October 28th, 2011 - 27 comments

Labour has once again broken the mould and chosen to focus its election campaign on policy. As a country we’ve been saying for a long time that elections should be about policies and not personalities.  Now we’ve got a chance to try it.  If the media is up to the challenge, of course.

Labour’s savings & retirement policy

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:37 am, October 28th, 2011 - 100 comments

Well, they said they were going to run this campaign on policy and make the bold moves, and Labour proved that with their savings policy. National is been left floundering. Brand Key is unraveling while Labour starts to dictate the play for the first time since Orewa. But the substance of the savings policy wants a closer look, it has both good and bad aspects.

Not quite beyond parody

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:37 am, October 27th, 2011 - 18 comments

There’s almost too many excellent parodies of National’s silly billboards and ads.