political parties

Please advise

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:15 am, April 7th, 2011 - 21 comments

Government ministers seem blind to the most obvious of issues because they have “received no advice”. Remember back in the dark ages when Ministers had some initiative? Remember when we elected leaders to lead?

High quality government spending

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:25 am, April 6th, 2011 - 55 comments

Shivering in your earthquake-damaged home, wondering how you’ll come up with $190 a week for a campervan after your emergency benefit ends? Living on cat food because GST and price hikes put real food out of reach? Don’t worry, Pita Sharples to the rescue: he’s gifting 1.9 million taxpayer dollars to a hapu in his electorate to build an inflatable, plastic waka.

Caption Contest

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 12:27 pm, April 4th, 2011 - 89 comments

Plurality support quake levy

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:29 am, April 4th, 2011 - 4 comments

A UMR poll shows that 40% of Kiwis support paying an earthquake levy to help pay for the Christchurch rebuild. 22% prefer more borrowing, and 29% want spending cuts. Asked just whether they supported or opposed a levy – 57% supported it. Yet the Nats are choosing cuts instead.

Tizard not coming back

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:14 am, April 3rd, 2011 - 66 comments

Judith Tizard won’t take Labour’s vacant seat in Parliament. It’s the right thing to do. It’s only a quirk that we should be looking back to a list written in 2008 to fill a seat for 6 months now. Tizard and the next four on the 2008 list aren’t on the 2011 list. Their lives have moved on. Better for the seat to go to someone with a Parliamentary future – Louisa Wall.

Economy

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 8:25 am, April 3rd, 2011 - 84 comments

The economy, shall we say politely, is facing some difficulties. With a National government there was no plan as to how to weather the economic storm, we just got tax cuts for the rich and an economy that just can’t get growing.

Pita’s poll: Maori Party death-rattle?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:35 am, April 2nd, 2011 - 38 comments

A new Horizon poll suggests that Pita Sharples’ majority in Tamaki Makaurau has been slashed by 80% and he could be overtaken by Labour’s Shane Jones. There’s a bit of scuttlebutt that Willie Jackson might run for Hone’s new Left/Maori Party (if it gets off the ground). In that case, expect a real three-way race, which Sharples would almost certainly lose.

Small talk on party activists and blogs.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:23 pm, March 29th, 2011 - 52 comments

Vernon Small says “Its activists on websites and blogs are openly questioning the party’s direction and Mr Goff’s judgment.” He seems to be looking at our non-Labour activists of the left and the astroturfers and seeing a movement against Goff.

Mostly it isn’t from Labour activists. It isn’t real. It is just designed for him and other journos to read.

Goff’s leadership safe for now

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:21 pm, March 29th, 2011 - 171 comments

The Labour Party front bench meeting in Dunedin has just concluded. Goff’s leadership has been confirmed, with unanimous support.

The Politics of the Three R’s: Roads, Reconstruction, Resentment

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:58 am, March 29th, 2011 - 11 comments

In Sunday’s Baden-Württemburg state election, the Green party was the highest polling party. Their leader will become the first Green ‘Minister President’ in Germany. Regular guest poster ChrisH takes inspiration from this victory for New Zealand, and sees a formula for a Left victory this year.

Brownlee wrong for Christchuch

Written By: r0b - Date published: 4:46 pm, March 28th, 2011 - 19 comments

Gerry Brownlee is making a mess of the rebuilding of Christchurch. In the latest fiasco, the person Brownlee tapped to head the new earthquake recovery authority apparently can’t face the prospect of working with him.

Leadership rumours: Foreshore Bill passed

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:39 pm, March 26th, 2011 - 64 comments

The latest media frenzy about a Phil Goff coup is rapidly dying down. The Government passed some controversial legislation in double-quick time with little coverage and somebody made a killing on iPredict. Coincidence?

Leadership rumours

Written By: r0b - Date published: 6:45 am, March 26th, 2011 - 257 comments

It’s been a dreadful week for Labour. So out come the oft repeated rumours of a coup against leader Phil Goff. Usually this is just the ever predictable right wing blogs stirring. This time the excellent Scoop news site is making the claim. Scoop has it wrong.

Darren Hughes resigns

Written By: r0b - Date published: 5:50 pm, March 25th, 2011 - 204 comments

Darren Hughes has resigned as an MP.

Hughes stood down

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:02 pm, March 24th, 2011 - 114 comments

Darren Hughes has been suspended from his shadow portfolios due to the continuing police investigation. Goff probably should have done this earlier, despite the understandable wariness of a leader can’t punish an MP on the strength of a complaint alone. As Key did with Wong and Worth, Goff has waited until the media issue became too big.

Flat as a pancake

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:43 pm, March 24th, 2011 - 59 comments

The economy grew just 0.2% in the December quarter, enough to avoid the technical definition of recession but did it feel like that for you? No. It felt like recession because the economic pie grew slower than the population. National’s economic record is GDP per capita 5% below its peak and down another 0.6% between […]

Hughes investigation

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:56 pm, March 23rd, 2011 - 2 comments

Darren Hughes has identified himself as under investigation by the Police. No details on the issue. Hughes says he did nothing wrong. Clearly not what was needed with Labour hammering National on the economy. Comments off on this post and strict moderation elsewhere for legal reasons.

Informed consent

Written By: r0b - Date published: 10:08 am, March 23rd, 2011 - 47 comments

Owners of businesses in the red zone CBD want brief access to their premises to retrieve items and data that are vital to whatever remaining chance they have of keeping their enterprises alive. The government is refusing access on the grounds of safety. There’s right on both sides of the issue, but whatever happened to informed consent?

A hell of a speech 2

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:40 am, March 23rd, 2011 - 32 comments

“The Prime Minister’s out of touch. Here’s a man who got well over$1000 a week from his own tax cuts… He may know where his bread is buttered on but it’s a different side of the loaf to most Kiwis… who every time they go to the supermarket are asking “how come this trolley of groceries is costing $20 or $50 more than it seemed it did last week’?”

Another foreshore hikoi

Written By: r0b - Date published: 4:07 pm, March 22nd, 2011 - 13 comments

Around 300 hikoi marchers arrived at Parliament this afternoon to protest against the Nat / Maori Party rebranded version of the foreshore and seabed bill. The numbers weren’t huge, but the hikoi brought a powerful symbolic message.

A hell of a speech

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:40 am, March 22nd, 2011 - 74 comments

“The worldwide recession is not your fault… You are being softened up for cuts in social spending… It’s easy to see the people this government is looking after. If you are a bank boss on $5.6million, helping cause a recession, you get an extra five thousand a week. If you are on the minimum wage – you get an extra 25 cents an hour.”

Cuts! Cuts! Cuts!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 12:42 pm, March 21st, 2011 - 42 comments

There was already going to be too little money in Budget 2011 for maintenance of public services. Now what little there was is being further slashed in the name of Christchurch. An Earthquake Levy is not an option, rather we’ll all pay through increased borrowing and 25% cuts in services like police, transport, justice and social services.

Hartevelt swipes Nats’ elitism

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:57 am, March 20th, 2011 - 32 comments

The SST’s John Hartevelt is shocked by National’s decision to pay out millions for Christchurch rugby business while ordinary people live in shattered homes and lose their jobs with meager support. He asks whether the Nats have lost their moral-political bearings. In fact, this is a perfect example of National’s elitist philosophy.

Labour exposes planless Key

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:04 am, March 16th, 2011 - 128 comments

There’s been increasing concern over the past week or two that not only has the government failed to communicate its plan for the Christchurch recovery, it doesn’t actually have one, and isn’t particularly worried about getting one. Yesterday in the House, Labour took Key to task on this important issue. And he was found terribly wanting.

The racist party

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:57 pm, March 15th, 2011 - 93 comments

3-time election loser Don Brash spoke at the ACT conference on the weekend. It was an attempt to revive the Owera days with an anti-Maori speech. When he made a ‘they don’t know how lucky they are’ reference to how Australians used to “shoot the natives”, a ACT member yelled “bring that back” and the audience laughed.

No faith in Nats’ economic ‘plan’

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:53 am, March 15th, 2011 - 125 comments

So, how are you enjoying your brighter future? Not too flash, eh? GST up. Wages down. No jobs. More crime. Earthquakes. Oil and food shocks. No bloody cycleway. Discretionary income (after tax, housing, food, transport) is down about 15%. No wonder Kiwis don’t believe Key and National can deliver on their promises.

Ruling out Hone

Written By: r0b - Date published: 6:30 am, March 15th, 2011 - 77 comments

Labour leader Phil Goff has ruled out working with Hone Harawira even if Mr Harawira heads a party of several MPs. I think it’s a foolish decision and I think the reasons don’t stack up. Instead of ruling out Hariwria, Labour should rise to the challenge.

Government reneges on Pike River

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 8:04 am, March 13th, 2011 - 38 comments

Gerry Brownlee promised the West Coast a stimulus package. The government has now ruled that out. Those with whom John Key so public sympathised will not get what they were promised; they’ll be left to pick up the tab, whilst he works on his next PR opportunity.

Auckland: a sprawling car future?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 7:17 am, March 12th, 2011 - 77 comments

National will reject Auckland Council and Aucklanders’ view on what their future city should look like. Instead they propose One ever more sprawling city, with ever more sprawling motorways, ever more cars clogging its veins, ever less community, and ever less government money.

Christchurch Earthquake Bulletin #2

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:10 pm, March 11th, 2011 - 14 comments

Apparently Christchurch Labour MPs will be putting out their bulletin daily. Here’s the second update from Clayton Cosgrove (Waimakariri), Ruth Dyson (Port Hills), Lianne Dalziel (Christchurch East) and Brendon Burns (Christchurch Central). In future you can get to them here.

Mergers & Schisms

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:55 am, March 11th, 2011 - 13 comments

Last National government: split Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. This National government: merge Agriculture and Fisheries. In times of economic recession and disaster National know the really important things to focus on. Just as long as they keep those civil servants busy and away from helping the public we’ll all be fine.