political parties

Granny Herald opening eyes?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 11:43 am, October 25th, 2010 - 10 comments

There was an excellent piece in the Saturday Herald by John Armstrong. A large 2-page spread, fairly prominent in the paper, and not critical of Labour. Not fulsome praise; just great, unbiased reporting.

Now admittedly I shouldn’t get excited by such things, but the steadily slipping standards of New Zealand’s papers, combined with a media love-in with National at the last election, leaves good quality newspaper journalism a sight to behold.

A welcome shift to the centre

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 9:18 am, October 23rd, 2010 - 33 comments

Labour’s new economic agenda is a welcome shift to the centre.

It’s the first time in more than 25 years that a major party has turned its back on the neo-liberal policies that have failed New Zealand so badly.

Bloody good stuff!

Labour policy Maori policy

Written By: r0b - Date published: 8:18 am, October 23rd, 2010 - 20 comments

In a press release last week Tariana Turia claimed that Labour’s new policy directions are all Maori Party policies. That puts the Maori Party in an interesting position after the next election. Will the major party that they support be dictated by their policies, Labour’s policies, as Turia claims? Or will their support be dictated by other, non-policy factors?

Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:00 am, October 22nd, 2010 - 30 comments

Things are quickly turning to custard for National. The economy is going south fast and Key’s Teflon-coating is so damaged the mainstream media is openly saying we deserve better than a ‘smile and wave’ PM. The Nats’ strategy – try to convince us nothing is wrong – is really bad. It makes them look either duplicitous or out of touch.

Why the Right is worried 4: Polls

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:57 am, October 21st, 2010 - 41 comments

The trend is quite clear now. The Right’s support peaked and the Left’s support reached is nadir last year. The gap has been gradually closing ever since. From a 24.5% gap between National and ACT a year ago, the gap in the latest Roy Morgan has fallen to 5.5%. About quarter of a million Kiwis have switched their support to the Left in a single year.

The deaf and dumb government

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:00 am, October 21st, 2010 - 11 comments

In just two years, we’ve had three protests eclipsing anything we saw under Labour. What will the next year bring? What would a second term see as the public reacts to an agenda of privatisation and public service cuts that go well beyond the ‘back office’? Will this deaf and dumb government ever wake up and hear the concerns of New Zealanders?

Key’s economic bravado now reduced to whining

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:04 am, October 21st, 2010 - 25 comments

In three short years John Key and National have gone from economic bravado, to failure, to lies, excuses and whining. As the economy languishes they will have nothing to offer except more lies and excuses.

This is a time for fresh thinking, both globally and locally. But we won’t get it from National.

Gordon Campbell: Central vs Local Government

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:02 am, October 21st, 2010 - 12 comments

Gordon Campbell on central government’s reaction to the local government elections. Campbell argues that National has a vested interest in the failure of both Len Brown in Auckland and Celia Wade-Brown in Wellington, and that voters have rejected the “1980s model of political leadership”.

Why the Right is worried 3: Policy

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:59 am, October 20th, 2010 - 8 comments

In contrast to National’s policy vacuum on the economy, Labour has been focusing its policy work on a major change in direction. It’s obvious that the hands-off approach introduced in the 1980s has failed, leading to mal-investment in housing with an economy stripped of its manufacturing capability and geared for import-dependent consumerism.

Keith Ng: Nat bullshit on inflation and earnings

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:02 am, October 20th, 2010 - 44 comments

National have been running some fine lines of bullshit lately. Keith Ng’s recent post at Public Address calls them out on two of them. The first, National is trying to claim credit for low inflation. The Second, National is trying to claim that recent wage increases have been better than the previous 9 years. Keith takes the bullshit apart – dirty work, but someone has to do it.

National’s anti-Public Transport message

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 11:00 am, October 19th, 2010 - 16 comments

Different voice, same message: instead of Stephen Joyce or John Key, we now have Bill English saying that they don’t have any money for Public Transport. Just money for roads. They’ve been forced to commit to $1.5 billion of ongoing Auckland rail projects, and that’s all it’s going to get, thank-you.

Nats’ war on education: cutting wages

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:00 am, October 19th, 2010 - 87 comments

For some reason, the Nats hate public education. Even an elitist fool should be able to see that a well-educated workforce is valuable and public education is the cheapest way to achieve it. Yet National is attacking education at every level. The latest ‘offer’ to the secondary teachers would see them take 2 years of after-inflation pay cuts.

Phil Goff: The Leader Emerges

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 1:22 pm, October 18th, 2010 - 43 comments

Phil Goff made an excellent speech yesterday. One that showed far more direction, and a lot of promise for going forward. Hopefully Labour can capitalise on this much better than they did on the excellent “The Many, Not The Few” speech. They should be able to – yesterday’s “Kiwi Dream” speech contained much more meat […]

Discontent within National

Written By: r0b - Date published: 1:14 pm, October 18th, 2010 - 25 comments

The Sunday Star Times had an interesting piece quoting a National MP on growing discontent within the party. Discontent at the public perception of National as a “one man band”, and the way that the party has been reduced to “The John Key Show”. With National’s failure on the economy growing ever more evident, is the power of brand Key enough to carry the Nats to a win in 2011?

Conference roundup

Written By: r0b - Date published: 8:32 am, October 18th, 2010 - 32 comments

Labour’s conference in the weekend seems to have gone well, and been well received by the media. Here’s a roundup of headlines and comment.

Owning our future

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 7:20 am, October 18th, 2010 - 139 comments

It’s great to hear Phil Goff announce that a Labour government won’t let overseas interests to own more than 25% of monopolistic companies, like ports and airports, and farmland. In the new world economy we’re moving into, a global scramble for vital natural resources like farmland, we need to keep the foundations of our economy in Kiwi hands.

Child friendly

Written By: r0b - Date published: 8:17 am, October 17th, 2010 - 58 comments

The Labour conference this weekend is expected to release new “policy directions”. One of them is out already — and it’s good. What could make more sense than putting children first?

The failing polls..

Written By: lprent - Date published: 4:58 pm, October 16th, 2010 - 12 comments

An article in The Economist looks at the failing basis of polling techniques in the USA. It isn’t that much different to the circumstances here.

“The proportion of those called who end up taking part in a survey has fallen steadily, from 35% or so in the 1990s to 15% or less now, according to Mr Keeter. Reaching young people is especially difficult. Only old ladies answer the phone…”

It’s the economy, stupid

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 1:32 pm, October 16th, 2010 - 11 comments

John Armstrong is at his insightful best today. He’s hit on the emerging change in the political discourse – the economy is going to crap and that’s what really matters, not the meltdowns of minor MPs and racist TV monkeys. And this do nothing government doesn’t care and has no solutions. This is Labour’s chance to offer a real alternative:

Lessons for Labour?

Written By: r0b - Date published: 8:39 am, October 16th, 2010 - 53 comments

As the dust settles on the local body elections, what are the lessons for Labour? Especially, of course, “the big one” in Auckland. Len Brown, a “Labour Mayor from South Auckland”, beat Key’s anointed candidate for the right. What lessons can Labour take away? How does this shape the 2011 election campaign?

ACT – one law for all?

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:13 am, October 15th, 2010 - 19 comments

Hillary Calvert introduced an amendment this week to change the Marine and Coastal Act. In keeping with Act’s philosophy of One Rule For All it denies Maori the right to charge for access to beaches, whilst allowing current private owners to (continue to) charge access fees.

What should National do?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:20 pm, October 14th, 2010 - 36 comments

What should Labour do? One of our regular commenters steps up and answers the question. What more can we add? And, my challenge to the right wingers, can you come up with a similarly broad, coherent and principled summary of what you think National stands for? What should National do?

More ACT identity theft?

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 3:30 pm, October 13th, 2010 - 20 comments

In recent days, David Garrett has been spotted hanging around Parliament. Now, The Standard has acquired a picture of ACT’s new MP, ‘Hilary Calvert’, arriving at Parliament. It raises further identity theft questions within the party.

Evidence suggests that the real Calvert was brain-dead at least two weeks ago.

Prendergast doesn’t get it

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 10:59 am, October 13th, 2010 - 40 comments

According to Kerry Prendergast, STV may cost her election as mayor of Wellington, and therefore it is undemocratic. Good doublethink there Kerry.

UPDATE: Prendergast really doesn’t get it – Celia is Mayor!… Lost by 176 votes.

Williams and Trotter on Carter’s expulsion

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 10:06 pm, October 12th, 2010 - 13 comments

RNZ’s Kathryn Ryan talks to Mike Williams and Chris Trotter about Chris Carter’s expulsion.

Carter expelled

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 7:14 am, October 12th, 2010 - 109 comments

The Labour Party council has decided to expel Chris Carter from the party. While party members should be free to criticise the leadership, Carter went too far. He has repeatedly embarrassed and damaged the party. In doing so, he disrespected every member of the Labour Party – that’s the real crime.

Carter faces the music

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:00 pm, October 11th, 2010 - 21 comments

Chris Carter faces a disciplinary hearing at labour HQ this evening. Already evicted from caucus, this meeting could result in sanctions from the Party including revoking his membership. But I don’t think it will come to that, and I don’t think it should for both principled and political reasons.

Hide begging for his political life

Written By: r0b - Date published: 3:02 pm, October 11th, 2010 - 74 comments

So Rodney Hide is reduced to publicly begging for his political life, asking National for an easy ride in Epsom. It will be interesting to keep an eye on National’s response. Especially with the name of defeated Auckland Mayoral candidate John Banks already being mentioned…

Next time, could we have a PM that looks and sounds a bit more like a PM?

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 8:40 am, October 11th, 2010 - 37 comments

Here’s John Key this morning on Breakfast, talking about Paul Henry’s resignation. Naturally he’s eager to downplay the influence of Kiwi-Indian business and diplomatic interests, and to deny any government involvement in the decision. The most revealing part of the interview is when Key stammers: “I have not spoke [sic] to Paul Henry” Key says […]

New ‘no darkies’ party to form

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:40 pm, October 10th, 2010 - 45 comments

Paul ‘dickshit’ Henry, Maurice ‘no shi’ite’ Williamson, John ‘I wish South Aucklanders hadn’t voted’ Banks, Melissa ‘South Aucklanders are all crims’ Lee, Paul ‘cheekie darkie’ Holmes, and Michael ‘brown slug’ Laws have joined forces to create a new political party for ‘real New Zealanders’ standing up to ‘the Brown-skinned elite’.

People Aren’t Beans

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 1:00 pm, October 8th, 2010 - 12 comments

This government doesn’t seem to have the human touch. It fails to see the personal, just the numbers. So it’s sending 3 New Zealand children to live as ‘untouchables’ in an Indian slum, without the limited access to schools or hospitals that even the locals have – as they won’t (and can’t) be Indian citizens.