political parties

Entrenchment back on the agenda

Written By: Tane - Date published: 5:18 pm, April 30th, 2009 - 44 comments

Good to see Labour pursuing a private member’s bill to entrench the Maori seats. Mita Ririnui, who’s lodging the bill, says it “will ensure that the Maori seats in Parliament will not be able to be abolished unless 75 per cent of MPs in any Parliament vote in favour of such a move. ‘The only […]

Gordon Campbell on the MoU

Written By: Tane - Date published: 9:44 pm, April 28th, 2009 - 29 comments

Gordon Campbell’s latest Scoop column takes a very critical view of the Greens’ Memorandum of Understanding with National. While the Greens’ strategy is based on the need to cooperate with what they see as a likely two-term National Government, Campbell argues their cooperation may help turn that likelihood into a certainty. Despite the genuine merits […]

Budget 2009: Why not tax the rich?

Written By: Tane - Date published: 2:00 pm, April 27th, 2009 - 56 comments

With the Government openly preparing the public for spending cuts in the upcoming Budget, No Right Turn reminds us that there are alternatives – rather than cutting services and harming the poor, we could always raise taxes on those who can most afford it. The state of New York is doing this, hiking state income […]

Greens join call for referendum

Written By: Tane - Date published: 4:44 pm, April 24th, 2009 - 65 comments

The Greens have joined Labour and an array of groups calling for Aucklanders to get a referendum on the supercity. Great stuff. Sue Kedgley points out that much of the Government’s proposed structure was not recommended by the Royal Commission and Aucklanders have not been consulted on them. ‘Rodney Hide effectively threw the Royal Commission’s […]

Look Mum they stole my city …

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:15 pm, April 23rd, 2009 - 28 comments

After the success of the meetings about the super-city in Waitakere and Manakau yesterday, here are a few more of interest in date order. We will issue reminders when they are due. From the notice on the Grassroots Labour site about a public meeting in Waitakere. Time April 27, 2009 from 8pm (now correct time) […]

About time

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:26 am, April 22nd, 2009 - 14 comments

It’s good that Labour has rejoined good leftwing principles over the foreshore and seabed. Labour was spooked by the popularity of National’s race baiting into emulating them. They should never have denied iwi the right to go to court to try to establish their customary rights to sections of the foreshore and seabed. There are […]

Has National changed its policy on the super-city?

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:30 pm, April 21st, 2009 - 23 comments

Yesterday I pointed out that the Local Government Act requires referenda on boundary changes such as are envisaged for Auckland. To not do so would be to use the parliamentary rights to amend legislation to remove a required consultation with the citizens of Auckland. It appears likely (from Graeme) that NACT will put forward a […]

One of these things is not like the other III

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 7:03 am, April 18th, 2009 - 20 comments

One of these things is not like the other… One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other… Can you tell me before I finish the game?

Public service numbers

Written By: Tane - Date published: 5:17 pm, April 14th, 2009 - 44 comments

I’ve just stumbled across this killer graph from the PSA on public service numbers under Labour and National. It helpfully puts in graphical form what we’ve known all along – that for all the bleating we’ve heard from National and its sycophants about how Labour’s bloated public service was sucking the nation dry, the reality […]

Reminder: DL Wgtn tonight

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:00 am, April 9th, 2009 - 3 comments

If you’re not fleeing the city for the long weekend like every other sane person, Drinking Liberally Wellington is on at the Southern Cross tonight with guest Metiria Turei. What: Drinking Liberally Wgtn When: Tonight, April 9, 2009, from 5.30pm. Where: The Southern Cross, Abel Smith Street Who: Good left-wing jokers and jokeresses like yourself. […]

Mana enhancement: Fail

Written By: Tane - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 8th, 2009 - 30 comments

Cullen leaving Parliament

Written By: lprent - Date published: 1:58 pm, April 7th, 2009 - 67 comments

The press statement from Michael Cullen on his departure from Parliament is here. He will be missed, and probably not just by members of the Labour Party. He has been an outstanding Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister. His attention to looking forward to circumstances such as the current world economic chaos has left […]

Garrett lying to his own supporters

Written By: Tane - Date published: 10:00 am, April 7th, 2009 - 25 comments

Not content with lying to the New Zealand public, ACT MP David Garrett has now been busted lying to his own supporters about his Three Strikes Bill. In the email to supporters last Friday: [Garrett] claimed that if the “three strikes” bill had been in place in May 2008, 78 lives wold have been saved, […]

Mt Albert nominations open for Labour

Written By: lprent - Date published: 6:48 am, April 7th, 2009 - 19 comments

Normally I don’t put up press releases but this one is special to me. It is about my home electorate and where I moved to in 1964 to start primary school. Labour Party President Andrew Little is calling for nominations for the Mt Albert by-election, following the appointment of Rt Hon Helen Clark as Head […]