political parties
Categories under political parties
- act (548)
- Coalition NZ (3)
- conservative party (74)
- greens (1,020)
- internet party (17)
- labour (2,590)
- mana (86)
- mana-party (56)
- maori party (364)
- national (4,499)
- same old national (1,617)
- new conservatives (8)
- nz first (436)
- progressives (20)
- TOPS (10)
- united future (64)
- women's rights party (2)
Why is there a media honeymoon?
Written By: - Date published: 2:53 pm, November 25th, 2008 - 41 comments
Why do new leaders get honeymoons? When you think about it, there’s no objective reason why a leader should get an easy run at first, not be asked the hard questions, be served lavish praise. So why does it happen? Well, I asked around a few people who’d been there and done that, and the […]
All the facts
Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, November 25th, 2008 - 81 comments
National’s David Farrar has been running a series for some time trying to paint NZ Labour as out of step with Labour Parties around the world when it comes to their attitude on tax cuts. His intention, of course, is to portray Labour as extreme left and his mates in National as centrist and middle […]
Labour’s lessons
Written By: - Date published: 6:27 pm, November 23rd, 2008 - 55 comments
54,982 votes, 2.3% of the total. That was difference in the election. If Labour had lost 55,000 fewer votes to National (it lost 142.966 in total, while voter numbers grew 69,000) then a Labour (47), Green (9), Progressive (1), Maori (5) government would have been possible, a more natural and stable government than one that […]
Farmers workers protest today
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, November 21st, 2008 - 33 comments
Workers from Farmers stores in the Auckland area will take part in a ‘Skinny Santa’ parade down Queen Street today to protest against their low rates of pay and for a $15 minimum wage. Most Farmers staff are only paid between $12 and $13.50 an hour and the company’s latest pay offer would give the […]
Goff announces shadow cabinet
Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, November 20th, 2008 - 44 comments
Labour leader Phil Goff has announced his shadow cabinet. As announced already Cunliffe takes finance, Clark takes foreign affairs, Hughes and Chadwick are whips. Annette King takes on social development in addition to the deputy leadership – a smart move, she’ll make mincemeat out of Paula Bennett. Ruth Dyson takes health, Chris Carter holds education […]
NZ Labour supporters site launched
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, November 20th, 2008 - 32 comments
NZ Labour Supporters has been launched as an unofficial online hub for Labour supporters. It looks like a good wee site. Along the lines of g.blog for Greens supporters, any registered user can write blog posts. Looks like there are forums and the ability to contribute to a multi-media library too. They’ve started off with […]
Farewell
Written By: - Date published: 12:40 pm, November 19th, 2008 - 96 comments
A crowd several hundred strong turned out this morning to farewell Helen Clark as she left Parliament as Prime Minister for the last time to present her Government’s official resignation to the Governor-General. Even though I’m a Greenie, I always find Labour events amazingly heart-warming – such a huge variety of people young and old […]
What should Clark do?
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, November 18th, 2008 - 28 comments
There’s a lot of talk about Helen Clark leaving Parliament in a year or so to head for an international role. While Clark would obviously be more than capable of performing well at that level, I would prefer to see her do something completely different. Labour needs to build its membership and its connections with […]
Undefeated
Written By: - Date published: 3:14 pm, November 17th, 2008 - 41 comments
Paul Holmes wrote yesterday: “While Labour moves to the Opposition benches, it does so weirdly unmolested by the election defeat, weirdly undefeated” Damn right, the Left seems undefeated, and so it should. The Right has only won power by masquerading as the Left; Key’s mandate is only to maintain the legacy of the Fifth Labour […]
Some questions
Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, November 17th, 2008 - 35 comments
The Maori Party voted against the ETS because they thought it doesn’t go far enough; they want a stronger ETS. Will they be supporting National/ACT’s amendments to first delay then weaken or even scrap it? ACT opposes the existence of the Maori seats, while paradoxically supporting their entrenchment. Which will win out on this issue? […]
Snouts in the trough
Written By: - Date published: 3:57 pm, November 16th, 2008 - 68 comments
No Right Turn blogs on the National/ACT coalition agreement. Of particular interest is the clause he’s pulled out that shows ACT will be funded by the taxpayer for consultants and research: To enable ACT to make a substantive contribution to the government’s programme, it will have adequate access to funding, in a bulk form or […]
Crosby/Textor on repeat
Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, November 15th, 2008 - 58 comments
The topic of Crosby Textor has emerged again with a story in the NZ Herald. While it is unsurprising to read that Crosby Textor is “drumming up business after last week’s election by offering insights into the new Government and its personalities” there’s another aspect I think also deserves examination. How and why is this […]
Playing clever but playing with fire
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, November 14th, 2008 - 56 comments
On one level, the Maori Party’s dealing with National is smart work. Key needs to look inclusive even though he doesn’t need the Maori Party’s support to govern. In return, the Maori Party can cement its future by getting the Maori seats entrenched through a government bill, rather than hoping a private members’ bill gets […]
National gives ACT consumer affairs
Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, November 13th, 2008 - 37 comments
John Key’s got to be taking the piss with his decision to appoint ACT MP Heather Roy as Minister of Consumer Affairs in the new National/ACT government. I guess it could have been worse (say, ACT in charge of Labour or Social Development) but you do have to wonder how the Consumer Guarantees Act and […]
Gordon Campbell: new Labour leadership
Written By: - Date published: 7:34 pm, November 12th, 2008 - 42 comments
As we’ve come to expect, a thought provoking piece from Gordon Campbell, who says …the public may one day come to rue the change they sought on Saturday. But if and when they do, there is no guarantee that a paternalistic Labour would be the only, or best source of relief. The Greens, now that […]
Class and the Maori Party
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, November 12th, 2008 - 71 comments
The New Zealand Herald has a telling story today about how the Maori Party’s decision over whether to prop up a right-wing National/ACT government “has exposed a schism between iwi elite views and ordinary Maori”. Ordinary working class Maori who’ve felt the brunt of right-wing policies in the past are, unsurprisingly, not keen to sacrifice […]
Goff and King to lead Labour
Written By: - Date published: 3:03 pm, November 11th, 2008 - 96 comments
As has been widely reported, Phil Goff is set to take the leadership of Labour with Annette King as deputy leader. We’ll hear all kinds of nonsense about how this is a shift to the Right. Rubbish. We are not going to see Labour try to be National-lite. First, while the leader of National essentially […]
What will National’s cabinet look like?
Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, November 11th, 2008 - 58 comments
Will it be the same tired old faces, the fresh noobs or a mixture of both? Will it be an all National cabinet or will Peter “marginal seat” Dunne secure himself a place at the grown-ups table? Here’s a few off the top of my head: Bill English – Deputy leader and Finance Obvious really […]
Fare thee well
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 pm, November 9th, 2008 - 37 comments
Firstly I must say congratulations to the winners on the night, and sympathies to those who did not succeed. We may not hold politicians in high regard but they put themselves on the line. The voting public have had their say and that, if nothing else, we must celebrate and respect. But for Labour the […]
National Spinners
Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, November 9th, 2008 - 91 comments
David Farrar wrote… “Funniest moment was talking to a few of John’s staff, and one of them asked whether their imminent transfer to the 9th floor meant they would get to take over The Standard. It was hilarious as they started fighting over who would be all-your-base and who would be Irish Bill etc” Wow! […]
The distances between parties
Written By: - Date published: 12:53 pm, November 9th, 2008 - 5 comments
Just before the election They Work For You released some impressive work on the voting distances between parties based on:- There are 110 final bill reading votes included in the analysis. All the votes are from the 48th New Zealand Parliament which was in term between 7 November 2005 and 3 October 2008. The plot […]
Congratulations
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, November 9th, 2008 - 77 comments
It’s been a hard fought campaign but it’s clear that we’ve got a firmly right wing government now. Congratulations are in order for John Key and the ACT party. Of course I’m not happy with the outcome and I expect it will bode badly for a lot of New Zealanders but that’s the democratic result […]
Making the decision
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, November 7th, 2008 - 56 comments
Have you still not decided who you’ll vote for? The final poll shows the race between a National/ACT/United Future or a Labour/Green/Progressive/Maori government is neck and neck, so your choice matters. Here is some advice and tools that may help: When choosing who to vote for there are three things you should consider: policy – […]
Greens’ closing broadcast
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, November 6th, 2008 - 4 comments
Via frogblog, the Greens’ closing campaign broadcast. I’d put Labour’s up too, but I can’t find it.
Pigs in muck
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, November 6th, 2008 - 137 comments
Yesterday, John Key was telling journalists that he knew the secret agenda taper, Kees Keizer, was a Labour Party activist. In fact, he knew that wasn’t true, which is why he refused to name him. The Herald has. And what it’s also reveled is a close relationship between Cameron Slater and the National Party research […]
Shock revelation: Taper is Wellington Leftie
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, November 6th, 2008 - 99 comments
The secret taper has revealed himself as Kees Keizer, a leftie from Wellington. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday encouraging Keizer to tell his story, preferably to The Standard or the Herald (more credible), and he steadfastly refused. So imagine my surprise when I see a three page article of him talking to […]
Context
Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, November 6th, 2008 - 10 comments
Yesterday morning on Sunrise, John Key was moaning that there is no context to the latest secret agenda tape, where Bill English praises the war in Iraq and criticises Bill English’s ‘moralistic’ approach to international relations. Key is right, context helps us undestand information better. Luckily, Scoop’s library keeps every media release, so we can […]
Democracy under attack
Written By: - Date published: 1:44 pm, November 5th, 2008 - 67 comments
From Both Eyes Open: National Party candidate Stephen Franks’ campaign team has been systematically tearing down political posters put up by his opponents despite Franks recently describing people defacing his election hoardings as ‘political thugs who don’t like free speech or opinions different from their own’. The group Both Eyes Open which has been distributing posters, […]
Pork barrelling from the Nats
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, November 5th, 2008 - 26 comments
One of the virtues of New Zealand government has long been that we avoid US-style pork barrel politics. The Government sets the direction of policy and priorities but doesn’t interfere with specific projects. The principle is that the experts, not the elected officials, should decide the details of specific projects. For instance, the Government might […]
Look! Over there!
Written By: - Date published: 7:53 pm, November 4th, 2008 - 40 comments
The latest secret tape has come out and it’s a classic example of the face of the National Party that John Key doesn’t want you to see. Pro-war and anti-Obama. National’s response? The classic “dirty tricks” misdirection. This is all about Labour apparently. Not that there’s any proof however. And not that it’s even likely […]
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