political parties

Workers stand up for their rights, Nats still evasive

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 4:04 pm, August 1st, 2008 - 48 comments

The EPMU launched its ‘Work Rights Wage Drive’ today with a rally in Christchurch. Despite the rain, over 1500 Kiwi workers turned out to stand up for their work rights and wages. This is just the first of 25 rallies the EPMU will be undertaking this month, in what will easily be the biggest series […]

Old boys’ club

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:13 pm, August 1st, 2008 - 46 comments

John Key: “We don’t have enough women in our caucus, so we’ve had to start cross-dressing” (Press, June 9, 2007) He’s not wrong there:

Lucky Aussies, they kept their work rights

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 2:12 pm, July 31st, 2008 - 62 comments

Some of our friends on the Right have been putting themselves through strange mental contortions over the recent series of posts we’ve had on the impact of National and the Left on wages. To recap: we’ve shown that National let the minimum wage stagnate while inflation ate its buying power, the Labour-led Governments have increased it, […]

Sickening

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:08 pm, July 31st, 2008 - 118 comments

Speaking in Rotorua earlier this week, John Key offered the following reason why you should vote for him to be Prime Minister: “The only time we’ve won the rugby World Cup we had a male Prime Minister.” You make my stomach turn, Mr Key. You’re just another sexist old bigot.

Winston and the wanker

Written By: John A - Date published: 10:26 am, July 31st, 2008 - 49 comments

Today’s front-page story in the DominionPost on New Zealand First is a complete beat-up. It starts off: More questions have been raised about donations to NZ First over a $20,000 deposit to the party’s bank account that does not appear on its register of declared donations. Really? The story goes on: The Dominion Post has […]

Flip-flops, it’s a matter of trust

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 6:12 am, July 31st, 2008 - 56 comments

I believe there are three core criteria on which a politician or party needs to be judged: (in no particular order) – policy, competency, trustworthiness – Do they have a good plan, are they capable of implementing such a plan, can we trust them to carry out the plan if we vote for them. National’s […]

EPMU cleared to campaign

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 10:21 am, July 30th, 2008 - 39 comments

The Electoral Commission has decided the EPMU can register as a third party under the Electoral Finance Act despite the National Party spending big bucks to try to stop them in the courts. Given the EPMU is a democratic organisation representing 50,000 Kiwi workers and the other unions (dairy workers, meat workers, maritime workers and […]

Electoral Finance Act victory for free speech

Written By: John A - Date published: 10:18 am, July 30th, 2008 - 8 comments

The Electoral Commission has ruled that several unions affiliated to the Labour Party are able to register as third parties under the Electoral Finance Act. Their registration was objected to initally by David Farrar, the National Party frontperson who is the principal behind the registered third party known, ironically, as the Free Speech Coalition. The […]

Larger slice of the cake for workers under Labour

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 6:46 am, July 30th, 2008 - 46 comments

The essential debate in New Zealand politics (and all capitalist economies) is between Right and Left over how big a share of the economy’s production should go to the workers who produce it (ie wages, salaries) and how much should go to the capitalists who invested in the means of production (ie dividends, interest). The […]

CTU critiques National’s employment policy

Written By: Tane - Date published: 2:48 pm, July 29th, 2008 - 9 comments

Last week the Council of Trade Unions issued a devastating point-by-point critique of National’s ACC policy. Now they’ve followed up with an excellent and surprisingly balanced critique of National’s employment policy. When you compare the amount of detail the CTU has put into its critique with National’s policy bullet-points that barely even fill a page […]

Searching for the right answer

Written By: all_your_base - Date published: 1:31 pm, July 29th, 2008 - 9 comments

Hint: it ain’t chocolate.

Why Labour thinks it can win again

Written By: all_your_base - Date published: 1:30 pm, July 29th, 2008 - 54 comments

Here’s a well-reasoned article by Therese Arseneau in which she canvasses the reasons behind Labour thinking it can still win. She puts it down to: MMP, their ‘core vote’, voter mobilisation, National’s policies, Helen Clark herself and a bit of a mix of good management and good luck. Definitely worth a read.

The conservative brotherhood

Written By: all_your_base - Date published: 11:38 am, July 29th, 2008 - 12 comments

Eddie’s already posted on the scripts the Tories in the UK used when it came to explaining (away) their associations with dodgy political consultants Crosby Textor. It was the same broken record used here by National in recent weeks. The anti-Blair “demon-eyes” ad below ran in 1997. The ad on the right ran here last […]

Fact: The Left has risen wages during its time in power

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 10:51 am, July 29th, 2008 - 27 comments

Inevitably, reaction from some to the post showing incomes fell 6.1% under National between 1990 and 1997 has not been horror at the fact the incomes of Kiwis went down but ‘so, I bet the Labour-led Governments haven’t done better’. Bet again. The median income in 2007 was 32% higher than the median income was […]

Fact: Nats cut wages last time they were in power

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 6:12 am, July 29th, 2008 - 34 comments

For anyone who still doesn’t want to believe that National cut incomes for most Kiwis last time they were in power (and would do so again). Here’s something I came across in an incomes report from 1998: The median income earner was 6% poorer in after-inflation after 7 years of National government. That didn’t happen by […]

Will the real National policy please stand up?

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 3:25 pm, July 28th, 2008 - 18 comments

A reader noticed a difference between National’s workplace policy as quoted by us and as quoted elsewhere. We and some others have: “Continue to allow union access to workplaces with the employer’s consent.” taken from the PDF of the workplace policy. While others have: “Continue to allow union access to workplaces with an employer’s consent, […]

Reaction roundup: Nats’ work rights policy

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 11:14 am, July 25th, 2008 - 39 comments

Democratic, voluntary organisations of workers: Finsec: “Within the current framework, many workers have been able to achieve real wage increases like the 5% increase from Westpac our members have been offered this week…These pay rises have come as a result of staff being able to bargain collectively through their own independent union. National’s policies undermining […]

Pride in your work

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 10:05 am, July 25th, 2008 - 22 comments

Some of our rightwing commentators are rejecting the argument that National’s ‘workplace policy’ strips workers of their rights. Problem is, every workers’ rights organisation thinks that it does and John Key does too. Think about it, if you think people will welcome your policy do you slip it out with as little fanfare as possible? […]

Between the lines: Nats’ work rights policy

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:52 pm, July 24th, 2008 - 87 comments

You know you’re in for a treat when a political party’s â€˜policy’ (I still refuse to consider half a dozen bullet points a policy) concerning the rights of New Zealanders at work the place most of us spend a good part of our days nearly avoids any mention of the word â€˜rights’. On its surface, […]

Open up the trusts

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 8:50 am, July 24th, 2008 - 55 comments

Bob Jones confirmed on Morning Report that he gave $25,000 in 2005 to New Zealand First. The money was to be funnelled to NZF through the Spencer Trust but, according to the party’s declaration of donations the money was not passed on (parties’ declarations of donations are supposed to include any donations from a legal […]

Previewing National’s employment policy

Written By: Tane - Date published: 2:33 pm, July 23rd, 2008 - 33 comments

Word around the traps is that National is going to be releasing its industrial relations policy this afternoon. My prediction is the policy will be sold as relatively moderate, but in reality will differ only slightly from their rather extreme 2005 plan. We can be sure that every single change will have the effect of […]

Between the lines: Nats’ outdoor rec policy

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:10 pm, July 23rd, 2008 - 28 comments

The ‘policies’ National is releasing are nothing more than bullet points but we know from a number of slips that these vague one-pagers only scrape the surface. When they’re talking to friendly audiences without the media around, National’s MPs tend to be more forthcoming and rightwing when discussing policy. Clues can also be found in […]

The Peters saga, a summary

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 7:56 am, July 23rd, 2008 - 35 comments

1 – In 2005, Owen Glenn paid $100,000 towards a legal defence fund for a case in Peters’ name. 2 – Peters was not told that Glenn had been a donor to that fund until last week according to both Peters and the lawyer Brian Henry. There is no evidence to the contrary. Neither Clark […]

Personality cult

Written By: Tane - Date published: 3:18 pm, July 22nd, 2008 - 41 comments

Some of our friends on the National Party end of the blogosphere have developed a rather odd habit over the years of referring to Helen Clark as ‘Dear Leader’. Well fellas, I hate to break it to you, but if it’s a personality cult you’re after then look no further than the National Party’s new website. […]

The War on P

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:53 pm, July 22nd, 2008 - 9 comments

National Party strategist and Dominion Post columnist Richard Long declared war on “P” today. The “P’” word that is. Privatisation. Labour and the unions have attacked the proposed ACC changes by using the scare word “privatisation”, whereas the policy is actually aimed at providing choice in an area which is at present a monopoly.’ Actually […]

Chasing Peters, it’s easier than examining policy

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 10:22 am, July 22nd, 2008 - 97 comments

For my part, I don’t see the big deal in all this Peters donation stuff. Transparency in election funding is important (and it’s something that National and ACT have constantly opposed) but there is no evidence of Peters has been purposely secretive. A legal defence fund set up for a court case involving Peters received […]

Will you vote for higher levies?

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 4:17 pm, July 21st, 2008 - 20 comments

If National wins the election, it will privatise the Work Account of ACC (and maybe other ‘profitable’ accounts). We know that this may have negative effects on coverage for workers but the problems go further taking out the Work Account may compromise the whole ACC system. Every year, ACC needs to run a surplus so […]

Taxing choices

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 12:40 pm, July 21st, 2008 - 85 comments

There are four options open to National regarding the tax expectations it will deliver large tax cuts ($20+ per person a week = $3 billion+ a year) additional to Labour’s. a) fail to meet those expectations by offering small cuts. Who would vote for a one-trick pony that won’t do its trick? b) cut taxes […]

Would Nats introduce work-for-the-dole?

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 6:24 am, July 21st, 2008 - 291 comments

Judith Collins, who has made it her mission in life to attack benefits at every turn, has been meeting with Mission Australia, the largest private â€˜work-for-the-dole’ scheme provider in Australia. This is a clear indication that, in contrast to the moderate, modern approach Key says he espouses, National will be returning to the failed policy […]

Culture of secrecy

Written By: Tane - Date published: 6:31 pm, July 18th, 2008 - 59 comments

It’s 4.45 on a Friday afternoon and National has just released its Outdoor Recreation policy. It’s another one page wonder, only this time they haven’t even managed to fill the page. But that’s not what interests me. What interests me is the manner in which National has chosen to release it. See, if you’re trying […]

Nats unable to justify ACC policy

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:40 pm, July 18th, 2008 - 46 comments

Unlike some of our counterparts, the Standardistas aren’t into vanity posts. So, in this clip from TVNZ7’s Back Benches on Wednesday, ignore who’s asking the question and watch National’s Chris Tremain try to justify his party’s ACC policy. Reaches for his cliches but they don’t fit the question so he resorts to attacking the question. […]