political parties

How can NZ incomes be lifted to match housing costs?

Written By: weka - Date published: 10:37 am, December 12th, 2020 - 68 comments

Not a vague let’s raise wages and benefits explanation, but an in-depth, number crunching, evidence-driven explanation. Where is it?

A joy to read

Written By: lprent - Date published: 9:24 am, December 10th, 2020 - 18 comments

There are the odd occasions when you find a political opinion that is a joy to read and quite revealing. An analysis piece by the Bagehot columnist that refers to the Conservatives as the dysmorphic Tory party completes its transition from the natural party of government into a British version of the Taliban…

What now for Judith?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:28 am, December 8th, 2020 - 51 comments

The latest Colmar Brunton poll results have been released just in time to get the summer BBQs firing. And the results would not have pleased Judith Collins.

Tranquillum

Written By: Incognito - Date published: 7:28 pm, December 6th, 2020 - 134 comments

Don’t expect a jellyfish to grow a spine, they just bob along on the current and keep moving, gently, slowly, kindly.

“Beyond Jacinda” – Colin James and Cr Tamatha Paul

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 1:45 pm, December 3rd, 2020 - 20 comments

Colin James and Councillor Tamatha Paul will discuss Colin’s paper “Beyond Jacinda” on Monday 7 December at 5:30pm at Baptist Church, 46-48 Boulcott Street Wellington. It will also be shown on Zoom and available on YouTube. Registration links below. All Welcome.

Parliament’s climate change declaration

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:53 am, December 3rd, 2020 - 28 comments

Parliament has finally declared that the country is in a climate emergency. And it has also told the public service that it has to become carbon neutral within five years.

National’s gonna National

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:25 am, December 2nd, 2020 - 73 comments

On two issues, pill testing at music festivals and tax changes to address the housing crisis, National yesterday indicated that it will do what conservative parties do and oppose any meaningful change.

The Speech From The Throne

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:35 am, November 27th, 2020 - 21 comments

I’m sure one needs a particular depth of political nerdiness to give a flying fig about such things, but since I am one of those, these are my highlights from the speech from the throne to Parliament this week.

Maiden Speech – Ibrahim Omer take a bow

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:11 pm, November 26th, 2020 - 9 comments

Ibrahim Omer, refugee, trade unionist, and living wage advocate gave his maiden speech today in Parliament. If you want to watch an outstanding speech and shed a tear or two watch this.

Comrade David signals radical rewrite of Act’s living wage policy

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:36 am, November 25th, 2020 - 75 comments

Comrade David Seymour has signalled that Act may argue for a minimum wage of $50 per hour.

National announces terms of reference for its election campaign review

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:45 am, November 24th, 2020 - 62 comments

National wants to work out what went wrong during the last election.

Sneak preview of a neoliberal UBI

Written By: weka - Date published: 1:27 pm, November 23rd, 2020 - 21 comments

Giving migrant workers access to insufficient welfare is a financial coercion tool of right wing and centrist economics.

National’s annual conference

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:47 am, November 22nd, 2020 - 64 comments

National has heeded the calls for change and rejuvination by returning Peter Goodfellow as its president.

Time’s up Labour

Written By: weka - Date published: 4:50 pm, November 20th, 2020 - 114 comments

It’s not possible to resolve New Zealand’s housing and poverty crises from within a neoliberal frame. Change is going to have to be driven from outside of parliament.

C’mon Grant

Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:40 am, November 18th, 2020 - 51 comments

This government must demonstrate that it has the ability to lead the New Zealand economy where it has stated it wants it to go. It does not want more headlines like the average house in Auckland now being priced at $1 million.

They Are Not Morons

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:00 am, November 17th, 2020 - 76 comments

Donald Trump will be back for another go at the Presidency in 2024. Progressives should underestimate the possibility of his winning. Unless the remaining centre-left generates strategies that are executed so well that people feel the difference good politics makes, the elements of populism arising again will stay ready like the elements of a bomb.

Capitalism’s end game

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:07 am, November 13th, 2020 - 145 comments

In Aotearoa New Zealand we are facing a new crisis. Not Covid, although the recent case of community spread is deeply concerning. The crisis is the value of houses.

Final election result – Labour ascendant National down and out

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:26 pm, November 6th, 2020 - 56 comments

The Electoral Commission has released the final results of the 2020 election and if election night was a shocker for National the final result is even worse.

In support of Nanaia Mahuta

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:11 am, November 6th, 2020 - 70 comments

Some elements of the right as well as Comrade Chris Trotter have decided to attack Nanaia Mahuta’s appointment as Foreign Affairs minister. In my view they could not be more wrong and I believe she will be an outstanding Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Labour’s cabinet

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:48 pm, November 2nd, 2020 - 78 comments

Some details of the new Cabinet announced today by Jacinda Ardern.

Less buzz and more cooperative governing

Written By: lprent - Date published: 10:45 am, November 1st, 2020 - 49 comments

I liked the process for the Greens and Labour agreement. From Labour’s side after this election it was logically completely unnecessary, except maybe under some weird scenarios. But it is cooperative and that is clearly something that voters reward these days. Politics isn’t about buzz. It is about effective governance.

The Green Party’s decision on government

Written By: weka - Date published: 4:08 pm, October 31st, 2020 - 139 comments

Which way are the Greens going to jump?

Business Develops Practical Plan for New Zealand Climate Response

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:56 am, October 31st, 2020 - 10 comments

The Sustainable Business Council has released a list of priorities for the new government. And they are pretty good.

Its all just manure – mix it in and avoid the river.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:44 am, October 30th, 2020 - 39 comments

There has been a rather patronising meme running in recent weeks that voters who previously voted National did so because they wanted to make sure Labour didn’t want the Greens to be in government. Just complete bullshit. As far as I can see most voters and their MPs vote for our collective future like I do and expect the political mixing to provide good outcomes for us all.

Could the real Labour Party please stand up

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:21 am, October 29th, 2020 - 35 comments

We need to get the Labour government to focus on decreasing inequality and poverty in all its forms and effects. The new government needs to show that Labour has changed the country for good. Otherwise there’s no reason to vote for them in 2023.

The boy from Matamata

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:28 am, October 28th, 2020 - 43 comments

Trump deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell, who is also a Kiwi, has announced his candidacy to be head of the OECD. The Greens have announced their opposition because he has been part of inhumane decisions and also decisions that undermine international institutions. The right back him because he is a kiwi. What should Labour do?

Labour day

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:54 am, October 26th, 2020 - 41 comments

Enjoying your weekend? Thank a unionist!

Large caucuses can be devilishly dangerous as National showed

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 12:19 pm, October 25th, 2020 - 17 comments

A post mortem of the 2017-2020 parliament shows that far from being the “opposition from hell” as they had threatened, National’s caucus was as ineffective as Donald Trump dealing to Covid 19. It is a salutary lesson for the new Labour caucus which has won 64 seats in the new parliament. There may be many backbench MPs who are underemployed.