political parties

POTUS, Covid and the New Zealand election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:01 am, October 3rd, 2020 - 122 comments

News that Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid will have a significant effect on the US election as well as our local election. It raises the issue who will you trust to lead the country against this most agile yet deadly virus?

Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand Health

Written By: advantage - Date published: 11:59 am, September 30th, 2020 - 15 comments

Jacinda Ardern is a contender for winning a Nobel Peace Prize. If she were to get it for anything, it will be for her leadership response to the national health crisis response to COVID19.

NZ First and the SFO

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:57 am, September 30th, 2020 - 38 comments

Some random musings on the news yesterday that persons associated with NZ First had been charged by the Serious Fraud Office.

No Right Turn: The transport policy we need

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:05 am, September 30th, 2020 - 40 comments

All of these policies will get fossil cars off the roads, reducing emissions.

SFO exonerates NZ First

Written By: lprent - Date published: 5:51 pm, September 29th, 2020 - 56 comments

The SFO has put out a press release a few days before overseas voting starts. They have not laid charges against NZ First or anyone in it. They have laid charges against two other people. What I find appalling is that they waited so close to the election before making it clear that whatever NZF did was lawful. To me that smacks of political malfeasance. And the complainants probably should be brought up on charges themselves for wasting police and SFO time.

Judith Collins, Nicky Hager and Dirty Politics

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:16 pm, September 29th, 2020 - 55 comments

Judith Collins has said about Dirty Politics author Nicky Hager that he “still needs to meet his maker.” What did she mean by this? And why does she harbour such dark thoughts about Hager?

What forming a Labour/Green government might look like

Written By: weka - Date published: 11:23 am, September 29th, 2020 - 44 comments

Shaw said that what he is hearing from people is they want Labour to have to talk to someone while in govt and not be able to make decisions by itself.

The question then becomes, how much does the left want Labour to be encouraged greenward and leftward?

Mood of the Boardroom: National is toast

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:07 am, September 28th, 2020 - 45 comments

The NZ Herald Mood of the Boardroom finance election debate should be for National what it is like attending a Living Wage campaign meeting for Labour. They should be at home and the participants should be solidly behind them. But not this year.

Snow storm shout out to the undeserving poor

Written By: weka - Date published: 10:40 am, September 28th, 2020 - 84 comments

Why does Labour still not have a plan for unwell and disabled people living in poverty?

What Have Labour Done For The Poor, Exactly?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:45 am, September 28th, 2020 - 30 comments

There’s been plenty of criticism about Labour’s policies not being effective enough to alleviate poverty. Time for a bit of perspective.

Latest Newshub/Reid Research poll – Labour cruising, National floundering

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:28 pm, September 27th, 2020 - 137 comments

Labour can still rule alone and the Greens are looking safer.

National’s alternative budget doesn’t add up

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:36 am, September 26th, 2020 - 23 comments

If ever you needed a symbol of National’s current plight it is the handling of the release of its alternative budget. It has been a complete and utter shambles. A clusterf&*k of epic proportions. Because if there is one part of National’s reputation that needs to be defended at all costs it is the perception that they are competent financial managers and making multiple billion dollar mistakes in your alternative budget at election time is the one thing over all else that will hurt that part of your reputation.

So much for the climate change consensus

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:50 am, September 25th, 2020 - 39 comments

Ten months ago National supported the Zero Carbon Bill and called for a consensus between the major political parties on the overall framework through which climate change issues are addressed. This week National trashed all of that to try and shore up its sagging support.

Vote Labour To Support Your Job

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, September 24th, 2020 - 100 comments

This is a backpocket election – and that’s where most of Labour’s effort is going as it rightly should.

National’s many and varied Covid border policies

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:31 am, September 24th, 2020 - 12 comments

On Tuesday National announced the fifth variation of its Covid border policy this year.

The Greens on urban farming

Written By: weka - Date published: 6:05 am, September 24th, 2020 - 25 comments

This is exactly the kind of approach the Green Party would like to encourage – it’s strategic, it’s intergenerational and it recognises the interconnectedness of our people, the environment and local communities.

Colmar Brunton poll: Labour still way ahead

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:04 pm, September 22nd, 2020 - 90 comments

Judith will not enjoy this poll result.

How low can National go?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:44 am, September 22nd, 2020 - 43 comments

With news of a second mistake in National’s draft budget its campaign is in trouble and support for other right wing parties appears to be surging. Update: Stuff is reporting a further $3.9 billion dollar mistake …

Paora Goldsmith is National’s $4 billion dollar man

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:17 pm, September 20th, 2020 - 116 comments

Paul Goldsmith has blighted National’s campaign launch by making a $4 billion dollar mistake in National’s budget costings.

The Auckland Central Poll

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:08 am, September 20th, 2020 - 33 comments

A Reid Research poll has suggested that Helen White is well ahead of Emma Mellow and Chloe Swarbrick and that Labour’s support is still sky high.

Why Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death Matters Here

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:28 am, September 20th, 2020 - 27 comments

RBG’s death was an important event for women here because it happened on the anniversary of Women’s Suffrage Day 126 years ago. On this day in New Zealand we celebrate women being able to vote, the women who won further victories of political liberation, and many got together to recount our female heroes enabled by that right and all those rights that followed.

Reti’s running

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:50 am, September 18th, 2020 - 62 comments

Yesterday Shane Reti ignited leadership rumours after he was asked if he wanted to be National leader and did not pledge support for existing leader Judith Collins.

Greens: expanding living wage beyond public service with Fair Pay Agreements

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:53 am, September 17th, 2020 - 16 comments

The Green Party welcome Labour’s commitment to extend the living wage to Government contractors, but will push for Fair Pay Agreements across industries in the next Government so more New Zealanders can earn a dignified income.

Grant Robertson’s crisis leadership

Written By: advantage - Date published: 4:45 pm, September 16th, 2020 - 22 comments

Much has rightly been made of the leadership quality of Prime Minister Ardern this year. But the PREFU results announced today shows that Minister of FInance Grant Robertson is by a long way the most effective Minister of Finance we have had since Dr Michael Cullen.

The PREFU is much better than National wanted

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:33 pm, September 16th, 2020 - 51 comments

The Prefu is out! And it is not as scary as National would have wanted.

Taxpayer’s Union is wasting taxpayers’ money

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:24 am, September 15th, 2020 - 35 comments

The Taxpayer’s Union, which claims to be opposed to Government waste, is wasting taxpayer’s resources by lodging a spurious complaint with the Broadcasting Standards Authority against Labour’s free apprenticeship policy.

Greenpeace on the Green Party’s Farm for the Future policy

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:21 am, September 15th, 2020 - 58 comments

“Wildfires are burning across the world and our rivers and lakes have been pushed to the brink. This is no time for half measures. Phasing out the use of PKE is exactly the kind of bold and transformational policy that is needed to deal with the climate and freshwater crises.”

National’s Upper Harbour problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:31 am, September 14th, 2020 - 41 comments

This has been quite a year for National. It is onto its third leader, has lost a slew of experienced MPs, and has had other MPs resign in curious circumstances. And now it appears that it has a crisis involving its Upper Harbour candidate, Jake Bezzant.

Labour’s social welfare policy

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:20 pm, September 13th, 2020 - 62 comments

Labour has announced that if elected they will significantly increase abatement levels for beneficiaries and reinstitute the Training Incentive Allowance Scheme, the policy that Paula Bennett famously had the benefit of but then cancelled once she was Minister.

The Greens sticking to their guns (and their values)

Written By: weka - Date published: 10:57 am, September 11th, 2020 - 157 comments

The Greens just boldly stepped up their election campaign.

National’s infrastructure bank

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:24 am, September 11th, 2020 - 21 comments

National’s proposed Infrastructure Bank is an accounting trick, with very high risks that the entire power of our political order for anyone affected by these monster projects will weaken citizens’ rights.