political parties

The class politics of the Covid-19 pandemic response

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:35 am, April 28th, 2020 - 59 comments

National economics spokesperson Paul Goldsmith has advanced a plan to address the Covid 19 pandemic which includes union bashing and privatisation.

Green Party: COVID-19 recovery and investment in people and nature

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:10 am, April 27th, 2020 - 16 comments

Most of the funding will go directly to employing people – the tools needed for wetland restoration such as spades and seedlings are far cheaper than big excavators and asphalt.

Guest post – Bridges is done, who can save National?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 7:58 am, April 24th, 2020 - 115 comments

Guest post from former Labour Staffer Clint Smith on the similarities between National’s current predicament and what happened to Labour in 2011 and 2014.

“The government will never do that”

Written By: weka - Date published: 11:28 am, April 23rd, 2020 - 56 comments

Say it out loud: Degrowth.

Who will be National’s leader?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 22nd, 2020 - 65 comments

Will Simon survive? Or will Paula and Mark team up against him? Or will Judith somehow manage to persuade the caucus that she is the only chance they have of retaining their seats?

Stay tuned …

Winston’s Worries

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 2:14 pm, April 21st, 2020 - 30 comments

The Deputy PM has had a bad start to the week. His privacy court case has failed and now the SFO have said the outcome of their investigation into NZ First funding will be out before the election. Has Winston Peters finally run out of puff?

BBQ time for National

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:57 am, April 21st, 2020 - 88 comments

If the current dip in National’s polling continues then a number of their electorate MPs face the loss of their seats and an increasing battle for a shrinking number of list seat positions.

When Bridges’ social media goes wrong

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:09 am, April 21st, 2020 - 77 comments

Simon Bridges’s Facebook post criticising the extension of lockdown level 4 has been met with overwhelming opposition, including from people who are clearly National Party supporters.

New electorate boundaries

Written By: lprent - Date published: 9:05 am, April 20th, 2020 - 37 comments

I missed it, but we got the new electorate boundaries on Friday. Now electorate boundaries simply don’t matter as much as they used to because of MMP. These days mostly the only people who notice them are electorate MPs, political parties that are too close to the 5% list party boundary, and of course sock-puppet parties like Act and their National party hand. Plus of course political blog sites.

Covid-19 decision day

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:42 am, April 20th, 2020 - 172 comments

Decision day for the Covid-19 lockdown and my personal view is that although the country has done well it is not quite in a position to ease the lockdown.

Greens push for large intercity rail infrastructure to ensure sustainable post-COVID-19 rebuild

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:26 am, April 19th, 2020 - 122 comments

“The Greens are highlighting fast intercity rail improvements as the type of climate-friendly, job-creating project that should be prioritised for post-COVID-19 economic stimulus investment.”

The plan for Monday

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:43 am, April 18th, 2020 - 30 comments

Even if New Zealand gets out of the immediate Covid-19 infection better than most other countries, the result is still a wrecked world and a slow recovery. What we face is something like an Australian firefighter with a hose and a tanker facing an onrushing wall of flame: they successfully dampen down a defined circle […]

The Green Party list

Written By: weka - Date published: 7:10 am, April 17th, 2020 - 73 comments

The Green’s initial party list has three new candidates in the top ten.

Matthew’s Magic Numbers

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 7:15 pm, April 15th, 2020 - 43 comments

Matthew Hooton has tweeted a series of numbers. They add up to good news for the Government.

UPDATE: Curia Polling reckons it’s even better for Labour!

Better footpaths and cycleways are a socialist inspired plot?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:06 am, April 14th, 2020 - 65 comments

National MP Simon O’Connor thinks that making under used streets safer for walkers and cyclers is a Socialist inspired plan for world domination.

National’s Petition is Cynical Populism

Written By: Incognito - Date published: 12:45 pm, April 9th, 2020 - 124 comments

National is trying to ~~steal~~ show political leadership and relevance by launching a petition.

Addendum added

National seeks delay to election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:38 am, April 9th, 2020 - 120 comments

Hot on the news that National’s polling has plunged to 35% Paula Bennett has publicly suggested that the election should be delayed. I wonder if they are related?

The end of partisan politics?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:58 am, April 8th, 2020 - 71 comments

Throughout the world there is an increasing consensus emerging that the free market approach is failing and principled intelligent leadership from governments provide the optimum result.

Beyond mere rescue

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:49 am, April 6th, 2020 - 78 comments

It’s time to plan the re-launch the very idea of New Zealand.

Holding the Government to Account or Concern Trolling?

Written By: Incognito - Date published: 8:00 am, March 31st, 2020 - 35 comments

When Opposition Spokespersons behave like concern trolls, we have a problem.

Political campaigning in a Covid-19 world

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:52 am, March 23rd, 2020 - 15 comments

How will the Covid-19 pandemic affect the 2020 election campaign, and are we looking at a postponement?

Burning Bridges

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 9:05 pm, March 18th, 2020 - 23 comments

One of Simon Bridges’ caucus supporters has raised the possibility of a leadership coup. Let’s hope not, people!

Relentless negativity

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:22 am, March 18th, 2020 - 57 comments

Simon Bridges has been criticised for his relentless negativity towards the Government’s urgent Covid-19 budget response and for playing politics as usual at a time when unity is required.

The right become socialists as Covid-19 bites

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:52 am, March 17th, 2020 - 38 comments

The right, elements of which have thought the best thing to do to the state is weaken it that badly that they could then drown it in a bathtub, are rethinking and now realise that a well resourced, active and engaged State is actually a life saver.

Jacinda Arden’s request of New Zealanders

Written By: weka - Date published: 10:51 am, March 16th, 2020 - 49 comments

An update from Labour on covid prevention.

Red tape bonfire of the vanities

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:19 pm, March 9th, 2020 - 19 comments

National has promised a bonfire of regulations. Just like conservatives in Australia, the United Kingdom, America and previous National administrations.

The politics of gun control

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:47 am, March 9th, 2020 - 180 comments

National and NZ First are frustrating the passage of the Arms Legislation Bill by raising issues that may appeal to extremists but will not make the country a safer place after the Christchurch massacre.

What the Government has done for beneficiaries

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:22 am, March 7th, 2020 - 43 comments

In Parliament this week Carmel Sepuloni outlined action being taken by the Government to implement the recommendations of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group designed to improve the plight of beneficiaries.

The politics of hand washing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:35 pm, March 6th, 2020 - 25 comments

Simon Bridges thinks that getting people to wash their hands and removing unemployment stand down periods is tinkering but that National’s still unreleased economic policy will solve the crisis.

RIP Jeanette Fitzsimons

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:04 am, March 6th, 2020 - 33 comments

Former Greens co leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has died.

Bridges thinks the solution to Covid 19 is tax cuts

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:14 am, March 5th, 2020 - 64 comments

Simon Bridges thinks that tax cuts are the best way to address financial stress caused by businesses by the Covid 19 epidemic. Even though businesses under financial stress will be paying little if any tax and a tax cut would have little if any effect.