political parties

Strong and Stable – guess National’s campaign slogan!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:34 am, May 23rd, 2017 - 36 comments

We’ve had the Brighter Future (it sucks). We’ve had The Cusp of Something Special (it wasn’t). What will National’s soundbite slogan be this time?

$14 billion to meet Paris Agreement targets

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, May 23rd, 2017 - 16 comments

Why isn’t National taking active steps to curb our emissions? We committed to reduce to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, instead we are expected to increase. This is a massive failure of vision, commitment, and competence.

Pre budget positioning for a government that says it is “doing all it can”

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:37 pm, May 22nd, 2017 - 10 comments

National does the bare minimum that it thinks it can get away with for those in need. This positioning is just preparing the ground for a budget that does more the same not enough.

The Greens – Budget for All Mothers

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, May 22nd, 2017 - 33 comments

Some great ideas in The Greens “Budget for All Mothers”. Surely no “data driven” “social investment” party could be opposed?

Little replies to property specualtors

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:21 pm, May 19th, 2017 - 60 comments

Good piece by Andrew Little where he addresses the arguments of the property speculators. “It’s common sense. Taxpayers shouldn’t be subsidising speculators and helping them outbid home buyers.”

The possible privatisation of Ports of Auckland

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:59 am, May 19th, 2017 - 134 comments

The Government is attempting through coercion and cajoling to get Auckland Council to privatise Ports of Auckland.

Suicide, Mike King, and mental health services

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:59 am, May 19th, 2017 - 38 comments

On the issues of suicide and mental health, the choice is pretty clear. Bungling and abuse from National, a positive plan for action from Labour.

Armstrong demolishes Nats on housing

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:13 am, May 18th, 2017 - 28 comments

John Armstrong is not impressed: Government’s handling of housing crisis lurches from chaotic to shambolic

The other conference

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:05 am, May 18th, 2017 - 26 comments

Richard Harman on the Politik blog: “Overall, to use a favourite Government saying, it was an ‘untidy’ weekend capped by a flat speech from English which saw delegates ignore placards they’d been given to wave when he finished speaking.” The B-team is missing John Key.

Sledge of the day

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:03 pm, May 17th, 2017 - 12 comments

Compare two housing plans

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:41 am, May 17th, 2017 - 186 comments

It must be election year, because National has admitted that the market has failed, and swallowed the dead rat of state building. A useful graphic summary in The Herald lets you compare National and Labour’s housing plans…

Nat housing announcement – far too little far too late

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:16 pm, May 16th, 2017 - 83 comments

Useful but – mostly re-announcing existing developments, far too little, far too late, and open to property speculators…

National’s long history of intimidation

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:27 am, May 16th, 2017 - 37 comments

It isn’t just third term arrogance. Ngaro is merely the latest example of National’s long history of attacking, intimidating, and trying to silence critical voices and facts. Take a stroll with me down memory lane…

National’s messy Israel position

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:31 am, May 16th, 2017 - 20 comments

National’s shifting position on Israel suggests all is not happy within National’s ranks.

Ngaro’s “apology” and National’s third term arrogance

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 6:13 am, May 16th, 2017 - 23 comments

Lloyd Burr has some more quotes from Ngaro before he was forced to apologise, and Stuff writes on the Nats third term arrogance.

Property speculator panic

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 12:26 pm, May 15th, 2017 - 128 comments

Labour has set the cat among the property speculator pigeons, and they don’t like it at all.

The looming battle over property

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:10 am, May 15th, 2017 - 122 comments

Housing may be the issue that decides this year’s election. And if Labour wins Andrew Little will have a major crisis to deal with, one that he has to solve.

Alfred Ngaro reprimanded for being “naïve”

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:54 am, May 15th, 2017 - 53 comments

Alfred Ngaro has apologised to the Prime Minister for threatening the funding of voluntary organisations critical of the Government, not for expressing the views or even thinking them but for being naïve.

Forty or bust!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:04 am, May 15th, 2017 - 95 comments

It’s the right target, and the right reason, the left really does not want to end up dependent on Winston Peters for a shot at forming a government.

Andrew Little’s speech – the next four and a half months are a fight for a better New Zealand

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:49 pm, May 14th, 2017 - 93 comments

The text of Andrew Little’s speech delivered today to the Labour Party congress.

Labour Congress so far

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:33 am, May 14th, 2017 - 11 comments

Speeches and policies from Congress so far.

National threatens Government critics with loss of Government contracts

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:31 am, May 14th, 2017 - 78 comments

Alfred Ngaro has told a National Conference that critics of the Government can expect to lose Government support for proposed contracts. And that Labour prompted concern about families living in cars.

Labour’s Congress 2017

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:41 pm, May 13th, 2017 - 15 comments

Labour’s Congress in Wellington is underway, with a great speech by Grant Robertson, a farewell to Annette King, and more…

How much information is being withheld from us?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:13 am, May 13th, 2017 - 13 comments

Covering up inconvenient truths is an old pattern for this government. What percentage of their effort goes in to obfuscating and hiding the facts?

Labour’s mental health policy

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:03 am, May 12th, 2017 - 13 comments

Labour’s mental health policy has had a good reception, especially in contrast to National’s systematic under-funding and arrogant response to the issue.