political parties

From out of the Shadows

Written By: tracey - Date published: 9:58 am, September 28th, 2015 - 20 comments

Goff has attempted to throw a fire-cracker into the notion of the National Party leadership and caucus being one big happy family. Is this the Labour Party’s way of sowing seeds of discontent without tainting the image of their leader? It is NOT Dirty Politics by any normal understanding of that term as captured in the book of the same name. Is this Goff’s role now? To box from the shadows?

Goff: Collins planning her move

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:53 am, September 28th, 2015 - 75 comments

Goff: “Judith’s column this week is the opening shot in her campaign to succeed John Key as National’s leader.”

Nats and reproductive rights

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:58 am, September 28th, 2015 - 210 comments

The Nats are obsessed with the reproductive rights of those they deem “unfit”. Once again they are floating the idea of compulsory controls.

Green Politics

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 5:19 pm, September 25th, 2015 - 205 comments

Think the Green Party have just sold out and will do a deal with National next election? Think again…

The political machinations of the flag debate

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:23 am, September 25th, 2015 - 276 comments

The Green’s agreement with National to allow for Red Peak to be a referendum candidate potentially helps John Key out of a major difficulty and raises issues about the state of the Labour-Green relationship.

Flagging a dead horse

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:31 pm, September 23rd, 2015 - 213 comments

Gareth Morgan pulls no punches on the flag fiasco, and a breaking story on the Greens’ move to add Red Peak.

Paula Bennett’s loopy rules do not actually exist

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:30 am, September 23rd, 2015 - 26 comments

The Government has admitted that at least some of the loopy rules mentioned by Paula Bennett in support of the Loopy Rules review do not actually exist.

Increase productivity. Make builders subject to criminal charges.

Written By: lprent - Date published: 8:51 am, September 23rd, 2015 - 97 comments

Nick Smith is being his usual dickhead self again suggesting that self-certifying electricians, directly subject to criminal prosecution, are the same as self-certifying builders who do not. The Government’s rules reduction taskforce is repeating the same mantras from the 1990s that lead directly to the destruction of productivity by National’s policies to create leaky buildings.

Pandas for everyone

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 1:25 pm, September 22nd, 2015 - 56 comments

John Key is trying to divert attention away from the numerous problems the country is facing by talking about pandas.

Housing Corp’s privatisation by stealth

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:47 am, September 22nd, 2015 - 15 comments

One News has discovered that over the past five years Housing Corporation has divested itself of 2,472 houses at the same time that the need for social housing has escalated.

Fact checking Key on government performance

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, September 21st, 2015 - 22 comments

A year after the last election John Key lists his government’s achievements. It’s a pretty desperate effort.

Twelve long months

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:03 am, September 20th, 2015 - 103 comments

Twelve months on from the last election and that brighter future we were promised has not happened.

The Nation: On Paddy Gower being impatient

Written By: lprent - Date published: 3:36 pm, September 19th, 2015 - 59 comments

The Nation has been putting highlights up on Youtube. The one that caught my attention was Paddy Gower not listening, and redefining his question partway through. Eventually Andrew Little had to force the ever interrupting Paddy Gower to stop and listen to the answer.

Economic doldrums

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:56 am, September 19th, 2015 - 16 comments

Two pieces this week on how National’s mismanagement of the economy has left us in the doldrums.

Herald gets it wrong on flag referendum

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:16 am, September 18th, 2015 - 50 comments

The Herald editorial this morning suggests that Andrew Little is handling the flag referendum poorly but makes some stunningly simple mistakes that undermines its conclusions.

The strip mining of Housing Corp is accelerated

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:16 am, September 17th, 2015 - 33 comments

Not only is Housing Corp planning to pay a $118 million dividend to the Crown this year but hidden away in its accounts is the payment of a further capital contribution of $336 million. Talk about strip mining …

Paid parental leave bill progresses – towards veto

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, September 17th, 2015 - 30 comments

Last night in Parliament Labour MP Sue Moroney’s bill extending paid parental leave to 26 weeks passed its first reading by one vote, with only National and ACT opposed.

This Government’s priorities

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:52 am, September 16th, 2015 - 37 comments

In recent news it has been stated that the Government has let Serco off fines totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars while at the same time it is sneaking through retrospective changes to the law to deny thousands of beneficiaries money they are otherwise entitled to.

The Attack

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:04 am, September 15th, 2015 - 52 comments

And they’re off!

Making Like Private Frazer

Written By: Bill - Date published: 1:20 pm, September 14th, 2015 - 20 comments

Political awakenings.

Young on Little

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:14 am, September 14th, 2015 - 48 comments

While Labour leaders are in the spotlight, a good piece on Andrew Little by Audrey Young in the weekend.

Does the left win by tacking to the centre or by being principled?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:40 am, September 13th, 2015 - 162 comments

Jeremy Corbyn’s election provides a further opportunity to discuss if elections should be won by tacking to the centre or adopting a principled approach to politics.

Key and Abbott are prepared to sacrifice the Pacific

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:07 am, September 12th, 2015 - 98 comments

Climate change induced sea level increases poses a huge threat to most Pacific Islands. They are seeking support for a goal of limiting temperature increases to no more than 1.5 degrees. Australia and New Zealand are insisting on sticking to a goal of no more than 2 degrees even though this will likely mean that many Islands will disappear.

Tim Barnett announces his resignation

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:49 pm, September 11th, 2015 - 7 comments

Labour Party General Secretary Tim Barnett has also announced his resignation today.

Breaking News – Russell Norman resigning from Parliament

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:13 am, September 11th, 2015 - 85 comments

Russell Norman has announced that he is resigning from Parliament to become Executive Director of Greenpeace.

Andrew Little – Our values and interests on the world stage

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:50 pm, September 10th, 2015 - 54 comments

Text of a speech delivered today by Andrew Little to Whanganui Grey Power where he talks about New Zealand’s tradition of standing up for our values and interests on the world stage.

Tony Abbott and the Syrian refugee crisis

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:49 am, September 10th, 2015 - 75 comments

In the UK, in Australia and in New Zealand conservative governments have initially refused to accept more refugees then in a matter of days they have changed their view. At the same time they have announced increased support for refugees they have announced military action against ISIS. Makes you wonder if this is based on Crosby Textor advice.