grant robertson

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Labour Leadership Campaign – days six and seven

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, September 5th, 2013 - 32 comments

Cunliffe day 3 leaders campaign-8Day six of the Labour leadership marathon and the parties are off to Hamilton.  David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson have released campaign videos and a virtual meeting is being scheduled.  And a day off tomorrow which I am sure the parties will be pleased about.

Labour leadership campaign – day five

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, September 4th, 2013 - 27 comments

Shane Jones LabourDay five of the leadership campaign and the contenders meet tonight in Tauranga.

21st Century Leadership Election

Written By: - Date published: 1:43 pm, September 3rd, 2013 - 12 comments

As part of the Labour Leadership Election there is to be a ‘virtual hustings’ – an online forum for Q&A organised by Labour.  Scoop have agreed to facilitate, and are now harvesting the questions.

Labour leadership campaign – day four

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, September 3rd, 2013 - 72 comments

cunliffe labour leader campaignDay four of the Labour Leadership campaign and the parties are heading to the Hawkes Bay.  The meetings so far have been positive, happy affairs and the candidates have been on their best behaviour.  May this unity continue.

Enough for us all, but they want it all for themselves

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, September 2nd, 2013 - 180 comments

The howls of outrage from the Right elite were predictable. Robertson and Cunliffe promising a living wage for all government workers, are they crazy? Decent pay for cleaners? That’s not what their granddaddies fought for. It was predictable but it still makes you angry. These are the same people who cheered when the elite got billions in tax cuts. These are the people we have to throw out of power.

‘Mind the Gap” – the way forward

Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, August 30th, 2013 - 77 comments

TV3’s Mind the Gap documentary (Bryan Bruce) is very important because it put before the general population the damaging impact of income inequality in a clear and and straightforward manner.  The solutions?  Ideas from academics, journalists, campaigners & opposition politicians/parties.

Smell the fear

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, August 27th, 2013 - 236 comments

John Key claims he doesn’t care who becomes the next parliamentary Labour leader, while trying to drive a wedge between candidates. As Cunliffe gains momentum, Key turns negative on Cunliffe & throws some stones in his glass house. Gordon Campbell puts things in perspective.

Why singing in harmony pays in STV

Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, August 26th, 2013 - 32 comments

There is a reason for candidates in  single transferable vote elections to sing in harmony. It has to do with the effect of second preference votes.

This probably explains the remarkable singing in harmony of Grant Robertson and Shane Jones this morning.

Besides it provides a nice simple story for the rising jonolists in the media.

Robertson throws his hat in the ring

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 pm, August 25th, 2013 - 152 comments

For me, Grant Robertson’s move late on Sunday afternoon to declare that he will run for the Labour leadership shows that he has chops as an operator. Likewise, the swiftness with which he moved to hold a press conference after Shearer quit. But is being a good operator enough? Or does Labour need a leader that can communicate a real Labour vision?

Grant Robertson announces his candidacy

Written By: - Date published: 6:45 pm, August 25th, 2013 - 126 comments

Grant RobertsonGrant Robertson is the first Labour MP to announce that he is seeking the leadership of the Labour Party.

Why I electorate vote Cunliffe: op ed

Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, August 23rd, 2013 - 138 comments

I wasn’t going to express my opinion on the upcoming Labour leadership selection process. However, the usual right leaning MSM hacks seem to have been following the current Labour caucus leadership in naming Robertson as the frontrunner. This is my op ed testimony for my frontrunner, the MP for my electorate: Cunliffe.

Bad law making – GCSB Bill

Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, August 21st, 2013 - 29 comments

Grant Robertson & David Cunliffe explain how the GCSB Bill is bad law (especially section 8 & related sections). It doesn’t provide adequate oversight or safeguards against the wholesale spying on New Zealanders. A clarifying statement from the PM is not good law. Andrea Vance demystifies the Bill.

The web of deceit

Written By: - Date published: 7:21 am, August 1st, 2013 - 23 comments

web-of-deceit-speech

The National government’s divided society

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, June 2nd, 2013 - 14 comments

A Fairfax poll shows an NZ divided by income inequalities & political allegiances. Little unemployment for National voters & more for opposition voters: a precariat with a high proportion of Maori & Pacific people. The right time for Russel Norman’s speech and blockupy?

John Key’s disaster capitalism

Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, May 9th, 2013 - 31 comments

The latest Household Labour Force Employment statistics are out, and on the surface, look good for John and Bill.  But this is driven by improved employment in Canterbury over the last quarter.  Grant Robertson says, “Disaster recovery is not a plan for jobs”.

The Key-Fletcher trail

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, April 11th, 2013 - 77 comments

The PM, Fletcher, the GCSB – questions need answering: why, when, where, who? It’s all about intellectual property, global commerce and international networks. From London to Aus 2009, to NZ 2010, then down the rabbit hole to Dotcom, Hobbits & uncertain links with complex global money mazes.

National’s 12 days of Christmas

Written By: - Date published: 4:16 pm, December 13th, 2012 - 43 comments

Grant Robertson in the Christmas adjournment speeches yesterday gave a great list of National’s terrible 2012 gifts to Aotearoa. For the twelfth day of Christmas National’s gift to Kiwi folk, twelve Hekia stuff-ups, eleven diplomats a leaking, ten cronies conspiring, nine paper boys crying, eight leaks of personal details, 7.3% unemployment, six ACC casualties, five […]

Winners and losers

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, November 21st, 2012 - 156 comments

So, who won and who lost?

Who could replace Shearer?

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, November 11th, 2012 - 90 comments

Some people are Anyone But Cunliffe.  Some people think Cunliffe is the One True Leader.  Some people want more options.  So let’s make a case for it.

Supernumerary

Written By: - Date published: 3:50 pm, October 22nd, 2012 - 100 comments

I’ve been thinking about what you might call a ‘good problem’ for the Left.. but it leads me to a ‘problem problem’. OK, so let’s say we win the next election – as the Left must do and should do given how unpopular the Nats’ policies are and, for the last year, how inept their political management has been. How do you share the economic portfolios out?

Fight the ‘War on the Poor’: Opposing Bennett’s welfare reforms.

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, September 21st, 2012 - 52 comments

Grant Robertson, in the House yesterday speaking on Paula Bennett’s “Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill” – First Reading, gave an impassioned speech. He said many some great points about social obligations and a mutually beneficial social contract (between the state and beneficiaries. However, will the Labour Party’s policies match up to the rhetoric?

Cone of Silence?

Written By: - Date published: 1:09 pm, September 3rd, 2012 - 101 comments

A couple of weeks back I wrote a post offering Shearer, Robertson or Pagani an opportunity to justify their (more or less) blanket attack on beneficiaries. At the time, I didn’t realise Pagani had been banned from ‘the standard’ for (from memory) being an idiot . So, okay – he’s not able to respond via […]

To the Back Teeth. And Beyond

Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, August 17th, 2012 - 141 comments

Pagani wrote it. Robertson cleared it. And Shearer uttered it. To summarise; those living by sickness entitlements are probably dodgy b’stards. Nice. Before I go on, I should be clear that this post isn’t some insightful fiction. This is the reality of getting by with a sickness benefit.

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