politicans

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Why UK Labour lost? Part 9: What the party needs to do now.

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 10:37 am, January 17th, 2020 - 12 comments

The broader context of this defeat is that over the last century, UK Labour has won 8 out of the last 28 general elections. Overall the Labour Party is not a successful electoral force in the UK. What makes the 2019 loss harder, is that the party lost sections of its historical base in the North of England and the Midlands.

Why UK Labour lost? Part 8: What it takes to win

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 7:18 am, January 16th, 2020 - 6 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

The UK Labour Party in the 2019 election assumed that like in 2017, the release of their policy manifesto would see their support increase significantly. Assuming that 2019 would be a re-run of 2017 was a foolish mistake.

Why UK Labour lost? Part 7: Momentum and the Corbynistas

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 10:23 pm, January 15th, 2020 - 10 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

Momentum and its supporters need to find a way of selling genuine social democratic politics to a conservative English public.

Why UK Labour lost? Part 6: New Labour & Blairism

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 10:39 am, January 15th, 2020 - 10 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

Fact is that the world has moved on from the 1980s and 90s. Politics certainly has. The types of 3rd way or centre/centre right positions that Blair and Campbell think will win just won’t anymore.

Housing consents at highest level since 1974

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:03 am, January 15th, 2020 - 20 comments

Statistics New Zealand has confirmed that in the last year the number of new housing consents was the highest since 1974.

National politicises police by claiming Government is politicising police

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:41 am, January 14th, 2020 - 19 comments

Simon Bridges has alleged the police of being politicised after a person who holds rather right wing views and libertarian views on gun ownership had a search warrant for illegal firearms executed on his property.

Why UK Labour lost? Part 5: Antisemitism

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 6:29 am, January 14th, 2020 - 13 comments

Originally posted onNick Kelly’s blog

Why UK Labour lost? Part 4: Ooooh Jeremy Corbyn

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 3:13 am, January 14th, 2020 - 12 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

Why UK Labour lost? Part 3: Its Brexit innit

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 6:14 am, January 13th, 2020 - 28 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

Why UK Labour lost? Part 1: historical context

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 10:34 am, January 12th, 2020 - 2 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

Iran attacks US bases in Iraq

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:11 pm, January 8th, 2020 - 174 comments

There are reports of two US bases being hit by missiles launched from within Iran and it is being reported that Iran’s air force is in the air.

Qasem Soleimani murdered by the United States.

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 2:04 am, January 8th, 2020 - 11 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

LBJ Redux

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:07 am, January 7th, 2020 - 36 comments

What if the American assassination of General Soleimani results in the complete withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East?

Get out now

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 2:21 pm, January 6th, 2020 - 76 comments

General Soleimani was visiting Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss mediation between the US and Iran. Following his assassination by the US the Iraqi Parliament has voted to ask all foreign troops to leave the country. New Zealand’s remaining troops should bring forward their scheduled departure and leave immediately.

That 1914 Feeling

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:28 pm, January 3rd, 2020 - 104 comments

President Trump personally ordered the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite military Quds force. He was killed by rockets fired from US drones over Baghdad Airport. This is unlawful by any standards, as well as an act of war. Iran has promised retaliation.The doomsday clock just moved closer to midnight.

New book reveals Le Carré’s bleak view of post-Brexit world

Written By: Simon Louisson - Date published: 9:39 am, January 3rd, 2020 - 5 comments

John le Carré’s 26^th book, Agent Running in the Field, which, according to the publishers is his take on Brexit, and suggests a dystopian future for European liberal democracies in a post-Brexit world. It follows John le Carré’s overarching theme – with friends like these, who needs enemies?

Goodbye 2019

Written By: advantage - Date published: 3:04 pm, January 1st, 2020 - 8 comments

Throughout the world 2019 was the worst year for the left since 1979. What will 2020 bring?

The power of positive campaigning

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:42 pm, December 31st, 2019 - 123 comments

With the 2020 election just round the corner and recent complaints about the left’s treatment of the #TurnArdern campaign it is a perfect time to think about the importance of language and positive uplifting campaign themes.

Bridges and the Robertson trial

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:53 am, December 30th, 2019 - 22 comments

National has released a video of Simon Bridges talking about the trial he conducted against Tony Robertson and suggesting he is in politics to change the law. But the particular law he appears to be targeting was unchanged during the term of the last National Government.

Why the Tories won the UK election?

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 2:29 am, December 30th, 2019 - 9 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog

What if Trump wins again?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, December 29th, 2019 - 124 comments

We may as well prepare ourselves for Trump overperforming his popularity again and winning. We’ve had to deal with left’s retreat in most of the world in 2019. So let’s prepare and plot some likely accelerated changes in Trump’s second term.

It Is the Thought That Counts

Written By: Incognito - Date published: 12:33 am, December 28th, 2019 - 70 comments

Antagonistic personalities are an obstacle to effective politics tackling major present problems.

T’was the day of Christmas

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:37 am, December 26th, 2019 - 13 comments

National’s social media team spent Christmas day deleting tweets suggesting there was any link between its MPs and members of the #turnardern campaign.

What Cheeto, Bojo and Scomo are up to

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 3:56 pm, December 21st, 2019 - 76 comments

It has been a tough week for conservative leaders with Trump impeached and the evangelical magazine Christianity Today calling for his resignation, Johnson in the UK announcing voter fraud measures reminiscent of the American deep South, and in Australia Morrison being criticised for missing in action, upstaged by a 13 year old girl and pushing through protection for religious bigotry that Israel Folau would be pleased with.

The British Election result 2019

Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 11:05 am, December 20th, 2019 - 21 comments

Democracy is a precious thing, and not something that can be taken for granted. Having an electoral system where every vote matters is crucial to creating a decent society. It is time that the UK started seriously debating electoral reform and how to improve its democratic systems.

Rush to Judgment redux

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:12 am, December 20th, 2019 - 151 comments

Barrister Maria Dew has delivered a strong conclusion in the report concerning allegations of sexual assault by one Labour Party member against another member. And Paula Bennett has not as yet apologised for her totally unfounded allegations against third parties.

No Right Turn: Impeached!

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:03 pm, December 19th, 2019 - 17 comments

The US House of representatives has just voted to impeach Donald Trump.

Bridges fights losing twitter battle with Nigel Latta

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:52 am, December 19th, 2019 - 18 comments

Simon Bridges’s twitter account has chosen to celebrate Christmas by engaging in a twitter spat with well known Media personality Nigel Latta. And has not fared well.

How to counter angry boomer campaigns

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:15 am, December 17th, 2019 - 154 comments

The UK election was won not by Russian bots but by older voters with limited technical skills circulating poorly designed ads. What can be done in New Zealand to counter what is clearly a right wing campaign tactic?

What next after the White Island silence?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:22 am, December 15th, 2019 - 60 comments

At 2.11pm on Monday December 16, New Zealanders are being invited to hold a minute’s silence to respect those who have died in the White Island/Whakaari explosion. Once that’s over, it’s time to start turning to what might occur to prevent this kind of disaster happening again.