phil goff

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Standing in the Shadow of the Red Flag

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, November 25th, 2015 - 47 comments

“Why would Goff stand for the Auckland mayoralty as an independent candidate considering his life-long commitment to the Labour Party?”

Why indeed?

Is it time for Labour to stand candidates in local elections under the party banner? And can the party lift its profile and its general election prospects by being bolder in the provinces?

Phil Goff for Super City Mayor

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, November 23rd, 2015 - 42 comments

Phil Goff has formally announced that he is seeking the Auckland Super City Mayoralty as an independent.

Len Brown stands down

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, November 8th, 2015 - 59 comments

Len Brown has announced that he will not contest the Auckland Mayoralty next year.

Christine Fletcher’s dear Phil letter

Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, October 15th, 2015 - 17 comments

Christine Fletcher has penned an open letter to Phil Goff where she criticises in trenchant terms super city’s current performance and offers some thoughts on where improvement can be made.

Nats endorse Goff for mayor?

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, October 9th, 2015 - 62 comments

The NBR reckons the Nats are tacitly endorsing Phil Goff for mayor of Auckland.

As expected, TPPA gives a peanut return

Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, October 6th, 2015 - 177 comments

In 15 to 25 years, long long after I have retired,  and the TPPA is fully realised. It may be worth an extra $260 million per year in possible tariff benefits. By contrast, the China Free Trade Agreement within 5 years was increasing our exports each year by an extra $350 million. But the costs for the TPPA start as soon as it is signed. We may make a profit off it in 10 years. This is not a good deal.

From out of the Shadows

Written By: - 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: - 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.”

Auckland Council Mayoral candidates – Mark Thomas

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 24th, 2015 - 21 comments

Mark Thomas who has close ties with the National Party has announced that he is going to run for the Auckland Mayoralty next year.

Common People; Yanis Varoufakis is all Class.

Written By: - Date published: 11:21 am, July 7th, 2015 - 81 comments

The Greek Finance minister has unexpectedly quit. He had already said he would resign if the referendum was lost; nobody expected that he would go after such a stunning win. But it was the strategically correct thing to do. Why can’t some of the veterans in the NZ Labour Party take the hint?

Sheepgate and National’s last defence: Labour does it too

Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, June 4th, 2015 - 43 comments

John Key yesterday went on the attack and implied that Labour did something about Sheepgate in 2007.  What it was he did not say but the implication was that Labour did it too.  A brief review of dirty politics shows that this is alway’s National’s desperate last line of defence. Update: Labour tried to table in Parliament the Cabinet Paper that John Key talked about yesterday and National refused leave …

Human Synergistics, Richard Prebble, and the end of government

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 am, May 17th, 2015 - 64 comments

Back in March 1988 David Lange had a clear idea about what lay ahead for New Zealanders as the long-term consequences of Roger Douglas’ psychopathic worshipping of the metaphysical Invisible Hand gradually materialised.

Len Brown is toast

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 18th, 2015 - 119 comments

Bernard Orsman has reported in the Herald today that Len Brown’s campaign team no longer back him and are considering support for a Phil Goff run for the mayoralty.

Labour’s Betrayal Continues

Written By: - Date published: 6:35 am, February 18th, 2015 - 440 comments

It might well be in Labour’s best interests to cut the crap now and go into coalition with the National Ltd™ Cult of John Key. It would be the honest thing to do. Kiwis will then know where the boundaries lie and who actually is working to oppose the implementation of the wider neo-liberal ideology.

A Breakdown.

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, November 26th, 2014 - 25 comments

There’s a lot of smash flying around concerning the SIS, the PM’s office, OIA requests, Judith Collin’s and what not. So here’s a simple, stripped back, breakdown

Polity: Dirty politics: My 2c

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, August 14th, 2014 - 104 comments

John Key - spy vs lie

The use of clandestine SIS files as a weapon of partisan politics is needs to be investigated. John Key or his office discovered classified SIS files that were embarrassing to Phil Goff, got them declassified, then immediately told a right-wing blogger to seek those same newly-declassified files under the OIA, all as a means of smearing a political opponent.

Phil Goff: Contemporary China Research Centre

Written By: - Date published: 6:25 pm, July 2nd, 2014 - 9 comments

It isn’t that often that we put up speeches by politicians. They’re usually aimed at the general public and don’t really get into the guts of the issues in the way that our activist commenters like to argue at – they tend to be political and in this site preaching to the converted.  However this speech by Phil Goff is exceptional. It was made at a centre looking at China, and looks at the benefits and risks of our current and future relationships with that country. Worth reading

Bomber: sensitive and inexperienced

Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, June 19th, 2014 - 73 comments

My comment at The Daily Blog responding to a section of one of Martyn ‘Bomber’ Bradbury’s post got moderated out. That does rather reinforce what my comment said. So I will simply repeat it here. The political scene is a very bad place to have as sensitive ego in as Bomber has. Most people involved around the political scene will have different opinions and they usually aren’t hesitant in expressing them. It appears that young Bomber lacks the backbone to withstand that diversity without having a fit of pique.

TPP – the expensive vanity project of NZ diplomacy

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, June 13th, 2014 - 51 comments

Wayne Mapp is worried about the possibility of Labour backing away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). If National and MFAT would like support from the free-trade advocates inside Labour, then I’d suggest that they get off their padded arses and provide some solid information not only to us, but also to the public. But all I have heard so far is some psuedo-religious Randian rants about free-trade that are about as convincing to business people as statements about the imminent arrival of the Rapture.

Imperator Fish: How to win an election

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, June 3rd, 2014 - 144 comments

Scott Yorke at Imperator Fish opines on electorate seats and inter-party relations. On the way through he identifies some strikingly bad net behaviour. Labour MPs past and present who badly need to learn to control themselves on the net just as much as Bomber does.

Don’t let them be sidelined: Surveillance Bills

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, July 22nd, 2013 - 38 comments

Let’s not sideline the GCSB and related surveillance Bills.  It’s about democracy, and against further consolidation of the power of the international, “neoliberal” corporate elites.  Nation wide demos this Saturday; public meeting in Auckland this Thursday evening. Phil Goff resists, but bends a little too far. [Update]  Protest poster

Real social security; real jobs – not bennie bashing

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, March 27th, 2013 - 55 comments

Opposition MPs (e.g. Ardern & Mathers) and Sue Bradford highlight that the Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill destroys lives, furthers NAct’s elitist agenda, & is more propaganda than social security or job creation.

Next to go – Joyce or McCully?

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, March 22nd, 2012 - 45 comments

Nick Smith is gone but you might have missed 2 other senior ministers on the ropes yesterday. Steven Joyce hasn’t bothered to do his homework, doesn’t know if his ‘mega-ministry’ will save money or cost more. Meanwhile, McCully’s shifting blame to the CEO he appointed for the Mfat mess while blowing $200K to give the ambassadors an earful in person over all the leaks.

Labour’s diminishing vision

Written By: - Date published: 1:04 pm, March 9th, 2012 - 90 comments

Our Labour activist guest poster asks where the coherence is in Labour’s communications strategy. Having a look at the lack of narrative across the Labour parties here, in Australia, and in the UK; he points to a place where narrative is done well in left politics – it is in the USA.

Thank you Phil, Annette

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, December 15th, 2011 - 43 comments

Now that Labour’s new leaders are settling in, I think we should all take a moment to thank the outgoing leaders, Phil Goff and Annette King.

Two weeks to choose

Written By: - Date published: 3:42 pm, November 29th, 2011 - 160 comments

Have just received an email from Labour’s President Moira Coatsworth. Phil Goff and Annette King to resign Labour’s leadership effective December 13. Moira is urging all Party members to make their views known to their MPs about the new leadership.The caucus will make the decision but members will have their say. Good.

Leadership Elections: Getting it Right

Written By: - Date published: 4:35 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 37 comments

In 2005 the UK Conservatives badly lost a third election in a row and their leader announced his intent to resign. But they organised a well-run contest to replace him, and by the time he won David Cameron had gone from unknown outsider to popular public figure, and the once ‘toxic’ Conservatives were electable again.

Labour should not rush to judgment

Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, November 28th, 2011 - 171 comments

One can understand why John Key is ‘speed dating” to form a one-seat majority in Parliament.  His honeymoon is likely to be a lot shorter in the next term of government. It is quite different for Labour. The caucus would be wise not to rush to decide  who leads Labour into the next election.

Final debate – win to Goff on points

Written By: - Date published: 4:20 pm, November 23rd, 2011 - 175 comments

Debate over. Not a walkover for Goff like the TV3 debate, but a win to Goff on points. Communicated effectively, came across as honest and open (compared to Key’s shifty body language), and had Key on the ropes several times.

Will Key sign pledge not to sell Kiwibank?

Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, November 23rd, 2011 - 97 comments

Phil Goff has signed a pledge that Labour will not sell Kiwibank if it becomes government. Other party leaders have been invited as well. I expect the Greens, New Zealand First, Mana, and the Conservatives will (who knows about the Maori Party). But will Key sign? National is secretly itching to sell Kiwibank, Bill English got caught out admitting as much.

Key to lay police complaint against debate worm

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, November 22nd, 2011 - 104 comments

The 2nd TV debate was a 2nd win for Goff. He was human and humane, visionary and realistic. Key made excuses for his poor record, tried to hide in detail, and cast a sullen eye to the future. The worm told the story. So did the Right’s reaction. But, next debate, ditch the ‘expert’ panelists. […]

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