david cunliffe

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Climate change – ETS or Carbon tax?

Written By: - Date published: 12:43 pm, June 4th, 2014 - 71 comments

The media is trying to suggest that Labour is opposing the Green’s proposed Carbon Tax policy.  This is a gross over dramatisation of the situation.  Labour has in the past supported a Carbon Tax, has a policy formation process which prevents policy creation on the hoof, and prefers an ETS even though it is slightly more complex on the basis that it is slightly more effective in allocating costs and benefits across the board.

David Farrar is (still) the hypocrite

Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, May 27th, 2014 - 23 comments

It appears that David Farrar, paid rubber mouthpiece for the National party, is exercising his right to be a hypocrite again. Surely he remembers his attitudes back in 2012 when he was acting as their mouthpiece to discourage other economic migrants seeking a better life in NZ? And it looks like Key is parroting the message tested at Kiwiblog… How predictable.

TV3 and the manufacturing of a political narrative

Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, May 27th, 2014 - 97 comments

Two weeks ago Paddy Gower interviewed David Cunliffe on the Nation and they had a wide ranging discussion on ideal Immigration flows and housing pressures.  No criticism was made by Gower of the policy.  Yesterday after Cunliffe said essentially the same thing Gower alleged that Cunliffe had engaged in dog whistle politics. But Gower had earlier blogged advocating for Labour to look at going harder on the immigration issue. My fellow lefties should not be confused by Gower’s attempt to construct a narrative.

Of polls and elections

Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, May 26th, 2014 - 116 comments

Two new polls are out and the Government has enjoyed a post budget bounce. But when the post budget glow wears off and the inevitable seepage of support starts what will National do then?

Tony Astle does not want progressive customers

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, May 24th, 2014 - 100 comments

Tony Astle apparently wants to ban some left wing politicians from his restaurant Antoines. He should get a life. Because the idea is stupid and reinforces the impression that National is a party insisting on the retention of privilege for the few.

David Cunliffe Q&A on Facebook this evening

Written By: - Date published: 6:45 pm, May 15th, 2014 - 14 comments

For Facebook users there will be a chance to ask David Cunliffe questions on the budget this evening.

The desperation of the National’s sockpuppets

Written By: - Date published: 6:51 pm, May 14th, 2014 - 77 comments

National Party pollster David Farrar must be seeing some numbers he really doesn’t like because he is claiming that David Cunliffe photoshopped himself into a rally that he was really at!  Yeah right – a doyen of the local net governing body failed to use google before making a complete dick of himself on the net. I expect we will see a lot more of National’s paid for bloggers acting like fools heading into this election because National only being good at putting us heavily into debt (again!) rather limits the good news they can write.

John Key’s bullshit about rising inequality

Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, May 14th, 2014 - 86 comments

In Question Time today.  John Key has rejected evidence such census statistics, as reported on RNZ, that the inequality gap in Auckland is growing. He crowed about his government’s record & launched diversionary attacks on the opposition. Update: Question One video; Transcript links – Transcripts & other links updated. #realbudgetnumbers

David Cunliffe on The Standard

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, May 13th, 2014 - 160 comments

The guest post from David Cunliffe outlining where he sees a Labour-led government heading.

What do you want to know about it.

David Cunliffe will be online after 5:30pm today to clarify any points people care to raise. The comments will be fully moderated. Check the rules about comments before making any.

NRT: “A wish, a target, and a dream”

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 pm, May 12th, 2014 - 58 comments

No Right Turn shows that John Key has no real understanding of the economic and political history of this country. Probably because the last time another economic illiterate from National said that the prospect of reducing unemployment in NZ to below 6% was “a hoax”, John Key wasn’t here. He probably heard it from that illiterate, who once again is our minister of finance. Unemployment under Labour was as low as 3.3%

Cunliffe interacts on Tuesday evening (rescheduled)

Written By: - Date published: 4:24 pm, May 12th, 2014 - 45 comments

Update: Rescheduled for Tuesday 5:30.
David Cunliffe will taking some time to write a post and engage on comments about it tomorrow evening. The topic will be about David’s “vision for New Zealand and how we get there”. The post may be up earlier, but the earliest that David will be able to respond will be about 5:30pm and then only for a limited period of time. The post’s comments will be fully moderated, so read the rules in this post about what is acceptable.

Judith Collins the walking dead

Written By: - Date published: 12:53 pm, May 7th, 2014 - 114 comments

Yesterday in Parliament the Government was completely on the back foot.  Judith Collins cannot be more compromised.  National strategists must be afraid at the damage that its one strength, John Key, is sustaining.

Labour’s Caucus Reshuffle

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, May 6th, 2014 - 61 comments

Labour has announced a reshuffle of its Caucus rankings and portfolios.

Corrosive, anti-democratic power of big money

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, May 2nd, 2014 - 86 comments

Too many MPs in the NAct government, & some journalists, fail to understand that the negative impacts of the infiltration into politics of the worst ethos of big business & big money: croynism, networks of power & influence, self-serving, buddy-supporting actions, & deceptive manipulations of public relations.

Labour announces ban on synthetic cannabis

Written By: - Date published: 5:04 pm, April 27th, 2014 - 215 comments

David Cunliffe has just announced that Labour will introduce legislation to remove synthetic cannabis and other psychoactive substances from sale. (updated)

The strength of the left: working together…

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, April 27th, 2014 - 41 comments

The strength of the left: working together…. from the flaxroots. I agree with the parts of David Cunliffe’s speech to Young Labour where he talks of the importance of working together and mobilising the grass roots left in order to win the election. He is speaking about the Labour Party, but his words are equally true for the wider left

A New Zealand for 100% of New Zealanders

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, April 26th, 2014 - 75 comments

The text of a very personal straight from the heart speech given by David Cunliffe today to Labour Youth.

Labour and the working class

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, April 24th, 2014 - 325 comments

Shane Jones’ retirement has made some say that it is evidence that Labour is becoming less relevant to the working class.  Josie Pagani says that the party should be concentrating more on jobs, better pay, and on celebrating opportunities for all of us to do better in life.  She should read the party’s policy platform before she makes this criticism because it talks about nothing but job creation, better pay and improving our quality of life.

The right wing only want to help us

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 19th, 2014 - 230 comments

Kiwi in America over at Kiwiblog has offered some no doubt heart felt advice to Labour on what it should be doing. But the advice appears to be based on a misunderstanding of the Party’s history and a wish that the Party becomes more like ACT. Why do right wingers think they can tell Labour what to do and is their advice sound?

The week that was

Written By: - Date published: 2:29 pm, April 18th, 2014 - 37 comments

The highs and lows and the good and bad of what was a fascinating week in Politics.

Polity: Labour’s manufacturing plan

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, April 18th, 2014 - 10 comments

This is very good stuff. Having a tax break for R&D work has always been a no-brainer, and it is great to see it reconfirmed. Adding an accelerated depreciation scheme for new plant is a helpful addition. And partnering with more local firms for more locally-sourced government procurement makes perfect sense, too. Another no brainer for parties – like Labour – that actually care about local employment.

Labour’s pro Kiwi Manufacturing Policy

Written By: - Date published: 12:40 pm, April 17th, 2014 - 76 comments

The text of a speech delivered this morning by David Cunliffe outlining Labour’s manufacturing policy. Update – includes a short video.

Chicken

Written By: - Date published: 3:42 pm, April 15th, 2014 - 133 comments

Yesterday John Key challenged David Cunliffe to a debate about housing which Cunliffe gratefully accepted.  Today it is a different matter …

Labour wants to save the Kauri

Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, April 13th, 2014 - 47 comments

David Cunliffe today announced that Labour would fund research into Kauri Dieback disease to the tune of $20 million dollars over ten years if elected, in stark contrast to the current Government’s position which is to discontinue funding.

Inequalities of the 10 percenters

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, April 12th, 2014 - 28 comments

All inequality measures are not equal.  The GINI Coefficient is widely used but it doesn’t show the impact of vast increases in inequality between the richest and poorest Kiwis; it doesn’t show increasing experiences of hardship: it can mask vast inequalities in wealth & asset ownership.

Winning song urges Key to leave politics

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, April 7th, 2014 - 7 comments

Tracy Whatshite, Cadet Reporter, attended the “Bellies” (held at Bellamy’s) and found out who the winners were in this year’s competition for the Best Political Song of 2014. She spoke with the judge Frankie Stevens.

“Competition was particularly intense this year and the top entries included some old favourites, but also some surprizing new comers,” he said.

Polity: Key in self-parody about lying (mk 2)

Written By: - Date published: 10:31 am, April 2nd, 2014 - 52 comments

There was an Audrey Young piece in the Herald yesterday, in which John Key talks about Labour’s plan to increase eligibility for free Early Childhood Education. So Key thinks this policy will cost at least ten times as much as Labour does. That’s a very big claim. But Andrey did not appear to ask for his sums, she just printed Key’s figures without comment. That was a pity because John Key’s figures are a bare-faced lie and are quite impossible.

IF: A day in the life of Matthew Hooton

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, March 25th, 2014 - 32 comments

[Satire]  I has a dream… Winston retired from politics and went on to set up a bird rescue centre in a remote spot in the Raukumura Range, but the centre was burned down after two teenagers high on glue broke in and set it alight. The delicious smells of hundreds of roasted native birds attracted the attentions of the poor for miles around… desperate and hungry people tore at each other to get into the still-burning sanctuary…  I awoke in a fever and ran to my computer, and in seconds flat I had my NBR column finished.

Labour and the Greens announce forestry policies

Written By: - Date published: 3:48 pm, March 19th, 2014 - 39 comments

Labour announced policies today seeking to reinvigorate the Forestry Industry and to promote more local processing of logs.  And the Greens have announced a policy designed to increase the use of wood in local buildings.

NRT: An economic upgrade?

Written By: - Date published: 2:24 pm, March 17th, 2014 - 60 comments

No Right Turn reacts to David Cunliffe’s speech on Friday. “…one thing is clear: we need to move our economy away from a focus on milk. Our environment can’t sustain it, and its not delivering for anyone other than a narrow class of wealthy farmers.” “… rich economies have multiple sources of income. And they consciously develop them through industrial policy.”

David Cunliffe’s speech to the New Zealand Institute

Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, March 14th, 2014 - 124 comments

Speech notes from today’s address to the New Zealand Institute.  “Trickle-down economics and its neoliberal parentage have failed New Zealanders and left many of our emerging businesses starved of investment capital and skills.  The opportunity gaps have widened and there is no clear, shared strategy to a high value, high income future.  That’s something Labour will change. We want an economy that works for all New Zealanders.”