election 2014
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The opening addresses of Election 2014
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 24th, 2014 - 32 comments
Last night the opening party political addresses were broadcast on TV One, simultaneous with an All Blacks match and a live-tweeted crowd viewing of Labyrinth. So if you missed out (and don’t follow my every thought on Twitter), here’s my reaction! [Update: more links to videos!]
Looking at the big policy picture
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, August 22nd, 2014 - 11 comments
Despite John Key’s key message du jour, the parties of the Opposition are talking policy.
Greens, Labour, NZH Hot Seat: coalitions
Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, August 22nd, 2014 - 13 comments
In the NZ Herald panel interviews, Green & Labour Party leaders come across extremely well. The leaders are confident, considered and ready to govern.
Mr Clean talks Dirty Politics: Key standup transcript pt2
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 12 comments
In this part of the transcript of John Key’s Aug 14 standup, Key repeats dubious spin lines, & tries to maintain his Mr Clean image. Topics include Jason Ede, Judith Collins, Bronwyn Pullar. Key tries to implicate left wing blogs, naming The Standard
National’s campaign video and Eminem
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 69 comments
In 2008 National breached copyright by using a song suspiciously like Coldplay’s Clocks. The DVD had to be withdrawn. It may not have learned as its latest campaign video has music that sounds suspiciously like an Eminem song. Has it learned and does it have permission?
Polity: Through the looking glass
Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 16 comments
John Key has been running a pretty simple diversion strategy over the past week asserting that Labour knew about Hager’s book (they didn’t), that they aren’t interested in policy (our mailbox is full of their policies), and that the public will ignore the book (our stats are skyhigh). He is a loser. Rob Salmond puts his view.
The real John Key?
Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, August 20th, 2014 - 28 comments
Swearing is not often a major factor in the political debate. Yet John Key’s alleged use of the “f-word” seems to have assumed considerable significance in the run-up to election day in the light of the Slater debarcle. National has a lot invested in John Key’s nice guy facade.
Valuing child care: beyond ‘show me the money!’
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, August 19th, 2014 - 10 comments
Simon Collins has published a very good article comparing various parties policies on social security. As is the current trend, he doesn’t fully examine the deep and lasting contribution good child care & education make towards society & the economy. It’s about material and social well-being.
The moral low ground
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 18th, 2014 - 45 comments
Revulsion. That’s what’s coming out from a range of people who have ploughed through the inner thoughts of Slater, Farrar, Ede, Collins, Lusk, Odgers, Jordan Williams – they’re all repulsive. It’s the strength of that gut feeling in response that will sink their plot. Despite all John Key’s efforts to move as quickly as possible to the end of the day, …it’s still not ok. Key’s try at cover up is pathetic, and doomed to be futile. But what it shows is that he has chosen the moral low ground with the rest of them. TeamKey indeed.
Casualty of Dirty Politics?
Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, August 18th, 2014 - 43 comments
Has Jordan Williams been dumped from Franks & Oglivie? Or is it merely coincidence that he disappeared from the web pages within days of the release of “Dirty Politics”? Could this be contributing to his foul mood?
Muddying the waters: transcript Key on RNZ
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, August 18th, 2014 - 81 comments
Guyon Espiner’s interview on Radio NZ today, exposes the moral failings of John Key’s leadership -as Key attempts to divert, & justify the dirty game that NZ politics has become under his watch. Partial transcript of the interview: to be continued Updated: Transcript completed
TVNZ’s Vote Compass
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, August 17th, 2014 - 59 comments
TVNZ has launched a new interactive online tool, to encourage voters to match their priorities with those of political parties. TV NZ aims to use the data from the responses for their election coverage. [Updated]
The Left on policies and values
Written By: - Date published: 7:53 pm, August 16th, 2014 - 6 comments
In spite of what John Key & some of the media claim, Labour & the Greens have continued to campaign positively on policies and values throughout the week. The Greens officially launch their campaign tomorrow.
Helen Kelly on Vote Chat: Questions for PoA & Key?
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, August 16th, 2014 - 17 comments
Helen Kelly is interviewed on Vote Chat. Kelly raises questions about the Ports of Auckland & Key’s role in Dirty Politics. She has read some of Dirty Politics, & was axed from today’s the Nation Panel, then replaced by Josie Pagani.[Updated]
Shadow play: Key’s 2-track politics
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, August 16th, 2014 - 40 comments
Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics tells of the “two track strategy” of John Key’s leadership of the National Party & the country: a smiley nice front, & vicious, covert black ops behind the scenes. Key has overseen one of the darkest, nastiest periods in NZ politics. Vote Left for necessary, democratic change, for people-centred governance.
GCSB, privacy & Facebook messaging
Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, August 15th, 2014 - 7 comments
How private are communications on social media platforms such as Facebook? It is claimed that the GCSB law’s definition of “privacy” leaves a loophole for warrantless surveillance of messaging by Kiwis on platforms like Facebook.
But the door was open…
Written By: - Date published: 5:00 am, August 15th, 2014 - 277 comments
The intention of this post is to examine the similarities and differences between the hacking of Cameron Slater’s communications on the one hand, and the hacking of the Labour Party donor database on the other. There are two important issues to determine in both cases and I will cover them separately. The first is the legality of the hacking and the second is the ethics of using the resulting information regardless of whether the obtaining of the information in the first instance was unlawful.
Slater and Christchurch – your thoughts?
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, August 14th, 2014 - 61 comments
Cameron Slater expresses his thoughts on Christchurch and the effects of the second Christchurch Earthquake. John Key thinks that he is a “pretty colourful character”. What do you think?
New Zealand women, first to vote
Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, August 14th, 2014 - 3 comments
New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote – and this year all New Zealand women have an opportunity to honour that achievement by voting in the general election.
Cameron Slater dirties John Key (or vice versa?)
Written By: - Date published: 7:11 pm, August 13th, 2014 - 138 comments
I haven’t read the Nicky Hager’s book “Dirty Politics” yet. But I’m not surprised that Cameron Slater is up to his neck in dirt provided by John Key’s dirt merchant Jason Ede. That he has been given information sourced from the SIS is extremely surprising. I had not thought that John Key was quite that stupid.
Hager’s “Dirty Politics”
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, August 13th, 2014 - 189 comments
So the book is an expose of the Slater-Ede-Key Dirty Politics machine, based on data acquired and leaked to Hager. Will Update: Update: Hager to be on Campbell Live tonight.
Guest post – Democracy and debate in the suburbs
Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, August 13th, 2014 - 25 comments
A guest post by Old Irascible on recent local experience when a Labour candidate tried to reach out to his local Rotary Club.
Bracing for the book
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, August 13th, 2014 - 104 comments
Nicky Hager has certainly got the attention of political circles in NZ, by announcing his (untitled) book launch today at 5.15pm. J[update: 3 news Livestream of book launch] Update: Title “Dirty Politics” – on attack politics – implicates John key & Slater]
Local Bodies: Greens Riding Above Stormy Seas
Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, August 13th, 2014 - 10 comments
Dave Kennedy (bsprout) looks at the increasingly parlous current state of the smaller parties. He is also looking forward to the Green party campaign launch this weekend in Auckland. Updated with Green campaign launch details.
Foolishly banning satire
Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, August 13th, 2014 - 86 comments
What the hell? This isn’t an election advertisement. This is someone expressing their views in music and video. This judgement by the Electoral Commission doesn’t appear to have any real basis behind it. Quite simply they are wrong.
Naming the game
Written By: - Date published: 6:34 pm, August 12th, 2014 - 78 comments
It’s been interesting to watch the nats and their busy little helpers working away at branding the election campaign as a nasty one.
It’s been disappointing to watch the media falling for it so hard.
Hager, fear & the surveillance state
Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, August 12th, 2014 - 82 comments
Nicky Hager’s latest book will be unveiled tomorrow. I look at his research interests, & his approach to investigative journalism; plus Hager’s speech on the GCSB Bill, & opposition party policies on state surveillance services.
The right’s lack of diversity
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, August 12th, 2014 - 46 comments
On the right there’s one big party who have the lion’s share of the vote, and a smattering of odd little parties at the kids’ table fighting for scraps and key electorates. It’s one of the reasons National continues to poll so highly: if you’re a rightwing voter, you don’t have any other viable options.
Roads ‘n’ rules
Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, August 12th, 2014 - 20 comments
The Kumeu candidates debate last night covered topics ranging from the very local, to the global: local roads and round-a-bouts, through the internet, poverty, health, jobs and education, to climate change, the TPPA, and the GCSB. Roads and rules were a recurring theme. [updated: stuff video; links to Green Party speeches]
ACT goes weird
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, August 12th, 2014 - 43 comments
ACT Epsom candidate David Seymour is complaining that left voters in the seat may vote tactically.
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