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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.

Polity: Mr Angry tries to reheat 2011 campaign

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, August 11th, 2014 - 13 comments

Steven Joyce is asking about how Labour can afford their policies. Half of the money is what National is planning to spend unwisely. The rest is from documented increases in revenue in a fiscal plan. Unlike National’s mythic surplus, these are solid values. They will produce a solid surplus to pay down National’s debt.

The bottomless Labour-Green divide

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, August 11th, 2014 - 82 comments

It seems like every time Labour (or the Greens) announce a policy the first question (after “what does John Key think about this?”) is “But the Greens (or Labour) have a different policy to the one you just announced! How can you possibly work together in government?”

Get out the vote!

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, August 11th, 2014 - 3 comments

11,000+ voters enrolled in the last week – great work, more to be done.  For democracy & NZ’s sake, now and in the future, enroll, vote, vote left!

How Labour and the Greens win it from here

Written By: - Date published: 9:20 am, August 11th, 2014 - 81 comments

A great campaign launch from Labour on the weekend, a couple of bad weeks for National and suddenly there is a chance that David Cunliffe may be our next Prime Minister.  But how does he succeed and what can progressives do to help?

Labour – “Ready to Win”

Written By: - Date published: 3:10 pm, August 10th, 2014 - 135 comments

David Cunliffe’s campaign launch speech.

Added a video of the speech.

Campaign launch – live stream

Written By: - Date published: 1:08 pm, August 10th, 2014 - 61 comments

For those of you who aren’t going to be at the campaign launch today. Here is the link to where the live stream will be.. It is going to be fun to see what happens this afternoon. But I’ll be there so if I have elbow room, I might write something.

Updated with reaction links.

 

Polity: When general reporters cover political stories…

Written By: - Date published: 11:19 am, August 10th, 2014 - 9 comments

You really have to ask what journalists are trained in. Clearly not learning about existing party policies. Some reporters managing to miss that Labour has been planning to extend Paid Parental Leave for 3 years.

The Labour Campaign Launch

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, August 10th, 2014 - 40 comments

Labour’s campaign launch is today and it is expected that major health initiatives will be announced.

Leading voices: TV debates

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, August 9th, 2014 - 101 comments

There’s much to discuss on the two election-focused TV debates conducted over the last 24 hours. Prime TV’s new show: Prime Time with Sean Plunket – Bennett & Turei on poverty/inequality (Prime TV Fridays 9.30pm): TV 3’s The Nation: Saturday 9.30am

Fuck inequality! Fuck poverty! Fuck the Nat govt!

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, August 8th, 2014 - 267 comments

There are sobering & harrowing stories coming out of AAAP’s Action Impact at Mangere this week. It exposes the vast inequalities & poverty existing in NZ.  Vote to end this destruction of humanity & democracy! Vote for compassion, caring & sharing! VOTE LEFT!

NRT: The Greens on transport

Written By: - Date published: 4:24 pm, August 7th, 2014 - 41 comments

There’s a strong element of planning for the future here: peak oil and climate change mean the days of cheap cars (and therefore of massive motorways) are numbered. But it also reflects the changes we’re seeing now. Road usage is already dropping, while Aucklanders are crying out for a better rail system so they can escape gridlock.

Not enrolled to vote?

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, August 7th, 2014 - 13 comments

The success in getting people enrolled may be the difference between David Cunliffe and John Key being our next Prime Minister.

Polity: Shifting ground?

Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, August 7th, 2014 - 19 comments

Rob Salmond looks at the recent shifts in media opinion pieces. Perhaps the National strategy of getting the house to rise too early has backfired. It appears to be giving opposition parties more room to showcase their policy, more room for National to showcase its arrogance, and more time for the polls to close.

Greens: Falling milk prices highlight danger of National’s economic strategy

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 pm, August 6th, 2014 - 39 comments

This press release from the Greens pretty well sums up the situation that National have left the economy in. Once you remove the rebuild effects from the Christchurch earthquakes, our increasingly undiversified economy is looking in pretty poor shape for the decade ahead.

Our Friends in the North

Written By: - Date published: 6:31 pm, August 6th, 2014 - 225 comments

It’s been an interesting few days in the battle for Te Tai Tokerau. Never mind the bollocks, people. The question for Labour isn’t should we stand aside for Hone in the north or Mana/IP anywhere else. The question is ‘do we need ’em?’. The answer is looking more and more like no.

NRT: 32,000 out of work under National

Written By: - Date published: 3:21 pm, August 6th, 2014 - 54 comments

The latest Household Labour Force Survey was released today, showing a drop in unemployment. But while its an improvement, there is far less employment than when National came into office 5 years ago. That is a monumental fail.

John Key prepares for Helensville debate

Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, August 6th, 2014 - 86 comments

John Key has agreed to attend one local meet the candidates meeting this year. The rules are however that there will be no debate, questions will be screened and candidates will only be able to refer to each other once. And silence will be demanded. What happened to the good old fashioned election political meeting?

Counting the cost – long time dying

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, August 6th, 2014 - 54 comments

How much longer do we have to live with this”neoliberal” nightmare?   It should have died with the global financial crisis, caused by the unfettered greed of the banksters & socially callous.  “Paying the Price” on Al Jazeera; AAAP Mangere Action Impact this week.