New Blog: On The Left

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, October 20th, 2014 - 44 comments
Categories: blogroll, blogs - Tags:

There’s a new blog in town – On The Left, with an impressive lineup of authors. Check out the welcome post – We have lift-off!:

Welcome to On The Left! We’re happy to be here.

OTL was born when a couple of lefty comms people got together for coffee and decided that the NZ blogosphere was lacking an accessible, well-written, interesting and above all fun group blog which provided a space for discussing and propagating left-wing ideas.

There are plenty of angry leftie blogs around (cough cough) – so all the best to OTL and their mission to bring the fun. Why not stop on over there and give them a welcome?

44 comments on “New Blog: On The Left ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Marksman33 1
    20 October 2014 at 12:48 pm

    Yep have done.

  2. ghostwhowalksnz 2
    20 October 2014 at 12:50 pm

    A new place to read Pete Georges comments , thats if you missed him ?

    • Tracey 2.1
      20 October 2014 at 1:01 pm

      … a space for discussing and propagating left-wing ideas…. ideal for pete.

      • wekarawshark 2.1.1
        20 October 2014 at 1:19 pm

        Let’s see how long Petey lasts 😉 No circular derailing is in the first sentence of the Comments Policy :-D.

  3. karol 3
    20 October 2014 at 1:04 pm

    Excellent line up of authors – diverse, and with a fresh youthful look to the blog. Good to see a couple of the (hopefully) parliamentarians of the future there – eg Jack and Marama.

    I have been thinking there needs to be a platform with more focus on broad left views on, not just the serious business of “Politics”, but with a broader, cultural focus as well.

    As Jack says in his first post: “The challenge for NZ’s political youth”:

    However, we delude ourselves if we believe that real change is truly driven at this level; you need only look at the recent continued failure of social democratic electoral politics to deliver. Political support is built from the bottom up, not the top down, and this needs to guide us in everything we do.

  4. Chooky 4
    20 October 2014 at 1:17 pm

    yup it looks good!!!! Go …. ‘On the Left’!

    It is young people who are going to change the system for the future …so i wish this site huge success especially with youth…and may it be revolutionary! ….because NZ youth sure as hell as are getting f…ed over in New Zealand as regards free quality tertiary education and ever being able to afford a house

  5. Tiger Mountain 5
    20 October 2014 at 1:52 pm

    There will be more political blogs than you can wave an ipad at soon.

    The butchers shops of left and right blogging–Kiwi, Whaleboil, Standard and Daily Blog will likely remain ascendant while such as ‘Redline’, ‘PA’, ‘On the Left’ and ‘Bat Bean Beam’ cater for those wanting special cuts or a vegan option.

    Best wishes to those involved in On the Left.

    • lprent 5.1
      20 October 2014 at 3:50 pm

      You do realize that Redline and PA I have never heard of – right ?

      When I see new left and leftish blogs or even ones that make a good argument, I add them to the Feed if they have a RSS. This is for several purposes. One is so I can find them again. The other is to give them exposure.

      Problem is that I’m way too busy cutting up the meat to hunt them down. Please give me a vegan option 🙂

      • wekarawshark 5.1.1
        20 October 2014 at 4:20 pm

        Public Address. I wouldn’t have thought it was special or vegan cuts, more standard fare for the middle classes.

      • karol 5.1.2
        20 October 2014 at 4:29 pm

        I had never heard of “Redline” before. It must be this one: “Redline: contemporary Marxist analysis”.

        To rate Redline, PA, Bat Beam Bean and OTL as all being “special cuts” seems a bit off target. PA, is a fairly widely read general left-leaning group of blogs. RL, looks pretty specialised, while OTL looks to me to be pretty broadly left with a fairly diverse group of bloggers.

        I expect OTL to gain ground and become one of the dominant left blogs.

        • Tiger Mountain 5.1.2.1
          20 October 2014 at 6:26 pm

          We’ll see, some sink without trace.

          Public Address is mainstream but not in the category of Kiwi, Whale, Standard and Daily imo. Those four are akin to shredders with huge amounts of posts and commenters.

          Russell Brown’s Public Address is a gentler more considered place in many respects for what it is worth.

          • lprent 5.1.2.1.1
            21 October 2014 at 2:47 am

            Indeed. The list of dead or non-active blogs vastly outnumbers the living.

          • felix 5.1.2.1.2
            21 October 2014 at 8:04 am

            “Russell Brown’s Public Address is a gentler more considered place in many respects for what it is worth.”

            Russell Brown’s Public Address is a boring dinner party where no-one drinks enough.

            • Tiger Mountain 5.1.2.1.2.1
              21 October 2014 at 8:19 am

              Must have caught a politeness bug or something; have been off PA ever since Russell took a major wrong turn on the Hobbit affair.

              Still like the “Capture” photo essays and Keith Ng though.

          • karol 5.1.2.1.3
            21 October 2014 at 3:32 pm

            Those four blogs look to me a bit like the old guard of blogs (including myself in that).

            OTL has the potential to be part of a new wave of left blogs, with a group of relatively young authors. Many of the contributors have already been blogging and/or stood for parliament, or been otherwise politically engaged.

            But, we shall see.

      • phillip ure 5.1.3
        20 October 2014 at 7:12 pm

        @ lprent..

        “..When I see new left and leftish blogs or even ones that make a good argument, I add them to the Feed if they have a RSS…”

        really..?

        ..whither whoar..?

        .it’s vegan too..!

  6. Colonial Rawshark 6
    20 October 2014 at 2:14 pm

    I don’t have much time for Stephanie Rodgers and at least one of their other major writers has blocked me on Twitter for ‘mansplaining’ (Heh). There is also a severe gender imbalance in their listed line up of authors. Almost 3:1 females to males.

    Anyways good luck to them, it is a big commitment of time, energy and resources to get a project like this off the ground so kudos are deserved, but I won’t be visiting their new site particularly often.

    • Tiger Mountain 6.1
      20 October 2014 at 2:19 pm

      “I won’t be visiting their new site particularly often”
      heh, win win then?

    • Stephanie Rodgers 6.2
      20 October 2014 at 2:37 pm

      If you have such a problem with sites that have a severe gender imbalance among the writers I guess we won’t be hearing from you around here any more?

      Somehow I’m sure OTL will struggle along without the benefit of your wisdom.

      • karol 6.2.1
        20 October 2014 at 2:58 pm

        Yep. Beat me to it on the gender imbalance issue.

        • Colonial Rawshark 6.2.1.1
          20 October 2014 at 3:32 pm

          OTL is chocka full of authors dedicated to issues of gender equality. I pointed out that they haven’t achieved it on their own site. At an almost 3:1 ratio, they probably didn’t really try.

          Nevertheless, starting a new political website is a major undertaking which deserves kudos and I look forward to them getting a strong readership.

          • Stephanie Rodgers 6.2.1.1.1
            20 October 2014 at 3:35 pm

            Please don’t make assumptions about what other people did or did not “try”, CV.

            There are many things wrong with your comment, starting with your deliberate misrepresentation of gender equality (guess what, it doesn’t mean utopia = everything is 50/50 men and women) and ignoring of the wider context in which leftwing online discourse in NZ is so woefully dominated by male voices like your own that having eight women blogging on one site doesn’t even begin to even the score.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 6.2.1.1.1.1
              20 October 2014 at 3:57 pm

              The viper doth protest too much, methinks.

            • Zorr 6.2.1.1.1.2
              20 October 2014 at 6:06 pm

              If you’re writing for OTL Stephanie then I’ll be reading.

              *adds to feed*

            • Rosie 6.2.1.1.1.3
              20 October 2014 at 9:22 pm

              Well, I for one will look forward to hearing more women talking!

              Looking forward to having a good old squizz and a chat when I get a chance.

              All the best Stephanie 🙂

          • Tom Jackson 6.2.1.1.2
            20 October 2014 at 5:54 pm

            Oh my god, it’s full of hipsters!

            • karol 6.2.1.1.2.1
              20 October 2014 at 6:14 pm

              I’d have thought the authors are way too ethnically diverse and politically focused, and includes a range of left political perspectives, to be “hipsters”.

          • Disraeli Gladstone 6.2.1.1.3
            20 October 2014 at 6:11 pm

            Congratulations, you win the stupidest shit said today award.

    • travellerev 6.3
      21 October 2014 at 8:47 am

      Manplaining? WTF?

      And what is it with the “fun”. Who gives a fuck about fun when the world is going to shit? I’ll do my fun thing with the people I love in the “real” world thank you!

  7. Saarbo 7
    20 October 2014 at 2:58 pm

    Good Luck OTL…already following most on twitter.

  8. lprent 8
    20 October 2014 at 3:40 pm

    Added to the Feed, and because it is Stephanie I even clipped a default image 🙂

    Incidentally if anyone else has a blog that pops up on the feed, if you send me a square image that you want for a default image (rather than the green keyboard) then email it through or link it here, and I will add it.

  9. wekarawshark 9
    20 October 2014 at 4:20 pm

    I see OAB is ruining things over there already 🙄

    • Tiger Mountain 9.1
      20 October 2014 at 6:30 pm

      Pete George filter?

      • wekarawshark 9.1.1
        20 October 2014 at 6:49 pm

        I think people wanting to see how they deal with PG will bump their numbers 😈

        (My OAB comment was a joke, on the off chance that anyone is wondering).

  10. ropata mako shark 10
    20 October 2014 at 11:54 pm

    I’m following it, having fun troll-baiting already, might get in trouble 🙂

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    6 days ago

  • Let's open the books with Nicotine Willis
    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    7 days ago

  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    7 days ago

  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    7 days ago

  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    7 days ago

  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    7 days ago

  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago

  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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