Will Obama stand up for the planet and people, or bow down to the demands of big business and the right?
As the effects of unadressed climate change start to devastate the planet, will Obama be remembered for taking a stand, or for betraying humanity?
In an echo of New Zealand Green Party policy on climate change, Obama’s policy of not making climate change “a singular priority” may become his undoing.
Obama, standing before hundreds of thousands of people on the National Mall on Monday, had vowed to ‘‘respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.’’
But in the White House briefing room a day later, Obama spokesman Jay Carney said he couldn’t speculate about future actions. He said that while climate change was a priority for the president, ‘‘it is not a singular priority’’……
For environmental groups, Obama’s next best chance to make good on his inaugural address is a looming decision on the Keystone XL pipeline running from Canada to the Gulf Coast……
‘‘If we are going to get serious about climate change, opening the spigot to a pipeline that will export up to 830,000 barrels of the dirtiest oil on the planet to foreign markets stands as a bad idea,’’ said Anthony Swift of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Just as Green Party advocacy for the disadvantaged and less well off will be forgotten if they refuse to stand up for the climate.Obama will earn the undying enmity of the environmental movement and lose informed liberal support, if he approves the XL pipeline, . Obama may try and recover this support by rightly standing up for equal rights in marriage, but this may not be enough to save his reputation, or the reputation of the Democratic Party ultimately costing them and us dearly.
McFlock, even with your blindsighted ignorance, I would give you credit for understanding that the POTUS, is a figurehead, who speaks/implements what the *influential/powerful*, direct him to!
In the matter of the XL pipeline that statement is actually factually wrong. Because the XL pipeline crosses State boundaries it requires the Presidential approval to proceed. You read it right. The president actually has to act, to allow this pipeline to proceed. In this case the POTUS most definitely calls the shots.
And that is not all. The POTUS does have powers to act against climate change if he chooses.
Policy experts from the environmental organization Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Tuesday unveiled what they are a calling a “groundbreaking proposal” designed to combat the threat of climate change by sharply reducing carbon pollution from America’s fleet of aging power plants.
The proposal, contained in a report titled Closing the Power Plant Carbon Pollution Loophole: Smart Ways the Clean Air Act Can Clean Up America’s Biggest Climate Polluters, promises to thwart the unwillingness (or inability) of Congress to rein in carbon pollution by advocating that the Obama Administration—by implementing regulatory authority already granted to the EPA—go after the country’s largest source of climate-changing pollution: emissions from hundreds of US coal and gas-fired plants.
“The President put climate change on the national agenda, and NRDC’s plan shows how the United States can make big reductions in carbon pollution that drive climate change, with a flexible approach that promotes clean energy investments and delivers big benefits for Americans’ health,” said Peter Lehner, NRDC’s Executive Director. “This year’s ravaging heat waves, drought, wildfires and Superstorm Sandy underscore why the nation must tackle head-on the biggest source of dangerous carbon pollution now.”
By calling the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority under the Clean Air Act to set standards for these existing plants—America’s largest source of carbon emissions that fuel climate change—NRDC says the move would “cut millions of tons of carbon pollution, save thousands of lives and create thousands of clean energy jobs.”
Frances Beinecke, president of NRDC, says the proposal is good news precisely because the authority for implementing it already exists. “The
Obama Administration already used the Clean Air Act to set carbon standards for cars and propose them for new power plants,” she said. “Now the same law can be used to address carbon pollution from existing plants.”
“The impact is huge,” said Dan Lashof, NRDC’s Director of Climate and Clean Air programs, and a principal author of the plan. “Our proposal would eliminate hundreds of millions of tons of carbon pollution, save thousands of lives and stimulate a surge in clean energy and energy efficiency investments, all at a lower cost than many would expect.”
David Roberts, policy writer at Grist.org, put emphasis on the fact that Obama could pick up this policy recommendation without any input from Congress, which has repeatedly stalled any and all climate-related legislation in recent years. “This chance to spur decarbonization in the power sector is Obama’s greatest second-term opportunity on climate change,” he said.
“The genius of NRDC’s proposal,” Roberts continues, “is that it solves the most difficult dilemma facing the agency when it comes to stationary-source regulations.”…….
……..Roberts concludes by asking if President Obama will seize the “extraordinary opportunity” of a simple and flexible plan that “is already in [his regulatory] toolbox; does not require any action by Congress; reduces U.S. emissions by 10 percent by 2020; and has the net effect of stimulating the economy through lower power bills and better health.”
Roberts contends: “Whether he does will determine whether he goes down in history as a climate champion or someone who, despite lofty rhetoric, fiddled at the margins while Rome burned.”
The Labour Party needs to get out of its current malaise, the pregnant silence between the Leadership team and the members is deafening.
National had a free run in the press this week with fluffy confectionary. We will be p*ssed if that is reflected in the next polls. The Trotter, Eddie, Cactus Kate, Mike Williams and the 2pts drop in polls stories were the only thing from the Left, all negative. And that was the opening week in the political year!
The bad policies of the government are not only a PR issue. Another 1,000 went to Australia this week. 250,000 kids went to bed hungry.
What game-changing strategy does Annette King, Grant Robertson,Trivor Mallerd and David Shearer have to win New Zealand’s support for a Labour Victory? Another rehearsed speech can only be a minor component in the necessary game changing strategy. The National Party cannot be allowed another term.
When will Gower ask Shane Jones if he will only hire DVDs of Shearer’s speeches next time he stays at a motel?
I cannot respect anyone who can attack Cunliffe while promoting Jones and that back pussy guy from the Waitaks.
PS I don’t get email notifications any more. How paranoid and accusatory should I be? 😛
Clean shaven – unlike the bearded version following his failed leadership bid last year – and wearing a beige cap, Cunliffe told media he supported Shearer.
“I’ve already stated a number of times he has my full support.
“I am not challenging David Shearer.”
And his support was not contingent on a decent spot in the party’s frontbench reshuffle due early next month.
“It’s a matter for the leader,” Cunliffe said.
Typical MSM. There was absolutely no fucking “leadership bid last year” at COnference. Nevertheless, I still believe that its crucial that the wider Labour membership be permitted to vote and confirm Shearer in Feb, for the sake of party unity and energy going into 2014.
I watched the TV3 news tonight and the quotes from Cunliffe were mighty different from Gower’s interpretation of them – or even on Stuff – same thing. Maybe just me, but I didn’t read what he said as an unequivocal rejection of him standing as leader. He seemed to be really careful in his words. The vote on 4 Feb is purely about whether the caucus (and hopefully the party) still have confidence in his leadership. It only has something to do with Cunliffe or Robertson or anyone else that chooses to chuck their hat in the ring if the he doesn’t get the support of caucus….or am I missing something? Oh, and just for the record….I’m not from the looney left either. I’m pure mainstream left (if there is such a thing)!
“What game-changing strategy does Annette King, Grant Robertson,Trivor Mallerd and David Shearer have to win New Zealand’s support for a Labour Victory?”
And stifle any dissent whilst sitting silent then take the reins (whenever that is) with no idea whatsoever of how to repair the damage or get our kid’s futures back.
What makes you think that Mallard, King, Robertson care about game changing strategy or winning the next election? Those oldies are just pissed they don’t get parliamentary super like Goff so they need to hang on in there to keep the fortnightly payroll coming. I hear Mallard is fairly down on net worth after a split or two. And the Wn mayoralty doesn’t pay as well as King currently gets.
As for Robertson, he’d have to own the failure of the 2011 election strategy where he was key before he could learn how to do better. But this team of three is not about learning and embracing but power plays at any cost.
What makes you think that Mallard, King, Robertson care about game changing strategy or winning the next election? Those oldies are just pissed they don’t get parliamentary super like Goff so they need to hang on in there to keep the fortnightly payroll coming. I hear Mallard is fairly down on net worth after a split or two. And the Wn mayoralty doesn’t pay as well as King currently gets.
As for Robertson, he’d have to own the failure of the 2011 election strategy where he had a key role before he could learn how to do better.
But this team of three is not about learning and embracing, but power plays at any cost.
A humble request for LPrent: if you have a moment, can you lose Feedburner please? I use the RSS feed as the simplest way to keep up with comments, and its particularly useful for continuity in the more popular posts.
Feedburner is always 20-40 minutes out of date, meaning constantly having to reload the main page, check the comments box, then click on each comment individually to see what’s being said. The previous RSS feed constantly updated itself, so keeping up with conversations was a breeze.
Doesn’t that render your inbox completely unmanageable TRP?
T’would be great if we could get answers to our own comments but not the whole thread.
It’s hard to keep track of my own sometime comments and questions, and any responses beyond the immediate.
No, js, I was meaning the ‘comments RSS’ button, top right hand side of the page, just above the rolling list of recent comments. When it works well, it gives you all the recent comments in chronological order, so in a minute or so, you can catch up with all recent postings, rather than have to click on each seperate comment. It’s really great if you are in an ongoing discussion, because it saves a lot of time.
If you click on it now, you will see what I mean (though it will be 20 minutes out of date, and this comment won’t come up). It’s really great tool, but only if its up to the minute.
Bill English pontificating upon the growing inability for ‘the market’ to address the growing issue of housing un-affordability,
”It takes the market 8 years before it has provided a house for a new immigrant” unquote, Bill English, Minister of Finance speaking to RadioNZ National,
Having said that Bill went on to point the finger at the Auckland City Council claiming that they are stifling new building activity by not bringing new areas of land into the home building equation,
Auckland City Council in reply point out that there are currently 13,000 sections available to build upon within the City, FAILURE of the argument put forward by the Finance Minister equates to further FAILURE of market driven policy in housing,
Again Bill puts His foot firmly in His mouth by claiming that the Auckland City Council should commit political suicide and dictate that developers build affordable (hence smaller) houses simply pointing out a further FAILURE of the market philosophy where any developer, as pointed out by someone else on the Standard a few days ago, would be stupid in terms of ‘markets’ to not build the biggest most expensive house on any particular piece of ground as to do otherwise would be to forgo a large tranche of profit,
Having stupidly claimed that His National Government has no mandate to legislate to ensure the building of low cost houses in the cities of greatest need Bill forgets that without that same MANDATE and on behalf of a small sliver of the electorate Bill’s National government has trashed whole democratically elected councils,
Having admitted that the housing market has FAILED Bill then retreats into the realms of MARKET IDIOCY, to have admitted such a market failure and then flatly refused to intervene with a measure to correct this FAILURE of the market Bill, the Minister of Finance no longer appears to be addressing the people of New Zealand from a position of market ideology but has retreated to the perceived safe haven of MARKET IDIOCY….
Kia Ora Te Pa O Ratana, Green Party Leader Metiria Turia has been invited to address the annual Hui at Ratana Pa, (one of very few woman to be given such Mana)…
It appears that the “Maori Party” is going to be a “dead” or “dying” party soon.
Founded by Tariana Turia upon leaving Labour, due to issues with their foreshore and seabed legislation, Sharples and others joined her to establish a party to seek redress from what Labour introduced into law, and a kind of “movement” was started.
The downfall of the Maori Party started by going into a support agreement with a National led government, and to agree to a range of policies, also to amend the law affecting foreshore and seabed matters. But Maori Party members – repeatedly told by their elected MPs, that the agreement with Key and his National led government is good, necessary and will bring more benefits than being in opposition, have increasingly felt hood-winked.
Harawira brought on the challenges that arose through working with National and its other support parties. An internal rift developed, and Harawira left, to form Mana.
Mana is supposed to be a new, inclusive “Left Party”, but most know, it is primarily led and organised by and through Harawira and his closest supporters. Yet he always wishes to emphasize, that Mana stands for the rights of Mana PLUS others, e.g. Pakeha, negatively affected by bad right wing policies.
Maori Party support has dropped and they will struggle to get voted back into Parliament, since Tariana has announced her retreat. Sharples is just too much of an old power loving hanger-on now, as one must seriously question his ability to influence the decisions of the government he supports, and is member of as a Minister. Flavell made a challenge, but Maori Party leaders are too scared now to see it through.
Harawira makes comments on National Radio this morning, basically admitting, that Mana is the other Maori Party. He talked about working together, some form of alliance, or something in that direction. He also presented his interest as a “leader” for Maori interests.
There was suddenly not much talk about inclusiveness and Mana being not just an “alternative Maori Party”.
It appears to be an “inclusive” party so far, through some images and presentation, but when looking closer, it becomes clearer to me, that Mana is primarily a party established by Harawira as “independent” MP for Tai Tokerau, who appears to have seen a need to try and boost membership and support by allowing in Minto, Bradford and a few others, to establish a wider set of leading members. Yet in polls it still struggles to get above the 1 per cent rate.
So I feel, Harawira now has to come CLEAN, on what is ultimate mission is, where he stands, whether he really wants to be primarily a Maori leader, or to keep working on a more inclusive leftist party.
My suspicions are, he wants to be the former, as that is what he feels more passionate about.
Hence again, my conclusion is that not just is Labour in a situation where it is struggling to find a “new way” as a “left” or at least “left of centre” party, Mana is also about to fall to pieces, given Harawira’s newly revived true aspirations.
Consequently, as the Greens are also not committed to be identified as “left” as such, or in principle, there is a TOTAL NEED and an ideal time now, to create and establish a NEW LEFT PARTY in NZ, that is truly left of centre and inclusive, not restircted to individual MPs or member’s interests and selected agendas.
Maori Party will soon be “dead”, I would expect, at least no more than a party in a similar situation as ACT is in now.
P.S.: I tried posting this under a thread on the state of the Maori Party today, but for some reason the comments appear to not register after I press the “submit comment” button.
Do i see the perfect storm forming for this abysmal failure of a Slippery lead Government,John(the already once convicted)Banks gets another couple of convictions to add to his rap sheet and is forced to resign from the Parliament,
And then,
The Supreme Court rules against the Government over Maori rights to water prompting Slippery the Prime Minister to introduce legislation to over-ride the Courts decision giving the Maori Party no option but to resign from it’s coalition,
I like Rod Oram’s reasoned comments on the state of our commerce.
I bought a book of reprints of his columns.
This is something that rings a bell.
…Australia is a very small economy in world terms. Having exhausted the domestic opportunities for scale and efficiency, businesses are turning to NZ. Their ownership of our banks was only a precursor to the wave of bids we’re seeing for our companies. We’re rapidly becoming an AUSTRALASIAN (my caps) economy….
We think our economies are outward-looking and internationally competitive, but they are not. NZ’s exports are only 30% of our GDP, we’re running prodigious trade and current account deficits, and we have built up high levels of private debt.
Australia IS ALMOST AS WEAK (mine). Its exports are a weedy 18% of GDP, its trade deficit is 2% of GDP, its current account deficit 5.5% of GDP, and its households the most indebted in the OECD, although NZs are right behind them….
AN AUSTRALASIAN ECONOMY LOOKS NO MORE ENCOURAGING IN TERMS OF SCALE OR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS.
SO DO WE THROW OUR LOT IN WITH THE AUSTRALIANS OR TRY TO CHART A DIFFERENT COURSE????
Sunday Star-Times, 16 April 2006 in Reinventing Paradise
Will the figures have improved in the years to 2012?
And does Labour have any commitment to change our nation’s commercial health and encourage jobs with reasonable hours work and wages? Putting up numbers of homes will only be an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, and that is only if they are designed to be real homes with fences and yards for children to play safely etc.
“And does Labour have any commitment to change our nation’s commercial health and encourage jobs with reasonable hours work and wages? Putting up numbers of homes will only be an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, and that is only if they are designed to be real homes with fences and yards for children to play safely etc.”
From RadioNZ National news at 1.00, David Cunliffe has reportedly said that He will not challenge David Shearer for the Labour Party leadership in February,
Unless there is another challenger it looks like Labour Party members are stuck with Dave Shearer, suck it up people and let’s hammer Labour on policy direction rather than play ‘swap the leader’….
PS, i hope that Parliamentary Labour have been smart enough to see fit to give David Cunliffe a front bench position in any upcoming reshuffle where He is tasked with regularly taking Finance Minister Bill English to task on His many FAILURES…
Hur hur, the members voted for exactly this potential outcome, KV. This is the system they wanted, this is the system David Cunliffe wanted. IT HAS HAPPENED! Just not in the way DC (and you) thought.
Why do you keep making the claim It has happened. Just not in the way DC (and supporters) thought etc.
I’ve said it before and I say it again. Most (repeat most) delegates who voted for the constitutional changes did so without actually having specific individuals in mind – at least not in the forefront of their minds anyway. How do I know? Because I was there, and I spoke with a number of delegates whose views on the proposed changes were surprisingly similar. From what was said to me, the outcome clearly had as much to do with years of frustration by members etc. who (rightly) felt they were undervalued by many in the caucus.What happened following the leadership challenge in 2011 was merely the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I keep repeating it because it’s true, Anne. And like you, I was there, too. I’m pretty sure I saw DC’s hand point to the ceiling in favour of 60% during the vote, so he personally supported the change, as far as I can tell. The DC supporters thought this option was going to see their man get up in February. My feeling is that those that thought that way hadn’t thought it through. Not only does the trigger stay in caucus, which means that without an in-caucus challenge it’s a moot point, but it also ankle taps a potential leader who has support in the wider party, but minority support in caucus.
Or, to put it another way, the members and affiliates wanted more democracy, but they promoted and voted for a system that gave caucus a veto over that democracy.
It’s not Shearer’s fault that he won’t take it to the party. It would be madness for him to do so. He’s already won, the majority of members seem happy with the outcome*, and we now move on to winning the election. It’s over Anne. The next conference can look at it again, I suppose, but the opportunity to install someone other than Shearer has passed.
*There haven’t been mass resignations, for example, so political junkies like you and I and others here atTS discussing the issue does not apparently reflect the real feeling in the party. My summary of that feeling is that members remain unsure of Shearer, but are willing to give him a go. Lukewarm support, but support none the less.
I agree with most of what you say Anon except I don’t believe the majority of delegates who voted for the 40/60 regime did so with the sole expectation of having a vote for Cunliffe in February. It was an act of admonishment on the part of most of them… continue to ignore us ordinary members at your peril! The most oft heard phrase I picked up on were the words “we want our party back” or “it’s just as much our party as it is theirs”.
I agree with you that Cunliffe would have been a fool to challenge Shearer next month. Anyway he is far too intelligent to have even considered it.
It’s the caucus members who have to mend some fences with the membership, and that is probably one of Shearer’s biggest challenges. If he doesn’t face up to it (or not succeed for whatever reason) all the policy in the world won’t help much because he (they) could be without a solid base of ‘on the ground’ workers.
the members and affiliates wanted more democracy, but they promoted and voted for a system that gave caucus a veto over that democracy
Um are you sure TRP?
Previously only caucus had a say in who the leader was. Now if the leader does not get more than 60% support in caucus on various occasions then the members get a say.
So democracy is increased.
Stop trying to diss people by saying it was a Cunliffe Shearer thing. It was a membership caucus thing. And the members won.
I am devostated by this. I thought David Cunlife was going to make Labour more socialist again.
But I thort also that David Cunlife did say to that reporter lots of time last year that he was NOT trying to take over from David Shearer. I guess Cunlife was telling the truth.
Oh i would say that Cunliffe having said He will not challenge for the leadership in February definitely falls within the ‘here’ realm of reality,
We will all have to wait a couple of weeks befor we know the out-come of the Labour Caucus vote to see if the Party wide contesting of the leadership will take place,
My view is that other than Cunliffe, Grant Robinson is the only other member of Labour’s Caucus that has the Mana, the presence and the ability to project a serious Prime Ministerial demeanor via the much despised 5 second television sound-bite in that Caucus,
I hold the view of course that it should be the Labour annual Conference that holds the ‘trigger’ on the question of both who the leader will be and who will be the Cabinet under that leadership, that would make a truly democratic Labour Party and a truly democratically elected Labour Government who would adhere to Labour Party policy at the risk of losing their positions should they not,
Having said that, IF there is to be no leadership vote,(disappointing i know), it is far more positive for us lot commenting on the Standard to then accept what may or may not turn out to be a very poor set of cards dealt to us and to then debate policy(and you never know what gains might be made),
i have been banging away here ad nauseam on the issue of housing for months now and in a short space of time both Labour and the Green Party have produced housing policy which (in different ways than i would have expected) has answered most aspects of any concerns i hold over the provision of affordable housing for ALL New Zealander’s…
I hold the view of course that it should be the Labour annual Conference that holds the ‘trigger’
This is the UK Labour system which TRP pooh-poohs. A low 20% caucus threshold which if triggered, gives the membership a decision as to whether or not they want a full blown leadership competition.
The annual Labour Conference vote for leader needs to be deferred until August, (just after a Roy Morgan poll). Cunliffe then needs to challenge and in the mean time Shearer needs to RETURN Cunliffe to cabinet.
Hopefully commonsense will prevail as I cannot make sense of Labour’s current strategy re Shearer being the leader and Labour’s stuck in the mud poll ratings. As well the Labour caucus need to lose their arrogance re the Labour membership having a say re leader and direction/policy.
Labour MP David Cunliffe has given an assurance he will not challenge David Shearer for the leadership when it comes to a vote on 4 February….
But Mr Cunliffe, who was demoted after the conference for failing to rule out a challenge, said on Thursday Mr Shearer’s position is safe.
He said he wants to be a constructive member of the Labour team and help the party win next year’s election.
Wondering how long it takes for people to realise they’ve been played – The Cunliffe challenge beat up, was an act, to cement DS as leader and it looks like DC was in on it!
The media and politics working together, keeping the suspense alive, keeping people from seeing what is actually in front of their faces!
Cunliffe has been around too long to be the saviour, he is part of the system, who came through the “training” of Boston Interational!
These bastards sending nearly 4,000 people to an early grave need to be held responsible for manslaughter.
40 % success rate on review and it has cost 60 million.
When a person is not fit for work, to send them to work means that they have to work harder than a person fit for work. I do not think that a work contract states slave labour or forced labour.
Hey I still want to see a vote for members and affiliates. I want to see all other aspirants campaign: Robertson, Little etc. I want to hear all their ideas for how we work better, new potential policies etc. Then I want a vote. Either to confirm Shearer as the best or choose another. What I don’t want is no vote, and then the wait until Mallard/King decide Shearer is to be replaced by Robertson. Now is the time to bring all that into the open, deal with those plans honestly, and then we can all unite.
How amiguous is this Statement from Education Minister ….
“I think that I had a very successful range of visits to each of the 36 schools… We will talk to them about what we think our intentions going forward are.”
(My Bold)
Great communicator isn’t she, not sure what her intentions are, but she’s happy to talk about them M8’s!
Slippery the Prime Minister in His speech to the annual hui at Ratana Pa has given a sniveling display to those gathered there befitting of a 4 year old who having had the ice-cream snatched from His hand throws a horrendous tantrum,
National having first been upstaged by Labour over affordable housing and today being administered the coup de grace from a stunning release of Green Party housing policy totally trouncing Nationals dysmal record of ‘hands off’ and market driven housing policy FAILURE had Slippery haranguing Ratana over the standard of housing at the Pa itself,
Hah, Whakapahone to you Slippery, hope they have shown you the door with a fitting send-off,(spit)…
In a fitting welcome to Ratana, leaders of the Ratana Movement have openly welcomed the formation of a Labour/Green coalition in 2014,(no wonder Slippery the Prime Minister is throwing tantrums befitting a 4 year old)
May i humbly add to Ratana’s ‘take’ by adding that 2014 cannot but come soon enough…
So climate denialist crackpot Boscawen is going to be the president of ACT. He will be sworn in to the position next month at the home of the rich crackpot, Alan Gibbs. You know, the one who financed ACT into existence, and who spent millions on a useless amphibious car. What happened to that car?
Cast your mind back to the mid 1990s. MMP had arrived, and the Nats were looking for a coalition party. Along came Alan Gibbs and together with his sidekicks (Craig Heatley, Michael Fay, David Richwhite and Trevor Farmer to name the better known) he set up the ACT party. The sole purpose of the venture was to supply National with a support partner.
It all started with a hiss and a roar and several million dollars to back it up. All went well for a couple of parliamentary terms and then slowly it turned to dust. Alan Gibbs had shot off to greener pastures and his new pet project, the amphibious car. The dollar bags dried up.
Fast forward to 2013. The Maori Party is imploding. United Future is a barely visible joke. ACT is all but gone-burger. The Nats are once again looking for a coalition party. Into the valley of political chicanery rides Alan Gibbs. ACT rises from the ashes (perhaps with a new name) and with the help of a further coterie of wealthy sidekicks hey presto… National has a new support party in time for the 2014 election!
Plausible? Well he and his mates did it once, so they could do it again.
Yes Karol. It looks to me like ACT is about to be resurrected. If I’m right then Gibbs and co. will be throwing huge sums of money at it again – buying high profile people to front the party just as they did in the mid-1990s. Why would Simmons be interested in standing for a political party that is all but dead?
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Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney This week, the Productivity Commission released its much-awaited report into productivity growth in Australia’s housing construction sector. It wasn’t a glowing appraisal. The commission found physical productivity – the total number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago Royal spoonbills are among several new species that have crossed the Tasman and naturalised in New Zealand. JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa ...
Stats NZ’s head is stepping down over the agency’s failure to safeguard census data, and more officials may soon be in the firing line, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. An ‘absolutely unacceptable’ failure Stats NZ chief ...
Health NZ is under greater government scrutiny, with the new health minister setting up a unit he says will "drive greater accountability and performance". ...
Manurewa Marae acknowledges should have done better at handling completed census forms, following an inquiry into steps government agencies took to protect data. ...
Police failed to protect people from protesters at a high-profile rally and made unlawful arrests at another, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says. ...
Comment: Crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are making it easier for people to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum without having to handle digital wallets or private keys. These allow investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency through their regular brokerage accounts.This has opened the door for billions of dollars ...
Two long-awaited reports into alleged personal data misuse, centred on census collection and Covid-19 vaccination efforts at Manurewa Marae, were released yesterday. Here’s what you need to know.“Very sobering reading” was how public service commissioner Sir Brian Roche described his organisation’s long-awaited report into the alleged misuse of census ...
Backbench MPs reached new levels of patsy questions in an extraordinarily dull question time on Tuesday. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. “MPs ask questions to explore key issues ...
The New Zealand Government says the Cook Islands must share more information about the deals it has signed with China, following the release of an ‘action plan’ in the face of protests in the Pacific nation’s capital.The Cook Islands government has also revealed plans to spend $3 million on a ...
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Comment: The recent attack by Destiny Church front groups on a Drag science show at Te Atatū library crossed a line. This wasn’t the first time that Brian Tamaki, the multimillionaire self-appointed ‘apostle’, has ordered acts of aggression against the queer community. Last year, Drag Story Time events were targeted, ...
Martina Salmon is well versed in the fast-paced action on a netball court, but even she was caught by surprise with the speed at which her career changed tack last year.Staying in the fast lane is only part of her drive this season.Fresh off a nine-day camp in Sydney with ...
Last night I may as well have been in Taihape. Or, closer to home, for me at least, somewhere in the Wairarapa. Or Tūrangi, even – which is near where we used to spend the summer when I was a child. For there was that same gorgeous small town feeling ...
Having Auckland’s food scraps dumped onto your rural backyard sounds scandalous, but in the North Island town of Reporoa there’s no fuss about the thousands of tonnes carted here every week.From the same site as one truck drops the waste, another truck picks up fertiliser to spread on local sheep ...
Negotiating rights over freshwater in Treaty settlement negotiations could have extended negotiations a decade, a Ngāi Tahu leader says.Tribal leaders, and its umbrella body, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, have taken the Attorney-General to court in a bid to have the Crown recognise its rangatiratanga (chiefly authority) over wai māori ...
Analysis: Poor safeguarding of New Zealanders’ data could be a widespread practice within the public service and certainly within the health system, according to the findings of an independent inquiry into allegations of misused census and Covid-19 vaccination information.The Public Service Commission’s review, led by consultant Pania Gray and former ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Stone, Principal Research Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Having dense breasts is a clear risk factor for breast cancer. It can also make cancers hard to spot on mammograms. Yet you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The National Anti-Corruption Commission will finally investigate whether six people referred to it by the royal commission into Robodebt engaged in corrupt conduct. This follows an independent reconsideration by former High Court judge Geoffrey ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Last week in Europe, the United States sent some very strong messages it is prepared to upend the established global order. US Vice President JD Vance warned a stunned Munich ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank cut official interest rates on Tuesday, the first decrease in four years, saying inflationary pressures are easing “a little more quickly than expected”. However, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allan Fels, Professor Allan Fels, Professor of Law, Economics and Business at the University of Melbourne and Monash University., The University of Melbourne Australia is creeping towards adding a divestiture power to its Competition and Consumer Act. Under such a law, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arjen Vaartjes, PhD Student, Quantum Physics, UNSW Sydney Dmitriy Rybin / Shutterstock What makes something quantum? This question has kept a small but dedicated fraction of the world’s population – most of them quantum physicists – up at night for decades. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University Australia’s minister for home affairs announced on Sunday that the federal government has struck a deal with Nauru to “resettle” three non-citizens from what’s come to be known as the “NZYQ cohort”. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University (From left to right): Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano before signing the Munich Agreement, which gave the Sudetenland to Germany.German Federal Archives/Wikimedia Commons Ukraine ...
The purpose was to establish the facts and provide an independent assessment of government agency activity in relation to allegations that personal data may have been misused during the 2023 General Election. ...
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said he is carefully reviewing the referrals raised in the two reports. That work will be done in the context the Privacy Act and the need to ensure individuals’ rights to privacy is protected and respected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhavna Middha, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, ...
‘
Crunch time for the Obama administration
Will Obama stand up for the planet and people, or bow down to the demands of big business and the right?
As the effects of unadressed climate change start to devastate the planet, will Obama be remembered for taking a stand, or for betraying humanity?
In an echo of New Zealand Green Party policy on climate change, Obama’s policy of not making climate change “a singular priority” may become his undoing.
Just as Green Party advocacy for the disadvantaged and less well off will be forgotten if they refuse to stand up for the climate.Obama will earn the undying enmity of the environmental movement and lose informed liberal support, if he approves the XL pipeline, . Obama may try and recover this support by rightly standing up for equal rights in marriage, but this may not be enough to save his reputation, or the reputation of the Democratic Party ultimately costing them and us dearly.
Jenny, I think you’re forgetting who runs the place, and calls the shots, hence your message is aimed at the wrong entity!
Note: It’s not the POTUS who calls the shots!
illuminati?
Or if you actually type their name, will they appear behind you?
McFlock, even with your blindsighted ignorance, I would give you credit for understanding that the POTUS, is a figurehead, who speaks/implements what the *influential/powerful*, direct him to!
Have I over-estimated you?
Even with your unprovoked first-use of angry punctuation, I gathered “influential/powerful”.
Do they issue orders via intermediaries? Is Bill Gates in the club?
Don’t be obtuse: everyone knows the Illuminatii use mind-control.
In the matter of the XL pipeline that statement is actually factually wrong. Because the XL pipeline crosses State boundaries it requires the Presidential approval to proceed. You read it right. The president actually has to act, to allow this pipeline to proceed. In this case the POTUS most definitely calls the shots.
And that is not all. The POTUS does have powers to act against climate change if he chooses.
No More Excuses
The Labour Party needs to get out of its current malaise, the pregnant silence between the Leadership team and the members is deafening.
National had a free run in the press this week with fluffy confectionary. We will be p*ssed if that is reflected in the next polls. The Trotter, Eddie, Cactus Kate, Mike Williams and the 2pts drop in polls stories were the only thing from the Left, all negative. And that was the opening week in the political year!
The bad policies of the government are not only a PR issue. Another 1,000 went to Australia this week. 250,000 kids went to bed hungry.
What game-changing strategy does Annette King, Grant Robertson,Trivor Mallerd and David Shearer have to win New Zealand’s support for a Labour Victory? Another rehearsed speech can only be a minor component in the necessary game changing strategy. The National Party cannot be allowed another term.
Hopefully all will be revealed in David Shearer’s game-changing speech on Sunday.
There have been two rumours doing the beltway track in recent times.
1. Shearer was going to put the leadership question to the members and affiliates.
2. Shane Jones was to be reinstated to the front bench.
Who started them? The same source as last year, and the year before? Mischief making again?
NB. No rumours concerning David Cunliffe – yet.
Now all we need is that moronic reporter (Gower) from TV3 making shit up again!
Coming soon on a TV screen near you!
When will Gower ask Shane Jones if he will only hire DVDs of Shearer’s speeches next time he stays at a motel?
I cannot respect anyone who can attack Cunliffe while promoting Jones and that back pussy guy from the Waitaks.
PS I don’t get email notifications any more. How paranoid and accusatory should I be? 😛
Cunliffe not challenging Shearer
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8218444/Cunliffe-not-challenging-Shearer
Typical MSM. There was absolutely no fucking “leadership bid last year” at COnference. Nevertheless, I still believe that its crucial that the wider Labour membership be permitted to vote and confirm Shearer in Feb, for the sake of party unity and energy going into 2014.
I’m still hoping he’ll break away and start a new left party.
Easy 5% and his seat, easy.
Cometh the time, etc
I watched the TV3 news tonight and the quotes from Cunliffe were mighty different from Gower’s interpretation of them – or even on Stuff – same thing. Maybe just me, but I didn’t read what he said as an unequivocal rejection of him standing as leader. He seemed to be really careful in his words. The vote on 4 Feb is purely about whether the caucus (and hopefully the party) still have confidence in his leadership. It only has something to do with Cunliffe or Robertson or anyone else that chooses to chuck their hat in the ring if the he doesn’t get the support of caucus….or am I missing something? Oh, and just for the record….I’m not from the looney left either. I’m pure mainstream left (if there is such a thing)!
“What game-changing strategy does Annette King, Grant Robertson,Trivor Mallerd and David Shearer have to win New Zealand’s support for a Labour Victory?”
From where I am standing, none.
Sit still and quiet and wait for National to politely hand over the reins.
And stifle any dissent whilst sitting silent then take the reins (whenever that is) with no idea whatsoever of how to repair the damage or get our kid’s futures back.
What makes you think that Mallard, King, Robertson care about game changing strategy or winning the next election? Those oldies are just pissed they don’t get parliamentary super like Goff so they need to hang on in there to keep the fortnightly payroll coming. I hear Mallard is fairly down on net worth after a split or two. And the Wn mayoralty doesn’t pay as well as King currently gets.
As for Robertson, he’d have to own the failure of the 2011 election strategy where he was key before he could learn how to do better. But this team of three is not about learning and embracing but power plays at any cost.
What makes you think that Mallard, King, Robertson care about game changing strategy or winning the next election? Those oldies are just pissed they don’t get parliamentary super like Goff so they need to hang on in there to keep the fortnightly payroll coming. I hear Mallard is fairly down on net worth after a split or two. And the Wn mayoralty doesn’t pay as well as King currently gets.
As for Robertson, he’d have to own the failure of the 2011 election strategy where he had a key role before he could learn how to do better.
But this team of three is not about learning and embracing, but power plays at any cost.
Benghazi
You can say that again!
A humble request for LPrent: if you have a moment, can you lose Feedburner please? I use the RSS feed as the simplest way to keep up with comments, and its particularly useful for continuity in the more popular posts.
Feedburner is always 20-40 minutes out of date, meaning constantly having to reload the main page, check the comments box, then click on each comment individually to see what’s being said. The previous RSS feed constantly updated itself, so keeping up with conversations was a breeze.
Cheers, TRP.
Doesn’t that render your inbox completely unmanageable TRP?
T’would be great if we could get answers to our own comments but not the whole thread.
It’s hard to keep track of my own sometime comments and questions, and any responses beyond the immediate.
No, js, I was meaning the ‘comments RSS’ button, top right hand side of the page, just above the rolling list of recent comments. When it works well, it gives you all the recent comments in chronological order, so in a minute or so, you can catch up with all recent postings, rather than have to click on each seperate comment. It’s really great if you are in an ongoing discussion, because it saves a lot of time.
If you click on it now, you will see what I mean (though it will be 20 minutes out of date, and this comment won’t come up). It’s really great tool, but only if its up to the minute.
Ahh….Ta TRP. A timesaver.
Does anyone know how many films Warner Bros has been involved in, in New Zealand, since the Hobbitt finished shooting about 3 years ago?
Ummm none, and only 2 look like Wingnut are going to be involved in them, one in 2013, and 2014
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Warner_Bros._films#2010s
This is a pretty good list.
”it is appropriate for the Government to take a bridging investment role to ensure the right projects can get underway”
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
David Carter mimicking Jim Anderton, his hero obviously, in picking winners
Bill English pontificating upon the growing inability for ‘the market’ to address the growing issue of housing un-affordability,
”It takes the market 8 years before it has provided a house for a new immigrant” unquote, Bill English, Minister of Finance speaking to RadioNZ National,
Having said that Bill went on to point the finger at the Auckland City Council claiming that they are stifling new building activity by not bringing new areas of land into the home building equation,
Auckland City Council in reply point out that there are currently 13,000 sections available to build upon within the City, FAILURE of the argument put forward by the Finance Minister equates to further FAILURE of market driven policy in housing,
Again Bill puts His foot firmly in His mouth by claiming that the Auckland City Council should commit political suicide and dictate that developers build affordable (hence smaller) houses simply pointing out a further FAILURE of the market philosophy where any developer, as pointed out by someone else on the Standard a few days ago, would be stupid in terms of ‘markets’ to not build the biggest most expensive house on any particular piece of ground as to do otherwise would be to forgo a large tranche of profit,
Having stupidly claimed that His National Government has no mandate to legislate to ensure the building of low cost houses in the cities of greatest need Bill forgets that without that same MANDATE and on behalf of a small sliver of the electorate Bill’s National government has trashed whole democratically elected councils,
Having admitted that the housing market has FAILED Bill then retreats into the realms of MARKET IDIOCY, to have admitted such a market failure and then flatly refused to intervene with a measure to correct this FAILURE of the market Bill, the Minister of Finance no longer appears to be addressing the people of New Zealand from a position of market ideology but has retreated to the perceived safe haven of MARKET IDIOCY….
Kia Ora Te Pa O Ratana, Green Party Leader Metiria Turia has been invited to address the annual Hui at Ratana Pa, (one of very few woman to be given such Mana)…
Kapai!!!!
It appears that the “Maori Party” is going to be a “dead” or “dying” party soon.
Founded by Tariana Turia upon leaving Labour, due to issues with their foreshore and seabed legislation, Sharples and others joined her to establish a party to seek redress from what Labour introduced into law, and a kind of “movement” was started.
The downfall of the Maori Party started by going into a support agreement with a National led government, and to agree to a range of policies, also to amend the law affecting foreshore and seabed matters. But Maori Party members – repeatedly told by their elected MPs, that the agreement with Key and his National led government is good, necessary and will bring more benefits than being in opposition, have increasingly felt hood-winked.
Harawira brought on the challenges that arose through working with National and its other support parties. An internal rift developed, and Harawira left, to form Mana.
Mana is supposed to be a new, inclusive “Left Party”, but most know, it is primarily led and organised by and through Harawira and his closest supporters. Yet he always wishes to emphasize, that Mana stands for the rights of Mana PLUS others, e.g. Pakeha, negatively affected by bad right wing policies.
Maori Party support has dropped and they will struggle to get voted back into Parliament, since Tariana has announced her retreat. Sharples is just too much of an old power loving hanger-on now, as one must seriously question his ability to influence the decisions of the government he supports, and is member of as a Minister. Flavell made a challenge, but Maori Party leaders are too scared now to see it through.
Harawira makes comments on National Radio this morning, basically admitting, that Mana is the other Maori Party. He talked about working together, some form of alliance, or something in that direction. He also presented his interest as a “leader” for Maori interests.
There was suddenly not much talk about inclusiveness and Mana being not just an “alternative Maori Party”.
Looking up their website tells you enough, how it is run and what the priority political emphasis and support base is:
http://mana.net.nz/
http://mana.net.nz/2013/01/is-mana-maori-a-possibility/
http://mana.net.nz/kaupapa-vision/
It appears to be an “inclusive” party so far, through some images and presentation, but when looking closer, it becomes clearer to me, that Mana is primarily a party established by Harawira as “independent” MP for Tai Tokerau, who appears to have seen a need to try and boost membership and support by allowing in Minto, Bradford and a few others, to establish a wider set of leading members. Yet in polls it still struggles to get above the 1 per cent rate.
See also this newspaper article from the Northern Advocate:
http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/news/harawira-id-lead-maori-mana-party/1724449/
See also this news and blog site:
http://yournz.org/tag/mana-party/
So I feel, Harawira now has to come CLEAN, on what is ultimate mission is, where he stands, whether he really wants to be primarily a Maori leader, or to keep working on a more inclusive leftist party.
My suspicions are, he wants to be the former, as that is what he feels more passionate about.
Hence again, my conclusion is that not just is Labour in a situation where it is struggling to find a “new way” as a “left” or at least “left of centre” party, Mana is also about to fall to pieces, given Harawira’s newly revived true aspirations.
Consequently, as the Greens are also not committed to be identified as “left” as such, or in principle, there is a TOTAL NEED and an ideal time now, to create and establish a NEW LEFT PARTY in NZ, that is truly left of centre and inclusive, not restircted to individual MPs or member’s interests and selected agendas.
Maori Party will soon be “dead”, I would expect, at least no more than a party in a similar situation as ACT is in now.
P.S.: I tried posting this under a thread on the state of the Maori Party today, but for some reason the comments appear to not register after I press the “submit comment” button.
I tried to post a comment on the state of the Maori Party, but for some reason, it does not appear to be accepted at all by the system!
Has there been a “block” placed on any comments for whatever reason?
Even when trying to put the post under “Open Mike”, it just does not appear.
This is disappointing, indeed, and raises some questions.
There was a glitch about 10 to 15mins. ago. I was told TS was ‘off air’.
Hi folks!
Seen this?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/8212901/Further-charges-possible-for-John-Banks
How long will shonky John Key be able to defend the indefensible dodgy John Banks?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
Do i see the perfect storm forming for this abysmal failure of a Slippery lead Government,John(the already once convicted)Banks gets another couple of convictions to add to his rap sheet and is forced to resign from the Parliament,
And then,
The Supreme Court rules against the Government over Maori rights to water prompting Slippery the Prime Minister to introduce legislation to over-ride the Courts decision giving the Maori Party no option but to resign from it’s coalition,
The fun it seems has only just begun…
heh.
Always nice to see someone making life difficult for a tory
I like Rod Oram’s reasoned comments on the state of our commerce.
I bought a book of reprints of his columns.
This is something that rings a bell.
…Australia is a very small economy in world terms. Having exhausted the domestic opportunities for scale and efficiency, businesses are turning to NZ. Their ownership of our banks was only a precursor to the wave of bids we’re seeing for our companies. We’re rapidly becoming an AUSTRALASIAN (my caps) economy….
We think our economies are outward-looking and internationally competitive, but they are not. NZ’s exports are only 30% of our GDP, we’re running prodigious trade and current account deficits, and we have built up high levels of private debt.
Australia IS ALMOST AS WEAK (mine). Its exports are a weedy 18% of GDP, its trade deficit is 2% of GDP, its current account deficit 5.5% of GDP, and its households the most indebted in the OECD, although NZs are right behind them….
AN AUSTRALASIAN ECONOMY LOOKS NO MORE ENCOURAGING IN TERMS OF SCALE OR GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS.
SO DO WE THROW OUR LOT IN WITH THE AUSTRALIANS OR TRY TO CHART A DIFFERENT COURSE????
Sunday Star-Times, 16 April 2006 in Reinventing Paradise
Will the figures have improved in the years to 2012?
And does Labour have any commitment to change our nation’s commercial health and encourage jobs with reasonable hours work and wages? Putting up numbers of homes will only be an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, and that is only if they are designed to be real homes with fences and yards for children to play safely etc.
“And does Labour have any commitment to change our nation’s commercial health and encourage jobs with reasonable hours work and wages? Putting up numbers of homes will only be an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, and that is only if they are designed to be real homes with fences and yards for children to play safely etc.”
NO
From RadioNZ National news at 1.00, David Cunliffe has reportedly said that He will not challenge David Shearer for the Labour Party leadership in February,
Unless there is another challenger it looks like Labour Party members are stuck with Dave Shearer, suck it up people and let’s hammer Labour on policy direction rather than play ‘swap the leader’….
PS, i hope that Parliamentary Labour have been smart enough to see fit to give David Cunliffe a front bench position in any upcoming reshuffle where He is tasked with regularly taking Finance Minister Bill English to task on His many FAILURES…
Whether Cunliffe says that is neither here nor there.
He cannot be expected to carry the burden of the party.
A non vote in February fixes NOTHING.
Te members vote for change in the Party’s approach and democracy.
THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED.
A non vote only emphasises the dis-connection of the leadership.
Hur hur, the members voted for exactly this potential outcome, KV. This is the system they wanted, this is the system David Cunliffe wanted. IT HAS HAPPENED! Just not in the way DC (and you) thought.
Can we talk about policy now?
Anon? What is the weather like up in the Manawatu today?
Identity speculation is a no no, KV.
TRP, are you changing your handle?
Hi, CV. No, it’s just an IP adress issue at the server I’ve mostly been on for the last couple of days. Got it sussed now.
Anon
Why do you keep making the claim It has happened. Just not in the way DC (and supporters) thought etc.
I’ve said it before and I say it again. Most (repeat most) delegates who voted for the constitutional changes did so without actually having specific individuals in mind – at least not in the forefront of their minds anyway. How do I know? Because I was there, and I spoke with a number of delegates whose views on the proposed changes were surprisingly similar. From what was said to me, the outcome clearly had as much to do with years of frustration by members etc. who (rightly) felt they were undervalued by many in the caucus.What happened following the leadership challenge in 2011 was merely the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I keep repeating it because it’s true, Anne. And like you, I was there, too. I’m pretty sure I saw DC’s hand point to the ceiling in favour of 60% during the vote, so he personally supported the change, as far as I can tell. The DC supporters thought this option was going to see their man get up in February. My feeling is that those that thought that way hadn’t thought it through. Not only does the trigger stay in caucus, which means that without an in-caucus challenge it’s a moot point, but it also ankle taps a potential leader who has support in the wider party, but minority support in caucus.
Or, to put it another way, the members and affiliates wanted more democracy, but they promoted and voted for a system that gave caucus a veto over that democracy.
It’s not Shearer’s fault that he won’t take it to the party. It would be madness for him to do so. He’s already won, the majority of members seem happy with the outcome*, and we now move on to winning the election. It’s over Anne. The next conference can look at it again, I suppose, but the opportunity to install someone other than Shearer has passed.
*There haven’t been mass resignations, for example, so political junkies like you and I and others here atTS discussing the issue does not apparently reflect the real feeling in the party. My summary of that feeling is that members remain unsure of Shearer, but are willing to give him a go. Lukewarm support, but support none the less.
I agree with most of what you say Anon except I don’t believe the majority of delegates who voted for the 40/60 regime did so with the sole expectation of having a vote for Cunliffe in February. It was an act of admonishment on the part of most of them… continue to ignore us ordinary members at your peril! The most oft heard phrase I picked up on were the words “we want our party back” or “it’s just as much our party as it is theirs”.
I agree with you that Cunliffe would have been a fool to challenge Shearer next month. Anyway he is far too intelligent to have even considered it.
It’s the caucus members who have to mend some fences with the membership, and that is probably one of Shearer’s biggest challenges. If he doesn’t face up to it (or not succeed for whatever reason) all the policy in the world won’t help much because he (they) could be without a solid base of ‘on the ground’ workers.
the members and affiliates wanted more democracy, but they promoted and voted for a system that gave caucus a veto over that democracy
Um are you sure TRP?
Previously only caucus had a say in who the leader was. Now if the leader does not get more than 60% support in caucus on various occasions then the members get a say.
So democracy is increased.
Stop trying to diss people by saying it was a Cunliffe Shearer thing. It was a membership caucus thing. And the members won.
Long live democracy in the Labour Party.
I am devostated by this. I thought David Cunlife was going to make Labour more socialist again.
But I thort also that David Cunlife did say to that reporter lots of time last year that he was NOT trying to take over from David Shearer. I guess Cunlife was telling the truth.
I am also devistated for David Cunlife!
Oh i would say that Cunliffe having said He will not challenge for the leadership in February definitely falls within the ‘here’ realm of reality,
We will all have to wait a couple of weeks befor we know the out-come of the Labour Caucus vote to see if the Party wide contesting of the leadership will take place,
My view is that other than Cunliffe, Grant Robinson is the only other member of Labour’s Caucus that has the Mana, the presence and the ability to project a serious Prime Ministerial demeanor via the much despised 5 second television sound-bite in that Caucus,
I hold the view of course that it should be the Labour annual Conference that holds the ‘trigger’ on the question of both who the leader will be and who will be the Cabinet under that leadership, that would make a truly democratic Labour Party and a truly democratically elected Labour Government who would adhere to Labour Party policy at the risk of losing their positions should they not,
Having said that, IF there is to be no leadership vote,(disappointing i know), it is far more positive for us lot commenting on the Standard to then accept what may or may not turn out to be a very poor set of cards dealt to us and to then debate policy(and you never know what gains might be made),
i have been banging away here ad nauseam on the issue of housing for months now and in a short space of time both Labour and the Green Party have produced housing policy which (in different ways than i would have expected) has answered most aspects of any concerns i hold over the provision of affordable housing for ALL New Zealander’s…
This is the UK Labour system which TRP pooh-poohs. A low 20% caucus threshold which if triggered, gives the membership a decision as to whether or not they want a full blown leadership competition.
The annual Labour Conference vote for leader needs to be deferred until August, (just after a Roy Morgan poll). Cunliffe then needs to challenge and in the mean time Shearer needs to RETURN Cunliffe to cabinet.
Hopefully commonsense will prevail as I cannot make sense of Labour’s current strategy re Shearer being the leader and Labour’s stuck in the mud poll ratings. As well the Labour caucus need to lose their arrogance re the Labour membership having a say re leader and direction/policy.
And it is in print here:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/126374/cunliffe-says-he-won't-challenge-shearer-for-leadership
Karol
“We the People” are pissed with how a group in the Caucus has hi-jacked the Party in 2008.
And in Nov/Dec 2011
And in Nov 2012.
No change.
The Party needs a fundamental change.
The Membership does not have confidence in the Leadership Team.
“We the People” still have the objective of change the Leadership Team to one which can be endorsed by the majority of the membership and unions.
Nothing has changed since yesterday.
Indeed, KV. And I hope it’s successful. The idea of Shearer as PM is a complete turn-off for me. But at least I have the Greens or Mana to vote for.
Wondering how long it takes for people to realise they’ve been played – The Cunliffe challenge beat up, was an act, to cement DS as leader and it looks like DC was in on it!
The media and politics working together, keeping the suspense alive, keeping people from seeing what is actually in front of their faces!
Cunliffe has been around too long to be the saviour, he is part of the system, who came through the “training” of Boston Interational!
🙄
A foretaste of the Nats welfare ‘reforms’. I fear that the disabled and those with chronic illnesses won’t know what’s hit them after July.
http://www.newstatesman.com//politics/2013/01/shadow-state-atos-and-work-capability-assessment
These bastards sending nearly 4,000 people to an early grave need to be held responsible for manslaughter.
40 % success rate on review and it has cost 60 million.
When a person is not fit for work, to send them to work means that they have to work harder than a person fit for work. I do not think that a work contract states slave labour or forced labour.
Hey I still want to see a vote for members and affiliates. I want to see all other aspirants campaign: Robertson, Little etc. I want to hear all their ideas for how we work better, new potential policies etc. Then I want a vote. Either to confirm Shearer as the best or choose another. What I don’t want is no vote, and then the wait until Mallard/King decide Shearer is to be replaced by Robertson. Now is the time to bring all that into the open, deal with those plans honestly, and then we can all unite.
How amiguous is this Statement from Education Minister ….
“I think that I had a very successful range of visits to each of the 36 schools… We will talk to them about what we think our intentions going forward are.”
(My Bold)
Great communicator isn’t she, not sure what her intentions are, but she’s happy to talk about them M8’s!
I’m pretty sure she writes her media statements with the help of <a href='http://www.buzzwords4u.co.uk/'<this website.
href=’http://www.buzzwords4u.co.uk/’>this
dang it. can’t edit…
I couldn’t get the link code to work in my comment @4.40pm above. Gave up. We can copy and paste your url, mike.
Thanks karol, though it wasn’t exactly a link of vital national security hehe.
“Going forward”!
Argh!
http://endaguinan.com/2009/05/13/when-we-started-going-forward-thats-when-we-started-going-backwards/
you’re a damn patient fella in an argument, RV, far more so than me. Good on ya.
Slippery the Prime Minister in His speech to the annual hui at Ratana Pa has given a sniveling display to those gathered there befitting of a 4 year old who having had the ice-cream snatched from His hand throws a horrendous tantrum,
National having first been upstaged by Labour over affordable housing and today being administered the coup de grace from a stunning release of Green Party housing policy totally trouncing Nationals dysmal record of ‘hands off’ and market driven housing policy FAILURE had Slippery haranguing Ratana over the standard of housing at the Pa itself,
Hah, Whakapahone to you Slippery, hope they have shown you the door with a fitting send-off,(spit)…
In a fitting welcome to Ratana, leaders of the Ratana Movement have openly welcomed the formation of a Labour/Green coalition in 2014,(no wonder Slippery the Prime Minister is throwing tantrums befitting a 4 year old)
May i humbly add to Ratana’s ‘take’ by adding that 2014 cannot but come soon enough…
Oh dearie me, look at this:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10861201
So climate denialist crackpot Boscawen is going to be the president of ACT. He will be sworn in to the position next month at the home of the rich crackpot, Alan Gibbs. You know, the one who financed ACT into existence, and who spent millions on a useless amphibious car. What happened to that car?
“What happened to that car?”
It sunk the same way Act has.
Ooops a daisy:
A sleazy new deal maybe taking shape?
Cast your mind back to the mid 1990s. MMP had arrived, and the Nats were looking for a coalition party. Along came Alan Gibbs and together with his sidekicks (Craig Heatley, Michael Fay, David Richwhite and Trevor Farmer to name the better known) he set up the ACT party. The sole purpose of the venture was to supply National with a support partner.
It all started with a hiss and a roar and several million dollars to back it up. All went well for a couple of parliamentary terms and then slowly it turned to dust. Alan Gibbs had shot off to greener pastures and his new pet project, the amphibious car. The dollar bags dried up.
Fast forward to 2013. The Maori Party is imploding. United Future is a barely visible joke. ACT is all but gone-burger. The Nats are once again looking for a coalition party. Into the valley of political chicanery rides Alan Gibbs. ACT rises from the ashes (perhaps with a new name) and with the help of a further coterie of wealthy sidekicks hey presto… National has a new support party in time for the 2014 election!
Plausible? Well he and his mates did it once, so they could do it again.
Well, it seems Chris Simmons has stepped down as party prez & Boscowen has taken over. Simmons wants to be an Act candidate next election.
Yes Karol. It looks to me like ACT is about to be resurrected. If I’m right then Gibbs and co. will be throwing huge sums of money at it again – buying high profile people to front the party just as they did in the mid-1990s. Why would Simmons be interested in standing for a political party that is all but dead?
http://news.yahoo.com/ap-impact-recession-tech-kill-middle-class-jobs-051306434–finance.html