@logie97 – I had a wee glance at the newstalk link, yuk and pathetic. And as for Veitchy on Sunday another yuk and pathetic. I’m afraid this sort of tacky journalism is very much a reflection of MSM in NZ
Cannot imagine what people accessing the Newstalkzb site from overseas to get some insight into New Zealand News and current affairs would think.
(Wonder how Leighton Smith would rate the standard of writing on his own beloved channel).
Anyone read this, this morning…Dotcom’s secret donation to Banks
“John said, ‘Wait a minute’,” Dotcom recalled last night. “‘It would be good if you could split it up into two payments of 25 [thousand dollars], then I don’t declare publicly who made it’.”
“Last night, Mr Banks said there would be nothing wrong with his telling people how to give anonymously.”
heh. I liked this bit – “Mr Banks said there was no issue in his stay in Hong Kong. He paid for every aspect of the trip himself.”
Now, is it just me, or is that potentially misleading? Shouldn’t that more accurately read ” Mr Banks said there was no issue in his stay in Hong Kong. He paid for every aspect of the trip that required payment himself.”?
The way it’s worded, he could theoretically have accepted ‘gifts’ from Dotcom and still claim that he paid for everything that he had to pay for but mask the fact he got stuff for nix.
for example the Herald article states pretty clearly that DotCom sent his own limo for Banks in Hong Kong http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10802016
“He arranged for his limo to collect Mr Banks from the airport and later to drive him to a helicopter pad for a trip to Macau.”
very generous actions from a guy Banks only spent twenty minutes with and cannot recall discussing a fifty grand donation with. How fucking stupid does Banks think people are?
oh yeah forgot where i was for a moment there
the country that voted the NActs back in, maybe Banks will be fine after all.
You know what. Banksie’s responses are going to piss Dotcom and his wife off even more. And I’m betting that Dotcom has a small, very competent, and highly paid team who keep these kinds of detailed historical matters on file for him. Down to the date, time and kilometres travelled in the limo in HK, as well as what was said to the driver along the way.
Banks has fucked this up, he needed to get back on side with Dotcom, and has instead gone completely the opposite way.
Of interest would be what Banks got up to on His visit to Macau, Macau being the world capital for gambling with a bigger dollar turnover for gambling than even Las Vegas,
A side question. With all that cash flooding through political campaigns, is there ever the temptation of politicians to siphon off money to themselves? How would they do that? I suppose the first step would be to declare a random number of donation of the same amount as anonymous, then each donator won’t know if there cash had got to the purpose they donated it for. Not thinking of any particular politicians alleged behavior recently in the news.
The last line of your comment, a quote from Banks outta the Herald sez it all as far as the over-bloated sense of entitlement held in the minds of the likes of Banks goes don’t it???,
Banks seems to think that the Law was written specially for the likes of Him and the likes of those who would give Him campaign funding to hide the source of that funding from the public,
It might take a few months sitting in a cold jail cell for Him to wake up to the fact that if HE(Banks), knew where the coin was coming from the Law sez it aint anonymous…
John Banks understands the law says small donations can be anonymous, so he simply sees all donations need to be small. Personally $25,000 is not a small amount of money and i never have been convinced that one single donation to any political party should be anonymous.
My understanding is the ‘small donations’ are anonymous to ease administration etc. At least that is the usual propoganda behind lies like this. It is a scam written by the past scammers to aide the future scammers. Pure and simple and i will never be convinced it is anything else.
You either proudly and openly support a party or you don’t.
Political candidates are required by law to declare donations if they know who made them. Failure to do so is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.
A vacancy is automatically created if any MP is convicted of an offence punishable by two years or more, no matter what punishment they get
It’s hard to see how Banks can hold onto his seat, though I’m sure the right will pull out all the stops to drag this out and play for time.
And the moral of the story is that the Labour caucus needs to get rid of Shearer right now. This could easily bring the next election forward by a year. Unfortunately, morality is not the Labour caucus’s strong suit.
Ironically, given the whole non-politician game he’s playing, Shearer couldn’t look more like one with his continuing to lie about there being no problem in the leader’s office line. Looks like another cheap polly desperately trying to hold onto power. Doesn’t bode well for any chance of him steppping down for the greater good.
edit: this is a reply to comment 2 and the article contianed in it.
I don’t think we’ll be heading to a general election soon, unless another Nat MP goes after Banks does. It’ll just be a byelection for now. But Labour does need to get it’s sh*t together otherwise the Greens will be leading the opposition into the next election.
Labour’s leadership issue are providing a distraction from NAct’s problems. While the NZ Herald is front-paging the Banks-Dotcom donation, Stuff and the Dom Post are second-paging Shearer leadership rumours, with nothing about Labour or NAct on the front page – though maybe the Dom Post is just slow and had today’s edition organised early last night…?
+1 Carol, and yeah I noticed that on Stuff – well, noticed that wasn’t there on Stuff. Two negative Shearer stories and one about Collins’ defamation case. Nothing at all about Banks – I suppose that’s because Key’s office hasn’t issued a press release yet…
“While the NZ Herald is front-paging the Banks-Dotcom donation, Stuff and the Dom Post are second-paging Shearer leadership rumours, with nothing about Labour or NAct on the front page – though maybe the Dom Post is just slow and had today’s edition organised early last night…?”
—-Absolutely not an coincidence Carol – It is obfuscation, nothing more than that. APN/Fairfax , its not really competition is it! No it is very easy to “collaborate” when there are only two players, and its not like this news will have only just broken. I would ask what the timing was trying to hide!
The DomPost editor is a she I believe and has been there for a while. But you are right she is fully NAct’s puppet. She put a piece in the paper a wee while ago to say they were fully committed to impartial journalism, that made me laugh out loud, it’s like John Key saying I’m committed to telling the truth.
look at the maelstrom of issues National are battling with, yet all you see in the Dom are questions on Labour’s leadership, dancing puppies and who may or may not have their own tv show
Participants:
Shaun Davison
Prof Grant Gillett, of the Otago Centre for Bioethics
Maryan Street – Labour Party list MP
John Kleinsman – director of the Wellington-based Nathaniel Centre, the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre
Associate Prof Colin Gavaghan, a specialist in medical law and ethics
Thomas Noakes-Duncan – post graduate Otago theology and religion doctoral student
At no time. I don’t think anyone will want to go there, and certainly nowhere near a majority will want anything like that. Many things that are legal are not compulsory.
Scaremongering against the worst that might happen is a tactic to try and build opposition to a moderate and sensible modificaztion to what is allowed now. It’s quite unclear at the moment.
And here was me thinking that euthanasia was simply the ultimate efficency that the neo-liberals could think up for the Humans after their usefulness as a tool in the economic equation had been exhausted,
I obviously don’t live in the same effete rarified world that you seem to occupy, we seem to live in parallel dimensions on the same planet at the same time,
I personally know of old people who have had their life savings and their property removed from them by their own children by pretext and in situations where the law is powerless to intervene,
If you care to conduct some research through Grey-Power I am sure you will be aquainted with any number of such cases,
Changing the law to allow euthanasia will simply ensure that any number of these old people wont only be relieved of their possessions but also be relieved of their lives as well…
Sensible euthanasia law won’t change oldies being ripped off by unscrupulous people at all, they are completely different things.m And sensible euthanasia law would not change the legalities of murdser either.
You’re confusing giving people a carefully checked right to choose how to end their own lives when the end isn inevitable becasue of terminal illness, and extremes of abuse. I don’t know if that is deliberate or through ignorance.
Changing the law to allow euthanasia will simply ensure that any number of these old people wont only be relieved of their possessions but also be relieved of their lives as well…
PS,as far as knocking off the rellies goes what is allowed now is NOTHING,there’s nothing ‘unclear’ about that its called by the law MURDER, or, MANSLAUGHTER,
So, allowing for a law change that lets the rellies be dispatched from the mortal coil early aint a moderate modification and if there were any sense or morality in doing so I am sure that better minds than ours in years gone by would have formulated ‘sensible’ laws to allow such…
Gods, I hate to be in agreement with Pete George here, but … you don’t think elderly people get “bumped off” by unscrupulous relatives right now?
Pretending that voluntary euthanasia has anything to do with a law which clearly spells out conditions and scrutiny around allowing people to make decisions themselves about the ends of their lives is basically dishonest, bad12.
What you seem to be saying is that seeing as there appears to be plenty of those who are engaging in the early dispatch of their elderly relatives now we should have a law which codifies the easy efficient dispatch of those elderly rellies,
The second paragraph of your comment is incomprehensible to my small tired brain,I never received any tuition in Mumbo Jumbo during my limited education perhaps you could try a re-write in basic English…
My brain isn’t working ’cause it’s a Saturday: if Labour/Greens just went super-low-key, and allowed Goldsmith or whoever National stand to go basically unchallenged, thus rendering the National/Act agreement void … what policies would this affect by not allowing National to say “Oh no, we have to do this ’cause it’s in our agreement, we’re not rabid free market lucrephiles at all!”? Obviously charter schools is one, but that’s already underway so they can claim the trial is a Total Success and carry on …
Because its a competitive tender, quite possibly lowest conforming price. Also the contracts are made so large that only huge companies have the means to take them on. This is a mistake as small firms can often do a better job at a lower price if the contracts are of an approachable size. I know that a s,all firm is able to be around 25% cheaper and won.tproice gouge variation work.
1) Why didnt local firms get the tender – Can’t see anything in the article that indicated it was not. Non tender procurement at AKL Council require special committee sign off, and will be available in meeting minutes etc in council website – More interesting questios would be,
” Who was the work with previously, and what is the difference in the cost of the work awarded to Downer?”
2) Why doesnt the council just bring the work in-house. – Auckland Transport is CCO, it has been segregated off, has its own IT infrastructure, and support services. The reader can speculate why this was done, and where it might be heading. So far as bringing it back in house….not going to happen under the current arrangements!
We don’t have (m)any local firms big enough, Aussies have bought them all. A large part of the Aus investment in NZ has been buying into the service sector that supports councils and govt. It’s a very lucrative market and the Aussies are no fools when it comes to business. The new PPP school in Hobsonville has a maintenance contract to another Aus company.
Councils won’t bring it back in-house, the CEOs & upper management would have to earn their pay then. Can’t have that.
(if we had a council with a conscience and any sort of competence they’d break the tenders up into smaller job lots so the Kiwi sub-contractors who end up doing the work anyway will be able to tender for the work directly)
Funnily enough I know of one that has due to the frustration of dealing with the likes of Downers… Interestingly several contracts now cost less than they did between six or nine years ago even though the scope of work has barely changed.
I am also aware that there is significant price gouging going on within contract variations with council officers signing off on work which is costing @ 3 times the industry average even though the are allowed to seek an alternative price if they the feel the quoted price is two high. I have seen one accepted variation price where the council was paying $250m3 for topsoil to be supplied and spread. (Usually this would be around the $100 mark give or take $10)
Funnily enough there are some council officers running around in some pretty smart gear supplied by said company…
In the case of parks and playgrounds, I dont see why the community itself shouldnt be ‘contracted’ to maintain them through domain boards (as is the case with smaller councils).
Don’t count on it. I used to work for one of the local “small” outfits that did work for ACC, WCC and SCC. The big problem seems to be that the small firms want to be paid at the end of the work/week and the council wants to pay them every 6 months and for the company to carry all the expenses in between which, of course, small companies/sole traders can’t do.
What amazed me was the fact that they were able to state Ayman al-Zawahri, was the new leader almost immediately after the story made up about OBL having been killed…
No mention of the fact that AQ are in Libya, Syria, Egypt and being used as the “freedon fighters, Free Syrian Army, Lybian Rebels”, and the like….
“US intelligence officials say almost a year after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda is essentially gone, but its affiliates still present a threat to the US homeland”
— Yes of course they are now gone, this from the same people who seemingly could not stop the 911 attacks. If I were in America I would be rather nervy about the officials stating that “its affiliates still present a threat in the US homeland” – Better step up the police state , quick fast!
Of course Im sure that most are aware the seal team who staged the “event”, are pretty much all dead in two seperate chopper episodes, one at the “event”, another during a later “event”!
It was called immediately after the original “event” that this would be used as Barrys re-election plan!
Shearer appears to be on his way to oblivion. The Mount Albert by election with foot in mouth disease Melissa Lee already had tell tale signs of Shearer’s ineptness at debates and this trait has more or less remained for Shearer after being installed as Leader of the opposition. His supposedly “ground breaking” speeches were an unfortunate lurch to the right and for me, this alienated more left voters. Glad those speeches sank like a stone. I think the credibility of the people who masterminded Shearer’s rise and strategic direction must be called into question! It is unfathomable that National is still polling so high despite the fiascos they have been embroiled in. It is more a reflection of an inept opposition than anything else.
The question now, I think is, will the subsequent blood letting in the labour ranks allow Cunliffe to shore up enough support for a good tilt at the leadership? He was the obvious choice for some of us from the onset of the race but the idiotic right faction of labour had won out to install a dud of an opposition leader. Also of equal importance, will the bid for a new leader result in the electorate coming away with a strong sense that Labour is unstable and in a state of constant flux? Transitioning to a new leader with perceived minimal in fighting will be so critical to its electoral success. Hopefully, cohesive policy ideas and strong selling of the messages will follow under new leadership.
Grant Robertson is capable and has proved to be very effective in the house but I somehow think that New Zealand is not ready for a gay opposition leader let alone a gay prime minister. So his time might come but perhaps in the distant future?
I wonder if there are any left field alternatives to Cunliffe or Robertson but they are the most obvious front runners? Perhaps Cunliffe as leader and Robertson as deputy will result in a dynamite duo that will send National scurrying for cover?
Andrew Little???, I would say no,while Andrew has the unblemished credentials of the left I don’t see Him as having the presence,(at this time),needed in a Prime Minister,
Both Cunliffe and Robertson have a good amount of that undefinable ”it”,the personal and television presence capable of holding the attention of viewers/listeners for the length of time needed for the message being delivered to sink in,
Either way round Cunliffe/Robertson, Robertson/Cunliffe there obviously has to be a change sooner or later as, sadly, Shearer seems to not have the mana to move voters in any direction except to maybe have them asking who???,
Its interesting that the point of Robertson’s sexuality has been introduced to the discussion, being one of the decreasing number of hetero males in this world when asked if I would consider changing my vote back to Labour on the strength of a Cunliffe/Robertson ticket,(or vice versa),I would have to say yes and sexuality doesn’t enter my thoughts at all,
My view is that if they are going to again change Leaders, Labour need do so sooner rather than later…
Let Andrew Little do a full term as an MP first eh (something Shearer never got); don’t kill off good talent by putting it in unwinnable situations that they do not have enough experience for.
Little may not have what is normally expected in PM “presence”, but then neither does Shearer, and to be frank, focussing on “PM presence” is what has led our style of politics down the garden path to the compost heap. Little is a lot closer to anything Left, than Cunliffe. If Cunliffe became leader, he’d only be part of a pointless holding pattern for Labour. Andrew Little’s brusque, matter-of-fact attitude when on the attack could also win a fair bit of average man support and if the old crew want to maintain the eloquent theatrics of parliament, well there are all the other MPs for that. Being short and to the point might even make him look more in control by comparison.
It may be a moot point though, since finding necessary internal support for him is unlikely and unless Labour experience a road to Damascus moment soon, the Labour party will be an exhausted political power in a few years anyway. Their inexorable move to the Right has reached the point of no return.
I agree about the Robertson/gay comments. It has no relevance whatsoever to the job and sadly only reveals how conservative Labour supporters have become by suggesting it is an issue. It’s another case of Labour giving up the advantage to, what I’m fairly sure is, a small minority in NZ. Realistically, even the most rabid right-wing bigot wouldn’t give a shit if your policies made him rich. I mean, of all the things you can promote about a candidate, the best they can come up with is “…he could be the first gay PM…”? Yeah, that’ll stop our assets being stripped.
Cunliffe has the personal backing of a lot of the hardest, smartest and most experienced activists around the country. And he won’t be afraid to call on these activists to help break the Labour Rut the party is experiencing at the moment.
Further, Cunliffe has the best economic grasp in caucus IMO. Transitioning from neoliberalism will be very difficult and you do not want someone in the leadership spot who has very little idea of what that will entail.
Finally, only a few in the Labour caucus have thought through extensively what peak oil and peak resource extraction actually means for NZ this year, next year and the year after. He has.
Finally, Cunliffe can speak and speak very well. Both of the cuff, and from experience as a senior Minister. Vital in times ahead.
I’m totally biased as a former West Aucklander, but I completely agree. More to the point, narrow down Labour to people who have a few terms behind them, but weren’t elected before people who will be able to vote in 2014 were born, for Christ’s sake, hold or recently have held an electorate (though I await the day a list-only MP becomes PM) and your other choices are:
Clayton Cosgrove
David Parker
Parekura Horomia
… not a lineup that fills my soul with glee (though I think Parker would make a great finance backup for Cunliffe).
When Shearer was made leader and Robertson was made deputy I thought that this combo was too similar as both have strengths in humanitarian work. I wanted Cunliffe to be the leader due to having “the best economic grasp in caucus” as you put it.
There are two main problems in NZ, economic direction and poverty. Cunliffe needs to replace Shearer as leader and Shearer needs to be made deputy. Both deserve these positions as both are the most experienced in these roles; economic direction has to be strong to support and eradicate those living in poverty.
“My view is that if they are going to again change Leaders, Labour need do so sooner rather than later…”
Yes bad12, the sooner the better. A lot of us were saying the same thing this time last cycle, but they didn’t listen. Did they fuck.
Wonder if they’ll listen now.
Cunliffe has sound Labour principles, the ability to express them quickly and simply, a proven track record of campaigning, a detailed understanding of policy, a sharp wit, a good head for numbers, a lot of heart, and a bit of mongrel too.
Unfortunately these are considered “negatives” in current Labour strategy circles.
Cunliffe has sound Labour principles, the ability to express them quickly and simply, a proven track record of campaigning, a detailed understanding of policy, a sharp wit, a good head for numbers, a lot of heart, and a bit of mongrel too.
I’ve asked so many times that I have lost count by now, but never had so much as a **** off in response – someone please tell me, what do you all have against Shearer? As I pointed out and I was ignored every time, quotes of his supposed right wing views were false as a link to his real speech showed. So someone tell me, why is Shearer considered so awful? I really would appreciate an answer.
At last, a response! Thank you… 🙂
Others positively despise him, from what I read here, and I can’t fathom why, given that, as I’ve previously said, he was massively mis-quoted here…
I don’t know that I’ve seen people express anything that would suggest they despise him – I’m not sure he arouses that level of emotional response. I think what you’re seeing is people who don’t much like the type of politics they think he represents.
The type where instead of campaigning on your principles and policies you campaign on being the most cordial bloke, the type where you don’t speak your truths in case someone disagrees with you.
But that’s not despising the man – as far as I can tell most people who come across him seem to think he’s very nice.
I think that’s the key phrase there. Part of the problem is that even Standardistas go by what the msn says about Shearer, not what he actually says!
He’s my local MP and he certainly is strong in campaigning for people in his electorate.
I don’t dislike Shearer, but I do prefer Cunliffe. Cunliffe has been my electorate MP, and he also works hard for the people in his electorate. We only have what they say, as reported in the MSM, but also as on Red Alert etc.
Cunliffe isn’t perfect either, but I think it was a VERY big risk to pick a leader who is so inexperienced. I’m not totally clear what Shearer stands for but Cunliffe has been very clear on what he stands for, and comes across very well in interviews on radio or TV.
Shearer may turn out to be a good leader, but it still remains uncertain and risky, IMO.
Shearer may turn out to be a good leader, but it still remains uncertain and risky, IMO.
Carol, don’t you think that playing into the hands of the media and the RW by demanding his removal is equally risky? AFAIK, in fact I think I read something to this effect just today, it’s the Greenies here who want rid of him. As I’ve said, I don’t trust them, too many are blue-greens..
Yeah, shut up, Carol, Vicky’s experience and opinions are objective truth and anyone who disagrees is just a hater, and probably a man!
After all, if there’s anything you can really say about the non-Labour-aligned writers at The Standard, it’s that they (we) are just pawns of the mainstream media and secretly support National. *sincere nod*
Yeah, shut up, Carol, Vicky’s experience and opinions are objective truth and anyone who disagrees is just a hater, and probably a man!
Sigh… here he/she is again! Feeling bereft of attention are we deary? I was asking Carol’s opinion, not yours, I want to talk to the organ grinder not the monkey…
Yes, Vicky, I’m sure your question, which served chiefly to push your own personal views about Shearer’s leadership, was completely sincere and not in any way a “shut up or I’ll tell everyone you’re just a pawn” manoeuvre.
And I’m not sure how Carol can be my organ grinder, since I don’t think we’ve met …
And finally, it’s getting a little embarrassing how you keep thinking calling me “him” is a clever move, and definitely not convincing anyone in the “look how little I care about QoT” stakes.
Me, I just keep ridin’ ya because your lack of depth is funny and it’s Sunday evening.
“Both Cunliffe and Robertson have a good amount of that undefinable ”it”,the personal and television presence capable of holding the attention of viewers/listeners for the length of time needed for the message being delivered to sink in…..”
I think Cunliffe has more “it” than Robertson, particularly the way he has handled the last few months.
This is shaping up to be a remarkable rerun of the first term of opposition in many ways. Questions about Goff destabilised Labour for three years. Goff as leader, and the strategy the leadership team doggedly followed (and continue to follow) were disastrous. Everyone knew it. It fed continuous leadership coup rumours and was pretty embarrassing to watch. Now we have a new naked emperor who appears to be (I’m sure completely legally) in some kind of altered state of consciousness, and the same group-think team baby-sitting him.
Transitioning to a new leader with perceived minimal in fighting will be so critical to its electoral success.
Okay. Sod all the back stabbing and shitty behaviour that tends to mark power struggles. But if there is an effort to get a new leader up and running while presenting a facade of civility then doesn’t that just play into the hands of behind the scenes politiking?
I’d rather have robust debates right out there in the public arena on the grounds that it’s far more ‘honest’ and neuters the back room power brokers to some extent or other.
I havn’t been a Labour supporter for some time. My hope is that the Greens become the left party of record.
But. From outside. Cunliffe and Robertson appear to be the only credible leadership possibility.
Closely supported by some of the excellent youthful talent coming up.
There needs to be a cleanout of the right leaning dross, including Pagani. I don’t even know why he is even in Labour. Maybe a National party plant?? 🙂
Perhaps us lot, the ex-Labour vote are being way to pedantic in our focus upon that party,and, perhaps being just more than a little spot mischievious to boot,
Should Labour hold firm to the recently selected Shearer/Robinson leadership then perhaps We, looking in from outside the party should except that as the modern Labour party representing a left vision that ‘we’ cannot connect with,
Obviously tho some 30% of the electorate do make that connection and my belief is that such support is garnered mostly from within the middle class of our society, in reaching that conclusion one has to remember that such occupations such as nursing,teaching,and,(even)being a wharfie in the scale of wages and salaries can now be considered to be middle class,
Those of us who either left Labour or had Labour leave us who remain politically switched on have moved to the Green Party who in any post-election negotiation only need adhere to their policy’s and principles to in effect move Labour to the left,
Bill. I agree. There has to be ideological and political blood spilt for the electorate to be convinced of true renewal and not just another beltway, stage managed transition to the face of the day.
Bill, I realize that you aren’t exactly a NZLP supporter and I must apologize for the moron journos at the herald and other places for brushing you and the other (left but not Labour party supporter) authors as being NZLP supporters. That includes whoever wrote the article in the herald this morning. They do have some pretty severe comprehension problems when they can’t encapsulate the left in a headline.
We have already had the leadership debate for this term. In my opinion, there is no electoral advantage in having challenges except immediately after an election. The only people who seem to get off on them are the rather excitable media, people who don’t campaign in an organized way, and hysterics on the right. That was an still is my view with both Goff and Shearer because in the end it is the party that should be making the running. A leader (like MP’s) is a representative of that party… The NZLP strategists damn near airbrushed Goff out of the strategy last election – and it still didn’t make that much of an impression on results. The lack of strategy on targeting par Ty votes was much more of an issue.
But I haven’t seen any authors associated with Labour calling for a leadership challenge or even any authors. Not that many NZLP commentators either – most of the noise is actually from people who aren’t their supporters. The NZLP leaning authors have been saying it is a bloody silly idea at every level. Which is what the posts have actually been about…
That isn’t to say that we won’t criticize any parties strategies. After all how else are the politicians going to learn to live with social media. And besides which, I think it is healthy.
Bit naive of David to let the Herald journos to spin him up that way this morning. But what the hell. If we aren’t irritating someone then we aren’t doing our task.
Aggrieved as I was with the leadership result, and I don’t mind being flattered by VP as a one of the Cunliffe core, I agree with you. We have who we have so make the best of it.
Here’s an interesting little piece that have been missed during the Qantas action across the ditch; I can only think of the parallels with POAL and Talley’s
It may not be a “good look” to you that National has had two white men at the top of their party for the last 2.5 terms, and it may not have been a good look to you that they have had very few women in their top 10 bench positions for most of that time.
But most NZers don’t really seem to care two hoots about that, as long as they think that the political party concerned has a strong grasp of the issues, and is doing a capable and competent job of leading the country.
Metiria Turei as co-leader ticks all the boxes.
Sorry Labour, but it’s time to learn that very large portions of the electorate definitely don’t give a shit about candidates who “tick all the (Left’s) boxes”. They just want to see competence, leadership and vision.
BTW I was a very strong supporter of the Cunliffe/Mahuta ticket, and remain so.
Lots of concerns for civil liberties here as governments and corporations will be able to (further) track everything you do, where you do it, and who you do it with.
Maybe cutting even more jobs, taking even more money out of communities and workers’ pockets, selling off even more productive assets and taking on even more bankers’ debt today to repay make tomorrow’s repayments to those same bankers will work.
I see David Shearer getting another pasting in the Dompost this morning.
By and large they are right.
He is tentative, has no grasp of the larger issues and is surrounded by a coterie of professional liggers who know the answer to everything but never achieve anything except holding onto their own jobs.
and they use too much soap.
A third of non-voters said they did not trust politicians, and a third said there was no point voting because polls had indicated the result was a foregone conclusion.
More and more reason to get rid of or change polling.
Aha,I have made mention of this befor,specially in relation to the I Predict type polling of NZFirst leading up to the 2011 election,
Commenting on another web-site at the time, I was constantly harangued by commenters from the right who claimed NZFirst could not reach the 5% of the party vote needed for that party to re-enter the Parliament,
My calculations of NZFirst support published on that web-site as 6.2%–12% of the party vote was based upon the %s of manipulation I detected on that I Predict web-site,
The 2011 election was conducted with that underlying message,(successfully) used by the ‘right’ throughout the campaign that it was a done deal, National would govern alone and voting NZfirst was a wasted vote,
The media polls leading up to 2011 simply reinforced that unwritten campaign and it is my belief that such media polling was,(and still is),focused upon using the margin of error in helping deliver the ”its a done deal” message to voters,
Simply by ascribing to National the high end of the % within the margin of error and ascribing to Labour/Greens/NZFirst the % as calculated from the low end of the margin of error is such a perception created,
Another 6% of those enrolled to do so did not vote in 2011, the Electoral commission’s research would tend to suggest that 30% of that 6% did not cast a vote on the basis of ”its a done deal” which in turn was based upon what i truly believe to be dishonest manipulation of those media polls,
In effect, I see a clinic full of cynics,trying to twist the peoples wrists,they watch every move we make,we are all included upon their lists,
Banks and his campaign donations, bus driver getting murdered anti asset sales march-what does One News lead off with tonight. The death of a former All Black. Sure it’s news but the lead story?
So looks like United Future are now polling people to see who actually support asset sales –
“We understand clearly that the only reason for our existence is to represent the voice of the people in our parliament. We believe that any party that is not constantly in touch with the views of the people is simply not doing its job. “…
Well, that was interesting. Popped over to the link and duly voted – result was 80.3% NO against asset sales, but not indication of how many votes that represented. Also there appeared to be only two comments – one in Oct 2011 and the other in Dec 2011. So this raises in my mind how long this poll has been running and how many people have voted as well as the obvious – will Dunne actually take note of the results.
Vicky, up-thread (have run out of reply buttons up there. I voted Cunliffe + Green Party for several years. If Cunliffe had been chosen leader I would have been more likely to look at voting Labour again.
One of the things that puts me off the Labour Party in general, is that they have spent too much time pandering to the MSM opinions, rather than standing up for their principles – too much neoliberal-style managerialism.
The Greens still are closer to their principles…. although not as much as they use to be. I will be chosing between Green and Mana next election (unless Labour does some big turn-around).
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
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Kiwibank
Surely this sort of journalism is not a reflection of the state of New Zealand’s MSM.
(not to mention the dreadful editing/proofreading)
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/opinion/political-report-april27-2012
@logie97 – I had a wee glance at the newstalk link, yuk and pathetic. And as for Veitchy on Sunday another yuk and pathetic. I’m afraid this sort of tacky journalism is very much a reflection of MSM in NZ
Cannot imagine what people accessing the Newstalkzb site from overseas to get some insight into New Zealand News and current affairs would think.
(Wonder how Leighton Smith would rate the standard of writing on his own beloved channel).
Anyone read this, this morning…Dotcom’s secret donation to Banks
“John said, ‘Wait a minute’,” Dotcom recalled last night. “‘It would be good if you could split it up into two payments of 25 [thousand dollars], then I don’t declare publicly who made it’.”
“Last night, Mr Banks said there would be nothing wrong with his telling people how to give anonymously.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10802016
It was discussed last night on the Banksie thread:
http://thestandard.org.nz/banks-secret-donation-from-the-wide-boys/comment-page-1/#comment-464394
heh. I liked this bit – “Mr Banks said there was no issue in his stay in Hong Kong. He paid for every aspect of the trip himself.”
Now, is it just me, or is that potentially misleading? Shouldn’t that more accurately read ” Mr Banks said there was no issue in his stay in Hong Kong. He paid for every aspect of the trip that required payment himself.”?
The way it’s worded, he could theoretically have accepted ‘gifts’ from Dotcom and still claim that he paid for everything that he had to pay for but mask the fact he got stuff for nix.
for example the Herald article states pretty clearly that DotCom sent his own limo for Banks in Hong Kong
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10802016
“He arranged for his limo to collect Mr Banks from the airport and later to drive him to a helicopter pad for a trip to Macau.”
very generous actions from a guy Banks only spent twenty minutes with and cannot recall discussing a fifty grand donation with. How fucking stupid does Banks think people are?
oh yeah forgot where i was for a moment there
the country that voted the NActs back in, maybe Banks will be fine after all.
You know what. Banksie’s responses are going to piss Dotcom and his wife off even more. And I’m betting that Dotcom has a small, very competent, and highly paid team who keep these kinds of detailed historical matters on file for him. Down to the date, time and kilometres travelled in the limo in HK, as well as what was said to the driver along the way.
Banks has fucked this up, he needed to get back on side with Dotcom, and has instead gone completely the opposite way.
Of interest would be what Banks got up to on His visit to Macau, Macau being the world capital for gambling with a bigger dollar turnover for gambling than even Las Vegas,
SkyCity by any chance have a casino in Macau???…
A side question. With all that cash flooding through political campaigns, is there ever the temptation of politicians to siphon off money to themselves? How would they do that? I suppose the first step would be to declare a random number of donation of the same amount as anonymous, then each donator won’t know if there cash had got to the purpose they donated it for. Not thinking of any particular politicians alleged behavior recently in the news.
It’s easy enough. Pay by cheque on the nod and wink understanding that the cheque will not be presented.
[sorry – you’re currently on a 2 week ban. — r0b]
The last line of your comment, a quote from Banks outta the Herald sez it all as far as the over-bloated sense of entitlement held in the minds of the likes of Banks goes don’t it???,
Banks seems to think that the Law was written specially for the likes of Him and the likes of those who would give Him campaign funding to hide the source of that funding from the public,
It might take a few months sitting in a cold jail cell for Him to wake up to the fact that if HE(Banks), knew where the coin was coming from the Law sez it aint anonymous…
Oh by the way,there is NO corruption in New Zealand, until a big smelly pile of it turns up on ya telly at 7 on a Friday night that is…
I just cannot believe the lack of any self reflection by Banks that this is Unethical Behaviour. What doesn’t he get?
John Banks understands the law says small donations can be anonymous, so he simply sees all donations need to be small. Personally $25,000 is not a small amount of money and i never have been convinced that one single donation to any political party should be anonymous.
My understanding is the ‘small donations’ are anonymous to ease administration etc. At least that is the usual propoganda behind lies like this. It is a scam written by the past scammers to aide the future scammers. Pure and simple and i will never be convinced it is anything else.
You either proudly and openly support a party or you don’t.
+1
From the article:
Political candidates are required by law to declare donations if they know who made them. Failure to do so is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.
A vacancy is automatically created if any MP is convicted of an offence punishable by two years or more, no matter what punishment they get
It’s hard to see how Banks can hold onto his seat, though I’m sure the right will pull out all the stops to drag this out and play for time.
And the moral of the story is that the Labour caucus needs to get rid of Shearer right now. This could easily bring the next election forward by a year. Unfortunately, morality is not the Labour caucus’s strong suit.
Ironically, given the whole non-politician game he’s playing, Shearer couldn’t look more like one with his continuing to lie about there being no problem in the leader’s office line. Looks like another cheap polly desperately trying to hold onto power. Doesn’t bode well for any chance of him steppping down for the greater good.
edit: this is a reply to comment 2 and the article contianed in it.
I don’t think we’ll be heading to a general election soon, unless another Nat MP goes after Banks does. It’ll just be a byelection for now. But Labour does need to get it’s sh*t together otherwise the Greens will be leading the opposition into the next election.
Labour’s leadership issue are providing a distraction from NAct’s problems. While the NZ Herald is front-paging the Banks-Dotcom donation, Stuff and the Dom Post are second-paging Shearer leadership rumours, with nothing about Labour or NAct on the front page – though maybe the Dom Post is just slow and had today’s edition organised early last night…?
+1 Carol, and yeah I noticed that on Stuff – well, noticed that wasn’t there on Stuff. Two negative Shearer stories and one about Collins’ defamation case. Nothing at all about Banks – I suppose that’s because Key’s office hasn’t issued a press release yet…
True Carol,
But I can’t help thinking that this will become one destabilisation too many.
“While the NZ Herald is front-paging the Banks-Dotcom donation, Stuff and the Dom Post are second-paging Shearer leadership rumours, with nothing about Labour or NAct on the front page – though maybe the Dom Post is just slow and had today’s edition organised early last night…?”
—-Absolutely not an coincidence Carol – It is obfuscation, nothing more than that. APN/Fairfax , its not really competition is it! No it is very easy to “collaborate” when there are only two players, and its not like this news will have only just broken. I would ask what the timing was trying to hide!
And so far, from what I have heard, that’s exactly what they are doing!
And so far, from what I have heard, that’s exactly what they are doing!
Why? What’s Shearer got to do with Banks’ sins?
Is’nt the Dom editor a senior Nat advisor ? For all we know he was a Nat appointment to the Dom job , as the bloody rag reads like it.
The DomPost editor is a she I believe and has been there for a while. But you are right she is fully NAct’s puppet. She put a piece in the paper a wee while ago to say they were fully committed to impartial journalism, that made me laugh out loud, it’s like John Key saying I’m committed to telling the truth.
look at the maelstrom of issues National are battling with, yet all you see in the Dom are questions on Labour’s leadership, dancing puppies and who may or may not have their own tv show
At least the daily photos of John Key seem to have somewhat abated.
Eat your heart out John Clark 🙂
Nice one, I like that and thanks for the link.
😆
Panel comments from the euthanasia debate in Dunedin this week: Euthanasia discussion – comments
Participants:
Shaun Davison
Prof Grant Gillett, of the Otago Centre for Bioethics
Maryan Street – Labour Party list MP
John Kleinsman – director of the Wellington-based Nathaniel Centre, the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre
Associate Prof Colin Gavaghan, a specialist in medical law and ethics
Thomas Noakes-Duncan – post graduate Otago theology and religion doctoral student
At what point do you think such a law change will have an element of compulsion added to it???…
At no time. I don’t think anyone will want to go there, and certainly nowhere near a majority will want anything like that. Many things that are legal are not compulsory.
Scaremongering against the worst that might happen is a tactic to try and build opposition to a moderate and sensible modificaztion to what is allowed now. It’s quite unclear at the moment.
And here was me thinking that euthanasia was simply the ultimate efficency that the neo-liberals could think up for the Humans after their usefulness as a tool in the economic equation had been exhausted,
I obviously don’t live in the same effete rarified world that you seem to occupy, we seem to live in parallel dimensions on the same planet at the same time,
I personally know of old people who have had their life savings and their property removed from them by their own children by pretext and in situations where the law is powerless to intervene,
If you care to conduct some research through Grey-Power I am sure you will be aquainted with any number of such cases,
Changing the law to allow euthanasia will simply ensure that any number of these old people wont only be relieved of their possessions but also be relieved of their lives as well…
Sensible euthanasia law won’t change oldies being ripped off by unscrupulous people at all, they are completely different things.m And sensible euthanasia law would not change the legalities of murdser either.
You’re confusing giving people a carefully checked right to choose how to end their own lives when the end isn inevitable becasue of terminal illness, and extremes of abuse. I don’t know if that is deliberate or through ignorance.
Seconded!
PS,as far as knocking off the rellies goes what is allowed now is NOTHING,there’s nothing ‘unclear’ about that its called by the law MURDER, or, MANSLAUGHTER,
So, allowing for a law change that lets the rellies be dispatched from the mortal coil early aint a moderate modification and if there were any sense or morality in doing so I am sure that better minds than ours in years gone by would have formulated ‘sensible’ laws to allow such…
Gods, I hate to be in agreement with Pete George here, but … you don’t think elderly people get “bumped off” by unscrupulous relatives right now?
Pretending that voluntary euthanasia has anything to do with a law which clearly spells out conditions and scrutiny around allowing people to make decisions themselves about the ends of their lives is basically dishonest, bad12.
What you seem to be saying is that seeing as there appears to be plenty of those who are engaging in the early dispatch of their elderly relatives now we should have a law which codifies the easy efficient dispatch of those elderly rellies,
The second paragraph of your comment is incomprehensible to my small tired brain,I never received any tuition in Mumbo Jumbo during my limited education perhaps you could try a re-write in basic English…
Okay, I made a typo, but I’ll try again with small, easy words:
When. You. Say. That. A Law. Which. Allows. People. To. Make. Their. Own. Decisions. Is. Making. Murder. Okay. You. Are. A Liar.
Voluntary euthanasia has nothing to do with “codifying” murder of people who are old or terminally ill.
You might as well argue that we shouldn’t have a law on self defence, because that just makes murdering people easier.
An Epsom by-election: what strategy should Labour have?
Push the Conservatives to win.
My brain isn’t working ’cause it’s a Saturday: if Labour/Greens just went super-low-key, and allowed Goldsmith or whoever National stand to go basically unchallenged, thus rendering the National/Act agreement void … what policies would this affect by not allowing National to say “Oh no, we have to do this ’cause it’s in our agreement, we’re not rabid free market lucrephiles at all!”? Obviously charter schools is one, but that’s already underway so they can claim the trial is a Total Success and carry on …
‘Lucrephiles’, I love it! Describes the beasties to a t.
‘filthy lucrephiles’ even better (-or worse?!)
Downer DEI snaps up the Auckland Council facilities maintanance contract
My issues as follows
1) Why didnt local firms get the tender
2) Why doesnt the council just bring the work in-house.
Because its a competitive tender, quite possibly lowest conforming price. Also the contracts are made so large that only huge companies have the means to take them on. This is a mistake as small firms can often do a better job at a lower price if the contracts are of an approachable size. I know that a s,all firm is able to be around 25% cheaper and won.tproice gouge variation work.
1) Why didnt local firms get the tender – Can’t see anything in the article that indicated it was not. Non tender procurement at AKL Council require special committee sign off, and will be available in meeting minutes etc in council website – More interesting questios would be,
” Who was the work with previously, and what is the difference in the cost of the work awarded to Downer?”
2) Why doesnt the council just bring the work in-house. – Auckland Transport is CCO, it has been segregated off, has its own IT infrastructure, and support services. The reader can speculate why this was done, and where it might be heading. So far as bringing it back in house….not going to happen under the current arrangements!
Auckland Transport should do its work in-house — it being a CCO and all. It should even be able to purchase and operate its own buses.
We don’t have (m)any local firms big enough, Aussies have bought them all. A large part of the Aus investment in NZ has been buying into the service sector that supports councils and govt. It’s a very lucrative market and the Aussies are no fools when it comes to business. The new PPP school in Hobsonville has a maintenance contract to another Aus company.
Councils won’t bring it back in-house, the CEOs & upper management would have to earn their pay then. Can’t have that.
(if we had a council with a conscience and any sort of competence they’d break the tenders up into smaller job lots so the Kiwi sub-contractors who end up doing the work anyway will be able to tender for the work directly)
Funnily enough I know of one that has due to the frustration of dealing with the likes of Downers… Interestingly several contracts now cost less than they did between six or nine years ago even though the scope of work has barely changed.
I am also aware that there is significant price gouging going on within contract variations with council officers signing off on work which is costing @ 3 times the industry average even though the are allowed to seek an alternative price if they the feel the quoted price is two high. I have seen one accepted variation price where the council was paying $250m3 for topsoil to be supplied and spread. (Usually this would be around the $100 mark give or take $10)
Funnily enough there are some council officers running around in some pretty smart gear supplied by said company…
In the case of parks and playgrounds, I dont see why the community itself shouldnt be ‘contracted’ to maintain them through domain boards (as is the case with smaller councils).
Don’t count on it. I used to work for one of the local “small” outfits that did work for ACC, WCC and SCC. The big problem seems to be that the small firms want to be paid at the end of the work/week and the council wants to pay them every 6 months and for the company to carry all the expenses in between which, of course, small companies/sole traders can’t do.
More spin and BS for the sheep, about the mythical Al Queda
What amazed me was the fact that they were able to state Ayman al-Zawahri, was the new leader almost immediately after the story made up about OBL having been killed…
No mention of the fact that AQ are in Libya, Syria, Egypt and being used as the “freedon fighters, Free Syrian Army, Lybian Rebels”, and the like….
“US intelligence officials say almost a year after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda is essentially gone, but its affiliates still present a threat to the US homeland”
— Yes of course they are now gone, this from the same people who seemingly could not stop the 911 attacks. If I were in America I would be rather nervy about the officials stating that “its affiliates still present a threat in the US homeland” – Better step up the police state , quick fast!
Baaaaaa
And as if by magic, the next story off the rank is how Barry played the patriot hero, by sending in the seals to take out Tim
Of course Im sure that most are aware the seal team who staged the “event”, are pretty much all dead in two seperate chopper episodes, one at the “event”, another during a later “event”!
It was called immediately after the original “event” that this would be used as Barrys re-election plan!
Almost as if its being scripted right!
Shearer appears to be on his way to oblivion. The Mount Albert by election with foot in mouth disease Melissa Lee already had tell tale signs of Shearer’s ineptness at debates and this trait has more or less remained for Shearer after being installed as Leader of the opposition. His supposedly “ground breaking” speeches were an unfortunate lurch to the right and for me, this alienated more left voters. Glad those speeches sank like a stone. I think the credibility of the people who masterminded Shearer’s rise and strategic direction must be called into question! It is unfathomable that National is still polling so high despite the fiascos they have been embroiled in. It is more a reflection of an inept opposition than anything else.
The question now, I think is, will the subsequent blood letting in the labour ranks allow Cunliffe to shore up enough support for a good tilt at the leadership? He was the obvious choice for some of us from the onset of the race but the idiotic right faction of labour had won out to install a dud of an opposition leader. Also of equal importance, will the bid for a new leader result in the electorate coming away with a strong sense that Labour is unstable and in a state of constant flux? Transitioning to a new leader with perceived minimal in fighting will be so critical to its electoral success. Hopefully, cohesive policy ideas and strong selling of the messages will follow under new leadership.
Grant Robertson is capable and has proved to be very effective in the house but I somehow think that New Zealand is not ready for a gay opposition leader let alone a gay prime minister. So his time might come but perhaps in the distant future?
I wonder if there are any left field alternatives to Cunliffe or Robertson but they are the most obvious front runners? Perhaps Cunliffe as leader and Robertson as deputy will result in a dynamite duo that will send National scurrying for cover?
Andrew Little?
Andrew Little???, I would say no,while Andrew has the unblemished credentials of the left I don’t see Him as having the presence,(at this time),needed in a Prime Minister,
Both Cunliffe and Robertson have a good amount of that undefinable ”it”,the personal and television presence capable of holding the attention of viewers/listeners for the length of time needed for the message being delivered to sink in,
Either way round Cunliffe/Robertson, Robertson/Cunliffe there obviously has to be a change sooner or later as, sadly, Shearer seems to not have the mana to move voters in any direction except to maybe have them asking who???,
Its interesting that the point of Robertson’s sexuality has been introduced to the discussion, being one of the decreasing number of hetero males in this world when asked if I would consider changing my vote back to Labour on the strength of a Cunliffe/Robertson ticket,(or vice versa),I would have to say yes and sexuality doesn’t enter my thoughts at all,
My view is that if they are going to again change Leaders, Labour need do so sooner rather than later…
Let Andrew Little do a full term as an MP first eh (something Shearer never got); don’t kill off good talent by putting it in unwinnable situations that they do not have enough experience for.
Little may not have what is normally expected in PM “presence”, but then neither does Shearer, and to be frank, focussing on “PM presence” is what has led our style of politics down the garden path to the compost heap. Little is a lot closer to anything Left, than Cunliffe. If Cunliffe became leader, he’d only be part of a pointless holding pattern for Labour. Andrew Little’s brusque, matter-of-fact attitude when on the attack could also win a fair bit of average man support and if the old crew want to maintain the eloquent theatrics of parliament, well there are all the other MPs for that. Being short and to the point might even make him look more in control by comparison.
It may be a moot point though, since finding necessary internal support for him is unlikely and unless Labour experience a road to Damascus moment soon, the Labour party will be an exhausted political power in a few years anyway. Their inexorable move to the Right has reached the point of no return.
I agree about the Robertson/gay comments. It has no relevance whatsoever to the job and sadly only reveals how conservative Labour supporters have become by suggesting it is an issue. It’s another case of Labour giving up the advantage to, what I’m fairly sure is, a small minority in NZ. Realistically, even the most rabid right-wing bigot wouldn’t give a shit if your policies made him rich. I mean, of all the things you can promote about a candidate, the best they can come up with is “…he could be the first gay PM…”? Yeah, that’ll stop our assets being stripped.
Nah mate you’re 110% wrong on this.
Expand?
Cunliffe has the personal backing of a lot of the hardest, smartest and most experienced activists around the country. And he won’t be afraid to call on these activists to help break the Labour Rut the party is experiencing at the moment.
Further, Cunliffe has the best economic grasp in caucus IMO. Transitioning from neoliberalism will be very difficult and you do not want someone in the leadership spot who has very little idea of what that will entail.
Finally, only a few in the Labour caucus have thought through extensively what peak oil and peak resource extraction actually means for NZ this year, next year and the year after. He has.
Finally, Cunliffe can speak and speak very well. Both of the cuff, and from experience as a senior Minister. Vital in times ahead.
I’m totally biased as a former West Aucklander, but I completely agree. More to the point, narrow down Labour to people who have a few terms behind them, but weren’t elected before people who will be able to vote in 2014 were born, for Christ’s sake, hold or recently have held an electorate (though I await the day a list-only MP becomes PM) and your other choices are:
Clayton Cosgrove
David Parker
Parekura Horomia
… not a lineup that fills my soul with glee (though I think Parker would make a great finance backup for Cunliffe).
When Shearer was made leader and Robertson was made deputy I thought that this combo was too similar as both have strengths in humanitarian work. I wanted Cunliffe to be the leader due to having “the best economic grasp in caucus” as you put it.
There are two main problems in NZ, economic direction and poverty. Cunliffe needs to replace Shearer as leader and Shearer needs to be made deputy. Both deserve these positions as both are the most experienced in these roles; economic direction has to be strong to support and eradicate those living in poverty.
+111% Colonial V!
“My view is that if they are going to again change Leaders, Labour need do so sooner rather than later…”
Yes bad12, the sooner the better. A lot of us were saying the same thing this time last cycle, but they didn’t listen. Did they fuck.
Wonder if they’ll listen now.
Cunliffe has sound Labour principles, the ability to express them quickly and simply, a proven track record of campaigning, a detailed understanding of policy, a sharp wit, a good head for numbers, a lot of heart, and a bit of mongrel too.
Unfortunately these are considered “negatives” in current Labour strategy circles.
I’ve asked so many times that I have lost count by now, but never had so much as a **** off in response – someone please tell me, what do you all have against Shearer? As I pointed out and I was ignored every time, quotes of his supposed right wing views were false as a link to his real speech showed. So someone tell me, why is Shearer considered so awful? I really would appreciate an answer.
I don’t have anything against Shearer.
But I don’t have anything in particular in favour of him either, and that’s the trouble.
A bit like Steely Dan.
At last, a response! Thank you… 🙂
Others positively despise him, from what I read here, and I can’t fathom why, given that, as I’ve previously said, he was massively mis-quoted here…
I don’t know that I’ve seen people express anything that would suggest they despise him – I’m not sure he arouses that level of emotional response. I think what you’re seeing is people who don’t much like the type of politics they think he represents.
The type where instead of campaigning on your principles and policies you campaign on being the most cordial bloke, the type where you don’t speak your truths in case someone disagrees with you.
But that’s not despising the man – as far as I can tell most people who come across him seem to think he’s very nice.
I think that’s the key phrase there. Part of the problem is that even Standardistas go by what the msn says about Shearer, not what he actually says!
He’s my local MP and he certainly is strong in campaigning for people in his electorate.
Yes I chose that phrasing deliberately.
I have no doubt that he’s an honest, hardworking MP.
I don’t dislike Shearer, but I do prefer Cunliffe. Cunliffe has been my electorate MP, and he also works hard for the people in his electorate. We only have what they say, as reported in the MSM, but also as on Red Alert etc.
Cunliffe isn’t perfect either, but I think it was a VERY big risk to pick a leader who is so inexperienced. I’m not totally clear what Shearer stands for but Cunliffe has been very clear on what he stands for, and comes across very well in interviews on radio or TV.
Shearer may turn out to be a good leader, but it still remains uncertain and risky, IMO.
Carol, don’t you think that playing into the hands of the media and the RW by demanding his removal is equally risky? AFAIK, in fact I think I read something to this effect just today, it’s the Greenies here who want rid of him. As I’ve said, I don’t trust them, too many are blue-greens..
Yeah, shut up, Carol, Vicky’s experience and opinions are objective truth and anyone who disagrees is just a hater, and probably a man!
After all, if there’s anything you can really say about the non-Labour-aligned writers at The Standard, it’s that they (we) are just pawns of the mainstream media and secretly support National. *sincere nod*
Remember though Vicky, the media and the RW played a large role in installing him as leader. If Labour was ever playing into their hands, it was then.
Sigh… here he/she is again! Feeling bereft of attention are we deary? I was asking Carol’s opinion, not yours, I want to talk to the organ grinder not the monkey…
Yes, Vicky, I’m sure your question, which served chiefly to push your own personal views about Shearer’s leadership, was completely sincere and not in any way a “shut up or I’ll tell everyone you’re just a pawn” manoeuvre.
And I’m not sure how Carol can be my organ grinder, since I don’t think we’ve met …
And finally, it’s getting a little embarrassing how you keep thinking calling me “him” is a clever move, and definitely not convincing anyone in the “look how little I care about QoT” stakes.
Me, I just keep ridin’ ya because your lack of depth is funny and it’s Sunday evening.
“Both Cunliffe and Robertson have a good amount of that undefinable ”it”,the personal and television presence capable of holding the attention of viewers/listeners for the length of time needed for the message being delivered to sink in…..”
I think Cunliffe has more “it” than Robertson, particularly the way he has handled the last few months.
This is shaping up to be a remarkable rerun of the first term of opposition in many ways. Questions about Goff destabilised Labour for three years. Goff as leader, and the strategy the leadership team doggedly followed (and continue to follow) were disastrous. Everyone knew it. It fed continuous leadership coup rumours and was pretty embarrassing to watch. Now we have a new naked emperor who appears to be (I’m sure completely legally) in some kind of altered state of consciousness, and the same group-think team baby-sitting him.
Okay. Sod all the back stabbing and shitty behaviour that tends to mark power struggles. But if there is an effort to get a new leader up and running while presenting a facade of civility then doesn’t that just play into the hands of behind the scenes politiking?
I’d rather have robust debates right out there in the public arena on the grounds that it’s far more ‘honest’ and neuters the back room power brokers to some extent or other.
I havn’t been a Labour supporter for some time. My hope is that the Greens become the left party of record.
But. From outside. Cunliffe and Robertson appear to be the only credible leadership possibility.
Closely supported by some of the excellent youthful talent coming up.
There needs to be a cleanout of the right leaning dross, including Pagani. I don’t even know why he is even in Labour. Maybe a National party plant?? 🙂
Perhaps us lot, the ex-Labour vote are being way to pedantic in our focus upon that party,and, perhaps being just more than a little spot mischievious to boot,
Should Labour hold firm to the recently selected Shearer/Robinson leadership then perhaps We, looking in from outside the party should except that as the modern Labour party representing a left vision that ‘we’ cannot connect with,
Obviously tho some 30% of the electorate do make that connection and my belief is that such support is garnered mostly from within the middle class of our society, in reaching that conclusion one has to remember that such occupations such as nursing,teaching,and,(even)being a wharfie in the scale of wages and salaries can now be considered to be middle class,
Those of us who either left Labour or had Labour leave us who remain politically switched on have moved to the Green Party who in any post-election negotiation only need adhere to their policy’s and principles to in effect move Labour to the left,
Bill. I agree. There has to be ideological and political blood spilt for the electorate to be convinced of true renewal and not just another beltway, stage managed transition to the face of the day.
Bill, I realize that you aren’t exactly a NZLP supporter and I must apologize for the moron journos at the herald and other places for brushing you and the other (left but not Labour party supporter) authors as being NZLP supporters. That includes whoever wrote the article in the herald this morning. They do have some pretty severe comprehension problems when they can’t encapsulate the left in a headline.
We have already had the leadership debate for this term. In my opinion, there is no electoral advantage in having challenges except immediately after an election. The only people who seem to get off on them are the rather excitable media, people who don’t campaign in an organized way, and hysterics on the right. That was an still is my view with both Goff and Shearer because in the end it is the party that should be making the running. A leader (like MP’s) is a representative of that party… The NZLP strategists damn near airbrushed Goff out of the strategy last election – and it still didn’t make that much of an impression on results. The lack of strategy on targeting par Ty votes was much more of an issue.
But I haven’t seen any authors associated with Labour calling for a leadership challenge or even any authors. Not that many NZLP commentators either – most of the noise is actually from people who aren’t their supporters. The NZLP leaning authors have been saying it is a bloody silly idea at every level. Which is what the posts have actually been about…
That isn’t to say that we won’t criticize any parties strategies. After all how else are the politicians going to learn to live with social media. And besides which, I think it is healthy.
Bit naive of David to let the Herald journos to spin him up that way this morning. But what the hell. If we aren’t irritating someone then we aren’t doing our task.
Aggrieved as I was with the leadership result, and I don’t mind being flattered by VP as a one of the Cunliffe core, I agree with you. We have who we have so make the best of it.
Well said Ad-unfortunately.
Here’s an interesting little piece that have been missed during the Qantas action across the ditch; I can only think of the parallels with POAL and Talley’s
http://www.johnpilger.com/articles/up-up-and-away-how-money-power-works-down-under
Cunliffe/Mahuta.
It’s imperative we have women and Maori represented in leaderships positions.
Two men at the top is not a good look. So National.
Watch women and Maori finally give up on Labour if that happens and move over to the Greens.
Metiria Turei as co-leader ticks all the boxes.
It may not be a “good look” to you that National has had two white men at the top of their party for the last 2.5 terms, and it may not have been a good look to you that they have had very few women in their top 10 bench positions for most of that time.
But most NZers don’t really seem to care two hoots about that, as long as they think that the political party concerned has a strong grasp of the issues, and is doing a capable and competent job of leading the country.
Sorry Labour, but it’s time to learn that very large portions of the electorate definitely don’t give a shit about candidates who “tick all the (Left’s) boxes”. They just want to see competence, leadership and vision.
BTW I was a very strong supporter of the Cunliffe/Mahuta ticket, and remain so.
Yes, yes, yes.
Clark and Cullen were a formidable because of their ability, not gender.
Spain bans cash transactions in business
http://thedailybell.com/3814/Spain-Bans-Cash
Lots of concerns for civil liberties here as governments and corporations will be able to (further) track everything you do, where you do it, and who you do it with.
ahh, displaying the craftsmanship of incrementalism at its finest.
Same play that Monti is trying to introduce into Italy….
Yes this is the real stage setting attempts to remove cash…
It started in the Louisiana USA, with a ban on cash for second hand goods!
More bad news to have come from Spain in the last day.
25% unemployment (highest ever).
Back in recession.
Standard & Poors have down graded Spain’s soverign debt.
Maybe cutting even more jobs, taking even more money out of communities and workers’ pockets, selling off even more productive assets and taking on even more bankers’ debt today to repay make tomorrow’s repayments to those same bankers will work.
Or not.
Although it could be said it will stop business people fiddling the state of taxes?
I see David Shearer getting another pasting in the Dompost this morning.
By and large they are right.
He is tentative, has no grasp of the larger issues and is surrounded by a coterie of professional liggers who know the answer to everything but never achieve anything except holding onto their own jobs.
and they use too much soap.
‘Low value of vote, lack of trust’ key to poor election turnout
More and more reason to get rid of or change polling.
All the more reason to have democracy.
Making referendums binding would be a good start.
Aha,I have made mention of this befor,specially in relation to the I Predict type polling of NZFirst leading up to the 2011 election,
Commenting on another web-site at the time, I was constantly harangued by commenters from the right who claimed NZFirst could not reach the 5% of the party vote needed for that party to re-enter the Parliament,
My calculations of NZFirst support published on that web-site as 6.2%–12% of the party vote was based upon the %s of manipulation I detected on that I Predict web-site,
The 2011 election was conducted with that underlying message,(successfully) used by the ‘right’ throughout the campaign that it was a done deal, National would govern alone and voting NZfirst was a wasted vote,
The media polls leading up to 2011 simply reinforced that unwritten campaign and it is my belief that such media polling was,(and still is),focused upon using the margin of error in helping deliver the ”its a done deal” message to voters,
Simply by ascribing to National the high end of the % within the margin of error and ascribing to Labour/Greens/NZFirst the % as calculated from the low end of the margin of error is such a perception created,
Another 6% of those enrolled to do so did not vote in 2011, the Electoral commission’s research would tend to suggest that 30% of that 6% did not cast a vote on the basis of ”its a done deal” which in turn was based upon what i truly believe to be dishonest manipulation of those media polls,
In effect, I see a clinic full of cynics,trying to twist the peoples wrists,they watch every move we make,we are all included upon their lists,
Seems to work for them as well…
msn poll on private or public prisons was strongly in favour of public but over the day it began to swing to private.
any ideas kiddies?
Banks and his campaign donations, bus driver getting murdered anti asset sales march-what does One News lead off with tonight. The death of a former All Black. Sure it’s news but the lead story?
NZ news media are pathetic.
So looks like United Future are now polling people to see who actually support asset sales –
“We understand clearly that the only reason for our existence is to represent the voice of the people in our parliament. We believe that any party that is not constantly in touch with the views of the people is simply not doing its job. “…
http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/do-you-support-john-keys-proposal-for-the/poll.do
78% Say
No
Will he listen?
What will the hair do?
Well, that was interesting. Popped over to the link and duly voted – result was 80.3% NO against asset sales, but not indication of how many votes that represented. Also there appeared to be only two comments – one in Oct 2011 and the other in Dec 2011. So this raises in my mind how long this poll has been running and how many people have voted as well as the obvious – will Dunne actually take note of the results.
The Secret Diary of David Shearer
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/opinion/6822330/The-Secret-Diary-of-David-Shearer
Thank-you CV. Best laugh of the day.
Welcome Anne 🙂
The fishy smell is becoming more pungent by the day.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/scent-of-fish.html
Vicky, up-thread (have run out of reply buttons up there. I voted Cunliffe + Green Party for several years. If Cunliffe had been chosen leader I would have been more likely to look at voting Labour again.
One of the things that puts me off the Labour Party in general, is that they have spent too much time pandering to the MSM opinions, rather than standing up for their principles – too much neoliberal-style managerialism.
The Greens still are closer to their principles…. although not as much as they use to be. I will be chosing between Green and Mana next election (unless Labour does some big turn-around).
PS: I haven’t been very active in recent threads debating Shearer’s leadership.
Ah, thanks, I understand! That’s what I wanted to know… 🙂