Labour got a bit of a towelling on Saturday. I have been, as therapy, analysing some of the figures and there are some interesting features to them and also, I believe cause for medium term optimism. The features include:
1. Low turnout. The continuous stream of negative poll results and adverse media effect had its effect on Labour supporters who just stayed home.
2. Labour dipped substantially in the Maori electorates where the presence of the Mana Party sucked up valuable party votes.
3. The NZ First phenomenon clearly had an effect of Labour’s support base where a number voted strategically to make sure NZ First was over the line. My gut feeling is that this could have been as high as 3% of the total vote. The Greens pretty well account for the rest of the loss.
4. In Auckland the result was relatively good. Labour’s support declined on average by less than 4%.
5. South Auckland performed very well with a swing towards Labour. Mangere was the standout with a 10% swing. Sua William Sio and the Mangere organisation did really well.
6. Christchurch suffered a cataclysmic downturn in support with a 10.6 overall swing against Labour and turnout noticeably dipping. The effect of the earthquake and people’s response to it obviously need more analysis but at this stage it looks like Labour has to do a major rebuilding job. Despite the swing Dalziel and Dyson did well and held their seats and Clayton Cosgrove only just dipped out. The party vote in his electorate was especially strong for National and given this his performance was incredibly good.
7. The counting of special votes will be interesting. Jacinda Ardern probably will not swing Auckland Central back but Carmel Sepuloni still has a chance in Waitakere of unseating Bennett. And if we can knock off one more tory MP the figures get that much tighter to manage.
The ‘vicious bullshit ‘ was suggesting that beneficiaries who deservedly need assistance would be better off if they were helped more, not just with money but with education opportunities and assistance with things like budgeting and how to provide good nutrition on a budget, and that the minority abuses that are occurring were addressed more effectively.
The ‘vicious bullshit ‘ was suggesting that beneficiaries who deservedly need assistance would be better off if they were helped more, not just with money but with education opportunities and assistance with things like budgeting and how to provide good nutrition on a budget, and that the minority abuses that are occurring were addressed more effectively.
How stupid do you think we are? That’s not what you said and you know it.
Er, I would have thought irony was a failed candidate accusing a party 50 times more popular than his own of failing to inspire voters. And isn’t it time you joined the Conservative party, Pete? At least they have a future beyond contributing to Peter Dunne’s retirement fund and may actually get some list candidates elected next time.
Conservatives are not my thing at all. Far too narrow.
My main focus now is continuing to build a strong cross party (and non party) voice for Dunedin. Regional politics rather than party politics, current party politics is failing Dunedin as indicated by the abysmal voter turnout.
And as per usual here the personal attacks divert from Labour’s denial problem. It’s everyone else’s fault.
The problem with Disunited No Future is that nobody knows what they actually stand for -other than hyposcisy, looting the planet, denialism and opportunitsm.
I think it is a great shame that there are still sufficient numbers of uninformed, deluded people around for UF to still exist. The same applies to ACT, of course.
(Update He missed by one – he was second up this morning – seems he is still trying to campaign)
Quote
logie97 34
27 November 2011 at 10:22 pm
Who was that guy Pete George who appeared to be using this blog as a platform for his own ends.?
Now that the ballot has closed and the dust virtually settled, perhaps he will disappear and allow reasonable discourse to resume in these columns. I guess we won’t know till we open up “OpenMike” in the morning to see whether he is still trying to be first poster. Obviously not many of his beloved UF followers read these pages (or maybe they followed him here and saw each and every one of his arguments put in their place …) Dunne holds on just. What a joke.
Purile git hopefully next election when the 1 man band takes some more party votes of Nationa that don’t count it will be hard to imagine with an idiot like you promoting them 132 votes wow thats a successful campaign!
But dunne is nearly finished 3 more years of a no growth economy and he and National will be dunne for.
8. Most of the Nat gain is via ACTs collapse, no paradigm shift and certainly not the grand mandate they’re claiming so if the Greens can hold their support there is be a strong and natural left coalition in the wings.
Labour’s support base where a number voted strategically to make sure NZ First was over the line.
Yes. I thought long and hard about voting strategically for NZF but in the end I couldn’t. It didn’t seem possible that Labour could win this time but NZF could become a spoiler and damn near did.
What a load of tosh. Labour failed in it’s policy’s, failed with it’s candidates and now fail to see the error of their ways. Why did so many stay away, try no passion, no inspiration to start with. You guys just don’t get it, fortuitously most Kiwi’s do. Perhaps it was because of polices like money for working for nothing. Perhaps it was the same dumb candidates that believe the only way to voters hearts are to bribe them with other peoples money.
“money for working for nothing.”
Side Show Bob – Try to pay attention. There is a discrimination case(s) working its way through the system that has a good chance of finding that there is discrimination in not offering WFF to beneficiaries.
Which leaves two choices to any government cough up the dosh for benes or axe the scheme altogether.
Do you think for one minute Mr “I need to be love” Key would have campaigned on axing WFF?
Side show bob other peoples money coming Debt from overseas at high interest and higher if [Greek European proportions] national fail to get the economy growing at more than the 0.1% it has under the dipstick.National will need to grow the economy at more than 2.5% to start paying off Debt at more than interest costs we are paying 6% for our debt the US 2.5%.The exodus to Australia will gather pace a lot of young ones I know are not waiting for another 3 years of National that includes one of my children if the CHCH rebuild doesn’t get under way soon my other child and husband and 3 grandchildren have gone already.
I assume that’s because you don’t have a family, and you do have a high income. Consumption taxes harm the poor, because they spend everything they get, whereas the rich save their money.
Try reading past the first two sentences. A rise in GST should be engineered so that those in the bottom 50% end up with a real tax cut, after price rises, while everyone else pays more.
instead of having a graduated stepped tax system ie 20% to 35% why not have a continually graduated system with computers now it would be easy and would create less poverty traps and resentment from the rich .
Capital Gains Tax would be more acceptable from the right if business tax was reduced with some of that increase in tax which would encourage the productive sector
Capital gains should be on all capital gain at a lower rate which would be more acceptable as well
Small businesses need simpler easier systems computerizing all small businesses systems and having instant gst would reduce paper work needed for small business
Small businesses are the backbone of employment in this country if their Acc levies and all the govt taxes and rebates were paid as they earned it would save a lot of head aches for small businesses we on the left need to make sure its easy for these businesses to thrive and survive
You have obviously discovered fraud in the way the election was run.
David Parker’s 6,000 votes? The organisers of the election only credit Parker with 3,093.
Quick, who stole the other 2,900 you think he got?
see also – excluding the poorest meembers of the community from working for families, the seabed and foreshore act (yes still), the increased gap between rich and poor after 9 years of labour government, and entitlitis that led to labour ministers rorting the system for travel perks, hotel pornography, unfortunate examples of public behaviour, giving large amounts of money to rich people for a boat race, changing school terms for a sports tournament and trevor mallard. In nine years of government all they succeeded in doing was alienating their consituency. Apart from the departure of Cullen and Clark the labour caucus has very few new faces and have borrowed all their new policies from the greens, proving that for them it’s not about integrity but about jumping on popular bandwagons to regain power.
Kudos to the grace shown by Goff and most of the posters on here. I fully expected an outpouring of bile and venom about the election result (and had looked for some youtube clips in response) but I’ve been pleasently surprised by the restraint on here.
So the questions are:
How long will Goff stay on as leader for and who’ll replace him if he goes?
Cunliffe is non-committal, but is apparently being blamed for not coming up with numbers for Goff quick enough in the campaign. He denies he’s considering runing with Dalziel as deputy.
Other potential leaders named have included former union leader Andrew Little, who was elected from the party list on Saturday, and Mt Albert MP David Shearer, though it is seen as too soon for both.
Shane Jones has ruled himself out of leadership contention.
I can’t say that Parker inspires me at all. He seems very MOR and lacking in passion – too managerial.
Of the ones mentioned, I’d go for Little (with Ardern). That’d be a lively and energises team, along with Little’s gravitas and ability to think assertively on his feet. Fresh – new, not old-style managerial, has the potential to engage with disengaged struggling workers and poor. And combines with a youthful, female and smart image.
He’s also negative and I’m not sure he could do a positive campaign. Do Labour really just want to attack John Key in 2014 as they have in 2011 and 2008. Do they want to campaign once again negatively rather than positively?
micky, I like Cunliffe a lot – have given my electorate vote to him in the last couple of elections. I think he is very good on his feet, in the House and with “tough” media interviews. But he also needs to have the support of the majority of the caucus. I wonder if he is personable enough to have wide voter appeal.
However, RNZ this morning is talking a 2 horse race between Parker and Cunliffe. In that case, I would go for Cunliffe. Parker is too bland and just comes across as a middleclass suit. he’s not going to be able to engage with some of the disengaged battler sections of the electorate. Cunliffe has a certain mongrel appeal.
But I would have someone softer, more personable and youthful as his deputy – eg Ardern.
I don’t believe Key will see out the full term. And on that basis I reckon it would be crazy to not remain with Goff – he got profile,experience and kudos for his performance this election. People began to connect with him, and the media grudgingly appreciated him. Absolute madness for him to stand down. Stay, Phil – with Jacinda as deputy. Call the shots – you have the mandate now to do it on your own terms.
Why did you expect that? The right have been somewhat more restrained than in their hysterical witch hunt in 2008. The reaction is consequently less.
The answer to your question is when he feels it is appropriate, and there will be caucus discussion and a vote. It isn’t a direct party decision – it is a caucus decision.
Without being too apocalyptic there are some major sea changes happening out in the wider world that will change how we view the role of the future politician: if Labour are to present any credible alternative they will have to look like saviours of the coming train wreck.
Moving on Goff now is pointless, better to see who understands the future best and represents it best. None have shown the vision and world awareness they will need, so until somebody does just wait.
if Labour are to present any credible alternative they will have to look like saviours of the coming train wreck.
Small problem. If people actually believed that there were real ‘train wreck’ magnitude problems coming up, they wouldn’t have voted National.
However, they don’t so they did vote National. Orlov, Kunstler and many others are right. By the time the signals become obvious that BAU is failing badly, it will be too late to do much about it on a Governmental level.
Yes, the financial ‘tsunami’ is ‘tuindering up the beach’ and WILL hit in a matter of months. The peak oil is more akin to a ‘rising sea level’ that will inundate everything over the next few years, and environmental collapse a ‘wild card’ that could hit hard and fast or just erode everything currently people take for granted over the next decade.
You cannot be ‘too apocalyptic’ because apocalypse actually means uncovering or revealing [of that which has been hidden]. Much WILL be revealed very soon, starting with exposure of the ‘economic growth will save us’ fraud.
CV.
Yes, you are right. ‘If people actually believed that there were real ‘train wreck’ magnitude problems coming up, they wouldn’t have voted National.’
The only consolation is, fewer people are deluded by the flag-waving and fireworks displays than in 2008.
The real issue is that the time to start preparing for the mess we are now in was over the period 2000 to 2008, when we had a Labour government that was composed of deniers and ‘clowns’, many of whom are still hanging around and giving off bad smells like slowly decomposing cadavers.
“I fully expected an outpouring of bile and venom about the election result”
It is telling how the bulk of the bile is spewing from the victors, perhaps that well dressed little cricket we all possess is gnawing at their sense of reason?
Peters on RNZ yesterday basically said the voters will have to learn the hard way if they insist on voting against their own interests. Quite right, but at what cost?
Most NZers, unfortunately, don’t know their own history very well and have forgotten the lessons of, say, the Great Depression. The next depression – which approaches quickly – will provide many fresh lessons. However, it will be too late as far as our economic sovereignty is concerned, what with the asset sales, TPP, etc.
There will be unrest (5 years?) ahead and I expect NACT will foster closer military ties with the US over the next term. In the long run, they probably won’t want to rely on the NZ Army to enforce the new economic hegemony.
Two possibilities:- 1) We get another stupid government in that actually pays to get the assets back or 2) we get a government that got the will to just re-appropriate them with no compensation.
What we will need is the latter. We will probably get the former.
If Labour, NZ First, Greens, Mana, really cared as much about these asset sales as they say, they would have signalled Option (2) pre-election. This would have been adequate warning to any potential investor.
As mandated by what – less than 35% of registered voters? Don’t wank on about democracy when a referendum directly asking about asset sales would have returned at least a 75% NO
Mighty river is the most profitable SOE so National will see what funds can be raised from it if its a failure they can abandon the sales program and go back to their main policy of borrow and hope!
Act said they would stop the National party from selling assets if they didn’t get a good price for them!
Banks sold NZR for nothing to his mates and sold Auckland airport shares to his mates for nothing expect the same again!
On this side (a Left blog) its all doom and gloom, especially if you were looking to take the reins of “power” in what is seen as BAU, the steady state growth economy. Well look at this little storm arriving full tilt…
As the world economies plunge into a storm the 1930s would have regarded as a minor blip we blithely hand our fate to a bankster. You can remain amazed at your fellow citizens stupidity and short sightedness BUT thats democracy, no complaints please.
I’m personally asking anyone who says anything about any party if they voted……that turnout is a very sad apathy indicator so be good to know where the hypocrites are.
If you didn’t vote you have no right to comment whatsoever IMO……so shut up hold tight and pay attention.
People don’t vote if they are disenfranchised from the process and outcomes. Try to understand that it is not the same meaning as apathy. Apathy is a measure of inaction. Disenfranchisement is the motive behind a choice of action. Try to understand that those that are disenfrancised will excercise valid complaint by not voting and their complaints will be valid after they also don’t vote.
If you ignore and attack the disenfranchised, how will you ever grow the voter turnout? Where will your extra voters come from? Will you ship them in? Give everyone else an extra vote?
If you ignore the disenfranchised you are ignoring those who need information, explanation and assistance. Worse, you are dismissing the core of an active democracy – to engage all people and both sides of every argument.
And if all else fails, ask yourself, if you were faced with the choice of being ignored by one man or or being ignored by another, which would you choose? What about if the choice was between two men who would oppress you?
I have wondered how much pre-election media coverage and polls contribute to voter turn out as I suspect that a number of people fail to vote based on reports of media and polls and coming to a conclusion that their vote is either note needed or will be wasted depending on how exactly the media are covering their preferred party.
What you’re advocating here is that politicans should decide the direction of the Nation, isolated from the people i.e. no democracy. That is why the no vote no complaint slogan is anti-democratic. Generating a paternal attitude about it is pathetic at best, counterproductive at worst.
Every party in the last election could have gained from at least 25% extra support. They failed to engage those voters. Key would have a true mandate. ACT might not be all but dead. Labour might be in power. The Greens might have been the majority base of a left coalition. NZF might have…. everything would be different. It’s stunning our political parties could be so short sighted – this is an MMP environment.
An MMP parliament does not mean either National or Labour cabinet, plus some pet coalition partners who get thrown a concession or two. While parties continue to believe that, they can expect to be overrun or corrupted by the majority party of a coalition. If people are increasingly disenfranchised, the old arguments of persuation will no longer work. There is no need to apologise for past regimes if your new presentation explains the basic concepts of why you create particular policy. Not rich vs. poor, not dollar vs. future, not slogan vs. slogan, but what is right and why. No need to sigh over present reality in your campaign ad’s if clear reasoning is present. Then even if a voter does not vote for you, they will vote for your allies. Cement your support. Create dialogue. If the basic concepts behind policy are truely right, they will be right regardless of economic climate.
Any party that thinks that percentages are all that matter cannot tap into the lost vote.
Umm… IMO I believe that kids should be enrolled in year 10 by their high school and there be a mandatory fine/debit of say $100-150 for not voting which could be data linked into IRD for collection.
That would get all the youth and low income out to vote.
The trouble with that is only the dictatorial right would create that sort of system, and they are sooo not interested in the young and the poor voting.
Enrolment is compulsory but not enforced.
if we can’t enforce that then we wont enforce voting.
The census people want people to participate and be honest. Any likelihood of bad consequences from completing the census will drive people to avoid it.
The US know this only too well. Back in WW2 they used census results to round up Japanese citizens or those of Japanese descent and lock them in internment camps.
Now they have a difficult time trying to get the nutjobbers from completing the census, because in this case the nutjobbers actually have proof that needs to be taken seriously.
John Key will be negotiating with ACT, United Future and The Maori Party to form a government from Monday.
United Future and Maori Party both support public service TV and TVNZ 7.
Please urgently call, email or write to Peter Dunne and/or Te Ururoa Flavell to remind them about TVNZ 7 in their upcoming negotiations.
Peter Dunne contact details: peter.dunne@parliament.govt.nz
(04) 478 0076 or (04) 560 4773
Parliament Office
Private Bag 18888
Parliament Buildings
Wellington 6160
Te Ururoa Flavell contact details: teururoa.flavell@parliament.govt.nz
(07) 3503261 or 0508 924 274
1489 Eruera Street
PO Box 12028
Rotorua Central Mall 3045
Yes after being a big fan of the man for at least five years now it’s hugely gratifying to see him start getting some traction. He may yet turn out to be the Maynard Keynes of our generation.
I thought the photo on the front page of The Southland Times this morning summed the situation up nicely. Key meeting senior Cabinet Ministers (Brownlee, English, Joyce and McCully) at home in Parnell.
Five middle aged, born-to-rule white guys in their weekend uniform of blue striped Rodd and Gunn shirt tucked into jeans arrayed around Key’s living room which has all the warmth and personality of a hotel room.
Peters will thrive in his natural opposition habitat which will doom the left to coalesce with NZF should they get the numbers in 2014 (please). That is a problem. Quite apart from trust issues the man never really leaves opposition. Oh… and Andrew Williams anyone?
Curran got well and truly spanked in a formerly Labour stronghold seat. Dunedin people don’t like her – she is sour, intolerant and focuses on fringe issues. Even the City Councillors believe she is a waste of space – keeps bleating on about painting seats in the Octagon. The best thing that Curran can do for Dunedin is to go back to Australia.
I think you are letting personal feelings cloud your judgement here. Curran won the seat with a 4,000 odd majority, hardly a spanking. As for the party vote I believe boundary changes in recent years have pushed the seat more towards Middlemarch which might account for National’s increased party vote.
keeps bleating on about painting seats in the Octagon.
I lived there for a few years and I can assure you, from my perspective, the whole city needs a bloody good clean. Some fantastic architecture but it’s dirty and the foot paths are black with grime.
I ripped the shit out of 2 friends of family uni students yesterday, ” We’re Labour all the way, yeah ” ” did you vote? ” Tried to bluff but didn’t get away with it. ” Aw didn’t get around to it ” was the worst admission they could have made. I realised later that it was probably the first time these two had ever been made to be accountable for slackness. Don’t think they will be back, good riddance. Don’t let these lasy ungrateful little shits off the hook, years of getting 18 yr olds the vote, interest free student loans, 18 year old drinking age and decent wages. If thats not worth 5 minutes time to vote any way they have the right to, they deserve all the shit thats going to hit them in the next 3 years. The same goes for anybody else that you come across who didn’t vote . tear the fuckers a new arsehole.
The same goes for anybody else that you come across who didn’t vote . tear the fuckers a new arsehole.
Why? I mean, this ‘representative’ malarky is two minutes out of one day every three years. Hardly a scenario that encourages participation or any level of engagement whatsoever. Inbetween times, we are subjected to parliamentary tedium and soap opera with no further opportunity for meaningful input until another (approx) 1095 days have gone by.
I’m much more concerned with those that view meaningful democracy as consisting of those two minutes every three years.
Given the choice between somebody who will support political activism and not vote, or someone who will merely vote, I know who my frustrations would be focussed on.
I wasn’t even enrolled for the first 2 elections i was eligible to vote in.
I figured if the choice is between the lesser of two evils or the devil you know. I ‘d rather not vote for a devil or evil at all.
You can’t lose if you don’t play.
The sooner we get secure txt voting from a smart phone the sooner you’ll engage the youngers to vote. It’s just stupid that we use online banking, pay by phone and ATM’s but don’t engage that technology for voting.
a tick on a piece of paper behind a cardboard box in this day and age ???…you’ve got to be fucking kidding !!!
Polly, I was so impressed by your analysis of why my stupid vacuous office girl wanted to vote for Key that I have taken the liberty of reposting here (in italics). In short she is very vulnerable if this company crashes in the coming depression and if she has to support her son on sonn to be cut welfare (and perhaps be forced to find a job at Makkers). Yet she voted for a man who “worked so hard to get rich…just like we can)>>>Yeah right.
Living the dream
Congratulations people, you bought the aspirational middle class dream Key was selling. You didn’t
want the reality Goff was selling and why would you ?
The reality is high unemployment, no jobs, stagnant wages, rising cost of living, NZ’s best and brightest leaving NZ in record numbers, an aging population reliant on welfare, an angry youthful
demographic also reliant on welfare, a property investment boil that needs lancing and a wealth
disparity chasm that will only widen with asset sales.
I mean, who in their right mind wants to face that reality ?…and buy into it, let alone deal with it, when you can live the dream of aspirational middle classiness. You too can come from living in a state house to make a fortune then become Prime Minister. Thats the shit people want to buy into and the shit Key was selling.
And man did we buy it, hook, line and sinker, cos like i said on Dim Post, everyone thinks they’re middle class these days. There is no working class anymore, only the underclass, consisting of the working poor and the unemployed. But no one’s going to admit to being underclass. That’s the fucking nightmare class you read about on the news, committing violent crime, breeding for business and living of charity.
Sure, you may be jobless and poor or scraping to get by, but your parents weren’t and they were middles class so you are too eh ? You just have to keep believing, have faith that Key can keep your dream alive. I mean, you’re a real life wannabe kiwi mum and dad whose better times are just around the corner.
But you know the only trouble with living the dream is, sooner or later you wake up and have to face reality, either by your own choice or by neccessity of someone forcing you to. And don’t you just hate it when the realization dawns on you that the dream you thought you were living was only happening in your mind and for all that time you were just asleep.
sleep tight NZ, don’t let reality bite…Vampires are real !!!
Underclass and proud of it…I own that shit and one day soon i and others like me will be Key’s worst nightmare.
Not for the crime or the ‘breeding for business’ that drain welfare, but for the sheer weight of critical mass that happens when the 99% sleepers awaken and choose a new reality.
Think Dune when Paul Atreides transmuted the waters of life. And like House Atreides inspiring the Fremen to storm the deserts of Arrakis and overthrow the Harkonnens to bring the Emperor to his knees.Theres gonna be hell to pay.
They who control the spice controls the universe. We will take back spice production and own our future.
There is a real move (I think from the left) in the US to return to paper voting.
The concern is that there are too many problems with machine voting, no audit-able paper record for electronic voting (and therefore greater chance of fraud, hacking or government interference), and too many jurisdictions that determine their own method of casting a vote.
Yes, we have online banking etc but one of the secrets the banks keep quiet is the evel of “interference” that does take place.
The difference between the US and us is population and the prohibitions to exclude voters there.
If there was a cross party consensus to change the electoral status quo, it could happen practically overnight. No more silly land line polls and dodgy internet ones. People could txt in using their secure ird number and bank acct log in.
A referendum on that would be way more useful than wasting time deciding on MMP alternatives. Imagine if we could real time decide on mandates for things like State Asset Sales.
It’s inevitable we will eventually vote via the virtual cloud. Rather we own it and control it, make it happen NOW, or by proxy, facebook and the US through the banks will do it for us.
No doubt the new technology gives us the chance of fast, inexpensive feed back for all sort of issues that a government faces.
It doesn’t solve the lack of participation.
I could see a problem of buy in and the degree of representation.
You would need to limit each person to one person one vote and be able to secure that so there is no staking of a referendum or other sort of poll.
Then there is the technology to be used – smart phones for everyone? polling booths permanently on street corners like phone boxes?
Do we want such events like a general election to be treated so casually?
Still, something of the sort is in the future.
polling booths permanently on street corners like phone boxes?
Using eftpos or ATM’s as voting machines tied into your bank acct secure pin and login details cross matched with your ird number and drivers license sent as a txt to confirm via answering a personal question you sent in using snail mail with your electoral enrolment form.
It doesn’t solve the lack of participation.
I’m pickin youngers would, if given the option, vote using their phone or an ATM, especially if you engaged them via social media and incentivised them with free credit.
As a trial, get the systems up, trial some refererenda and then in the next elections just electronically vote on the party vote and see how irrelevent electorate voting is to the youngers.
…see how irrelevent electorate voting is to the youngers.
This election has, IMO, proven that we need to get rid of electorate voting or bring in STV voting for the electorate. As it is it’s too open to manipulation and gerrymanders are still possible. If we do get rid of electorate voting then people have to become more involved with local politics which seems to be more or less ignored ATM.
You would need to limit each person to one person one vote and be able to secure that so there is no staking of a referendum or other sort of poll.
You may not have noticed but the government already has a database (actually, they probably have several) that has everybody in the country on it. Tie the voting into that database, make the record of the vote permanent and that each person can see that record online (IMO, government data on a person should be available online for that person to view) with the option to change a vote once under supervision if the vote is recorded incorrectly.
The voting is done online, database is government owned and controlled, software is developed in-house and is open source. That prevents private companies from being able to manipulate the voting directly and makes the software as secure as possible. Using Security Tokens makes the actual online transaction about as secure as you can get and possibly more secure than paper based options.
There is a real move (I think from the left) in the US to return to paper voting.
The concern is that there are too many problems with machine voting, no audit-able paper record for electronic voting (and therefore greater chance of fraud, hacking or government interference), and too many jurisdictions that determine their own method of casting a vote.
Absolutely right! There’s no way that Dubya really genuinely got re-elected in 2004 – we all know that much! Paper voting is safe, and if the younglings won’t do it, tough on them, lazy barstewards! Voting by text should never happen… I am teaching a bunch of lazy teens, and they think I am horrible, because there are some things up with which I will not put…
How hard would it be to remove ‘personality’ from politics and have a more representative parliament in the process? Not hard at all, I reckon. Instead of lists of parties, why not have lists of policy direction that parties offer up (limited to x number of policies per party) with a ‘yes/no’ option and then the various parties attached to the relevant yeah or nay side of the policy?
So for example, on ‘Asset Sales’ there would be a yes or no option and then, depending on your thoughts on asset sales, a further choice as to which parties prescriptions you’d rather see implemented.
Same on tax free income. If 50% + favour it, then the signal as to whether Labour’s $5000, Mana’s $20 000 or whatever was preferred would have been signalled on the ballot paper. And then the party which had the largest vote next to it on that policy, would be charged with making it happen….executing the policy.
The overall result…a representation of voter desire…would probably be a hoary bastard for parliamentarians to deal with. But if their job is to give effect to voter desires, then hey.
If a particular policy couldn’t be implemented for genuine reasons (ie politiking aside), then at the next election it assumes a priority that needs only 50%+ to vote for it and then it must be implemented by the same party as before. No ‘if’s’ no ‘but’s’….no excuses whatsoever.
In the space between elections, policy and not personality would be the only thing worth discussing. And unlike the Swiss system that appears to demand constant engagement, this allows people to ‘dip in and out’ of parliamentary shenanigans.
Once every three years the politicians are directed on what they are required to deliver. It’s up to them after that.
I think Mana’s idea of lowering the voting age has some merit.
If young people had a chance to experience at least one election and maybe even two elections before leaving high school, young people may have a better appreciation of the democratic process as a valuable and empowering experience and therefore decide to stay more involved as adults.
(To experience two elections while still at High School would mean lowering the voting age to 15)
I would like to debate with others the merits/demerits of this idea.
Would our youth just vote as their parents do?
Would teachers have an improper influence over students’ political views?
Are our objections based on fear?
Are we frightened of what our young people would do with the mandate?
I can’t help wondering, what would they would do with it?
No doubt I imagine it will be something I can’t imagine.
To judge by what my younger son has told me about his former classmates, yes, a scarily large number would do just that.
Would teachers have an improper influence over students’ political views?
I don’t believe so…
Are our objections based on fear?
Mine certainly are! The monstrous idiocy displayed by many of the pupils at Western Springs College when L., was there is terrifying. One girl was convinced that Helen Clark was an unmarried lesbian, because her Daddy said so (see above). A boy was convinced that World War 2 was fought by the brave Americans (along with maybe 20 New Zealanders) against the evil Brits and the evil Nazis, all for the purpose of saving Jews and establishing the state of Israel. Another boy believed that whatever box you’re in precludes all other boxes – and screamed his disbelief that an Irish person they were learning about could be both a Communist and a Republican! Many 15 year olds would, in the wonderful words of my daughter in law speaking about her rest-home “ladies” – ‘vote for the Wombles if they were on the ballot” – the old dears because they don’t know what day it is, the teens, for the lulz…
Are we frightened of what our young people would do with the mandate?
Absolutely yes. Sadly, teens are irresponsible. It’s what they are!
No doubt I imagine it will be something I can’t imagine.
I can and it makes me blench! My youngest was a teen not to long ago, and I remember it all too well. His besetting sin was (and still is to an extent) self-righteousness and an absolute conviction that he’s always right. If you think Petulant Bean and old Tariana think they know what’s best for bennies, try a bunch of teenagers!
Thanks Mickey for your analysis …you (and too many coffees) have got me thinking in an after-match-analysis sort of way……
1. Low turnout.
Traditionally the no-voters are on the left (for a number of reasons) and that we always hit the left hard if they don’t vote. I think that Labour and the Greens need to step up the game.
a.We need to see the next three years like The South during the ’60s and have drives to increase voter registration. Make a concerted effort to help people outside the political process to dip their toes in the water and hope they wade in on election day.
This is something I will be committing myself to in the next three years ( I have yet to checkout turnout in my area but I’m sure there is a need).
b. Step up our efforts to get out the vote on the day. Cars, vans, umbrellas – anything to remove the barriers people have to voting. That involves some organisation at the grass roots and co-operation across the left (not sure how the greens will feel about all those car miles 🙂 )
c. Non-partisan letterbox drops, well before the lead up to the election, with a series of well thought out, nicely produced, flyers that people can down load and distribute around their neighbour hood. A set number of drops, on certain dates, over the course of a year.
These flyers would aim to educate people about the process, why we have an election at all, and why it is important for any citizen to vote and the efforts people, as seen in the news, are going to in order to get a say.
Perhaps campaign slogans that have a uniform, pithy message that can be put on bumpers, posters etc. e.g. “If you don’t vote then don’t complain”, “If you didn’t vote I ain’t listening”, “Be part of the solution – Vote!”, “Vote first, bitch second”, “You’re only alive because politicians allow you to be”
2. Labour dipped substantially in the Maori electorates where the presence of the Mana Party sucked up valuable party votes.
Labour can no longer rely on being the dominant party on he left. The left is fragmented. But that should not necessarily be a bad thing. It is the nature of the left to be fragmented – we all have differing views about what in the status quo needs to be changed and we rally to that flag.
Instead of it being a weakness that the right can use to divide and conquer, the left needs to decide on what they can agree on, be gracious with each other, and leave the adversarial debate to the presentation of ideas during the election.
Perhaps we need a association of progressives, a congress of like minded people that have a common ethos but differ in the details.
If Labour wants to survive it needs to look at who it constituency is. With the advent of strong Maori voices the days of Ratana and Labour Maori safe seats are gone. Who does Labour speak for? The Middle class? Labour? Maori, Pacifica, Asians?
Do they need to build a constituency? Organise union membership, campaign for better work conditions, get a profile in the foodbanks, elevate the “common man” in the party ranks, be proud to be socialist and promoting a return to a more caring NZ, boldly address the future like they have stated to but go further – peak oil, climate change, NZ for NZdrs and not trans-nationals).
The Greens are on a roll and it is a generational thing. The young have the values and expectations that resonate with the Green message. They are the children of the greening of society and as they come of voting age there will be more of them. I say the young but I exclude brain dead “I’m a Key person” bimbos-for-hire that Key had following him – why weren’t they at work?!
3. The NZ First phenomenon clearly had an effect of Labour’s support base
I don’t think you could call Winston a leftie but the party does have an appeal to people who are older and are concerned about change, people who respond to ideas of national pride and their definition of NZ, people who feel they have invested in NZ and want to be recognised, who want to feel that not everyone is waiting for them to die out.
Add to that the personality cult around him and the protest vote against the status quo and the belief that Labour were not going to be strong enough. There is one thing about Winston, he can deliver some scathing soundbites about “the enemy” that make us feel good and put the self-important in their place.
5. South Auckland performed very well with a swing towards Labour. Mangere was the standout with a 10% swing. Sua William Sio and the Mangere organisation did really well.
Again, who is Labour talking to? Are they being moblised to vote? Unionised? What’s the Labour profile at foodbanks, markets, in lobbying for the people who need help? Should their be more brown faces in the Labour benches?
6. Christchurch
The demographics are still to fluid for John Key to puff out his chest and say we must be doing a good job in Chch. I think te shit hasn’t fully hit the fan with CERA and I suspect that so much is still to be revealed that might piss people off. But then you only have so much energy and the energy levels in Chch have been drained by events.
Again, the important role for Labour is advocacy, advocacy, advocacy. People remember who goes to bat for them when things are down.
7. Carmel Sepuloni still has a chance in Waitakere of unseating Bennett
I don’t give a monkey’s about Bennett, she’s in anyway, but Sepuloni would be a great loss. She’s one of those “watch this space” people.
So in 2008 terms NZ1st was left of Labour and the authoritarian thing would be the personality cult thing they’ve go going.
…I would think Labour has moved to the left this election.
They’ve got a simple test that they run political parties policies through (It’s not necessarily the most accurate way but it’s better than nothing and it’s fairly constant). The 2011 one didn’t have NZ1st on it otherwise I would have linked to it. It shows that Labour have moved right but probably within margin of error (ie, not moved at all).
I’ve been wondering since I have seen it quoted as fact a few times on this site how anyone knows that no-voters favor the left?
By definition they didn’t express an opinion so there is no way to know.
The only way I can see you would be able to do it is by comparing the actual results to polls and as polls are not scientific and there is no way to check if they are correct that would be meaningless as well.
You look at the enrolled vote (political parties are allowed to read and check the marked roll for things like the dead voting). If they didn’t vote then they are enrolled non vote and you look at them against against previous canvassing data or the deprivation index. Pretty damn clear
But there are also academic studies looking at voting intentions with followup to ask about voting.
Bill, because if they can’t give ” 2 minutes every 3 years” they will only be involved in the process by bitching about whatever the subsequent outcomes happen to be , and their negativism about “reperesentation ” will only foster more disenfranchisment.
T.W.I.M.C. Stick with Phil, remember the lesson according to Ted, but just hope that it’s not as close as 8-7 in ’14.
Maybe you mistakenly see the ‘representative parliamentary system’ as the crucible of democracy rather than as one among a number of obstacles to democracy?
“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see….”
“You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?”
“No,” said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, “nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people.”
“Odd,” said Arthur, “I thought you said it was a democracy.”
“I did,” said Ford. “It is.”
“So,” said Arthur, hoping he wasn’t sounding ridiculously obtuse, “why don’t the people get rid of the lizards?”
“It honestly doesn’t occur to them,” said Ford. “They’ve all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they’ve voted in more or less approximates to the government they want.”
“You mean they actually vote for the lizards?”
“Oh yes,” said Ford with a shrug, “of course.”
“But,” said Arthur, going for the big one again, “why?”
“Because if they didn’t vote for a lizard,” said Ford, “the wrong lizard might get in.”
– Douglas Adams
Afew its not perfect but its better than any other option unless you are the despotic leader but in your case the only movement you will be starting will be followed by the sound of a cistern flushing unless you’ve invested in a composting toilet
Also, as Willis Eschenbach seems to have connections with Delingpole and manages to rate a mention in that bastion of truth Conservapedia, will someone please please pass me the salt.
Big strike on Wednesday in the UK, maybe bigger than in 1979 (I remember the uncollected rubbish bags piling up on Clapham Common), and maybe bigger than the 1926 general strike.
I do feel it’s pity that the strike is over changes to pensions and not to cuts to the public sector services. Note also that Stuff headlines are all to about how it will impact on Kiwi air travellers, whereas the strike itself is the big news:
And there’s a threat of Cameron re-drafting industrial action law to restrict such strikes.
Teachers, garbage collectors, construction workers and some medical staff are also among those who will strike in an escalating row over planned changes to public sector pensions.
The biggest strike in decades was expected to close hospital operating theatres and thousands of schools closed, and prompted Britain’s government to warn that it could lead to tougher laws on industrial action.
The walkout is expected to top the scale of Britain’s 1979 strikes – when tens of thousands of people halted work over pay disputes. Some labour unions claim the action could even eclipse Britain’s 1926 general strike, when about 1.75 million people joined walkouts
blue stop playing the man and listen to what he has to say.
otherwise you contribute nothing.
come to think of it I never seen you round before.
are you trolling?
Intermittent Signal 2011/8 (last 29/9)
NZs making something, doing something clever always gets me hopeful that we have some future apart from getting stuck in the dropping of a cow’s back end or playing with money that somebody else has made. and circulating it with lots of drop-off points each taking a cut for participating in the round robin.
Tait Electronics has been going for yonks and hasn’t been bought out yet!! Maybe never as I believe they have a trust structure that might prevent this. I pass on news item I saw about their radio system for London’s 7500 buses which Tait won the $19 million contract for in 2006 to overhaul London Buses’ Radio network with a system designed and manufactured in Christchurch. Tait will now maintain and support the network.
We need to have a way of investing in an advance New Zealand entrepreneurs business. That would be fun, interesting with some risk, and a good proportion would be very profitable. Also a fund to buy out businesses when they have reached adulthood so we stop the overseas firms and destructive highly-leveraged equity types from picking them off and sucking them dry.
We need to have a way of investing in an advance New Zealand entrepreneurs business.
Government prints the money and loans it to entrepreneurs at 0% interest. This gives the entrepreneurs the boost they need. If the idea fails then the money is recaptured through taxes costing us all a few cents each but if it succeeds then the loan is paid back in full from proceeds plus we have something new in the economy.
…and a good proportion would be very profitable.
A proportion would be but it’s likely to be a small proportion. Profits are a dead weight loss which we need to avoid.
Also a fund to buy out businesses when they have reached adulthood…
Don’t need it – just need to ban sales of businesses and property to foreign owners. Doing so is, after all, bad for NZ.
DTB Yes you seem to be making sense but I can’t always agree with you. As for NZs backing their own entrepreneurs and successful businesses, if there was a climate favourable to that it would be better than throwing money away to dodgy finance companies that are mostly just living off consumerism.
I’m all for a development fund that
– provides the venture capital we’re too small a country to provide
– takes a stake in any future profits, intellectual property etc.
– keeps investment returns in the country
– develops ideas and sponsors research
– NZ is too small and could do with some central planning towards NZ Inc.
They say government can’t pick winners but the private sector hasn’t done too well at it either.
It would be better for NZ than stateless, disloyal, corporates getting welfare payments.
Imagine what we could have done with a research/venture capital fund equal to the money we paid out on failed finance companies alone.
The emotional payoff — two innovators triumphing over troglodyte naysayers by delivering an awesome product — portrayed Rand’s polemical point in its best conceivable light. I am all for that aspect of the libertarian dream! Indeed, it is the core theme that makes THE FOUNTAINHEAD sympathetic and persuasive. So, for ten minutes, we actually liked the characters and rooted for them. Significantly, it is the portion when nobody speaks.
Alas, though. The film then resumed a level of simplistic lapel-grabbing that many of us recall from our Rand-obsessed college friends — underachievers who kept grumbling from their sheltered, coddled lives, utterly convinced that they’d do much better in a world of dog-eat-dog. (Using my sf’nal powers, I have checked-out all the nearby parallel worlds where that happened; in those realms, every Randian I know was quickly turned into a slave or dog food. Sorry fellows.)
The mandate about asset sales is really annoying from all sides. As a government you have the right to introduce legislation to parliament. Doesn’t matter how unpopular that might be, as a government you get to introduce it to the house. And with parliamentary consent that policy can become law and thus mandated. To get consent you need a majority of parliament to agree to it. This parliament looks to be 61 votes in favour.
John Key can’t actually say he has a mandate because his party did not get 61 seats in parliament. All that happened from the election was the ability to pass legislation with consent of other parties who carry seats. Likewise, its poor taste from Labour, their supporters and others opposed to asset sales. National by virtue of confidence and supply with others (or abstaining) has the legal right to introduce legislation no matter how unpopular it may be. As National themselves is not a majority. They still require further support to actually pass that legislation.
Why would Maori ever want to spend their money on a stake in the power companies.
It’s a cool plan though by the government – we’ll settle with you and pay you money and then give you this really great opportunity to give us (the government) the money back by getting a share of a power company you already own as a citizen.
And people accuse Maori of having their hands out.
Still at least Maori got the payouts legitimately unlike the investors who were bailed out after their poor investment decisions and who can now use taxpayers money to buy the power companies.
The MP say today that their agreement with asset sales is not likely to be part of their confidence and supply agreement with National. On RNZ, I heard Turia say the onlyquestions or communication they had had from their constituents about asset sales was from some iwi leaders/business people who’d like to invest 10% or so. Turia said that’s their business and the MP isn’t so into it.
But, if no pressure is being put on the MP to support asset sales legislation, either Key is very sure of not losing 2 seats in the specials, or asset sales aren’t that important to them.
I was disappointed by that, but I can understand it. Unless I can find another dedicated server provider in NZ with a less painful policy on international traffic (current cap is 60GB, and $3 per GB over), this sites servers will be heading back offshore. The latency is less of an issue than losing the search spiders that bring new readers.
It’s a totally understandable decision by Netflix Vice President Brent Ayrey. Can you imagine the backlash from thousands of customers experiencing lag and low quality. I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Nationals meaningless rhetoric.
The lack of bandwidth is the result of the privatisation and deregulation of telecommunications. ~$20b in dead weight loss (profit) just going to Telecom. $20b that would have been used to build up and upgrade the network if it hadn’t been sold. On top of that is the extra billions lost through the building of extra unnecessary networks and profits in the other telecommunications firms.
Once something becomes ubiquitous it must be brought into government ownership so that it can be used for the good of the country at minimal cost.
There’s no question that the lead up to the 2011 election has given the New Zealand Occupy movement a reprieve from any harsh Police action to break up their protests. However I predict that this time has come to an end…
Pelease … comparing David Shearer to John Key is far from complimentary. I believe Labours leadership demands a higher calling. A David I know was the ultimate leader … a true philosopher, cunning diplomat and talented musician. A fighter who fought and won many battles for his people, and as a wise leader united a tumultuous nation. The giants and battles we face today is not John Key and the National party but the broiling of a very troubled and disastrous economy not just nationally but worldwide. David also had a very faithful and loyal friend. However with all these high accolades David wasn’t a perfect leader or a perfect man, in fact he committed the sin of all sins, but his years alone with God, humbled and crumbled in the dark, developed the soul of a legendary philosopher-king, and forged a legacy that endures to this day.” Whoever is chosen may God’s blessing and favour be upon him.
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections A respected research group, Project Drawdown, finds that deploying solutions consistent with meeting the Paris climate targets would cost tens of trillions of dollars globally. But crucially, those outlays would also yield long-term savings many times larger than the up-front costs. The new 2020 Drawdown ...
It will pass. What happens next? Not immediately, but longer term. There are many opinions, fewer certainties. Will it “change everything!” as many confidently, and contradictorily predict? In this post I look at how foresight can help bound some of the uncertainties so you can more objectively consider the future. ...
We’ve been meaning t write something on Cuba and the coronavirus but have just discovered a very good article on the subject in the US left publication Jacobin. The article looks at how Cuba, a poor country but one where capitalism has been done away with, is leading the way ...
In 2018, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey - two British citizens who had purportedly been stripped of their citizenship by the British government - were captured while fighting for Isis in Syria. The British government then conspired to hand them over to the US, and agreed to provide evidence ...
Transformers: The disaster of the Great Depression was transformed into a new and fairer society by the democratic socialism of the First Labour Government. The disaster of the Covid-19 Pandemic offers a similar transformative possibility to the Labour-NZ First-Green Government. Seize the time, Jacinda! You will never have a better ...
Tamper with The System? Well, we already are. But there's a difference between accidentally trickling sand into a precision gearbox versus formulating a plan to alter it on the fly with improvements in mind. One action is more or less innocently unscrupulous, the other amenable to earning an easy ...
Associate Prof George Thomson, Louise Delany, Prof Nick WilsonWhile it is possible that New Zealand can use intense public health controls to eradicate COVID-19 from the country – we must also plan for other scenarios where thousands of New Zealanders are sick – including many urgently hospitalised.1 Better resilience ...
Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or being ...
We're about to do something unprecedented as a nation. We hope that by taking this extraordinary action before a single life in New Zealand has been lost to the deadly novel virus we will save tens of thousands of lives. Our lives. We'll do it together, in households, in isolation ...
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”So writes the author of Ecclesiastes, a book in the Old Testament that’s counted as a ‘wisdom’ book and written as if by an unnamed king of Jerusalem. But who would have thought there would be a time ...
I was surprised when the prime minister described the Economic Response to Covid-19 package as the ‘largest peacetime government spend in New Zealand's history’. Reflecting – checking through history – I realised that the term ‘spend’ was crucial and the package had no income tax cuts. Even so, it has ...
Years ago the Argentine sociologist Carlos Weisman wrote a book titled “Living within our Means.” It was a critique of Argentine society that focused on the paradoxical question of why, in a land of plenty, there was so much economic instability, inequality, corruption and political turmoil. His conclusion was basically ...
Parliament will be leading by example and adjourning tomorrow after a special sitting to consider an epidemic notice and state of emergency. Day-to-day oversight of the government will be delegated to a select committee. But that's not the only overight mechanism. The OIA will still be law, and (so far) ...
Michael Baker, University of OtagoOverjoyed. That’s not a word epidemiologists normally use, but that’s how I felt after hearing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement about New Zealand’s COVID-19 shutdown of everything except essential services for at least four weeks from midnight on Wednesday. More than anything, I just ...
How much homelessness is caused by house hoarding? We're about to find out. The pandemic has destroyed tourism, which means that house hoarders who put their hoarded properties up as short-term tourist rentals are now offering them on the ordinary rental market:Property investors are pulling properties from Airbnb to offer ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bruce Lieberman It seems like such a simple, straightforward, empowering idea: plant trees – a lot of trees – all over the world, and watch the planet’s temperature fall. Who doesn’t love a tree or two, even far more – the right ...
According to Newshub, Simon Bridges is open to joining a “grand coalition” with Labour as we hunker down to go into a month long lockdown. The idea is sound. Before now, the role of the opposition was to scrutinise and oppose. In the context of what almost amounts to a ...
Kia ora my name is Chloe Ann-King* and I am the founder of Raise the Bar, a campaign and non-profit that gives free legal aid, advocacy and tautoko to hospitality workers in Aotearoa. Right now all over our country hospo workers are being fired at will, having shifts cut or ...
We need to be lifting our game against COVID-19. You and I need to help those working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while they’re trying to lift the testing and treatment efforts. We don’t want to be playing this game running backwards. Best to play it solidly forward, from ...
Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Michael Baker, and Prof Nick WilsonThe NZ Government must do more to clearly articulate its COVID-19 strategy: eradication or ‘flattening the curve’ mitigation. But to do so means understanding the maths and ethics of both these strategies. In this blog, we adapt our work for ...
A few days ago I was starting to write something about the pandemic, which now seems unconscionable. It took the form of a letter to an agony aunt:“Dear Deidre, I have an ugly confession. I am quite excited by Covid-19.”This is how the piece went:“I’m not a psychopath, honest. Although the ...
New Zealand can emulate the success of the US after the Great Depression by exploiting our own resources to turn the economy around quickly, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says. Mr. Peters told Magic Talk that New Zealand has an opportunity to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic a "superior, ...
All 45 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel are either on their way back to New Zealand, or already in the country, according to Defence Minister Ron Mark."Twenty-eight personnel arrived back in New Zealand last week and are in isolation at the Royal New Zealand Air Force base in ...
The COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is moving fast - and to avoid what we've seen overseas - the Government's response must be to move fast too. We're committed to keeping New Zealanders safe and well-informed every step of the way. ...
We know people are feeling anxious about COVID-19. While the situation is serious, New Zealand has a world-class health system and we’re well-prepared to keep New Zealanders safe. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging New Zealanders overseas to stay where they are amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are reaching a point where the best option for most New Zealanders offshore is to shelter in place, by preparing to safely stay where they are.” "This includes following the instructions ...
Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging the tens of thousands of New Zealanders travelling overseas to consider sheltering in place, in light of COVID-19. “Since 18 March, we have been warning New Zealanders offshore that the window for flying ...
Ground-breaking law has passed that will decriminalise abortion and ensure women and pregnant people seeking abortions have compassionate healthcare. ...
The Green Party says that the measures announced by the Government today will help families and businesses to prioritise our collective health and wellbeing in the response to COVID-19. ...
As New Zealanders brace for a global downturn due to Covid-19, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says his Coalition Government’s rescue package "more significant" than any other he's seen around the world. The Coalition is to reveal a multi-billion-dollar stimulus plan on Tuesday afternoon designed to cushion the economic blow ...
Changes have been made to allow butchers to process pork, only for supply to supermarkets or other processors or retailers that are open, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced. “We carefully weighed the risk of allowing butchers to open their shops for retail customers, but the risk of spreading COVID-19 ...
Essential workers who take leave from work to comply with public health guidance are being supported with a leave scheme to ensure they will continue to receive income, say the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway and Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni. A number of essential businesses ...
A Government WhatsApp channel has been launched to help make information more easily accessible and shareable in the fight against COVID-19. Govt.NZ, which is free to use on any mobile device, will carry information and news for the public, businesses, healthcare providers, not for profits and local government. It can ...
The Government has announced a plan to enable the safe, orderly exit of tens of thousands of stranded foreign nationals from New Zealand during the current COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters has said. “When we moved into lockdown a week ago, the ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says the Government is delivering on its commitment to support general practice doctors and nurses, and pharmacies on the front-line of our fight against COVID-19. "For us to overcome COVID-19, we need community health services such as general practice and community pharmacy to step up ...
Justice Susan Thomas has been appointed Chief High Court Judge, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. She replaces Justice Geoffrey Venning who has resigned from the position. David Parker paid tribute to Justice Venning, who he said had stewarded the High Court very capably over the last five years. “On behalf ...
Businesses can start applying to their banks for loans under the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme set up to support the New Zealand economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re moving quickly to protect New Zealand businesses, jobs and the economy during this unprecedented global economic shock,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. ...
Work is underway looking at measures to speed up consents for development and infrastructure projects during the recovery from COVID 19, to provide jobs and stimulate our economy. Environment Minister David Parker said the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis that will have a wide ranging and lasting impact ...
Advance payments will be made to transport construction industry contractors to retain the workforce and ensure it is ready to quickly gear up to build projects which will be vital to New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic recovery, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. He said keeping the workforce required to build ...
The Government has tasked a group of industry leaders to seek out infrastructure projects that are ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones say. The Infrastructure ...
Work to scale up the health system in preparation for COVID-19 was today outlined by Health Minister David Clark, as he reported back to the new Epidemic Response Committee. “We are well placed to contain the spread of COVID-19. We have taken early and decisive action at our borders, and ...
The Government is refining its COVID-19 essential business guidance to include the distribution of news publications for communities which are hard to reach. The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi, said the move was in recognition of the importance for New Zealanders who might be harder to ...
The Government is ensuring supermarkets can open on Easter Sunday so we can buy groceries, but stay closed on Good Friday allowing workers to take a break. This provides a balanced approach and ensures we avoid large queues that two days closure may cause. “Supermarkets will be able to open ...
Following the successful conclusion of the Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission at Taji, New Zealand defence personnel are returning to New Zealand from Iraq, in accordance with the Cabinet decision made in June 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “New Zealand is very ...
The State of National Emergency to help stop the spread of COVID-19 has been extended for a further seven days, Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare said. The initial declaration on March 25 lasted seven days and can be extended as many times as necessary. “Since we went into isolation ...
New Zealand’s ability to go hard and go early in the fight against COVID-19 has been underpinned by strong Government finances and the growing economy heading into this global pandemic, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Treasury today released the Crown financial statements for the eight months to the end ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says 36 new intensive care beds at Christchurch Hospital’s new Hagley building are being fast tracked so they are available for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Ministry of Health is working with contractor CPB and Canterbury DHB to enable access to the hospital’s ICU, ...
The Government has fast-tracked up to $1 million to help Air New Zealand move urgent freight to and from New Zealand, with the first flight to Shanghai leaving tonight, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says it’s crucial that trade in vital goods such as medical supplies and ...
New Zealand will temporarily remove tariffs on all medical and hygiene imports needed for the COVID-19 response. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said today that the New Zealand Customs Service will apply tariff concessions to all diagnostic reagents and testing ...
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has clarified that the changes to the wage subsidy scheme announced yesterday mean that employers should be passing on the full subsidy to workers, except in the case where the person’s normal income is less than the level of the subsidy. “We still want employers ...
Medical face masks from the national reserve supply are now being distributed to District Health Boards, while at the same time local production is being ramped up. Yesterday more than 640,000 masks were sent to DHBS – that is an immediate two week supply, with more to follow in coming ...
The Government has made modifications to the wage subsidy scheme to ensure people don’t lose their jobs during the national lockdown. These changes will soften the impact of COVID-19 on workers, families and businesses, and position them to exit the lockdown and look to recovery, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. ...
Farmers whose herds were culled in response to the outbreak of Mycoplasma bovis will be able to minimise the tax treatment of their income in some circumstances. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash says Cabinet has agreed to change the law. It means farmers may be eligible to spread their income over ...
A $27 million dollar package, effective immediately, is being provided to social sector services and community groups to ensure they can continue to provide essential support to communities as we stay at home as a nation to stop the spread of COVID-19, Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni announced. “At ...
“The guilty plea today will provide some relief to the many people whose lives were shattered by what happened on March 15,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “These guilty pleas and conviction bring accountability for what happened and also save the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, ...
The Prime Minister is holding daily press conferences to update New Zealanders on the Government's response to COVID-19. Links to videos and transcripts of these updates below. These transcripts also include All of Government press conferences led by Director Ministry of Health's Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. 25 March: Live update from the Prime ...
Frontline Police numbers have broken through the 10,000 mark for the first time in history as officers step forward to keep the community safe during the COVID19 lockdown. “Two Police graduations in Auckland and Wellington in the past week have been conducted in unprecedented circumstances,” Police Minister Stuart Nash said. ...
Urgent legislation has been passed to support the package of economic and social measures needed to recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. “The COVID-19 Response (Taxation and Social Assistance Urgent Measures) Bill will cushion New Zealanders from the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Revenue Minister ...
From tomorrow, Government support for farmers and growers affected by drought will be expanded and extended across the country, with access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPS) available throughout the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chatham Islands, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced. “These challenging conditions have ...
Parliament has passed amendments to legislation that give the Secretary of Education stronger powers to act in the fight to limit the spread of COVID-19, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “They are part of a suite of changes passed under the COVID-19 Response (Urgent Management Measures) Legislation Bill,” Chris ...
Canada, Australia, Chile, Brunei and Myanmar have joined forces with New Zealand and Singapore by committing to keep supply chains open and remove any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, in the face of the Covid-19 crisis. Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker today welcomed ...
Immediate freeze on rent increases Tenancies will not be terminated during the lock-down period, unless the parties agree, or in limited circumstances Tenants who had previously given notice can stay in their if they need to stay in the tenancy during the lock-down period Tenants will still be able to ...
As New Zealand unites to lock-down in the fight against COVID-19, the Finance Minister is urging all businesses and workers to stay connected over the next four weeks. “We understand the extreme pressure many businesses are under right now. I know most business owners think of their workers as family ...
A State of National Emergency has been declared across the country as the Government pulls out all the stops to curtail the spread of COVID-19. “Today we put in place our country’s second ever State of National Emergency as we fight a global pandemic, save New Zealanders’ lives and prevent ...
Mr Speaker I wish to make a Ministerial Statement under Standing Order 347 in relation to the recent declaration of a State of National Emergency. Having considered the advice of the Director Civil Defence Emergency Management, the Minister of Civil Defence declared a State of National Emergency for the whole of ...
People needing to travel on domestic flights, trains and Cook Strait ferries to get home before the country moves into level 4 lock-down tomorrow night will be able to continue using the passenger services until midnight on Friday, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Domestic passenger services, particularly ferries, have ...
The Government, retail banks and the Reserve Bank are today announcing a major financial support package for home owners and businesses affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19. The package will include a six month principal and interest payment holiday for mortgage holders and SME customers whose incomes have been ...
Minister of Transport Phil Twyford has today announced details of the Government’s support package to keep key air freight moving and ensure New Zealanders retain access to essential goods during the four-week level 4 lockdown. “The Government is working with airlines and air freight operators to ensure New Zealand’s key ...
New Zealand moved up to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 – Restrict New Zealand to move up to COVID-19 Alert Level 4 – Eliminate, in 48 hours Two-staged approach to give people and businesses time to prepare Level 3, from tomorrow Non-essential businesses must close All events and gatherings must be ...
Good afternoon The Cabinet met this morning to discuss our next actions in the fight against COVID-19. Like the rest of the world, we are facing the potential for devastating impacts from this virus. But, through decisive action, and through working together, do we have a small window to get ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Quinn, Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is changing how we live. With a rapid increase in cases, we are now isolating in our homes to “flatten the curve”. However, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In this special hour long podcast presented by Mark Evans, professor of governance and director of Democracy 2025, the panel discusses Australian democracy with Emeritus Professor Ian Chubb and Michelle Grattan. The panel dissects the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government will provide free child care in a move aimed at ensuring parents, especially in essential services, are able to keep working. More than 945,000 families with 1.3 million children will benefit. The new ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Jackson, Education Policy Lead, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced free childcare for more than one million families, with a funding boost that aims to keep more than 13,000 childcare services across Australia open. In doing so, ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin What is Money?Keith Rankin.Money is a mystery. To most of us we receive it, we spend it, we save it, we borrow it. And if we don’t have enough, we are in trouble. Many of us think of money as if it is tangible, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, La Trobe University To control the spread of COVID-19 we need to identify as many people with the virus as possible. If we know who has it, we can isolate them so they can’t infect others and quarantine ...
By RNZ News New Zealand has had its biggest increase in one day as the Health Ministry confirms 89 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases to 797. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said today 92 people had now recovered from the coronavirus. Thirteen people ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhiamie Williamson, Research Associate & PhD Candidate, Australian National University The catastrophic bushfire season is officially over, but governments, agencies and communities have failed to recognise the specific and disproportionate impact the fires have had on Aboriginal peoples. Addressing this in bushfire ...
PACIFIC UPDATE:By Barbara Dreaver of TVNZ There are now 147 positive cases across seven countries in the Pacific region and four deaths. In Guam, cases continue to grow, with the count now at 77, five of them health workers. The island nation is facing its own crisis on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Jin Kang, Lecturer, Edith Cowan University With #StayAtHome and social distancing now becoming a way of life, an increasing number of people are relying on the internet for work, education and entertainment. This has placed greater demand on our network infrastructure, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Klein, Professor, UNSW The spectre of large ships with people desperate to come ashore is not a new sight in Australia. In 2001, the MV Tampa infamously sought to enter Australian waters off Christmas Island to discharge more than 400 asylum ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Holden, Senior Lecturer in Dental Ethics, Law and Professionalism, University of Sydney The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we access health care, and dental care is no exception. Dentists are no longer allowed to provide a raft of care, such ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Kirstin Mead from the Regional Business Partners’ Network.Business owners around the country will ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Roberts, Associate professor (Curriculum Inquiry / Rural Education), University of Canberra Schools have been progressively moving classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there is uncertainty over what the next months may bring. This has thrown many year 12 students’ ...
The fourth in our new series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall, covering the Covid-19 epidemic within New Zealand. We’ll publish the latest set each day on The Spinoff.This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff MembersInformation about confirmed and probable cases of Covid-19 ...
Employers in essential services and foreigners trying to leave New Zealand were the targets of Government announcements on Thursday afternoon Essential services who employ workers who can't go to work due to Covid-19 will be able to access the Government's funds to pay them. The scheme would allow employers in "essential services" ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Stephens, ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, The University of Queensland Australia’s coronavirus public health messaging has been criticisedasconfusing during a time when health guidelines and regulations are changing rapidly, and educating the public about health ...
The longer we wait to restore broader economic activity, the greater the long-term loss of economic capability. We need to start thinking about 'virus-proof' workplaces and practices, says Rod Oram So far our physical economy is holding up remarkably well considering the stunning shocks we and the virus are hurling ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chelsea Bond, Senior Research Fellow, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland Among the latest coronavirus advice from the prime minister was an age-based self-isolation strategy designed to protect those considered most vulnerable in the global health crisis. The directive was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Donna Maree Cooper, Senior Lecturer QUT Law Faculty, Queensland University of Technology Separated parents are facing a range of new challenges in the wake of COVID-19. To contain the spread, the government has directed people to stay at home except when carrying ...
Today came the shocking news that Bauer Media is closing its New Zealand operation, with the loss of scores of jobs. Bauer was the publisher of most of NZ’s magazines, among them Metro, Woman’s Day, North & South, Next, Home, the Listener, Kia Ora and the NZ Women’s Weekly. Here ...
The Government’s call for infrastructure projects that are ‘ready to go’ is welcome news for Wellington, given the stalled progress to date of ‘Let’s Get Wellington Moving’, says the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. "The whole ‘Let’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University As the world faces the greatest disruption of our lifetimes, Muslims throughout the world are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Martin, Associate Professor, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne The viral spread of mis- and disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, just like the viral spread of the disease itself, has led to unprecedented media coverage. This has included ...
Tens of thousands of visitors to New Zealand will be relieved that they now have some chance of returning home before the lockdown ends, Tourism Industry Aotearoa says. “We welcome today’s announcement by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads around the world, wartime metaphors abound. And, with what amounts to a war economy now in place, attention has inevitably turned to post-war reconstruction. It is self-evident ...
Pre-clinical trials will assess how effective and safe the potential vaccines are using an animal model before human testing. Mirjam Guesgen reports.The Australian national science agency, CSIRO, has begun testing two potential vaccines for Covid-19, with results due by June, 2020.These pre-clinical trials will assess how effective and safe the ...
Watch our live Q&A session with Dr Ayesha Verrall, a senior lecturer at Otago University who specialises in infectious diseases. Ayesha Verrall is an infectious diseases physician and senior lecturer at Otago University's Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine (Wellington). Dr Verrall has been monitoring the spread and impact of Covid-19 closely and ...
Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says all New Zealanders have the right to be treated fairly during the COVID-19 emergency including those under lock and key. "My role as an independent watchdog will continue during the lockdown period and beyond," ...
Amalgamated Workers Union New Zealand (AWUNZ) has described a take it or leave it offer from Fletcher Building Management to staff as disgraceful. AWUNZ National Secretary Maurice Davis said the union was more than disappointed with the scheme Fletcher ...
As the Covid-19 hits NZ hard, and the country may have to be held in lockdown longer than originally intended, the issue whether the general election on September 19 should be postponed looms larger. It has already been canvassed in some media, but the PM, Jacinda Ardern, last week insisted ...
One way to pass time, which we suddenly have a lot of, is gardening. But where can you get seeds? And what do you plant in autumn? Josie Adams finds out.While it seems many New Zealanders are exercising a newfound love of jogging, some of us are more sedentary. For ...
Essential moves have been made to manage the impact of COVID-19 in New Zealand. This means significant changes to how society is operating. These unprecedented measures limit liberties and physical freedoms in order to protect the right to health and ...
The Council of Trade Unions is calling on Fletchers Building Limited to do the right thing and reverse their decision to cut the pay for their employees by up to 70%. "We are calling on one of New Zealand's biggest companies to do the right thing ...
Bernard Hickey talks to Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr about his forecast GDP could fall as much as 17 percent this year, and why the Reserve Bank should buy council bonds as well as Government bonds. Newsroom Pro Managing Editor Bernard Hickey and Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr talk ...
Chief Human Rights Commissioner, Paul Hunt, is calling on the Government to respect the rights of people it is holding for detention purposes in its response to COVID-19. People detained by the authorities have a heightened risk of infection due to living ...
Her mother’s job was a source of shame for Yawynne Yem growing up. Now checkout operators are essential workers as we hunker down against Covid-19. Any time I had to reveal my mum’s job to someone, hastened justifications would also fall out of my mouth, reeking of shame. “We’re a first-generation ...
Responding to the closure of Bauer Media, Free Speech Coalition spokesperson David Farrar says: "The loss of the New Zealand Listener, North & South Magazine, and more is a sickening blow to the diversity of our media environment." "The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Macquarie University In the current health crisis, we might ask what needs to be cured more urgently: the virus itself or people’s poor sense of moderation. We have seen shocking ...
Lockdowns around the globe - and the correlating sink in economic productivity - have sparked a bad faith backlash founded on old numbers, bunk science and outright distortions of fact, Marc Daalder argues No one was more surprised to see that Neil Ferguson, the author of a groundbreaking paper on ...
Elimination of Covid-19 doesn't mean getting rid of it everywhere in New Zealand, the Director-General of Health says Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield has hinted that different regions might end up on different alert levels when lockdown ends. Bloomfield said the lockdown goal of "elimination" didn't mean getting rid of it everywhere. ...
Sam Brooks shares central Auckland’s best-kept drinking secret, the bowling alley bastion that has become his ‘third place’.One of the first pieces I wrote for The Spinoff was a review of Metrolanes, the bowling alley bar that had quickly found a place in my heart. It is, in my mind, ...
How is Covid-19 spreading within the country? Newsroom is collating information as it's available to paint a picture of what's happening. There were 89 new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today, up from the previous day's 61 new cases. The increase from 61 to 89 is a 46 percent ...
Based on the experience of Kiwibuild, wiseacres chortle at the prospect of another Ministry of Works to design and build New Zealand infrastructure from highways and motorways to airports, power stations and railways. The prospect was raised in a Newsroom report which said: Ministers are rushing to prevent the country’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Martin, Associate Professor, University of Melbourne The viral spread of mis- and disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, just like the viral spread of the disease itself, has led to unprecedented media coverage. This has included a welcome return to prioritising expert ...
Join Leonie Hayden as she works through the first four weeks of Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy.Rāpare/ThursdayWe’re back to practising our long and short vowels, this time comparing words that are spelled the same except for the presence of a macron.Practise, practise, practise, Scotty tells us in this lesson. I ...
WHAT: An online delivery event for two petitions with a combined 95,000 signatures. The petitions call for a number of changes including for the New Zealand Government to suspend rent and mortgage payments, and to buy unoccupied homes for the homeless. ...
The outgoing Police Commissioner has admitted police have failed to carry out the level of checks on recent arrivals to NZ, supposed to be in strict self-isolation. ...
The flippant way Mike Bush responded to the epidemic response committee this morning highlights how vital it is police are held to account during the national emergency, writes Cat MacLennan Outgoing Police Commissioner Mike Bush did himself no favours with his attitude when he appeared before Parliament’s Epidemic Response Committee this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Pubs, clubs and casinos have all been closed as part of the response to COVID-19. That means Australia’s 194,000 poker machines are now shut down. These venues, and their ...
Former editor Finlay Macdonald marks the sudden death of a title that was once part of the lifeblood of the country. Listener editors, like most magazine and newspaper editors these days, get used to living with declining circulation numbers. Ever since the Internet came along, it’s been a long, dismal ...
With the nation in lockdown and schools closed, many parents will be looking for ways to keep educating their children. Amee Parker is in her final year of a PhD looking at homeschooling, and she has some advice.As a nation we are now forced, out of necessity, to stay in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Breunig, Professor of Economics and Director, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University How would you feel if you were having a Zoom meeting with your accountant and they asked “how would you like to ...
Pacific Media Watch Police in Papua New Guinea have arrested nine alleged illegal border crossers and quarantined them in Vanimo, reports RNZ Pacific. The arrests came as East Sepik Governor Allan Bird called for “shoot to kill’ orders for illegal border crossers and a military control of areas along ...
Police have assumed extraordinary powers during the lockdown period - but with that has come questions from the public and politicians about how they are exercising those powers. Police have come under pressure to release legal advice and guidance on how they are using the emergency powers granted to them ...
In our new series The Lockdown Letters, some of New Zealand’s best writers tell us what they’ve been up to in the days of Covid-19 alert level four. Today, political commentator and essayist Morgan Godfery.IS IT DAY EIGHT?In the absence of a capitalist routine, one day bleeds into the other.In the ...
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Well the people have spoken.
Labour got a bit of a towelling on Saturday. I have been, as therapy, analysing some of the figures and there are some interesting features to them and also, I believe cause for medium term optimism. The features include:
1. Low turnout. The continuous stream of negative poll results and adverse media effect had its effect on Labour supporters who just stayed home.
2. Labour dipped substantially in the Maori electorates where the presence of the Mana Party sucked up valuable party votes.
3. The NZ First phenomenon clearly had an effect of Labour’s support base where a number voted strategically to make sure NZ First was over the line. My gut feeling is that this could have been as high as 3% of the total vote. The Greens pretty well account for the rest of the loss.
4. In Auckland the result was relatively good. Labour’s support declined on average by less than 4%.
5. South Auckland performed very well with a swing towards Labour. Mangere was the standout with a 10% swing. Sua William Sio and the Mangere organisation did really well.
6. Christchurch suffered a cataclysmic downturn in support with a 10.6 overall swing against Labour and turnout noticeably dipping. The effect of the earthquake and people’s response to it obviously need more analysis but at this stage it looks like Labour has to do a major rebuilding job. Despite the swing Dalziel and Dyson did well and held their seats and Clayton Cosgrove only just dipped out. The party vote in his electorate was especially strong for National and given this his performance was incredibly good.
7. The counting of special votes will be interesting. Jacinda Ardern probably will not swing Auckland Central back but Carmel Sepuloni still has a chance in Waitakere of unseating Bennett. And if we can knock off one more tory MP the figures get that much tighter to manage.
1. Low turnout. The continuous stream of negative poll results and adverse media effect had its effect on Labour supporters who just stayed home.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s not everyone else’s fault.
Maybe, just maybe, Labour is not attracting and inspiring Labour voters.
Have you given any thought to that? Maybe Labour has disillusioned too many ex-supporters.
Dunedin has previously strongly supported Labour, but there are very worrying signs. Clare Curran has already been put on notice (not by me).
Have you given any thought to answering my questions??
o btw the letter I wrote condoning your behavior should be hitting your hairpiece wiggy by tuesday or wednesday
thats right a letter so he cant say he never got it
Condoning or condemning?
both
as a prospective MP he had no right to blog his vicious bullshit on THIS site
IF he wants to bag beneficiaries then do it on his poor blog
The ‘vicious bullshit ‘ was suggesting that beneficiaries who deservedly need assistance would be better off if they were helped more, not just with money but with education opportunities and assistance with things like budgeting and how to provide good nutrition on a budget, and that the minority abuses that are occurring were addressed more effectively.
How stupid do you think we are? That’s not what you said and you know it.
You realise that condone and condemn are polar opposites?
Um Pete.
The turnout was low. People stayed at home and did not vote.
And when you are active in a party that has standing and electoral gravitas I will give your thoughts proper consideration.
“And when you are active in a party that has standing and electoral gravitas I will give your thoughts proper consideration.”
That arrogance sums up one of Labour’s major problems, probably their biggest problem.
And full of irony.
Er, I would have thought irony was a failed candidate accusing a party 50 times more popular than his own of failing to inspire voters. And isn’t it time you joined the Conservative party, Pete? At least they have a future beyond contributing to Peter Dunne’s retirement fund and may actually get some list candidates elected next time.
Pete George will shortly be joining any party who will have him. A candidate truly worthy of following in Peter Dunne’s political footsteps.
Conservatives are not my thing at all. Far too narrow.
My main focus now is continuing to build a strong cross party (and non party) voice for Dunedin. Regional politics rather than party politics, current party politics is failing Dunedin as indicated by the abysmal voter turnout.
And as per usual here the personal attacks divert from Labour’s denial problem. It’s everyone else’s fault.
PG.
The problem with Disunited No Future is that nobody knows what they actually stand for -other than hyposcisy, looting the planet, denialism and opportunitsm.
I think it is a great shame that there are still sufficient numbers of uninformed, deluded people around for UF to still exist. The same applies to ACT, of course.
Last night I wrote this on OpenMike
(Update He missed by one – he was second up this morning – seems he is still trying to campaign)
Quote
logie97 34
27 November 2011 at 10:22 pm
Who was that guy Pete George who appeared to be using this blog as a platform for his own ends.?
Now that the ballot has closed and the dust virtually settled, perhaps he will disappear and allow reasonable discourse to resume in these columns. I guess we won’t know till we open up “OpenMike” in the morning to see whether he is still trying to be first poster. Obviously not many of his beloved UF followers read these pages (or maybe they followed him here and saw each and every one of his arguments put in their place …) Dunne holds on just. What a joke.
Purile git hopefully next election when the 1 man band takes some more party votes of Nationa that don’t count it will be hard to imagine with an idiot like you promoting them 132 votes wow thats a successful campaign!
But dunne is nearly finished 3 more years of a no growth economy and he and National will be dunne for.
8. Most of the Nat gain is via ACTs collapse, no paradigm shift and certainly not the grand mandate they’re claiming so if the Greens can hold their support there is be a strong and natural left coalition in the wings.
ditto.
What a load of tosh. Labour failed in it’s policy’s, failed with it’s candidates and now fail to see the error of their ways. Why did so many stay away, try no passion, no inspiration to start with. You guys just don’t get it, fortuitously most Kiwi’s do. Perhaps it was because of polices like money for working for nothing. Perhaps it was the same dumb candidates that believe the only way to voters hearts are to bribe them with other peoples money.
That sounds like NAct. They’re the ones causing major a deficit blow-out through their unaffordable tax cuts.
“money for working for nothing.”
Side Show Bob – Try to pay attention. There is a discrimination case(s) working its way through the system that has a good chance of finding that there is discrimination in not offering WFF to beneficiaries.
Which leaves two choices to any government cough up the dosh for benes or axe the scheme altogether.
Do you think for one minute Mr “I need to be love” Key would have campaigned on axing WFF?
Ronald McDonald’s understudy is only able to form a government because of the rorts in Epsom and Ohariu.
Side show bob other peoples money coming Debt from overseas at high interest and higher if [Greek European proportions] national fail to get the economy growing at more than the 0.1% it has under the dipstick.National will need to grow the economy at more than 2.5% to start paying off Debt at more than interest costs we are paying 6% for our debt the US 2.5%.The exodus to Australia will gather pace a lot of young ones I know are not waiting for another 3 years of National that includes one of my children if the CHCH rebuild doesn’t get under way soon my other child and husband and 3 grandchildren have gone already.
8. David Parker’s 6,000 votes allowed ACT into parliament.
9. Goff’s support for 15% GST dismayed Labour grass roots activists.
10. Labour’s call to raise the retirement age to 67 alienated older workers.
11. Labour’s unanimous vote to excuse police law breaking against Tuhoe angered Maori voters.
12. The Greens enabled Paula Bennett keeping her electorate seat.
I support 15% GST. Consumption taxes are good. The problem is that National cut taxes to the top 10%, not the bottom 50% as was required.
And in fact it was only the top 2% who got the really big tax cuts ($120K pa and over)
I assume that’s because you don’t have a family, and you do have a high income. Consumption taxes harm the poor, because they spend everything they get, whereas the rich save their money.
Try reading past the first two sentences. A rise in GST should be engineered so that those in the bottom 50% end up with a real tax cut, after price rises, while everyone else pays more.
Increasing a regressive tax like GST makes it extremely difficult to raise top end taxes enough to create a bottomline progressive change.
Why don’t you just decrease regressive taxes and increase progressive taxes instead.
Because consumption taxes are taxes on consumption. Consumption = consumerism and destruction of the environment.
But consumption taxes are also usually regressive ones.
Why not go for better targetting of consumption taxes? Eg a luxury goods tax.
If you want to reduce consumption why are you taxing a 2L BMW at the same rate as a 5L BMW?
instead of having a graduated stepped tax system ie 20% to 35% why not have a continually graduated system with computers now it would be easy and would create less poverty traps and resentment from the rich .
Capital Gains Tax would be more acceptable from the right if business tax was reduced with some of that increase in tax which would encourage the productive sector
Capital gains should be on all capital gain at a lower rate which would be more acceptable as well
Small businesses need simpler easier systems computerizing all small businesses systems and having instant gst would reduce paper work needed for small business
Small businesses are the backbone of employment in this country if their Acc levies and all the govt taxes and rebates were paid as they earned it would save a lot of head aches for small businesses we on the left need to make sure its easy for these businesses to thrive and survive
You have obviously discovered fraud in the way the election was run.
David Parker’s 6,000 votes? The organisers of the election only credit Parker with 3,093.
Quick, who stole the other 2,900 you think he got?
that seat only provided one MP so it was Acts Disaster changing hats half way through the electoral cycle.
see also – excluding the poorest meembers of the community from working for families, the seabed and foreshore act (yes still), the increased gap between rich and poor after 9 years of labour government, and entitlitis that led to labour ministers rorting the system for travel perks, hotel pornography, unfortunate examples of public behaviour, giving large amounts of money to rich people for a boat race, changing school terms for a sports tournament and trevor mallard. In nine years of government all they succeeded in doing was alienating their consituency. Apart from the departure of Cullen and Clark the labour caucus has very few new faces and have borrowed all their new policies from the greens, proving that for them it’s not about integrity but about jumping on popular bandwagons to regain power.
Kudos to the grace shown by Goff and most of the posters on here. I fully expected an outpouring of bile and venom about the election result (and had looked for some youtube clips in response) but I’ve been pleasently surprised by the restraint on here.
So the questions are:
How long will Goff stay on as leader for and who’ll replace him if he goes?
Answer to your last question: Christmas
Parker- Robertson is the front runner at present says Vernon Small:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6045621/Jockeying-starts-as-Goff-set-to-quit
Cunliffe is non-committal, but is apparently being blamed for not coming up with numbers for Goff quick enough in the campaign. He denies he’s considering runing with Dalziel as deputy.
I can’t say that Parker inspires me at all. He seems very MOR and lacking in passion – too managerial.
Of the ones mentioned, I’d go for Little (with Ardern). That’d be a lively and energises team, along with Little’s gravitas and ability to think assertively on his feet. Fresh – new, not old-style managerial, has the potential to engage with disengaged struggling workers and poor. And combines with a youthful, female and smart image.
Carol if you want to see someone who is capable on their feet you cannot go past David Cunliffe.
IMHO he is the outstanding potential leader and is the one best positioned to take on Key.
I am disappointed that some within the party are putting out anonymous spin lines in the media. This is not helpful.
Shame on them.
He’s also negative and I’m not sure he could do a positive campaign. Do Labour really just want to attack John Key in 2014 as they have in 2011 and 2008. Do they want to campaign once again negatively rather than positively?
The problem for Cunliffe is that he will make a very good Finance Minister but good Finance Ministers rarely make good Prime Ministers.
micky, I like Cunliffe a lot – have given my electorate vote to him in the last couple of elections. I think he is very good on his feet, in the House and with “tough” media interviews. But he also needs to have the support of the majority of the caucus. I wonder if he is personable enough to have wide voter appeal.
However, RNZ this morning is talking a 2 horse race between Parker and Cunliffe. In that case, I would go for Cunliffe. Parker is too bland and just comes across as a middleclass suit. he’s not going to be able to engage with some of the disengaged battler sections of the electorate. Cunliffe has a certain mongrel appeal.
But I would have someone softer, more personable and youthful as his deputy – eg Ardern.
Cunliffe has no charisma.
Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking.
I don’t believe Key will see out the full term. And on that basis I reckon it would be crazy to not remain with Goff – he got profile,experience and kudos for his performance this election. People began to connect with him, and the media grudgingly appreciated him. Absolute madness for him to stand down. Stay, Phil – with Jacinda as deputy. Call the shots – you have the mandate now to do it on your own terms.
Agreed, and don’t stop campaigning now, Phil. The last month has been the first four weeks of the campaign for 2014.
Don’t be like the fickle Nats who change their leader at every defeat. Jeez, we might as well learn something from the RWC, eh?
Helen lost 1996…
+1
Good comment felix.
Why did you expect that? The right have been somewhat more restrained than in their hysterical witch hunt in 2008. The reaction is consequently less.
The answer to your question is when he feels it is appropriate, and there will be caucus discussion and a vote. It isn’t a direct party decision – it is a caucus decision.
Without being too apocalyptic there are some major sea changes happening out in the wider world that will change how we view the role of the future politician: if Labour are to present any credible alternative they will have to look like saviours of the coming train wreck.
Moving on Goff now is pointless, better to see who understands the future best and represents it best. None have shown the vision and world awareness they will need, so until somebody does just wait.
Small problem. If people actually believed that there were real ‘train wreck’ magnitude problems coming up, they wouldn’t have voted National.
However, they don’t so they did vote National. Orlov, Kunstler and many others are right. By the time the signals become obvious that BAU is failing badly, it will be too late to do much about it on a Governmental level.
Bored.
Yes, the financial ‘tsunami’ is ‘tuindering up the beach’ and WILL hit in a matter of months. The peak oil is more akin to a ‘rising sea level’ that will inundate everything over the next few years, and environmental collapse a ‘wild card’ that could hit hard and fast or just erode everything currently people take for granted over the next decade.
You cannot be ‘too apocalyptic’ because apocalypse actually means uncovering or revealing [of that which has been hidden]. Much WILL be revealed very soon, starting with exposure of the ‘economic growth will save us’ fraud.
CV.
Yes, you are right. ‘If people actually believed that there were real ‘train wreck’ magnitude problems coming up, they wouldn’t have voted National.’
The only consolation is, fewer people are deluded by the flag-waving and fireworks displays than in 2008.
The real issue is that the time to start preparing for the mess we are now in was over the period 2000 to 2008, when we had a Labour government that was composed of deniers and ‘clowns’, many of whom are still hanging around and giving off bad smells like slowly decomposing cadavers.
Afewmorepredictions new name for your alter ego Thendisnigh
“I fully expected an outpouring of bile and venom about the election result”
It is telling how the bulk of the bile is spewing from the victors, perhaps that well dressed little cricket we all possess is gnawing at their sense of reason?
How can anyone go past the dynamic duo of Kris Faafoi and Darien Fenton ???
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/business/6045209/Mighty-River-Power-set-to-be-first-on-sell-list
Mighty River Power, followed by Meridian, Air New Zealand, Genesis and then Solid Energy in that order.
and so it begins…………………
Heartbreaking!
Time to remind Key he doesn’t have a mandate to sell our assets.
The opposition should push for a referendum.
maybe a miracle in the special votes
I truly believe it’s possible! 🙂
John Key, spin away but 29% is not a mandate
Peters on RNZ yesterday basically said the voters will have to learn the hard way if they insist on voting against their own interests. Quite right, but at what cost?
Most NZers, unfortunately, don’t know their own history very well and have forgotten the lessons of, say, the Great Depression. The next depression – which approaches quickly – will provide many fresh lessons. However, it will be too late as far as our economic sovereignty is concerned, what with the asset sales, TPP, etc.
There will be unrest (5 years?) ahead and I expect NACT will foster closer military ties with the US over the next term. In the long run, they probably won’t want to rely on the NZ Army to enforce the new economic hegemony.
Two possibilities:- 1) We get another stupid government in that actually pays to get the assets back or 2) we get a government that got the will to just re-appropriate them with no compensation.
What we will need is the latter. We will probably get the former.
If Labour, NZ First, Greens, Mana, really cared as much about these asset sales as they say, they would have signalled Option (2) pre-election. This would have been adequate warning to any potential investor.
As mandated by the people. Democracy in action.
As mandated by what – less than 35% of registered voters? Don’t wank on about democracy when a referendum directly asking about asset sales would have returned at least a 75% NO
Mighty river is the most profitable SOE so National will see what funds can be raised from it if its a failure they can abandon the sales program and go back to their main policy of borrow and hope!
Act said they would stop the National party from selling assets if they didn’t get a good price for them!
Banks sold NZR for nothing to his mates and sold Auckland airport shares to his mates for nothing expect the same again!
Monday post election and the wolf packs are salivating:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/6045662/Mighty-River-Power-set-to-be-first-on-sell-list
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/business/6045210/A-good-appetite-for-SOE-shares-likely
Likely because of the way a million of us just dont care or feel too disenfranchised to bother.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10769246
On this side (a Left blog) its all doom and gloom, especially if you were looking to take the reins of “power” in what is seen as BAU, the steady state growth economy. Well look at this little storm arriving full tilt…
http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/
As the world economies plunge into a storm the 1930s would have regarded as a minor blip we blithely hand our fate to a bankster. You can remain amazed at your fellow citizens stupidity and short sightedness BUT thats democracy, no complaints please.
And then, we of coarse, shouldn’t forget China, weakest manufacturing figures in 32 mths… and Oz is tied to the tail of the Dragon, and us to the Roo…
http://pragcap.com/time-to-start-watching-china?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
http://www.economonitor.com/blog/2011/11/chanos-says-china-bank-system-extremely-fragile%E2%80%99/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chanos-says-china-bank-system-extremely-fragile%25e2%2580%2599&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
I’m personally asking anyone who says anything about any party if they voted……that turnout is a very sad apathy indicator so be good to know where the hypocrites are.
If you didn’t vote you have no right to comment whatsoever IMO……so shut up hold tight and pay attention.
People don’t vote if they are disenfranchised from the process and outcomes. Try to understand that it is not the same meaning as apathy. Apathy is a measure of inaction. Disenfranchisement is the motive behind a choice of action. Try to understand that those that are disenfrancised will excercise valid complaint by not voting and their complaints will be valid after they also don’t vote.
If you ignore and attack the disenfranchised, how will you ever grow the voter turnout? Where will your extra voters come from? Will you ship them in? Give everyone else an extra vote?
If you ignore the disenfranchised you are ignoring those who need information, explanation and assistance. Worse, you are dismissing the core of an active democracy – to engage all people and both sides of every argument.
And if all else fails, ask yourself, if you were faced with the choice of being ignored by one man or or being ignored by another, which would you choose? What about if the choice was between two men who would oppress you?
I have wondered how much pre-election media coverage and polls contribute to voter turn out as I suspect that a number of people fail to vote based on reports of media and polls and coming to a conclusion that their vote is either note needed or will be wasted depending on how exactly the media are covering their preferred party.
Uturn.
Voting papers need to amended to provide the following options for voters to tick:
1. No candidate in this electorate worthy of my vote.
2. No political party listed worthy of my vote.
And another box afterwards to tick that says “I am the centre of the universe, and if you don’t play by my rules I’m going to pack a big sad.”
What you’re advocating here is that politicans should decide the direction of the Nation, isolated from the people i.e. no democracy. That is why the no vote no complaint slogan is anti-democratic. Generating a paternal attitude about it is pathetic at best, counterproductive at worst.
Every party in the last election could have gained from at least 25% extra support. They failed to engage those voters. Key would have a true mandate. ACT might not be all but dead. Labour might be in power. The Greens might have been the majority base of a left coalition. NZF might have…. everything would be different. It’s stunning our political parties could be so short sighted – this is an MMP environment.
An MMP parliament does not mean either National or Labour cabinet, plus some pet coalition partners who get thrown a concession or two. While parties continue to believe that, they can expect to be overrun or corrupted by the majority party of a coalition. If people are increasingly disenfranchised, the old arguments of persuation will no longer work. There is no need to apologise for past regimes if your new presentation explains the basic concepts of why you create particular policy. Not rich vs. poor, not dollar vs. future, not slogan vs. slogan, but what is right and why. No need to sigh over present reality in your campaign ad’s if clear reasoning is present. Then even if a voter does not vote for you, they will vote for your allies. Cement your support. Create dialogue. If the basic concepts behind policy are truely right, they will be right regardless of economic climate.
Any party that thinks that percentages are all that matter cannot tap into the lost vote.
Umm… IMO I believe that kids should be enrolled in year 10 by their high school and there be a mandatory fine/debit of say $100-150 for not voting which could be data linked into IRD for collection.
That would get all the youth and low income out to vote.
The trouble with that is only the dictatorial right would create that sort of system, and they are sooo not interested in the young and the poor voting.
(Off the top of my head) Could voting be linked in with a census?
Enrolment is compulsory but not enforced.
if we can’t enforce that then we wont enforce voting.
The census people want people to participate and be honest. Any likelihood of bad consequences from completing the census will drive people to avoid it.
The US know this only too well. Back in WW2 they used census results to round up Japanese citizens or those of Japanese descent and lock them in internment camps.
Now they have a difficult time trying to get the nutjobbers from completing the census, because in this case the nutjobbers actually have proof that needs to be taken seriously.
AFKTT
They do, an option of no confidence; if for nothing more than an indicator to parties where they have failed to engage.
afew You want everything to collapse so you should have voted Act
choose the one with the lube.
In my email this morning:
The three principal reasons that NZ lost the Election to a Corpocracy
Television media
Print media
Radio media
Steve Keen on Hard Talk: Parasitic Capitalism and Debt
At least Keen is starting to hit the mainstream now. “The credit system has failed”
Yes after being a big fan of the man for at least five years now it’s hugely gratifying to see him start getting some traction. He may yet turn out to be the Maynard Keynes of our generation.
Listened to it on the Beep in the early hours. Very good.
I thought the photo on the front page of The Southland Times this morning summed the situation up nicely. Key meeting senior Cabinet Ministers (Brownlee, English, Joyce and McCully) at home in Parnell.
Five middle aged, born-to-rule white guys in their weekend uniform of blue striped Rodd and Gunn shirt tucked into jeans arrayed around Key’s living room which has all the warmth and personality of a hotel room.
I’m sure you can snarl a bit more convincingly than that Scott.
Peters will thrive in his natural opposition habitat which will doom the left to coalesce with NZF should they get the numbers in 2014 (please). That is a problem. Quite apart from trust issues the man never really leaves opposition. Oh… and Andrew Williams anyone?
Curran got well and truly spanked in a formerly Labour stronghold seat. Dunedin people don’t like her – she is sour, intolerant and focuses on fringe issues. Even the City Councillors believe she is a waste of space – keeps bleating on about painting seats in the Octagon. The best thing that Curran can do for Dunedin is to go back to Australia.
I think you are letting personal feelings cloud your judgement here. Curran won the seat with a 4,000 odd majority, hardly a spanking. As for the party vote I believe boundary changes in recent years have pushed the seat more towards Middlemarch which might account for National’s increased party vote.
I lived there for a few years and I can assure you, from my perspective, the whole city needs a bloody good clean. Some fantastic architecture but it’s dirty and the foot paths are black with grime.
I ripped the shit out of 2 friends of family uni students yesterday, ” We’re Labour all the way, yeah ” ” did you vote? ” Tried to bluff but didn’t get away with it. ” Aw didn’t get around to it ” was the worst admission they could have made. I realised later that it was probably the first time these two had ever been made to be accountable for slackness. Don’t think they will be back, good riddance. Don’t let these lasy ungrateful little shits off the hook, years of getting 18 yr olds the vote, interest free student loans, 18 year old drinking age and decent wages. If thats not worth 5 minutes time to vote any way they have the right to, they deserve all the shit thats going to hit them in the next 3 years. The same goes for anybody else that you come across who didn’t vote . tear the fuckers a new arsehole.
Why? I mean, this ‘representative’ malarky is two minutes out of one day every three years. Hardly a scenario that encourages participation or any level of engagement whatsoever. Inbetween times, we are subjected to parliamentary tedium and soap opera with no further opportunity for meaningful input until another (approx) 1095 days have gone by.
I’m much more concerned with those that view meaningful democracy as consisting of those two minutes every three years.
Given the choice between somebody who will support political activism and not vote, or someone who will merely vote, I know who my frustrations would be focussed on.
I wasn’t even enrolled for the first 2 elections i was eligible to vote in.
I figured if the choice is between the lesser of two evils or the devil you know. I ‘d rather not vote for a devil or evil at all.
You can’t lose if you don’t play.
The sooner we get secure txt voting from a smart phone the sooner you’ll engage the youngers to vote. It’s just stupid that we use online banking, pay by phone and ATM’s but don’t engage that technology for voting.
a tick on a piece of paper behind a cardboard box in this day and age ???…you’ve got to be fucking kidding !!!
Polly, I was so impressed by your analysis of why my stupid vacuous office girl wanted to vote for Key that I have taken the liberty of reposting here (in italics). In short she is very vulnerable if this company crashes in the coming depression and if she has to support her son on sonn to be cut welfare (and perhaps be forced to find a job at Makkers). Yet she voted for a man who “worked so hard to get rich…just like we can)>>>Yeah right.
Living the dream
Congratulations people, you bought the aspirational middle class dream Key was selling. You didn’t
want the reality Goff was selling and why would you ?
The reality is high unemployment, no jobs, stagnant wages, rising cost of living, NZ’s best and brightest leaving NZ in record numbers, an aging population reliant on welfare, an angry youthful
demographic also reliant on welfare, a property investment boil that needs lancing and a wealth
disparity chasm that will only widen with asset sales.
I mean, who in their right mind wants to face that reality ?…and buy into it, let alone deal with it, when you can live the dream of aspirational middle classiness. You too can come from living in a state house to make a fortune then become Prime Minister. Thats the shit people want to buy into and the shit Key was selling.
And man did we buy it, hook, line and sinker, cos like i said on Dim Post, everyone thinks they’re middle class these days. There is no working class anymore, only the underclass, consisting of the working poor and the unemployed. But no one’s going to admit to being underclass. That’s the fucking nightmare class you read about on the news, committing violent crime, breeding for business and living of charity.
Sure, you may be jobless and poor or scraping to get by, but your parents weren’t and they were middles class so you are too eh ? You just have to keep believing, have faith that Key can keep your dream alive. I mean, you’re a real life wannabe kiwi mum and dad whose better times are just around the corner.
But you know the only trouble with living the dream is, sooner or later you wake up and have to face reality, either by your own choice or by neccessity of someone forcing you to. And don’t you just hate it when the realization dawns on you that the dream you thought you were living was only happening in your mind and for all that time you were just asleep.
sleep tight NZ, don’t let reality bite…Vampires are real !!!
Again superb analysis, well done.
thanks B.
Underclass and proud of it…I own that shit and one day soon i and others like me will be Key’s worst nightmare.
Not for the crime or the ‘breeding for business’ that drain welfare, but for the sheer weight of critical mass that happens when the 99% sleepers awaken and choose a new reality.
Think Dune when Paul Atreides transmuted the waters of life. And like House Atreides inspiring the Fremen to storm the deserts of Arrakis and overthrow the Harkonnens to bring the Emperor to his knees.Theres gonna be hell to pay.
They who control the spice controls the universe. We will take back spice production and own our future.
Mark my worms !
There is a real move (I think from the left) in the US to return to paper voting.
The concern is that there are too many problems with machine voting, no audit-able paper record for electronic voting (and therefore greater chance of fraud, hacking or government interference), and too many jurisdictions that determine their own method of casting a vote.
Yes, we have online banking etc but one of the secrets the banks keep quiet is the evel of “interference” that does take place.
The difference between the US and us is population and the prohibitions to exclude voters there.
If there was a cross party consensus to change the electoral status quo, it could happen practically overnight. No more silly land line polls and dodgy internet ones. People could txt in using their secure ird number and bank acct log in.
A referendum on that would be way more useful than wasting time deciding on MMP alternatives. Imagine if we could real time decide on mandates for things like State Asset Sales.
It’s inevitable we will eventually vote via the virtual cloud. Rather we own it and control it, make it happen NOW, or by proxy, facebook and the US through the banks will do it for us.
IMHO
No doubt the new technology gives us the chance of fast, inexpensive feed back for all sort of issues that a government faces.
It doesn’t solve the lack of participation.
I could see a problem of buy in and the degree of representation.
You would need to limit each person to one person one vote and be able to secure that so there is no staking of a referendum or other sort of poll.
Then there is the technology to be used – smart phones for everyone? polling booths permanently on street corners like phone boxes?
Do we want such events like a general election to be treated so casually?
Still, something of the sort is in the future.
polling booths permanently on street corners like phone boxes?
Using eftpos or ATM’s as voting machines tied into your bank acct secure pin and login details cross matched with your ird number and drivers license sent as a txt to confirm via answering a personal question you sent in using snail mail with your electoral enrolment form.
It doesn’t solve the lack of participation.
I’m pickin youngers would, if given the option, vote using their phone or an ATM, especially if you engaged them via social media and incentivised them with free credit.
As a trial, get the systems up, trial some refererenda and then in the next elections just electronically vote on the party vote and see how irrelevent electorate voting is to the youngers.
This election has, IMO, proven that we need to get rid of electorate voting or bring in STV voting for the electorate. As it is it’s too open to manipulation and gerrymanders are still possible. If we do get rid of electorate voting then people have to become more involved with local politics which seems to be more or less ignored ATM.
You may not have noticed but the government already has a database (actually, they probably have several) that has everybody in the country on it. Tie the voting into that database, make the record of the vote permanent and that each person can see that record online (IMO, government data on a person should be available online for that person to view) with the option to change a vote once under supervision if the vote is recorded incorrectly.
The voting is done online, database is government owned and controlled, software is developed in-house and is open source. That prevents private companies from being able to manipulate the voting directly and makes the software as secure as possible. Using Security Tokens makes the actual online transaction about as secure as you can get and possibly more secure than paper based options.
Absolutely right! There’s no way that Dubya really genuinely got re-elected in 2004 – we all know that much! Paper voting is safe, and if the younglings won’t do it, tough on them, lazy barstewards! Voting by text should never happen… I am teaching a bunch of lazy teens, and they think I am horrible, because there are some things up with which I will not put…
How hard would it be to remove ‘personality’ from politics and have a more representative parliament in the process? Not hard at all, I reckon. Instead of lists of parties, why not have lists of policy direction that parties offer up (limited to x number of policies per party) with a ‘yes/no’ option and then the various parties attached to the relevant yeah or nay side of the policy?
So for example, on ‘Asset Sales’ there would be a yes or no option and then, depending on your thoughts on asset sales, a further choice as to which parties prescriptions you’d rather see implemented.
Same on tax free income. If 50% + favour it, then the signal as to whether Labour’s $5000, Mana’s $20 000 or whatever was preferred would have been signalled on the ballot paper. And then the party which had the largest vote next to it on that policy, would be charged with making it happen….executing the policy.
The overall result…a representation of voter desire…would probably be a hoary bastard for parliamentarians to deal with. But if their job is to give effect to voter desires, then hey.
If a particular policy couldn’t be implemented for genuine reasons (ie politiking aside), then at the next election it assumes a priority that needs only 50%+ to vote for it and then it must be implemented by the same party as before. No ‘if’s’ no ‘but’s’….no excuses whatsoever.
In the space between elections, policy and not personality would be the only thing worth discussing. And unlike the Swiss system that appears to demand constant engagement, this allows people to ‘dip in and out’ of parliamentary shenanigans.
Once every three years the politicians are directed on what they are required to deliver. It’s up to them after that.
I think Mana’s idea of lowering the voting age has some merit.
If young people had a chance to experience at least one election and maybe even two elections before leaving high school, young people may have a better appreciation of the democratic process as a valuable and empowering experience and therefore decide to stay more involved as adults.
(To experience two elections while still at High School would mean lowering the voting age to 15)
I would like to debate with others the merits/demerits of this idea.
Would our youth just vote as their parents do?
Would teachers have an improper influence over students’ political views?
Are our objections based on fear?
Are we frightened of what our young people would do with the mandate?
I can’t help wondering, what would they would do with it?
No doubt I imagine it will be something I can’t imagine.
To judge by what my younger son has told me about his former classmates, yes, a scarily large number would do just that.
I don’t believe so…
Mine certainly are! The monstrous idiocy displayed by many of the pupils at Western Springs College when L., was there is terrifying. One girl was convinced that Helen Clark was an unmarried lesbian, because her Daddy said so (see above). A boy was convinced that World War 2 was fought by the brave Americans (along with maybe 20 New Zealanders) against the evil Brits and the evil Nazis, all for the purpose of saving Jews and establishing the state of Israel. Another boy believed that whatever box you’re in precludes all other boxes – and screamed his disbelief that an Irish person they were learning about could be both a Communist and a Republican! Many 15 year olds would, in the wonderful words of my daughter in law speaking about her rest-home “ladies” – ‘vote for the Wombles if they were on the ballot” – the old dears because they don’t know what day it is, the teens, for the lulz…
Absolutely yes. Sadly, teens are irresponsible. It’s what they are!
I can and it makes me blench! My youngest was a teen not to long ago, and I remember it all too well. His besetting sin was (and still is to an extent) self-righteousness and an absolute conviction that he’s always right. If you think Petulant Bean and old Tariana think they know what’s best for bennies, try a bunch of teenagers!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6045516/Dunne-settles-in-for-10th-term
Go and get a real fukn job Dunne
And you wonder why Chauvel didn’t win Ohariu.
So when do the specials get counted?
They will be released on Dec 10
Thanks Mickey for your analysis …you (and too many coffees) have got me thinking in an after-match-analysis sort of way……
1. Low turnout.
Traditionally the no-voters are on the left (for a number of reasons) and that we always hit the left hard if they don’t vote. I think that Labour and the Greens need to step up the game.
a.We need to see the next three years like The South during the ’60s and have drives to increase voter registration. Make a concerted effort to help people outside the political process to dip their toes in the water and hope they wade in on election day.
This is something I will be committing myself to in the next three years ( I have yet to checkout turnout in my area but I’m sure there is a need).
b. Step up our efforts to get out the vote on the day. Cars, vans, umbrellas – anything to remove the barriers people have to voting. That involves some organisation at the grass roots and co-operation across the left (not sure how the greens will feel about all those car miles 🙂 )
c. Non-partisan letterbox drops, well before the lead up to the election, with a series of well thought out, nicely produced, flyers that people can down load and distribute around their neighbour hood. A set number of drops, on certain dates, over the course of a year.
These flyers would aim to educate people about the process, why we have an election at all, and why it is important for any citizen to vote and the efforts people, as seen in the news, are going to in order to get a say.
Perhaps campaign slogans that have a uniform, pithy message that can be put on bumpers, posters etc. e.g. “If you don’t vote then don’t complain”, “If you didn’t vote I ain’t listening”, “Be part of the solution – Vote!”, “Vote first, bitch second”, “You’re only alive because politicians allow you to be”
2. Labour dipped substantially in the Maori electorates where the presence of the Mana Party sucked up valuable party votes.
Labour can no longer rely on being the dominant party on he left. The left is fragmented. But that should not necessarily be a bad thing. It is the nature of the left to be fragmented – we all have differing views about what in the status quo needs to be changed and we rally to that flag.
Instead of it being a weakness that the right can use to divide and conquer, the left needs to decide on what they can agree on, be gracious with each other, and leave the adversarial debate to the presentation of ideas during the election.
Perhaps we need a association of progressives, a congress of like minded people that have a common ethos but differ in the details.
If Labour wants to survive it needs to look at who it constituency is. With the advent of strong Maori voices the days of Ratana and Labour Maori safe seats are gone. Who does Labour speak for? The Middle class? Labour? Maori, Pacifica, Asians?
Do they need to build a constituency? Organise union membership, campaign for better work conditions, get a profile in the foodbanks, elevate the “common man” in the party ranks, be proud to be socialist and promoting a return to a more caring NZ, boldly address the future like they have stated to but go further – peak oil, climate change, NZ for NZdrs and not trans-nationals).
The Greens are on a roll and it is a generational thing. The young have the values and expectations that resonate with the Green message. They are the children of the greening of society and as they come of voting age there will be more of them. I say the young but I exclude brain dead “I’m a Key person” bimbos-for-hire that Key had following him – why weren’t they at work?!
3. The NZ First phenomenon clearly had an effect of Labour’s support base
I don’t think you could call Winston a leftie but the party does have an appeal to people who are older and are concerned about change, people who respond to ideas of national pride and their definition of NZ, people who feel they have invested in NZ and want to be recognised, who want to feel that not everyone is waiting for them to die out.
Add to that the personality cult around him and the protest vote against the status quo and the belief that Labour were not going to be strong enough. There is one thing about Winston, he can deliver some scathing soundbites about “the enemy” that make us feel good and put the self-important in their place.
5. South Auckland performed very well with a swing towards Labour. Mangere was the standout with a 10% swing. Sua William Sio and the Mangere organisation did really well.
Again, who is Labour talking to? Are they being moblised to vote? Unionised? What’s the Labour profile at foodbanks, markets, in lobbying for the people who need help? Should their be more brown faces in the Labour benches?
6. Christchurch
The demographics are still to fluid for John Key to puff out his chest and say we must be doing a good job in Chch. I think te shit hasn’t fully hit the fan with CERA and I suspect that so much is still to be revealed that might piss people off. But then you only have so much energy and the energy levels in Chch have been drained by events.
Again, the important role for Labour is advocacy, advocacy, advocacy. People remember who goes to bat for them when things are down.
7. Carmel Sepuloni still has a chance in Waitakere of unseating Bennett
I don’t give a monkey’s about Bennett, she’s in anyway, but Sepuloni would be a great loss. She’s one of those “watch this space” people.
They were at work – they just weren’t doing anything of any value.
According to this analysis NZ1st is more left than the Labour Party. They happen to be more authoritarian although less so than NActUF.
So in 2008 terms NZ1st was left of Labour and the authoritarian thing would be the personality cult thing they’ve go going.
…I would think Labour has moved to the left this election.
What measures do they use for this?
They’ve got a simple test that they run political parties policies through (It’s not necessarily the most accurate way but it’s better than nothing and it’s fairly constant). The 2011 one didn’t have NZ1st on it otherwise I would have linked to it. It shows that Labour have moved right but probably within margin of error (ie, not moved at all).
I’ve been wondering since I have seen it quoted as fact a few times on this site how anyone knows that no-voters favor the left?
By definition they didn’t express an opinion so there is no way to know.
The only way I can see you would be able to do it is by comparing the actual results to polls and as polls are not scientific and there is no way to check if they are correct that would be meaningless as well.
You look at the enrolled vote (political parties are allowed to read and check the marked roll for things like the dead voting). If they didn’t vote then they are enrolled non vote and you look at them against against previous canvassing data or the deprivation index. Pretty damn clear
But there are also academic studies looking at voting intentions with followup to ask about voting.
Bill, because if they can’t give ” 2 minutes every 3 years” they will only be involved in the process by bitching about whatever the subsequent outcomes happen to be , and their negativism about “reperesentation ” will only foster more disenfranchisment.
T.W.I.M.C. Stick with Phil, remember the lesson according to Ted, but just hope that it’s not as close as 8-7 in ’14.
Maybe you mistakenly see the ‘representative parliamentary system’ as the crucible of democracy rather than as one among a number of obstacles to democracy?
Bill.
Well said. Far too many people mistake the present sytem for democracy.
Who was it that said ‘Democracy is a good system. We should try it some time’?
“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see….”
“You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?”
“No,” said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, “nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people.”
“Odd,” said Arthur, “I thought you said it was a democracy.”
“I did,” said Ford. “It is.”
“So,” said Arthur, hoping he wasn’t sounding ridiculously obtuse, “why don’t the people get rid of the lizards?”
“It honestly doesn’t occur to them,” said Ford. “They’ve all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they’ve voted in more or less approximates to the government they want.”
“You mean they actually vote for the lizards?”
“Oh yes,” said Ford with a shrug, “of course.”
“But,” said Arthur, going for the big one again, “why?”
“Because if they didn’t vote for a lizard,” said Ford, “the wrong lizard might get in.”
– Douglas Adams
lol (Forgotten how observant Adams’ writing could be)
Afew its not perfect but its better than any other option unless you are the despotic leader but in your case the only movement you will be starting will be followed by the sound of a cistern flushing unless you’ve invested in a composting toilet
A video by potholer54, aka Peter Hadfield: Climategate Part 2– the quotes and the context.
Also see – http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/27/an-open-letter-to-dr-phil-jones-of-the-uea-cru/
A masterly summary of the parlous state of climate science by Willis Eschenbach.
A link to Climate Denialist website – yeah, not worth clicking.
latest news Artic ice melt increasing in speed
This Willis Eschenbach who happens to write for a site that has a semi retired Toronto minerals consultant with ties to the Heartland Institute and an economist as primary contributors and seems primarily focused on debunking climate science. Pass the salt.
Also, as Willis Eschenbach seems to have connections with Delingpole and manages to rate a mention in that bastion of truth Conservapedia, will someone please please pass me the salt.
Big strike on Wednesday in the UK, maybe bigger than in 1979 (I remember the uncollected rubbish bags piling up on Clapham Common), and maybe bigger than the 1926 general strike.
I do feel it’s pity that the strike is over changes to pensions and not to cuts to the public sector services. Note also that Stuff headlines are all to about how it will impact on Kiwi air travellers, whereas the strike itself is the big news:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/6047635/Air-NZ-to-rebook-strike-affected-passengers
And there’s a threat of Cameron re-drafting industrial action law to restrict such strikes.
OAB
I see the pattern remains unchanged.
You consistently make pathetic and inane comments that are feeble attempts at put-downs.
I guess that’s as far as your brain can take you, poor thing.
AFKTT, just thought I’d point out that your user name is now misspelled.
It sort of loses the impact when it’s written as ‘AfewknowtheTURTH’
Blue.
Thanks for that. The human world is imperfect -eyes, fingers, computer systems.
Fortunately fundamental truths don’t change from day to day.
lol
so comforting knowing the TURTH is out there.
You want the turth?
You can’t handle the turth!
blue stop playing the man and listen to what he has to say.
otherwise you contribute nothing.
come to think of it I never seen you round before.
are you trolling?
Nah, this pink Blue’s a good egg.
Intermittent Signal 2011/8 (last 29/9)
NZs making something, doing something clever always gets me hopeful that we have some future apart from getting stuck in the dropping of a cow’s back end or playing with money that somebody else has made. and circulating it with lots of drop-off points each taking a cut for participating in the round robin.
Tait Electronics has been going for yonks and hasn’t been bought out yet!! Maybe never as I believe they have a trust structure that might prevent this. I pass on news item I saw about their radio system for London’s 7500 buses which Tait won the $19 million contract for in 2006 to overhaul London Buses’ Radio network with a system designed and manufactured in Christchurch. Tait will now maintain and support the network.
We need to have a way of investing in an advance New Zealand entrepreneurs business. That would be fun, interesting with some risk, and a good proportion would be very profitable. Also a fund to buy out businesses when they have reached adulthood so we stop the overseas firms and destructive highly-leveraged equity types from picking them off and sucking them dry.
Government prints the money and loans it to entrepreneurs at 0% interest. This gives the entrepreneurs the boost they need. If the idea fails then the money is recaptured through taxes costing us all a few cents each but if it succeeds then the loan is paid back in full from proceeds plus we have something new in the economy.
A proportion would be but it’s likely to be a small proportion. Profits are a dead weight loss which we need to avoid.
Don’t need it – just need to ban sales of businesses and property to foreign owners. Doing so is, after all, bad for NZ.
DTB Yes you seem to be making sense but I can’t always agree with you. As for NZs backing their own entrepreneurs and successful businesses, if there was a climate favourable to that it would be better than throwing money away to dodgy finance companies that are mostly just living off consumerism.
I’m all for a development fund that
– provides the venture capital we’re too small a country to provide
– takes a stake in any future profits, intellectual property etc.
– keeps investment returns in the country
– develops ideas and sponsors research
– NZ is too small and could do with some central planning towards NZ Inc.
They say government can’t pick winners but the private sector hasn’t done too well at it either.
It would be better for NZ than stateless, disloyal, corporates getting welfare payments.
Imagine what we could have done with a research/venture capital fund equal to the money we paid out on failed finance companies alone.
WJ +1
The asset sales “mandate” talk begins already..
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/12098484/new-zealand-pm-claims-vote-mandate-to-sell-assets/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6047024/Asset-sales-fight-on-but-Key-claims-mandate
A couple of interesting reads.
http://nymag.com/print/?/news/politics/conservatives-david-frum-2011-11/
http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2011/09/libertarians-and-conservatives-must.html
Also, Brin’s review of the Randian fantasy movie amused me.
http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2011/11/atlas-shrugged-hidden-context-of-book_27.html
The emotional payoff — two innovators triumphing over troglodyte naysayers by delivering an awesome product — portrayed Rand’s polemical point in its best conceivable light. I am all for that aspect of the libertarian dream! Indeed, it is the core theme that makes THE FOUNTAINHEAD sympathetic and persuasive. So, for ten minutes, we actually liked the characters and rooted for them. Significantly, it is the portion when nobody speaks.
Alas, though. The film then resumed a level of simplistic lapel-grabbing that many of us recall from our Rand-obsessed college friends — underachievers who kept grumbling from their sheltered, coddled lives, utterly convinced that they’d do much better in a world of dog-eat-dog. (Using my sf’nal powers, I have checked-out all the nearby parallel worlds where that happened; in those realms, every Randian I know was quickly turned into a slave or dog food. Sorry fellows.)
The mandate about asset sales is really annoying from all sides. As a government you have the right to introduce legislation to parliament. Doesn’t matter how unpopular that might be, as a government you get to introduce it to the house. And with parliamentary consent that policy can become law and thus mandated. To get consent you need a majority of parliament to agree to it. This parliament looks to be 61 votes in favour.
John Key can’t actually say he has a mandate because his party did not get 61 seats in parliament. All that happened from the election was the ability to pass legislation with consent of other parties who carry seats. Likewise, its poor taste from Labour, their supporters and others opposed to asset sales. National by virtue of confidence and supply with others (or abstaining) has the legal right to introduce legislation no matter how unpopular it may be. As National themselves is not a majority. They still require further support to actually pass that legislation.
Why would Maori ever want to spend their money on a stake in the power companies.
It’s a cool plan though by the government – we’ll settle with you and pay you money and then give you this really great opportunity to give us (the government) the money back by getting a share of a power company you already own as a citizen.
And people accuse Maori of having their hands out.
Still at least Maori got the payouts legitimately unlike the investors who were bailed out after their poor investment decisions and who can now use taxpayers money to buy the power companies.
The MP say today that their agreement with asset sales is not likely to be part of their confidence and supply agreement with National. On RNZ, I heard Turia say the onlyquestions or communication they had had from their constituents about asset sales was from some iwi leaders/business people who’d like to invest 10% or so. Turia said that’s their business and the MP isn’t so into it.
But, if no pressure is being put on the MP to support asset sales legislation, either Key is very sure of not losing 2 seats in the specials, or asset sales aren’t that important to them.
The last denier.(cartoon)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6048658/Time-for-action-to-stop-asset-sales-says-O-Connor
hell yes
Netflix fail
New Zealander’s wanting to join Netflix would have been disappointed by the message: Sorry, Netflix is not available in your country…
I was disappointed by that, but I can understand it. Unless I can find another dedicated server provider in NZ with a less painful policy on international traffic (current cap is 60GB, and $3 per GB over), this sites servers will be heading back offshore. The latency is less of an issue than losing the search spiders that bring new readers.
It’s a totally understandable decision by Netflix Vice President Brent Ayrey. Can you imagine the backlash from thousands of customers experiencing lag and low quality. I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Nationals meaningless rhetoric.
The lack of bandwidth is the result of the privatisation and deregulation of telecommunications. ~$20b in dead weight loss (profit) just going to Telecom. $20b that would have been used to build up and upgrade the network if it hadn’t been sold. On top of that is the extra billions lost through the building of extra unnecessary networks and profits in the other telecommunications firms.
Once something becomes ubiquitous it must be brought into government ownership so that it can be used for the good of the country at minimal cost.
Occupy Auckland crackdown
There’s no question that the lead up to the 2011 election has given the New Zealand Occupy movement a reprieve from any harsh Police action to break up their protests. However I predict that this time has come to an end…
Pelease … comparing David Shearer to John Key is far from complimentary. I believe Labours leadership demands a higher calling. A David I know was the ultimate leader … a true philosopher, cunning diplomat and talented musician. A fighter who fought and won many battles for his people, and as a wise leader united a tumultuous nation. The giants and battles we face today is not John Key and the National party but the broiling of a very troubled and disastrous economy not just nationally but worldwide. David also had a very faithful and loyal friend. However with all these high accolades David wasn’t a perfect leader or a perfect man, in fact he committed the sin of all sins, but his years alone with God, humbled and crumbled in the dark, developed the soul of a legendary philosopher-king, and forged a legacy that endures to this day.” Whoever is chosen may God’s blessing and favour be upon him.