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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The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to declare a climate emergency:The European parliament has declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” as it urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The vote came as scientists warned that the world may have already crossed ...
Pure Fear: Worse than Heroin, this drug’s addictive power was terrifying. People under its influence didn’t drift off to Elysium. Nor did it persuade inadequate individuals that they could conquer the world. No, this drug – pure crystal methamphetamine, “P” for short – unlocked the gates of Hell itself. It ...
As the rate of measles infection, and of deaths, continues to climb in Samoa, antivaccination activists infectious disease proponents seem intent on doubling down on their claims about vaccination. (Check pretty much any news-media FB post about measles & you’ll see exactly what I mean.) Unfortunately, some of them have ...
Samoa are experiencing a devastating measles epidemic. It is possible that 2-3% of the population will ultimately be infected by the time it is over. Hopefully the mass immunisation campaign currently under way can mitigate some of this, for many it is too late. The first question many people ask ...
Meghan Murphy is a Canadian writer and journalist She runs the Feminist Current website which she founded in 2012. She was a keynote speaker for the Feminism2020 conference in Wellington this month. When Massey University cancelled the original venue booking Feminism2020 was hosted in Parliament by MP David Seymour. Meghan ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Colombia has lived through one week of protests against the economic measures taken by president Duque. What looked like a protest that would fizzle out after its first day on November 21st is still going strong. Part of the reason for the continuance ...
Around a million billion pass through you each second, almost all originating from our sun, but few of them are likely to interact with you enroute. I was reading in a physics magazine earlier in the week about the nature of neutrinos. These are extremely numerous elementary particles, but only ...
By Pallab GhoshThere’s value in covering new research advances, even when the underlying science is unsettled. But there are also risks.The recent announcement that scientists discovered water on the planet K2-18b, 110 light years away, prompted a media swoon. News stories, including a piece written by me, billed ...
I wrote this review a couple of years ago when I was still in the process of getting my head around the politics of transgenderism, and specifically the claim that intersex conditions lend support to the notion that sex is ‘socially constructed’. Since writing this review I have come across ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzHow much does our use of air travel contribute to the ...
Minor planet/asteroid (2309) Mr. Spock is named not for the character in Star Trek, but for a cat that was itself imperturbable, logical, intelligent and had pointed ears. In a preceding blog post I introduced one of my favourite asteroids, (2472) Bradman, and also mentioned (6581) Sobers amongst a few ...
Today the death toll from measles in Samoa rose to 32. All but four of the dead were less than 5 years old. Absolutely terrible, heartbreaking, news. That statistic alone should be enough to give the lie to the common claim by antivaccination activists plague enthusiasts that “measles is a ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh It is late here in Bogotá, almost 11.30pm on Monday the 25th of November as I write this. The day began full of hope with yet more massive marches throughout the country, a mix of the International Day of Non-Violence Against Women and the National Strike. ...
Anti-fluoride activists are rubbing their hands in glee over what they claim is “yet another study” showing fluoride harms the brains of children. But their promotion relies on IQ relationships which the paper’s authors acknowledge disappearing when outliers or other factors are considered. And they completely ignore other relationships ...
The feature below is the conclusion of A History of Economic Thought, whose author was a leading Marxist economist in Russia in the early 20th century, Isaac Ilyich Rubin. The book arose from a course he ran at Moscow University following the Russian Revolution. First published in Russian in 1929, ...
There are many thousands of asteroids with formal names, some humdrum but other more noteworthy (depending on your predilections). One of my favourites, the name of which I was involved in suggesting, is (2472) Bradman, named for the Australian cricketing great. As a minor planet (synonym: asteroid) spotter, I have ...
Tory manifesto: big on austerity, low on promise, non-existent on delivery. The Tories: the party so big on ambition they couldn't be arsed writing a manifesto. MLK: "I have a dream!"BJ: "I'll just have a nap." Labour: Broadband!Tories: Narrow minds! Labour have hope, dreams and ambition. The Tories will save ...
The Ministry of Health has announced that “people under the age of 50 travelling from New Zealand to Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji” are now on the list of national priorities for MMR vaccination. Given the outbreaks of measles in Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji, the Ministry of Health is ...
Hong Kong has been protesting for six months for, demanding democracy, human rights, and an end to police violence. Today, they went to the polls in district council elections - a low-level of government with virtually no power, similar to community boards in New Zealand. But while the positions themselves ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh On Friday 22nd of November a curfew came into effect and troops were deployed on the streets, here in Bogota. It was the first time since September 1977 that a curfew had been imposed on the city. The decision was a cynical pre-planned ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said that New Zealand's Cook Islands High Commissioner, Tessa Temata, has died over the weekend. Ms Temata, 52, died in Palmerston North and had returned to New Zealand for medical treatment. She was the first New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands of Cook Island ...
A new defence report has mapped out how New Zealand's soldiers will navigate rising seas, and a year after the Defence Force announced its need to prepare for climate change. In the “Responding to the Climate Crisis” report, the Force restates its operational plan and sets goals to tackle climate ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Human Rights A critical step has been taken to end gender based violence against women and girls in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Human Rights Jenny Marcroft MP has welcomed the passing of the first reading of the Crimes (Definition of Female ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says it's time to recognise market forces haven't led to the expected reduction in Māori smoking rates and try a new approach. The Party had recently invoked the agree to disagree clause in their Coalition Agreement with the Labour Party, and will not support ...
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...
The Coalition Government will be banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, ahead of next year’s general elections. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament and passed under urgency – emphasising the need for such restrictions to safeguard our democracy. The bill introduces a new requirement that party secretaries and ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones opened Taipā's $19 million bridge recently, improving transport infrastructure in the Northland region. The two-lane bridge is 107m long with a 2.5m-wide shared walking and cycling path, and will reduce the congestion that the old one-lane bridge was notorious for. The project had also included ...
The Overseas Investment Office have rejected the application of Mercury Agriculture LP, which is 92 per cent controlled by Canadian interests, to purchase more than 2000 hectares of South Canterbury and Otago land. Mercury wanted to buy 2000ha at Rangitata, 1494ha near Ashburton, 816ha near Cromwell and 212ha near Temuka. ...
This weekend was Labour's 103rd Party Conference! We welcomed over 500 of our Labour whānau in red to Whanganui, where we reflected on the last two years in Government, and looked ahead to 2020 and beyond. We know the long-term challenges facing New Zealand won't be tackled overnight, but we're making ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced that the Provincial Growth Fund will invest $9.6 million to seal the final unsealed section of State Highway 43 from Stratford to Taumarunui. The Minister said sealing the 12-kilometre gravel section of the highway – also called the “Forgotten World Highway” - through ...
Former Finance Minister and former chair of the Tax Working Group, Sir Michael Cullen, has voiced his support for New Zealand First’s decision to oppose the planned increase in tobacco excise tax. In an interview with The Weekend Collective, he said that increasing the price was no longer effective in ...
Māori are natural storytellers. On the marae we use stories to tell our history, to teach the next generation life lessons and to let people know, in our most creative of ways, who we are and where we have come from. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First has invoked the ‘Agree to Disagree’ provisions of the Coalition Agreement because it cannot support the announced 11.46 percent increase in the tobacco excise from 1 January 2020. “Studies show that the automatic tobacco excise increases are having less effect ...
Taupō-based company Geo40 has made a breakthrough in extracting near battery-grade lithium from geothermal fluid which its says could be a gamechanger. Its chief executive John Worth said the earth mineral was highly prized, with battery-grade lithium selling for US$10,000 (NZ$15,600) a tonne. Geo40 was founded in 2010 to find ...
Crown research institute AgResearch Ltd, as part of its Future Footprint plan, had intended to relocate top scientists and support staff — particularly those focused on sheep genetics and genomics — from Invermay to Lincoln. However, those plans seem to have been shelved at the request of the Coalition Government. ...
Ten engineering firms in Southland are receiving a total of $2.13 million in Provincial Growth Fund funding to lift productivity and create new jobs. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced in Invercargill that the 10 engineering and manufacturing firms would receive funding to assist them with buying equipment that ...
The number of new residents to New Zealand is the lowest it has been in nearly two decades and it has earned the ire of the immigration industry. The industry alleges that 'Trump-style extreme vetting' is being put in place aimed at keeping a lid on immigration numbers. June Ranson, ...
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is one step closer to modernising its fleet after the United States State Department recently approved the sale of five new C-130J Hercules aircraft to New Zealand. Arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, in Fort Worth, Texas, will provide the aircraft, but as a "foreign military ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones wants to create a log barging facility at Hicks Bay and turn the area into a Special Economic Zone. The move would be part of protecting New Zealand's forests from being depleted by India and China, he said. It follows his announcement last week to strengthen ...
New Zealand First supports the changes recommended by the Winter Grazing Taskforce to improve animal welfare outcomes through the winter months, and the establishment of a pan-sector action group to implement them. New Zealand First Primary Industries Spokesperson Mark Patterson says the report highlights areas of concern about the animal ...
Former prime ministers Helen Clark and Sir John Key, formerly from the Labour and National parties respectively, have joined forces in support of New Zealand First’s plan to relocate Auckland's port to Whangārei. While Ms Clark and Sir John spent their political careers on opposite sides of the political divide, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is in Japan for the Foreign Ministers' meeting of the G20 grouping of countries as one of nine "invited" countries. He has used the opportunity to cast a spotlight on the plight of Pacific countries, calling out countries which still offered subsidies or Government assistance to ...
It's been a great week of progress: we've celebrated Children's Day, we've made communities safer with 1800 new police, and we've seen almost 90% of eligible schools take up Government funding to scrap school donations - taking pressure off the families of more than 416,000 students. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Forestry The Government will further strengthen New Zealand’s wood processing sector as part of our focus on ‘value over volume’ in our forestry industry, Forestry Minister Shane Jones says. Minister Jones will today meet with forestry representatives in Northland to signal new measures to help the ...
New Zealand First are celebrating the announcement of an investment of $3.5 million into five new trapping devices. These are a range of bait and trap devices, all designed to be left unattended for long periods of time. NZ First conservation spokesperson Jenny Marcroft says that this latest development will ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Innovation and technology are behind five new tools to give nature a helping hand by helping eliminate predators, funded through the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage and Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today.“The ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Police New Zealand First is proud to have delivered on a key Coalition Agreement commitment to adding 1800 new frontline police, with the graduation of Recruit Wing 332 in Porirua today. Law and Order Spokesperson Darroch Ball says increasing police numbers and boosting their resources was one ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Conservation New Zealand First is proud to announce the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has allocated $3.5 million to develop innovative predator control approaches which will reduce the need for repeated 1080 use. $19.5 million of PGF funding was announced for Predator Free 2050 Limited in February ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the first reading of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2021 (APEC 2021) Bill in Parliament today. The temporary bill supports New Zealand’s security preparations for hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the first reading of the Racing Industry Bill in parliament today. This is the second of two Bills that have been introduced this year to revitalise New Zealand’s racing industry. “Our domestic racing industry has been in serious decline. The Government is committed to ...
Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni, is pleased to announce that $291,321 is to be awarded to national and local community initiatives to maintain and promote the use of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). “New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world where Sign Language is an ...
Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has announced today the Coalition Government’s initial response to work completed by the independent statutory body, the Veterans’ Advisory Board. “When Professor Ron Paterson completed his review of the Veterans’ Support Act in 2018, he made a number of recommendations, including one which I referred ...
The Government will fund the bulk of the cost of a rural water supply for the Ohakea community affected by PFAS contamination, Environment Minister David Parker announced today at a meeting of local residents. This new water scheme will provide a reliable and clean source of drinking water to the ...
I have had the opportunity to be briefed on the details of the volcanic eruption of Whakaari/White Island, off the coast of Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty. The eruption happened at 2.11pm today. It continues to be an evolving situation. We know that there were a number of tourists ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare have today confirmed initial Government support of $100,000 for communities affected by the severe weather that swept across the South Island and lower North Island over the weekend. The contribution will be made to Mayoral relief funds across the ...
New Zealand's High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, Tessa Temata, died in Palmerston North over the weekend, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said today. Ms Temata, 52, had recently returned to New Zealand for medical treatment. "On behalf of the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, we extend ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today announced construction is underway on Wellington commuter rail upgrades which will mean more frequent services and fewer breakdowns. The upgrades include converting the Trentham to Upper Hutt single track section to a double track, with a new signalling system, upgraded stations and level crossings, and ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark and Minister for Climate Change James Shaw have announced the release of a Defence Climate Change Implementation Work Plan, titled Responding to the Climate Crisis: An Implementation Plan. The plan sets out a series of recommendations based on the 2018 New Zealand Defence Assessment, The ...
A medium-scale adverse event has been declared for the South Canterbury district, which will see up to $50,000 in funding made available to support farming communities which have been significantly affected by recent heavy rain and flooding in the area, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Two weeks of solid rain ...
Thank you Professor Juliet Gerrard and your team for the comprehensive and extremely helpful report and recommendations. Thank you too to all the stakeholders and interested parties who have contributed ideas and thinking to it. “Making best practice, standard practice” is a great framework for change and the action plan ...
The Government will phase out more single-use plastics following the success of its single-use plastic bag ban earlier this year and the release today of a pivotal report for dealing with waste. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has welcomed the Rethinking Plastics in Aotearoa New Zealandreport, released by her Chief Science Advisor ...
International education continues to thrive as the Government focuses on quality over quantity, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. The tuition revenue from international education increased to $1.16 billion last year with the average tuition fee per student increasing by $960. The total number of international students enrolled in New Zealand ...
I want to talk about one of the most pressing issues in our national life: the housing crisis and the poor performance of our cities. The argument I want to make to you is that generations of urban land use policy have lacked a decent grounding in economics. The consequences ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says new appointments to DHBs represent a significant changing of the guard, with 13 new chairs including four Māori chairs. Today 76 appointments have been announced to complement elected board members, as well as eight elected members appointed as either chair or deputy chair. Four ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Fletcher Tabuteau, is travelling to Germany, Poland, Austria, and Spain next week to bolster New Zealand’s political and trade relationships in Europe. While in Spain, Mr Tabuteau will represent New Zealand at the 14th Asia-Europe (ASEM) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Madrid. “New Zealand strongly supports ...
“I’ve spoken to Minister Faafoi, who has apologised for his poor handling of this issue,” Jacinda Ardern said. “I have confidence in Kris as a hardworking and effective Minister, but this should have been dealt with in a much clearer manner, and I’ve made my views on that very clear ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters met with Tongan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa in Wellington today. The pair signed a Statement of Partnership setting out joint priorities for cooperation out to 2023. “We welcomed Prime Minister Tu'i'onetoa on his first visit to New Zealand as Prime Minister. Tonga ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash says his sympathies are with the family of a man who died after being shot by Police in Kurow. “Initial reports are that Police were called by a family member to help the man who was threatening to harm himself,” Mr Nash says. “However ...
Ethnic communities will be able to plan and deliver more community initiatives thanks to an increase in Government funding, Minister for Ethnic Communities Hon Jenny Salesa said today. “Ensuring Aotearoa New Zealand is a place we can all be proud to call home has been a key priority of our ...
Healthier waterways, better productivity and farmer wellbeing are front and centre in a new project involving more than 1000 Southland farmers and growers. Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor today announced that the Thriving Southland Change and Innovation Project is the first region-wide extension programme supported by the $229 million Sustainable ...
Work to look after nature and restore freshwater quality in Te Hoiere/Pelorus River catchment is getting a significant boost, thanks to new Government funding support Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage announced in Canvastown today. “Every New Zealander should be able to swim in their local river without getting sick, and ...
Eight Queen’s Counsel have been appointed under a process that includes the new criterion of a commitment to improving access to justice, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. “The new criterion was included this year. It emphasises that excellence and leadership in the profession can be seen through a wider, community ...
Onslow College in Wellington will get 20 new classrooms for more than 400 students, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The much-needed investment will relieve growth pressure the school has been experiencing for some time. Seven existing classrooms which have deteriorated over time will also be replaced, bringing the total ...
More than 250 young New Zealanders will add international experience to their education, thanks to the latest Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) and Latin America (PMSLA), Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This round of scholarships supports 252 recent graduates or current students to undertake study, research or internships ...
Consumers will benefit from a more competitive, transparent retail fuel market as a result of changes the Government will be making in response to the findings of the Commerce Commission’s study of the fuel sector. “We accept the Commission’s findings and, as the Prime Minister has said, we’re ready to ...
Five new cancer medicines have now been funded this year, meaning thousands of people have more treatment options PHARMAC has today announced that it has approved two new medicines for funding – fulvestrant for breast cancer and olaparib for ovarian cancer. This follows earlier decisions on advanced lung cancer treatment alectinib, ...
The Minister of Local Government, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says the Government will consider making changes to local electoral legislation before the 2022 elections to fix the problems that have arisen where elections are settled by a coin toss. The Minister says the recount process in the Murupara- Galatea ward at ...
New Zealand will sign up to new international maritime regulations to reduce ship emissions and lift air quality around ports and harbours, Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter announced today. Subject to completion of the Parliamentary treaty examination process, New Zealand will sign up to Annex VI of MARPOL, an ...
New legislation to transform our urban areas and create sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities will tomorrow be introduced to Parliament, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford said. “The Urban Development Bill gives Kāinga Ora-Homes and Communities the tools it needs to partner with councils, communities, mana whenua and private developers to ...
Today’s launch of He taonga te Tamaiti: Every child a taonga: The Early Learning Action Plan 2019-2029 provides the foundation for long-lasting changes to early learning, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. “Early learning will be one of the Government’s top education priorities going into 2020,” Chris Hipkins said. ...
Major decisions made by the Government will now be considered under a climate change lens, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. “Cabinet routinely considers the effects of its decisions on human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, rural communities, the disability community, and gender – now climate change will ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced the appointment of Māori education specialist Dr Wayne Ngata and Business NZ head Kirk Hope to the Board of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). Dr Alastair MacCormick has been reappointed for another term. “Wayne Ngata, Kirk Hope and Alastair MacCormick bring a great deal ...
The next phase of the Pike River Re-entry project is underway, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little says. “Fresh air will be pumped into the Pike River Mine drift this week, following acceptance of the plan for re-entry beyond the 170m barrier by New Zealand’s independent health and ...
New Zealand consumers will have greater certainty about their insurance cover when they need to make claims as a result of proposed government changes. “Insurance is vitally important in supporting consumers and businesses to be financially resilient when unexpected events happen,” Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Kris Faafoi said. ...
The Crown is providing an opportunity for the hapu of Ngāpuhi to rebuild its framework from the ground up for collective negotiations to deal with its historical Treaty claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little and Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Crown is also ...
A Bill enabling referendums to be held with the 2020 General Election has passed its third reading. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Act is important for upholding the integrity of New Zealand’s electoral process. “The Government has committed to holding a referendum on legalising recreational cannabis at the next ...
The first release of public information on the two referendums to be held at next year’s General Election was made today with an informative new Government website going live. Additionally, the draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill has been released, showing the strict controls on cannabis that will apply if ...
The Government is taking action to protect New Zealand from foreign interference in our elections by banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament this afternoon and passed under urgency. “There’s no need for anyone other than New ...
Governments and tech companies are holding a two-day workshop, hosted by YouTube/Google in Wellington, to test the Christchurch Call Shared Crisis Response Protocol. The workshop aims to refine and strengthen the response in the event of a terrorist attack with online implications. Companies, governments, civil society experts and NGOs will ...
With the Labour party making a late surge in the opinion polls and getting some good headlines, some pundits are wondering if Britain’s general election on Thursday will end in a repeat of 2017’s hung parliament.Never say never, but this time feels quite different to 2017.That election took ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Lueck, Professor of Tourism, Auckland University of Technology The official death toll remains at five, and eight people are still missing, presumed to have died in yesterday’s volcanic eruption at Whakaari/White Island. The people on the island were tourists and tour ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abishek Santhakumar, Senior Lecturer in Haematology, Charles Sturt University How and why do we get bruises? – Francesca, aged 8. Hi Francesca, thanks for sending in this great question. If you fall off your bike or knock yourself on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ryan R. Witt, Conjoint Lecturer | Conservation Biology Research Group, University of Newcastle Thousands of koalas may have died in fires burning through New South Wales but expert evidence to a state parliamentary inquiry on Monday said we are unlikely to ever ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash has defended the police decision not to mount a rescue operation at Whakaari / White Island and says he's confident they did everything they could. ...
Sam Brooks interviews Cecily, the local singer behind surprise sleeper hit ‘Thinking ‘Bout Me’.“Getting thinner, feeling fatter, laughing more, feeling sadder.”That’s one of a few killer lines that adorn Cecily’s gem of a sadbanger ‘Thinking ‘Bout Me’, which wound up on the top of every pop music nerd’s favourite New ...
I have written elsewhere (see reference list below) about the important principles that suggest all enfranchised residents should receive a share of public income, and how the realisation of this is essentially a matter of reformed public accounting. Here I just consider two typical New Zealanders of different generations, and ...
Hū ana te whenua, ngārue ana te moana. He aituā! He aituā! E tangi ana i āhua o te parekura i Whakaari inanahi. E aroha ana ki te whānau pani me ngā iwi e honohono kau ana ki te tipua maunga kei te Moana-a-Toi. “The Māori Party expresses its ...
The Prime Minister has sent a message to the family and friends of those overseas tourists caught up in the Whakaari / White Island eruption that New Zealand will hold their loved one close. ...
In the first instalment of our new pop-up podcast, The Spinoff Book Out Loud, Madeleine Chapman reads her poignant, hilarious response to the response to her scandalous ranking of New Zealand chips.In late March 2019, Madeleine Chapman spied her Everest, and she climbed it. “All 123 chip flavours in New ...
We were in the middle of drawing up this list when Potton & Burton quietly dropped a new book – it is optimistic and surprising and all kinds of wonderful, and here is our wee rave about it. Plus, in no particular order, here are the other nine best children’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lachlan Warner, Australian Catholic University Last week Britain’s Turner Prize for visual art was announced. For the first time, the award went to a collective instead of the usual singular winner. The four finalists – Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo, Tai Shani and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Genna Churches, PhD Candidate, UNSW After watching this year’s media raids and the prosecution of lawyers and whistleblowers, it’s not hard to see why Australians wonder about excessive police power and dwindling journalistic freedom. But these problems are compounded by another, less ...
Sam Brooks reviews Marriage Story, the latest Netflix movie that tackles that universally horrible experience: divorce.There’s a moment, about halfway into Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, Netflix’s new film about the dissolution of a marriage, that hit me harder than anything else in the movie up until that point. During their first mediation ...
Barnardos welcomes He taonga te tamaiti - the 10 Year Early Learning Action Plan recently published by the Ministry of Education. Barnardos particularly welcomes the theme of the Action Plan: every child a taonga. The plan recognises that every ...
It is International Human Rights Day 2019. To explore the close connection between social work and human rights and to highlight social work activity in this field, the Association asked Neil Ballantyne, a social work academic at the Open Polytechnic ...
A defamation case involving former National minister Steven Joyce, the NBR website and its publisher focuses on what columnist Matthew Hooton meant by particular words he used in a "ruthless, spiteful, repugnant" column. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland The Morrison government’s waiving of almost A$500 million in dodgy vocational education and training debts holds many lessons about the nature of education and public services being provided by for-profit enterprises. The ...
If you’re looking for Christmas gifts or just trying to fill the void of silence with your friends and family this festive season, look no further than the humble board game. Christmas is coming which means long, lazy days with your nearest and dearest, perhaps eating too much and definitely still ...
Twenty-four hours after the eruption on Whakaari/White Island, here’s what we know about the ongoing situation.How many people have died?Currently, the official death toll stands at five, but there are a further eight people missing, who are presumed to have died in the eruption. 31 people remain in hospital and ...
The New Zealand Muslim Association is saddened for those effected by the impact of Whakaari / White Island eruption. We share their pain and sorrow and are concerned for those still missing. Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims of this tragic ...
Another giant bird has been torn from its grave: the ancient Rēkohu/Chatham Island penguin. Just how big was it?Standing at just over a metre tall, Kupoupou stilwelli was a big bird. It was as large as the giant Otago parrot, or as tall as a metre ruler.Sixty million years ago, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celine Boehm, Head of School for Physics, University of Sydney A team of scientists in Hungary recently published a paper that hints at the existence of a previously unknown subatomic particle. The team first reported finding traces of the particle in 2016, ...
At the request of the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand Flag is to be flown at half-mast on all Government and public buildings with immediate effect as a mark of mourning and respect for the victims of the Whakaari/White ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Connell, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University When farmers descended on Parliament House in Canberra this month to demand the Murray Darling Basin Plan be dumped, they reserved sharp words for Nationals leader Michael McCormack. “The National ...
From tennis champions to dance craze inventors, Scratched celebrates New Zealand sporting heroes who never got their due – but whose legacies deserve to be in lights. This month, Barbara Cox, the matriarch of New Zealand football.New Zealand’s first women’s football team wasn’t formed until 1975. Barbara Cox was the ...
White Island tour operators say the eruption risk level on the island yesterday was within their guidelines to keep operating. Yet when tragedy strikes, it’s natural to question whether the powers that be made the right decisions. ...
The roll of drums sounded for many months — but the Reserve Bank’s call on how the country’s banks could withstand a one-in-200-year financial crisis landed with less of a bang, more like a whimper, last week. At least, that’s how the markets interpreted the decision of the Governor, Adrian ...
Looking back on 10 years of wild, weird and wonderful food stories in Aotearoa.It’s been a hell of a decade for food here in New Zealand. Sure, there have been tedious trends aplenty – the rise of bloody kale, bloody coconut oil, bloody poké bowls – but the following list ...
What the hell are you meant to give the person who has everything? Don’t worry, Sam Brooks has you covered with the gift guide for that person in your life.It’s that time of year again – that time of the year when you have to think about your sociopathic friend. ...
Wellbeing may be at the centre of government strategy, but too many children and whānau are remaining on the outer, cautions The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). In a series of report cards released today, the RACP’s Aotearoa NZ President, ...
"You get this sudden depressurisation, same as sort of taking the top off of a soft drink bottle or pulling the cork out of a bottle of champagne. It depressurises and the materials underneath rise very, very quickly." ...
Looking back on 10 years which saw New Zealand’s media transform from a position of near-limitless power and influence to the deeply humbled reality of today. At the end of 2009 I had resigned from my first good job, convinced that print media was finished. The good job was as editor ...
Sending in armed police is exactly how not to defuse a situation where a person is highly distressed and suicidal, writes someone who has been in a similar situation herself.Last week a man was shot by police. There’d been a call for help – he was suicidal, had a weapon ...
Report into 2017 general election tipped to be published shortly; and higher benefits, more state housing needed to combat child poverty - Children's Commissioner. ...
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Open mike 28/11/2011 
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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.