Kumbaya
Written By:
Date published: 10:01 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 88 comments
Musings from Captain Obvious
NRT: Will Key act on child poverty?
Written By:
Date published: 6:38 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 17 comments
While the left lost the election, it looks like we’ve won another battle in the war of ideas, with John Key being forced to at least pretend he wants to do something about child poverty. Ideas long recommended from the Children’s Commissioner may finally be implemented.
Labour’s Choice
Written By:
Date published: 2:48 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 140 comments
Labours choice.
WANTED: new ideas on child poverty
Written By:
Date published: 1:00 pm, September 24th, 2014 - 88 comments
It’s great to see John Key taking a sudden interest in addressing child poverty in New Zealand. But why the change of heart?
Some brief musings on unity
Written By:
Date published: 11:21 am, September 24th, 2014 - 287 comments
It’s up to all of us.
Open mike 24/09/2014
Written By:
Date published: 6:30 am, September 24th, 2014 - 252 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
No rush to judgment
Written By:
Date published: 10:31 pm, September 23rd, 2014 - 146 comments
It would appear that the Labour caucus has decided to take its time to fully consider all implications of what was a massive defeat before proceeding to decide questions of leadership. I think that is wise – we have to get the Labour horse in proper shape for the next race before we worry about the jockey.
Time to say thanks
Written By:
Date published: 8:24 pm, September 23rd, 2014 - 14 comments
A word of thanks to our departing Members of Parliament – Hon Maryan Street, Moana Mackey, Raymond Huo and Carol Beaumont. All those who put themselves forward to serve our cause in Parliament deserve our sincerest and most heartfelt thanks. Their life becomes an open book, their time is no longer their own, and the verdict of the electorate can be cruel for those on the list. Thanks to all for your commitment and contribution to Labour.
For all our futures
Written By:
Date published: 7:13 pm, September 23rd, 2014 - 16 comments
With massive demonstrations across the world urging the UN & governments to do very much more to counter climate change, Al Jazeera’s Inside Story covers the demos and examines the issues.
The Election That Left One Third of Us Behind
Written By:
Date published: 5:32 pm, September 23rd, 2014 - 171 comments
No one should begrudge John Key and the National party the right to celebrate an impressive election victory. It is little consolation to those who opposed them that the win is very much a personal triumph for the Prime Minister rather than for the party and government he leads. As the tumult and the shouting […]
Where’s the Whip?
Written By:
Date published: 1:23 pm, September 23rd, 2014 - 146 comments
Our Labour MPs seem to be in disarray. Somehow the party that teaches solidarity keeps on being fractured, while the party that teaches individualism is a strong union.
Why are they talking to each other through the media instead of picking up the phone?
Labour’s leadership
Written By:
Date published: 10:24 am, September 23rd, 2014 - 216 comments
David Cunliffe has just announced that he will seek to continue as leader of the Labour Party and will let the party decide. A contest for the leadership is almost inevitable.
Clean it up
Written By:
Date published: 10:00 am, September 23rd, 2014 - 70 comments
Action Station has a full page ad in today’s NZ Herald, asking to clean up dirty politics. Dirty Politics is not any isolated attack politics or criticism of those in power. It is a relentless two track strategy, an orchestrated smear machine, aimed at moving politics rightwards & disengaging (left wing) voters. Update: Hager comments on the election.
Our children in Wellington
Written By:
Date published: 9:06 am, September 23rd, 2014 - 282 comments
I’m pretty sure that David Cunliffe would win a members and affiliates vote. So suck it up MPs, stop playing your silly caucus games and do some frigging work this term rather than the self-indulgent posturing you wasted time with last term. We have to start building campaigning machinery as soon as possible. You are getting in the way.
Open mike 23/09/2014
Written By:
Date published: 6:30 am, September 23rd, 2014 - 234 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Idiots, Cowards and Bastards.
Written By:
Date published: 4:18 pm, September 22nd, 2014 - 47 comments
When they write about it at all, the media tends to produce a lot of smash on the issue of global warming, and I’ve had enough of the crap. I apologise for both the length of this post and the number of data chewing links (pdfs and video). I’m hoping to write a number of posts looking at global warming from a variety of perspectives, and hopefully, it’ll be possible to keep others somewhat briefer than this one.
NRT: MMP, electorates, and misaligned incentives
Written By:
Date published: 3:18 pm, September 22nd, 2014 - 165 comments
No Right Turn points out the underlying truth of voting in an MMP environment. For the party electorate seats don’t matter much. Running electorate only campaigns are not productive. He is wrong in ascribing them no value. They provide a base for campaigning.
National’s promises to you. #1.
Written By:
Date published: 1:57 pm, September 22nd, 2014 - 31 comments
Nationals promises to you. #1.
The lurch to the right begins
Written By:
Date published: 9:20 am, September 22nd, 2014 - 129 comments
Expect to see a lot of drastic rightwing policies this term as John Key redefines the term “centre ground.”
Lessons
Written By:
Date published: 7:02 am, September 22nd, 2014 - 482 comments
Greetings from the sanity of Dunedin North. Every pundit and their dog is opining on the lessons of Saturday, so I might as well have a go too.
Open mike 22/09/2014
Written By:
Date published: 6:45 am, September 22nd, 2014 - 311 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Psephology-o-rama: Hangover nerdery edition
Written By:
Date published: 1:51 pm, September 21st, 2014 - 23 comments
Now that the battle for election night ratings is over for another three years, here is a table for your entrail-reading pleasure showing the three biggest parties’ vote shares in a few different geographic / demographic segments.
Looking Ahead
Written By:
Date published: 12:26 pm, September 21st, 2014 - 145 comments
Win or lose, there are never any final battles in politics. A defeat simply means the firing of the starting gun for the next round in a never-ending struggle. And, especially for the left, it is the struggle that matters. Without that struggle and the effort that has gone into it, the values of fairness, […]
Media don’t believe their own polls
Written By:
Date published: 11:14 am, September 21st, 2014 - 62 comments
What strikes me now is the media commentators saying it was “a surprising result”. Well, if we were to believe all the polls, then this result is not a surprise. This tells us that the media don’t believe their own polls.
Another 3 years of work (first notes)
Written By:
Date published: 10:36 am, September 21st, 2014 - 126 comments
My first notes on the election results. Labour has to maintain stability internally and start campaigning now. Obviously the dirty politics is the current leverage but the tanking economy is an issue as well. Some of National puppet parties are really looking like gutted husks..
My morning thoughts on the night before
Written By:
Date published: 9:20 am, September 21st, 2014 - 34 comments
It will take a flax roots, bottom-up, community-based movement to rebuild democracy and a fair, caring and sustainable society.
Three more years
Written By:
Date published: 9:00 am, September 21st, 2014 - 141 comments
This election result is not the end of the world for me – because I am very, very lucky.
Next time …
Written By:
Date published: 8:59 am, September 21st, 2014 - 174 comments
National has an outright majority and the left has gone backwards. Some thoughts on what may have happened.
Open mike 21/09/2014
Written By:
Date published: 7:30 am, September 21st, 2014 - 433 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Green Watch
Written By:
Date published: 8:00 pm, September 20th, 2014 - 43 comments
I am hoping for a good proportion of the vote for the Green Party. They got !!% of the vote in 2011, resulting in them having 14 MPs. Updated
Seat watch – Te Tai Tokerau
Written By:
Date published: 7:30 pm, September 20th, 2014 - 65 comments
Will Hone hang on and bring in Internet Mana MPs with him? The polls suggest that the race with Kelvin Davis is neck and neck although Hone has this habit of doing far better than the landline polls would suggest. Updated: Kelvin Davis ahead but it was won by specials last time.
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