Rowing together

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, March 14th, 2016 - 51 comments
Categories: uncategorized - Tags:

This Nation interview on the economy on the weekend was very interesting – leaders of Labour, Greens and New Zealand First all agreeing on the need for New Zealand economy to diversify beyond dairying- (let’s not even mention oil exploration). It was a very encouraging sign that the time is ripe for change – now I look forward to their combined ideas on what should be done. It’s time to stop saying the government should do something – National is  clearly out of ideas.

51 comments on “Rowing together ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. weka 1
    14 March 2016 at 9:34 pm

    “National is clearly out of ideas.”

    The numpties refused to join the debate on The Nation. Good to see the 3 opposition parties there.

    • weka 1.1
      14 March 2016 at 9:42 pm

      ok, there’s something a bit disturbing about seeing Little, Shaw and Peters all sitting there nodding at each other’s comment. Something has shifted in the fabric of the universe 😀

      • sabine 1.1.1
        14 March 2016 at 10:02 pm

        People have been demanding an opposition. Maybe all the parties involved realised that they can’t go it alone. Co-operation is the only thing that will work.

        • weka 1.1.1.1
          14 March 2016 at 10:08 pm

          I agree, fingers crossed. I’m a bit stunned watching the interview tbh. If that’s a sign of things to come National should be very worried.

          Just to be a bit hippy for a minute, the value of the 3 voices is more than the sum of the parts. Yet they weren’t a hive mind, and managed to maintain their individual messages.

          Cue some scurrying at CT.

        • swordfish 1.1.1.2
          14 March 2016 at 10:39 pm

          Yep, if the Elections of 1996 and 1999 taught us anything, it’s that swing-voters (and a certain section of non-voters) need to see a cohesive, united, viable, competent-looking potential Govt-in-Waiting if they’re to support the Opposition parties.

          Any sign of division or rancour between future potential Govt partners and their collective support falls.

          • weka 1.1.1.2.1
            14 March 2016 at 11:23 pm

            How feasible do you think it is for that to happen? (that they pull this off).

            • Colonial Viper 1.1.1.2.1.1
              14 March 2016 at 11:45 pm

              An inexperienced unpredictable multi-headed hydra, in an extremist shade of green, ridden on top by an untrustworthy Winston Peters.

              I don’t think CT has to go scurrying too far to come up with that.

              • weka …
                15 March 2016 at 12:13 am

                True, but that wasn’t what I was asking.

                • Colonial Viper …
                  15 March 2016 at 12:40 am

                  It’s totally against Labour’s DNA to treat other Opposition parties as equal partners. Read into that what probabilities you reckon.

                  • weka …
                    15 March 2016 at 12:55 am

                    I don’t believe that. Besides, gene expression counts for a lot.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      15 March 2016 at 1:19 am

                      OK, we’ll see who is right over the next 12 months, won’t we.

                      As an addendum to my post on Winston in Whangarei, let’s see if Labour gives NZF a clear run there as part of this new “team work”. My bet – no.

                    • weka …
                      15 March 2016 at 1:28 am

                      If Labour did give NZF a clear run, how would that help?

                      I’m not sure that ‘team work’ is it exactly. I think that it’s more about co-operation. The GP are the only party that would consider a pre-election coalition deal (and they don’t do concessions either). Peters won’t. So when there is talk about a govt in waiting, I don’t see that as the 3 parties presenting a united front. I see it as them cooperating on policy, not slagging each other off in public, that kind of thing. They also need to demonstrate independence from each other and do so respectfully. That was in evidence yesterday.

                    • weka …
                      15 March 2016 at 1:29 am

                      Didn’t NZF and Labour co-operate over TTT in 2014?

        • gsays 1.1.1.3
          15 March 2016 at 6:09 am

          So my question is where is Winston on a ubi?

          It seems like it would tick his boxes, especially funded by a financial transaction tax on banks.

      • maui 1.1.2
        14 March 2016 at 10:12 pm

        Yep, I couldn’t tell who was leading what party!

      • saveNZ 1.1.3
        16 March 2016 at 9:07 am

        +1

  2. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 2
    14 March 2016 at 10:29 pm

    I want a methanol plant and an aluminum smelter, please.

    • weka 2.1
      14 March 2016 at 10:37 pm

      I gather there will be an aluminium smelter going cheap in Southland at some point. What are you doing to do with it?

      • McFlock 2.1.1
        14 March 2016 at 10:47 pm

        put meths in cans for poor people, by the sounds of it.

      • Stuart Munro 2.1.2
        14 March 2016 at 10:50 pm

        As the middle eastern smelters like Dubal, Alba, Ras el Khair and the Indonesian smelters come fully online it is likely to be less than economic for NZ – especially given that we have no bauxite and alumina plant at this stage, and the large corporates who do likely wouldn’t supply us at a rate that would be profitable for us. The anode plant might be repurposed for carbon fibre production if Comalco close up.

    • Stuart Munro 2.2
      14 March 2016 at 10:41 pm

      I’d lay off the methanol if I were you – that stuff’ll kill you.

    • lprent 2.3
      15 March 2016 at 12:58 am

      Weren’t the methanol plant an smelter both National dinosaurs?

      Are you sure you are really supporting the dinosaur party with that remark?

      • The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 2.3.1
        15 March 2016 at 8:54 am

        I am looking forward to a return to the days when the whole economy was directed by the government. Because, as LPrent points out, it worked so well.

        • Stuart Munro 2.3.1.1
          15 March 2016 at 9:06 am

          It’s a reflection on the governments, not the model. All the Asian tiger economies were state directed when they achieved their growth surges. So much for your ‘free market’ bullshit.

  3. cowboy 3
    14 March 2016 at 10:38 pm

    I agree a coherent display and one which follows on from the opening speeches in Parliament this year which were similarly dovetailed.

    Little and Shaw seem to be happy to talk immigration controls and foreign investment restrictions in a clear play to woo Winston. Key on the other hand is going out of his way to ridicule him at every opportunity.

    I would probably be a bit concerned if I was a hard out green supporter as they seem to be dampening down their environmental rhetoric in favour of presenting a more moderate front. I suspect they realise that they need to actually be in govt to get anything done.

    • maui 3.1
      14 March 2016 at 11:05 pm

      I think Shaw is tasked with growing the vote as he’s been good at in the past. He’s going to emphasise the economic side of things to grab some centre voters. That doesn’t mean their core environment policies are going to change, hopefully the core Green supporters will see that.

      • cowboy 3.1.1
        14 March 2016 at 11:34 pm

        So do I, however the danger is they get disillusioned and/or are uninspired and stay at home come election day.

        By the way I like Shaw and for the greater good of a change of Govt they are probably doing the right thing. The risk being that it may come at a cost to the Greens individual vote as there are plenty of other options in the increasingly crowded centre.

    • Sacha 3.2
      14 March 2016 at 11:59 pm

      “they need to actually be in govt to get anything done”

      Sigh. Insulation.

      • cowboy 3.2.1
        15 March 2016 at 12:12 am

        If that’s the extent of their ambition, fine.

        Here’s me thinking they wanted to have a functioning ETS ,higher standards for fresh water and ending child poverty….

  4. ianmac 4
    14 March 2016 at 11:01 pm

    Poll Commentators usually ridicule Labour being only 30+% but it should be seen as part of a Non-National-Act bloc. Who can disagree on some things but share a common set of goals. Like they did on the Nation.

    • Colonial Viper 4.1
      14 March 2016 at 11:47 pm

      Next Roy Morgan is out in a few days. Do you think that Labour will cross over 30%? I have my doubts but let’s see.

      • weka 4.1.1
        15 March 2016 at 1:43 am

        29/12/10, what’s wrong with that?

        • b waghorn 4.1.1.1
          15 March 2016 at 7:03 am

          Like a lot of people CV is struggling to understanp mmp

          • Sabine 4.1.1.1.1
            15 March 2016 at 8:27 am

            i don’t think CV has an issue with MMP, i just think that his dislike of Labour really just wants him to see Labour fail. Full stop.
            Never mind that none of the above parties at this time and day can go it alone.

          • Ad 4.1.1.1.2
            15 March 2016 at 8:56 am

            No, he wants an ideologically and politically courageous government.

            • Sabine 4.1.1.1.2.1
              15 March 2016 at 10:17 am

              well unfortunatly we only have the Parties that we have and that includes National who surely is ideologically and politically courageous in screwing over the country, but I am sure that Labour does it too, would be worse and then some.

              However the meantime, CV can go register his Party, gather members and run, he could name his party the ideologically and politically courageous Party of New Zealand.

              Until then, these three guys up there are what we have at the moment.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5
    15 March 2016 at 12:06 am

    National is clearly out of ideas.

    National has one idea. Summed up it basically means Lets go back to the 15th century – life was good then. The slaves serfs knew their place.

    • Sabine 5.1
      15 March 2016 at 8:28 am

      you are a few hundred years out. 1100 – 1300 is the year they would like us to go back to. All subjects are property of the lord of the manor. And the first night too, but only the ladies with nice ponytails.

  6. Tautuhi 6
    15 March 2016 at 1:41 am

    National has backed MILK and it has been a failure?

    We have borrowed $120 Billion, what next?

    National have been an abject failure?

  7. Ad 7
    15 March 2016 at 6:48 am

    Really positive.
    Great to see.

    Now I’d like to see multiple identically-worded policy positions.

    Show us you can govern together.

  8. vto 8
    15 March 2016 at 7:13 am

    How on earth can Labour and the Greens trust Winston Peters?

    silly, just silly

    Peters has a track record a mile long. What are the labour and greens doing about that? Crossing fingers and hoping???

    sheesh …. keep Peters at some distance

    • Kiwiri 8.1
      15 March 2016 at 7:45 am

      Let’s hope Shaw won’t end up as another Nick Clegg, whoever the Greens decide to go with.

    • Ad 8.2
      15 March 2016 at 8:53 am

      If they want to form an alternative government they have no choice.

      • vto 8.2.1
        15 March 2016 at 9:02 am

        If that is the case (and I agree it is almost certainly so) then they must think very hard on how to deal with it. It would be simply outlandishly foolish to cross fingers and hope ………..

  9. Nick 9
    15 March 2016 at 8:21 am

    I liked what I saw on the Nation…. Looked like Government in waiting….add the Maori Party

  10. Chuck 10
    15 March 2016 at 5:16 pm

    If relying on Winston Peters to join a Labour / Greens Government is the master plan then you will better off to have a night out at Sky Casino. Winston wants a legacy and being number 2 in a Nat/NZF Government is preferable to playing number 3 in a Lab/Greens/NZF one. Labour and the Greens need to focus on having the numbers to govern by themselves (maybe add in the Maori party if they need an extra 1 or 2 seats).

    • saveNZ 10.1
      16 March 2016 at 3:56 pm

      Winston is a nationalist. He does not want TPPA and NZ to lose sovereignty and land overseas.

      I think he would find it hard to back Key, because that is Key’s only plan, sell all NZ assets and give his cronies and himself the ill gotten gains.

      Not to mention how the Nats and Act smeared him last time. Would he trust them again? Nope. I feel if you cross Winston and he would enjoy making them pay later.

      The good thing about Winston is that he is immune to the ‘fireside chats’ with the Natz that seem to be able to get Cullen on board, Goff on board and god knows how many others in Labour pushing a Nat Lite, privatisation agenda against their own interests.

      NZ First will probably stay independent in some way, but they have more in common with Labour and Greens, than National.

  11. Nainika 11
    23 March 2016 at 8:39 pm

    Thanks for Sharing..!!! Great info..

    SAP FICO training in Chennai

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.