Search Results

  1. Party reform

    Written By:  Mike Smith -  Date published: 8:44 pm, December 2nd, 2011 -  36 comments
    Categories: uncategorized
    Tags:

    Party reform is high on the agenda of the ALP conference, being held in Sydney this weekend. The conference is being carried live on Sky. Party reform is also high on the agenda of the NZLP  – President Moira Coatsworth announced that Labour would conduct an organisational review after the election in her speech to Labour’s Conference  in May. It was a prescient move.

  2. “Blog king” no more

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 9:38 am, December 2nd, 2011 -  80 comments
    Categories: admin, blogs, dpf, making shit up, The Standard
    Tags:

    Well we have just moved out of the election month, and we’re now getting the gradual fall back of readership and posts. About the only growth around NZ at present is in political blogging.

    I’m happy to say that we now appear to consistently be either level pegging with Kiwiblog or exceeding their totals for a number of months. Since we have been ‘advised’ many times that this would never happen, I’m finding that it is rather more satisfying than I expected.

  3. NRT on Democracy 101

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 12:31 pm, November 29th, 2011 -  20 comments
    Categories: election 2011, john key, political education
    Tags: ,

    No Right Turn takes Key to task on his perception of a “large majority”.

  4. Choosing our next PM

    Written By:  Zetetic -  Date published: 8:43 am, November 29th, 2011 -  172 comments
    Categories: david cunliffe, david parker, labour
    Tags:

    Looks like Labour will have a proper leadership comp with Goff as caretaker till early next year. Good. Let’s get to know the options. Labour needs to get this right. Because the next Labour leader needs to be the next PM in 2014. Needs to be able to win. The poor people of NZ can’t afford another lost 3 years being squeezed and ripped off by the Tories.

  5. The rise of the Greens

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 7:24 am, November 28th, 2011 -  111 comments
    Categories: greens
    Tags:

    The Greens can be very proud of their achievement this election. With 13, probably to become 14, seats, they have achieved the second-best ever result for a minor party under MMP. They have succeeded in becoming credible to mainstream New Zealand. What they do next carries big risks and big potential rewards.

  6. Who we’re voting for

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 7:02 pm, November 25th, 2011 -  238 comments
    Categories: election 2011
    Tags:

    Over at norightturn idiot savant has declared his voting intentions. And let’s face it, in a representative democracy how you vote is where the rubber hits the road.

    With that in mind Standard authors who feel comfortable with the concept are declaring the who and why of their democratic activities this Saturday. Commenters are free to join in.

  7. How bad are National’s internals?

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 12:33 pm, November 19th, 2011 -  135 comments
    Categories: brand key, election 2011, national, polls, scoundrels
    Tags:

    Some say the tea tapes haven’t hurt Brand Key. In fact, National is down 2% last week and those polls were largely taken before the tea tapes hit overdrive. It also takes time for impressions and media narratives to bed in. The 26th will be the first poll to really tell us how much the tea tapes have hurt. But the internals could give us a clue.

  8. Key’s second credibility downgrade

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 4:49 pm, November 15th, 2011 -  70 comments
    Categories: brand key, john key, Media
    Tags: , ,

    A lawyer representing victims of the News of the World phone hacking scandal says that Key’s comparing that event to the recorded conversation with Banks is a “cheap shot”, and the recording should be released.  (Good work from 3 News.) How’s Key going to justify gagging the media now?

  9. Vote to keep us rich & you poor

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 11:10 am, November 9th, 2011 -  19 comments
    Categories: class war, election 2011, humour
    Tags:

    The first of the CTU’s online election ads.

  10. Mixed polls

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 9:44 am, November 9th, 2011 -  73 comments
    Categories: polls
    Tags: ,

    The Fairfax Research International poll looks disastrous for Labour, but it’s a new poll with no track record. Laugh at me if I turn out to be wrong, but I’m calling it rogue.  In contrast a Herald Mood of the Nation poll today is much better reading for the Left.

  11. Are we a caring country?

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 7:02 am, November 9th, 2011 -  125 comments
    Categories: benefits, class war, labour, national, poverty, welfare
    Tags: , ,

    Nothing separates the political Right and Left  like their attitude to welfare.  The difference is very starkly highlighted in the recent policies from National and Labour.  Which approach better serves the children of New Zealand?  How much do we care?

  12. Owning the discourse

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 12:28 pm, October 31st, 2011 -  2 comments
    Categories: election 2011, john banks, labour, national, phil goff
    Tags:

    It’s been an extraordinary few weeks. It started with the double downgrade/DJ Key fiasco and Rena. Then Labour started dictating the play: its policies setting the beat of the campaign; its framing dominating. National took its only asset, Brand Key, and trashed it with its phony, weird opening address. And, then, National’s launch was over-shadowed by the rail loop announcement.

  13. Not quite beyond parody

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 10:37 am, October 27th, 2011 -  18 comments
    Categories: election 2011, humour, national
    Tags:

    There’s almost too many excellent parodies of National’s silly billboards and ads.

  14. A campaign launch for the times

    Written By:  Zetetic -  Date published: 6:56 am, October 27th, 2011 -  135 comments
    Categories: brand key, election 2011, labour, national, phil goff
    Tags:

    Labour’s cleverly wrong-footed Brand Key with a policy-based campaign launch. Key will look out of touch playing messiah at his campaign launch while the economy burns. Labour’s ads are great. The Tories are in panic mode: they don’t feature Goff enough moans Key; they feature Goff too much cries Clare Robinson; the lighting’s wrong whines Hoots. They’re afraid to take on the message.

  15. The Right’s crocodile tears for higher pay

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 11:58 am, October 20th, 2011 -  31 comments
    Categories: class war, Unions, wages
    Tags:

    It’s disappointing to see the Dom joining with the Right’s mouthpieces in attacking Labour’s work and wages policy. The editorial says of course “something” must be done about low and inequitable wages but opposes introducing a system modeled on the one that delivers high wages in Australia. Meanwhile bosses are putting the screws on to cut workers’ pay.

  16. Parallels with the Past

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 11:08 am, October 17th, 2011 -  12 comments
    Categories: brand key, election 2008, election 2011
    Tags:

    On Sunday the 10th of May 2008, John Key gave a speech at the Southern Regional Conference explaining National’s platform for the looming election. It’s an interesting read, and looking back to consider words from the past can uncover some revealing realities about the present

  17. What could have been done differently

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 9:17 am, October 17th, 2011 -  70 comments
    Categories: disaster
    Tags:

    “Show me how you’d do anything different” says John Key. Let me count the ways. Increase the liability limit and get specialist vessels beforehand as was recommended. Get salvors and the Awanuia there quicker than 4 days. Take assistance offered. Organise the locals immediately. Put a hold on deepsea drilling. Replace Joyce.

  18. Vale atque ave

    Written By:  Mike Smith -  Date published: 3:35 pm, October 5th, 2011 -  10 comments
    Categories: uncategorized
    Tags:

    Three Labour MPs gave their valedictories last night; Lynn Pillay, Pete Hodgson, and Jim Anderton in that order. Jim’s career path in political employment was a bit roundabout, Lynn’s the shortest (she’ll kill me for that!), and Pete’s spell the longest. Most valedictories speak of past achievement. Unusually, Pete Hodgson focussed more on the future, so his valedictory became manifesto and challenge. Poverty and sustainability were the main themes – read more here.

  19. You couldn’t make this sh*t up

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 10:22 pm, September 30th, 2011 -  16 comments
    Categories: you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags:

    I missed it at the time but apparently John Key’s big plan for Christchurch was to have a yarn to Oprah.

    What kind of weird fantasy world does this guy live in?

  20. Gross National Happiness

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 10:37 am, September 27th, 2011 -  6 comments
    Categories: Economy, social democracy
    Tags:

    Happiness surrounds us in our lives; our music tells us to be happy, our facebook profiles suggest we’re always happy, and most of us have a willingness to work for material happiness. Yet happiness is a subject often missing from political discourse in our country, suppressed by talk of dairy and the dollar which dominates the halls of Parliament.

  21. Roy Morgan and Sue Bradford

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 6:03 pm, September 17th, 2011 -  115 comments
    Categories: election 2011, polls
    Tags: , , ,

    From the miscellaneous bits of news department – a particularly grim Roy Morgan poll, and the announcement that Sue Bradford is standing for Mana against Paula Bennett in Waitakere.

  22. More Armstrong bullshit

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 5:38 pm, September 10th, 2011 -  67 comments
    Categories: education, election 2011, labour, privatisation, tax
    Tags:

    John Armstrong wants Labour to come out radically different after the Cup. Having refused to cover Labour’s skills package or its mining policy, he’s suddenly interested in policy. He wants Labour to suddenly adopt league tables and forget the 39% tax rate. Armstrong genuinely doesn’t seem to get it. Parties of the Left don’t pick and swap policies on a whim.

  23. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 12:43 pm, September 8th, 2011 -  36 comments
    Categories: defence, racism
    Tags:

    Nicky Hager’s Other People’s Wars and the Urewera ‘terror raids’ fiasco raise, once again, serious questions. Are the security agencies that are meant to protect our society from threats, themselves operating outside the law and democratic control? Not according to Key. And he knows because he got advice. From whom? Why the security agencies of course.

  24. Australia bound?

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 10:11 am, August 31st, 2011 -  20 comments
    Categories: im/migration, john key, national/act government
    Tags: ,

    Some advice if you are planning on joining the many kiwi’s that have left the country to go to Australia since National made it their aspiration to do something about that migration trend. They certainly have massively increased the outflow – one of their few success stories. But where to go to in aussie?

  25. Hickey on the fall of capitalism

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 10:36 am, August 14th, 2011 -  33 comments
    Categories: capitalism, class war
    Tags:

    Bernard Hickey writes compellingly on the coming fall of capitalism.

  26. Nats rebel on privatisation

    Written By:  Zetetic -  Date published: 5:17 pm, August 13th, 2011 -  27 comments
    Categories: bill english, privatisation, same old national
    Tags:

    English is under attack at the Nat conference over asset sales. The neolibs vultures treat the state as a carcass to pick clean. But old school conservatives believe in investing the nation. And business types know you don’t get rich by selling profitable assets. English has no good excuses. All he can offer is expensive measures that make selling even more unprofitable.

  27. Ready for round two?

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 9:02 am, August 6th, 2011 -  79 comments
    Categories: capitalism, economy, International
    Tags: , ,

    The global financial system, which has never properly recovered from the recession, is poised on the brink of a second crash.  The headlines are a parade of bad news…

    Update: US credit rating downgraded from AAA to AA+ with negative outlook (same as NZ). Announcement was made after close of markets. It’s gonna hit the fan on Monday.

  28. US brinksmanship takes us all to the edge

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 9:23 am, July 27th, 2011 -  45 comments
    Categories: Economy, us politics
    Tags: , , ,

    The Republicans are playing chicken over the debt ceiling. The idea is to win as much as possible in spending cuts and permanently shrink the government  by appearing more willing to go over the edge than the Democrats without actually going over. But does the Tea Party faction understand the game, or will they block the last minute compromise?

  29. Experts warn Welfare Working Group

    Written By:  Ben Clark -  Date published: 8:59 am, July 11th, 2011 -  12 comments
    Categories: welfare
    Tags: , , ,

    Paediatrician Professor Innes Asher has written an open letter to the Welfare Working Group lauding their aims, but warning that their recommendations will harm children. Child Poverty Action Group and Every Child Counts have endorsed the letter, bringing with them a considerable number of academics and other experts in the fields of child health and […]

  30. Exit, stage right

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 4:16 pm, July 9th, 2011 -  136 comments
    Categories: act
    Tags: , , ,

    It’s a big call, I know, but I’m pretty sure we’re seeing the end of the ACT party happening right before our eyes.

  31. Owning the agenda

    Written By:  Anthony R0bins -  Date published: 6:03 am, July 7th, 2011 -  153 comments
    Categories: economy, election 2011, labour, national, tax
    Tags: ,

    Labour have started setting out a bold, fair and plausible policy framework for the election.  Rumours of their tax policy  have generated more interest and excitement than anything the National government has done in the last three wasted years.

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