Posts Tagged ‘democracy under attack’

To Kill Democracy…

Written By: - Date published: 2:12 pm, February 22nd, 2020 - 12 comments

If major Democratic Party donors and ‘big business’ lobbyists wanted to monkeywrench democracy in the US, then here’s how they could go about it.

Facebook and democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, October 16th, 2017 - 27 comments

A long and interesting read in The Atlantic. “The very roots of the electoral system had been destabilized.”

Another term of Nats bad news for democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, October 13th, 2017 - 64 comments

It’s starting to feel a lot like 1996 all over again. Another term of the Nats would be bad news for the institutions of democracy. We’ve had recent warnings on the state of the justice system, press freedom, and the public service.

A test for NZ media and democracy

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, September 5th, 2017 - 23 comments

The Nats are not backing down from their $11.7bn lie. The media need to call it loudly for the big lie that it is. This is now a test for NZ’s democracy.

Digitally shaping the election

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, July 30th, 2017 - 22 comments

Social media offers a rich tool for profiling voters and targeting election advertising or informal messaging. There’s a good piece on RNZ today looking at the issue. How long before we see the methods used by Brexit and Trump campaigns employed in NZ?

Geddis on TPP11

Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, May 23rd, 2017 - 10 comments

Geddis: “So either Bill English was lying to Susie Ferguson on the radio, or his advisors lied to him about what TPP11 will require, or the Crown’s lawyers are lying to the Waitangi Tribunal.”

Racist campaigns and attack ads

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, March 10th, 2017 - 32 comments

A couple of racist groups seem to be hawking their wares recently. Unfortunately this may herald the start of a dirty election, dragged down by well funded and unaccountable pressure groups.

National to seize privately owned land

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 4th, 2016 - 57 comments

National is now proposing to extinguish private property rights and seize land. Cue political and media outrage? Yeah right.

Parental leave – did English know or care what he was vetoing?

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, June 30th, 2016 - 84 comments

Bill English didn’t know the cost of the parental leave bill that he vetoed on the grounds of cost, and he didn’t care enough about it to speak to the matter in Parliament last night.

Nats overrule Parliament to veto parental leave extension

Written By: - Date published: 3:54 pm, June 16th, 2016 - 102 comments

So – like Canterbury, like Auckland, the democratic process can get stuffed as far as National are concerned.

Screw democracy – Auckland to get the Canterbury treatment

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, May 28th, 2016 - 172 comments

It’s naked panic now. In response to the crisis that isn’t a crisis Key is going to overrule the council that his government created and screw over Auckland democracy just like he screwed over Canterbury. What do you think of that Aucklanders?

Paid parental leave bill progress towards anti-democratic veto

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, May 26th, 2016 - 49 comments

Sue Moroney’s bill to extend paid parental leave passed its second reading last night – bravo to all those who supported it! The Nats’ threat to veto is profoundly anti-democratic, overriding the will of Parliament.

What the TTIP teaches us about the TPP

Written By: - Date published: 9:40 am, May 13th, 2016 - 11 comments

TTIP, TTPA, same game around the globe, a take-over by American corporations, with the rights of the public held in no regard whatsoever.

Death throes of journalism at TV3

Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, November 16th, 2015 - 56 comments

Spinoff has the story.

EPA to be gutted – for doing its job

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, November 12th, 2015 - 24 comments

Looks like National is planning to take over the Environmental Protection Agency.

NRT: Dictatorship in Canterbury, dictatorship in Parliament

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, October 14th, 2015 - 9 comments

I/S at No Right Turn writes on the continued suspension of democracy in Canterbury.

Inside National’s spin machine

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, September 11th, 2015 - 81 comments

A very interesting post in The Herald yesterday by Grant McLachlan (former Parliamentary researcher and a Nat campaign director) detailing National’s well resourced and well organised spin machine.

Nats losing it on the TPP

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, August 27th, 2015 - 73 comments

National are trying to evade even the simplest questions on the TPP – because the truth is profoundly undemocratic. As usual Groser and Key turn to insults instead of engaging with people’s legitimate concerns.

National’s law ruled a violation of human rights

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, July 25th, 2015 - 16 comments

The High Court has ruled that a law passed by National in 2010 is a violation of the Bill of Rights Act. This is a first for NZ, and another “proud” item to add to National’s legacy.

Megan Woods: Democracy isn’t “risky”, Minister

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, March 22nd, 2015 - 60 comments

Nick Smith’s latest pronouncements on ECan are an insult to Cantabrians – and a chilling precedent for any other regional councils who step out of line.

National still attacking democracy in Canterbury

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, March 20th, 2015 - 10 comments

The Nats’ takeover of Environment Canterbury is the greatest attack on democratic rights ever seen in this country. They are about to extend the period of imposed rule, because a fully elected body carries “too many risks”. If you think the people of Canterbury can actually be trusted with democracy you can sign the petition.

Three speeches on going to war

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, February 25th, 2015 - 109 comments

The first three speeches from yesterdays session in Parliament on sending troops to Iraq – John Key, Andrew Little, Russel Norman. Little’s speech is cogent, Norman’s is brilliant.

Dame Anne Salmond: Erosion of democratic rights

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, January 14th, 2015 - 27 comments

An excellent piece by Dame Anne Salmond in the Dominion Post yesterday. Salmond reviews the government’s attacks on journalists, institutions and privacy.

NRT: TPPA would criminalise journalism

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, October 18th, 2014 - 15 comments

I/S at No Right Turn on how “the TPPA would criminalise investigative journalism”.

Defending democracy – then and now

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, July 15th, 2013 - 17 comments

There have been strong and compelling criticisms of the Nats’ spying Bill, similar to the situation that occurred under the previous government with electoral finance. But the responses of the two governments are very different – and very revealing. Where Labour revised its errant Bill to address the criticisms, John Key has threatened the HRC with funding cuts. Predictably, the response of The Herald to the two cases has been very different too…

Democracy under attack

Written By: - Date published: 7:20 am, June 17th, 2013 - 37 comments

This National government has an unprecedented contempt for democracy. The media keeps noticing pieces of the picture, but never seems to put them all together. Susan Edmunds’ piece in the Herald on Sunday is a rare and welcome exception.

Democracy for sale

Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, April 2nd, 2013 - 43 comments

The Nats have sold favours to Hollywood, to Sky City, to Rio Tinto (work in progress), and now with the “Petrobras law” it looks very much like they’re selling us out on our right to protest too.

NRT: Not even pretending anymore

Written By: - Date published: 1:20 pm, January 21st, 2013 - 66 comments

I/S at No Right Turn on the Nats’ contempt for democracy in Canterbury. Elections remain on hold so that the commissioners’ agenda can be completed without unwelcome input from urban representation.

NRT: More dictatorship from Brownlee

Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, November 23rd, 2012 - 11 comments

No Right Turn on the Nats’ contemplating yet another way to trample on democracy in Christchurch.

NRT: National’s tyranny

Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, October 30th, 2012 - 43 comments

No Right Turn on the overthrow of local democracy in Canterbury…

The Canterbury dictatorship

Written By: - Date published: 9:34 am, September 13th, 2012 - 15 comments

Puddleglum at The Political Scientist has written an encyclopedic  and scathing critique of the Nats’ dictatorship in Canterbury.

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