Posts Tagged ‘election 2017’

SFO to Investigate Labour Donations

Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, July 13th, 2020 - 39 comments

The Serious Fraud Office has commenced an investigation in relation to donations made in 2017 to the Labour Party.

UPDATE: The investigation may involve donations made at a ‘silent’ art auction, something that Labour was upfront about back in February.

English still whining

Written By: - Date published: 12:51 pm, December 6th, 2017 - 58 comments

Surprise surprise – Bill English is still whining that 44.4% should really be counted as 50.1% – and other snippets from Parliament’s post election conference.

Turns out voters were pretty chill about it

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, October 22nd, 2017 - 21 comments

The government’s mandate

Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, October 22nd, 2017 - 27 comments

Where this government ranks in terms of proportion of the vote compared to the historical record. Useful analysis.

Small on how it went down and Nats’ bidding war myth

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, October 21st, 2017 - 25 comments

Vernon Small has the best account of the events of “D-Day”. Nat supporters are trying to pedal the myth that English lost a baubles bidding war because of his principles (hah!), the fact is it was all about policy match.

Jacinda Ardern’s speech

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 20th, 2017 - 25 comments

If you missed it last night – Jacinda Ardern’s first speech as PM elect is everything that we could want and expect. But the take-home line of the drama belongs to Winston Peters.

The next Prime Minister is …

Written By: - Date published: 6:58 pm, October 19th, 2017 - 416 comments

Winston Peters has announced that he will be going into coalition with Labour and Jacinda Ardern will be the next Prime Minister. Let the attacks from the right about how unfair it is that a minority party did not ascend into Government and how MMP needs to be reformed begin. For the rest of us – this is a time of hope…

Down to the wire

Written By: - Date published: 5:24 pm, October 19th, 2017 - 54 comments

Lots of chatter going on at the moment. The Herald reports that NZF prefers Labour. Will it come down to the baubles in the end?

Livestream: http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/10/livestream-winston-peters-makes-announcement.html

Updated: He has arrived – join the livestreams. And…. Jacinda

Site down this afternoon

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 19th, 2017 - 51 comments

The site will be down this afternoon for a few hours for scheduled maintenance.

Peters’ greatest hits

Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, October 18th, 2017 - 8 comments

Lloyd Burr at Newshub rounded up 23 of Peters’ most quotable attacks on the Nats and their failed government. Add them to the collection of issues that Peters will have to disown if he goes wrong and picks Right.

No consensus – more talks

Written By: - Date published: 4:56 pm, October 17th, 2017 - 28 comments

Vance: “Now not committing to the end of the week”

Wellington Political Theatre’s Waiting for Godot – a review

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, October 17th, 2017 - 12 comments

Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot by the city’s oldest company, the Wellington Political Theatre, is a triumph.

Poor reporters

Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, October 16th, 2017 - 19 comments

Spare a thought for our poor political reporters today.

The first 100 days of a Labour led government

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, October 16th, 2017 - 30 comments

Maybe Peters learned from history and is not doomed to repeat it. If we get a Labour led government, what should be its top priorities in the first 100 days?

Nats – lousy at government – “brilliant” at opposition

Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, October 15th, 2017 - 102 comments

Peters has the opportunity to put an end to this useless government (and turn National into “the opposition from hell”). I think he’s going to ’96 us, but I’d be happy to be proved wrong

Into the Vortex of Confirmation Bias: why we won’t be able to figure out which way Winston will go…

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, October 14th, 2017 - 160 comments

Every morning, as the waiting for Winston to decide continues to fray my fragile psyche, I can look at myself in the mirror, contemplate my own frenzied speculative hopes for an Ardern Prime Ministership, and immediately think of a host of strong social-methodological reasons why all such speculation is futile.

Last day of talks

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, October 12th, 2017 - 26 comments

It’s the last day of coalition talks (probably). Peters has certainly created big expectations of “change”, but what they will mean in practice is still anyone’s guess.

Peters policy priorities

Written By: - Date published: 8:36 am, October 11th, 2017 - 23 comments

Peters’ policy priorities are clearly anathema to National. Depending on the details Labour may be more accommodating, but it’s a risky path given signs that “the economy” is already flatlining.

Announcement delayed

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, October 11th, 2017 - 70 comments

Great news for all those who are enjoying the suspense!

Nats’ secret tax plan

Written By: - Date published: 11:18 am, October 10th, 2017 - 35 comments

Newsroom (Shane Cowlishaw) reports that the Nats were considering significant hikes to fuel taxes, described in a document that was supposed to be released before the election – but somehow wasn’t.

Prepare for four days of hot air

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, October 9th, 2017 - 40 comments

Expect to see agendas on display, and egos, and reckons, and the occasional gleaned factoid. But don’t expect predictions to be any better than chance.

Coalition of liars

Written By: - Date published: 6:34 am, October 7th, 2017 - 35 comments

The right wing clobbering machine is already calling a possible Labour Green NZF a “coalition of losers”. Well under MMP a coalition of losers can be the winners. But however you cut it a coalition of liars will always be liars.

Specials tomorrow

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, October 6th, 2017 - 35 comments

The special vote count should be out at 2pm tomorrow. The mathematically plausible scenarios are either good, or very good, for the left.

Preliminary talks underway

Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, October 5th, 2017 - 166 comments

Preliminary talks between NZF and National have concluded, talks between NZF and Labour are due this afternoon. (Image from Vernon Small)

Good call from Ardern

Written By: - Date published: 9:46 am, October 3rd, 2017 - 86 comments

I have very mixed feelings about a Labour Green NZF government. I certainly don’t think that Labour should “pay any price”. So I’m pleased to see Jacinda Ardern acknowledging the Greens.

Cling to power vs the right thing to do

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, October 2nd, 2017 - 17 comments

The Nats are desperate to make big concessions for a coalition with the Greens. The establishment is lining up in The Herald to beg for this to happen. Promises to strengthen environmental and social policies in order to cling to power – but not for the last nine long years when it was simply the right thing to do…

Nats fought a FPP campaign and blew it – Labour went with MMP…

Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, September 30th, 2017 - 88 comments

You know that old saying about how generals always prepare to fight the last war? That’s National and their FPP election campaign (hello creepy joggers). There will be a certain poetic justice played out if Labour’s MMP campaign is the winner in the end.

One obstacle to NZF + Labour removed

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, September 28th, 2017 - 24 comments

A significant and positive development late yesterday. Labour held firm on the Māori seats, and Peters has decided that a referendum is probably not a bottom line after all. This early progress bodes well for future negotiations.

Peters campaigned against the Nats – his party wants him to do the right thing

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, September 27th, 2017 - 170 comments

Peters campaigned hard against the Nats, and for a change in government (check out the speech and video). To keep faith with democracy and with his party members he has to go with Labour Green (check out the feedback and polls). If Peters goes the other way NZF will implode.

National paying the price for cannibalising the political right

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, September 26th, 2017 - 27 comments

National have maintained their own vote but killed off all their political friends. Which is why their only route to power is now in the hands of an enemy, and why that enemy should be very wary of hitching his wagon to their fading star.

Establishment hysteria and MMP

Written By: - Date published: 2:43 pm, September 25th, 2017 - 40 comments

The papers are full of the expected establishment hysteria today, trying to paint the election as a done deal for the Nats (I wonder what Peters will make of that?). Professor Richard Shaw: “Nobody’s won the election yet. The people who won the election are the people who form the government.”

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