You know, you can fly around acting all presidential if you like in a cheap attempt to wow the press gallery but that doesn't make you the Kiwi Obama. Obama, for one, is a big proponent of work rights and raising the minimum wage. Key…
Unemployment has risen to 4.2%, the first time in four years it has topped 4%. That's lower than the experts expected, they thought the rate would blow out to 4.5% or more. But that's the power of a full employment policy. Because we've had such…
Yesterday, John Key was telling journalists that he knew the secret agenda taper, Kees Keizer, was a Labour Party activist. In fact, he knew that wasn't true, which is why he refused to name him. The Herald has. And what it's also reveled is a…
The secret taper has revealed himself as Kees Keizer, a leftie from Wellington. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday encouraging Keizer to tell his story, preferably to The Standard or the Herald (more credible), and he steadfastly refused. So imagine my surprise when…
Yesterday morning on Sunrise, John Key was moaning that there is no context to the latest secret agenda tape, where Bill English praises the war in Iraq and criticises Bill English's 'moralistic' approach to international relations. Key is right, context helps us undestand information better.…
The debate was Clark's. The format and tone suited her. Her softer approach, which showed us the person behind the role was very good. In fact, I would say that was the best I have ever seen her. At times, Key seemed tacked on to…
Good debate so far, addressing the issues and the policies, rather than the politics, which the other two debates have been focused on. From looking at Key so far it seems he might drop the lies. oops. spoke too soon. Key: People are leaving for…
Ok, so all the action can be followed on the US sites but I'll set up this post for comments you might like to make and any updates any of the Standardistas want to add. Like this just to hand: 'Key rules out cabinet post…
From Both Eyes Open: National Party candidate Stephen Franks' campaign team has been systematically tearing down political posters put up by his opponents despite Franks recently describing people defacing his election hoardings as 'political thugs who don't like free speech or opinions different from their own'.…
The Nats have had two responses to English's "pull the trigger" comments revealed last night: first the taping itself was branded a "dirty trick" and now we have Key claiming on Sunrise this morning that the comments may have been taken out of context. Well…
I know, they're inaccurate and out of date. And it's only three days until the only poll that counts. But I'm curious! It's now been ten days since the last public poll, which strikes me as a bizarre gap at the high of the electoral…
One of the virtues of New Zealand government has long been that we avoid US-style pork barrel politics. The Government sets the direction of policy and priorities but doesn't interfere with specific projects. The principle is that the experts, not the elected officials, should decide…
Ahead of the final leaders' debate tonight, 08wire has produced a video on John Key's lies in the second debate. What strikes me about these lies is how they are, for the most part, of the 'New Zealand sucks' ilk and that they are quite…
I loved this post for QoT so much that I asked to reproduce it in full here. It resonated with me after reading the comment stream today. So, from Ideologically Impure, an observation on the patently ridiculous... Lynn This comment over at The Standard cites…
More from 3News tonight on the secret recordings taken at the Naitonal Party conference in August. This time it's Bill English expressing concern over Barack Obama's "moralistic" stance to international relations: I'm a bit worried about this whole Obama and Europe thing, just because there's a…
The latest secret tape has come out and it's a classic example of the face of the National Party that John Key doesn't want you to see. Pro-war and anti-Obama. National's response? The classic "dirty tricks" misdirection. This is all about Labour apparently. Not that…
New Zealand First has now been cleared by the Police or any illegal behaviour. That's three from three but too late. I've never had a lot of love for Peters. Yes, economically NZF is left-wing and they were an important bulwark against the neoliberal revolution.…
It's great to see people still downloading materials from the Campaign Hub. With just over three days of campaigning to go, you're running out of time to communicate the issues you care about and make sure people vote Left. So, be sure to take the…
The Herald campaign updates reports that Clark has just had a private interview with TV3, appearently getting her response to the latest secret agenda tape. Guess that means it will be on TV3 tonight. According to the Herald, a reporter at the conference asked the…
The latest government accounts show the economy is in better condition than was expected. Tax take was $500 million higher than expected due to higher-than-expected income tax revenue. That means more money was being earned from wages and salaries than Treasury had forecast; in other…
We've just received these. The first is from Hollowman productions, who brought us the famous Porirua markets video. The second is a video a reader took when he was stopped by a plain-clothes cop after asking a leftwing question to John Key at a campaign…
Because the polls are showing a Labour, Greens, Progressives, Maori alliance could govern, National is crying that the largest party has some kind of 'moral mandate' to govern. Much as the cricket team which has the highest individual run scorer has the moral mandate to…
Watching Key tour Progressive Enterprises today was bad enough but watching him claim to support those workers in the leaders debate was sickening considering his party's stance in 2006 when those same workers were locked out of their employment for daring to ask for a…
A much better performance from Clark saw her best Key in tonight's debate. As well as being on top of all the issues, as always, she took the fight to Key, calling him up on his lies. After not doing as well as she had…
It's really good to see Clark taking Key to task on his lies this time: Key: productivity has halved under Labour. Lie. The same lie he made last time Key: interest rates have doubled under Labour. Lie. Which he also said last time, and Clark…
Watching the TV3 debate and it seems they're running another text poll. It's too early yet to tell who's going to win, but what's the bet the text poll favours the party whose voters are wealthy enough to: a) be at home on a weekday…