The Standard

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What’s with the “babes”?

Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, November 7th, 2011 - 40 comments

Political equality – 118 years and counting – still some way to go….

Insight on poverty

Written By: - Date published: 6:56 am, November 7th, 2011 - 49 comments

Sunday morning’s RNZ Insight program was an excellent examination of poverty in NZ. Labour’s policies were slowly reducing poverty.  National’s are making it worse again.  How much do we care?

A footnote to history

Written By: - Date published: 3:06 pm, November 6th, 2011 - 30 comments

In which which Winston Peters rules out working with any possible government.  Not that it matters, but, way to make your party irrelevant Winston.

Climate change predictions

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, November 5th, 2011 - 125 comments

Predictions on global greenhouse gas emissions have turned out to be wrong.  The real emissions are higher than the worst case projections.  Models of warming, however, have been confirmed as accurate.  Here in NZ a joint VUW / Otago study makes damning criticisms of the Nats’ record on climate change.

Absurd arguments

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, November 4th, 2011 - 69 comments

National likes to take Labour proposals and extend them to the point of absurdity.  Labour needs to fight fire with fire.  Here’s a few examples…

TVNZ and Herald polls

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, November 4th, 2011 - 53 comments

Two polls out yesterday show no significant changes, with National well in front.   Don’t panic!  The campaign has only just started. Events always take a while to show up in the polls.  The Left needs to see movement soon – time’s running out fast – but it isn’t a surprise not to see it yet.

A long history of lies

Written By: - Date published: 7:33 am, November 3rd, 2011 - 17 comments

Why all the fuss in the media about Phil Goff calling Key a liar in the TV1 debate?  It’s old news.  Key has a long history of lying (some of the video footage makes painful viewing).

Evicting Occupy Dunedin

Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 20 comments

Yesterday was a dramatic day for Occupy Dunedin.  A trespass eviction deadline of 8pm came and went, but after a big show of public support, the Occupation is still there.  Dunedin North Labour candidate David Clark lends his support to the movement.

Labour up in Fairfax poll

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, November 2nd, 2011 - 62 comments

Today’s Fairfax poll shows a rise in support for Labour of 3.2%. What is particularly interesting about this poll is that the sampling period began the same day that Labour announced its “bombshell” retirement policy.

Key’s Drunken Sailor

Written By: - Date published: 4:37 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 42 comments

Key’s Drunken Sailor “joke” tells us a lot about his priorities…

Do you want a say in public broadcasting?

Written By: - Date published: 3:09 pm, November 1st, 2011 - 45 comments

Public service broadcasting is dying in NZ, and that’s not good enough.  Labour’s newly released broadcasting policy promises to preserve it, with the future of the system to be shaped by public debate.

Business isn’t buying it

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, November 1st, 2011 - 48 comments

You’d think if the Nats could convince anyone that they knew what they were doing it would be the business community. But no, less than 35% of business owners think that the government has a plan…

Goff vs. Key first debate

Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, October 31st, 2011 - 145 comments

The first debate between Phil Goff and John Key is on TV1 at 7pm. Don’t miss it!

Update: See the website www.keyholes.co.nz for looking at the claims that Key makes in the debate.

Goff getting all the hits in. Got his policies across well. Key defensive and angry. www.keyholes.co.nz running hot.

Nats’ biggest ever drop in 3 News poll

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, October 31st, 2011 - 68 comments

The latest 3 News / Reid poll has National down 5.1%, their  largest drop (in this poll) since becoming the government.  Labour is up 3.6%. A long way to go yet, but it’s an encouraging start to the election campaign for the Left.

Key’s small target

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, October 30th, 2011 - 18 comments

Key’s “small target” strategy was always going to come under pressure during the election campaign. But by rights it should now be blown completely out of the water.  Labour’s willingness to take on the hard issues leaves Key facing plenty of questions.  Time we got some answers.

More opening addresses

Written By: - Date published: 5:41 pm, October 29th, 2011 - 42 comments

Opening addresses from the remaining parties screen on TV1 starting at 7:30pm. Should be good fun for political junkies, make sure you tune in…

Heart and balls

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, October 29th, 2011 - 106 comments

Labour’s opening address shows that the Party has rediscovered its heart. It’s policies show that its rediscovered its balls as well!  Win or lose, right now Labour is a party to be proud of.

TV1 at 7:50 – Opening Address

Written By: - Date published: 4:58 pm, October 28th, 2011 - 67 comments

Labour’s election Opening Address will be broadcast on TV1 at 7:50pm tonight.  Labour is hinting that the address will be something different, and unlike anything we have seen before.  Given their gutsy campaigning so far, anything could happen!  Make sure you tune in…

Campaigning on policy – what a concept!

Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, October 28th, 2011 - 27 comments

Labour has once again broken the mould and chosen to focus its election campaign on policy. As a country we’ve been saying for a long time that elections should be about policies and not personalities.  Now we’ve got a chance to try it.  If the media is up to the challenge, of course.

Lying over Key handshake fail clip?

Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, October 27th, 2011 - 22 comments

John Key’s try-hard failed handshake at the RWC has gone viral. What looked like a minor footnote to the affair came out last night, when it was reported that YouTube had taken down the clip at the request of the IRB.  But today the IRB denied it.

Do you feel lucky PREFU?

Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, October 26th, 2011 - 72 comments

The PREFU paints a pretty dismal picture of the economy. The worst case scenario is catastrophic, and (at one in five) I think that Treasury has significantly underestimated the odds.  Do you feel lucky?…

The austerity death trap

Written By: - Date published: 7:15 am, October 25th, 2011 - 89 comments

In response to tough economic times, Government austerity programmes do more harm than good.  It’s a pretty simple equation based on the debt / GDP ratio.  With an election coming up soon, NZ needs to look for economic competence and a willingness to try new ideas, rather than muddling along deeper into the austerity death trap.

Labour day

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, October 24th, 2011 - 16 comments

On this Labour Day it is good to see that the Labour Party is staying true to its roots, and is out there working for a labour policy to lift the wages and conditions of the workers of New Zealand.

ABs vs France

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, October 23rd, 2011 - 78 comments

Now for the final – ABs vs France 9:00 pm at Eden Park – may the best team win.

[whew … that was close … imagine the national wailing and gnashing of teeth if the French had had a successful penalty kick in that last attack. Well done the ABs. Eddie]

One citizen. One dollar. One vote.

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, October 23rd, 2011 - 36 comments

A second message is emerging from the Occupation movement: “One citizen. One dollar. One vote.”

Questions for leaders’ debate

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, October 22nd, 2011 - 46 comments

TV1 is calling for submissions of questions for their televised leaders’ debate.  Want to give them a hand?

Mishandled Rena costing Nats votes

Written By: - Date published: 8:02 am, October 21st, 2011 - 51 comments

A recent poll confirms that the expected loss of Nat votes over the Rena disaster is a real effect.

A ludicrous budget

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, October 20th, 2011 - 90 comments

This family budget is in terrible shape.  I can’t see any way out, can you?

A global test of non-violent protest

Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, October 20th, 2011 - 24 comments

The Occupation movement has bankers worried.  So far, however, the protests have been peaceful.  In fact, the Occupation is quickly shaping up as the biggest ever, world wide test of the efficacy of non-violent protest.

3News lynch mob

Written By: - Date published: 4:41 pm, October 19th, 2011 - 42 comments

Did Hone Harawira call for Steven Joyce to be hanged?  Ahh – no.  Someone at 3News needs to switch to decaf.

Update: 3News – who are very responsive with this sort of problem – have tidied up their reporting of this issue.  Bravo.

Nats “help” with more cuts

Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, October 18th, 2011 - 23 comments

Amidst growing evidence of yet another broken 2008 election promise, John Key has nothing to offer except tired excuses and attacks on the poor.