Left/Green/Indigenous
What kind of government might New Zealand have?
weka
This should have been the climate election
A new Ministry for the Environment report on New Zealand and the climate crisis is sobering. If you haven’t voted, climate is still by far New Zealand’s biggest challenge, and it’s the Greens that have the plan for what to do.
About the Greens…
Here’s the thing about the Greens. They want change. They want change more than they want power. I think that they fully understand that we are out of time on climate, poverty, the environment and now is the time to act boldly.
NZ Medical Association drops its opposition to the legalisation of cannabis
“So after staunchly opposing the legalisation of cannabis all year NZ Medical Association chair Kate Baddock has issued a statement and apology, in the middle of voting, saying actually the NZMA has “no position regarding the cannabis referendum”” – TVNZ political journalist Benedict Collins
Regenerative economies: $100,000 growing permaculture kale
A Thames couple are showing how to make a living from small scale market gardening, and leading the way in regenerative horticulture.
About that wealth tax
There are some issues to be ironed out, but this is the only thing I am seeing that attempts to resolve poverty in New Zealand rather than tinkering around the edges.
Is this woman being coerced into unsafe healthcare by the DHB’s handling of covid testing?
Why is the Ministry of Health not stepping in to ensure nationwide standards for covid testing, and ensuring that isolation facilities meet our Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights?
Meanwhile, the climate crisis
A large wildfire has destroyed many homes in the village of Ohau in the Mackenzie Country, and hundreds of people have been evacuated.
Trump’s not so bad: the holding our breath edition
An occasional series
What forming a Labour/Green government might look like
Shaw said that what he is hearing from people is they want Labour to have to talk to someone while in govt and not be able to make decisions by itself.
The question then becomes, how much does the left want Labour to be encouraged greenward and leftward?
Snow storm shout out to the undeserving poor
Why does Labour still not have a plan for unwell and disabled people living in poverty?
The Greens on urban farming
This is exactly the kind of approach the Green Party would like to encourage – it’s strategic, it’s intergenerational and it recognises the interconnectedness of our people, the environment and local communities.
Last night’s leader debate
The leaders of our both main parties committed to neoliberalism is another kind of brutality that we seem reluctant to address.
Choosing ‘enough’ rather than ‘more’
A brief look at steady state economics and the values of enough rather than more.
What is this regenerative agriculture thing anyway?
Given the state of New Zealand land and water, changing how we do farming should be a strong political topic for the left this year. The Greens and Greenpeace are campaigning for a shift to regenerative agriculture, so it’s timely to look at what that is.
The Greens sticking to their guns (and their values)
The Greens just boldly stepped up their election campaign.
Labour voters, if you could vote to keep the Greens in parliament would you?
Choices, choices.
Labour’s two tier welfare plans
As the covid crisis deepens Labour appear to be committed to entrenching the underclass and giving a helping hand to the middle class.
Hitting the political spot
Markey accomplished what no Democrat or Republican had ever done: He defeated a Kennedy in Massachusetts.
What are the lessons here for lefties in New Zealand?
What if we had a Policy Costings Unit for all political parties?
Surely political parties would welcome support to have their election year promises independently costed?
Yale does socialist medicine with new covid test
Yale have developed a covid saliva test that is not only effective but will be intentionally cheap and easily available.
test post
https://twitter.com/TheAlanRichards/status/1304896549399547912
Should the government replace sex data with gender (identity) data?
Stats NZ want to use gender rather than sex as the default for data collection. But they’ve neglected to ask women about that.
James Shaw, comedian
A bit of shade, some Dad jokes, and the serious business of what the Greens have done.
The fragility of our food supply
As climate, ecological, pandemic and neoliberal pressures put our food security at risk, we can take heart from the many people who have been developing and practicing sustainable and resilient food growing.
The test of MMP
With the left’s political fortunes having changed greatly in the past three years, and with more change on the way, does the left still want MMP?
Reasons to sack a Minister
Ian Lees Galloway wasn’t sacked for an extra-marital affair. He was sacked because of his abuse of power.
Trump’s not so bad: the disappearing hospital data during a pandemic edition
An occasional series
Chloe Swarbrick should stand strong in Auckland Central
Having two strong left wing women standing in an electorate is great for women, the left and New Zealand. It may also help us move away from macho politics towards both/and politics.
Green Party rocks their new Guaranteed Minimum Income policy
The Greens’ audacious new social security policy, the Poverty Action Plan, places manaakitangi and compassion at the centre. It includes guaranteed income across the board for those in need, reorientating ACC to include illness and prioritise care, support for children and single and double parented families, and it pays for it all by taxing some of the assets and income of the wealthy.
Green Party win: RMA amended to include climate change
“In my view, this is one of the most significant policy changes to address climate change that we have done this term” – James Shaw
We say we want a revolution…
Destroy capitalism, right? But what’s the replacement?
New Zealand for the win!
$100,000 a year in capital gains.
We don’t have time for this shit
the government can’t agree is a euphemism for NZ First blocking climate action.
Labour and the Greens on welfare
While Labour remain wedded to a neoliberal view of welfare as a necessary evil with deserving and undeserving poor, the Greens are standing up for the rights of all of us to live with dignity and have a meaningful standard of living.
This is exactly why the MSM should be scrutinised as much as the government
The Herald’s misleading, clickbait sound-biting of Labour MP Tamati Coffey isn’t even close to what we need in reporting from the Epidemic Response Committee.