It Is Not Enough Only to Change the Government
Everyone on the left can agree that we must change the government. Elliot Crossan argues that if Labour wins in 2026 and refuses […]
elections
election 2023
Judith Collins believes proposed changes to enrollment laws breaches Bill of Rights
Judith Collins has issued a Bill of Rights report which concludes that National’s proposed changes to the enrollment electoral laws breach the Bill of Rights Act.
Give Young People The Vote
If we are to renew the purpose of democracy after this current bunch of old people have had a crack at shrinking it, we need to turn this into something prospective voters can actually hope for: they can make change happen through the vote.
Goldsmith’s Voter Suppression Affects 15-20% of Voters
The voters registered about 13 days leading up to and including election day surpasses total ACT and NZ First votes by 140,000
The World has too many Oligarchs
In his final speech Joe Biden has warned the world about the dangers posed by Oligarchs supporting the right into democratic power. He is right.
Who funds the Taxpayer’s Union?
Six months late and in the middle of the Holiday Period the Tax Payers Union has filed its election year accounts suggesting that it received $2,628,721 in donations that year. And there is no indication of who from.
The best Government that money can buy
Radio New Zealand has reported that $500,000 in donations to National, Act and NZ First were made by entities associated to those who had their projects included in the recently released schedule to the Fast Track Projects Bill.
How can you forget $178,394 in campaign donations?
This is going to take some explaining. The police have decided to take no action against National MP David MacLeod for failing to declare $178,394 in electoral donations. No this is not an Onion headline.
Is a Transformational Left-Wing Leadership of the NZ Labour Party Possible?
It is a painful experience, to have fought long and hard for something you knew was inadequate and to have even that taken away. The Labour Party has long urged activists to be ‘realistic’. Elliot Crossan argues that it will not return to be a socialist party of the working class.
National’s irksome incompetence is inexcusable
When the fabric of lies unravels the gaslighting increases.
The National Party has a pattern of broken election promises
The National Party has created a new slogan: give New Zealanders a break … in promises!
Putting Politics over People
National’s breaking of its election promise to fund 13 cancer treatments is cruel beyond words.
The QE2 covenant, the Mining Company and the donation to NZ First
Radio New Zealand has broken the jaw dropping and astounding story that shows why the Fast Track Projects Bill is potentially so corrupting to the body politic and why there has to be electoral law reform to stop corporations from buying influence.
National MP *forgets* to declare $178,000 in donations
In breaking news New Plymouth National MP David MacLeod apparently *forgot* to declare $178,000 in declarations to the Electoral Commission.
National’s Overseas Gambling Levy policy figures are not rock solid
The IRD has estimated that National’s proposed Overseas Gambling Levy Policy will bring in $500 million less than it promised during the election campaign.
About the promoters electoral returns
The Electoral Commission has released the major promoters’ electoral returns. These show significant amounts of money being spent on getting Labour unelected but give no detail about how the campaigns were funded.
The problem with corporate money in electorate campaigns
The 2023 candidate election returns have released and it has emerged that Bathurst Resources Ltd contributed $32,600 to Patrick Phelps, who ran a spoiler campaign against Damian O’Connor in West Coast Tasman.
The best Electoral System that money can buy
The Independent Electoral Review Panel has recommended changes to the electoral system including the banning of any donations unless made by enrolled voters, a cap on the size of those donations and a requirement that third parties disclose all large donations that they receive.
Atlas smirked
A George Monbiot article in the Guardian made me wonder what effect the Atlas Network is having on New Zealand politics through the Taxpayer’s Union. Publicly available information suggests considerable funding is being made available and that the current Government’s priorities are precisely those that the Atlas Network would approve of.
Political comeback – Getting the sequencing right
A notably different approach to sequencing political comeback was on show at the VUW post-election seminar last week. Luxon put rebuilding the party first, Hipkins put it last. On policy Luxon was bottom-up and early, Hipkins was top-down and late.
Tobacco bans in NZ and the UK.
The decision in 2021 to introduce the smoking ban was a courageous one. Smoking causes many deaths each year and places a strain on the country’s health system. Smoking is addictive and we should do all we can to discourage young people from taking up this habit. This being said, putting a total ban on tobacco sales of people born after 2009 is well-meaning, but would likely have unintended and profoundly negative consequences.
Strong stable Government?
Today may be the day we have a new Government, that is as long as Act and NZ First can resolve their fight over who is to be Deputy Prime Minister.
The baubles of office
Now that the policy negotiations between Act National and NZ First have been concluded talks have progressed to the most sensitive and difficult area, who will get the baubles of office.
What will National do about special voting rights?
One of the most democratic changes that Labour made to the electoral system was to allow people to enroll and vote on election day. The right hate it. And may be planning to change it.
Hipkins endorsed
It was never going to be anything else, but two positive emerged. All policy options are back on the table, including tax, and there is a realisation that the main task ahead is to rebuild a strong and progressive party.
What happened in the Maori seats
The final results in the Māori electorates clearly indicate that there was a great deal of strategic voting taking place.
2023 Final results
National loses 2 electorate seats to Labour. Te Pāti Māori picked up two electorate seats from Labour which means that parliament will have a 2 seat overhang. Greens gain a seat. Nact needs a coalition buddy. Now we’re looking at the coalition phase of the long wait. Time to pull out the popcorn.
A point on the long wait
Today we will get the final election counts. It will now include the estimated specials of 20.2% of the vote. This can change the precise balance in parliament. A NAct coalition will probably require a partner party to secure a reliable majority. Unfortunately past political history is going to make that awkward. The chaos will be great for a political blog of the left. Not so good for the country.
Labour’s leadership
Now that the dust is settling it is time for the Labour Party to think about its future.
Has Labour become a cadre Party? Pt 1 Leadership
In 2021, I voted against Labour’s conference proposal for midstream leadership change to be determined by Caucus alone, saying that it risked Labour becoming a cadre party for elites. A series of posts will start with why the Caucus should not rush to a leadership vote.
Don’t get angry, get organised
Labour day is a good day for all progressives to start getting organised for the next three years and working on the election of the next progressive Government.
How the special votes may work out
Special vote counts may see Labour win back some important electorate seats and see the National/Act majority vanish.
NZ Election result
In parliamentary politics, there are no final victories. After losing the 2023 election, Labour must now immediately focus on winning in 2026.
Why are the Greens so happy?
The trad left/right spectrum people are wondering why the Greens are so happy. Didn’t the left just lose?
That was not as good as was hoped for
Last night was not a good night for the Labour Party …
Election Night 2023 on The Standard
A post for election night discussion on the Standard (and links for where to watch).