Open democracy?
According to the Sunday Star Times the Sensible Sentencing Trust and Family First have decided to refuse to comply with the Electoral Finance […]
elections
election funding
Winston and the wanker
Today’s front-page story in the DominionPost on New Zealand First is a complete beat-up. It starts off: More questions have been raised about […]
Common sense from the Herald – stop the press!
Brian Rudman’s piece in today’s Herald is so far the most sensible comment on the Spencer Trust affair. He points out that funding […]
EPMU cleared to campaign
The Electoral Commission has decided the EPMU can register as a third party under the Electoral Finance Act despite the National Party spending […]
Electoral Finance Act victory for free speech
The Electoral Commission has ruled that several unions affiliated to the Labour Party are able to register as third parties under the Electoral […]
Open up the trusts
Bob Jones confirmed on Morning Report that he gave $25,000 in 2005 to New Zealand First. The money was to be funnelled to […]
EMA Kiwisaver campaign in breach of EFA?
The Employers and Manufacturers Association’s advertising campaign to defend the ability of employers to make workers pay their own Kiwisaver employer contribution while […]
The Peters saga, a summary
1 – In 2005, Owen Glenn paid $100,000 towards a legal defence fund for a case in Peters’ name. 2 – Peters was […]
Chasing Peters, it’s easier than examining policy
For my part, I don’t see the big deal in all this Peters donation stuff. Transparency in election funding is important (and it’s […]
Spinbusting: NZF’s donations are Labour’s business
National is calling on Helen Clark to investigate alleged donations by Owen Glenn to New Zealand First (which, if they happened, were perfectly […]
Winnie and Glenn
It appears, as everyone suspected, that Owen Glenn did give a donation to New Zealand First. There is nothing illegal or immoral in […]
How Obama reinvented campaign finance
Click for the full-res version. (an infographic by XPLANE)
EFA lets voters know who bankrolls parties
National has announced that John Key donated $30,000 to the party this month. That’s all well and good; Helen Clark donates a similar […]
Kremlinology: National on ACC
In most countries, accident insurance is big business. Insurers and lawyers make billions off premiums, claims, and court cases but many people don’t […]
Why Key really wants super-fast broadband
Remember National’s broadband ‘plan’ that reads like it was drawn up on the back of a napkin? Notice how the only gains they […]
How much did Key pay for his seat?
It’s funny the stories you hear when you’re out in the provinces. I was up in Auckland over the long weekend and came […]
“pretty similar”
I noticed an interesting comment from Ferdinand in our Kiwisaver thread yesterday: I signed up to Kiwisaver based on the 4% employer contribution […]
National’s campaign to muzzle union continues
It seems National has succeeded in the first step of its campaign to muzzle the EPMU and the fifty thousand workers it represents. […]
Nats’ attack on union hits High Court
Today National will be explaining to the High Court why it wants the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union’s 50,000 members to be denied […]
Electoral donations reported
The Electoral Commission has published the parties’ donation returns for 2007. It is worth noting from the outset that under the electoral law […]
ACT: shamelessly campaigning with your money
Earlier in the week we heard that Heather Roy may have broken the Electoral Finance Act by including party advertising messages in her […]
Herald’s anti-EFA campaign in tatters
As predicted by The Standard earlier this week, the Press Council has upheld the Coalition for Open Government’s complaint against the NZ Herald’s […]
Press Council to uphold complaint against Herald?
Word has it that the Press Council will tomorrow uphold the complaint laid against the New Zealand Herald by the Coalition for Open […]
Labour Congress EFA protest
Jordan Carter’s just posted a photo of what looks like nine EFA protesters having their say outside the Labour Party Congress on the […]
Bad politics
National’s current attempt to stop the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union from registering as a third party pretty much proves what we all […]
Still no apology
Last Tuesday Bill English stood up in Parliament and accused the CTU and the PSA of breaking the Electoral Finance Act. Problem for […]
National under fire over unauthorised advertising
Annette King has hit back at National in the House today, producing two items of electoral advertising from them, neither of which is […]
Davey gets it wrong again
David Farrar’s latest political campaign on behalf of the National Party has, like so many of them before, foundered on the sharp rocks […]
English slapped down by CTU
The Council of Trade Unions has given Bill English a good slapping over his false allegations in Parliament yesterday that the peak union […]
Free Speech Coalition TV spot
A trusted source tells us that following their most recent failed EFA protest, Cameron Slater (Whaleoil) and National Party blogger David Farrar might […]
Pythonesque
According to the Herald some people marched down Queen Street against the Electoral Finance Act on Saturday. Apparently they were protesting the removal […]
Winston tears Paul Henry a new one
I’m as sick of the Owen Glenn saga as the next guy, but Winston Peters’ tussle with failed National Party candidate and Close […]
NSW Liberals want an Electoral Finance Act
In an ironic twist, the Sydney Morning Herald reports today that the New South Wales Liberal Party has called for reform of campaign […]
PM announces plan to tackle graffiti
Helen Clark has just announced a range of measures aimed at cutting down on graffiti vandalism. Presumably the initiative will be supported by […]
National seeks to stop free speech
Vernon Small reports today that National party blogger David Farrar has taken out a complaint against the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union’s registration […]
SST: Nats call in secret donations
The Sunday Star Times reported yesterday that “The National Party pulled in 11th-hour funding from its secret trusts and anonymous donors in a […]