The debarclay rumbles on. The Nat’s deploy the Game of Hats gambit. The vultures circle over the remains of Todd B in Clutha-Southland while his zombie vote is exploited to squeak through legislation. It could all have been so very different if the electorate had chosen the best candidate in 2014. Their loss is Invercargill’s gain – Liz Craig in 2017!
That’s a mish-mash of Nat soundbites past and present. For the reality underlying it all, check out the excellent RNZ series “Is this the Brighter Future?”
Ad explores the implications of the Americas Cup win for this year’s election.
“We remain committed to setting a resource rental for large water take for irrigation at a fair and affordable price.”
National’s conference was supposed to be a tour de force, setting them up for the home stretch to the election. Instead it was empty of policy or vision, and coverage was drowned in a rising tide of Billshit.
A little bit of feel good for a Sunday morning (plus a very clever cat!).
New Zealand First could have a pivotal role in the next Government. What are their principles and what are they committed to?
Nelson city councillor Matt Lawrey is to run a two tick campaign with the full backing of the party.
A 21st century city simply has to have integrated, multi-modal public transport at its heart.
Max Rasbrooke has done an analysis of donations to political parties, and raises the concern that donations buy influence. There is a solution to this problem.
How not to be a twit.
It’s 100 days to the election!
Young voters have the power…
“An extremely large portion of the British people, particularly the young, are utterly disenchanted by the sclerotic and self-perpetuating political class that governs them”
Jonathan Pie celebrates the UK election result.
Seven steps to reclaiming our lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers.
There’s the heel of a boot, and then there’s the lifting of it.
The political right try it on every election year, in an attempt to sow a bit of discord. I expect this sort of obvious and clumsy wedge politics from Hooton and the like, but I was a bit surprised to see Duncan Garner having a go.
A wee bit of speculation for a long week-end.
Climate change, human rights, indigenous rights, Māori and Pasifika, and fresh, young faces on the 2017 Green Party List.
“The Budget is what allows National to govern. If National failed to pass the Budget, all its legal ability to tax and spend would dry up and the Government would fall apart. There is no way we would vote for the Budget, because that would be supporting the National Government and its agenda.” Metiria Turei and James Shaw, Green Party blog.
Politics as a compass not a line.
Is this an isolated case or is it representative of a change of mood in the non-voting electorate?
Wondering about what the Greens are voting for? It might not be what you think.
Despite rumours to the contrary, the Green Party was highly critical of National’s Budget.
Rohan Lord this week pulled out from being a Labour candidate because he thought his prospects of being elected were remote because he was a white middle class male. His comments displayed a complete lack of understanding of how the Labour Party works and ignores the fact that having a truly representative caucus is a virtue.
The chronically erratic Roy Morgan poll is out again, with Nat vs Lab/Green in a dead heat.
James Shaw on National as the masters of the shell game.
From pre announced budget initiatives it is clear that today’s budget will provide National the opportunity to announce watered down insipid versions of current Labour Party policies.
We’ve had the Brighter Future (it sucks). We’ve had The Cusp of Something Special (it wasn’t). What will National’s soundbite slogan be this time?
And in the United Kingdom the election that was meant to be a foregone conclusion suddenly is suddenly tightening.
The Jonathan Pie guide to voter engagement.
Housing may be the issue that decides this year’s election. And if Labour wins Andrew Little will have a major crisis to deal with, one that he has to solve.
It’s the right target, and the right reason, the left really does not want to end up dependent on Winston Peters for a shot at forming a government.
The text of Andrew Little’s speech delivered today to the Labour Party congress.
Old school Social Democracy. (Remember that?)
In election year, we have some choices about how to proceed.
