The Attack
And they’re off!
Politics
Left
Making Like Private Frazer
Political awakenings.
Rob Salmond’s argument – too simplistic and wrong in its assumptions
As Mike Smith’s post last night relates, Rob Salmond makes the case that a properly left wing Labour Party is always going to lose. Screw that. More like a Tory Labour doesn’t deserve to win.
Win or Lose: This is Labour
Some people have suggested that the more progressive parliamentary elements of the left are done and dusted. I’m not so sure…
In Praise of Key
Hardly a comprehensive take, but in the interest of stating some obvious stuff…
Outflanking Labour on the left
Aka “swallowing dead rats”. Aka “losing the argument”. Aka shifting the political center – yay!
Are the left really angry?
The latest attacks on the left involves the right claiming that left activists are too angry and hurting labour’s chances in the UK as well as New Zealand.
Dear NZ Labour. Listen up.
For the sake of reference – Nye Bevan was a Labour mp and the architect of the British NHS. Michael Sheen’s speech was a defense of that institution, but the underpinning message is, well…
Pull the other one… ponytails, minimisation and male privilege
From pulling ponytails to police minimisation, there is a deep problem in our country with attitudes towards women and to sexual violence.
Time for the Greens to transcend left vs. right.
The co-leadership race within the Greens has shown that they’re alive and kicking – if nursing a few wounds from the last election. […]
A Bright Spark Burning…
A further piece on the peoples’ revolution within Northern Syria.
War HUH!
NZ is again being asked to go to war in Iraq. The Clark Labour Government said no a decade ago, but in 2015 there may be a compelling reason to join the fight; this time it’s the right thing to do. New Standard author te reo putake puts the case for NZ entering the battle against ISIS.
Revolutionary Spain, Revolutionary Syria, and the Bastards We Vote For.
It seems that just as the 30’s offered the chance to turn dreams into reality, Syria is offering that chance up to ‘the left’ today. Suddenly, for me, the recent travel bans and the passport confiscation laws etc make sense since we are potentially looking at an international influx of non-nutters and non- psychopaths as happened during the Spanish Revolution of the 30s.
How do the Greens grow their base?
Following on from yesterday’s discussion of the future for Labour – what next for the Greens?
Europe & the anti-austerity left
The UK Green Party is gaining in popularity as many people turn away from the 3 established parties. The radical left Syriza party in Greece could possibly gain power in their election – what powerful international right wing forces would then be unleashed?
Lessons from the ’30s and 40’s: culture and the left
We often look to the first Labour Government for core left wing values, & a political way forward. As well as massively restructuring of the NZ economy, work, welfare & housing, that Government aimed to restructure NZ culture & to combat capitalist-dominated popular culture.
Gough 1916-2014
When Gough Whitlam was PM of Austrialia, it was a time when people were looking forward to a more inclusive, caring, and egalitarian society: a time of hope. His PM-ship ended in controversy.
On Navel Gazing and Looking Out.
As the NZ Labour Party stands on the cusp of some soul searching, it might want to note that there are alternatives to pointless navel gazing.
NRT: Will Key act on child poverty?
While the left lost the election, it looks like we’ve won another battle in the war of ideas, with John Key being forced to at least pretend he wants to do something about child poverty. Ideas long recommended from the Children’s Commissioner may finally be implemented.
Clean it up
Action Station has a full page ad in today’s NZ Herald, asking to clean up dirty politics. Dirty Politics is not any isolated attack politics or criticism of those in power. It is a relentless two track strategy, an orchestrated smear machine, aimed at moving politics rightwards & disengaging (left wing) voters. Update: Hager comments on the election.
Looking Ahead
Win or lose, there are never any final battles in politics. A defeat simply means the firing of the starting gun for the […]
My morning thoughts on the night before
It will take a flax roots, bottom-up, community-based movement to rebuild democracy and a fair, caring and sustainable society.
Mr Clean talks Dirty Politics: Key standup transcript pt2
In this part of the transcript of John Key’s Aug 14 standup, Key repeats dubious spin lines, & tries to maintain his Mr Clean image. Topics include Jason Ede, Judith Collins, Bronwyn Pullar. Key tries to implicate left wing blogs, naming The Standard
Valuing child care: beyond ‘show me the money!’
Simon Collins has published a very good article comparing various parties policies on social security. As is the current trend, he doesn’t fully examine the deep and lasting contribution good child care & education make towards society & the economy. It’s about material and social well-being.
Left wing blogs aren’t “the same”
Part of John Key’s frantic spin is that left wing blogs are just the same as Whaleoil. As a left wing blogger I take personal umbrage – there is no equivalence. [Update: As also stated by RNZ political reporter Brent Edwards on Morning Report this morning (7:25am)]
The Left on policies and values
In spite of what John Key & some of the media claim, Labour & the Greens have continued to campaign positively on policies and values throughout the week. The Greens officially launch their campaign tomorrow.
The bottomless Labour-Green divide
It seems like every time Labour (or the Greens) announce a policy the first question (after “what does John Key think about this?”) is “But the Greens (or Labour) have a different policy to the one you just announced! How can you possibly work together in government?”
Get out the vote!
11,000+ voters enrolled in the last week – great work, more to be done. For democracy & NZ’s sake, now and in the future, enroll, vote, vote left!
Spread the word: enrol to vote
Live News is reporting that 40,000 people have been removed from the electoral roll because they have moved address. Their enrolment update packs were returned to sender with the message: “gone no address”.
State of the left in Aotearoa/NZ
Sue Bradford’s PhD thesis on the Left & Think Tanks, went online this week. It outlines the state of the Left in NZ. Bradford concludes that the Left is strong but fragmented, and identifies some ways forward.
NRT: A circus of self-mutilation
No Right Turn gets rightfully acerbic about the witless fool “senior” MP in Labour who was trying to sabotage Labour in the Sunday Star Times this weekend, and about the general self-mutilation of Labour by its caucus at present.
Stand up – for an inclusive, caring & sharing NZ
Stand up: fight back: We know what we are up against. We’ve seen the depth of the negative, right wing campaigning. NZ wants and needs better politics, and a more inclusive society.
TPP – the expensive vanity project of NZ diplomacy
Wayne Mapp is worried about the possibility of Labour backing away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). If National and MFAT would like support from the free-trade advocates inside Labour, then I’d suggest that they get off their padded arses and provide some solid information not only to us, but also to the public. But all I have heard so far is some psuedo-religious Randian rants about free-trade that are about as convincing to business people as statements about the imminent arrival of the Rapture.
Labour’s Mana Internet Party dilemma
So what does Labour do? Gift Te Tai Tokerau and be open to allegations of manipulating the system (even though National has made an art form of this particular type of activity) or campaign hard and risk the loss of 3 – 4 % points of party vote if Hone loses his seat?
Bugger the polls!
Auckland Against Poverty protest the Young Nats Ball and Paula Bennett’s war on the poor. Steven Joyce is cynical about the polls. A Stuff poll shows everything that is wrong with the media’s poll beat ups.
Rogernomics, income inequality & gender politics
All of us, in our diversity, can make a big impact this election year. Time to end the “neoliberal” tyranny! Crime stats are celebrated masking the continuing impact of income & social inequalities. Rogernomics fractured gender politics & rape crisis intiatives.