Does the left do more of the same or does it get radical this election?
Andrew Dean has written an opinion piece for Stuff where he suggests that to win this election Labour and the Greens have to become more radical.
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Why no inquiry into abuse in state care?
As we celebrate Parliament’s apology for historical convictions for homosexuality, it surely raises the question of why the government is so hardheartedly against an inquiry into historical abuse.
Politics in the Age of Populism
Bryce Edwards, Stephanie Rodgers and Rob Egan. Connolly Hall, Guildford Street, Wellington, 5:30 pm Friday 7th July.Fabian society, all welcome.
Labour and National government spending
The magical disappearing Foreign Trust industry
National’s original claims that New Zealand was not a tax haven are in tatters as the Sherwan rule changes have resulted in the mass exodus of Foreign Trusts from New Zealand.
The great Auckland housing crash of 2017
Two indicators both agree that the Auckland property market has started trending downwards. Over leveraged buyers are going to get burned, and first time buyers are still shut out. Perfect.
We paid for the Barclay lawyers too
Turns out that in the Barclay scandal we the taxpayer paid for not only the hush money payout, but also the lawyers fees.
Bill English reckons that landlords can’t raise rents
The last budget raised accommodation supplement – against the advice of Treasury who said that landlords would capture the cash. Not to fear though, because Bill English reckons that landlords can’t raise rents…
Government’s cruelty on Christchurch’s mental health
Christchurch’s mental health services are overwhelmed and verging on collapse. Canterbury has the most suicides in NZ. And yet the government has just declined a request for further funding. National – delivering misery for Canterbury.
NRT: Everybody knows the dice are loaded…
I/S at No Right Turn writes: “Around the world, we’ve seen a backlash against political establishments, driven in part by a recognition that economic and political systems are rigged to the advantage of the rich. And we have the same sentiments in New Zealand”
NRT: National’s failure on rheumatic fever
I/S at No Right Turn writes: “Five years ago, National set itself a target as part of its “Better Public Services” targets to reduce the incidence of rheumatic fever by two-thirds. They failed.”
Special Housing Area provisions are failing but Nick Smith thinks everything is fine
Nick Smith is attempting to rewrite history by claiming that the Government never thought the special housing area affordable housing provisions would work and that the housing crisis is improving.
Paula Bennett threatens legal action over allegations
An open letter has accused Paula Bennett of serious historical crimes. Bennett has denied the allegations and threatened legal action. Facebook has removed the source documents.
Official complaint over police handling of Barclay case
With so much evidence available, why was the first police investigation into the Todd Barclay scandal dropped so quickly? This is now the subject of a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Citizenship – one law for the rich
As other citizenship cases are compared to Peter Thiel, it starkly highlights our “one law for the rich” approach.
Second legal challenge to National’s climate emission targets
The scientific data clearly shows that the New Zealand Government needs to be doing a lot more than it’s doing at the moment. It is dragging the chain as far as the rest of the world is concerned.
The Green Party clarify their position on immigration
We stand for an Aotearoa that stands up to racism and scapegoating and xenophobia.
Same Old, Same Old.
This time last year, there was a smattering of posts put up about average global ocean and land surface temperatures. They didn’t make for comfortable reading.
Counterfeit Bill
Bill English has an active social media strategy, likely well funded and professional. While most commentators are cringing at it, plenty of people are probably buying the counterfeit Bill.
About that pay equity deal
More excellent reporting from Newsroom: “Long overdue pay rate increases affecting 55,000 New Zealand care and support workers kick in on July 1. But the Government’s failure to fully fund the changes is threatening to derail service providers”
He’s baaaack
Shane Jones will seek to reenter Parliament and has been selected as the candidate for the Whangarei seat. But for New Zealand First.
The MP that Clutha-Southland could have had
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!
Labour’s new employment relations package
Labour: “After nine years of National, working people’s share of the economy is falling. Less than 40 per cent of economic growth under National has gone into working people’s wages. If working people’s slice of the economy hadn’t shrunk under National, workers’ pay packets would have been $23 billion larger.”
Thiel shows commitment to New Zealand by spending 12 days in it
Following an intervention by the Ombudsman the Government has been obliged to disclose the number of days that Peter Thiel spent in New Zealand in the five years leading up to his grant of citizenship. The answer is very few.
The view from Southland
A Southland Times editorial has a pretty blunt assessment of the PM: English wasn’t there for us. “In what he has done and in what he has failed to do, English has himself become a party to the deception of the public.”
New information on Glenda Hughes?
On 20 June after Melanie Read’s Newsroom interview Andrew Geddis blogged about possible obstruction of justice by a National Party Board member. That was based on new information in the Barclay case, and may be why the Police have since re-interviewed Glenys Dickson.
Brighter Future Delivering the Cusp of Something Special for New Zealanders
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?”
National’s Dirty Politics Machine Attacks Complainant
Upon what basis do they feel confident in suggesting to the public that Barclay’s – alleged – victim had been so unprofessional and out-of-control as to be accusing Barclay of being a drug dealer?
Eleven questions about National, English and the Barclay affair.
Julie Fairey raises a plethora of unanswered issues.
Debarclay gets sordid
Newsroom with more revelations: “Intercepted discussions in the Clutha-Southland MP’s electorate office included talk of “sex and drugs”, a source tells Newsroom”. How dismally predictable. Eeeew.
Police have reopened the Barclay investigation
Police has commenced a re-investigation of allegations that the private communications of an individual were intercepted by Mr Todd Barclay MP.
On winning the America’s Cup
Ad explores the implications of the Americas Cup win for this year’s election.
Gower is correct – police must reopen Barclay case
English is trying, many days too late, to shut up about the scandal in his old electorate and hope that it will blow over. It won’t – too many loose ends. In particular, Patrick Gower is right, the police must now re-open the Barclay investigation.
Jesse Mulligan owned Bill English on national television
Getting very bloody angry and speaking truth to power.
The Todd Barclay debacle enters the sixth day of the news cycle
Through his never ending changing of the description of what happened in the Todd Barclay issue Bill English has kept the story prominently placed for six days in a row.
What the National Party president and board knew
Newsroom has another investigative piece on the Barclay debacle. This is not only about a single MP and a lying Prime Minister. It’s also about the governing structure of the political party in charge of running the country, and who was involved in the coverup and dishonesty.