A settlement proposal for Jordan Williams and Colin Craig
A suggested settlement proposal to resolve the Williams v Craig case which may achieve some good.
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Post truth politics – White man behind a desk
Robbie from WBMAD analyses the current trend to make politics a truth free phenomenon, offers funny yet incisive comments on the effect of social media on politics and finishes with videos of cats.
Before you vote
Before you vote make sure you check out the Jobs that Count endorsement list. These are candidates who have signed the pledge to bring democracy back to their communities.
If that’s not worth voting for, we don’t know what is.
Is Vic Crone racist?
Vic Crone is trying to make a story out of the fact that Phil Goff is against foreign ownership of our housing stock, but accepted $250,000 from the NZ Chinese community at a fundraiser. Does she not see a difference between NZ Chinese and foreigners?
New lineup for Labour Leader’s office
Andrew Little has appointed a new Chief of Staff and Chief Press Secretary.
National 0, Christchurch 1
Did Lianne Dalziel just prove how economically challenged the National Party are? It appears Christchurch will be able to pay its quake bill without flogging off the family silver. Why are the right so wedded to asset sales when they make no financial sense?
Marama Fox to Richard Prosser: how much more do we have to be dicked around?
The New Zealand First MP had no answers for the Māori Party co-leader after NZF pulled their support for five major Treaty settlements at the eleventh hour.
Kevin Hague bids farewell to Parliament.
The Green MP delivered his valedictory yesterday, calling on MPs to “be brave – stand for something.”
TPP – Let it go John
So Key has been trying to explain the TPP to America. Apart from looking ridiculous, what did he think he was going to accomplish?
Who should you vote for?
All the local body election endorsements you could possibly want.
Paula Bennett improves supply of housing, or does she?
National’s latest plan to do something about the housing crisis is to buy a Motel and kick families who stay there out on the street.
The Kermadecs and racist environmentalism
This week has been a revelation in how willing Pākehā are to throw Māori under the bus for the sake of environmentalism.
The “Intellectual Yet Idiot” Class – Knowing what’s best for you
When highly educated people end up being idiots, and uneducated people end up being smarter.
Just vote – Auckland Council version
It is local government election time. If you want to vote for progressive candidates these are some suggestions.
Translating the local government election jargon
The PSA has produced a nice guide to cut through all the buzzwords in local body elections.
Fortress NZ
TS regular Tony Veitch has some practical ideas as to how we insulate NZ from the ravages of neoliberalism and climate change. Readers may agree with some, none or all of the suggestions. However, whichever way you look at it, the time for hand wringing is over. It’s time for action.
The other war of the polls
The Dominion Post has received not one, but two polls on the Wellington mayoralty. So who’s coming out on top?
Maori Party to make a stand?
The Maori Party are threatening to pull out of their confidence & supply agreement with National. This would leave National with a Hair-thin majority in the House. The Kermadec Sanctuary, if handled with competence instead of arrogance, should have been a massive win for National.
Right-wing mayor candidates try to kneecap themselves
Vic Crone isn’t sure humans are causing climate change, Palino doesn’t think Auckland is all that super, and Mark Thomas just wants people not to vote for Goff… It’s hardly an enticing bunch.
Beware, creepy men of the right: Rawshark returns (briefly)
An old handle flickered back into life briefly this afternoon: In 2014 I dumped: https://t.co/UhZSYEYyar — Whaledump2 (@whaledump2) September 14, 2016 Rawshark – presuming […]
Labour Organising
From the UK. Organising 101.
Parliamentary Services is snooping on MPs’ emails
It appears that Parliamentary Services is monitoring MPs emails. And not just for things such as spam and viruses.
Optimism, determination and, above all, unity
At the Guardian, UK Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey reflects on the first year of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
The trouble with polls
Labour has released its latest UMR polling which shows a dramatically different result to that of the latest Colmar Brunton poll.
New Zealand is a socialist nirvana *
* at least according to David Seymour.
Latest Colmar Brunton: NAT 48%, LAB+GR 39%
National stays steady as she goes on 48%. Labour is down 3% to 26%.
The homeless crisis is getting worse
Figures provided by the Government to Labour suggest that providing accommodation for families with chronic housing needs is taking much longer than it did six months ago. But Paula Bennett has replied by suggesting that the figures do not reflect reality.
Lose yourself in the music
While we’re enjoying the popcorn at Williams vs Craig, there’s another enjoyable court case coming next year shortly before the election…
The manipulation of burglary statics
Reporter Eugene Bingham who broke the story on how Papakura police were doctoring crime statistics by recoding burglaries as other offences two years ago has written about how his attempts to get to the truth of the matter has effectively been thwarted by the police.
Chloe King – John Key, I am a low waged worker, and neither “lazy” nor “drug addled”
Blogger and social activist Chloe King, one of the hundreds of thousands of low waged workers in this country was devastated by John Key’s comments suggesting that she and others were lazy and had no work ethic. This is her response.
Video: neoliberalism as a colonising project
“If indigenous people were given a space to be able to think about what system would work for them, I don’t think that would look like capitalism” – Kassie Hartendorp speaking at the launch of ESRA last week.
NZ Human Rights Commission Open Letter to NZ Rugby Union on respecting women
The Human Rights Commission is calling on New Zealanders to sign the open letter to New Zealand Rugby, which asks them to seek support in addressing their internal culture issues.
NZ: Home of Rugby, Raping and Beer
The whitewash of the rugby players who assaulted a woman at a post season piss up has been released. A mightily relieved rugby boss Steve Tew can now go into the rest of the season knowing that the All Black squad will not be affected by the loss of any players to suspension. The only person to have lost their job over the incident is the victim. How cool is that?
We’re Number 1!
Already number 4 for housing unaffordability, we’re now number 1 for house price rises!
Video: What comes after neoliberalism?
Nick Srnicek’s keynote talk at the launch of Economic and Social Research Aotearoa, on the role that left think tanks like ESRA can play in developing a post-capitalist politics for today.
National loses control of Parliament
It may have been brief and passing but yesterday National lost control of Parliament. And it was all their own fault.