Polar bear returns
From Scoop: The hapless polar bear that emerged during the recent TVNZ You-Tube leaders debate has resurfaced to issue a plea to Prime […]
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Unions offer better option for Kiwisaver changes
The unions have proposed an alternative to National’s plan to slash Kiwisaver in half. If Kiwisaver has to be cut, and with National/Act […]
The first test
Michael Cullen has released the latest economic and fiscal update, the one Key commented on in today’s papers but which he refused to […]
Careful of them monsters, John
It’s amazing to see how quickly John Key got over his fear of five-headed monsters once it came time to cobble together a […]
Unbelievably awesome
Via Laughing Squid: This morning in NYC international pranksters The Yes Men recruited volunteers through the website Because We Want It to distribute thousands of copies of a […]
Cuts, three of the same kind
From Stuff: Mr Key said New Zealand had a significant advantage over other countries because official cash rates set by the Reserve Bank […]
National gives ACT consumer affairs
John Key’s got to be taking the piss with his decision to appoint ACT MP Heather Roy as Minister of Consumer Affairs in […]
Gordon Campbell: new Labour leadership
As we’ve come to expect, a thought provoking piece from Gordon Campbell, who says …the public may one day come to rue the […]
Threshold
[I’ll just preface this post by saying I have no love for Winston Peters’ politics and I’m happy to see New Zealand First […]
To do list
Getting elected is easy if you promise people the world and tell different audience different, contradictory things. It’s especially easy when you’ve got […]
Class and the Maori Party
The New Zealand Herald has a telling story today about how the Maori Party’s decision over whether to prop up a right-wing National/ACT […]
Not what they expected
I’ve been out and about over the last few days talking to people from the left and the right as well as a […]
Goff and King to lead Labour
As has been widely reported, Phil Goff is set to take the leadership of Labour with Annette King as deputy leader. We’ll hear […]
A change to what? Part II
A few months ago I asked National supporters who comment here what they wanted to see in terms of hard policy from National. […]
What will National’s cabinet look like?
Will it be the same tired old faces, the fresh noobs or a mixture of both? Will it be an all National cabinet […]
What goes around
Well, after years of National and its proxies beating up stupid, pointless stories about Labour MPs spending taxpayers’ money on ‘perks’ like driving […]
Designer needed
A couple of mates of mine are working on a new left-wing project and are in need of some design help to get […]
08wire signs off
As a kid at a decile two high school in under National in the nineties, the one thing I did get a good […]
Campaign to save MMP underway
The Right hates MMP. The old system, FPP, advantaged the Right by about 1.5% according to this study. In 1978, 1981, and 1993 […]
Onward
I am incredibly proud to have worked with some many great people during the election campaign, and to know that many times more […]
Don’t mourn, organise.
In 1984 I watched the incoming Labour government move on a set of policies they had no mandate for and I also watched […]
Fare thee well
Firstly I must say congratulations to the winners on the night, and sympathies to those who did not succeed. We may not hold […]
National Spinners
David Farrar wrote… “Funniest moment was talking to a few of John’s staff, and one of them asked whether their imminent transfer to […]
The distances between parties
Just before the election They Work For You released some impressive work on the voting distances between parties based on:- There are 110 […]
Congratulations
It’s been a hard fought campaign but it’s clear that we’ve got a firmly right wing government now. Congratulations are in order for […]
Making the decision
Have you still not decided who you’ll vote for? The final poll shows the race between a National/ACT/United Future or a Labour/Green/Progressive/Maori government […]
The fundamental question
The fundamental question of politics is how the wealth of society should be divided among the members of society. We live in a […]
Final Roy Morgan poll
The final Roy Morgan poll is out and the Left (LPG+M) has it by a nose with 62 seats out of a 122 […]
Key the opposite of Obama
Supports a Woman’s Right to Choose This is abortion rights. John Key was asked about abortion rights in the debate and he lied […]
Key used Nat research unit to search for smear on Clark’s husband
After weeks of griping about dirty tactics, it has been revealed in the NBR that Key ordered the tax-payer funded National Party research […]
John’s walkabout itinerary
We’ve been emailed a copy of the itinerary for John Key’s last day of campaigning. It looks like he’s doing a last minute […]
Down to the wire
The last polls are out, except for Roy Morgan, which will presumably be out later today. Here are how the blocs sit (assuming […]
Key to work rights activist: you’re an idiot
You know, you can fly around acting all presidential if you like in a cheap attempt to wow the press gallery but that […]
Greens’ closing broadcast
Via frogblog, the Greens’ closing campaign broadcast. I’d put Labour’s up too, but I can’t find it.
Pigs in muck
Yesterday, John Key was telling journalists that he knew the secret agenda taper, Kees Keizer, was a Labour Party activist. In fact, he […]
Shock revelation: Taper is Wellington Leftie
The secret taper has revealed himself as Kees Keizer, a leftie from Wellington. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday encouraging Keizer […]