Crash ‘n Burn
A chuttering PM and…well, I guess being left speechless.
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Northern Ireland’s precarious peace
On Friday, UK leader of the opposition revealed a leaked Treasury Paper which undermines the Prime Ministers claims that there will be no checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. My earlier post on each of the party’s Brexit positions pointed out how critical Northern Ireland has been in the Brexit debate.
Can UK Labour do it?
Very unlikely. From the polls taken in the UK few hours ago, the Conservatives are in for an historic fourth consecutive term in Parliament.
The plastics problem
It’s easy to mock the government’s latest single-use plastics ban, but the comprehensive plan it arises from is impressive work from Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage, including the shift to systems thinking and the far reaching implications of the government adopting this approach.
How To Get There 8/12/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
The climate emergency and the UK election
The climate crisis is one of the greatest threats to life on our planet, and as Prime Minister Boris Johnson should have fronted this debate. By failing to do so, he has shown himself to be a weak and feeble leader. By not engaging on the critical issue of climate change, Boris Johnson has shown not only UK electors, but the world that he is a fool.
Scotland – does independence loom?
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog Scotland matters in the 2019 UK general election. Yet much of the electorate have little understanding of the […]
Right wing lies
New Zealand and the United Kingdom are both cursed with the right wing parties having the same advisors and similar means of campaigning
An Early Christmas.
Christian tradition dictates Christmas falls on the 25th of December. This year though, if we simply view Christmas through a lens of ‘good things happening’, then Christmas is coming early.
Time to become a republic
There are indications that Elizabeth the UK Queen may stand down from her office in the next two years. That may be the perfect time for Aotearoa New Zealand to cast aside constitutional provisions based on heredity and become constitutionally independent of the old country.
Little’s Electoral Bill a curate’s egg – good in parts
I’ve always liked Punch magazine’s famous cartoon “True humility” where the curate assures his bishop noticing his bad egg that parts of it are excellent. Most discussion on Little’s Bill has focused on the bad bits regarding foreign donations. The good bit requires all political ads online to be attributed.
Protecting democracy
We need to normalise a political culture based on real relationships, where people can work through their beliefs and thinking about how they want society to be without being constantly bombarded with information and processes that are deeply anti-human.
Terror attack at London Bridge
With just over a week to go till the UK General Election, polls (which are questionable in reliability) show the race getting tighter. Expect lots of harsh word and dubious tactics. In all this, political operators shouldn’t forget that real people’s lives are impacted by events like terror attacks. Politicians from all sides need to think about their actions before trying to gain political points.
Government to ban foreign donations to political parties
The Government has announced that it will pass under urgency changes to the Electoral Law to ban overseas donations.
Why some MPs should not tweet
National MP Joanne Hayes has provided a textbook example of the perils of Twitter.
Whither Warren?
Is it too early to call negative odds on Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy?
Labour’s infrastructure spend announcement
Is the Government commitment to the budget responsibility rules weakening? Because at the Labour Party Conference Grant Robertson has indicated that the Government will shortly announce a big capital spend on infrastructure.
How To Get There 1/12/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
Labour Conference
It’s a weird moment for the Labour Party at Conference this weekend.
The folly of electoral pacts
Originally posted Nick Kelly’s blog One feature of the UK election has been various electoral alliances or deals done. This has mostly occurred […]
Bridges calls for investigation into National’s handling of electoral donations
Simon Bridges’ demand of an investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation appears to have backfired after it emerges that the NZ First Foundation was modelled on the National Party Foundation.
Lefties on The Standard redux
A dedicated post on The Standard providing a discussion space for left-wing people only.
Strike Force Raptor for the win
National has proposed significant changes to the Criminal Justice system to create a Police group without evidence that it works, and that if enacted would make our prisons less safe and plug holes in our law that do not exist.
Submissions to upgrade Ihumātao Ōtuataua Stonefields heritage listing
Pania Newton and the Protect Ihumātao Team are asking New Zealanders to submit to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga using this process. Submissions close 4pm Friday.
Next round of NZ and international climate actions
School Strike for Climate, Extinction Rebellion, That Humble Man, Greenpeace.
National’s Youth lauranorda rhetoric
National is proposing changes to the Youth Court system that show not only a disregard for working in the interests of young people but disturbingly show a complete lack of understanding about how the Youth Court works.
Economists support Labour forming the next UK government
One hundred and sixty three British economists have signed a letter to the Financial Times to say they believe that Labour should form […]
Little announces changes to Prisoner voting rights
Andrew Little has announced a review of prisoner voting rights to overturn National’s law change which the Courts have ruled to be in breach of fundamental rights and unjustified. Simon Bridges has announced that National will reverse any such law change. And he has topped this off by proposing that Tauranga City Council should prosecute and fine beggars and homeless people.
November Stuff Poll; Nats Knackered
Stuff have released their latest YouGov political poll. It’s a shocker for the Tories and their current leader Simon Bridges.
How To Get There 24/11/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
Never Trump
There is tremendous momentum within the Democratic Party right now with recent gains in Kentucky and Louisiana and Virginia. But in the battle to get rid of Trump they can still blow it.
Social Media – A force for good?
Nick Kelly on the role of social media in the UK election.
Are the UK media biased?
Nick Kelly on allegations of bias in the UK media.
Hypocrites
National’s attacks on NZ First’s Foundation are hypocritical in the extreme given that it also has a Foundation and has used this foundation to hide the identity of donors who have collectively potentially contributed huge amounts of money to the party.
Hypocrite
Simon Bridges has accused NZ First of engaging in the most significant breach of electoral law in New Zealand’s history. But has not ruled out working with NZ First in the future. And has forgotten about National’s neat partition of a $100,000 donation to hide it from the authorities.
Why is Jacinda Ardern so popular? (part 2)
Let’s take a moment to enjoy.