UK Labour and antisemitism
Nick Kelly deals with issues of antisemitism that the UK Labour Party has faced.
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
‘Donations’ or bribes
It has been ironic at our media frenzy on political ‘donations’. I suspect that our legal structure has been setup for bribing politicians with ‘donations’. Let us just make all politicians and donors guilty until proven innocent of false reporting of ‘donations’. It’d be more interesting than the current farce. Start with Simon Bridges – currently still under investigation by the SFO.
Not a good look
There has been recent media exposure on New Zealand First’s treatment of donations and the use of a trust to receive donations and avoid contribution disclosure requirements by making payments loans rather than gifts.
Common-wealth Government
Advantage is testing an idea out. What will a common accountability framework for the government look like?
Austerity – who should pay for the financial crisis?
Nick Kelly on UK austerity and who should have paid for the financial crisis.
Green MP Gareth Hughes speaking bold truth ahead of his retirement at next election
“I’ve grown up knowing nothing but the revolution of the early 1980s. This is this operating system which was uploaded in New Zealand and people have tried to install better policies or better programs, but if they don’t work with the system, they are crashing”
Just another typical week in US politics
The last week in US politics has seen the Trump Impeachment Hearing go public, Trump confidant Roger Stone convicted of lying to Congress, Alex Jones ask for the Presidential pardon to be used to free him, and details revealed of multiple meetings between Trump and Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas who are charged with campaign rule violations. Trump says he does not know them. Just another week in the Trump Presidency …
How To Get There 17/11/19
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.
Two Referendums Too Many
The referendums on two contentious issues could cloud and crowd out the General Election.
Fifty shades of meh
A group of farmers protested against Government climate policies yesterday including policies which the National Party either established or supported.
End of Life Bill passes
David Seymour’s End of Life Bill passed through Parliament last night by 69 votes to 51. We are now facing a referendum at the next election.
Compassionless Conservatives?
Nick Kelly summaries the lack of compassion shown by Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg during this weeks UK election campaign.
Sustainable Party launches
The Sustainable Party, National’s sock puppet party designed to weaken the Greens has launched. And its policies for some strange reason have not put climate change front and centre.
The Liberal Democrats
Nick Kelly on the Liberal Democrats’ prospects in the upcoming UK elections.
Maybe Nancy was right
There is a very good chance that the upcoming impeachment trial of
President Donald Trump will turn into one massive campaign launch –
one which significantly increases his chances of winning a second
term.
How To Get There 10/11/19
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.
Zero Carbon acts – this is how change happens
The Zero Carbon Act is not perfect, but it’s a critical step in the social and political change that is needed to prevent catastrophe.
Slapdown
Jacinda Ardern has publicly slapped Shane Jones down for blatantly racist comments by requiring Immigration Officials to reverse a policy change that was adversely affecting Kiwis who have recently entered into arranged marriages.
Police London-wide ban on Extinction Rebellion actions ruled unlawful
“The landmark judgment upholds the peoples’ fundamental right to peaceful protest and prohibits the Police from any such future ban”
UK Conservative’s social media is remarkably similar to National’s social media
The British Conservative Party and the New Zealand National Party appear to be using very similar twitter strategies involving the setting of highly edited video to naff music and the making of patently ridiculous claims.
National’s fundamentals
Are National parachuting in a fundamentalist Christian as a Prime Minister hopeful?
Remembering the 5th of November and Parihaka
“For Taranaki Māori, 5 November 1881 is known as ‘Te Rā o te Pāhua’ or ‘The Day of Plunder’.”
Young Māori voices on climate action
An indigenous youth delegation from Aotearoa is heading to the 25th UN Climate Talks.
Dunedin’s Hillside Rail Workshop
Good news for Dunedin and the Country as the Government has announced a $20 million upgrade of the Hillside Rail Workshop.
The UK General Election
Nick Kelly is a form NZ trade unionist and NZ Labour activist. He is a co director of Piko Consulting, and currently lives in London expanding Piko into the UK. The below was originally published on Nick Kelly’s blog
TWP – sorted?
A guest post from Chrissy Thomas on Te Whare Pounamu, Dunedin Women’s Refuge.
Trickle down fails yet again
Despite its continuous failure to work over the past 40 years trickle down remains a favourite justification by right wing administrations for allowing unfettered greed.
How To Get There 3/11/19
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.
Twitter announces end to paid political advertising
Jacinda Ardern’s campaign against harmful social media has had an effect with Twitter deciding to ban political advertising on the grounds that internet advertising brings significant risks to politics.
Snap election Britain
The UK will learn its political fate on Friday 13 December. MPs have voted in a one-line Bill to have an election on Thursday 12 November, in the middle of winter. BoJo’s got his way if not quite the way he wanted. All bets are off.
Can’t Simon Bridges prove a double negative
Simon Bridges has announced new National Party policy to take benefits off gang members and their families if they can’t prove they don’t have illegal income or assets.
Wellington mayor-elect flip-flops on sale of Wellington Airport
One of the first acts of Wellington mayor-elect, Andy Foster has been to reverse his stance on the council’s 34% holding in Wellington International Airport Ltd (WIAL). Whether he can get his plan to sell the airport stake past a once hostile public or a leftist-dominated council also seems about as likely as his desire to bulldoze through another tunnel through Mt Vic.
Small start to inflated bullshit.
I was reading one of Chris Trotters reflections which looked at the Corrections Amendment Bill 2018, that just passed its 3rd reading. “Putting The Check In Right-Wing Prisoners’ Mail”. It sounded odd and oddly lacked detail. I came to the conclusion taking press releases at face value without thinking was a very bad idea.
Unapologetic populism?
A Wall Street broker has accused Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren of unapologetic populism in her desire to help workers, the environment, those with lower incomes, and women and minorities as if these are bad things.
Brittle cities
It is pretty hard to miss a variety of cities around the world going nuts for apparently minor offences.
How To Get There 27/10/19
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.