Why this mid term result?
What can we take from the US mid term election results?
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
The United States mid term elections
The US mid term election results are due out today and should start to appear after 12 pm NZT.
Simon’s sure fire way to deal with difficult questions
Simon’s strategy is that cunning you could be tempted to pin a tail on it and call it a weasel.
Easy Climate Action
Another promising front is opening that might help encourage people to sit up, take notice, and act.
Simon Bridges wants a new senior social media advisor
Simon Bridges has advertised for a Senior Social Media advisor.
A Democratic Cakewalk.
Cenk Uygur might be said to have “skin in the game” when it comes to the US Mid-terms, and given that much of this post revolves around, or bounces from his commentary and analysis – which may not be quite as objective as he thinks – that should be borne in mind when reading this post.
The Jami-Lee tapes
Newshub has released a further Jami-Lee Ross tape which contains a promise by Simon Bridges that if Ross stood down for health reasons he could come back in the new year and be promoted.
Bryce Edwards: Just another political simpleton
I can only describe Bryce Edwards spin about what a “The Standard” post means is that it is complete bullshit. This site is not the editorial and political monolith. But what else do you expect from a political simpleton with a limited understanding of actual debate. Like Mike Hosking, he is far more suited to a broadcast medium where he doesn’t get robust debate on their inane explanations of real world politics.
Jacinda Ardern’s speech
The text of Jacinda’s speech being delivered to the Labour Conference in Dunedin today.
Morongate
In America a young 20 year old Trump supporter has been branded with the hashtag morongate for the most inept dark op smear you could ever imagine happening.
Labour Conference Random Notes
Some notes from Ad about the Labour conference currently being held in Dunedin.
KiwiBuild doesn’t fly.
More than that, it needs to be torn down before it makes a serious bid at flight.
Extinction Rebellion
In the United Kingdom, Extinction Rebellion, a new mass direct-action group modeled on Occupy, has emerged with the goal of forcing the Government to take urgent action on climate change.
Labour Party Conference 2018
It’s conference time! The NZ Labour party is into it’s second century and into Government. What can we expect from this weekend’s hui in Dunedin and what policies and positions do Standard readers think need to be pushed?
Our rail revival
Yesterday the government announced that it was reversing the previous government’s decision to kill off the electric trains. The decision is one of many recently made that suggests that the future of rail is bright.
What is up with National?
National appears to be rattled and introverted right now. Is the continuing saga involving Jami-Lee Ross the cause?
National’s very bad day in the house
National had a spectacularly bad day today in Parliament.
Brazil, Brexit, Trump…with more to come.
When orders collapse, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We’re making it a bad thing.
National’s Judith problem
Judith Collins has landed herself in trouble for publicising details of a young couple who just bought a Kiwibuild home.
National badly wants Kiwibuild to crash
National is complaining that Labour is not solving the National imposed housing crisis quickly enough.
Brazil turns right
Brazil has elected as its next President a 63-year-old former paratrooper who built his campaign around pledges to crush corruption, crime and a supposed communist threat.
Media Thriving on its Own Shit.
When purveyors of propaganda come to believe their own spin and start entertaining really quite idiotic conspiracy theories and abandoning any pretense of being in possession of rational thought, then we’ve got a problem.
Democracy and peace in the USA
In the land of the free and the brave there is news of voting machines changing votes from Democrat to Republican candidates, mass stripping of voting rights and closing of voting booths in Democrat areas, and right wing extreme violence caused by escalating rhetoric from the POTUS.
An Ineffectual Opposition Is Bad News
An ineffectual Opposition creates a vacuum that will be filled by the Mainstream and Social Media as they will assume the role of unelected and non-representative opposition in effectuo.
Eye of the storm
Simon Bridges thinks that he is past trouble caused by the Jami-Lee Ross incident. But the way things are developing he may be in the middle of things.
Green Growth
Shade it any colour you like…
Lime Sour
Lime scooters are this year’s finger spinner. The problem is that unlike last year’s must have toy, e-scooters are a public menace.
Ross saga quiescent, but donations scandal needs addressing
The Jami-Lee Ross scandal may have quietened down but issues raised by his explosive tape recording of Simon Bridges still need addressing. Does the $100k Zhang Yikun donation suggest we are going down the US track and, if so, what needs to be done about that
Duped?
Were you just taken for a ride?
Nothing to worry about
National thinks that it has weathered the storm caused by the Jami-Lee Ross revelations and it has nothing to worry about even though the Police have gone to the Electoral Commission. And Simon Bridges has been in touch with Cameron Slater. What could go wrong?
Bridges loses connection with reality
Simon says that the economy and government are failing, not him and National. Last week made him stronger. And improved everyone’s mental health.
Also black is white and the earth is flat.
Australia’s refugee problem
The Liberal Party has potentially lost one of its safest seats to an independent who campaigned on doing something about climate change and the Nauru refugees.
Pollwatch: Colmar Brunton, October 23rd
In this triumphant return of Pollwatch, we discuss the increasing likelihood of a Labour-Green coalition at the next election, the security of the two smaller list parties’ tenure, the shocking 2% support of Simon Bridges’ handling of recent political events, and the split in the shadow-race for National Party leader.
TVNZ Colmar Brunton Poll
National slump in the latest poll; Judith Collins is up in the preferred PM race.
Uncharted Waters
Trevor Mallard is grappling with the implications of Jami-Lee Ross’s status under the Mental Health Act.
The Mariana Trench Fix.
The Mariana Trench is pretty huge. And deep. And if the idea is to fill a hole in the ground with ‘stuff’, then it’s a fair sized hole to be filling, right?