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Why in the middle of a pandemic an immediate change to Orange is magical thinking

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, April 5th, 2022 - 77 comments

National’s friends are in unison complaining that the Government should be announcing now when we will be back into Orange.  But our exemplary performance compared to other nations suggests strongly that the Government should continue to respect the medical advice it is receiving.

Kia kaha Louisa Wall

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 pm, March 31st, 2022 - 10 comments

Earlier this week Louisa Wall announced that she is retiring as a Member of Parliament.  History will confirm that she was one of our best Parliamentarians.

Covid and political capital

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, March 28th, 2022 - 141 comments

Jacinda Ardern has burned significant political capital on dealing with Covid.  But it is something that a responsible Political leader, of which there are few, would do.

Can This Government Be Saved?

Written By: - Date published: 5:43 pm, March 25th, 2022 - 118 comments

Can Labour win a third term? Here are some pathways up, and some pathways down.

Government announces significant changes to traffic light settings and mandates

Written By: - Date published: 11:52 am, March 23rd, 2022 - 218 comments

The Government has announced changes to Covid policies relating to traffic light settings and mandates.

The difference between Labour and National

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, March 17th, 2022 - 141 comments

There has been the occasional criticism of Labour for not achieving enough progressive change by people who then propose supporting National.  What are they thinking?

The Tauranga by election

Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, March 16th, 2022 - 67 comments

By elections are at the best of times dramatic events.  Given current circumstances and a well funded although deeply unpopular anti vaccine movement and the likely candidacy of Winston Peters the Tauranga by election is likely to be a circus.

The empire strikes back

Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, March 15th, 2022 - 146 comments

Labour’s announcement of a temporary reduction in fuel excise duties and a halving of public transport fares ups the ante on the debate on how to alleviate hardship caused by overseas induced inflation.

“Labour… stop playing by this tired, neoliberal playbook”

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, March 11th, 2022 - 98 comments

Chloe Swarbrick, the cost of living crisis, and what the economy is for.

The latest poll

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 pm, March 10th, 2022 - 124 comments

National/Act (47%) would beat Labour/Greens (46%) if there were an election held tomorrow, according to the latest One News Kantar poll.

Why haven’t the police acted?

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, February 18th, 2022 - 474 comments

It is day 10 of the Anti vax protest on Parliament’s grounds.  More cars are being parked illegally and despite considerable disruption to Wellington’s roading network so far not one car has been towed by the police.

Can this government get re-elected?

Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, February 13th, 2022 - 34 comments

Where will the votes come from to get Labour a third term? 

Prime Minister Ardern on Climate Change and the economy

Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, February 9th, 2022 - 33 comments

The full text is worth perusing across multiple areas, but Prime Minister Ardern’s speech in Parliament yesterday gave useful hints about how the economy and climate change are being integrated into a single economic strategy.

Luxon under pressure after latest Newshub Poll

Written By: - Date published: 10:08 pm, February 7th, 2022 - 93 comments

I am going to channel my Matthew Hooton left wing alter ego in the writing of this post.  The latest Newshub poll shows a resounding level of support for the Labour Party and there are murmurs of discontent about Chris Luxon after support for the right plummets.

Prime Minister Ardern’s Waitangi Day speech

Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, February 6th, 2022 - 34 comments

The text of Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern’s Waitangi Day speech

How the Covid era changes us

Written By: - Date published: 3:42 pm, February 3rd, 2022 - 45 comments

With Prime Minister announcing effectively the beginning of the end of state control of COVID, the question that has to be asked is how will the end of COVID change us all?

And what have they done anyway?

Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, February 2nd, 2022 - 107 comments

With Ardern getting a good-old media beat-down, remember here’s how to change a country for good like no one else but Labour can.

About the latest Colmar Brunton poll

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, January 28th, 2022 - 52 comments

The latest Colmar Brunton (now Kantar) poll has now been released and some of the commentary and analysis is pretty ordinary.

The importance of proper mask wearing

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, January 27th, 2022 - 55 comments

With an Omicron surge appearing to be inevitable the importance of proper mask wearing has never been more important.

Omicron is coming

Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, January 21st, 2022 - 113 comments

So far the country has fought back and eliminated the original Covid infection, won a couple of skirmishes and then and fought and quelled the Delta incursion.  But it looks like Omicron is coming …

A few random predictions for 2022

Written By: - Date published: 11:30 am, January 1st, 2022 - 117 comments

A few random predictions for 2022.

New Zealand 2 Covid 0 so far …

Written By: - Date published: 8:36 am, December 30th, 2021 - 280 comments

But Omicron may be loose.

The Standard’s 2021 political awards

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, December 28th, 2021 - 68 comments

It is that time of year where nostalgia kicks in and the desire to review current events dims.  So much has happened this year.  It has truly been twelve months of the praiseworthy and the absolutely pitiful. And it is time to reflect on the personalities who made us smile, made us frown and made us raise our eyebrows to breaking point.

Our Energy Upheaval

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, December 23rd, 2021 - 79 comments

Ministers Wood, Shaw and Parker (Energy, Climate Change, and RMA reform respectively), must pull their eyes downward from the misty clouds of climate change and stuff multiple decades away and down into the jagged, shadowy deal-by-deal path of the transition to clean energy.

V Day!

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, December 17th, 2021 - 319 comments

Yesterday was Aotearoa’s V day, the day that we reached the goal of having 90% of the target population vaccinated against Covid.

New Zealand moving Green

Written By: - Date published: 11:36 am, December 14th, 2021 - 89 comments

Long overdue, the recent Green upward trend continues.

Some good news about Covid

Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, December 6th, 2021 - 230 comments

In Auckland there ares welcome signs that the spread of Covid is declining and the Health system is holding up.  And the Vaccination roll out has gone that well that Chris Luxon has described Auckland as having some of the highest vaccination rates of any city in the world.

How many centrist votes go to Labour?

Written By: - Date published: 12:38 pm, November 25th, 2021 - 105 comments

Judith Collins lost a vote of confidence. David Farrar seems to think that Act will get the inevitable flow. Sounds unlikely. The far right and nutbar fringe has already vacated to Act – who represent them so well. But Labour overwhelming won last election on a vote from previous National voters. History repeats in 2023?

National – let the virus rip

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 pm, November 24th, 2021 - 21 comments

There is no other explanation, and this week Paul Goldsmith gave the game away, National thinks that we should let the Corona virus rip.

Covid and the latest polls

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, November 12th, 2021 - 148 comments

The results of two polls were leaked recently both showing a drop in support for Labour.  Clearly the Delta outbreak has rattled confidence.  But National has not surged up in support and the Greens have picked up some of the former Labour vote.

Freedom Protesters are a pain in the ass

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, November 10th, 2021 - 74 comments

Human rights are a pain in the ass. Yesterday’s protesters were rude, unfit to invite home to dinner, shouty, and so incoherent that you could’t make any sensible point with them. They were and are a pain in the ass. But they are OUR pain in the ass.