Written By: - Date published: 10:04 am, January 16th, 2013 - 41 comments
With a 10% increase in the median house price last year, we’re firmly back on a damaging house price binge. Labour has policies that address the issue. Where is National?
Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, January 13th, 2013 - 104 comments
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here: a Labour victory in 2014 isn’t necessarily better than a National victory in 2014.
Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, January 11th, 2013 - 160 comments
Labour’s 2012 Kiwibuild policy has focused on building homes for first time buyers. Now we are told Labour’s 2011 policy pledging to increase the state housing stock still stands. This raises many questions: including do-ability and the Labour leadership’s continuing (neoliberal) focus.
Written By: - Date published: 3:40 pm, January 10th, 2013 - 122 comments
I’m delighted to see that over 70% of respondents to a recent Herald poll, published today, think Labour’s 100,000 houses plan is “a winner for Labour”. The plan was announced by David Shearer at Labour’s November conference. I’d also like to thank Olwyn for asking some questions about Labour’s policy on housing in response to Zetetic’s post – they deserve an answer.
Written By: - Date published: 6:37 pm, January 9th, 2013 - 100 comments
I know I criticise David Shearer a lot, but if I sound bitter it’s just because I totally thought he would turn out to be Jesus.
Written By: - Date published: 6:55 pm, January 7th, 2013 - 300 comments
Going on previous form, Camp Shearer seem to think a successful caucus vote in February will silence all criticism of his parliamentary leadership of the Labour Party. Boy, are you all wrong.
Written By: - Date published: 10:43 am, January 5th, 2013 - 260 comments
As our own Labour grandee Mike Smith has pointed out, 2013 is the year Labour develops its policies.
That means Labour members (and the broader left) need to start talking about what they want before conference. And what better place to have that discussion than the Standard…
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, December 23rd, 2012 - 47 comments
Individualism & “celebrity” PM, John Key were still strong in 2012. But, there was opposition from some (often local) groups working collaboratively: Occupy, Glen Innes protesters, MUNZ, Asset Sales referendum, AAAP advocacy activism, manufacturing inquiry, NZLP democratisation, TS nest of vipers. And 2013?
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, December 21st, 2012 - 27 comments
… then maybe more attention would be given to increasing numbers of people struggling to get the necessities of life. Record queues outside Auckland’s City Mission. The Brighter Future never comes. Revisit The Spirit Level.
Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, December 20th, 2012 - 37 comments
Democracy needs independent news media, acting in the public interest, to speak truth to power. The commercial imperatives and neoliberal capture of corporate news organisations skew their political coverage, and contribute to voter disengagement. A perfect context for Key’s government to dismantle democracy: ECAN, CERA, Auckland Council, asset sales.
Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, December 20th, 2012 - 55 comments
David Shearer’s weekly e-newsletter, this week – Merry Christmas!
We’re happy to post similar newsletters from other opposition leaders – our email is on our contact page.
Written By: - Date published: 11:35 am, December 17th, 2012 - 124 comments
David Shearer was on TV 3 this morning, reflecting on his last year. He claimed that he and Labour are doing well under new and settled leadership, taking a new direction. How accurate are his claims?
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, December 14th, 2012 - 17 comments
David Shearer’s weekly e-newsletter – on a year to remember.
We’re happy to post similar newsletters from other opposition leaders – our email is on our contact page.
Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, December 13th, 2012 - 59 comments
Key’s government and his MSM cheerleaders, lead the country backwards to increasing inequalities. It’s been a year of the battle of the men. Yesterday, Metiria spoke of an inclusive country to collaboratively fight for, and Jacinda Ardern spoke passionately for children in poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 4:46 pm, December 12th, 2012 - 148 comments
David Shearer was on fine form in this speech yesterday, rounding up the year with thanks to Parliament’s workers, greetings to the opposition “family”, a friendly dig at the Press Gallery, the year of “Partial Recall” and memory dot gone, and finally the serious business of holding the Nats to account on their appalling record. Good work.
Written By: - Date published: 5:31 pm, December 11th, 2012 - 25 comments
In these troubling times, it was uplifting to see the flax-roots, practical and collaborative action at the Onehunga Recession Busting rally for beneficiaries today. Volunteers in front of the WINZ office in Onehunga Mall, are giving support and assistance to those most in need.
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, December 11th, 2012 - 88 comments
As an outsider watching the struggles in the Labour Party unfold, I am becoming increasingly despondent about the state of Left wing politics in NZ. Right now, NZ, and those of us who party vote Green/Mana, require a strong, democratic and solidly left wing Labour Party.
Written By: - Date published: 11:20 pm, December 9th, 2012 - 251 comments
Back five years ago*, when The Standard was founded by people like Ralph, Irish, Lynn, Tillerman, and Tane, it stood for a few basic Leftwing principles. Pro-worker, pro-environment, pro-equity, and anti-elitist. And it saw a Labour-led Left government as the best vehicle to achieve those goals. Much of the crew has changed but the values and the goals haven’t.
Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, December 9th, 2012 - 56 comments
After good news for Labour in the most recent TV1 and 3 News polls, the latest Fairfax poll is the third in the set confirming that the party has emerged from the recent media circus in OK shape. As far as I know that’s the last big poll of 2012, and with the Left / Right gap halved since the election, a reasonable place for Labour to be sitting at the end of the year.
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, December 8th, 2012 - 95 comments
It’s pretty clear: the Greens have managed to hold on to the massive gain they made during the last election campaign, largely at Labour’s expense as it imploded. Labour’s back to its pre-campaign level, at National’s expense. Lab+Green=Nat or thereabouts but the Left needs a good 5% more from the Right to feel confident. So, this is not the time to be listening to John Armstrong’s advice.
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, December 8th, 2012 - 51 comments
Yesterday evening there was an Aotearoa Not For Sale protest in Auckland: 350,000 signatures achieved! Today, Sat 8 Dec, Day of Action against TPPA: NELSON – noon: AUCKLAND – march leaves Aotea Sq at 2.00 pm sharp! [Update: only news when there’s violence!]
Written By: - Date published: 5:33 pm, December 7th, 2012 - 40 comments
David Shearer’s weekly e-newsletter, this week on the Auckland tornado, and the emergency response.
We’re happy to post similar newsletters from other opposition leaders – our email is on our contact page.
Written By: - Date published: 9:03 pm, December 6th, 2012 - 164 comments
Word is that a senior Labour MP (who will go unnamed) has been lobbying National Council to put rules in place for party members who participate in the blogosphere.
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, December 6th, 2012 - 53 comments
The Key government’s sham and failed ideology of freedom and democracy can be seen in two Bills that were before the House this week. This government is increasingly autocratic and anti-democratic, while enabling the powerful to exploit and control the powerless, including children.
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, December 5th, 2012 - 64 comments
Yesterday Jacinda Ardern questioned Paula Bennett on WINZ paying for beneficiaries to travel to Aussie to get jobs. Did she highlight the government’s poor record on jobs, or inadvertently trigger more MSM bennie-bashing? Do any MPs raise their voices strongly beneficiaries?
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, December 4th, 2012 - 143 comments
Paddy Gower looked fit to burst with excitement over ‘Greens and Labour fighting over Finance portfolio‘ last night. Of course, the actual quote not so exciting – just Russel Norman saying it was one portfolio that would be the subject of negotiations in the formation of a Lab/Green govt. But it does raise a valid question – who would be ministers in a Lab/Green govt?
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, December 3rd, 2012 - 157 comments
Russel Norman’s taken advantage of the gap in Labour’s economic skills and vague positioning to cement the Greens as the main alternative voice on economics. Labour lacks any strong economic voice now Cunliffe’s on the outer, and they don’t know where they stand – they attack National but essentially adopt their neoliberal approach.
Written By: - Date published: 6:07 pm, December 2nd, 2012 - 122 comments
Individual polls are nothing to get too excited about, it is the trend over time that matters. That said, the TV1 and 3 News polls tonight were both good news for Labour and Shearer.
Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, December 2nd, 2012 - 78 comments
John Tamihere’s been let back into the party. On one hand it’s just a party membership and Labour’s a broad church. On the other hand he’s professed a desire to stand for Labour in Waitakeri, has made a big show and dance about his attempts to join, and was (still is?) a man who regularly had a wine in Ponsonby with the party leader.
Written By: - Date published: 3:24 pm, November 30th, 2012 - 161 comments
David Shearer’s weekly e-newsletter, this week on “100% Pure”, climate change and our environmental reputation.
We’re happy to post similar newsletters from other opposition leaders – our email is on our contact page.
Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, November 30th, 2012 - 28 comments
Over the past four years 40,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost (and over a thousand manufacturing companies have shut up shop). The government is in full denial, so the opposition parties have set up their own inquiry. Today is the last day for submissions.
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