John Key revealed that he was not ruling out going into coalition with Labour after the next election. He is rather bored and this party may make life a bit less boring. Besides this way he can take credit for having made the Best Start.
Media bias has been a topic of discussion this week and such simple things as the choice of photos can be evidence of this. The Herald has been publishing very unflattering photos of David Cunliffe. You would think that with all of their resources they would have slightly more natural photos than the ones they are running …
It appears that John Key is trying to divert attention away from this Government’s appalling record regarding child poverty and Labour’s Best Start and Paid Parental Leave by starting a discussion on what the Country’s flag should look like.
The ratings/sales driven ethos of the corporate MSM skews the coverage of the election campaigns of parties of the “left” and the “right”. Focus on individuals, implying they represent large sections of the population. The left are leading the agenda on inequality.
Video of Poto Williams’ maiden speech given yesterday in Parliament. Congratulations Poto.
Sometimes I despair for our media. I mean, the latest parroting of Key’s line on Best Start is the stuff of black comedy. […]
The PMs’ statement todaywas a bit of a fizzer: lacking ideas, a lot of waffle. Some opposition speeches were more inspiring, & laid out some real alternatives: like the speeches from Cunliffe (on fire), Norman (inspiring), Ardern (animated) & Harawira (real people; real struggles).
Following David Cunliffe’s announcement of Best Start New Zealand’s right wing took it upon themselves to show how useless and venal they are. […]
The text of David Cunliffe’s state of the nation speech from today’s meeting in Kelston.
Update: youtube of speech added
Metiria Turei delivered a very strong, inspiring, and well-targeted speech yesterday. She reclaimed fractured values of inclusive, collaborative communities. She framed inequality as the issue for the coming election; the Greens’ education hub policy central. Labour, NZEI responded favourably.
There’s another sign National is getting a bit desperate at the beginning of election year 2014, as they reach in to the Tory trick-bag of voter suppression in the revised Electoral Amendment Bill reported back to the House on 18 December 2013.
The first impression created by National’s announced education reforms is a positive one. But there is a lot of politics in the background. It may be strange for a lefty to say this but is this the best spend of finite education resources? Would the money be better spent addressing child poverty?
John Key was careful in his speech. He and his government have helped themselves and their affluent mates while screwing everyone else. It is pretty clear who has been getting the benefits – since 2010 just the households with at least a hundred thousand dollars income. The bigger the household income, the more National helps. John Key – a liar with numbers.
The Crown Financial Statements to the end of November 2013 show that the sale of Meridian and Air New Zealand added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost of the asset sales programme. Combined with the cost of the Mighty River Power sale and ancillary costs such as the Rio Tinto payout, the total cost of the asset sales now stands at $440m. National just likes burning the money of the taxpayers for no productive purpose.
John Key presented one great idea in isolation instead of a full election agenda: a desperate attempt to stop the growing discontents with his government. He failed to address underlying problems. Cunliffe will outline a broader political agenda. Turei addresses poverty & income inequalities.
On the pipers, the dancers and the great unwashed.
[Updated] Speeches: Key (today ZB Transcript). PM’s speech – untruths, misdirections & corporatisation of education – comment added. Cunliffe on Monday, on greater opportunities for all Kiwis. Metiria Turei’s speech, Sunday – will talk education, environment. Peters responds to Key. Greens response – education. Cunliffe’s Stand-up – audio.
Following your great response to Micky’s recent post David Cunliffe has got in touch about your comments, his policy, and his big speech on Monday.
John Key has made a major strategic mistake with his early announcement of the parties National could go into government with. In framing the 2014 campaign as a contest between two blocs he has given away National’s trump card for gaining Winston’s support – support the largest party. Opportunity time for a positive alternative from Labour/Greens.
Paula Bennett’s punitive welfare reforms are bad enough (pressuring people into unsuitable work, or off benefits without alternative support); then there’s privatising the scheme by outsourcing enforced work placement to private companies – worse still, to overseas corporates. Devaluing & dehumanising people, communities, & nurturing activities. [Update: APM conflicts of interest]
Key has refused to rule out the possibility of a National coalition with NZ First after this year’s election. How desperate is that?
Some say the economy often responds positively to “confidence”, while lack of it can result in some financial nose dives. But whose confidence is being highlighted in reports of NZ’ “rock star” economy? Not that of workers, beneficiaries – the precariat, say Labour, Greens.
David Cunliffe’s state of the nation speech is to be given on January 27 at Kelston in Auckland. As a crowd sourcing exercise what are the things that he should be talking about and what are the issues that will change hearts and minds?
Rob Salmond at Polity on the National Party’s use of public service videos for political ends.
David Cunliffe is planning to give a state of the nation speech in Kelston on Monday Janury 27.
Rob Salmond at Polity has been having a look at Bill English’s “neutral” tax change in 2010…
Bill English recently heralded his tax switch as making net tax more progressive. He lied. It actually made net tax at least $500 million more regressive.
The first results of Paula Bennett’s drug testing of beneficiaries has been released. Only 0.27% of the 8,000 beneficiaries required to be tested either failed or refused to take the test. The testing is a colossal waste of money but is performing an important political role by making the Government look like it is being tough on beneficiaries.
There is an important debate for both Labour and the Greens to have about the level of cooperation they should display this year. Some commentators have suggested that the Greens will be sidelined and that the battle will be between Labour and National but this is MMP and every vote counts. The goal for progressives has to be to increase the overall left vote.
There’s a tussle going on as Obama pushes to seal the deal and to limit Congress’s say on TPPA deals. But, Congress would still have more say about the deals than NZ MPs. It’s about democracy & sovereignty. It could slip under the radar over summer.
Three years ago John Key promised sort of that he could by diplomatic means stop the Japanese hunting of whales in the Southern Ocean. Given recent events it appears that his confidence was misplaced. Because the Japanese are slaughtering whales again in our back yard.
The latest report on New Zealand’s performance under the Kyoto Protocol is out and the news is disturbing. Net emissions compared to our 1990 CO2 equivalent emissions are predicted to treble by 2030 at a time where they should be trending to below the 1990 level. And Government policies are shown to be making little difference. Meanwhile a report by Prof Euan Mason advocates that Agriculture should be in the scheme and that with a proper price for ETS credits significant reforestation with attendant benefits could occur. And meanwhile RWNJs continue to show their belligerent lack of understanding of the science of climate change …
Josie Pagani objected to mickysavage’s post objecting to her post at Pundit, and wanted to publish this as a right of reply. That is something that doesn’t exist on this or any blog. After all there is always another site to put content up on. However the ongoing debate going on here about how the left and the labour movement should operate and communicate (from many different angles) makes it of interest.
Celebrity golf! Which one will get voted off the island first!? Meanwhile the world burns, the poor struggle, and the wealth gap continues to be a blight on our country.
Readers of this site are probably aware that I like reading science fiction. They’d also be aware that we run this site targeted at the general left labour movement of New Zealand. Of course many other people confuse this with the Labour party. In truth it can be distinguished as being more like the late great Iain M Bank’s view of his fictional Culture which he divided up into various Mind/ship behavioural segments. It kind of fits…
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