What is wrong with postal voting?
Judith Collins’s and National’s ridiculing the proposition that New Zealand could safely hold an election using postal voting has some disturbing similarities with Donald Trump’s approach in America.
Politics
political parties
TheY aRe onlY aSKing qUestiOns
Yesterday National suggested a wide based and interesting conspiracy theory involving the Government and the Ministry of Health and all of the Health Boards suppressing news of community spread of Covid 19 for political advantage while at the same time complaining that the Government should be consulting with them on decisions.
UMR Poll August 2020
The latest Rogue Poll™ is out. This time it’s UMR’s turn and Judith Collins is on the rise.
Will National politicise the new Covid outbreak? *
*Rhetorical question. Of course they will.
The strange tale of the Auckland Central selection and Merv from Manurewa
News has emerged that a senior National Party figure rang talkback radio and made derogatory comments about National’s only Sri Lankan candidate in an apparent attempt to reduce her chance of being selected as National’s Auckland Central candidate.
Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government: Style over substance or a guiding light for progressive politics?
Critics have dismissed the Jacinda Ardern government as being one of style over substance. This is unfair given the challenges this government has faced and the policy achievements it has had. However, it is a government that has much work to do if it wins a second term. And its over-reliance on Jacinda as party leader is a huge strategic risk, especially when the governments front bench is perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be lightweight.
IT doESN’t aDD up
For a few days now Gerry Brownlee has been peddling this dog whistle conspiracy campaign that the Government is hiding bad news about Covid and we should all be really concerned.
National’s list
National’s list has now been released and highlights selection problems that it has had this year.
NZ First is in trouble in Northland
More bad news for NZ First. It looks like their hope that Northland could provide a get out of jail free card is misplaced.
July 2020 Roy Morgan Poll
The latest Roy Morgan poll is out.
Crusher?
Crushed!
Jacinda’s speech to the Labour campaign launch
Jacinda Ardern’s speech to the Labour 2020 campaign launch.
James Shaw, comedian
A bit of shade, some Dad jokes, and the serious business of what the Greens have done.
The Covid election
I normally do not do this, tempting fate and all that. But the forces behind this election are so strong that it would take a really dramatic event to change current momentum.
The test of MMP
With the left’s political fortunes having changed greatly in the past three years, and with more change on the way, does the left still want MMP?
Who are you going to trust with your job, Jacinda or Judith?
Defying expectations official labour force data from Stats NZ released today shows that the unemployment rate dropped to 4 per cent from 4.2 per cent in the June quarter.
National’s policy platform
For a party that promised to be a policy factory National’s policy offerings are severely deficient.
Go Well Ruth Dyson
Ruth Dyson has given a very funny very incisive valedictory speech in Parliament and will bow out of politics at this election. She deserves our thanks.
Falling into a coma
Why have we fallen into the most boring and predictable election we’ve had since Bolger’s second term?
Taxpayers’ Union promoting Green Party policy
Learning to love the tax.
National’s Auckland Central problem
National is facing another PR disaster with reports of an increasingly hostile Auckland Central candidate selection process and with allegations that National’s head office has misapplied the party’s constitution.
National’s week from hell
A review of National’s week which is as bad as any week I can remember.
Mea culpa
Back in 2017 I was upset, we had a leadership vote only in caucus – just before the election. I didn’t realise at the time that Andrew Little was actually stepping down in favour of Jacinda Ardern. She’d had the potential, but I hadn’t realised that Little thought she was up for the task. I’m delighted with the result. Thank you Andrew.
The Heron Report
The Heron Report has been released and reinforces the public perception that this was a cynical misuse of confidential information by National for political purposes and a clusterfuck of epic proportions.
Pollwatch: Colmar Brunton poll released 2020-07-30
Poll analysis and modelling results: Is Colmar Brunton “the real rogue?” Who’s likely in and out for National, Labour, and the Greens on this poll result?
One News CB Poll July 2020
The July One News Colmar Brunton poll is out at 6PM. Has Judith Collins worked the oracle? Or is it another of Gerry Brownlee’s rogue polls?
Stay tuned …
UPDATE: Labour in the 50’s, National 32
Kia kaha Sarah Dowie
Sarah Dowie’s valedictory speech yesterday was extremely good and offered a fascinating insight into Parliamentary life and some notable recent events.
Strategic voting is a bad thing unless you live in Epsom
Nick Smith has publicly opposed a change to the electoral system that would allow strategic manipulation of the electoral system. But only by Māori.
Will Jami Lee spill the beans on National’s donations?
Jami-Lee Ross is threatening today to attempt to table details of National’s 2017 donations in Parliament.
National’s Internal Polling Leaked
Yet another leak from Judith Collins’ Strong Team™. This time it’s their own polling … and it’s grim news.
How do you tell when Judith is saying something that is not true?
Judith Collins has backed away from telling a mistruth about escape statistics during her time as Minister of Corrections by claiming that her eyebrow was raised and this is evidence that what she was saying was a joke.
New Zealand believes Labour are better economic managers than National
There used to be a mantra in New Zealand politics that National were always perceived to be better managers of the economy than Labour. Until now.
Pollwatch: Reid Research poll completed 2020-07-24
Labour has hit stratospheric highs in the new Reid Research poll at 60.9%, and still have a strong partner in the Greens at 5.7%. Who’s in and out on these numbers? How has Collins performed?
Latest Newshub Reid Research poll – yet another rogue poll
Tova O’Brien said that it would be a bombshell result and it was.
Happy 40th birthday Jacinda!
The woman who has led us through a terrorist attack, a significant natural disaster and who has safely guided us through an international Pandemic and who has led with aroha and compassion is turning 40 today.
The Greens are thinking ahead
The Greens have released a detailed policy document that sets out what they want to achieve if they are part of the next Government and their Labour Relations policies could be considered to be more pro union than Labour’s policies.
Association of Conspiracy Theorists
Act is proposing to introduce measures that will limit the amount of money people on benefits can spend on alcohol and tobacco. But not guns.