Positive Policy on Youth Employment
Other than fixing child poverty, there’s probably no more important policy than this. Labour will commit $183 million to a comprehensive Youth Employment Package designed to reach 24,000 young New Zealanders.
politicans
grant robertson
Steven Joyce is a pillock
If you need proof watch this morning’s TV3 debate with Grant Robertson.
Polity: Key – “Meh. Maybe I lied to Parliament.”
Misleading parliament is serious. If it happens, MPs are supposed to make a stand-alone statement to the House about what they said, why it was wrong, and what they should have said instead. Key didn’t do that at all. He just inserted a pathetic “meh” concession into an answer to a question. And the speaker diminished parliament by letting him get away with it.
Judith Collins the walking dead
Yesterday in Parliament the Government was completely on the back foot. Judith Collins cannot be more compromised. National strategists must be afraid at the damage that its one strength, John Key, is sustaining.
Oravida: Collins, Goodfellow, Key.
John Key claims Judith Collins was not guilty of conflict of interest re-her visit to Oravida in China. Grant Robertson and Chris Hipkins, in the General Debate today claimed that Peter Goodfellow met with an Oravida sponsored group of businessmen to discuss “bi-lateral collaboration.” They claim Key also played golf with an Oravida bigwig.
Labour’s reshuffle
Details of the Labour Caucus changes are now appearing in the media. The update is Parker, Robertson and Jones will be the core of the economic team, King retains Health, Shearer gains Foreign Affairs and Cosgrove and Hipkins retain their current responsibilities. Mahuta and Moroney are elevated to the front bench and this will help gender balance.
Updated with full list.
TV3 needs to be fact checked
TV3’s analysis of the Labour Leadership contest is leaving a lot to be desired. Rather than reporting on what has happened they are trivialising the leadership campaign and getting important details wrong.
My votes
I voted for Cunliffe, Robertson, and Jones in that order. My reasons are in this post. It is unnecessary for people to speculate on additional motivations.
But if any MP or jonolist wants to try to run a politically based smear on me like they did on Jenny Michie, Mike Williams, and others then I’m perfectly happy to tear them a new rectum through their political credibility over the next decade.
Assessing the contenders’ campaigns
Robertson had to show some flare, show he’s more than an affable apparatchik, that he’s capable of wowing crowds and raising his profile: Not achieved
Jones had to show he had some real depth under the bravado and not start saying weird things under pressure: Not achieved
Cunliffe had to show he that he can meter his charismatic side to avoid gaffes and that he was genuinely something different from the B Team that’s led Labour since Clark: Achieved.
Labour Leadership Contest – the final meeting will be streamed
The final leadership meeting is scheduled for Christchurch this evening. The tour has been an outstanding success for the party and in the interests of the party what has been achieved needs to be consolidated and built on. And tune in to www.3news.co.nz at 7:45 pm for live streaming of the speeches.
The bankster memorandum
John Key honed his skills as a speculative banker. As PM, this casino capitalist has undermined democracy, & promoted international corporate interests, while beneficiaries & workers are brutalised, inequalities enhanced and NZ’s economy & sovereignty damaged. Does one Labour leader contender have his number measure?
Labour Leadership Campaign – Blackball Meeting
Day ten of the Labour Leadership Campaign TOur and the parties are off to Blackball on the West Coast, the spiritual birth place of the Labour Party.
Grant Robertson
In accordance with our general rules about candidates posting, Grant Robertson has sent in a guest post. He may be available to answer some questions on Sunday as Saturday is busy for all candidates.
The post will be fully moderated.
Shane Jones, the other contender for the historic Labour leadership primary is welcome to send in a similar post with the same rules.
Labour Leadership Campaign – Weekend Edition
Days 7 and 8 of the Labour Leadership Campaign tours and the candidates are approaching the final straight. This weekend there will be Labour Leadership meetings in Nelson, Wellington and Dunedin. And TV3’s poll results on the leadership will no doubt attract intense attention.
It’s about jobs … and social security?
Cunliffe & Robertson stress the need to improve employment laws, jobs, wages, the economy, workers’ rights. Cunliffe invokes Savage-like social security & the need to end the Nats beneficiary bashing. Wider community pressure is needed for there to be real political change away from the destructive neoliberal scam.
The invisible man
From the start of the Labour leadership contest, Cunliffe has been the man to beat. In the one scientific poll, he was favoured to lead by 30% of the population, Jones by 11%, Robertson by 10%. He’s been seen as having the strongest member and union backing from the start. Robertson needed a blinder in the roadshow. And that means the media fascination with Jones is hurting Robertson the most.
Labour Leadership Campaign – days six and seven
Day six of the Labour leadership marathon and the parties are off to Hamilton. David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson have released campaign videos and a virtual meeting is being scheduled. And a day off tomorrow which I am sure the parties will be pleased about.
Labour leadership campaign – day five
Day five of the leadership campaign and the contenders meet tonight in Tauranga.
21st Century Leadership Election
As part of the Labour Leadership Election there is to be a ‘virtual hustings’ – an online forum for Q&A organised by Labour. Scoop have agreed to facilitate, and are now harvesting the questions.
Labour leadership campaign – day four
Day four of the Labour Leadership campaign and the parties are heading to the Hawkes Bay. The meetings so far have been positive, happy affairs and the candidates have been on their best behaviour. May this unity continue.
Enough for us all, but they want it all for themselves
The howls of outrage from the Right elite were predictable. Robertson and Cunliffe promising a living wage for all government workers, are they crazy? Decent pay for cleaners? That’s not what their granddaddies fought for. It was predictable but it still makes you angry. These are the same people who cheered when the elite got billions in tax cuts. These are the people we have to throw out of power.
‘Mind the Gap” – the way forward
TV3’s Mind the Gap documentary (Bryan Bruce) is very important because it put before the general population the damaging impact of income inequality in a clear and and straightforward manner. The solutions? Ideas from academics, journalists, campaigners & opposition politicians/parties.
Smell the fear
John Key claims he doesn’t care who becomes the next parliamentary Labour leader, while trying to drive a wedge between candidates. As Cunliffe gains momentum, Key turns negative on Cunliffe & throws some stones in his glass house. Gordon Campbell puts things in perspective.
Why singing in harmony pays in STV
There is a reason for candidates in single transferable vote elections to sing in harmony. It has to do with the effect of second preference votes.
This probably explains the remarkable singing in harmony of Grant Robertson and Shane Jones this morning.
Besides it provides a nice simple story for the rising jonolists in the media.
Robertson throws his hat in the ring
For me, Grant Robertson’s move late on Sunday afternoon to declare that he will run for the Labour leadership shows that he has chops as an operator. Likewise, the swiftness with which he moved to hold a press conference after Shearer quit. But is being a good operator enough? Or does Labour need a leader that can communicate a real Labour vision?
Grant Robertson announces his candidacy
Grant Robertson is the first Labour MP to announce that he is seeking the leadership of the Labour Party.
Why I electorate vote Cunliffe: op ed
I wasn’t going to express my opinion on the upcoming Labour leadership selection process. However, the usual right leaning MSM hacks seem to have been following the current Labour caucus leadership in naming Robertson as the frontrunner. This is my op ed testimony for my frontrunner, the MP for my electorate: Cunliffe.
Bad law making – GCSB Bill
Grant Robertson & David Cunliffe explain how the GCSB Bill is bad law (especially section 8 & related sections). It doesn’t provide adequate oversight or safeguards against the wholesale spying on New Zealanders. A clarifying statement from the PM is not good law. Andrea Vance demystifies the Bill.
The web of deceit
The National government’s divided society
A Fairfax poll shows an NZ divided by income inequalities & political allegiances. Little unemployment for National voters & more for opposition voters: a precariat with a high proportion of Maori & Pacific people. The right time for Russel Norman’s speech and blockupy?
John Key’s disaster capitalism
The latest Household Labour Force Employment statistics are out, and on the surface, look good for John and Bill. But this is driven by improved employment in Canterbury over the last quarter. Grant Robertson says, “Disaster recovery is not a plan for jobs”.
The Key-Fletcher trail
The PM, Fletcher, the GCSB – questions need answering: why, when, where, who? It’s all about intellectual property, global commerce and international networks. From London to Aus 2009, to NZ 2010, then down the rabbit hole to Dotcom, Hobbits & uncertain links with complex global money mazes.
National’s 12 days of Christmas
Grant Robertson in the Christmas adjournment speeches yesterday gave a great list of National’s terrible 2012 gifts to Aotearoa. For the twelfth day […]
Winners and losers
So, who won and who lost?
Who could replace Shearer?
Some people are Anyone But Cunliffe. Some people think Cunliffe is the One True Leader. Some people want more options. So let’s make a case for it.
Supernumerary
I’ve been thinking about what you might call a ‘good problem’ for the Left.. but it leads me to a ‘problem problem’. OK, so let’s say we win the next election – as the Left must do and should do given how unpopular the Nats’ policies are and, for the last year, how inept their political management has been. How do you share the economic portfolios out?