Written By: - Date published: 8:32 am, August 13th, 2020 - 112 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, August 12th, 2020 - 34 comments
The latest Rogue Poll™ is out. This time it’s UMR’s turn and Judith Collins is on the rise.
Written By: - Date published: 12:38 pm, August 12th, 2020 - 182 comments
*Rhetorical question. Of course they will.
Written By: - Date published: 10:14 pm, August 11th, 2020 - 48 comments
Four cases of community transmission from the same family – presumably without an obvious cause. Lock down for 3 days in the Auckland super city area at level 3 starting noon Wednesday. Level 2 for everywhere else outside of Auckland. Allows time for contact tracing and a later decision once facts are known. Good response.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 11th, 2020 - 146 comments
Four very good reasons why you should vote Labour in this election.
Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, August 10th, 2020 - 33 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 5:09 pm, August 8th, 2020 - 94 comments
Jacinda Ardern’s speech to the Labour 2020 campaign launch.
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, August 7th, 2020 - 110 comments
In a sign of desperation National has trotted out John Key to campaign that the country’s success in containing Covid should be put to risk because of a misguided perception that it would be good for the economy.
Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, August 6th, 2020 - 73 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, August 5th, 2020 - 16 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, August 2nd, 2020 - 33 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 5:22 pm, July 30th, 2020 - 132 comments
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
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 pm, July 28th, 2020 - 38 comments
According to our Prime Minister, today’s announcement that New Zealand is suspending extradition arrangements with Hong Kong is because of our principles. But it is not immediately clear what these principles are, other than falling into line with our Five Eyes spying partners. Some history is important.
Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, July 28th, 2020 - 51 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 pm, July 26th, 2020 - 89 comments
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?
Written By: - Date published: 6:12 pm, July 26th, 2020 - 144 comments
Tova O’Brien said that it would be a bombshell result and it was.
Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, July 26th, 2020 - 24 comments
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.
Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, July 24th, 2020 - 53 comments
*they will drag you down to their level and beat you through experience.
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, July 22nd, 2020 - 61 comments
Judith Collins appears to be living by her motto, giving back double, and has made public allegations that a Labour Minister has engaged in inappropriate behaviour. But is this the best way to handle a sex scandal?
Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, July 22nd, 2020 - 29 comments
With the government clearly watching the unravelling of Australia’s Covid-19 response and putting in place $14 billion in preparation for a second infection wave, we are clearly now in a history-in-making territory of the highest instability outside a world war.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, July 16th, 2020 - 37 comments
Ok sure, they won’t. You list why. But here’s the top five things National could do to give themselves a better shot.
Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, July 15th, 2020 - 41 comments
The latest Roy Morgan Poll is further bad news for National and a stark warning for NZ First.
Written By: - Date published: 7:55 am, July 15th, 2020 - 189 comments
In a great leap backwards Judith Collins and Gerry Brownlee are now leaders of the National Party.
Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, July 13th, 2020 - 39 comments
The Serious Fraud Office has commenced an investigation in relation to donations made in 2017 to the Labour Party.
UPDATE: The investigation may involve donations made at a ‘silent’ art auction, something that Labour was upfront about back in February.
Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, July 6th, 2020 - 99 comments
Audrey Young’s take in Granny Herald was interesting. “No ordinary Labour speech by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern”. That is because the political ‘business as usual’ approach by the business orientation of National campaigning using the politics of fear and envy doesn’t work well in times of crisis. Business simply has too short a viewpoint to be acceptable in government at present – or increasingly in our uncertain future.
Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, July 5th, 2020 - 40 comments
The text of Jacinda’s address delivered to the Labour Congress this afternoon.
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, July 5th, 2020 - 120 comments
A month ago a leak from National’s caucus said that they had set up an intelligence unit designed to dig up dirt on opponents. Yesterday Newshub ran a story based on a candidate’s seven year old tweets. It looks like the intelligence unit has been busy.
Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, July 3rd, 2020 - 82 comments
It is great to see former Prime Minister Helen Clark join the debate about re-opening New Zealand’s borders. We need it. There is no better time for New Zealand to re-launch itself to the world.
Written By: - Date published: 9:39 pm, June 30th, 2020 - 47 comments
Todd Muller had a bad day yesterday with adverse confidential National polling leaked to the media and with Grant Robertson and Winston Peters showing in the house that Muller’s denial that he had proposed opening up the border with China was simply not correct.
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, June 30th, 2020 - 49 comments
A review of recent opinion pieces by Mike Hosking shows that he has adopted a series of contradictory positions with the one common feature that they are critical of the Government’s actions.
Written By: - Date published: 6:33 pm, June 25th, 2020 - 49 comments
The latest One News/Colmar Brunton poll continues to show Labour are the favourites to lead the next Government.
Recent Comments