The 2017 General Election electorate expense returns
Last year’s electorate expense returns have now been made public.
politicans
Shane Jones
Shane Jones and work for the dole
Shane Jones has muddied a perfectly good job creation policy by talking about work for the dole.
Labour and rural voters
In recent years Labour has allowed National to dominate rural politics. Maybe it is time for Labour to think about reaching out to rural voters and suggest to them that a progressive vote is in their interests.
Ten Reasons for National to do another term
A tongue in cheek list of reasons why it may be best for National to form the next Government.
Election 2017: the battle lines are drawn
The 2017 election campaign has been set alight by the Greens adopting brave policies that Jeremy Corbyn would be proud of and NZ First adopting policies that would meet with Donald Trump’s approval.
He’s baaaack
Shane Jones will seek to reenter Parliament and has been selected as the candidate for the Whangarei seat. But for New Zealand First.
Will Shane Jones stand for NZ First in Whangarei?
Rumours suggesting that Shane Jones will stand for New Zealand First in Whangarei at the next election have resurfaced.
Unintended Consequences
Winston Peters is poised to announce who will replace him on the NZ First list. It may even be someone who can lead the party after he retires. There’s one really obvious candidate; an ex MP suffering from relevancy deficit syndrome and keen to get back in the political spotlight. It’s ….
NRT: The Jones appointment
When I first heard of this appointment, I commented that if McCully had offered Jones a briefcase full of cash rather than a specially-created high-paying job to resign, we’d call it what it is: Corruption and bribery of member of Parliament. From what I’ve seen in this release, I stand by that.
Updated: It looks like this appointment either violated the Cabinet Manual or is in violation of the State Sector Act. Whatever way you look at this, the appointment appears to broken some laws. Perhaps some journos would like to look up from bullshit from National’s dirty tricks blogger and care to investigate a real story?
John Key’s bullshit about rising inequality
In Question Time today. John Key has rejected evidence such census statistics, as reported on RNZ, that the inequality gap in Auckland is growing. He crowed about his government’s record & launched diversionary attacks on the opposition. Update: Question One video; Transcript links – Transcripts & other links updated. #realbudgetnumbers
Politics bruises even Shane Jones
While I know many on here aren’t sad to see Shane go, I think he’s a lost voice for Labour – and we’ll need others to step up into his place. I also think we might be a little less visceral and personal in our attacks on politicians if we were a little quicker to realise they are human.
Also: Shane Jones Media Watch
Labour and the working class
Shane Jones’ retirement has made some say that it is evidence that Labour is becoming less relevant to the working class. Josie Pagani says that the party should be concentrating more on jobs, better pay, and on celebrating opportunities for all of us to do better in life. She should read the party’s policy platform before she makes this criticism because it talks about nothing but job creation, better pay and improving our quality of life.
Polity: Shane Jones speaks out
If you are going to demand that everyone else be a team player within Labour, accommodating in the caucus views they do not agree with, you can’t then turn around and refuse to be a team player in a Labour-led government with another party whose views you may not agree with. Either everyone is a team player, or nobody is. Shane Jones included.
IF: A day in the life of Matthew Hooton
[Satire] I has a dream… Winston retired from politics and went on to set up a bird rescue centre in a remote spot in the Raukumura Range, but the centre was burned down after two teenagers high on glue broke in and set it alight. The delicious smells of hundreds of roasted native birds attracted the attentions of the poor for miles around… desperate and hungry people tore at each other to get into the still-burning sanctuary… I awoke in a fever and ran to my computer, and in seconds flat I had my NBR column finished.
Guest Post – What is Shane Jones doing?
A guest post on Shane Jones and what effect his recent behaviour is having on Labour’s election chances.
ImperatorFish: A statement from Shane Jones
[probably satire] This statement has been reposted from ImperatorFish and is believed to be a work of satire by Scott Yorke (who generously allows us to reproduce his posts). However with Shane Jones, one can never be too sure what is truth and what is fantasy. Shane Jones or a reasonable facsimile thereof takes on why he isn’t going to attack the terrible Green party again (to the nearly universal chorus of “dickhead”).
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.
Does Shane Jones understand preferential voting?
A short explanation for Shane Jones on why trying to game the system in preferential voting isn’t a good idea.
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.
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.
The Jones surpremacy
The poor gallery journos. They’ve got to turnout copy each and every day on the Labour leadership race but, well, not that much actually happens. The contenders have laid out their pitches and, now, they’re going around repeating it to members. So, there’s a lot of story invention. The latest is the idea of Jones winning.
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.
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.
Shane Jones the smoko room candidate
Shane Jones has announced his candidacy for the Labour leadership and has promised to take his campaign to the smoko rooms of the country.
Choose wisely
I’m sure we’ll be doing comparisons between the candidates for the Labour leadership in the coming days. Any of the really contenders would at least be credible and a credible PM is the thing Labour has been lacking. What I would caution against is listening to Espiner/Garner/Gower fantasy candidate – Jones. Those same guys said ‘choose Shearer’ and Labour listened.
Imperatorfish: Discipline
Labour MP Shane Jones appeared on TVNZ’s Q&A show over the weekend to debate with Gareth Hughes over plans for a Ross Sea marine reserve. Despite not being Labour’s spokesperson on conservation or fisheries. Labour hasn’t actually determined its position on the issue. So why did Jones appear at all? Did he get clearance from David Shearer before appearing?
Jones to jump to NZ First?
I see David Farrar’s retailing the rumour that’s been doing the rounds over the last week that Shane Jones is in talks with Winston to make the jump from Labour to become Deputy Leader of NZ First. This makes a lot of sense for Jones – he’s to the right of Labour, has a reputation for being a bit un-PC and has the gift of the gab that a leading NZ First politician needs.