Greens good for workers
Work rights should be a big issue this election. National is proposing to strip workers of their rights to undermine wage increases. The […]
Social issues
uncategorized
Key still wishes we had invaded Iraq
Helen Clark made foreign policy judgement a campaign issue today when she told a Grey Power meeting that if New Zealand had invaded […]
Poor
I’ve just come across Labour’s tragic new campaign website, Labour08.co.nz, and I’m of the firm opinion that someone needs to get their shit […]
More slippery attacks, still no solutions
Yesterday, John Key “attacked Labour’s economic record, which he said amounted to overtaxing voters so it could put money into its pet projects” […]
Billboard ideas for Left and Right
I see the National billboard on the corner of Dixon and Victoria in Wellington is already down. Are they pulling them all because […]
Jessica Alba says “Declare Yourself”
Some commentators have pondered whether an election in NZ so close to the election in the States should be a concern for Labour. […]
How would Nats cut tax? Where would the money come from?
Bill English has confirmed that National still intends to give the average worker a $50 tax cut. That’s $18 a week more than […]
Nats’ dirty tricks exposed?
Cameron Slater, aka Whaleoil, is a nasty piece of work. If you’re a leftie and you get into the media, he’ll dig whatever […]
Old battles
When John Key responded to the PM’s announcement of the election date on Friday he stated: This election is not about the past. […]
Nothing to Hide? + more moaning
Prime is running a series of interviews every Sunday until the election with the leader of each party in Parliament, starting with Rodney […]
Video: Slippery as a snake
08 wire are staying on the case – coming to a screen near you:
Govts do keep promises, some more than others
It’s an old saw among those who think knee-jerk cynicism is a replacement for healthy skepticism that politicians always break their promises. That’s […]
Disappointing
I just have to say, it’s incredibly disappointing that a simple prank, a google bomb, gets three newspaper articles and coverage on TV3 […]
To ask the real questions, you have to know the details
Agenda this morning showed, in several ways, that if you want to ask difficult questions, you have to know your topic. Guyon Espiner […]
Negative vs dirty
There’s an important difference between negative campaigning and dirty tricks but it already seems the two are getting confused in the media. Negative […]
Election date to be announced
So, Helen Clark is expected to announce the election date at 12.30. $20 says it’s November 8. UPDATE: The 8th it is. I’ll […]
National: for a more confused future
On Sunday, John Key, apparently off-the-cuff, announced he would dismantle the Families Commission and give the money to church groups, who just happened […]
Introducing Campaign Hub 2008
Helena Catt, head of the Electoral Commission, says the EFA has had a ‘chilling effect’ on democratic participation. I’m convinced that that is […]
Nats’ leaked health policy full of holes
Having just read the National health policy and background paper released by Labour, a few things stand out to me. 1) There is […]
Mr Slippery at it again
An interesting interview between John Key and Wammo today. He starts out saying Labour is spending all its time talking about Owen Glenn […]
The truth behind the Shawn Tan affair
For the last several weeks the EPMU has had to weather an extraordinary series of attacks from ACT, ACT candidate and EPMU employee […]
End of the line for Peters
Winston Peters will be wondering why he has let his political legacy be destroyed by not simply declaring donations that came from legal […]
What I want from a 4th term Labour-led Govt
With the election fast approaching, here’s a non-exhaustive list of policies I would like to see from a 4th term Labour-led Government. Hopefully, […]
Ashcroft’s donations a worry
Lord Ashcroft is a worry. Not just to John Key, who had to admit that he didn’t know why Ascroft had met him […]
What are National up to?
A puzzled reader sent me this question – what is National up to? Their environment policy is leaked, and John Key says that […]
Fewer bureaucrats
OK. They were laughably bad before but now they don’t even have the grammar correct. If you can count it, you use fewer: less […]
The hypocrisy of the Right
Today, we have National’s Judith Collins attacking the Government because the number of Kiwis on the unemployment benefit rose from 17,710 to 20,465 […]
Shambles
The leaks from within the National camp just keep on coming. Last night Trevor Mallard had the privilege of releasing National’s environment policy […]
Roy Morgan shows Left ahead
John Key’s impatience to get the election over and done with makes a lot more sense in light of today’s Roy Morgan poll. […]
Why didn’t NZF use Nats’ donations playbook?
This business with donations from the Spencer Trust going to New Zealand First but not being declared. I find it hard to credit […]
Video: Nats wave goodbye to blue sky
Newly up from 08wire There’s something very powerful about that music and image combination….
ACC privatisation costs National support?
A reader just sent us this poll from NZ Doctor magazine (offline): If there was a snap election tomorrow, 38 per cent of […]
Why the rush?
We are, at a legal maximum, 72 days away from the election. The tradition is that the date is announced at least six weeks […]
Key, leadership, and the audacity of hope
Perhaps Mr Key is feeling a little regretful about comparing himself to Barack Obama. Certainly the chutzpah inherent in such a comparison has […]
Beyond parody
National’s new billboard. It’s like when your Dad tries to rap.
Are you positive?
Talking about the Nat billboard campaign on Wammo’s show this morning, Key said it was going to positive and on message*. Umm, when’s […]