Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, October 29th, 2008 - 40 comments
In Wellington Central and Ohariu-Belmont, left-wing voters have the opportunity to use their candidate votes wisely to help good left-wing candidates to victory, and keep out two conservative dinosaurs. Wellington Central is a two-horse race between Labour’s Grant Robertson and National’s homophobic former ACT MP Stephen Franks. Wellington Central was a firmly Labour seat last […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, October 29th, 2008 - 21 comments
Slippery John’s flip-flops keep on coming. Here he is just three weeks ago in the Listener: “you either have a conflict of interest or you don’t; it doesn’t matter whether you hold one share or a million” and, today, on Breakfast: ‘it’s a very small number, no-one thinks a Member of Parliament with 500 Contact […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:59 am, October 29th, 2008 - 48 comments
If you vote National, United Future, or ACT, you will be voting for the ACC system to be privatised. Consequences of this include: – $200 million in profits flowing offshore, according to John Key’s former employers Merril Lynch – higher levies on most workers, as private insurers cherry-pick the most profitable for themselves, leaving the […]
Written By: - Date published: 5:20 pm, October 28th, 2008 - 37 comments
There are substantive policy issues such as National’s privatisation plans for the prisons that need to be covered but, first, an update on Gerry Brownlee’s conflict of interest. According to the NZPA: Brownlee said his shareholding (496 shares, worth around $4,000 during 2002-2003) was too small to amount to a pecuniary interest. – Pecuniary interest is […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:41 pm, October 28th, 2008 - 87 comments
Over this year, we’ve seen John Key caught out lying on a number of occasions – the excuses for his “we would love to see wages drop” quote, his shares, numerous instances in the debate and other interviews. He has said things like ‘I’ve aways believed in climate change‘ when he had previously claimed to […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, October 28th, 2008 - 34 comments
Last month, Key lied when he was asked whether he had more Tranzrail shares, over which he had failed to declare his conflict of interest. On Sunday, it was revealed on The Standard that Key had also held shares in Fletcher Challenge Forests, which was campaigning for the Government to buy the rails off Tranzrail, […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:26 pm, October 27th, 2008 - 70 comments
Here are the results of the last four polls, released over the past four days. I’ve presented them in number of seats won and grouped the parties into Left and Right based on these facts: ACT is locked with National as the Progressives are with Labour, the Greens won’t go with National, UF won’t go […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:50 pm, October 27th, 2008 - 19 comments
Labour has unveiled its work rights policy, and it’s a good one: – minimum wage increases at least at the rate of inflation or the average wage increase, whichever is higher. That would bring it to nearly $15 a year by 2011. Why they didn’t just commit to $15 like the rest of the Left, […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, October 27th, 2008 - 31 comments
National’s response to my revelation on The Standard that John Key owned shares had undisclosed conflicts of interest with Fletcher Challenge Forests is to deny the conflict. Let me restate the core conflict suscinctly: John Key owned shares in Fletcher Challenge Forests. Fletcher Challenge Forests was a major user of Tranzrail, it depended on Tranzrail […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, October 27th, 2008 - 5 comments
We received this by email and it’s so kafkaesque we just had to post it: I had a dream last night. I had, for some reason, been roped into going door to door in small town New Zealand delivering National Party pamphlets. I found myself knocking on the door of a grimy bedsit, and talking […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, October 26th, 2008 - 145 comments
When the Tranzrail shares came to light, Key was asked whether he had any other undisclosed shares entailing a conflict of interest. He said he didn’t. That was not true. National Party Leader John Key failed to disclose his conflict of interest arising from his share holding in Fletcher Challenge Forests while using his privileges […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, October 26th, 2008 - 69 comments
So, let me get this straight. The Right says that the minor parties have to support a National-led government if National gets more votes than Labour. Even if a National government would go against everything a party stands for, even if it is a complete betrayal of the people who voted for them, minor parties […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:02 pm, October 25th, 2008 - 20 comments
So, we can all make up dumb pictures and say ‘beware of many-headed monsters’. Let’s, instead, ask if National’s attack makes sense. First, any new government is going to need support from a number of parties. A Labour-led government is likely to be dependent on Labour, the Progressives, Greens, and the Maori Party (four parties). […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, October 25th, 2008 - 18 comments
The Earl of Auckland wants New Zealanders to choose National with a “small number of other parties going in the same direction”. That means National/ACT, and ACT means Roger Douglas. Someone recently called him a blast from the past – more like a croak from the past. Certainly not a fresh new face, and certainly […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:48 pm, October 24th, 2008 - 114 comments
The New Zealand Herald is, as usual, uncritically repeating John Key’s latest lines on the front page of its website. This time Key’s scaremongering that a Labour-led government would be a “five-headed monster”. Much better to go with a simple, straight-forward National government, says Key. It’s a pity we don’t have the resources for basic […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, October 24th, 2008 - 26 comments
So, you’re talking with someone about politics and they say something really dumb and wrong and you know it’s wrong but you don’t have the arguments and facts at your fingertips to make a decisive point. That’s where our election series, The Standard line, comes in. The info you need in bite-size form. Today: Kiwisaver Points […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, October 24th, 2008 - 132 comments
So, you’re talking with someone about politics and they say something really dumb and wrong and you know it’s wrong but you don’t have the arguments and facts at your fingertips to make a decisive point. That’s where our election series, The Standard line, comes in. The info you need in bite-size form. Today: photoshop Points: […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:43 am, October 24th, 2008 - 48 comments
The Dom Post reports that ACT will have to file amended returns after failing to declare $20,000 of donated office space. Luckily for ACT nobody found out until they got past the time-limit for prosecution. Rodney Hide is, of course, not embarrassed. I’m reminded of that proverb about glass-houses.
Written By: - Date published: 3:58 pm, October 23rd, 2008 - 76 comments
I’ve always regarded the possibility of a National-Maori Party governing arrangement as absurd, even grotesque. The interests of the Maori people, who are predominantly working-class, are clearly best represented by the Left. Under National in the 1990s, Maori unemployment reached 25% and incomes plummeted. Today it is 7.7%, and Maori incomes are rising as fast […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:54 pm, October 23rd, 2008 - 23 comments
Now I’m not one to gossip (well, not too much) but in the last few days I’ve heard from several people that the NZ Herald has held back an opinion poll. Why might they do this? Well perhaps it’s related to NZ First apparently polling over 5%. That could really set the cat amongst the […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, October 23rd, 2008 - 27 comments
It seems DPF, Cameron Slater and John Ansell have pooled their collective genius and come up with a new campaign. Apparently they had some money left over from their earlier ramshackle PR fiasco so they’re putting up more anti-Labour billboards as the Free Speech Coalition: I have some advice for them: 1. Pick an issue […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:06 am, October 23rd, 2008 - 30 comments
UPDATE: The Pink Batts original is youtubed here.
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 am, October 23rd, 2008 - 7 comments
Russel Norman at Drinking Liberally – Auckland last night on Lockwood Smith: Lockwood may think all Asians have small hands but what we really learned today is that Lockwood’s feet are so small he can fit them in his mouth Classic.
Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, October 22nd, 2008 - 38 comments
OK, we’ve reported on, given historical context to, and mocked Lockwood Smith’s racist comments about seasonal migrant workers. Now, to the substance of what Smith as saying, ie that fewer permits issued under the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) should be allocated to people from the Pacific Islands (because, he says, other people are smaller […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:31 pm, October 22nd, 2008 - 34 comments
And now for something fluffy. That’s right, the fashion stakes count in the election as well. According to one stylist National leader John Key needs to update his style. Stephanie Rumble, a top New Zealand stylist says: “he hasn’t changed his appearance much since the election campaign started, but that Key’s look is very smart, […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, October 22nd, 2008 - 1 comment
When: 24th of Oct, 7:30pm Where: Zoe’s Bar – Bottom floor of the Kingsgate hotel, Fitzherbert ave Who: guest speaker Green MP Keith Locke, and a great group of jokers and jokesses Also: join the mailing list dlpalmerstonnorth@gmail.com .
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, October 22nd, 2008 - 40 comments
…and you still reveal a bigot, it seems. Here is National’s Immigration spokesperson, Lockwood Smith, (he who likes to swallow dead fish) on taking more Asian seasonal worker migrants instead of Polynesians: “There are some skills in the vineyard that some people are perhaps better at, for example some of the pruning … some of […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 pm, October 21st, 2008 - 4 comments
WHAT: Drinking Liberally Auckland City WHO: You and any of your left-leaning comrades WHEN: 7.30pm, Wed 22nd October WHERE: London Bar, cnr Wellesley & Queen Sts (opposite Civic). The entrance to the bar is around on Wellesley St, you need to go up the stairs. WITH: Dr Russell Norman – co-leader of the Greens. COST: […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:40 pm, October 21st, 2008 - 58 comments
I’ve come in for a bit of flak for this ‘Vote Smart‘ series of posts on how people can make the most of their vote but I don’t resile from it. It seems to me the criticism is based on a quaint notion that there is an optimal party and candidate for everyone and they […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:29 pm, October 21st, 2008 - 16 comments
Yesterday, Bill ‘do whatever it takes to win’ English was out trying to assuage Kiwis fears of National’s secret agenda (which his recorded remarks helped ignite). He praised Labour’s achievements but said it was time for more positive leadership. In other words, ‘don’t worry, we’re just like Labour but John smiles a lot, oh and […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, October 21st, 2008 - 53 comments
Labour’s new television ad is up on Youtube and I’m pleased to see it’s actually pretty bloody good. They’ve managed to draw attention to one of John’s many flipflops, this one on Kiwisaver, in a way that uses humour and sticks to the facts and thereby avoids the nastiness often associated with negative campaigning. It’s […]
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