Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, March 29th, 2014 - 148 comments
Maybe this is one of those open political secrets – if you’re in the know, you already know, and it seems obvious. If you’re not, it’s a total mystery. Just who is the MP Kim Dotcom has ready and waiting to jump waka in 2014? I’ve got no idea, but I approach these things like […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, March 29th, 2014 - 275 comments
Standardista, andy (the other one) nails it: “Two days, two articles, two different media outlets admitting that they know National use Slater/Farrar to smear and dissemble.” Trotter raises questions about sources.
Written By: - Date published: 4:16 pm, March 28th, 2014 - 5 comments
No Right Turn nails the political value of the Internet Party in this post. In itself it probably isn’t that politically useful. However it’s mere existence means that the net becomes a political issue. It forces the typically technophobic and illiterate pack of antiques called Members of Parliament to start dealing with issues arising from it. It moves them outside their comfort zone
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, March 28th, 2014 - 88 comments
Rob Salmond looks at the Internet Party’s launch and rather shallow vision. But is this politics?
“So the Internet Party had a good launch short term, but its longer term problems with policy and vision remain.”
Written By: - Date published: 3:05 pm, March 27th, 2014 - 13 comments
The Genesis Energy share float is imminent and Mum and Dad shareholders are no longer a priority.
Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, March 27th, 2014 - 18 comments
No Right Turn put this up on tuesday. It is worth re-running it to note how a smear campaign operates at multiple layers.
“Since their botched raid on Kim Dotcom’s mansion last year, the New Zealand government has faced a PR problem over their handling of the case. And that has been hammered home at every opportunity by Dotcom himself, who turns out to be quite good at winning the hearts of ordinary kiwis. But now the government has a solution: gag him”
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, March 27th, 2014 - 14 comments
Rob Salmond’s view on the Internet Party launch today.
“Today is the day the Internet Party, which amusingly abbreviates to IP, will actually launch. More importantly, today marks 146 days until Kim Dotcom winds up the Internet Party because it isn’t polling near 5% and has no deals with others to secure itself an electorate seat.”
Written By: - Date published: 11:42 am, March 26th, 2014 - 10 comments
I can’t think when the last time I’d been along to a gig or a concert was. Years probably. But Lyn dragged me (kicking and screaming) to the concert by Billy Bragg last night at the Powerstation in Auckland that was pretty damn good. These days I’m pretty portably connected so I don’t feel like I’ve left half of my brain behind when I head off on holiday or to a social event. So I was watching for trolls while Billy was singing about them…
Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, March 25th, 2014 - 4 comments
“Loomio is a user-friendly tool for collaborative decision-making” … because “Democracy isn’t just about politics – it’s people getting together and deciding how things should be”…
Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, March 25th, 2014 - 32 comments
[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.
Written By: - Date published: 9:19 am, March 24th, 2014 - 22 comments
There is danger of reading too much into polls months out from an election. Commentators were claiming that National was too strong to lose the next election based on a rogue poll. Few looked at multiple polls, accounted for the margin of error nor the trends over past months. The last fortnight has seen a National with the latest Roy Morgan Poll plummeting from the Colmar Brunton result of 51% to 45.5%. And it is based on a lack of ministerial performance…
Written By: - Date published: 7:06 pm, March 20th, 2014 - 4 comments
From an environmental economics perspective, mining is a wealth transfer, shifting public wealth (minerals) into private profits of mining companies. Along the way, it creates jobs, but it is basically spending capital. When the resources run out or become unprofitable to extract the jobs disappear and a regional economy geared solely to resource extraction withers and dies. NZ First wants to change that.
Written By: - Date published: 3:48 pm, March 19th, 2014 - 39 comments
Labour announced policies today seeking to reinvigorate the Forestry Industry and to promote more local processing of logs. And the Greens have announced a policy designed to increase the use of wood in local buildings.
Written By: - Date published: 2:24 pm, March 17th, 2014 - 60 comments
No Right Turn reacts to David Cunliffe’s speech on Friday. “…one thing is clear: we need to move our economy away from a focus on milk. Our environment can’t sustain it, and its not delivering for anyone other than a narrow class of wealthy farmers.” “… rich economies have multiple sources of income. And they consciously develop them through industrial policy.”
Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, March 17th, 2014 - 107 comments
Rob Salmond at Polity looks at the draft Green party list. “The Greens have released their draft party list today, in advance of a party member STV vote. The top 20 is…”
Written By: - Date published: 9:02 am, March 15th, 2014 - 149 comments
A guest post on Shane Jones and what effect his recent behaviour is having on Labour’s election chances.
Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, March 14th, 2014 - 17 comments
Space for non-political chat and communication.
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, March 14th, 2014 - 124 comments
Speech notes from today’s address to the New Zealand Institute. “Trickle-down economics and its neoliberal parentage have failed New Zealanders and left many of our emerging businesses starved of investment capital and skills. The opportunity gaps have widened and there is no clear, shared strategy to a high value, high income future. That’s something Labour will change. We want an economy that works for all New Zealanders.”
Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, March 13th, 2014 - 35 comments
Dave Kennedy (aka bsprout) at Local Bodies is the Green candidate for Invercargill. He posted this on Monday in response to Josie Pagani’s pundit post. It is on the preparedness of the Green party for this election It got overshadowed in the news cycle by burst of corrupt stench of self-entitled elitist behaviour from National, but is worth reposting anyway. It is going to be interesting to look at this election campaign where National is fighting two large parties on the left.
Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, March 12th, 2014 - 60 comments
Edward Snowden revelations indicate that the US NSA pressured the NZ government to make last year’s hasty changes to the GCSB and TICS laws, to enable mass surveillance. John Key sometimes denies he knows of visits to NZ by the NSA’s Gen Keith Alexander – but Key would have to approve the visits.
Written By: - Date published: 10:52 am, March 12th, 2014 - 46 comments
Last week No Right Turn argued strongly that we needed full transparency over Cabinet Office advice on ministers’ conflicts of interest, because we couldn’t trust the Prime Minister to represent that advice accurately, and we couldn’t trust secret advice to be accurate. And John Key has just proven his point: “Prime Minister John Key has admitted he misled reporters over Cabinet Office advice…”
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, March 11th, 2014 - 57 comments
Three years ago National announced a full term election date and ruled out going into coalition with NZ First. Fast forward to now and we are having an early election and Key is not ruling out going into coalition with Peters. Get the sense that National is becoming desperate?
Written By: - Date published: 2:27 pm, March 10th, 2014 - 10 comments
Labour has announced its intention to enact a digital Bill of Rights which will protect basic rights such as the right to access to the Internet, protection from unwarranted mass surveillance, protection from having your personal information onsold and the prevention of hate speech.
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, March 10th, 2014 - 32 comments
Gower’s one-dimensional, distorted, gotcha reporting, highlights the failings of TV3 news & The Nation. Corin Dann and Qu &A are less one-dimensional, but speak within the B-Hive-Media Loop, that speaks for the comfortable middle & Business classes, & manufactured a “problem” week for Cunliffe.
Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, March 10th, 2014 - 182 comments
A guest post on the enigma that is David Cunliffe by David Craig.
Written By: - Date published: 10:32 pm, March 9th, 2014 - 33 comments
The attacks on David Cunliffe have got a bit silly, with the latest from the Herald being to pretty much charge him with the crime of having a wealthy friend.
Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, March 8th, 2014 - 13 comments
A bit tardy this time, but better late than never – weekend social; our thread for non-political chat and info etc
Written By: - Date published: 10:42 am, March 7th, 2014 - 13 comments
Mai Chen argues that the current review of Auckland Council CCOs will put them on a tighter leash. Tony Holman argues against the whole CCO set up: it’s a trojan horse, 2 step towards privatisation of Auckland assets. Aucklanders need to have their say. Vote out Team Key to prevent such sales.
Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, March 6th, 2014 - 77 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, March 4th, 2014 - 150 comments
NZ seems like a client state of both US imperialism, and the UK monarchy: a throwback to the first part of the 20th century. John Key was quick to support the US & EU lines on the Crimea; some low achieving, British royals are visiting NZ at taxpayers’ expense.
Written By: - Date published: 11:39 pm, March 3rd, 2014 - 216 comments
John Key is attacking David Cunliffe for using a trust to obscure some donations – whilst repeating the word ‘tricky’ about Cunliffe as many times in one sound-bite as humanly possible. It’s an astonishingly brazen stone to throw given National’s glass house. Do no reporters remember John Key, Hollow Man, or anything about National’s funding […]
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