Written By: - Date published: 3:06 pm, December 5th, 2013 - 56 comments
No Right Turn writes on what should happen with David Cunliffe screwing up on election day. Sensible advice and commentary on what looks like a typical example of some of the innumerable silly mistakes and accidents that happen during election campaigns. The reaction of some on the right has been pretty damn hilarious when they compare what looks like deliberate concealment of electoral finance with a silly tweeting mistake
Written By: - Date published: 4:29 pm, December 4th, 2013 - 55 comments
National’s carefully constructed Educational Policies, designed to give the impression of action but based on the transfer of riches to the children of the wealthy and the bashing of Teachers Unions, are in tatters following the release of the Pisa Report. Cuts made to Teachers Professional Standards in 2009 made against advice are obviously having an effect. And increasing child poverty must be having an effect, despite the Government’s refusal to even measure it.
Written By: - Date published: 10:54 am, December 4th, 2013 - 126 comments
John Banks will not seek re-election at the 2014 general election.
Written By: - Date published: 5:57 pm, December 3rd, 2013 - 117 comments
John Banks will stand trial over an alleged fraudulent electoral return. Meanwhile Key, running out of untainted friends, is looking to re-instate the, now vindicated, Peter Dunne. Bit John Key’s role in the inquiry into information leaked to Andrea Vance is looking dodgy. [Breaking: Banks press conference 11am]
Written By: - Date published: 5:23 pm, December 1st, 2013 - 36 comments
On Thursday Vernon Small wrote on the Chch East by-election: “Anything above 53 per cent will look like a fine result for Labour, anything under 50 per cent a relative failure. If Doocey can attract 40 per cent of the vote National can be well-pleased. Less than 33 per cent and the warning bells will be ringing for 2014.” And we know what happened next.
Written By: - Date published: 11:28 am, December 1st, 2013 - 96 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike …
Written By: - Date published: 7:19 pm, November 30th, 2013 - 39 comments
Updates to follow. Williams leads by 1978 3,124 votes, on 30% 83% of the votes counted. Poto looking good! 96% of the vote. I’m calling it! Williams by 4000+ votes! Congratulations Poto! 100% votes counted now: Williams by 4,613 votes.
Written By: - Date published: 7:14 am, November 30th, 2013 - 3 comments
Today is the day for the Christchurch East by election. No discussion or comments on the subject will be allowed until after voting closes at 7:00 PM. Then knock yourselves out …
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, November 28th, 2013 - 60 comments
The Christchurch East by election is getting really weird. We have a National candidate who does not turn up to possibly the most important public meeting of the campaign, a spot of petty vandalism committed using a National MP’s van, a conservative party candidate who implies that legs on a billboard are his when they are not, a conservative party leader who does not rule out the possibility of chemtrails existing despite there being no supporting evidence while denying anthropogenic climate change when there is an abundance of evidence in support and Labour and the Greens contesting kindred votes when strategic voting could produce a positive result.
Confused?
Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, November 28th, 2013 - 108 comments
Everybody is talking up the Conservatives as a partner for National after 2014 to save Key from being the least successful National PM ever. But there’s one problem: they don’t agree on anything. The Conservatives are reactionaries, the Nats are neo-libs. Here’s a list of things that Colin ‘Crazy’ Craig believes in and his policies compared to the Nats’.
Written By: - Date published: 5:46 pm, November 27th, 2013 - 111 comments
The latest Roy Morgan poll is out and things are neck and neck.
Written By: - Date published: 3:24 pm, November 27th, 2013 - 98 comments
The Conservatives have a significant constituency and pose an interesting dynamic for the future of NZ politics. Their constituency will possibly letting the left in or sharing power on the right. The Conservatives are fond of saying how close they got in the previous election given how little time they had worked on it. Colin comes out on top against Paula then be prepared for a real change in the political landscape. They are already having an impact without being in parliament.
Written By: - Date published: 12:48 pm, November 27th, 2013 - 24 comments
From the Chorus report: “Chorus now employs 763 permanent and fixed term employees directly, along with a further 4,434 people who are either employed directly by our service company partners or are sub-contracted by the service companies”. Insecure work is a BIG problem, even in our tech industries.
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, November 25th, 2013 - 45 comments
This Saturday the voters of Christchurch East vote for their next MP. Labour’s hopes are pinned on Poto Williams. But even though the seat has been Labour’s for a considerable period of time anything is possible. And turnout will be vital.
Written By: - Date published: 2:20 pm, November 24th, 2013 - 101 comments
I’ve been thinking about what next years’ election is going to be like. Not like 2011 that’s for sure. Labour was in the doldrums and ran a largely negative campaign. Let’s assume that Labour has learnt its lesson about running an effective campaign and ticks all the boxes. The secret weapon that Labour and the Greens have eschewed for as many elections as I can remember is actually working together.
Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, November 22nd, 2013 - 72 comments
Te Reo Putake speculates on exactly what plan that National and John Key have to distort the MMP review and Iain Lee Galloway’s private members bill so that it allows them to stay in power. Most probably by gifting Crazy Colin and the Conservatives with several chances to get several partners into parliament while discarding the husks of their former coalition partners.
Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, November 22nd, 2013 - 29 comments
NZ Herald has a long history as the voice of the (most often white, masculine, middle/upper class, Pakeha) conservative establishment. Dr Hope shows how this happened in the past. NZ Herald online provides 21st century support for Key’s government. Tell us your NZ Herald stories.
Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, November 22nd, 2013 - 98 comments
If you want to make a stand against off shore drilling there are a series of protests planned tomorrow.
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, November 22nd, 2013 - 56 comments
Formerly proud to be a westie National MP Paula Bennett has decided to seek to become the MP for the new Upper Harbour seat. Does this mean that she will now give up wearing leopard skins?
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, November 21st, 2013 - 105 comments
The draft boundaries for the 2014 election have been released. Down south there are significant changes in Christchurch. In West Auckland the changes are most pronounced, with a new North Harbour seat being proposed.
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, November 21st, 2013 - 30 comments
Key’s government has destroyed the weak attempts by Labour to enable some public service broadcasting on Freeview. The NActs have employed ideologically-driven, irrational, bad faith, underhand, agreement-breaking moves to protect commercial monopoly. The CBB is campaigning for non-commercial TV channels.
Written By: - Date published: 5:20 pm, November 18th, 2013 - 107 comments
John Key’s government is going full tilt at dismantling everything of value in NZ, and selling as much as possible to the overseas investors. It’s the government of Drill It, Mine it, Sell it. Find out about the asset sales referendum & how to vote.
Written By: - Date published: 6:53 am, November 16th, 2013 - 120 comments
John Key this week ruled out any Government contribution to compensation ordered to be paid by Pike River to the deceased miners’ families despite a strong suggestion by Judge Farrish that this should occur. Now that the photo opportunities have finished and the effect of the corporate PR spin has worn off the Government’s handling of the issue appears to be deeply cynical and totally unjust.
Written By: - Date published: 6:54 am, November 15th, 2013 - 183 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike …
Written By: - Date published: 12:05 pm, November 14th, 2013 - 38 comments
Wikileaks have released the TPP advanced draft chapter on intellectual property. It includes the government positions on the main issues, including all those where the New Zealand negotiators are opposed to the US. As citizens we should all support our New Zealand negotiators and insist that the Key government does not cave in to US interests. The stakes are too high.
Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, November 13th, 2013 - 68 comments
Answering questions on the up-coming Asset Sales referendum, John Key spoke some appalling un-truths. He is rewriting political history to suit “Crazy” Colin Craig’s possible coalition bottom lines on the “anti-smacking” law. Cunliffe finally got there in the General Debate, but the opposition was too slow in countering Key’s lies & spin.
Written By: - Date published: 6:41 pm, November 12th, 2013 - 98 comments
Today in Parliament David Cunliffe neatly skewered John Key with a series of questions that showed the Government will decline to ensure that the Pike River families are paid out because there is no legal obligation to do so, yet it is happy to pay out large sums to its corporate friends even though there is no legal obligation to do so.
Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, November 12th, 2013 - 23 comments
In today’s Herald Judith Collins again sidesteps the questions on trial processes on sexual abuse cases posed last week by Jan Logie and Andrew Little. The Minister for No is now dead keen to be seen to be doing something. I think she should take up Metiria Turei’s suggestion to set up an all-party group to consider the issues. One thing is absolutely clear; all wisdom does not reside in the mind of this Minister.
Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, November 8th, 2013 - 48 comments
So far seven National MPs have announced they will not stand in next year’s general election and more announcements are rumoured to be in the pipeline. Is the writing on the wall for this Government and will it become the first two term National Government in history?
Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, November 8th, 2013 - 134 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike…
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