Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, October 17th, 2011 - 12 comments
On Sunday the 10th of May 2008, John Key gave a speech at the Southern Regional Conference explaining National’s platform for the looming election. It’s an interesting read, and looking back to consider words from the past can uncover some revealing realities about the present
Written By: - Date published: 10:14 am, October 16th, 2011 - 88 comments
Two weeks ago I thought that Goff and Labour did not have a chance in this election. National’s lead in the polls seemed too big, the country still seemed to be in love with John Key and Goff just was not getting the media cut through necessary to change hearts and minds. Then something happened. The wheels started to fall off National’s well honed machine.
Written By: - Date published: 5:40 pm, October 15th, 2011 - 13 comments
National’s election billboards focus on National’s “Brighter Future” plan. They’re not a plan, more like a wish-list for the tooth fairy. Bill board No 1 says “End the deficit sooner”. Sooner than what? This year’s budget? Not likely according to Brian Gaynor in today’s Herald. Pollyanna John promised a brighter future in 2008 – that hasn’t happened and the rerun may be wearing very thin.
Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, October 15th, 2011 - 39 comments
Will the protests around the world hit the brick wall of ingrained habits? Or will we manage to get over, around or beneath that particular barrier to progress?
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, October 14th, 2011 - 112 comments
The Broadcasting Standards Authority has decided that Key’s hour-long promotional programme on RadioLive was not an election programme.
It will now be very interesting to see what the Electoral Commission decides in relation to advertising complaints.
Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, October 11th, 2011 - 64 comments
Key’s staff spun to media that his Radio Live show was ok if he didn’t discuss politics, saying the station had received advice from the Electoral Commission that “political content’ could breach rules. That didn’t sound right to me, so I asked the Commission what they actually said.
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, October 11th, 2011 - 21 comments
Can we afford 3 more years of falling real wages under Key?
Written By: - Date published: 11:48 am, October 11th, 2011 - 10 comments
No wonder politicians get such a bad rep.
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, October 10th, 2011 - 31 comments
Buried in Friday’s Herald’s media section was a big political story. After John “Moonbeam” Key had his hour of talking about his cat while the country was being downgraded, Radio Live responded to the complaints of this blatant and illegal political favouritism by offering to host a Leaders’ debate. It was canned, though, when Moonbeam was to afraid to front up.
Written By: - Date published: 12:09 pm, October 8th, 2011 - 40 comments
National Party pollster David Farrar has been polling in Epsom and the results are not good for the Right. Epsomites are pissed off with their seats being used as a backdoor for ACT into Parliament. They don’t like the gall of the Nats taking out Hide, slotting in Banks and expecting nothing to change. They don’t like dopey Brash.
Written By: - Date published: 3:35 pm, October 5th, 2011 - 10 comments
Three Labour MPs gave their valedictories last night; Lynn Pillay, Pete Hodgson, and Jim Anderton in that order. Jim’s career path in political employment was a bit roundabout, Lynn’s the shortest (she’ll kill me for that!), and Pete’s spell the longest. Most valedictories speak of past achievement. Unusually, Pete Hodgson focussed more on the future, so his valedictory became manifesto and challenge. Poverty and sustainability were the main themes – read more here.
Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, October 5th, 2011 - 97 comments
Once again, the Greens have the best billboards and a great policy platform. But the really clever bit is their positioning. A lot of people don’t like National’s policies and don’t want them having a majority. They like Labour’s policies but not the personnel. Enter the Greens: good policies, nice people, and, officially, willing to work with and counterbalance National.
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, October 4th, 2011 - 12 comments
Bill ‘Double Dipton’ (or should that be ‘Double Downgrade’?) English says people aren’t focused on politics, which is why National is so high in the polls. When they focus on the main election issue of economic management, DD says the gap will close. Not exactly a strong defence of his and Key’s performance as economic leaders.
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 4th, 2011 - 54 comments
The credit rating downgrades have been quite a political earthquake, and the aftershocks are going to continue for some time.
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 pm, October 3rd, 2011 - 75 comments
Prime Minister Moonbeam clearly broke the law on Friday on the radio show he chose to run instead of dealing with the downgrade crisis. The law is clear: Key wasn’t allowed to make political statements. He did. He made a promise on broadcasting policy and gave the Nats’ first cut spin-line on the downgrade.
Written By: - Date published: 5:40 pm, October 3rd, 2011 - 15 comments
Republicans have accused President Obama of waging class war by calling for tax increases on the rich. Warren Buffet goes straight to the result and declares the rich have won. There may be more battles to come however – Buffet is in favour of higher taxes on the rich in the interests of fairness. He should have been on the Tax Working Group.
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, October 3rd, 2011 - 37 comments
The Nats have released no substantial policy since the Budget and look unlikely to do so. Their election strategy was clearly to keep attention away from a comparison of their policy vs Labour’s, and keep it on Brand Key. The exploding economic crisis has caught the Nats’ flat-footed. Now, they need economic ideas urgently but have none to offer.
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, October 3rd, 2011 - 70 comments
What a bizarre week of polls. The Fairfax poll and the Roy Morgan polls both showed swings from National to Labour. The TVNZ poll and the TV3 poll did not. (Hey TV3 – that’s some pretty sloppy writing!) In other news, Key finally equalled Helen Clark’s peak rating as preferred PM.
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, October 2nd, 2011 - 56 comments
The weeks of the RWC were supposed to be a politics-free zone. Bread and circuses. It hasn’t turned out that way, as both Armstrong and O’Sullivan point out in weekend opinion pieces. The credit downgrades have dropped a bomb in the middle of the political landscape. But I think that both are wrong in expecting any action from the Nats.
Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, October 2nd, 2011 - 14 comments
Don Brash has weaved his magic again. He’s going to have a minder now and everything he says will be vetted. But it’s too late. His cannabis speech brilliantly highlighted the disjunction between ACT’s values and those of the man they need to win Epsom. A major ACT donor calls John Banks a twerp, while Don Nicolson has, surprisingly, sided with Brash.
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, October 1st, 2011 - 86 comments
Like the recent Fairfax poll, yesterday’s Roy Morgan shows a significant swing from National to Labour.
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, October 1st, 2011 - 19 comments
Another in what looks like becoming a regular series.
Written By: - Date published: 3:58 pm, September 29th, 2011 - 19 comments
Asset sales are on the agenda before the election. Michael Fay, strangely, is leading a coalition of underbidders for the Crafar farms against a bid from China worth $300 million more. According to the Waikato Times, New Zealanders have forgotten Fay’s involvement in the toxic asset sales of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s under both Labour and National governments. That would be a pity.
Written By: - Date published: 9:01 am, September 28th, 2011 - 56 comments
The latest Fairfax poll has the Labour – National gap closing a bit.
Written By: - Date published: 6:32 am, September 28th, 2011 - 33 comments
John Key promised to put Food in poorer Schools across New Zealand to help children to learn. What has he done about it? One cheap, but very well-publicised stunt. Will we see any substance? Or is this another promise like not raising GST, wages catching Australia, or capping not cutting the civil service?
Written By: - Date published: 2:04 pm, September 27th, 2011 - 24 comments
Nick Smith is looking at issuing a “Government policy statement” to ensure that the Auckland Plan complies with their agenda. They may ban the urban limits that are proposed to keep green, productive land around Auckland and help ensure rates stay low and public transport works in a more liveable city.
Written By: - Date published: 6:27 am, September 27th, 2011 - 34 comments
On Sunday, Don Brash decided to muse on decriminalising cannabis. It’s not ACT policy, we’re meant to understand, it’s just the Party Leader making a speech and saying ‘this would be a good idea’. In classic Brash style, he hadn’t told John Banks, who gave Brash a public smacking on the idea. Now the question is: why would the people of Epsom vote for these two?
Written By: - Date published: 10:37 am, September 26th, 2011 - 28 comments
John Hartevelt – “Key is massively over-exposed on any number of fronts, but nowhere more so than at Pike River.” Key routinely promises big: close the wage gap, roaring out of recession, national cycleway, no equity loss for redzoners, Pike River bodies out, no GST hike, whaling solved, brighter future. He NEVER delivers. How does […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:38 am, September 25th, 2011 - 43 comments
Out of the blue, John Boscawen has announced he is withdrawing from ACT’s list. It’s an odd departure from an odd man. ‘Family reasons’ is the line. Not exactly creative. Is the real reason National’s ‘fixit’ Bill? Boscawen is a true believer in ACT’s libertarian principles and doesn’t do compromise. Was being asked to sign a retrospective blank cheque the final straw?
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, September 24th, 2011 - 6 comments
One of the criticisms levelled at MMP is that it means the tail wags the dog. But if it wasn’t for the Alliance, the Greens and New Zealand first, we wouldn’t have Kiwibank, home insulation, or the Gold Card. We wouldn’t have a competitive New Zealand-owned bank, healthy homes for families who need it, and opportunities for social interaction for seniors. I say thanks to those parties and to MMP.
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, September 23rd, 2011 - 29 comments
Three time election loser Don Brash has announced he will stand in North Shore. Having lost the safe National seat of East Coast Bays twice to Social Credit(!) and the unloseable election as leader in 2005, his odds of defeating even Maggie Barry, a novice best known for her gardening, are poor. But will he split the rightwing vote and let Ben Clark slip though?
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