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What a mess of a week Paula 'out of her depth' Bennett is having: Found to have breached the rights of a beneficiary who dared to speak out against Bennett's cuts to a training allowance, which Bennett herself used while a solo mum. Caught out…
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So, let me get this straight. Debt is bad. So bad, in fact, that the Government is willing to sell assets that produce higher returns than its cost of borrowing to free up money and avoid taking on more debt. That would actually increase government…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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Thanks to Rob Salmond and Josie Pagani, it is now clear that Labour's pitch to the centre is an intentional strategy. That is helpful as now perhaps we can have a reasonable discussion about how well it's working, and what else might work better. Certainly…
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Frank Macskasy over at Frankly Speaking writes some very long posts that are often full of interesting information. This one does a good analysis of the recommendations from the Electoral Commission and various party positions on it. On the way through he has a good…
act conservative party dpf election 2014 electoral commission electoral systems greens john banks mana maori party MMP national nz first political parties Politics united future
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Paula Bennett has abused her position as a Minister. We've been waiting for the hearing to conclude for a long time. Here's the ruling at last, courtesy of Stuff. Media statement on Paula Bennett privacy complaint Wednesday, 15 August 2012, 12:17 pm Press Release: Human…
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I've got a new rule. If I'm reading any political 'analysis' and the author commits argument to moderation fallacy, I stop reading right there. So I don't know what John Armstrong wrote after his third sentence yesterday: "The competing choruses of those who say it…
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There has been a lot of discussion on the direction Labour is heading and the direction it should go. There have been some very valuable contributions by Mike Smith, Rob Salmond, Jordan Carter and Josie Pagani. I don't have much to add to this other…
activism blogs community democracy david shearer democratic participation labour uncategorized
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Privatising our power companies means higher power prices for everyone (even "mums and dads"). This makes obvious sense - private companies are all about profit. And there's data to back it up. Labour and the Greens have been pushing the message that private power companies…
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Transport spending has always been paid for out of road taxes. But National's roads to nowhere cost too much and road user tax revenue is stagnant because traffic volumes are responding to high petrol prices. They've added huge top ups from general tax but it's…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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My father was a dog-trialler, and a very good one - 2nd in the 1947 New Zealand Championships with Speed. As a kid, I loved going to the dog trials, where I heard a lot of dog-whistles, and Dad won a lot of short-head competitions.…
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I find myself on the Standard again defending the principle of Democracy against the same old arguments. Most of the objections apply to any system which allows the public a say in Government. As again we have the party in Government telling us, "We won…
democracy under attack democratic participation political alternatives political education Politics
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Idiot/Savant at NRT on the need to reform the Terrorism Suppression Act. An Admission Back in 2002, in the wake of 9/11, Parliament passed the Terrorism Suppression Act. The Act brought us into line with international law on terrorist financing and bombing, but it also went…
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So, Key's over in Maine watching his kid play baseball (and, shush, taking the rest of the week off for another overseas holiday). Whatever. The thing that gets me is that he can't help but lie to tell people what they want to hear. He's…
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National Party campaign designer John Ansell and Invercargill-based racist Louis Crimp are planning a $2 million campaign to whip up racial hatred between Pakeha and Maori. I don't think people will be fooled, even if anyone publishes their material. We've moved past the Owera days.…
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Lowering the threshold to 4% is a step in the right direction but why not go further? Getting rid of coattailing is negative in theory but in practice could stop anti-democratic gaming by major parties protecting tiny client parties. Abolishing overhangs is bad - it…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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I have spent the better part of 17 years - eight of those as a paid organiser for the Labour Party - practicing the ancient art of alchemy; turning supporters into volunteers, volunteers into members and members into activists. I have recruited hundreds of union…
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Jordan Carter and Josie Pagani agree - there is a legitimate debate that needs to be had about whether Labour aims for the left or the centre vote. That may be where agreement stops, judging from Josie Pagani's contribution to the debate on Nine to…
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The answers are simple the solutions are complex. We are broke and getting broker for some very simple reasons … Our exchange rate is too high Our exchange rate is open to manipulation (it is unstable). The worse our economy gets the higher our currency…
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As has been widely reported the Electoral Commission's proposal paper on its review of MMP is expected to be released this morning. The proposals are non-binding, but will carry a lot of weight. There will be a further round of public consultation before a final…
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A TVNZ poll matches the results of the TV3 poll on whether people would buy shares in the asset sales. Only 50% say they definitely have $1,000 to spare to buy what they already own. Only 13% say they would "very likely" use that money…
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The Nats spent $420,000 on branding for the Ministry of Science and Innovation, which only existed for 18 months before being swallowed by MoBIE. It included money for branded play putty... Shearer's right: "The Government’s supposed public service reform is an incoherent ego trip for…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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It has been an interesting week for the leaders of the two main parties. Key had a horrid week. His problems were self-inflicted. Following the deaths of two of our soldiers in Afghanistan, Key (with his usual ham-fisted international diplomacy) managed to insult Hungary, drawing…
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Research from the Green Party shows that the $12 billion 'Roads of National Significance', the bulk of the next decade's transport budget, would be on routes that carry just 4% of the country's traffic. So, the other 96% of us are paying nearly $3,000 a…
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike...
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The first of my weekly E-newsletters to members and supporters, from the desk of the Labour Leader These e-newsletters are a chance for me to keep in touch, and to let you know what your team of Labour MPs and I have been working on…
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The apparent incoherence of National's position on national standards has been bugging me. They claim that the standards will improve outcomes and are so crucial that schools must be forced to use them whether they want to or not. Yet strangely they aren't crucial for…
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