Hi, just a quick post about what might be happening inside the National party. We've seen the approach to the Greens in the media via Paula Bennett and commentators have pointed out that this would be good for National as it would do several things…
You know that old saying about how generals always prepare to fight the last war? That's National and their FPP election campaign. You can see it in their tactics. How they treated their coalition partners. How they attacked Peters and NZF at every opportunity, leaking…
Matthew Whitehead from lemattjuste.wordpress.com writes from a Green perspective about the whys and why nots of a National/Green deal. ______________________________________________________________________________ So, the usual right-wing suspects are fomenting mischief about a possible National-Greens coalition, and it’s definitely not going away, at least not until Peters announces his decision,…
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It's been a long election and we're currently in political limbo. Writers are taking it easy. Time to revive weekend social? This post is for non political chat. What's on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro,…
National's one and only strategy this election was lying about Labour, specifically Labour's budget and their tax policy. The $11.7bn hole lie just made the Nats look stupid, but the evidence suggests that the tax lie did real damage. Why are we so angry about…
We are right in the middle of a balancing point. The New Zealand political order is in a formless and non-functioning state, yet when I walk outside our entire society is functioning as before. It can take a lot for national-level politics to actually affect…
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Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
There's been chatter on Twitter, and not so dissimilar talk around my office among 'ordinary' (probably on average right-leaning) people, about why National and the Greens can't get together. Why the Greens can't 'stick to the environment' and get some wins there, as a compromise.…
Wondering wtf is going on with all this National/Green hooha? Me too. The Greens aren't going to support a National government, so why is there so much push to make it look like it might happen? This popped up on twitter night before last, https://twitter.com/LewSOS/status/912476862571352064…
If this phrase rings a bell with any of you, it might help save some from the madness they are descending into over who the Greens will go with, will not go with and so on. This was Labour's tagline during the campaign once…
A significant and positive development late yesterday: Winston Peters hints at backing down over Māori seats The biggest block to a Labour-NZ First coalition could be removed, with Winston Peters hinting at a backdown on a Māori seat referendum. ... The only thing Labour leader…
Nats and their proxies continue to try and drag the Greens into negotiations with National. The Greens of course say no. I guess Nat types just can't conceive of a party based on principal. A party that exists for something other than the pursuit of…
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 …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Those of you who are keen op shoppers will have been following the explosive story of SaveMart employees over the last few weeks. John Campbell on Radio New Zealand first aired the allegations that employees in the New Lynn store were being made to sort…
If you wanted to know all that is wrong with New Zealand right now recent publicity about Fonterra's boss Theo Spiering's salary provides a perfect example. The boss of the organisation owned by farmers who complained bitterly at how cleaning up our rivers that they…
It's interesting to read Peters' speech to the NZF Convention earlier this year: Convention Speech: The Battle For New Zealand 17 July 2017 Speech Rt Hon Winston Peters New Zealanders are asking themselves the obvious question - will we have a stable government. Political stability…
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 …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
And now for an election that matters to the world, with some similarities to our own. Germany’s elections held over the weekend have their Alternative Fur Deutschland (AfD) has 13%. The Christian Democrats and natural allies have 33.5%. The Social Democrats have 21%. The Greens…
Metiria Turei explains this week why she has no regrets about her admission of benefit fraud from 25 years ago, It means that no-one in this country claim ignorance of what poverty looks like. Or can claim ignorance about how the system drives people into such despair.…
https://twitter.com/izzyelle/status/912110387511750656 https://twitter.com/izzyelle/status/912111293821095936 https://twitter.com/izzyelle/status/912112042173095936 https://twitter.com/LewSOS/status/912111899805868032 I was going to write a post titled Greens rule out National (again and again and again)* but this is way more fun. I think we should all start talking about James Shaw as PM. Because we've had people who should know…
Some pundits are waxing lyrical about how the Nats have maintained their vote over 4 elections, but that masks the underlying trend of the tide going out on the political right. https://twitter.com/gregjrobins/status/911821470686253056 https://twitter.com/richardhills777/status/912195137115004928 Working with the National party is the political kiss of death. United…
Peters has hardly cleared his throat yet and he's already clearing out Nats and their proxies. Seymour has been bluntly told that his services are no longer required - sucks to be Epsom. Dirty Wayne Eagleson is moving on - good riddance. And as Gower…
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 …
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Labour didn’t deserve to win on Saturday because, firstly, because it failed to bring a fully-fleshed tax policy to voters, and, secondly, it never attempted to win the ideological battle over tax. Missteps over the Capital Gains tax apart, Jacinda Ardern ran an energetic and…
Idiot/Savant at No Right Turn writes: ____________________________________________________________________________________ So, the election happened. And rather than seeing the stunning Jacindamania victory we were hoping for, instead we're left with an uncomfortable situation for everyone. National has clearly lost its mandate: their vote dropped, despite sucking up the…