John Key's try-hard failed handshake at the RWC has gone viral. What looked like a minor footnote to the affair came out last night, when it was reported that YouTube had taken down the clip at the request of the IRB. Not really worth a…
Labour's cleverly wrong-footed Brand Key with a policy-based campaign launch. Key will look out of touch playing messiah at his campaign launch while the economy burns. Labour's ads are great. The Tories are in panic mode: they don't feature Goff enough moans Key; they feature…
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Paddy Gower at TV3 reveals Lord Ashcroft, billionaire Tory donor and International Democratic Union treasurer, has come to talk to Key again as he did before the last election. Dave couldn't come so Lord Ashcroft did. Just discussed politics generally, said Key. Politics yes, generally…
Official Launch: Friday 28th October, Auckland The Campaign to Keep MMP will be officially launched at 10.30am on Friday 28 October at Pescado Café and Tapas Bar on Jellicoe Street, North Wharf Wynyard Quarter, Auckland. Keep MMP's spokespeople Sandra Grey, Philip Temple and Lewis Holden…
The Rena. A Neo-Liberal failure. Nearly three weeks ago now a container vessel grounded on Astrolabe reef near Tauranga, New Zealand. Shipping accidents like the Rena are entirely at the door of Neo-Liberal economics. The foreseeable results of Globalisation, de-regulation, the endless search for…
I/S looks at two dividing lines between left and right that may help your choice in a month's time. The first is Afghanistan. Labour has promised to bring the SAS home within 90 days. National won't commit to withdrawing. The second is water: National wants…
The meeting of European Finance Ministers set for Wednesday that was supposed to put in place the framework for the Euro support has been cancelled. Certainty appears ever more elusive. According to Wolfgang Muenchau in the Financial Times, in any case the proposed plan depends…
It was meant to be so easy. With high polling and several possible support partners, National would breeze into a second term thanks to Brand Key. The man himself would carried around the country by crowds of adoring locals. It would be more coronation than…
The PREFU paints a pretty dismal picture of the economy, as many commentators were quick to point out. Here's Duncan Garner: Pre-election fiscal update paints bleak picture The Government has opened the books today in what's called the pre-election update to give all the parties…
There's a tired old line trotted about by those who dislike MMP and that whole proportionality thing it guarantees: "it gives minor parties too much power". You usually see it used to disparage law changes like the repeal of section 59 (which only 113 MPs…
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The Pre-Election Fiscal and Economic Update is out. It shows that National has broken its promises on the economy once again. Five months ago, they were promising growth would hit 4% in the year to March 2013, which starts on April 1 next year. Now,…
Pamphlets are circling highlighting past comments made by Mr Banks, including anti-homosexuality and racist ideas. Right-wing bloggers say it's all part of nasty campaign tactics by Labour. "waa, waa, waa" said Farrar and Slater "it's mean to quote a man's words when he's trying to…
Thierry Dusautoir thoroughly deserved the player of the year at the IRB awards last night. And how well he took it - with praise for the All Blacks, addressed to Richie McCaw, and with words from the heart spoken to his team. We all saw…
"If you are under an illusion that class warfare is non-existent in our society, then look no further. Today an incredulous Deborah Hill Cone took aim at the Occupy Movement. She cunningly opens her piece with a suggestion that “I'd have thought Aotea Square was…
National's new online ad campaign shows a roadworker with a stop sign, supposedly representing Labour (he has a red hat and red swandry so you get the point) and another roadworker with a go sign meant to represent National (although his sign is green ...…
A while back I wrote a post on the similarities between the austerity measures in Britain and in NZ, and the all too predictable outcome of economic stagnation and increasing hardship in both countries. No surprise of course to find a similar analysis of the…
There was a really good article on slave fishing in the latest Sunday Star Times. You won't find much praise for Talley's on this site because of the anti-union tactics they employ in their factories. But, fair dues, they harvest their fish with Kiwi crews…
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The first leaders debate took place on Native Affairs tonight. Key and Goff were interviewed by Julian Wilcox. Key was lacklustre - if New Zealanders were finding it tough to make ends meet it was all down to global circumstance, nothing to do with him.…
David Cameron has cancelled his planned trip to Japan and New Zealand. He is facing a backbench revolt over European Union membership at the same time as he is trying to intervene in the crucial financial summit trying to sort out problems in the Euro…
Act president Chris Simmons on Don Brash's sudden trip to Europe: Brash's skills were in economic management, not in "glad-handing rugby players and tickertape parades" which he would happily leave to Prime Minister John Key. John Banks: "I'm going to do the photo opportunity with…
As more oil leaks from the Rena, National's beginning to leak too. I've just been hearing about their latest internal polling, and it ain't pretty. As the earlier Horizon poll suggested, the Rena has been an inflection point for National and the masses of soft…
Finally the cup comes back to good old NZ! You beauty! That said, well done the French. It was a much more exciting and tense game than most expected and I don't think there was anyone watching who wasn't on the edge of their seat…
Labour Day celebrates the successful struggle for an eight-hour working day. Its a story that goes back to 1840, when London born carpenter Samuel Parnell arrived in NZ, landing at Petone beach. A fellow passenger asked Parnell to build him a shop, and Parnell's response…
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