left wing leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn well ahead
Hard lefty Jeremy Corbyn has a 22 pt lead in the UK Labour leadership race. The Labour Party Blairites are definitely not happy.
Hard lefty Jeremy Corbyn has a 22 pt lead in the UK Labour leadership race. The Labour Party Blairites are definitely not happy.
Tim Groser has some advice for us on the TPP – “We need adults to do this, not breathless children to run off at the mouth when the deal is not actually finished.”

We are giving away the shop and we don’t know what if anything we will get in terms of dairy access yet. Our negotiators have signaled that they are weak. And even if we get what we want it is probably worth bugger all anyway.
Winston Peters was thrown out of Parliament yesterday and New Zealand First MPs walked out in sympathy for raising points of order following a personal explanation from Anne Tolley where she corrected an answer to a parliamentary question that was clearly wrong.
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The Chinese Stock market sell off has started again a couple of weeks after rather desperate measure were put in place. The question has to be what will the Government do now?
Labour has set out its bottom lines for supporting the TPP. My question to National and its supporters – which of Labour’s bottom lines are you prepared to give away, and why?
Update: We can cross off point 1, Key sells out Pharmac.
It’s not a good idea in general to comment on internal polling. But since they were discussed on other blogs yesterday – Labour’s current numbers are looking good.
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Rod Oram looks at the way the regions are stifled in his Sunday Star Times piece.

It appears that the Government has a radical proposal to undermine democratic participation in our Health Boards. Although the Minister claims not to know about it.
National had a conference in the weekend. They used it to re-announce some Labour policy, but otherwise if you noticed it was probably because of the protest outside.
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Most Kiwis back a ban on foreign property buyers but this hasn’t translated into a boost for Labour. Critically, Key’s popularity drops under 40%.
The latest 3News/Reid Research poll continues the trend of bad results for National. On these numbers, National are knackered. And, surprise, surprise, Kiwis don’t want non-residents buying up our houses. Not a great way to finish a conference weekend, is it?
National Party delegates were greeted at their conference today by a sea of crosses representing the 291 workers who have died on the job since the Pike River disaster.
This was the week from hell for National when they experienced the Serco fiasco, news that they responded to a suggestion they close a failing Charter School by giving it more money, the Judicial spanking of their undermining of the Problem Gambling Foundation and the ruling that their legislation removing the rights of some prisoners to vote was a breach of the country’s human rights.
Paula Bennett wants us to believe that people on Housing Corporation’s waiting lists are choosy.
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Recent focus has been on the tragedy and incompetence of a Serco run private prison. But problems extend further than that, into the entire way NZ views its prison system. We need fundamental penal reform.
The Nats have been forced to call in the good old-fashioned state to clear up Serco’s mess.
The High Court has ruled that a law passed by National in 2010 is a violation of the Bill of Rights Act. This is a first for NZ, and another “proud” item to add to National’s legacy.
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Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
The CTU’s excellent campaign to get a stronger version of National’s post-Pike River Health and Safety law has produced this excellent video, and you can sign to support Iain Lees-Galloway’s amendments to improve the bill.
The Friday afternoon bad news dump is on with news that Education Minister was recommended to close a poorly performing charter school. She has elected not to do so and to instead give the school extra money.
The White Man Behind A Desk is back, with equal opportunity satire and a special message to rich people.

Andrew Little has outlined five bottom lines that have to be met before Labour will support the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. These include protecting Pharmac, no investor state dispute resolution procedure, New Zealand retains the right to restrict land sales to overseas entities, the Treaty of Waitangi is upheld and there are meaningful gains for farmers in tariff reductions and market access.
John Key on the death at a Serco run prison. Words fail me.
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