D Day for John Banks
D Day for John Banks is today. Is he guilty of making a false declaration of his electoral expenses? Will he be convicted? And what are the political repercussions?
Open mike 05/06/2014
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 …
Farrar, TV3, coat tails and MMP
David Farrar and then TV3 today get their analysis of Labour’s position on electoral law reform horribly wrong. Are we going to have to put up with this during election year?
Climate change – ETS or Carbon tax?
The media is trying to suggest that Labour is opposing the Green’s proposed Carbon Tax policy. This is a gross over dramatisation of the situation. Labour has in the past supported a Carbon Tax, has a policy formation process which prevents policy creation on the hoof, and prefers an ETS even though it is slightly more complex on the basis that it is slightly more effective in allocating costs and benefits across the board.
Open mike 04/06/2014
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 …
NRT: Hoist by her own petard?
One should defend the right of a politician and anyone else to be a complete dork on the net. Even Judith Collins doesn’t need two years in jail for lying to a reporter about another reporter or tweeting bullying abusive rubbish. However many would see Collins’ tweets as “part of the cut and thrust between politicians and journalists”, and they’d be right. But the fact that they would be illegal under her law shows just how awful that law is
Imperator Fish: How to win an election
Scott Yorke at Imperator Fish opines on electorate seats and inter-party relations. On the way through he identifies some strikingly bad net behaviour. Labour MPs past and present who badly need to learn to control themselves on the net just as much as Bomber does.
Polity: Meanwhile, in Bomber-land
Last week’s developments around Internet MANA have caused much conversation on the left in New Zealand. Some of that conversation has been constructive, strategic, and forward-thinking. And then there is Bomber:…. Whose analysis is designed to split the left, not unify it; and the recommendations would help the left lose, not win. Top work.
Open mike 03/06/2014
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 …
The Green’s climate change policy
The Greens have released their climate change policy and are proposing that the ETS is scrapped and a carbon tax imposed in its place. This is a proposal that in the past Labour has supported. The ETS was only agreed to because New Zealand First would not agree to a carbon tax. Second time lucky?
Open mike 02/06/2014
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 …
Spying on the left: 20th century “dirt files”
Secret files have been released, that document the spying of Labour/left politicians in the early-to-mid 20th century: Savage, Fraser, Nash, Sutch, Sir Dove Meyer Robinson. The NZ establishment has a long history of treating the left as a threat. [Update: “Dunne over” by spy review]
Pagani should read up on Labour policy
On Q&A this morning Josie Pagani criticised Labour for not trying to get the MMP coat tail rule removed. The only problem is that Labour already has a bill ready to do just this. Before criticising the Party for inaction she should learn what the party is actually doing.
Polity: Dotcom’s $3 million donation
Kim Dotcom has shaken up the election with a claim his new Internet Party will have a $3 million war chest. The big questions are: is this kind of donation good for democracy, and are left-leaning campaigners hypocrites for accepting it? The answers are respectively yes and no. A politician’s job is to campaign within the rules as they currently stand. They owe no duty to provide their opponents with advantage by pre-emptively limiting their own campaigns.
The Greens and the Emissions Trading Scheme
Russel Norman is tipped today to announce the proposed scrapping of the ETS. It is clear that it is not working. But what do we do instead?
Open mike 01/06/2014
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 …
Green Party conference – focus on policies
It’s the Green Party Conference this weekend. Metiria Turei was on RNZ yesterday morning, talking about how the main focus for the conference will be on policies. Speeches will be streamed live online from the conference today & tomorrow. Update: summary of today’s speeches. Healthy Teens policy.
Open mike 31/05/2014
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 …
The coat-tail rule and democracy
Allow me to fly in the face of an accepted truth in NZ politics by saying this: there is absolutely nothing undemocratic about the MMP “coat-tail” rules.
Labour’s Mana Internet Party dilemma
So what does Labour do? Gift Te Tai Tokerau and be open to allegations of manipulating the system (even though National has made an art form of this particular type of activity) or campaign hard and risk the loss of 3 – 4 % points of party vote if Hone loses his seat?
Open mike 30/05/2014
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 …
Why does David Farrar hate Winston Peters so much?
David Farrar has quite a thing for Winston Peters…
Saving Peppa’s bacon
Could the Australian budget sink any lower? – the answer is yes, apparently, with the shock news in answer to a question in he Senate that the ABC may cut Peppa Pig due to budget restrictions. The outcry was such that Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull had to declare that Peppa Pig is safe.
Considering newborns
It’s a classic National manoeuvre. Ask them a straightforward question like “is there support for all newborn babies in New Zealand?” and get a straightforward “Yes” – with several significant caveats that altogether add up to No.
Maori Party to seek leave to change Paid Parental Leave Bill vote
The Maori Party have supported Sue Moroney’s Paid Parental Leave Bill from its introduction. Then something weird happened last night. First National unbelievably blocked Flavell’s vote when he left to be at the birth of his first grandchild. Then National used the Maori Party’s proxy votes to vote down Moroney’s bill. Did National mislead Parliament? Or did Sharples buckle under the pressure and change the Maori Party vote? Updated: Leave granted and Moroney’s bill survives …
Some thoughts on Internet Mana and Laila Harre
Some thoughts on the implications of the Internet Mana announcement and the anticipated selection of Laila Harre as the Internet Party leader. Like everything else concerning Kim Dotcom nothing is simple.
Open mike 29/05/2014
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 …
Poisoned Pasture
“The New Zealand dairy industry will be dead in fifteen years.” Coming from a well-informed and highly placed investor source met recently in China, these words made me sit up. His reason – nitrate-poisoned pasture product will be increasingly unacceptable to environmentally conscious customers. Here at home corporate farmers and the National government seem to want to accelerate the process. It’s a recipe for disaster.
So what happened here? PPL vote
There has been some questioning of the vote for the second reading of the Paid Parental Bill tonight. Sue Moroney claims the Maori Party were planning to vote for it. The Nat whip cast the Maori Party votes AGAINST the Bill. [Update: One News; NZ Herald]
NBR: Laila Harre to lead the Internet Party
Twitter is reporting that NBR, behind its paywall, claims (sources say) Laila Harre will lead the Internet Party. I honestly don’t know what my reaction is (and of course it’s all unconfirmed at this point) … so provide yours in the comments!
Kiwipolitico: The housing problem isn’t a housing problem; it’s a regional development problem
The national median house price is $415,000, a figure skewed substantially upwards by the extraordinary cost of housing in Auckland. But you can buy a three bedroom house a for a lot less outside the urban areas. There just aren’t jobs to go with them. The chart shows income and employment growth by region. The growth is just not there. Correct that, and it might correct the supply in the urban centres.
Gower’s immigration beat-up
There’s been a lot of heat on Labour from the usual beat-up suspects and not a lot of light until now.
Gerry Brownlee chucks toys out of cot on Nine to Noon
Radio New Zealand presenters have this morning been discussing the important issue of potential asbestos exposure in the Christchurch area. Gerry Brownlee was involved in the discussion and chose to abuse Kathryn Ryan rather than discuss the issue. I hope the good people of Christchurch were listening.
NRT: A committee of fuckwits
The Justice and Electoral Committee has reported back on the Harmful Digital Communications Bill. The bill attempts to outlaw “harmful digital communications” – defined as anything causing “serious emotional distress” – and imposes a regime of court orders, takedown notices, and criminal penalties. The latter would effectively reintroduce the offence of criminal libel – but only on the internet. Some sad old fuckwits in Parliament are scared of us and scared of our future.
Open mike 28/05/2014
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 …
Polity: Inequality trends
Rob Salmond at Polity has a series of posts in recent days that have been well worth reposting but alas they missed due to travel. Who gained from National’s tax switch? and May TV polls. But he is on fire since he got back from aussie – perhaps they spiked his drinks? But this one looking at the probable shifts in inequality in NZ in the future is pretty damn sobering to anyone who thinks that we need a more equal society.