Open mike 09/09/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Open Mike 08/09/13
Sunday Reading
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: 7 links.
Does Shane Jones understand preferential voting?
A short explanation for Shane Jones on why trying to game the system in preferential voting isn’t a good idea.
Australia – Labor’s unwinnable election
Australia goes to the polls today and if things go the way that the pollsters are predicting there will be a new Government elected. The way I see it Kevin Rudd has failed to inspire but Tony Abbott is terrifying. If only Rudd had shown some principle things could have been different.
Grant Robertson
In accordance with our general rules about candidates posting, Grant Robertson has sent in a guest post. He may be available to answer some questions on Sunday as Saturday is busy for all candidates.
The post will be fully moderated.
Shane Jones, the other contender for the historic Labour leadership primary is welcome to send in a similar post with the same rules.
Labour Leadership Campaign – Weekend Edition
Days 7 and 8 of the Labour Leadership Campaign tours and the candidates are approaching the final straight. This weekend there will be Labour Leadership meetings in Nelson, Wellington and Dunedin. And TV3’s poll results on the leadership will no doubt attract intense attention.
Open mike 07/09/2013
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…
Cunliffe passes my campaign litmus test
I’ve just spent the last week on the road with David Cunliffe and his wife Karen. Campaigns are a handy litmus test to […]
Weekend social 06/09/2013
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
Wrap of the Week
Things I didn’t get to this week, from Christchurch earthquake anniversary to Kim Dotcom.
Friday Funny
It’s about jobs … and social security?
Cunliffe & Robertson stress the need to improve employment laws, jobs, wages, the economy, workers’ rights. Cunliffe invokes Savage-like social security & the need to end the Nats beneficiary bashing. Wider community pressure is needed for there to be real political change away from the destructive neoliberal scam.
The invisible man
From the start of the Labour leadership contest, Cunliffe has been the man to beat. In the one scientific poll, he was favoured to lead by 30% of the population, Jones by 11%, Robertson by 10%. He’s been seen as having the strongest member and union backing from the start. Robertson needed a blinder in the roadshow. And that means the media fascination with Jones is hurting Robertson the most.
Open mike 06/09/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
On the affiliate vote
There’s been some recent speculation on the affiliate vote. Some of it’s trolling some of it’s just plain misinformed.
That said, it’s an interesting issue, and one that I’ve a few thoughts on myself.
UBI. (Universal Basic Income).
The concept of UBI has a long history in New Zealand.
Of course, we already have a UBI for those over 65. Which has been extremely successful at eliminating poverty amongst the elderly, at a very moderate cost by international standards.
TVNZ / Skycity deal is an asset dump
If Key and Joyce aren’t simply corrupt, then they are some of the most stupid business people I’ve ever seen. But most likely they’re just politicians trying to cover their arses for making a stupid mistake. It looks to me like they have gutted TVNZ to give a bare land deal to SkyCity, ignoring the value of the building on top or the profitable business that they will destroy in the process.
Labour Leadership Campaign – days six and seven
Day six of the Labour leadership marathon and the parties are off to Hamilton. David Cunliffe and Grant Robertson have released campaign videos and a virtual meeting is being scheduled. And a day off tomorrow which I am sure the parties will be pleased about.
Open mike 5/09/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
David Cunliffe
In accordance with our general rules about candidates posting, David Cunliffe has sent in a guest post. He will be available to answer some questions. The post will be fully moderated.
Other candidates for the historic Labour leadership primary are welcome to send similar posts with the same rules.
Labour leadership campaign – day five
Day five of the leadership campaign and the contenders meet tonight in Tauranga.
The Jones surpremacy
The poor gallery journos. They’ve got to turnout copy each and every day on the Labour leadership race but, well, not that much actually happens. The contenders have laid out their pitches and, now, they’re going around repeating it to members. So, there’s a lot of story invention. The latest is the idea of Jones winning.
National’s asset sales cost $124m + $2.3m per week
National says that $9m is too expensive for you to have your democratic say on asset sales (that’s less than the budget for Pike River re-entry, which everyone supports even though it’s unlikely to recover bodies). What National doesn’t want to you now is that they’ve spent at least $124m on the asset sales so far, and the foregone net profits from Mighty River is running at $2.3m a week.
Open mike 04/09/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Intervention. Now!
Widespread and ongoing poisoning of civilians demands decisive and immediate international action, so…
21st Century Leadership Election
As part of the Labour Leadership Election there is to be a ‘virtual hustings’ – an online forum for Q&A organised by Labour. Scoop have agreed to facilitate, and are now harvesting the questions.
Labour leadership campaign – day four
Day four of the Labour Leadership campaign and the parties are heading to the Hawkes Bay. The meetings so far have been positive, happy affairs and the candidates have been on their best behaviour. May this unity continue.
Spendthrift Key objects to cost of democracy
Key’s big whine today is that the referendum on asset sales, which over 10% of Kiwis have requested as required by law, will be ‘extremely costly’ at $9m. This guy’s joking, right? Mr ‘2-billion-of-tax-cuts-in-the-middle-of-a-recession’ is whining about $9m on democracy? All up, Key’s squandered well over a hundred million on asset sales so far.
Open mike 03/09/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Sarin
On the one hand, there is the building propaganda blitz to justify military action in Syria, and on the other…
Breaking: Citizen’s Initiated Referendum Is On
Russel Norman’s let the cat out of the bag with a series of tweets: “We’ve done it!! Citizen initated referendum on asset sales is on! #fb” and “OOps, there was an embargo on the CIR result until 1pm which I didn’t realise until after I tweeted. Apologies to Clerk of the House”
Labour Leadership Campaign – day three
Day three of the Labour Leaders campaign tour of the country and tonight the contenders meet in Whangarei.
Enough for us all, but they want it all for themselves
The howls of outrage from the Right elite were predictable. Robertson and Cunliffe promising a living wage for all government workers, are they crazy? Decent pay for cleaners? That’s not what their granddaddies fought for. It was predictable but it still makes you angry. These are the same people who cheered when the elite got billions in tax cuts. These are the people we have to throw out of power.
Open mike 2/09/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Obama and the UK
So Barack Obama is going to adhere to the US constitution this time around ( unlike as was the case with Libya) and await the potential green light of Congress before commencing with any military action in Syria.