Labour Opening Address
Amazing. Brilliant. I’ve seen a lot of political television, and that would have to be the best piece of contemporary political television by a […]
PAY IT BACK!
TV1 at 7:50 – Opening Address
Labour’s election Opening Address will be broadcast on TV1 at 7:50pm tonight. Labour is hinting that the address will be something different, and unlike anything we have seen before. Given their gutsy campaigning so far, anything could happen! Make sure you tune in…
Weekend social 28/10/2011
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
Ride that pony
On RNZ today: Mr Goff said Prime Minister John Key did not have the “guts” to debate him. “It’s time to make a […]
Nek minnit
Net benefit of hosting the Rugby World Cup $280m over 7 weeks ($780m tourist spending minus $500m investment and operating losses). Cost of an 8cm welding crack in the Maui pipeline: $350m after 2 days. Guess it pays to mind the small stuff. Least it didn’t happen during the Cup when Auckland was chocka with tourists.
Campaigning on policy – what a concept!
Labour has once again broken the mould and chosen to focus its election campaign on policy. As a country we’ve been saying for a long time that elections should be about policies and not personalities. Now we’ve got a chance to try it. If the media is up to the challenge, of course.
National’s plan to screw workers some more
John Key has announced National’s IR policy and it’s all about cutting back workers negotiating power.
The message from Key is clear – big business might have made this recession but you’re the ones who are gonna pay for it.
Nats want to cut wages
The Nats want to extend the new entrants wage from 200hrs/3 months to 6 months. Won’t create jobs. Most businesses don’t bother with the new entrants wage anyway. word is, though, that the NE wage is a red herring. The guts of the policy will be a broad-spectrum on the rights of workers to organise and bargain designed to drive down wages
Labour’s savings & retirement policy
Well, they said they were going to run this campaign on policy and make the bold moves, and Labour proved that with their savings policy. National is been left floundering. Brand Key is unraveling while Labour starts to dictate the play for the first time since Orewa. But the substance of the savings policy wants a closer look, it has both good and bad aspects.
Open mike 28/10/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Saving our future
Labour’s savings policy is taking care of future generations by making KiwiSaver universal and compulsory for all wage and salary earners, by re-starting contributions to the New Zealand Super Fund, and by gradually increasing the age of eligibility for New Zealand Super from 65 to 67 over a 22 year period. Labour is taking the decisions that are right for tomorrow, rather than the easy option today.
Several excuses: Key memories
Several Excuses‘ political satire shorts are featured on The Nation. Here’s the latest edition.
Cult of personality deficit
It’s not surprising that National are trying to run a presidential, personality based election campaign – after all, their policies aren’t going to […]
Not quite beyond parody
There’s almost too many excellent parodies of National’s silly billboards and ads.
Lying over Key handshake fail clip?
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. But today the IRB denied it.
A campaign launch for the times
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 Goff too much cries Clare Robinson; the lighting’s wrong whines Hoots. They’re afraid to take on the message.
Open mike 27/10/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Ashcroft – the photo-op Key didn’t want
Paddy Gower at TV3 reveals Lord Ashcroft, billionaire Tory donor and International Democratic Union treasurer, has come to talk to Key again. Just discussed politics generally, said Key. Politics yes, generally no. Ashcroft’s interests are now devoted to polling and blog communication, and he is very interested in our election. Having seen Cameron miss out on a majority, he’ll want to help Key to one here.
Keep MMP Launch
Keep MMP are having their campaign launch in Auckland this Friday.
Launch in the morning at Wynyard Quarter; Party in the evening on K Rd.
Get along, have fun, and show your support. Make sure all our votes count.
The Rena disaster and response: a study in neoliberalism’s failures
KJT looks at how the neoliberal fly-by-night attitude set the grounds for the Rena disaster and the inadequate response.
There, fixed it for you
NoRightTurn: Election choices
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 more subsidies to polluters; Labour and the Greens want businesses to pay for their use of public resources.
Europe finance ministers’ meeting cancelled
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. The downside scenario to Treasury’s PREFU begins to look like the most realistic option. It is time our media took off the rose-tinted spectacles and asked some hard questions of the government in the run-up to the election.
Why are the Right acting like losers?
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 campaign. So, why are National weather-vanes, Farrar and Slater, hitting the panic-button?
Do you feel lucky PREFU?
The PREFU paints a pretty dismal picture of the economy. The worst case scenario is catastrophic, and (at one in five) I think that Treasury has significantly underestimated the odds. Do you feel lucky?…
If Epsom & Ohariu were Northland & Te Tai Tonga…
Just why is it that the anti-MMP crowd only complain about small parties having too much power when those parties are the Greens?
Queen of Thorns has a few thoughts on the matter…
Open mike 26/10/2011
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
PREFU
The Pre-Election Fiscal and Economic Update is out. It shows that National has broken its promises on the economy once again. Under National, we are under-performing woefully and their only response is to continue to promise that brighter future is just around the corner. Time for parties with real plans: Labour and the Greens.
Undesirables for Banks
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 keep his true views secret from the voters”.
Felicitations Thierry
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 on Sunday what a player he was, and he showed us all last night what a leader he was. Grace in defeat does not diminish anyone. Grace in victory is important too – we could have done better.
Why is it wrong to want a better world?
“The truth is, the world cannot be made perfect” says Deborah Hill Cone, arrogantly dismissing the Occupy movement. And she may be right. But that does not mean we are living in the best of all possible worlds and that the injustices and imperfections of our world are things we just have to accept. Rijab takes her on.
Caption contest
Nats in a world of their own
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 … searching for a support partner?). It’s pretty bare-faced cheek from the party with the worst economic record in this country’s history.
The austerity death trap
In response to tough economic times, Government austerity programmes do more harm than good. It’s a pretty simple equation based on the debt / GDP ratio. With an election coming up soon, NZ needs to look for economic competence and a willingness to try new ideas, rather than muddling along deeper into the austerity death trap.
Slave fishing – NZ’s shame
You won’t find much praise for Talley’s on this site. But, fair dues, they harvest their fish with Kiwi crews and have this to say on slave fishing: “If it is uneconomic to harvest a New Zealand resource under New Zealand labour conditions and costs then it is not a resource. Blood diamonds and Asian textile sweatshops use the same justification”