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Nudge Nudge in Northland
Two interesting changes in the Northland by-election overnight.
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On Northland
I’ve been getting tired of the fantasy elections that some political commentators seem to enjoy playing. Currently the fantasises is in Northland, with the same old tiresome lines. It is a pity that most of those playing this game don’t ever seem to think about the behaviours of real voters, real candidates, and real parties.
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Spock was a socialist
If you analyse the many things said by Spock you would come to the conclusion that he was a strong progressive.
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Local Bodies: The Greens and Labour
Politics involves competition, opposition and robust debate as parties jostle to capture media time and to promote their policies and points of difference. But Andrew Little has recently mismanaged his relationship with the Green Party. There is an acceptable line between promoting the interests of ones own party and maintaining a working relationship with future coalition partners.
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The house always wins
The flaws in the process whereby SkyCity promised a free convention centre in consideration of legislative changes are now clear to see. Through an act of brinkmanship SkyCity has embarassed the Government and caused it political damage. And it has achieved a return for investors, the legislative changes will be the same despite there now being a smaller cheaper convention centre.
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War HUH!
class, Ethics, human rights, International, iraq, Left, socialism, Syria, warNZ is again being asked to go to war in Iraq. The Clark Labour Government said no a decade ago, but in 2015 there may be a compelling reason to join the fight; this time it’s the right thing to do. New Standard author te reo putake puts the case for NZ entering the battle against ISIS.
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Tino Rangatiratanga
Andrew Little, Deep stuff, john key, law, Maori Issues, national, newspapers, same old national, treaty settlementsIt has been claimed that Andrew Little has advocated for Maori to have law making powers. What he has done is reflect on a recent Waitangi Tribunal decision which concluded that Maori never ceded sovereignty to the Crown and properly concluded that this is an issue that needs to be considered.
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Armstrong and Small on Nick Smith’s RMA reforms
Senior political reporters Vern Small and John Armstrong have both chosen to pan Nick Smith’s proposed RMA changes using remarkably similar logic. Update: and Fran O’Sullivan has a go too.
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The mathematics of surveillance
Mass surveillance cannot accomplish its stated goals, and it’s likely that many within the security / government system understand this full well.
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The price of the club
Yesterday Key justified our likely military intervention in Iraq as “the price” of being in “the club” with other Five Eyes countries.
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RMA reforms … be very afraid
act, Environment, greens, housing, labour, national, national/act government, peter dunne, sustainabilityNick Smith today announced proposed changes to the Resource Management Act. It is likely he will resuscitate the reforms that were stalled after Peter Dunne refused to support them last year. ACT’s David Seymour has said he will support the changes even though he did not know what they are. Treasury are to release a paper with proposals for change. Updated lprent – yep National stupidity reprised.
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Whaleoil is the only person John Key apologised to this year
John Key’s only formal apology this year was to serial privacy breacher Cameron Slater for breaching his privacy. Not to any of the victims of dirty politics or to any of the victims of this Government’s policies. Why is it that National is continuing to allow Slater to undermine the Prime Minister’s position so effectively?
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NZ Media and blogs vs blogs
Snippets from a detailed and interesting report on the ownership of NZ media, media trends and issues, and the role of blogs post dirty politics. One major quibble – not all blogs are created equal, no more than all TV is game shows, than all radio is talkback, or than all websites are porn.
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Losing money
The economic news is depressing for NZ at present. After riding a dairy commodity boom for the last few years, the payout for farmers looks like it will drop from a high of $8.50/kg last season to $4.85/kg this coming season. Meanwhile National has neglected our most sustainable resource – people. So expect a busted economy for the next few years.
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The week that was
The past week has been a terrific one for Andrew Little and a very bad one for John Key, thanks to Cameron Slater. Key failing to cut contact with Slater is bizarre. It makes you wonder what Slater has on Key.
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NRT: Least preferred option
Back in September, John Key said that sending the SAS to Iraq was his “least preferred option”, “at the very outer edge of what we’d be wanting to do”. Today, he’s changed his tune in his predictable way. Such a poodle wanting to have his belly scratched by his masters.
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The United States mid term Elections
Some brief thoughts on what happened in the United States election this week combined with a guest post by Ad on the challenges that progressive parties are facing in the Western World.
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Reds under the beds
Governments have always used external threats (real or not) to expand their powers. Supposedly “small government” types seem the most keen to grab more powers, for some strange reason.
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Time for a real Police Tribunal?
Yesterday the “Independent” Police Conduct Authority released its report into the conduct of Police during the 2012 mass arrest of students at the “Blockade the Budget” protest. In the “About the Authority” section near the bottom the document claims that the IPCA is similar to a court
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Dairy Workers back Andrew Little
The Dairy Workers Union has officially endorsed Andrew Little’s bid for the Labour leadership.
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ImperatorFish: There appears to be an off button
Scott wonders how we can get around the wonder of whether John Key is currently Prime Minister
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Bat Bean Beam: Dirty journalism
Giovanni Tiso on Bat Bean Beam is pulling at the threads of the connections between National’s dirty politics and journalism.
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Slater sued
Radio NZ has a post up “Tribunal hears blogger privacy case”. A prosecution of Cameron Slater under the Privacy Act for breaching Matthew Blomfields privacy. I suspect that over the next 3-4 days Slater will ponce around acting out courtroom fantasies that have little to do with the law. And will probably get hammered. Good. (Updated)
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Cullen endorses Robertson
Grant Robertson picked up a heavyweight endorsement yesterday.
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Let them go to war
Back when I was a teenager, a mate of mine decided that he was going to give up on school and would get in some combat. So he worked his way into the Rhodesian Light Infantry. A few years later I heard that he’d been killed in action. Other young men going overseas with similar excitement issues have came back a lot less interested in excitement. Sounds safer to me than letting them have a car.
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Right and Righter
Hosking, Henry, National and SkyCity – it’s all so cozy…
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Kim Jong Key Is Missing
The Latest News Bulletin from CNN “Concern is mounting in New Zealand over the whereabouts of the country’s leader, Kim Jong Key. […]
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David Parker – my choice for Leader
Heavyweight Cabinet experience, strong egalitarian values, a cool debater, with a passion for manufacturing and a high-value economy, a good deal of steel and with an open mind and a twinkle in his eye – these are the reasons why I support David Parker for Labour Party Leader.
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Unaffordable housing & the culture of greed
auckland supercity, capitalism, child welfare, cost of living, crime, democratic participation, equality, health, housing, same old national, wagesRental housing remains unaffordable for many. The problem is the greed of investors & speculators, supported by a culture in which housing investment is seen as a way to individual prosperity.
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David Farrar gets it wrong on abortion law in NZ
David Farrar is wrong. We don’t have abortion on request in New Zealand. Not literally, and not “effectively.”
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Cosgrove, the whining MP
Clayton Cosgrove has been acting like a real old fossil this morning about Karen Price’s tweeting. It sounds like his wife must live in purdah. But many modern men live with women who actually have their own mind and use it. Apparently he also thinks bloggers are all like the sockpuppet Cameron Slater as well.. Whining fool. I have news for him. We’re independent too…
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Our children in Wellington
I’m pretty sure that David Cunliffe would win a members and affiliates vote. So suck it up MPs, stop playing your silly caucus games and do some frigging work this term rather than the self-indulgent posturing you wasted time with last term. We have to start building campaigning machinery as soon as possible. You are getting in the way.
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Seat Watch – Epsom
Who will win Epsom? Will enough people rebel at John Key’s instruction to vote for the ACT candidate or will ACT’s extreme policies and Jaime Whyte’s weirdness mean that the people of Epsom will rebel and vote for Paul Goldsmith? Updated: Early, but the Act guy ahead.
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Leader’s debate IV
The fourth and final leaders debate has now finished. John Key will be pleased at his decision to limit it to 30 minutes.
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The latest polls
Two polls out today both suggesting that National are comfortably ahead although the Reid Research has National declining further and polling under 45%. The equivalent polls last time predicted that National would win an outright victory. This is going to be a very tight election.
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The enablers
accountability, brand key, democracy under attack, election 2014, internet, Spying, telecommunications, us politicsUnder pressure from Glenn Greenwald’s revelations, John Key, using various smoke screens, is starting to reveal his complicity in working with the GCSB & its 5 Eyes partners, to extend the scope of their spying. Could the Southern Cross Cable Network not have known their systems had been tapped? Update: Statement by Southern Cross Cables
