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The Credibility Stakes: John Key vs Nicky Hager
BLip comments on John Armstrong’s article yesterday. Then he updates his “Honest Man” list about John Key and his limited understanding of the truth.
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Local Bodies: Greens Riding Above Stormy Seas
Dave Kennedy (bsprout) looks at the increasingly parlous current state of the smaller parties. He is also looking forward to the Green party campaign launch this weekend in Auckland. Updated with Green campaign launch details.
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The right’s lack of diversity
On the right there’s one big party who have the lion’s share of the vote, and a smattering of odd little parties at the kids’ table fighting for scraps and key electorates. It’s one of the reasons National continues to poll so highly: if you’re a rightwing voter, you don’t have any other viable options.
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Roads ‘n’ rules
The Kumeu candidates debate last night covered topics ranging from the very local, to the global: local roads and round-a-bouts, through the internet, poverty, health, jobs and education, to climate change, the TPPA, and the GCSB. Roads and rules were a recurring theme. [updated: stuff video; links to Green Party speeches]
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The bottomless Labour-Green divide
It seems like every time Labour (or the Greens) announce a policy the first question (after “what does John Key think about this?”) is “But the Greens (or Labour) have a different policy to the one you just announced! How can you possibly work together in government?”
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The Lochinver station
Just over six weeks to go until the next election and we have our first major campaign issue. Not what some young people said about John Key but foreign ownership of our land.
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Local Bodies: National and the Poverty Deniers
Poverty deniers are also adamant that the ‘relative’ poverty that may exist has been flatlining for some time and the best way of stopping poverty is just getting people into work. They ignore the fact that 40% of children living in poverty have at least one parent in full-time employment.
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Positive Policy on Youth Employment
Other than fixing child poverty, there’s probably no more important policy than this. Labour will commit $183 million to a comprehensive Youth Employment Package designed to reach 24,000 young New Zealanders.
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Epsom’s “choice” – first crook, now nutter
John Key says he wants to “give Epsom voters a choice.” Some choice. First a crook, now a nutter. Colin Craig was a bridge too far for Key, but Jamie Whyte sounds just as bad. I think this reliance on the unwanted parties will hurt Key; it’s beginning to feel like 1984 and 1990, where the governing party betrayed the voters’ choice. Covert or overt, before the election or after, it’s still a rort. People don’t like it.
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Latest Roy Morgan poll
The latest Roy Morgan poll records a significant swing to the left with National now on 46%, Labour 30% and the Greens 12%. One poll only and obviously more work needs to be done but …
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TVNZ’s white male syndrome
The focus of criticism of Mike Hosking as moderator for the TVNZ Leaders has been on his blatant pro-Nat bias. Hosking’s also has a track record of sexism and put-downs of some of the least powerful people in society. Are only white males eligible for the job?
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Polity: Poll of polls update
The overall strength of the status quo bloc at around 54%, and the strength of the change bloc a little under 46%. The picture ain’t pretty.
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Conservative idiots
The Conservatives have made a complete cockup of their “bottom line” for making a deal with National about going into government. They want to make referendums legally binding on the government. It is something that no rational government in NZ would agree with because it is impossible from several different criteria. Andrew Geddis points out that it is pretty well impossible without changing the legal basis of our government. I just think that the questions for our referendums have been complete crap.
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NZ First conference – Sunday.
It is a shorter day today. More organisational.
Leading up to Winston Peters speech later today where he is promising about 9 policy announcements.
Campaign slogan “It’s common sense”
Updated: 14:46
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Re-writing 2nd Wave Women’s Movement: Pat Rosier – h/t Hand Mirror
A must read Hand Mirror post acknowledges the passing of Pat Rossier. She played a significant role in NZ’s 2nd wave Women’s Movement. Misinformation about feminism fails to represent its diversity & socialist underpinnings. A full chronicle of the NZ 2nd wave is needed.
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NZ First conference – the kingmakers?
act, colin craig, conservative party, election funding, mana-party, maori party, MMP, national, nz first, peter dunne, Politics, same old national, united future, winston petersIt looks like I’ll be able to head to the NZ First conference at Alexandra Park racecourse on the weekend as media. This election the position of NZ First party members is probably going to be crucial for any coalition that forms. In this rather long post I explain my (and other peoples) thinking on possible coalition results for National after the election. They aren’t good because they really depend on a political group that National has been denigrating for quite a while.
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Jon Stephenson vs NZDF retrial
The NZ Defense Force have been defending themselves in a defamation case against some grossly inaccurate claims that they made about reporter Jon Stephenson back in 2011 (and that John Key recklessly and foolishly chimed in on). They have been forced to concede that their claims were inaccurate. But a hung jury about how defamatory the claims were is causing it to proceeding to second trial. It looks like legal maneuvering by the NZDF has failed. My view is that the NZDF are being completely stupid about owning up to their screwup.
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Polity: The ENV debate: Some more data
David Farrar, election 2011, election 2014, elections, john key, national, same old national, Steven JoyceRob Salmond presents the David Farrar / Steven Joyce / John Key argument that 2011 non voters are a National-leaning bunch. Then he shows that a better look at their own data undermines their claim. This matters because it helps us understand which bloc has more to gain from voter mobilization efforts in 2014. This means the left has a lot more to gain than the right from mobilization in 2014.
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Local Bodies: Pay Equity, Rod Donald Was Right in 2004
In 2004 Green Party Co-Leader Rod Donald made a speech about the Public Finance (State Sector Management) Bill. Ten years later the State Sector is still not an equitable employer. Pakeha men have done considerably better over the ten years than any other demographic and this is despite the fact that for many years now females have been out performing males academically. Women still earn less relative to their qualifications than men. There is some hope that a future Green/Labour coalition may finally address the issue.
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It takes a child to raise a country – so Tick for Kids
Overshadowed by the political smears that have dominated the past few days, the Tick for Kids campaign has been launched to put our children at the centre of the election campaign.
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Local Bodies: National’s Campaign Strategy Stinks
corruption, david cunliffe, education, election 2014, Environment, greens, john key, Mining, Minister for Photo-ops, national, same old nationalWe all know from reading Nicky Hager’s The Hollow Men (or watching the documentary) that the National Party actually advocates for a small section of society. Their policies rarely support most New Zealanders and after each period of a National led Government we have costly messes like leaky buildings and dead miners as the aftermath. This isn’t to say that Labour shouldn’t take responsibility for not repealing dodgy legislation, but National has always stood for less regulation, fewer protections for workers and the environment and an upward flow of money to the already rich.
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TPP – the expensive vanity project of NZ diplomacy
Wayne Mapp is worried about the possibility of Labour backing away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). If National and MFAT would like support from the free-trade advocates inside Labour, then I’d suggest that they get off their padded arses and provide some solid information not only to us, but also to the public. But all I have heard so far is some psuedo-religious Randian rants about free-trade that are about as convincing to business people as statements about the imminent arrival of the Rapture.
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Paula Bennett now believes in education for solo parents
Five years after making cuts to the training incentive allowance for solo parents wanting to educate themselves National is moving to provide some support and now realises that it makes long term sense to invest in education for solo parents. Could it be there is an election around the corner and National realises that it is vulnerable on issues relating to poverty and inequality?
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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.
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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.
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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]
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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.
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Mana Party Internet Party partnership
Mana has announced a formal partnership agreement with the Internet Party. Both parties will retain their separate existence but submit a joint list for the election. The Internet Party will contest as yet unnamed general electorate seats.
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Still an honest man?
BLip has been maintaining for quite a while, a little list of Honest John’s statements that aren’t exactly true. One iteration of this list “An Honest Man” is still one of the most popular posts here with many page views on a daily basis – more than a year after it was posted. Looks like someone has made a video of a few of the times when some of these were made. There is also a more recent BLip list of the words of our favourite lying politician.
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Save the Poisons Helpline!
National are planning to merge a bunch of health helplines to save money. The 0800 POISON number could be scrapped leaving additional seconds or minutes until help is received in those most urgent of moments.
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Marama Davidson: candidate for Tāmaki Makaurau
activism, child abuse, child welfare, community democracy, election 2014, families, greens, housing, internet, Maori Issues, Maori seats, poverty, Spying, sustainabilityMarama Davidson, is on the Green Party list & is a candidate for the Tāmaki Makaurau seat. Davidson is a really promising up-coming politician. She is committed to working for people, communities, the environment, democratic process, & strongly supports wahine, Māori & young people.
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Labour’s Caucus Reshuffle
Labour has announced a reshuffle of its Caucus rankings and portfolios.
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The strength of the left: working together…
david cunliffe, democratic participation, election 2014, greens, human rights, john key, labour, mana-party, slippery, sustainability, workers' rightsThe strength of the left: working together…. from the flaxroots. I agree with the parts of David Cunliffe’s speech to Young Labour where he talks of the importance of working together and mobilising the grass roots left in order to win the election. He is speaking about the Labour Party, but his words are equally true for the wider left
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Shane Jones standing down as MP
Breaking. Just on One News – Shane Jones will not be standing in the elections for Labour or any other party. More as it comes to hand. NZ Herald – Jones to leave politics at the end of next month. Stuff – Kelvin Davis next on list. Davis – a very good replacement.
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The week that was
david cunliffe, election 2014, john key, Judith Collins, labour, making shit up, mana, maori party, national, news, newspapers, same old national, spin, you couldn't make this shit upThe highs and lows and the good and bad of what was a fascinating week in Politics.
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Coalition for Better Broadcasting launch
The Coailiton for Better Broadcasting and website has launched today. From the information on the website, it is looking like a very promising initiative to me.
