Search Results » why shearer failed
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Why Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Death Matters Here
RBG’s death was an important event for women here because it happened on the anniversary of Women’s Suffrage Day 126 years ago. On this day in New Zealand we celebrate women being able to vote, the women who won further victories of political liberation, and many got together to recount our female heroes enabled by that right and all those rights that followed.
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Why I electorate vote Cunliffe: op ed
capitalism, climate change, david cunliffe, democratic participation, Economy, employment, grant robertson, jobs, labour, monetary policy, sustainability, telecommunications, welfareI wasn’t going to express my opinion on the upcoming Labour leadership selection process. However, the usual right leaning MSM hacks seem to have been following the current Labour caucus leadership in naming Robertson as the frontrunner. This is my op ed testimony for my frontrunner, the MP for my electorate: Cunliffe.
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States of it – Turei and Shearer
Metiria Turei and David Shearer have today given their State of the Planet and State of the Nation speeches respectively. There’s a lot of commonality, which is good. A critique of the government is solidifying and it’s centred on jobs, housing, and the environment. The Greens’ policy agenda looks heftier than Labour’s but both are heading the right way.
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Shearer promises active government
David Shearer has just made his opening speech of the year at the Labour Party Summer School.
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Why I will party vote for the Greens
I’m tired of watching the Labour caucus screwing up the left’s chances of winning the treasury benches. I don’t really trust them to be competent to implement any new ideas if they control parliament. And most of their recent ideas are just warmed over ideas from the Greens. The caucus stupidity over the last week has convinced me to eliminate the middle-man and leave the Labour whips to enjoy their busted trophy.
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Judith Collins – dirty politics hypocrite.
I’ve just been reading Andrea Vance’s review of Judith Collin’s released biography. One thing that usually infuriates me is whining arseholes. I have always thought Judith Collins has always been one of them. Vindictive, small-minded, and ignorant. She whines even through a review that merely quotes her.
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Andrew Little’s speech – the next four and a half months are a fight for a better New Zealand
The text of Andrew Little’s speech delivered today to the Labour Party congress.
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Utopians and pragmatists
Nick Leggett places himself in the “pragmatic” part of the Labour Party spectrum and derides others as being “utopian” and not interested in winning. But given the recent election result for the Mayoralty is he right?
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The great big list of John Key’s big fat lies (UPDATED)
Abuse of power, accountability, activism, alcohol, assets, auckland supercity, benefits, brethren, business, child welfare, christchurch earthquake, climate change, Conservation, crosby textor, cycleway, Dirty Politics, disaster, economy, Economy, education, employment, energy, Environment, equality, exports, farming, farming, Financial markets, flip-flop, food, global warming, Globalisation, greens, health, health and safety, human rights, infrastructure, International, john key, Keynes, kiwisaver, labour, loan sharks, manufacturing, Maori Issues, minimum wage, Mining, Minister for International Embarrassment, Minister for Overseas Holidays, Minister for Photo-ops, monetary policy, national, national/act government, overseas investment, Parliament, political parties, Politics, poverty, Privatisation, privatisation, Public Private Partnerships, public services, racism, schools, science, scoundrels, slippery, Social issues, socialism, spin, Spying, superannuation, sustainability, tax, telecommunications, tourism, trade, transport, treasury, treaty settlements, unemployment, Unions, wages, workers' rights, you couldn't make this shit upHow many more lies will John Key tell today in his so-called State of the Nation address? Virtual chocolate fish to whomever guesses the closest number.
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Andrew Little; leadership, loyalty and lasting the distance.
Its 100 days since the NZ Labour Party elected Andrew Little as its leader. What an inspired decision that has turned out to be! Little has galvanised the party, united the caucus and looks set to be the next PM. How has he turned Labour around?
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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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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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LocalBodies: National Slumps in Polls As Ministers Struggle
bill english, Gerry Brownlee, greens, Hekia parata, john banks, john key, Judith Collins, labour, Metiria Turei, national, paula bennett, peter dunne, polls, same old national, Steven JoyceThere is danger of reading too much into polls months out from an election. Commentators were claiming that National was too strong to lose the next election based on a rogue poll. Few looked at multiple polls, accounted for the margin of error nor the trends over past months. The last fortnight has seen a National with the latest Roy Morgan Poll plummeting from the Colmar Brunton result of 51% to 45.5%. And it is based on a lack of ministerial performance…
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Espiner becomes RNZ Morning Report host and Pagani criticises the Standard
So Guyon Espiner is the new Morning Report host and Josie Pagani thinks that commentators on the Standard are being mean to her. Guyon’s appointment will provide some interest but Josie should reflect on the cause of criticism of her. Could it be that her beliefs and views are not reflective of the thoughts and views of most progressives and that her use as a representative for these views is failing the need for those views to be represented?
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This week’s Jonolist award goes to….
class war, david cunliffe, democracy under attack, greens, housing, labour, leadership, Metiria Turei, news, tvJonolist award to Patrick Gower for slanted reporting of a non-poll result, continuing his anti-Cunliffe lines. Special mention to 3 News report on The Vote bovver boys, against affordable housing for those in need, forcing a “back-down” from Turei on lowering house prices. Need better MSM.
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Budget roundup
Budget links and reaction (updates to come).
Four years of misguided austerity have delayed any recovery.
Despite the advance publicity there is nothing significant here for families in poverty.
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NZ Power
At noon today Labour and the Greens jointly announced new energy policies. “NZ Power” is big and it’s bold. It will completely restructure the way the electricity sector is run, and result in lower power prices for both domestic and business consumers.
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Labour’s three factions
It’s interesting how little understanding there is of the state and politics within the Parliamentary Labour Party. A lot of the coverage of Labour’s internal workings has tended to personalise the tension – it’s been focused on Shearer vs Cunliffe without any questions about what lies beneath.
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Remembering John Key
As New Zealand collectively rolls its eyes at the paucity of ideas and vision, and surfeit of excuse-making and responsibility denying in Key’s state of the nation speech (it was so bad John Armstrong wrote a third piece on how great the reshuffle was, instead of praising the speech), Whaleoil – of all people – asks a good question: What will Key’s legacy be?
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Imperatorfish: The post I never posted
… And even if I was wrong on that point, I went on to write, David Shearer was still not the best man for the job, because he had failed to demonstrate an ability to walk on water or bring the dead back to life. But I didn’t push the “publish” button, because I came up with an even better idea for a post…
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The year in review
Most of the years in review I’ve seen in the couple of weeks have concentrated on gossip and rating individual MPs. Most of what matters not a jot outside the beltway. What matters is how the parties are doing in terms of progressing or thwarting the government’s policy agenda – how’s the government doing at governing? – and how polling is shaping up for 2014.
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The enemy is still not your friend
It’s pretty clear: the Greens have managed to hold on to the massive gain they made during the last election campaign, largely at Labour’s expense as it imploded. Labour’s back to its pre-campaign level, at National’s expense. Lab+Green=Nat or thereabouts but the Left needs a good 5% more from the Right to feel confident. So, this is not the time to be listening to John Armstrong’s advice.
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Taking the gap
Russel Norman’s taken advantage of the gap in Labour’s economic skills and vague positioning to cement the Greens as the main alternative voice on economics. Labour lacks any strong economic voice now Cunliffe’s on the outer, and they don’t know where they stand – they attack National but essentially adopt their neoliberal approach.
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Do Not Press!
Funny thing about winnning the war is that it can take a bit of time to sink in.
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Leaders under pressure
Both John Key and David Shearer have had a bit of a pasting in the media lately. Shearer’s problems are solvable – Key’s are not…
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Kate Wilkinson resigns portfolio
Breaking news: Kate Wilkinson has resigned her portfolio due to the Pike River Mine report. Updates: News reports. Damning official report: cold comfort for the families of the victims. Video of John Key’s press conference today. International news coverage. Video of Shearer’s response (7 mins)
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Not in the public interest
Some prominent “journalists” are working to undermine Labour and a possible Labour-Green government: one that could turn against the neoliberal scam that such “journalists” feed off. The left should take heart – the time has come to support the “public interest”, as outlined by Nicky Hager.
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I don’t think I’ll be taking his advice
On the back of Duncan Garner’s scathing piece on David Shearer, David Farrar endorses Grant Robertson for leader. Yeah, because his last recommendation’s worked out so well. Call me cynical, but I just don’t think National’s pollster has the Left’s interests at heart. No, I don’t think people will be looking to the Right for advice on who should lead Labour again.
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Cunliffe attacks Nats’ crony capitalism
David Cunliffe went to the lion’s den yesterday with a speech telling a meeting of Kensington Swan’s receivership and liquidation lawyers that there would be a lot less work for them under Labour but saying “the Labour Party is not your enemy. Your enemy is inefficiency, corruption, and the wastage of both public and private wealth. Your enemy is a cosy corruption that helps a few friends of the government get very rich at the expense of the community.”
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Reading the tea-leaves
Alistair Cameron is heavily tipped to become Labour’s Chief of Staff. That’s a change that would signal even bigger change to come.
Let’s hope that bigger change is done openly and with party members’ input.
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In the frame
Labour’s contrition is starting to look like weakness.
Rather than reinforcing their opponents’ framing of issues they need to articulate their own progressive values with authority.
If they fail to do this the momentum gained by their new leader will be lost.
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Countering the Tories’ bait & switch
Congratulations David Shearer, you’re leader of the Left now, and the prime target for the Right’s smear machine. The Right’s strategy is obvious: bait and switch. Having proclaimed Shearer’s virtues to high heaven, they (and their useful idiots) will now say ‘who is this man?’, try to frame unreasonable expectations, and try to beat up leadership rumours.
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ImperatorFish: The Labour Leadership Indecision
Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here
The Labour leadership contest is not a left-right battle, but a tough call between an Obama-like orator and a down-to-earth guy who lives his values. Both talented and want to reform the party: but hard to chose who’s best to lead the fight to National.
