Nationwide public meetings: TPPA-11 update, and what we can do
Auckland 12 Feb – Wellington 14 Feb – Nelson 20 Feb – Christchurch 21 Feb – Dunedin 22 Feb
laila harre
Best debate zinger
The best debate zinger didn’t come from anyone on the stage.
End of the Internet Party?
Laila Harre has quit – end of the line for the Internet Party?
Our Friends in the North
It’s been an interesting few days in the battle for Te Tai Tokerau. Never mind the bollocks, people. The question for Labour isn’t should we stand aside for Hone in the north or Mana/IP anywhere else. The question is ‘do we need ’em?’. The answer is looking more and more like no.
Polity: Dotcom’s $3 million donation
Kim Dotcom has shaken up the election with a claim his new Internet Party will have a $3 million war chest. The big questions are: is this kind of donation good for democracy, and are left-leaning campaigners hypocrites for accepting it? The answers are respectively yes and no. A politician’s job is to campaign within the rules as they currently stand. They owe no duty to provide their opponents with advantage by pre-emptively limiting their own campaigns.
Labour’s Mana Internet Party dilemma
So what does Labour do? Gift Te Tai Tokerau and be open to allegations of manipulating the system (even though National has made an art form of this particular type of activity) or campaign hard and risk the loss of 3 – 4 % points of party vote if Hone loses his seat?
NBR: Laila Harre to lead the Internet Party
Twitter is reporting that NBR, behind its paywall, claims (sources say) Laila Harre will lead the Internet Party. I honestly don’t know what my reaction is (and of course it’s all unconfirmed at this point) … so provide yours in the comments!
Robert Reid to lead NDU
As has been expected for some time, the National Distribution Union has announced that its President, Robert Reid, will be taking over as […]