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Politics

Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation

Categories under Politics

Hipkins rules out coalition with Peters

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, August 28th, 2023 - 27 comments

Yesterday was a good day for Labour.  Leader Chris Hipkins started talking about what the party stood for and what its values are while also ruling out a coalition with NZ First.

Be afraid be very afraid – the next Government could be really strange

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, August 27th, 2023 - 55 comments

If there was a change of Government the next Government could potentially be full of fundamentalist Christians, anti vaxers and all sorts of people whose view of Aotearoa is not conventional or reality based.

Self-destructive stupidity, New Zealand style

Written By: - Date published: 5:51 am, August 27th, 2023 - 25 comments

Belief in capricious gods would explain the perplexing habit of governments with intelligent and informed people to embrace policies which are manifestly an example of self-destructive stupidity. Clever people doing stupid things.

Semour is more like Rimmer than Mandela

Written By: - Date published: 8:54 pm, August 26th, 2023 - 17 comments

David Seymour reached more absurd levels of idiocy this week with a suggestion that if he was alive Nelson Mandela would be an Act supporter.

National’s very bad week

Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, August 26th, 2023 - 13 comments

National MP Tim Van Der Molen has been found to have been in contempt of Parliament for aggressive, hostile and threatening behaviour towards Labour MP Shannan Halbert during a select committee hearing.

Eugenie Sage’s farewell

Written By: - Date published: 11:14 am, August 25th, 2023 - 7 comments

As always, if you want to understand green politics, listen to what the Green MPs say themselves. This speech is no exception.

Fifteen Green MPs, or more

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, August 23rd, 2023 - 38 comments

The political courage of the Green Party is paying off.

Education policy and the compulsory teaching of subjects

Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, August 22nd, 2023 - 26 comments

The brains trust of Labour’s leadership have recently released a policy providing for the compulsory teaching of financial literacy in schools. Tacking to the centre and seeking votes from the pro business part of the electorate is an interesting approach to campaigning.  Time will tell if it is the correct approach.

This press release was brought to you on behalf of National’s sponsors

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, August 22nd, 2023 - 25 comments

It has been revealed that National issued a press release in support of litigation taken against the Government by a company without disclosing that the manager of the company had previously made significant donations to National.

Later Stuart

Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, August 20th, 2023 - 12 comments

Stuart Nash has given a valedictory speech which could have been delivered by a retiring National MP.

David Seymour should be ashamed

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, August 18th, 2023 - 103 comments

David Seymour yesterday hit a new low in race baiting when he said that “in my fantasy we’d send a guy called Guy Fawkes in [to the ministry of Pacific Peoples] and it’d be all over”.

The other cost of living crisis

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 18th, 2023 - 7 comments

Our descendants will curse us

Why New Zealand First Will Get Back In

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, August 17th, 2023 - 70 comments

Winston’s term with Ardern shows what high-delivery, low-foolishness government looked like. That’s why he’s rising again.

What is at stake this election – housing

Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, August 16th, 2023 - 87 comments

Since 2017 this Government has constructed 12,000 new Kainga Ora houses, overseen record numbers of new housing consents, moved to resolving the housing crisis and stabilised and reduced house prices. All this is at stake if there is a change of Government.

NZ First gets some hefty donations from National donors

Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, August 15th, 2023 - 30 comments

Some donors normally associated with the National Party have recently made significant donations to the NZ First Party.

NZ First and Winston seek anti vax vote

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, August 14th, 2023 - 53 comments

Winston Peters clearly hopes that enough of us have short memories. He was an integral part of the 2017 Government whose Covid policies saw our death rate from the disease amongst the lowest in the developed world.  But now his party is clearly courting the anti vaccination community.

Labour’s GST and WFF policy announcement

Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, August 13th, 2023 - 168 comments

As predicted Labour has announced a policy of taking GST off fresh fruit and vegetables and a significant adjustment to Working for Families In House Tax Credit levels and the Thresholds.

Barbie Will Save The World

Written By: - Date published: 10:47 am, August 11th, 2023 - 11 comments

Ad believes the Barbie Movie will be a mobilising element in regaining Democrat balance in Congress (maybe not the Senate) and the White House.

Is Simon Court a victim of dirty politics?

Written By: - Date published: 9:43 pm, August 10th, 2023 - 18 comments

When the news about an Act MP being shot in the foot when he was 17 during a drug deal was released I did not think too much about it.  But on reflection maybe there is a story here …

Nanny state National wants to ban cell phones at schools

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, August 10th, 2023 - 62 comments

luxon sheep

National has this propensity of announcing policies that scratch conservative itches, cost nothing and hog media attention. Yesterday we had a classic example of this as they announced that cell phones would be banned at schools.

The difference between Blackrock and China

Written By: - Date published: 9:03 am, August 9th, 2023 - 4 comments

Some big news yesterday as the Government announced a deal with US Investment Firm Blackrock for a $2 billion fund for renewable electricity projects.

Climate NGOs on the BlackRock deal

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 9th, 2023 - 2 comments

NGO responses to the government’s announcement yesterday of the deal with global investment management firm BlackRock, to fund 100% renewable electricity generation in New Zealand.

National is no nation builder

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, August 8th, 2023 - 16 comments

Nation building projects always take multiple terms, and the risk of Labour losing puts at risk some of the largest and most important we’ve seen in generations.

Climate weirding: the climate wild cards

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, August 8th, 2023 - 5 comments

“Unpredictable change is the new status quo”

Helen Clark thinks the Government should review commitment to AUKUS

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, August 7th, 2023 - 44 comments

Last week the Government released a document titled the Defence Policy Strategy Statement. Helen Clark has expressed the concern that the strategy suggests that as a country New Zealand is abandoning its capacity to think for itself.

Greens: free dental care for all

Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, August 7th, 2023 - 75 comments

“Under our plan, everyone will be able to keep their teeth healthy, and access treatment when they need it through a new community-based New Zealand Dental Service.”

Tree protection for urban trees to be restored

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, August 6th, 2023 - 12 comments

The Government is set to overturn the previous National Government’s laws that prevented proper protection of urban trees and which has seen a stampede of urban tree removal.

Donald Trump indicted for trying to overthrow the US government 

Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, August 3rd, 2023 - 30 comments

The question the citizens of the United States will have to ask shortly is not merely how on earth a person like this is a viable candidate for president. The question is really: how could the United States enable a sitting President to carry out this scale of crime?

Labours’ party list

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, July 31st, 2023 - 25 comments

Arrived in the email. Here is the full list of your 2023 Labour Candidates:

National’s latest policy: MOAR ROADS

Written By: - Date published: 9:44 am, July 31st, 2023 - 51 comments

National’s latest policy announcement shows that it has an unmistakable fetish for tar seal.

A letter to Chris Hipkins

Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, July 30th, 2023 - 31 comments

My 2c on what I think Chris Hipkins needs to do to win this year’s election.