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Politics

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

Categories under Politics

The plastics problem

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 9th, 2019 - 5 comments

It’s easy to mock the government’s latest single-use plastics ban, but the comprehensive plan it arises from is impressive work from Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage, including the shift to systems thinking and the far reaching implications of the government adopting this approach.

How To Get There 8/12/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 8th, 2019 - 51 comments

Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.  

The climate emergency and the UK election

Written By: - Date published: 4:25 am, December 7th, 2019 - 3 comments

The climate crisis is one of the greatest threats to life on our planet, and as Prime Minister Boris Johnson should have fronted this debate. By failing to do so, he has shown himself to be a weak and feeble leader. By not engaging on the critical issue of climate change, Boris Johnson has shown not only UK electors, but the world that he is a fool.

Scotland – does independence loom?

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, December 6th, 2019 - 14 comments

Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog Scotland matters in the 2019 UK general election. Yet much of the electorate have little understanding of the place, it’s politics or what could happen after the December 12 election. Scotland could well decide the outcome of the 2019 UK Election. It did in 2017. At the last election fierce […]

Right wing lies

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, December 6th, 2019 - 110 comments

New Zealand and the United Kingdom are both cursed with the right wing parties having the same advisors and similar means of campaigning

An Early Christmas.

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, December 5th, 2019 - 23 comments

Christian tradition dictates Christmas falls on the 25th of December. This year though, if we simply view Christmas through a lens of ‘good things happening’, then Christmas is coming early.

Time to become a republic

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, December 5th, 2019 - 85 comments

There are indications that Elizabeth the UK Queen may stand down from her office in the next two years. That may be the perfect time for Aotearoa New Zealand to cast aside constitutional provisions based on heredity and become constitutionally independent of the old country.

Little’s Electoral Bill a curate’s egg – good in parts

Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, December 4th, 2019 - 11 comments

I’ve always liked Punch magazine’s famous cartoon “True humility” where the curate assures his bishop noticing his bad egg that parts of it are excellent. Most discussion on Little’s Bill has focused on the bad bits regarding foreign donations. The good bit requires all political ads online to be attributed.

Protecting democracy

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 4th, 2019 - 40 comments

We need to normalise a political culture based on real relationships, where people can work through their beliefs and thinking about how they want society to be without being constantly bombarded with information and processes that are deeply anti-human.

Terror attack at London Bridge

Written By: - Date published: 2:35 am, December 4th, 2019 - 2 comments

With just over a week to go till the UK General Election, polls (which are questionable in reliability) show the race getting tighter. Expect lots of harsh word and dubious tactics. In all this, political operators shouldn’t forget that real people’s lives are impacted by events like terror attacks. Politicians from all sides need to think about their actions before trying to gain political points.

Government to ban foreign donations to political parties

Written By: - Date published: 12:19 pm, December 3rd, 2019 - 66 comments

The Government has announced that it will pass under urgency changes to the Electoral Law to ban overseas donations.

Why some MPs should not tweet

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, December 3rd, 2019 - 7 comments

National MP Joanne Hayes has provided a textbook example of the perils of Twitter.

Whither Warren?

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, December 2nd, 2019 - 20 comments

Is it too early to call negative odds on Elizabeth Warren’s candidacy?

Labour’s infrastructure spend announcement

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, December 1st, 2019 - 35 comments

Is the Government commitment to the budget responsibility rules weakening? Because at the Labour Party Conference Grant Robertson has indicated that the Government will shortly announce a big capital spend on infrastructure.

How To Get There 1/12/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 1st, 2019 - 57 comments

Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.  

Labour Conference

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 30th, 2019 - 97 comments

It’s a weird moment for the Labour Party at Conference this weekend.

The folly of electoral pacts

Written By: - Date published: 2:15 am, November 30th, 2019 - 2 comments

Originally posted  Nick Kelly’s blog One feature of the UK election has been various electoral alliances or deals done. This has mostly occurred around the issue of Brexit. Early on in the campaign I wrote about Trump’s intervention in the UK election, specifically him calling on The Brexit Party and The Conservatives to do a deal. […]

Bridges calls for investigation into National’s handling of electoral donations

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, November 29th, 2019 - 24 comments

Simon Bridges’ demand of an investigation into the New Zealand First Foundation appears to have backfired after it emerges that the NZ First Foundation was modelled on the National Party Foundation.

Lefties on The Standard redux

Written By: - Date published: 8:56 am, November 29th, 2019 - 66 comments

A dedicated post on The Standard providing a discussion space for left-wing people only.

Strike Force Raptor for the win

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, November 28th, 2019 - 40 comments

National has proposed significant changes to the Criminal Justice system to create a Police group without evidence that it works, and that if enacted would make our prisons less safe and plug holes in our law that do not exist.

Submissions to upgrade Ihumātao Ōtuataua Stonefields heritage listing

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 28th, 2019 - 18 comments

Pania Newton and the Protect Ihumātao Team are asking New Zealanders to submit to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga using this process. Submissions close 4pm Friday.

Next round of NZ and international climate actions

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, November 28th, 2019 - 6 comments

School Strike for Climate, Extinction Rebellion, That Humble Man, Greenpeace.

National’s Youth lauranorda rhetoric

Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, November 27th, 2019 - 20 comments

National is proposing changes to the Youth Court system that show not only a disregard for working in the interests of young people but disturbingly show a complete lack of understanding about how the Youth Court works.

Economists support Labour forming the next UK government

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 27th, 2019 - 24 comments

One hundred and sixty three British economists have signed a letter to the Financial Times to say they believe that Labour should form the next government. The UK economy needs reform. For too long it has prioritised consumption over investment, short-term financial returns over long-term innovation, rising asset values over rising wages, and deficit reduction […]

Little announces changes to Prisoner voting rights

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, November 26th, 2019 - 44 comments

Andrew Little has announced a review of prisoner voting rights to overturn National’s law change which the Courts have ruled to be in breach of fundamental rights and unjustified. Simon Bridges has announced that National will reverse any such law change. And he has topped this off by proposing that Tauranga City Council should prosecute and fine beggars and homeless people.

November Stuff Poll; Nats Knackered

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, November 25th, 2019 - 95 comments

Stuff have released their latest YouGov political poll. It’s a shocker for the Tories and their current leader Simon Bridges.

 

How To Get There 24/11/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 24th, 2019 - 48 comments

Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.  

Never Trump

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, November 23rd, 2019 - 46 comments

There is tremendous momentum within the Democratic Party right now with recent gains in Kentucky and Louisiana and Virginia. But in the battle to get rid of Trump they can still blow it.

Social Media – A force for good?

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, November 22nd, 2019 - 8 comments

Nick Kelly on the role of social media in the UK election.

Are the UK media biased?

Written By: - Date published: 9:48 am, November 22nd, 2019 - 16 comments

Nick Kelly on allegations of bias in the UK media.

Hypocrites

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, November 22nd, 2019 - 57 comments

National’s attacks on NZ First’s Foundation are hypocritical in the extreme given that it also has a Foundation and has used this foundation to hide the identity of donors who have collectively potentially contributed huge amounts of money to the party.