web analytics

Politics

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

Categories under Politics

Snap election Britain

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, October 30th, 2019 - 55 comments

The UK will learn its political fate on Friday 13 December. MPs have voted in a one-line Bill to have an election on Thursday 12 November, in the middle of winter.  BoJo’s got his way if not quite the way he wanted. All bets are off.

 

Can’t Simon Bridges prove a double negative

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, October 30th, 2019 - 33 comments

Simon Bridges has announced new National Party policy to take benefits off gang members and their families if they can’t prove they don’t have illegal income or assets.

Wellington mayor-elect flip-flops on sale of Wellington Airport

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, October 30th, 2019 - 26 comments

One of the first acts of Wellington mayor-elect, Andy Foster has been to reverse his stance on the council’s 34% holding in Wellington International Airport Ltd (WIAL). Whether he can get his plan to sell the airport stake past a once hostile public or a leftist-dominated council also seems about as likely as his desire to bulldoze through another tunnel through Mt Vic.

Small start to inflated bullshit.

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, October 29th, 2019 - 14 comments

I was reading one of Chris Trotters reflections which looked at the Corrections Amendment Bill 2018, that just passed its 3rd reading. “Putting The Check In Right-Wing Prisoners’ Mail”. It sounded odd and oddly lacked detail. I came to the conclusion taking press releases at face value without thinking was a very bad idea.

Unapologetic populism?

Written By: - Date published: 7:51 am, October 29th, 2019 - 44 comments

A Wall Street broker has accused Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren of unapologetic populism in her desire to help workers, the environment, those with lower incomes, and women and minorities as if these are bad things.

Brittle cities

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 29th, 2019 - 10 comments

It is pretty hard to miss a variety of cities around the world going nuts for apparently minor offences.

How To Get There 27/10/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 27th, 2019 - 14 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.  

Truth, boomer memes and the next election campaign

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, October 26th, 2019 - 54 comments

Thanks to Facebook’s lax attitude to fact checking it appears that the next election campaign is going to be a rough one.

British Justice tortures Assange

Written By: - Date published: 4:14 am, October 26th, 2019 - 36 comments

Craig Murray reports on the horror of Julian Assange’s treatment by British so-called “justice.” Read it and don’t weep. You can see why Murray resigned from the UK foreign service; their diplomacy is just as bad.

The Government-Auckland relationship

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, October 25th, 2019 - 26 comments

The Sky City National Convention Centre fire brings the Government Auckland relationship to a very sharp edge. It was tense before. It’s worse now.

Dog whistling Housing Corp tenants

Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, October 25th, 2019 - 29 comments

National has announced that it will put an end to a “state house for life” if it gets into power next year.  But its rationale is not only cruel but based on a faulty understanding of the local reality.

Farmers given a chance. I think National will screw it up for them.

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, October 24th, 2019 - 21 comments

One of the less endearing traits of National is their ability to screw almost anything up for short-term advantage regardless how it impacts long-term. Usually this comes from the results of in-fighting within the party. The agricultural emissions deal is likely to get caught again.

Sneaky Simon somersaults on support for Terrorism Bill

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, October 23rd, 2019 - 24 comments

National has welched on a promise to support the Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill so that it can play politics with law and order issues.

Zero Carbon Bill reported back

Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, October 22nd, 2019 - 18 comments

The Zero Carbon Bill has been reported back largely unchanged.  But National has a series of talking points that suggest it will not cooperate with the passage of the bill into law.

NZ First Youth drags party screaming and kicking into 20th century

Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, October 21st, 2019 - 24 comments

At New Zealand First’s weekend conference the party’s youth wing has forced the party to rethink its ultra conservative view on pill testing services being offered at festivals.

How To Get There 20/10/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 20th, 2019 - 56 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.  

Reality kicks in for US trolls.

Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, October 18th, 2019 - 17 comments

It has been an interesting few days looking at political reality kicking in on politics and the net in the UK and the US. The first story I read yesterday was in the US, about one of the lying dimwitted conspiracy nutcases who claimed that the 2012 Sandy Nook school massacre never happened, but was […]

Why unions won’t give up on Fair Pay Agreements

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, October 18th, 2019 - 40 comments

The CTU has launched a campaign to raise awareness about a discussion paper released by the Government on fair pay agreements amongst media comment that government support may not be secure.

“Extinction Rebellion blanket ban chilling and unlawful”

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, October 16th, 2019 - 74 comments

Amnesty International condemn police blanket ban on Extinction Rebellion protests in London.

Burning down the house

Written By: - Date published: 5:03 pm, October 15th, 2019 - 28 comments

Why is it that conservative politicians throughout the world engage in rhetorical attacks on laws that in many situations actually serve important purposes?

Later climate change deniers

Written By: - Date published: 12:01 pm, October 15th, 2019 - 73 comments

The recent local government elections resulted in a number of people committed to addressing climate change being elected. And an apparent thinning of those who think that it is a hoax.

Caption contest

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, October 15th, 2019 - 19 comments

Keep it seemly …

One News Colmar Brunton Poll Oct 2019

Written By: - Date published: 6:21 pm, October 14th, 2019 - 121 comments

The October TV One/Colmar Brunton poll is out. Like yesterday’s devastating TV3 poll result showing National not waving, but drowning, today’s poll confirms that NZ is still heading toward an historic Labour/Green Government, despite the Tories flirting with numbers in the high fifties.

UPDATE: Some weirdness with the numbers: they add up to 101% and 47% does not actually give National 60 seats, so the ‘Poll Says National Can Govern’ headlines are a wee bit optimistic.  TRP.

Online voting – no. Try polling booths

Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, October 14th, 2019 - 42 comments

Amid calls to install online voting from the technologically illiterate who are appear to be unaware of the risks, there is clear disagreement from those who do know the risks. Politicians should listen to them. While postal voting is an expensive and failing system, online voting as a system is certain to be way worse. 

Newshub: poll shows Labour/Green could govern alone

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, October 14th, 2019 - 73 comments

Is less spin and more analysis too much to ask?

Dunedin’s Aaron Hawkins

Written By: - Date published: 9:37 am, October 13th, 2019 - 23 comments

Dunedin is going to be a very interesting test of politics and opportunity over this coming three years for this new mayor.

How To Get There 13/10/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 13th, 2019 - 54 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.  

2019 local body election results

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, October 12th, 2019 - 79 comments

Discussion post for live election results and turnout stats.

John Key 2.0

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 11th, 2019 - 120 comments

Chris Luxon has announced he will be seeking National’s nomination for the Botany seat next year.  john Key is pleased.  But Jami Lee-Ross is not … Update: Nor is Matthew Hooton …

National’s extreme gang rhetoric

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, October 10th, 2019 - 39 comments

National has engaged in some extreme rhetoric concerning gangs which is not reality based.

Elizabeth Warren on Facebook and the US presidential election

Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, October 10th, 2019 - 72 comments

“They’re allowing Trump to spend over $1 million a week right now for ads on their platform—including ones that air the same lies that TV stations won’t.”