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Politics

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

Categories under Politics

Arnhem Land and Ihumātao

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, August 5th, 2019 - 44 comments

A Recent High Court decision in Australia suggests that protection of indigenous land rights may be better than we think.

Can the Greens rise like the liberal democrats?

Written By: - Date published: 9:56 am, August 4th, 2019 - 71 comments

Only 6 months ago the UK Liberal Democrat party was at a real low, with their leader resigning and the polls about 7%: same as the last five years.  Fast forward five months from that and they are ready to become a major opposition party of opposition.  Can the Greens do the same?

How To Get There 4/8/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 4th, 2019 - 42 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-telling and The New Climate Denial

Written By: - Date published: 2:03 am, August 4th, 2019 - 170 comments

James Shaw lays it out in his AGM speech: the new climate denial sounds reasonable and is the gravest danger we currently face.

Boris Johnson’s majority is disappearing

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, August 3rd, 2019 - 30 comments

in England the Conservatives have lost a safe seat in a by election to the SDP. And from Ireland comes  a cunning plan that would obliterate Johnson’s majority.

Memo from Crosby Textor – fake news

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 2nd, 2019 - 19 comments

The Standard has obtained an internal memo from CTF Partners (formerly Crosby Textor) where it responds to allegations that it is a kindergarden for the rich children of Conservative Party donors, has engaged in misogynist behavior and ran anti and pro cycle astroturf campaigns to get a cycleway moved from near a client’s business premises to near an opponent’s premises.

Dutton engages in weaponised brutality

Written By: - Date published: 9:52 am, August 1st, 2019 - 63 comments

Australia is responding to New Zealand’s concern at the forced repatriation of New Zealand citizens from Australia who fall foul of the law by dramatically increasing the potential for this to occur.

The unbelievable lightness of Simon Bridges

Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, July 31st, 2019 - 31 comments

Simon Bridges has insulted women and Tokelauans at the same time with a thinly veiled attack on Jacinda Ardern.

Simon – only good at the bottom of a cliff

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, July 31st, 2019 - 78 comments

The interview between Jack Tame and  Simon Bridges was revealing. Circumlocutions and the wheedling of a conniving prosecutor around the National party hypocrisy over cancer drugs. Making a token amount towards funding super-expensive cancer drugs – but don’t want to deal with root causes or prevention of cancer? It beggars belief that this fool is a politician.

Ihumātao

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, July 31st, 2019 - 119 comments

The background to the Ihumatao dispute is complex and problematic and resolving it may require the Government to review issues relating to privately held land and treaty claims.

National’s cynical cancer policy announcement

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, July 30th, 2019 - 104 comments

National has announced a new Cancer Agency to replace the agency it closed four years ago to be funded from within already overstretched Health budgets.

Jacindamania

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, July 28th, 2019 - 138 comments

Despite the babies and the engagements, maybe it’s time to ditch the default Jacindamania.

How To Get There 28/7/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, July 28th, 2019 - 72 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.  

Fool me twice?

Written By: - Date published: 12:05 am, July 27th, 2019 - 29 comments

Boris Johnson’s ruthless purge of Cabinet and hard right shift looks like preparation for an early election.  Reminds me of 1984 at home, as a right wing coup is on the way. He lied his way to Brexit – will it work again?

The weasel accurately dissects National.

Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, July 26th, 2019 - 36 comments

Matthew Hooton has a piece on National’s chances in the next election this morning entitled as “National stumbling to defeat”. Personally I think he is a PR weasel who is on the border to dirty politics. But he did cover the salient points that will be on the mind of the National party conference. 

Bye bye Banks

Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, July 26th, 2019 - 8 comments

John Banks has announced that he will not be standing for Auckland’s mayoralty.

Dunne reckons next election will be close

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, July 26th, 2019 - 48 comments

Peter Dunne has come up with some 2020 election reckons that ignores current polling as well as National’s leadership problems.

The Greens’ attack ad

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, July 25th, 2019 - 87 comments

The Greens recent ad mocking Simon Bridges has attracted some strong criticism.  But is it justified?

Protect Ihumātao

Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, July 24th, 2019 - 235 comments

“STAND WITH IHUMATAO! This is a call out to all our supporters. Come stand with us as we take back the whenua! Oruarangi Rd, Mangere.”

(Image via Noted).

Australian right wing commentators suffer from deranged Jacinda syndrome

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 am, July 24th, 2019 - 76 comments

Australian right wing commentators are losing their shirts at the thought that Jacinda Ardern may be in the running for a Nobel Peace prize.

Boris for UK PMⁿ

Written By: - Date published: 12:52 am, July 24th, 2019 - 99 comments

67% of the 160,000 UK Conservative Party members have voted for Boris Johnson as their leader. An attempt to block him as PM has been circumvented by the Speaker. The Queen has had to delay her trip to Balmoral to receive him as Prime Minister. I’d have more faith in the Ukraine’s comedian. At least he can command a majority in Parliament.

 

More polling problems for Bridges

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, July 23rd, 2019 - 57 comments

Barry Soper has reported on a UMR poll that has National at 38% and Simon Bridges unfavourable rating at over 60%.

National’s ranks are cracking about climate change

Written By: - Date published: 7:36 am, July 22nd, 2019 - 90 comments

National Climate Change spokesperson Todd Muller has publicly stated that he is broadly supportive of the Government’s proposed EV incentive policy.

How To Get There 21/7/19

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, July 21st, 2019 - 27 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.  

Peters, Pence, Pompeo and the Rapture

Written By: - Date published: 2:57 am, July 21st, 2019 - 25 comments

Hamish Rutherfurd writes that Winston Peters’ trip to the US to secure a trade deal is far-fetched and a waste of time. I agree. But if Peters has his agenda, so will Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence, John Bolton and Dan Coats have theirs. He was scheduled to meet them all. No wonder the 9th floor are worried.

 

The strait of Hormuz

Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, July 20th, 2019 - 49 comments

With the seizing of an oil tanker by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz today as a presumably tit-for-tat escalation for British seizing an Iranian ship, and the U.S. Navy harassing their coastline, we are in for a senseless and dangerous political escalation.

There is no climate emergency according to National

Written By: - Date published: 10:59 am, July 19th, 2019 - 194 comments

Simon Wilson has suggested in the the Herald this morning that for purely political reasons National will frustrate and stymie action on climate change

Tolley upsets Youth Parliamentarian

Written By: - Date published: 1:26 pm, July 18th, 2019 - 55 comments

Anne Tolley has attracted adverse attention to the Youth Parliament by telling a young participant that she should not read from speech notes.

Brian Easton on methane

Written By: - Date published: 9:14 am, July 18th, 2019 - 4 comments

Brian Easton has put up a interesting post at Pundit which looks at how we should measure and constrain in our methane emissions. My initial impression is that his approach defeats the purpose of trying to reduce the effects of climate change over the coming century.

Matata

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, July 18th, 2019 - 44 comments

Many a bold claim has been made for the necessity of responding to climate change, but when it comes to storms affecting one’s own home, Matata is surely the test case of this century.

Sometimes explaining is not losing

Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, July 18th, 2019 - 98 comments

Stacey Kirk thinks that Julie Anne Genter should not have criticised National’s spin on the Government’s fuel efficient importation policy but forgets to do her basic job of analysing National’s spin.