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Gender, politics & NZ LP conference 2012

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:38 am, November 22nd, 2012 - 140 comments

The Labour Party are giving serious attention to the unacceptable gender inequalities in MP numbers and in pay. The Greens are leading in tackling the underlying masculine framework of politics and employment, and, along with Mana, unpaid work.

In other news: the failings of Key’s government

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:57 am, November 21st, 2012 - 20 comments

John Key’s crony-capitalist, neoliberal government is failing NZ on the environment, affordable housing, and a living wage. Mana and the Greens are leading the way on affordable housing and anti-poverty campaigns. The Greens still lead the way on pressing environmental issues.

Towards an inclusive, democratic left

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:53 am, November 16th, 2012 - 46 comments

The left needs to develop a new direction, not merely react to the ruling neoliberal discourses and policies. Under NAct there has been a resurgent masculinisation of politics, and the undermining of democratic processes. How do we work towards a more inclusive, diverse participatory democracy?

Looking for a new left direction: more than just one housing policy

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:10 am, November 14th, 2012 - 218 comments

A policy focusing on increasing state housing and affordable rents would be a good start. However, my current criticism of Labour leadership focuses on the policy direction of the leadership team. This requires more than just one policy. A bold new left wing plan is needed to deal with the difficult challenges ahead. Updated

Not in the public interest

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:47 am, November 3rd, 2012 - 89 comments

Some prominent “journalists” are working to undermine Labour and a possible Labour-Green government: one that could turn against the neoliberal scam that such “journalists” feed off. The left should take heart – the time has come to support the “public interest”, as outlined by Nicky Hager.

Supernumerary

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 3:50 pm, October 22nd, 2012 - 100 comments

I’ve been thinking about what you might call a ‘good problem’ for the Left.. but it leads me to a ‘problem problem’. OK, so let’s say we win the next election – as the Left must do and should do given how unpopular the Nats’ policies are and, for the last year, how inept their political management has been. How do you share the economic portfolios out?

Backwards to the future?

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:30 am, October 20th, 2012 - 50 comments

Labour Day celebrates, what was at the time, a cutting edge victory for working people – the 8 hour working day. But the struggles continue for men and women. Now is not the time to be going backwards on issues that impact on workers, people struggling on low incomes, or beneficiaries. Updated.

Children of Men: money or our lives

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:30 am, October 18th, 2012 - 28 comments

Paid Parental Leave, Charter schools, compulsory early childhood education for beneficiaries: for NAct it’s all about money, and they use ‘shonky’ figures to justify their ‘shonkey’ policies and vetos. This is ostrich and patriarchal behaviour, ignoring the evidence of the wider benefits to communities and society of good quality child care, education and Paid Parental Leave.

‘What crisis?’ Rudderless ship, stormy seas

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:03 am, October 14th, 2012 - 133 comments

There is ample evidence of a deep and lasting crisis, but in the delusional world of Planet Key it doesn’t exist. The EPMU Job Crisis Summit opened a much needed conversation. Russel Norman likened the New Zealand economy to a rudderless sailing ship In Stormy Seas. Will the summit be the start of a sea change for NZ?

Historic joint party Inquiry: Crisis in Manufacturing

Written By: karol - Date published: 3:07 pm, October 12th, 2012 - 43 comments

Today leaders of 3 opposition parties took part in an historic press conference. Winston Peters, David Shearer and Russel Norman jointly announced the launch of a parliamentary inquiry into the crisis in manufacturing. Update: Links to articles added. One News Video.

Greens call for new tools, QE to save jobs

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 9:51 am, October 7th, 2012 - 328 comments

40,000 manufacturing jobs gone in four years. Manufactured exports in free-fall. Tourism revenue collapsing. If that’s not a crisis, what is? Why is the government going to do? Nothing. Nothing. On Q+A, Russel Norman put forward a solid proposal: lower the OCR, new tools to stop housing booms, and quantitative easing to pay for Christchurch […]

Polls get worse for National

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 12:00 pm, October 1st, 2012 - 40 comments

The latest Roy Morgan poll has National at its lowest level of support since before the 2008 election

‘Children of the Poor’ 1934 – 2012: Social Security for the Future?

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:04 am, September 30th, 2012 - 176 comments

Split Enz once sang, “History Never Repeats”… Or does it? Destructive prejudices separating ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor have been around a very long time. When the likes of Paula Bennett pander to such ill-informed vindictiveness with punitive social welfare reforms, they will damage large numbers of children – our future citizens.

Champions for Children

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:02 pm, September 11th, 2012 - 33 comments

The Greens have started a new programme – Champions for Children. We should all sign up. We need to make alleviating child poverty the election issue of 2014.

Joint Statement on Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:45 am, August 22nd, 2012 - 74 comments

A press release that is well worth reprinting verbatim. The Green parties of NZ, Australia and Canada speak out about the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Greens put pokies deal on ice

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 10:38 am, August 17th, 2012 - 3 comments

The Greens’ successful call for an Auditor General’s probe into the Government’s pokies-for-convention-centre deal with SkyCity has stalled the negiotations – despite the Nats’ claims it wouldn’t derail their attempt to sell our gambling law. No meetings have been held since the A-G’s investigation began two months ago. With any luck, it’ll push out the legislative timeline past the 2014 election.

Frankly Speaking: “John Banks: condition deteriorating”

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 3:05 pm, August 15th, 2012 - 18 comments

Frank Macskasy over at Frankly Speaking writes some very long posts that are often full of interesting information. This one does a good analysis of the recommendations from the Electoral Commission and various party positions on it. On the way through he has a good swipe at John Banks, who it would be safe to say, he considers to be political cabbage.

Race-baiting works, a little

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 7:25 am, August 6th, 2012 - 163 comments

Meh. National has race-baited over water rights to win back some of its wavering lower-middle class Pakeha support. It’s won some of that support back. For now. The thing about turning tides is that not every wave, or even every set of waves for some time, reaches less far up the beach than the one lowest before. Within each cycle there are dips and spikes due to events. Doesn’t change the cycle.

A good week for the opposition

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:20 am, July 27th, 2012 - 52 comments

3 opposition private members’ Bills passed – extended paid parental leave, Mondayisation, and lobbying disclosure – on Wednesday (moving a ban on land sales to foreigners up the list). Then, all 5 drawn from the ballot on Thursday opposition bills too: marriage equality, $15hr minimum wage, super-majority/referendum protection for asset sales, charging government agencies that pay access to info, and controlling water pollution.

Infographics

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:09 pm, July 25th, 2012 - 28 comments

Labour and the Greens are producing great infographics that succiently explain what the government’s doing wrong on issues of the day and bust National’s myths. They chuck them up on Facebook and Twitter and they spread like wildfire. They’re a really effective use of social media. You can help by liking the parties’ Facebook pages and sharing the infographics.

National’s new strategy

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 2:56 pm, July 22nd, 2012 - 57 comments

National have decided to lower the tone and just attack attack attack Labour and the Greens. They know they’re going down, and they’re trying to take the left down with them. It’s nasty, it’s negative and it will do our whole political system no good.

Labor Right v Greens

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 5:29 pm, July 13th, 2012 - 37 comments

This weekend the NSW ALP Conference and the New Zealand Labour Party Council will both debate and decide proposals for reform. Prospects look decidedly better on this side of the Tasman for internal reform as well as for relations with the Greens.

Frogblog: Greens call for inquiry into inquiries

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:07 pm, July 6th, 2012 - 12 comments

A very funny response from the Greens to Key’s complaint that they’re always asking for inquiries: “The Greens have been criticised by Prime Minister John Key, who said, ‘The Greens call for an inquiry on virtually anything.’ The remark prompted immediate calls from the Green Party for an inquiry, which would focus on why the Greens call for so many inquiries.”

Legitimate calls for inquiries

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 7:07 am, July 4th, 2012 - 33 comments

Key has dismissed calls for an inquiry into the Police’s actions in the Dotcom affair. He says that the Greens call for inquiries every week. In fact, they’ve called for 19 in the past year and a half. Is that too many? Well, the Auditor-General didn’t think so: she responded positively to the Greens’ call for a investigation into Key’s dodgy SkyCity deal.

Good on the Greens

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:13 am, June 19th, 2012 - 104 comments

The Greens have hired the equivalent of 8 full-time staff for two months to get their signature collecting as part of the Keep Our Assets Coalition rolling. It comes out of the fixed budget allocated to the party’s leaders’ office – not one additional cent from the taxpayer, just a choice: other parties spend millions of taxpayer money on polling. It’s a good use of our money.

Greens going mainstream

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:57 am, June 4th, 2012 - 73 comments

The Greens have singled out Key and Bennett for scathing personal criticism. Another sign that The Greens are becoming a mainstream political party? Can’t argue with the results, but I must admit that I find it all faintly depressing.

The beam in your eye

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 11:39 am, June 1st, 2012 - 53 comments

A tattered few on the Right are attempting to stir up an issue over the Greens using a bit of their leaders’ office budget on the citizens’-initiated referendum petition. The use of the $78,000 is completely within the rules and approved by the Speaker. The Greens, and the coalition, are helping us to keep our assets. Meanwhile, the Nats have budgeted $120 million to sell them. Who’s in the wrong?

Greens Budget Alternative

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 1:11 pm, May 21st, 2012 - 68 comments

The Greens launched their Budget alternative this morning. Titled “Smart Green Economics” it lived up to the billing. Extra heft was provided by BERL economist Dr Ganesh Nana paper arguing that the Government’s asset sales programme leaves the government accounts permanently worse off. It was also good to hear about opportunities and their alternatives. We’ve had enough of TINA.

Will the Greens lead the next government?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:20 am, April 8th, 2012 - 195 comments

Two recent pieces in The Herald draw opposite conclusions from recent polls (one of them, alas, is drivel). Matt McCarten asks if National’s free fall, and the rise of the Greens, foreshadows a Green led government in 2014…

The Green Party mining our future community tour

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:29 pm, April 5th, 2012 - 77 comments

Green Party MPs Catherine Delahunty and Gareth Hughes invite you to a series of hui to discuss the Government’s broad “drill it, mine it” agenda for Aotearoa – what’s happening, what does it mean to our environment and communities and how do we stop it.