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Rod Donald memorial lecture

Written By: - Date published: 11:55 am, November 20th, 2010 - 4 comments

Rod Donald died, so very young, five years ago this month.  Tomorrow there is a memorial lecture in Christchurch.  Jeanette Fitzsimons will speak on the topic “Democracy is New Zealand: Lost, Stolen or Just Misplaced?”.  A timely topic indeed.

David Suzuki and the Paradigm of Growth

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 pm, November 12th, 2010 - 27 comments

Dr David Suzuki has given the keynote speech at the Green Party Conference on Sustainable Economics. Here is a fantastic presentation of his, about why our obsession with economic growth is suicidal.  Watch it – it’s pretty powerful stuff.

Neoliberal dominoes

Written By: - Date published: 9:55 am, November 6th, 2010 - 51 comments

According to some, the very definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  In economic terms the world, and NZ, have been doing the same neoliberal economic agenda over and over for the last 30 years.  It hasn’t worked.  It’s time for a change…

Labour and Greens lead on transparency

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, November 3rd, 2010 - 12 comments

Last week Speaker Lockwood Smith rolled back transparency on MPs expenses, by making travel spending secret again.  John Key came out “against” the move.  Yesterday Labour and the Greens called his bluff by releasing their details.  Over to you John, once again you’re too late to lead, but you can still follow…

Why the Right is worried 4: Polls

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, October 21st, 2010 - 41 comments

The trend is quite clear now. The Right’s support peaked and the Left’s support reached is nadir last year. The gap has been gradually closing ever since. From a 24.5% gap between National and ACT a year ago, the gap in the latest Roy Morgan has fallen to 5.5%.  About quarter of a million Kiwis have switched their support to the Left in a single year.

The leadership vacuum

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, October 5th, 2010 - 41 comments

Paul Henry has a racist rant to the Prime Minister and what does John Key do? He laughs along and tries to make a joke. A PM that is afraid to be a leader. A Leader of the Opposition who is afraid of ticking off racists. A Green Party that is afraid of making a claim for the Left vote when Labour fails. Come back, Helen, all is forgiven.

Do I stay or do I go?

Written By: - Date published: 8:32 pm, September 16th, 2010 - 105 comments

The Labour and Green parties’ activists are in uproar over their parliamentary wings’ decision to vote for the Gerry Brownlee Enabling Act. A lot of people are saying they won’t campaign for these parties and talking of voting for a minor party or independents. Is it time to damn them and leave them? No. We’re going to win our parties back.

The silence of the lambs

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 pm, September 4th, 2010 - 51 comments

Where are the Greens and Labour on the South Canterbury Finance issue? Just looking at the sheer politics of the situation, this is something they should be all over. There is enormous public anger at the way National was willing to magic up $1.7 billion of taxpayer cash for its rich mates while services are being cut. This should be the tipping point, when the Left seizes the public mood for its economic vision but where’s the leadership?

Free speech zones

Written By: - Date published: 12:41 pm, June 23rd, 2010 - 40 comments

The most disturbing aspect of the handling of the Chinese security guard’s assault on Russel Norman is the way that the Nats are going to use it as an excuse to further restrict free speech. Don’t let them set us on the path to America’s notorious “free speech zones”.

I’m not sorry

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, June 22nd, 2010 - 48 comments

I’m not sorry about Russel Norman standing up to Chinese imperialism, I’m proud that he did. While I don’t personally have a lot of time for Norman, I very much respect his willingness to behave like an actual representative of the New Zealand people and voice his opposition to the immoral Chinese occupation and subjugation of […]

Uranium on the breeze

Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, June 21st, 2010 - 30 comments

The Environmental Risk Management Authority has given approval for shipments of uranium to pass through New Zealand on the way to the United States. This seems to violate the principles of the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987.

Chinese security attack MP

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, June 18th, 2010 - 162 comments

A security guard for Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping attacked Green MP Russel Norman today while Norman was protesting at the Chinese delegation’s arrival, and holding a Tibetan flag. Our Government needs to make a formal protest to China over this incident.

Maori Party sell-out opens opportunity for Greens

Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, June 16th, 2010 - 78 comments

Of the political parties in Parliament, only the Greens are likely to oppose the ‘new’ foreshore and seabed law. So, the Greens will be the only place for disaffected Maori Party voters to turn to. And why not? Their values are very similar. I expect that the Greens will make a strong play for the party votes in the Maori seats, winning over a lot of people who feel betrayed by the Maori Party.

It could never happen here

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, June 3rd, 2010 - 39 comments

Fresh from a stinging rebuke from the public over mining, Gerry must have hoped he was on to a winner with the announcement of offshore oil exploration. But of course the timing could hardly be worse, with an environmental catastrophe unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. The Greens are right to call for a moratorium until the industry proves that it has the ability to rapidly and effectively deal with leaks.

Green alternative budget

Written By: - Date published: 9:12 am, May 18th, 2010 - 53 comments

The Greens have released their alternative budget, “Mind the Gap”. It focuses on the inequality between rich and poor in NZ (rightly called “the scourge of modern societies”). It’s great to see the Greens tackling this issue head on.

John Carter: sleeper-agent for the Left?

Written By: - Date published: 10:04 pm, April 12th, 2010 - 20 comments

How dumb was John Carter to use his speech at the Grey Power National Conference to have a cry because Grey Power’s participating in an inquiry into aged care by Labour, the Greens, and the Progressives? You don’t try to bully Grey Power with its 100,000 members. The grey voters will be leaving National in droves.

Jeanette Fitzsimons’ valedictory

Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, February 11th, 2010 - 26 comments

As I have mentioned before, Jeanette Fitzsimons is one of the very few members of parliament for whom I have the utmost respect. Yesterday she gave her valedictory speech, and showed us yet again what sanity, vision and compassion looks like. The core of the speech was this powerful message: Yet I have to say, […]

That made my Auckland anniversary day

Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, February 1st, 2010 - 21 comments

Peter Dunne on his record against Jeanette Fitzsimmons is really an exercise in ego instead of substance

Turei pushing me back to RAM

Written By: - Date published: 10:23 am, January 29th, 2010 - 62 comments

Check out this exchange between Trevor Mallard and Metiria Turei on his Facebook page (great how the new media allows these spur of the moment debates): Trevor Mallard: 25c/hour. $10 week for 40 hours then minus tax, extra acc, ets charges. Not fair John Key. It should be $15 Metiria Turei: Trevor, with genuine respect, […]

Thanks Jeanette

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, January 29th, 2010 - 14 comments

So Jeanette Fitzsimons is, as expected, resigning from Parliament. After 13 years her last day will be February 11th. Parliament will miss her energy, her honesty, her sanity, and her clear strong voice on Green issues. It is a huge loss, but no one deserves a long and happy retirement more than Jeanette. Frogblog has […]

Nats’ ‘stimulus’: $200K per job

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, December 15th, 2009 - 12 comments

National claims it created 2,300 jobs with its stimulus spending. Of course, most of this supposed stimulus was smoke and mirrors – re-announcing existing spending – and 2,300 is bugger all when there are over quarter of a million Kiwis out of work. But I had a few more problems with this announcement. Firstly, I […]

Greens’ 10 year anniversary

Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, December 8th, 2009 - 12 comments

The Green Party celebrated 10 years in the New Zealand Parliament yesterday. Happy birthday! It was especially fitting that the anniversary coincided with the beginning of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In the past ten years climate change has evolved from a fringe topic into the most pressing issue of the global […]

Greens release Green New Deal pt 2

Written By: - Date published: 10:57 am, December 3rd, 2009 - 20 comments

Anyone who thinks that our economic troubles are over because the economy grew 0.1% is delusional. And no-one seriously believes that we don’t have to act quickly to stop the rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A Green New Deal is as necessary now as ever. The Greens have come out with the […]

Kevin Hague blasts Nats on ACC

Written By: - Date published: 3:38 pm, November 23rd, 2009 - 11 comments

Good video from the Greens’ Kevin Hague. Gotta love the dirty mo:

Greens greenwashing for anti-environment govt

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, November 14th, 2009 - 11 comments

The Greens have announced the collapse of the cornerstone of their Memorandum of Understanding with National. With Gerry Brownlee as Minister for Energy, National hasn’t only failed to make progress on energy efficiency and conservation, it is taking illogical, retrograde steps. So why are the Greens continuing to provide greenwash for this government? I’m thinking about […]

Brownlee: Not an ardent follower of fashion. Merely obsolete.

Written By: - Date published: 2:35 pm, November 11th, 2009 - 15 comments

One of the things that has surprised me about the government and Brownlee’s energy policy is that it is so mundane and 20th century. In every other area of their political electoral strategy we saw a pithy slogan, often pinched from overseas, substituting for policy and dumbed it down to the level of the dittoheads […]

Nat Green split

Written By: - Date published: 4:01 pm, November 10th, 2009 - 51 comments

I’ve been saying for a while now that folks should be reading Pundit. Recent excellent new author there Claire Browning has a real scoop today: After the honeymoon, divorce: Greens break up with National by Claire Browning The Greens have walked away from part of their working arrangement with the government. Jeanette Fitzsimons revealed exclusively […]

Sue Bradford’s valedictory

Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, October 29th, 2009 - 11 comments

Some highlights from Sue Bradford’s valedictory speech. We’ll link to the full version once the Greens get it up. Update: Frogblog has a clip of the whole speech here.

Good on you Sue

Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, October 29th, 2009 - 4 comments

Ever since the Greens were elected into Parliament for the first time, Sue Bradford has been one the MPs I have admired the most. She stood by strong principles, for the right kind of change, and always represented those who lacked a voice and political power. Her final political statement was insightful into the kind […]

Some advice for the Greens

Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, October 11th, 2009 - 66 comments

The Greens are continuing their idiotic policy of “neither left nor right” today with a calculated smear of Sue Bradford in the Sunday Star Times. As far as I can see the story has been fed out by someone high in the party as a way of distancing the Greens from Bradford and her Left […]

Bill vs Greens

Written By: - Date published: 10:09 am, October 5th, 2009 - 55 comments

I love that, after studiously ignoring Bill English’s housing rort, Farrar’s now got unending questions for the Greens. Pretty desperate stuff too – ‘sure, you paid the money back of your own accord after you yourselves discovered you had over-claimed but why did it take so long? huh?! huh?!’. Hilariously, he claims that the superannuation fund […]