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English could learn from the Greens

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 5:18 pm, October 4th, 2009 - 116 comments

The Greens have a superannuation fund. That’s fine. It has investments in a couple of houses. That’s fine. The Green MPs have to rent somewhere to live when they’re in Wellington. They claim the out of town allowance to cover those costs, which is what the allowance is for. So, that’s fine. Three of the […]

Talk about politics

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 8:47 pm, September 29th, 2009 - 28 comments

RNZ’s Kathryn Ryan talks to Matthew Hooton and Andrew Campbell about the failures of Key’s trip to NYC, English’s terminal status and contenders to replace him, and Green leadership. Hooton’s dispirited ‘defences’ of Key and English speak volumes. From yesterday but still relevant for a while yet.

David Clendon

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 3:00 pm, September 25th, 2009 - 14 comments

Following Sue Bradford’s resignation, next into Parliament on the Greens’ list is David Clendon, an Auckland business advisor and lecturer in resource management of Pakeha and Ngapuhi me Te Roroa descent. As the Greens’ candidate in Helensville last year, Clendon won more candidate votes (6%) than the Greens won party votes (4.9%) . Not a […]

Building constituencies

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:31 pm, September 24th, 2009 - 5 comments

On Tuesday, both Sue Kedgley and Sue Moroney tabled petitions in Parliament with over 15,000 signatures, on food standards in schools and pay equity respectively. That’s an incredible achievement. Most petitions get a few hundred, maybe a thousand signatures. Generally, not a lot of organising energy goes into getting signatures for them because, frankly, they […]

Protect our natural heritage

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 2:00 pm, September 3rd, 2009 - 14 comments

The Greens are leading a petition campaign, asking Parliament to: reject any move to mine our national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, marine reserves, protected islands, the Coromandel’s beautiful land and waters, and all other treasured places protected by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991; furthermore, we ask that the House of Representative put in […]

Are we this stupid?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:15 pm, August 21st, 2009 - 94 comments

I got along to the Greens’ sold-out screening of The Age of the Stupid last night. It’s a powerful movie, perhaps a bit disjointed at the start but it builds to a conclusion that really hits home. You can’t watch it and not come away more determined to do your bit, and demand your government […]

Wellington fundraisers

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 8:59 am, August 12th, 2009 - 5 comments

Two cool fundraisers coming up for the Greens and Labour. The Greens are holding a screening of Kiwi ‘s The Age of Stupid, a movie set in 2055 looking back at today and asking the painful, obvious question – ‘if we could see all these problems of resource exhaustion, pollution, cliamte change, and over-population coming, […]

Greens show the way forward

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 10:00 am, August 6th, 2009 - 42 comments

The Greens have presented a sensible and feasible plan to reduce our greenhouse emissions to 40% less than 1990 levels by 2020. Contrary to Nick Smith’s scaremongering, it won’t break the bank. In fact, at current carbon credit prices, they will save us money. phase out fossil fuel plants and set higher energy efficency standards. […]

Keith Locke on tasers

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:45 am, July 20th, 2009 - 11 comments

Green MP Keith Locke investigates the claims of safety for tasers, and finds that other countries are concerned that the devices are not as safe as we have been told.

Don’t just stand there

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:30 pm, June 25th, 2009 - 20 comments

John Key’s government has reacted to the thousands of job losses occurring each week in this country in much the same way a possum crossing a road reacts to headlights. Since over-promising and under-delivering with the Jobs Summit, they’ve been exposed as completely out of ideas. The dole queue is growing by 1100 each week, […]

It’s called sovereignty, stupid!

Written By: rocky - Date published: 6:00 am, June 9th, 2009 - 9 comments

The Minister of Agriculture David Carter really outdid himself in the house last week. First he completely dodged and didn’t address the question put to him by Sue Kedgley on the use of sow crates. Next, clearly feeling the pressure he had a National backbencher ask him a nice easy question with which he took […]

Turei new greens leader

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 4:15 pm, May 30th, 2009 - 40 comments

Metiria Turei has been elected at the Green Party National conference to replace Jeanette Fitzsimons are female co-leader. Her election is no real surprise. Turei brings youth and a lack of baggage. Youth is important for a party whose MPs’ average age is 55, apparently the oldest average (apart from Jim Anderton). Sue Bradford, who […]

Pigs

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:00 am, May 27th, 2009 - 15 comments

It’s good to see Green MP Sue Kedgley calling on John Key to personally fix the abuse of pigs in sow crates. The chair of Nawac appears incapable of seeing that there’s even a problem, and the Minister of Agriculture has already been caught misleading the public on national television to defend the industry. It’s […]

Caption competition

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 4:30 pm, May 22nd, 2009 - 40 comments

1600 Dead Again

Written By: RedLogix - Date published: 1:52 pm, May 17th, 2009 - 34 comments

Each year and every year, around 1600 New Zealanders die prematurely because we live in cold damp houses. This “excess winter death rate” is four times higher than the road toll. They die, most especially the young, unwell, disabled and elderly, of respiratory illnesses, strokes and heart attacks because far too much of our housing […]

The Maori Party’s commitment to democracy

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:46 pm, May 16th, 2009 - 60 comments

In an epic last-ditch defence of Aucklanders’ right to be consulted on the removal of their democracy, Labour and the Greens are currently filibustering the government’s enabling legislation in Parliament by forcing a vote on thousands of new amendments. Their objective is simple, they want to get the bill off to a select committee and […]

The Green New Deal

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:58 pm, May 15th, 2009 - 12 comments

The Greens have released their Green New Deal (PDF), which they hope the Government will pick up in part or in whole. It looks like a comprehensive plan to boost employment and the economy in the short-term and, just as importantly, build a green economy for the future. It leaves everything we’ve seen from this lazy do-nothing […]

Stand up for pay equity

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:21 am, May 14th, 2009 - 2 comments

Green MP Catherine Delahunty is running an e-card campaign to support public sector pay equity after National announced it would be cancelling pay equity reviews and sacking the team responsible for them. It’s a stark reminder that nothing has really changed since National dumped pay equity legislation immediately after taking office in 1990. You can […]

Greens go grey

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 3:00 pm, May 4th, 2009 - 62 comments

I see Russel Norman is now describing Labour’s Mt Albert Candidate, David Shearer, as the “grey” man. Now I haven’t been around as long as I have without being able to spot a “line” and that is certainly a line, and one of the attack variety. Thing is, the Greens don’t do lines. And they […]

Progressive?

Written By: Tane - Date published: 11:52 am, May 4th, 2009 - 96 comments

It was deeply depressing to wake up this morning to the sound of Russel Norman running National Party attack lines on Radio NZ. For a party that has the best policy by far on how to deal with the huge economic and environmental challenges we face, it’s disappointing to see the Greens voluntarily descend into […]

Gordon Campbell on the MoU

Written By: Tane - Date published: 9:44 pm, April 28th, 2009 - 29 comments

Gordon Campbell’s latest Scoop column takes a very critical view of the Greens’ Memorandum of Understanding with National. While the Greens’ strategy is based on the need to cooperate with what they see as a likely two-term National Government, Campbell argues their cooperation may help turn that likelihood into a certainty. Despite the genuine merits […]

Greens join call for referendum

Written By: Tane - Date published: 4:44 pm, April 24th, 2009 - 65 comments

The Greens have joined Labour and an array of groups calling for Aucklanders to get a referendum on the supercity. Great stuff. Sue Kedgley points out that much of the Government’s proposed structure was not recommended by the Royal Commission and Aucklanders have not been consulted on them. ‘Rodney Hide effectively threw the Royal Commission’s […]

One of these things is not like the other III

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 7:03 am, April 18th, 2009 - 20 comments

One of these things is not like the other… One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other… Can you tell me before I finish the game?

Reminder: DL Wgtn tonight

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:00 am, April 9th, 2009 - 3 comments

If you’re not fleeing the city for the long weekend like every other sane person, Drinking Liberally Wellington is on at the Southern Cross tonight with guest Metiria Turei. What: Drinking Liberally Wgtn When: Tonight, April 9, 2009, from 5.30pm. Where: The Southern Cross, Abel Smith Street Who: Good left-wing jokers and jokeresses like yourself. […]

A message from the base

Written By: IrishBill - Date published: 1:39 pm, April 8th, 2009 - 166 comments

As regular readers will know I’ve been an active Green supporter since the Alliance left parliament. I’ve not agreed with all of their policies and over the years I’ve had serious issues with the more amateur aspects of their campaigns but they have been the party in parliament that most accurately reflects what I’d like […]

Fire at will causing discrimination already

Written By: Tane - Date published: 3:42 pm, March 4th, 2009 - 32 comments

The Herald reports the fire at will law is already claiming victims, after Sue Bradford revealed a beneficiary has been denied help for his job relocation costs because Work and Income considered his 90 day ‘trial’ period to mean he was a temporary rather than a permanent worker. Work and Income said it had concerns […]

Fitzsimons to step down from Greens’ co-leadership

Written By: Steve Pierson - Date published: 1:54 pm, February 23rd, 2009 - 20 comments

Jeanette has announced she will be stepping down at co-leader of the Greens. Technically, she will just not be putting her name up for re-election – the Greens elect/re-confirm their leaders at their annual conference (the only party that elects their leaders with the votes of the membership, not just the MPs). Jeanette has made […]

So much for democracy

Written By: Tane - Date published: 12:50 pm, February 17th, 2009 - 21 comments

The Greens have released advice from the Ministry of Justice confirming that the Government’s rushed RMA changes will prevent legitimate cases going to court and undermine fundamental justice rights. According to the leaked cabinet paper: ‘the [financial] risks associated with security of costs can act as a barrier for those with legitimate cases but little […]