political parties

The rise and rise of David Seymour’s ACT

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 7:28 am, December 20th, 2022 - 96 comments

I thought David Seymour was the most interesting speaker at the Victoria University post-election conference at Parliament last year. Two things stood out for me in his presentation following ACT’s election gains. He opened by offering lengthy and effusive praise to his researcher, then clearly stated his objective to supplant National as the leading party on the right. He’s on track for that, as current media attention shows.

The one thing Jacinda Ardern can do is speak to our hearts

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:03 am, December 18th, 2022 - 134 comments

Mawkish sentiment running up to Christmas perhaps, but imagine Luxon or Willis speaking hours after the Christchurch massacre. Only Ardern of the entire Parliament has the ability to govern for calm in the name of the calm we all need.

Much ado about nothing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:01 am, December 16th, 2022 - 54 comments

The big news this week was Jacinda Ardern describing David Seymour in an unparliamentary phrase on an open mike in Parliament. But the matter was resolved in a way that can only happen in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Dog whistles and South Auckland garages

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:19 am, December 14th, 2022 - 20 comments

Chris Luxon has doubled down on a dog whistle attack on South Auckland garages by apologising if anyone was offended, thereby ignoring most of South Auckland who were definitely offended.

Labour’s big reset

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:46 am, December 13th, 2022 - 77 comments

New Zealand politics is at an interesting stage. With announcements about Ministerial futures pending and with a review of all current projects to occur over Christmas Jadinda Ardern is planning to repurpose Labour to have its best chance in the election next year.

The Hamilton West by election

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:11 pm, December 10th, 2022 - 95 comments

The polls are now closed but someone should tell National about how on election day you should not be campaigning.

Labour and National and Industry Intervention

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:51 am, December 9th, 2022 - 73 comments

Minister Mahuta’s water reforms are by some measure the most consequential industry intervention of this Labour government, and likely to be the most successful in over a decade.

Luxon’s first year

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:46 am, December 4th, 2022 - 56 comments

Chris Luxon marked the anniversary of his becoming National leader this week by showing that he is that out of touch he had no idea what the single rate of superannuation is.

Co-Governance is Orthodox Policy for both National and Labour

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:12 am, November 30th, 2022 - 412 comments

National, the party which enacted legislation that gave Waikato command over the allocation of the Waikato River, iwi command over the Taupo catchment and full Maori control over the massive Uruwera water catchment, has not traditionally been opposed to co governance.

Three strikes law is not the answer

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:13 pm, November 29th, 2022 - 25 comments

National is proposing a return of the Three Strikes legislation, despite the Supreme Court ruling that the law went well beyond excessive punishment and would shock the conscience of properly informed New Zealanders, and was so disproportionately severe as to breach the Bill of Rights. And despite there being no evidence that it would actually work.

What Is Labour’s Purpose This Term?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:57 am, November 28th, 2022 - 35 comments

It is time to set out succinctly and without recourse to abstract nouns exactly what this Labour government has intended, is doing, and how it seeks to alter the country.

Overblown rhetoric and Laura Norder

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:19 am, November 27th, 2022 - 69 comments

This week has seen some extreme rhetoric from various quarters about who to blame for a recent senseless killing. But news that the person arrested had recently been extradited from Australia has shown the rhetoric to be entirely misplaced.

The politics of the voting age change

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:12 pm, November 21st, 2022 - 90 comments

The Supreme Court has just lobbed a grenade into New Zealand politics by ruling that denying 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote was not only discrimination on the basis of age but also had not been justified and was therefore a breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

National’s Boot Camps announcement is deeply cynical policy recycling

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:27 am, November 21st, 2022 - 28 comments

There should be a law against the cynical recycling of dog whistle policies that everyone knows will not work. Last week’s announcement by National of a boot camp policy is as good an example as you can imagine.

James Shaw, Climate Minister: before us lies a simple choice

Written By: weka - Date published: 11:35 am, November 17th, 2022 - 13 comments

New Zealand National Statement at COP27, and the call for all of us to act.

Are Luxon’s days numbered?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:09 am, November 17th, 2022 - 66 comments

Yesterday was a bad day for Chris Luxon. It is increasingly clear that he is not up to the job of being leader of the opposition and National’s senior management must be worried.

What happened to National’s policy machine?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:34 am, November 16th, 2022 - 70 comments

Remember when a few leaders ago then National Leader Simon Bridges promised that National would be a 56 MP policy machine? Judging by its response to the Government’s release of two bills at the centre of RMA reform the machine has major problems.

Why Is Labour Such a Hard Sell Now?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:40 am, November 10th, 2022 - 140 comments

So why is Labour and Ardern struggling when the economy is so strong?

Comrade Chris and the politics of the warm inner glow

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:06 am, November 9th, 2022 - 127 comments

Left wing contrarian Chris Trotter has made some outlandish claims about Jacinda Ardern’s recent conference speech.

Jacinda Ardern to National – Bring It On

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 3:46 pm, November 6th, 2022 - 157 comments

Text and video of Jacinda Ardern’s speech today to the Labour Party Annual Conference.

National’s relentless negativity

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:33 am, November 5th, 2022 - 86 comments

National’s recent press releases show that its approach to politics will be relentlessly negative, with no idea of what it will do as an alternative or how it will fund changes.

Is it fair for the PM to get a weekly tax cut of $349 while a minimum wage worker would receive only $2.15?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:46 am, November 2nd, 2022 - 148 comments

Chris Luxon has avoided answering this question so far but he needs to be asked continuously about it. Is it fair that he as Prime Minister would receive under National’s proposed tax cuts a tax cut of $349 per week while a minimum wage worker would receive only $2.15 per week

National has gone full woke

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:39 pm, November 1st, 2022 - 22 comments

Remember this scene from the Tauranga by election? National has decided it will not be repeated by ensuring that it has no potential white male candidates for the Hamilton West by election.

The use of rumour as a political weapon

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:59 am, November 1st, 2022 - 26 comments

US conservative figures are downplaying the right’s involvement in a hammer attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband by spreading completely unfounded rumours. And in Aotearoa rumours continue to be spread about Jacinda Ardern’s pending resignation despite her repeatedly ruling this out. Clearly some see the use of rumours as a valid political weapon even if they are based on complete falsehoods.

Greens: proposal to tax excess corporate profits

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:14 pm, October 30th, 2022 - 46 comments

“An excess profit tax would be a simple and effective way for large corporations to pay their fair share, unlocking the resources all of us need to live with dignity, put a roof over our heads and food on the table,” says Green Party Finance spokesperson, Julie Anne Genter.

“Today, we have released a discussion document exploring how an excess profit tax could be designed – and how the additional revenue should be spent. We are also considering the alternative of raising company tax rates so that all profits are taxed more.”

Male privilege is a fragile thing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:15 am, October 28th, 2022 - 22 comments

Golriz Ghahraman wanted Parliament to condemn the Iranian Government’s oppression of women’s rights. David Seymour moved to block the motion because Golriz had raised points of order against him during a previous speech. Fancy putting your hurt feelings in front of making a statement of support and principle.

Bruce’s Reckons: The increased speculation about Chris Luxon quitting

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:45 pm, October 25th, 2022 - 109 comments

Leader of the Opposition Christopher Luxon turned up to Parliament today and his media spin doctors will be hoping for some good photo opportunities to lift his popularity. But they will be asking a lot.

Labour day

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:34 pm, October 24th, 2022 - 13 comments

Enjoying your weekend? Thank a unionist!

What are National’s constituent tribes?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:06 am, October 23rd, 2022 - 25 comments

Russ Jones has described the five tribes of the UK Conservative Party as including One Nation Conservatives, xenophobic English nationalists, wild-eyed libertarians, scatty populist bullshitters and machine politicians.

The lettuce won

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:19 am, October 21st, 2022 - 20 comments

Over in the UK Liz Truss has bowed to the inevitable and has announced her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party.

Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Sharma Chameleon

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:31 am, October 19th, 2022 - 74 comments

Gaurav Sharma has announced his immediate resignation from Parliament and that he will contest the by election as leader of a new centrist party. He also claims that the Government was going to waka jump him six months from the next election but unless National agrees this is impossible.