political parties

Caption competition

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:43 pm, August 22nd, 2017 - 56 comments

Greens will finally close property speculators’ tax loophole

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:24 am, August 22nd, 2017 - 71 comments

The Green Party in government will end the tax advantages property speculators currently enjoy under National by implementing a comprehensive tax on capital gains

A handy link to Labour policy for people who can’t use Google

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:35 am, August 22nd, 2017 - 12 comments

What it says on the label.

Another DHB in trouble

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:18 am, August 22nd, 2017 - 45 comments

National found $10b down the back of the sofa for roads roads roads, but is under funding our health system to the point of collapse.

National endorses Dunne in Ohariu – Nek minnit

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:30 am, August 22nd, 2017 - 34 comments

National’s supposedly well oiled campaign machine is resembling an episode of the Thick of It rather than a Crosby Textor training video.

Giovanni Tiso: Speaking Power to the Truth – The Political Assassination of Metiria Turei

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:03 am, August 22nd, 2017 - 116 comments

Giovanni Tiso writes on New Zealand media and the swimming of sharks.

Sexist pigs and lipstick

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:41 am, August 21st, 2017 - 119 comments

I like some TOP policy I really do, but Gareth Morgan needs to stop being a dick if he wants to get his party over the line.

Vision vs roads

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:26 am, August 21st, 2017 - 18 comments

The weekend offered up a pretty clear contrast between Labour and National. Address the problems facing New Zealand, or build more roads that make no long-term sense.

Jacinda’s campaign launch speech

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 5:17 pm, August 20th, 2017 - 111 comments

The text of Jacinda Ardern’s campaign speech delivered today.

Labour closes gap to 3%

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:27 am, August 20th, 2017 - 58 comments

Labour rising, National falling in the latest poll. Greens steady at 8%. Jacinda Ardern buries Bill English in the “favourability” rating. Will Labour overtake Nats before the election?

Update: Live Labour launch video.

Labour Campaign Launch this Sunday

Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:49 pm, August 19th, 2017 - 18 comments

Labour’s campaign launch is this Sunday in Auckland.

Green Party makes astounding poll recovery in 24 hours!

Written By: weka - Date published: 11:29 am, August 19th, 2017 - 68 comments

Can we please get on with the real mahi now?

Guest post – Marja Lubeck – Labour list candidate

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:00 am, August 19th, 2017 - 44 comments

Guest post by Labour list and Rodney candidate Marja Lubeck on why she became involved in politics.

Messages to vote for

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:23 am, August 19th, 2017 - 30 comments

That 5% threshold and recent polling

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:09 pm, August 18th, 2017 - 87 comments

Matthew Whitehead on MMP and the threshold, along with some commentary on the current polling situation.

What will the next Labour caucus look like?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 1:32 pm, August 18th, 2017 - 74 comments

Early days but Labour’s surge should result in an outstanding array of talent entering Parliament.

Labour’s momentum – Nat’s fall

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:12 am, August 18th, 2017 - 87 comments

What Jacinda Ardern has accomplished here is nothing short of astonishing. As a one-off bump in the polls it rivals Brash’s infamous Orewa speech. But Ardern’s rise is based on optimism and positivity rather than racist dog whistles.

Greens commit to Tauranga – Hamilton – Auckland passenger rail service

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:15 am, August 18th, 2017 - 54 comments

National has let regional rail services rust away but the Greens in government will restore rail as the backbone of New Zealand’s transport system, for freight and for people

Labour addresses urgent mental health need in Canterbury

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 12:41 pm, August 17th, 2017 - 5 comments

In the wake of devastating earthquakes in Canterbury, National’s treatment of mental health needs in the region has been absolutely shameful. Yesterday Jacinda Ardern released new policy to help address the crisis. Great work from Labour in an area that National have cruelly neglected.

Are Government-business Think Tanks worthwhile?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 12:41 pm, August 17th, 2017 - 7 comments

In America Donald Trump has abandoned business think tanks that he established not that long ago. During the last Labour Government Helen Clark established the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board with mixed results. What should a Jacinda Ardern led Labour-Green coalition do?

National – Delivering no pay rises for NZ

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 8:29 am, August 17th, 2017 - 15 comments

Expect plenty of Nat boasting on “the economy” in the election campaign. They’ll be desperate to hide the inconvenient fact that ordinary workers are going backwards.

Hager: Dirty Politics three years on

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:02 am, August 17th, 2017 - 26 comments

In an excellent piece on The Spinoff, Nicky Hager reflects on three years after Dirty Politics.

Time now to sweep the party of these disgusting tactics out of office and #ChangeTheGovernment.

Key praises Ardern and Labour

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:05 pm, August 16th, 2017 - 53 comments

Key: “The camera likes Jacinda. Paul Holmes once said to me ‘on TV they see your heart’ – she responds well to that so that works really well for her…”, “Labour made the right decision to make Jacinda Ardern leader”

Strewth Cobbah

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:00 am, August 16th, 2017 - 163 comments

Over the ditch the Australian Government has accused New Zealand Labour of using Parliament to undermine Barnaby Joyce. But an analysis of the claim suggests that anyone claiming this should be regarded as being a whacka because the media was onto the claim two days before the questions were asked.

Labour’s policies

Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:44 am, August 15th, 2017 - 65 comments

A list of Labour’s announced policies to date and an easy way to compare them to other parties’ policies.

NRT: National resorts to racism on water

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:15 am, August 15th, 2017 - 5 comments

I/S at No Right Turn: ”
This isn’t a “Pandora’s box”. The model for an easy, full and final settlement to resolve this exists, and iwi are keen. What is lacking is goodwill from the government to sign it. And Finlayson knows all this – so he is actively trying to mislead the New Zealand public about it, trying to appeal to the racism of rednecks in order to protect the stolen “rights” of a privileged few”.

Nats repeat failed bootcamp policy in plea to rally their scared angry base

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, August 15th, 2017 - 30 comments

English’s “boot camp” policy is pure politics. As much as he tries to deny it, it’s more or less an exact repeat of Key’s failed 2008 attempt, it would do much more harm than good if ever implemented. More than any other flailing to date, this mess is a sign of National’s desperation.

Labour’s School Leavers’ Toolkit

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:25 pm, August 14th, 2017 - 100 comments

“Labour’s School Leavers’ Toolkit will help students learn to drive, understand practical budgeting, be equipped with workplace skills, and learn how our political system operates through civics education at school. Every secondary school will be resourced to provide these courses.”

Chaos between supposed coalition partners

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 9:33 am, August 14th, 2017 - 10 comments

Open warfare between supposed coalition partners in the run-up to the election. Just imagine what would happen if the Greens were attacking Labour like this.

National’s weekend of blind panic

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:01 am, August 14th, 2017 - 53 comments

What a weekend of National panic that was. From desperate lies on water costs to repeating failed policy from 2008 to plans to wake parents up in the middle of the night to administer “instant fines” in a youth curfew. Jacinda Ardern’s Labour has got them on the run.