political parties

The other conference

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:05 am, May 18th, 2017 - 26 comments

Richard Harman on the Politik blog: “Overall, to use a favourite Government saying, it was an ‘untidy’ weekend capped by a flat speech from English which saw delegates ignore placards they’d been given to wave when he finished speaking.” The B-team is missing John Key.

Sledge of the day

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:03 pm, May 17th, 2017 - 12 comments

Compare two housing plans

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:41 am, May 17th, 2017 - 186 comments

It must be election year, because National has admitted that the market has failed, and swallowed the dead rat of state building. A useful graphic summary in The Herald lets you compare National and Labour’s housing plans…

Nat housing announcement – far too little far too late

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:16 pm, May 16th, 2017 - 83 comments

Useful but – mostly re-announcing existing developments, far too little, far too late, and open to property speculators…

National’s long history of intimidation

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:27 am, May 16th, 2017 - 37 comments

It isn’t just third term arrogance. Ngaro is merely the latest example of National’s long history of attacking, intimidating, and trying to silence critical voices and facts. Take a stroll with me down memory lane…

National’s messy Israel position

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:31 am, May 16th, 2017 - 20 comments

National’s shifting position on Israel suggests all is not happy within National’s ranks.

Ngaro’s “apology” and National’s third term arrogance

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 6:13 am, May 16th, 2017 - 23 comments

Lloyd Burr has some more quotes from Ngaro before he was forced to apologise, and Stuff writes on the Nats third term arrogance.

Property speculator panic

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 12:26 pm, May 15th, 2017 - 128 comments

Labour has set the cat among the property speculator pigeons, and they don’t like it at all.

The looming battle over property

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:10 am, May 15th, 2017 - 122 comments

Housing may be the issue that decides this year’s election. And if Labour wins Andrew Little will have a major crisis to deal with, one that he has to solve.

Alfred Ngaro reprimanded for being “naïve”

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:54 am, May 15th, 2017 - 53 comments

Alfred Ngaro has apologised to the Prime Minister for threatening the funding of voluntary organisations critical of the Government, not for expressing the views or even thinking them but for being naïve.

Forty or bust!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:04 am, May 15th, 2017 - 95 comments

It’s the right target, and the right reason, the left really does not want to end up dependent on Winston Peters for a shot at forming a government.

Andrew Little’s speech – the next four and a half months are a fight for a better New Zealand

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:49 pm, May 14th, 2017 - 93 comments

The text of Andrew Little’s speech delivered today to the Labour Party congress.

Labour Congress so far

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:33 am, May 14th, 2017 - 11 comments

Speeches and policies from Congress so far.

National threatens Government critics with loss of Government contracts

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:31 am, May 14th, 2017 - 78 comments

Alfred Ngaro has told a National Conference that critics of the Government can expect to lose Government support for proposed contracts. And that Labour prompted concern about families living in cars.

Labour’s Congress 2017

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:41 pm, May 13th, 2017 - 15 comments

Labour’s Congress in Wellington is underway, with a great speech by Grant Robertson, a farewell to Annette King, and more…

How much information is being withheld from us?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:13 am, May 13th, 2017 - 13 comments

Covering up inconvenient truths is an old pattern for this government. What percentage of their effort goes in to obfuscating and hiding the facts?

Labour’s mental health policy

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 11:03 am, May 12th, 2017 - 13 comments

Labour’s mental health policy has had a good reception, especially in contrast to National’s systematic under-funding and arrogant response to the issue.

Labour’s Manifesto

Written By: Bill - Date published: 11:50 am, May 11th, 2017 - 293 comments

Old school Social Democracy. (Remember that?)

There is no housing problem!

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:25 am, May 11th, 2017 - 19 comments

But only in Nick Smith’s head. See the finally released government Housing Affordability Measure (HAM).

Mental health problems are a figment of our imagination and the work of anti government protesters

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:33 am, May 10th, 2017 - 17 comments

according to Health Minister Jonathan Coleman

Seymour on Nat properties and policy

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 10:07 am, May 10th, 2017 - 28 comments

Right place wrong reason

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:33 pm, May 9th, 2017 - 14 comments

Photo: M Wilson

Jin An – Why I am running for Labour

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 8:00 am, May 9th, 2017 - 30 comments

In this guest post Jin An states what made her decide to be the Labour Candidate for Upper Harbour and the list.

Little on immigration

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:09 pm, May 8th, 2017 - 34 comments

A good piece by Andrew Little in The Herald, setting out Labour’s position on immigration (with policy to come).

Chester Borrows in court

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 9:51 am, May 8th, 2017 - 74 comments

With the Eminem case on the go too its a busy time in court for National.

More love for Labour’s list

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:12 am, May 8th, 2017 - 18 comments

Herald: “It is a fresh-looking line-up, led by MPs who have been in opposition long enough to have won their spurs and feel they are more than ready to move into the Beehive.”

Macron and Trudeau mean yes for Ardern

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:21 am, May 8th, 2017 - 96 comments

The election of Trudeau in Canada and Macron in France suggest that the path to electoral success may be with younger fresh faced and untainted candidates.

Still spinning “social investment”

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:04 am, May 7th, 2017 - 36 comments

Directing welfare spending where it will do most good makes sense. But let’s make sure that that is what it is, not an excuse to simply cut funding, stigmatise, and target “undesireables”. National’s record does not inspire confidence, to say the very least. Then there’s the hypocrisy…