political parties

Resource Management Act Third Reading

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:53 am, April 6th, 2017 - 19 comments

Nick Smith’s RMA reforms are close to being completed. Will his high homes for the reforms be met?

Labour’s leadership team

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:22 am, April 6th, 2017 - 40 comments

Labour’s new tactic of featuring a leadership team seems to be working well.

Avoid big plans and win

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, April 4th, 2017 - 27 comments

To win the 2017 election Labour does not need a broad suite of policies, rather it needs to make sure that it is asking the right questions.

Pity the RWNJ (for they are going to be spinning in pain)

Written By: lprent - Date published: 6:04 pm, April 3rd, 2017 - 60 comments

If you are one of the right wing nut jobs that read this site, then Horizon puts out some truly scary polls. But if you aren’t an idiot and actually take the time to read material before criticizing it (unlike Hooton on ‘Hit and Run’) then this points to a tight election as is usual under MMP. But with all of the swing in the direction of a Labour led coalition. But I am sure the simpleton spinners will have another explanation.

Mana Māori truce didn’t last long

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 10:15 am, April 3rd, 2017 - 58 comments

“A poisonous and destructive cancer” – that’s not something you say to your allies.

Conflict of interest what conflict of interest?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:00 am, April 3rd, 2017 - 22 comments

The lobbying body for fishing industry and Nathan Guy who is the responsible minister think there is no conflict of interest in the lobbying body inheriting huge powers previously held by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Green Party announces its initial party list

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:16 pm, April 2nd, 2017 - 91 comments

The Green Party has released its indicative party list for consideration by the party membership.

The Auckland Labour list conference of 2017

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 11:36 am, April 2nd, 2017 - 23 comments

Some impressions from the Auckland Labour list conference.

National’s policing problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:09 pm, March 30th, 2017 - 48 comments

National is facing increasing public concern about the ability of the police to do its job properly.

Why is National standing Todd Barclay?

Written By: Natwatch - Date published: 12:10 pm, March 28th, 2017 - 58 comments

Todd Barclay has broken his word and refused to cooperate with the police regarding his behaviour in Clutha-Southland.

Motels are not state houses

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 9:22 am, March 28th, 2017 - 39 comments

It’s almost as if deliberately running down state housing stock doesn’t make the need for homes magically go away – who could possibly have predicted that?

Another reason for water pricing

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:52 am, March 28th, 2017 - 19 comments

The Government will be embarassed by another example of a corporation planning to extract ten billion litres of fresh water a year essentially at no cost which has arisen.

What does National do about English?

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:45 am, March 27th, 2017 - 51 comments

John Key has claimed that the transfer of power from himself to Bill English was flawless and designed to ensure continuation of National’s rule. Based on the last couple of opinion poll results he should reconsider his optimism.

Marama Fox on working with a Labour/Green government

Written By: weka - Date published: 7:24 am, March 27th, 2017 - 73 comments

Marama Fox opens the way for the Māori Party to work with Labour and the Greens.

Clifton: Nat MPs getting nervous

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 6:42 pm, March 26th, 2017 - 79 comments

English is down 6% in the latest Colmar Brunton. Jane Clifton sees Nat MPs getting nervous. “For the Nats, having so long taken a fourth term as read, the possibility that their own leader may soon be less secure in his job than Labour’s will be a toughie.”

Jam tomorrow

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:20 pm, March 25th, 2017 - 85 comments

It’s too hard! We’ll do it later! Auckland airport rail is just the latest example.

More thoughts on the Labour-Greens Budget Responsibility Rules

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:39 am, March 25th, 2017 - 111 comments

The Labour-Green Budget Responsibility Rules announcement this week ought to dispel the notion that Labour and the Greens cannot work together.

Labour Green fiscal framework

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:16 am, March 24th, 2017 - 97 comments

As widely reported this morning, Labour and the Greens have set out an agreed fiscal framework. Smart politics.

A tale of two valedictory speeches

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:28 am, March 23rd, 2017 - 32 comments

Compare and contrast Helen Clark’s and John Key’s valedictory speeches.

Hit and Run – time for an inquiry

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 10:37 am, March 22nd, 2017 - 21 comments

Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson’s book Hit and Run makes a compelling case for the Government to conduct a full inquiry to see if New Zealand forces were complicit in the killing of innocent men and women and if there was a cover up.

Nothing to fear, nothing to hide

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:55 pm, March 21st, 2017 - 14 comments

Todd Barclay has chosen to co-operate fully with the police investigation into his actions by getting a lawyer and refusing to say anything to them.

Labour’s Māori electorate MPs will not be on the list

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:03 pm, March 21st, 2017 - 58 comments

In breaking news, Labour’s Māori electorate MPs to stand as electorate candidates only (not on the list).

OECD: NZ growth model reaching its environmental limits

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:08 pm, March 21st, 2017 - 41 comments

New Zealand is about to reach the limits of growth.

National’s water problem

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:03 am, March 21st, 2017 - 48 comments

The Government’s timid backdown on water charging is placing it in a very uncomfortable position.

“Dumbing down a generation”

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:02 am, March 21st, 2017 - 137 comments

An excellent piece by Simon Collins in the weekend Herald. NZ’s educational scores in international comparisons are locked in a downward spiral. National’s ideology has failed, while we ignore successful models.

NRT: “Too hard”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:05 pm, March 20th, 2017 - 54 comments

No Right Turn: “The real barrier to National … acting on this is because that “no-one owns water, first come, first served” policy disproportionately benefits one group and allows them to profiteer from a public resource while destroying its value to others. That group is farmers – and they donate to the National Party.”

Nats’ attack on Ardern backfires

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:04 am, March 17th, 2017 - 34 comments

National’s nasty, obvious, hamfisted attack on Jacinda Ardern has backfired on them big time.

“All show and no substance”

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:03 am, March 16th, 2017 - 147 comments

The attack on Ardern as “all show and no substance” is a curious one for a party that was led for so many years by John Key.

Murdoch on the tax-cut striptease (NSFW)

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:26 pm, March 15th, 2017 - 9 comments

National’s flawed RMA ripoff still failing

Written By: lprent - Date published: 7:22 am, March 15th, 2017 - 13 comments

Maori Party Co-Leader, Marama Fox, is playing hardball over Nick Smith latest attempts to weasel out of commitments on the deeply flawed RMA changes that National has spent the last few years trying to find any support for in Parliament. The bill is crap. The Maori party should just drop it regardless how many baubles they think they will get from it.