political parties

Phil Twyford: the Housing Crisis

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:00 am, October 5th, 2016 - 148 comments

Phil Twyford argues housing will be the defining challenge for the next Labour-led Government, and sets out Labour’s reform agenda.

Colinoscopy

Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 6:32 pm, October 3rd, 2016 - 41 comments

In which we learn that Colin Craig had already lost another case months before being done over in his defamation trial.

Our most effective Prime Minister

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:14 am, October 1st, 2016 - 234 comments

Ad ranks post second world war according to criteria which produces some interesting result.

He isn’t a racist because his ex wife is from Singapore

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:08 am, September 30th, 2016 - 139 comments

Don Brash and a group of other predominately privileged white males are complaining that Maori may also be receiving some privilege.

Cronyism

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 9:51 am, September 29th, 2016 - 70 comments

So Paula Bennett has been giving a lolly scramble to her National mates with the Rules Reduction Taskforce.

Which is fine, because the Taskforce did great work in finding out that the ‘loopy’ rule of lolly scrambles being illegal wasn’t in fact true.

Twyford to chair Labour’s election campaign

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 5:41 pm, September 28th, 2016 - 56 comments

Twyford has been made Labour’s campaign chairman, which puts him charge of strategy for the election.

Ombudsman to investigate John Key’s dirty politics communications

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:42 am, September 27th, 2016 - 91 comments

The Ombudsman is to investigate John Key’s failure to disclose communications with David Farrar and Cameron Slater

“Itching Scratches” on Nine to Noon

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 6:27 pm, September 26th, 2016 - 61 comments

Matthew Hooton got carried away on Nine to Noon dissing Andrew Little’s views on political strategy and the centre ground that appeared to differ from Helen Clark’s. Stephen Mills piled in too on Jeremy Corbyn and the “missing millions.” All Little said was that he wants to connect with different groups of voters on issues important to them. Can’t argue with that.

Dear Herald you can do better than Rodney Hide

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:15 am, September 25th, 2016 - 248 comments

Rodney Hide continues to provide extreme analysis free right wing ramblings courtesy of the Herald. Is it time for them to reintroduce a left wing columnist?

A settlement proposal for Jordan Williams and Colin Craig

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:52 am, September 24th, 2016 - 42 comments

A suggested settlement proposal to resolve the Williams v Craig case which may achieve some good.

New lineup for Labour Leader’s office

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 5:15 pm, September 21st, 2016 - 49 comments

Andrew Little has appointed a new Chief of Staff and Chief Press Secretary.

Marama Fox to Richard Prosser: how much more do we have to be dicked around?

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:30 pm, September 21st, 2016 - 201 comments

The New Zealand First MP had no answers for the Māori Party co-leader after NZF pulled their support for five major Treaty settlements at the eleventh hour.

Kevin Hague bids farewell to Parliament.

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:00 am, September 21st, 2016 - 24 comments

The Green MP delivered his valedictory yesterday, calling on MPs to “be brave – stand for something.”

Just vote – Auckland Council version

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, September 18th, 2016 - 31 comments

It is local government election time. If you want to vote for progressive candidates these are some suggestions.

Maori Party to make a stand?

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 2:45 pm, September 15th, 2016 - 113 comments

The Maori Party are threatening to pull out of their confidence & supply agreement with National. This would leave National with a Hair-thin majority in the House. The Kermadec Sanctuary, if handled with competence instead of arrogance, should have been a massive win for National.

Labour Organising

Written By: Bill - Date published: 10:09 am, September 14th, 2016 - 39 comments

From the UK. Organising 101.

Parliamentary Services is snooping on MPs’ emails

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:14 am, September 14th, 2016 - 123 comments

It appears that Parliamentary Services is monitoring MPs emails. And not just for things such as spam and viruses.

The trouble with polls

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 2:43 pm, September 13th, 2016 - 186 comments

Labour has released its latest UMR polling which shows a dramatically different result to that of the latest Colmar Brunton poll.

New Zealand is a socialist nirvana *

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:45 am, September 13th, 2016 - 65 comments

* at least according to David Seymour.

The homeless crisis is getting worse

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:46 am, September 12th, 2016 - 139 comments

Figures provided by the Government to Labour suggest that providing accommodation for families with chronic housing needs is taking much longer than it did six months ago. But Paula Bennett has replied by suggesting that the figures do not reflect reality.

Lose yourself in the music

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 11:32 am, September 11th, 2016 - 25 comments

While we’re enjoying the popcorn at Williams vs Craig, there’s another enjoyable court case coming next year shortly before the election…

The manipulation of burglary statics

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:52 am, September 11th, 2016 - 36 comments

Reporter Eugene Bingham who broke the story on how Papakura police were doctoring crime statistics by recoding burglaries as other offences two years ago has written about how his attempts to get to the truth of the matter has effectively been thwarted by the police.

Chloe King – John Key, I am a low waged worker, and neither “lazy” nor “drug addled”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:39 pm, September 9th, 2016 - 254 comments

Blogger and social activist Chloe King, one of the hundreds of thousands of low waged workers in this country was devastated by John Key’s comments suggesting that she and others were lazy and had no work ethic. This is her response.

We’re Number 1!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 1:30 pm, September 8th, 2016 - 16 comments

Already number 4 for housing unaffordability, we’re now number 1 for house price rises!

National loses control of Parliament

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:37 am, September 8th, 2016 - 111 comments

It may have been brief and passing but yesterday National lost control of Parliament. And it was all their own fault.

#ParkUpForGovernment

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 8:24 am, September 7th, 2016 - 10 comments

Despite the large number of people with terrible stories about homelessness to the Labour/Greens/Maori Homelessness Inquiry, this Government of Housing Inaction still thinks the problem should be ignored and the Inquiry ‘not needed’.

Eileen Brown for CCDHB

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:01 pm, September 6th, 2016 - 2 comments

Capital Coast DHB candidate Eileen Brown chairs the Newtown Union Health Service Board, a primary care service for people on low incomes. For the last 10 years, Eileen has worked for the Council of Trade Unions as a senior policy analyst; previously she worked in nursing in many areas including mental health and neuro rehabilitation. Eileen is standing as a Labour candidate. She’d be great on the DHB.

Government seeking to remove property buy back rights under urgency

Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:38 pm, September 6th, 2016 - 13 comments

Nick Smith has introduced a bill into Parliament which he wants to be passed under urgency without select committee oversight. The bill takes away the right of any prior owner of land taken under the Public Works Act to have housing land offered back to them. To do this under urgency is banana republic stuff.

The Million Dollar Minister

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 4:00 pm, September 6th, 2016 - 14 comments

No denying the housing crisis now, Nick.

Guest Post: Beth Houston for Senior Vice President

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 2:30 pm, September 6th, 2016 - 29 comments

The Standard’s authors have offered candidates for the upcoming Labour Party internal elections the chance to guest post about why they’re running. Beth Houston has been nominated for the position of Senior Vice President. Here’s her vision for the role and the party.