NZ Politics Daily - 24 August (liberation)

For the first time in 16 years, the Cabinet will meet outside of the Beehive when it holds its weekly meeting in Christchurch in 12 days time. Apparently there will be a ‘welcoming committee’ there to greet the National Party ministers and thank them for all that they’ve done to start to rebuild the city. Unfortunately for National, this sarcastic ‘thank you’ will be in the form of a protest against the way that the city is being rebuilt – see: the Action for Christchurch East blogpost, National Party Welcoming Committee!. This is all a sign of things to come for the Government. It looks as if things are quickly turning sour, and hence turning political in Christchurch. Residents that had been lured into feeling that the Government would look after them, are suddenly waking to the reality that it might not quite work out that way. This is all well conveyed in the news headline, National's broken promise on quake compensation, and even better explained in the Ben Heather’s Press story, Losers and winners in Govt offer. A Press opinion piece by resident Leeann Apps also very starkly shows how residents are being affected – see: Unlucky, but don't toss us aside. Interestingly, it’s even the forces of business that are complaining and asking for state intervention into the private sector: ‘Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce chief executive Peter Townsend last month called for the Government to intervene in the insurance market, saying the private market was broken’ – see: Business leaders call insurance delays 'a cancer'. So although National has, so far, muddled through the Christchurch earthquake aftermath without too much backlash, it should now prepare itself for increasing politicisation of the rebuild.

National is also wandering into dangerous territory with news that the Government is considering banning the expression of racism online – see: Racism online denial may become illegal in NZ. Such a fraught attempt to censor what the state might view as incorrect thinking would be both ridiculous and outrageous.

Labour cheerleaders have something to be happy about in TV3’s polling results that show the public more predisposed towards a capital gains tax than partial privatisations – see: Kiwis prefer capital gains tax over asset sales – poll – and this glee is reflected in Anthony Robins’ Standard blog post, Substance vs style. But this type of thinking has been answered by John Hartevelt’s opinion piece, Style vs substance - why not both?. And, related to this, James Meager has a go at the tendency of various party cheerleaders to be selective about which polling they consider legitimate – see: Polls are meaningless... Meager also goes into bat for the beleaguered Clare Curran – see: In defence of Clare Curran. While Steven Cowan asks 'What's the connection between Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci and Labour MP Clare Curran?’.

Other items of interest, importance or influence today, include: Hamish McNeilly’s MPs scramble to avoid luxurious hot seat, John Hartevelt’s National candidates' similar statements queried, Rebecca Wright’s Key: Deal on table to take Australian refugees , Tim Watkin’s 2002 repeat? Nah, it's 1951 all over again, Ally Mullord’s Key too quick to aid Libya – Greens, and Brian Rudman’s RNZ in no state to save public TV. [Continue reading below for a full list of the highlights of NZ Politics Daily]

Below are the internet links to all the NZ politics material from the last 24 hours that are either informative, insightful, interesting or influential. This list and the links are taken from a fuller document, NZ Politics Daily, which is emailed out, Monday to Friday, to various researchers, academics, journalists, MPs and so forth. The document is purely for research purposes only, and if you would like to be on the subscription list, please email: [email protected]

Christchurch rebuild

Ben Heather (Press): Losers and winners in Govt offer

Ben Heather (Press): Business leaders call insurance delays 'a cancer'

RadioLIVE: National's broken promise on quake compensation

RNZ: Red zone residents out of pocket – Labour

Leeann Apps (Press): Unlucky, but don't toss us aside

Joe Bennett (Press): A warning to authorities about that red sticker

Action for Christchurch East: National Party Welcoming Committee!