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NZ Politics Daily - 19 November 2013

The main topics in NZ politics today are asset sales, John Key in Thailand, housing, health, and Labour's new press chief. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 18 November 2013: 20 Questions

1) How bad is the culture of the New Zealand Police? 

 

The latest police scandal involving sexual abuse, bribery and corruption will hardly increase the public’s trust in the force – see Joelle Dally’s Cop admits sex corruption charge. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 15 November 2013: What to read – 30 recommendations

What to read – 30 recommendations 

 

1) Was the campaign against RadioLive’s Willie Jackson and John Tamihere a victory in the fight against sexual abuse, or a worrying suppression of free speech? Chris Trotter thinks it's the latter – see: A Disturbing Precedent. PR professional Mark Blackham raises similar concerns in Professional outrage, as does Karl du Fresne in The tyranny of the mob – again and Miley Cyrus and the Roast Busters. And for a satirical take on this, see Ben Uffindell’s Nation really angry, no fun to hang around with at the moment. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 14 November 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the TPP leak, asset sales, the Waitangi Tribunal ruling, the Philippines typhoon, Colin Craig's Conservative Party, and 'Roast Busters'. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 13 November 2013: National’s future coalition with Colin Craig’s Conservatives

National’s future appears to be with Colin Craig’s Conservative Party. John Key’s cultivation of this ally has now reached the point where it is quite clear that the PM is essentially giving up on the hope of other potential coalition partners being enough to get him a third term. From this point onwards, we can probably talk about a National-Conservative coalition being the main rightwing option at the 2014 election. So Colin Craig’s ability to win seats next year will be the vital determinant for National achieving a third term in government. This now makes Craig an important player – a point strongly argued in a must-read opinion piece by Patrick Gower – see: Beware Colin Craig – Conservatives on rise. Gower puts forward an array of evidence and logic for why the Conservatives are the next big thing in politics. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 12 November 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the 'roast busters', MP housing perks, latest polls, Sri Lanka, and the Labour Party. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 11 November 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the 'Roast busters', National Party, United Future, Labour Party, the economy, and MP housing. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 8 November 2013: Police, rape, censorship, and sexual politics

The politics of policing, rape, sexual politics, social media and censorship are all potentially explosive and they’ve all gone off at the same time with the so-called Roast Busters social media group. The public’s revulsion and outrage about the scandal is immense. On Twitter you can see some of the strongest and most interesting reaction and debate – see my blogpost Top tweets on the Police and ‘roast busters’. The controversy has also attracted global media attention with reports such as the Guardian’s Roast Busters: we can't let such Facebook groups thrive – written by Nicole Skews (AKA, New Zealand blogger and activist ‘Coley Tangerina’) – the BBC’s New Zealand police probe ordered over 'teen rape club', CNN’s New Zealand 'Roast Busters' alleged teen rape victim: I filed a complaint, the Daily Mail’s The 'Roast Buster Facebook rape gang' who boasted online about vile actions, and the International Business Times’ Did Police Ignore Rape Complaint of 13-Year-Old Kiwi Girl in 2011 Because One of Roast Busters Members Is Son of a Cop? [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 6 November 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are drink driving rules, the 'roast busters', Chorus, SkyCity, GCSB, and Maori politics. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 5 November 2013: Labour avoids a lurch to the left

Labour’s party conference has been portrayed by much of the media and the party’s opponents as proof of a lurch to the left under new leader David Cunliffe. But a more sober reading of what occurred in the weekend shows that the main features of the conference were compromise, moderation, and even a suppression of radicalism. Very few genuinely contentious policies were adopted and rather than driving the party leftwards, the Labour left was largely defeated on the biggest issues. Instead of a ‘lurch to the left’ there was more of a ‘lurch towards liberalism’ – epitomised by the adoption of gender quotas. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 4 November 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are about the Labour Party's conference, and various related items. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 31 October 2013: Must-read political items of the week

Here’s a roundup of the must-read political items from the media and blogosphere over the last week. 

1) If you measure a country’s prosperity based on more than simply economics, then New Zealand is the fifth best place in the world to live according to the London-based Legatum Institute. You can see its profile of New Zealand (with all the data and summaries) here: New Zealand – 5th. For media coverage of the ranking, see Teuila Fuatai’s NZ No 5 on world prosperity list. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 30 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour Party, Len Brown, NZ-US relations, the latest opinion polls, inequality and poverty, and asset sales. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 29 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Len Brown scandal, the lastest opinion polls, the National Party, the Labour Party, Labour Day, housing, the economy, John Banks, and the Maori and Mana parties [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 25 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today were Len Brown, asset sales, education, environment, and the economy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 24 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today were Len Brown, MPs pay, housing, John Banks, and offshore oil exploration. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 23 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Len Brown scandal, SkyCity, John Banks, MPs pay, and offshore oil exploration. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 22 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Len Brown scandal, superannuation, the Kohanga Reo Trust, and the economy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 21 October 2013: The Rightwing crisis over the Len Brown scandal

It was meant to be the scandal that would kill off the career of a centre-left political leader. Instead, it looks like it may end up doing more damage to the political right in New Zealand, including National and the Government. As I argued on Friday – see: Dirty politics means we all suffer – the political fallout is going to be much wider than just Len Brown. Tracy Watkins has a very good column elaborating on this theme – see: Story could be game-changer. In particular, the National Party is vulnerable to being judged as guilty by association. This became even more apparent during the weekend, with attention increasingly focused on the motives and machinations of those on the right who played a part in bringing the Len Brown scandal to light. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 18 October 2013: Dirty politics mean we all suffer

When dirt gets thrown around in politics, everyone involved emerges looking grubby. In fact we are all going to suffer from the Len Brown scandal and its corrosive implications. This column looks at who has most to lose, in what way, and if anyone stands to gain any advantage at all from the scandal. This morning David Farrar has also written a comprehensive survey of the Lengate losers and winners, and pointedly notes that ‘there are far more losers than winners’. So who are the losers, and why? [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 16 October 2013: The Morals and motives in a political sex scandal

Morals and politics make for an explosive mix.  The moral issues in the Len Brown scandal are dealt with expertly in three must-read blogposts on the Pundit blogsite – see: Tim Watkin’s The unwritten rule re politics & sex: Does the Len Brown story write a new rule, Josie Pagani’s Who Len sleeps with is nothing to do with me or you, and Andrew Geddis’ Why Len Brown will still be Auckland's Mayor (and that's a good thing, too). [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 15 October 2013

 The main stories in NZ politics today are about local government elections, Maori politics, Labour Party, offshore oil exploration, and retirement. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 14 October 2013: An electoral wakeup call for politicians

The election results in the weekend were a wakeup call for all politicians and anyone else interested in democracy. A ‘business as usual’ election resulted in very little change, and it was the tremendously low voter turnout that was the main outcome of significance. Roughly two million eligible voters declined to participate in the elections, leading to a turnout of around 40% of the voting age population (including those not on the electoral roll). The situation is satirised in Ben Uffindell’s Civilian blogpost, Low turnout results in lawnmower winning Auckland mayoralty. The most well-written insight into the low voter turnout is provided by Newstalk ZB political journalist Felix Marwick who outlines his own personal experience of voting in Local body election so damn tedious. The whole report is worth reading, but can be summed up with this part: ‘The reason people don't give a damn about local body politics is probably because it's so damn tedious and so damn nebulous. It appears, on the surface, to be a succession of beige candidates with beige ideals. Figuring out exactly what they stand for is a task beyond us mere mortals’. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 11 October 2013: 25 Questions

25 Questions

 

1) How can the low voter turnout in local government elections be reversed? Andy Asquith and Andrew Cardow have a very good proposal and write In praise of Colin Craig ... and openness. Don Day also examines What's behind low voter turnout? 

[Read more below] 

NZ Politics Daily - 10 October 2013: Labour’s shift from blue to red – or is it purple?

Labour is now ‘red, not pale blue’ declared David Cunliffe in his bold speech to the CTU conference yesterday. It’s an evocative and highly symbolic declaration that speaks strongly to the core base of unionists and radicals who have long been disenchanted with a party that has too often been, not just blue, but distinctly beige. For years now, Labour has cleaved to the middle of the political spectrum and sought to be as inoffensive and bland as possible. Cunliffe’s arrival suggests that those colourless days are over, and Labour supporters can now wear their socialist red with pride. But how deep is this new red? The best reports on yesterday’s CTU speech have Cunliffe splashing the red paint around to unions wanting to see socialism, but underlining his statements with a cautious blue pen when talking to the media. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 9 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are APEC/TPP, Sky TV, fiscal policy, local government elections, and the economy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 8 October 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the latest Census results, APEC, fiscal policy, local government elections, and housing. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 7 October 2013: Economic ideologies under scrutiny

Economics is likely to dominate the political discourse between now and the general election. All political parties will be seriously evaluated in terms of what they will do for the economy. In the weekend, the Greens received a harsh assessment of their economic credentials and capabilities from political journalist Hamish Rutherford, who examined the party’s response to the Government’s rescue package for Solid Energy – see Greens rush to judgement. Spokesperson Gareth Hughes is taken to task for his questionable characterisation of the deal, with the suggestion that this indicates his party is economically illiterate. A similar point was made by Maria Slade in her more positive piece about Green MP David Clendon and how he is one of the more business friendly faces of the party – see: Greens need to talk business sense. But should the Greens even be concerned with being business friendly and mainstream? Danyl Mclauchlan suggests not, in his blog post The dubious strategic value of the corporate group hug. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 4 October 2013: Why you shouldn't vote

If you’re feeling disinclined to vote in the current local government elections, then perhaps you simply shouldn’t. Ignore the chorus of political commentators, bloggers and various politicos who are pleading and hectoring you to vote, and simply refuse to take part in this year’s elections. Certainly if you’re bored by it all, unimpressed with the lack of meaningful electoral options, or just disgruntled with the state of your local authority and democracy, then one of the most powerful options you have is to protest by not participating. Although such a message is considered beyond the pale by the ‘political class’, in reality it’s your legitimate right not to endorse what might seem like an electoral sham. This year’s non-vote is certainly shaping up to send a powerful message that the system isn’t working. Signs are that voter turnout will be the lowest in living memory. If central and local government politicians are truly listening, then two million eligible voters refusing to participate could lead to some sort of radical reform of local democracy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 3 October 2013: National Government in precarious position

Has the National Government ever looked in so much trouble? Certainly over the past five years there have been plenty of scandals and major policies problems for John Key’s government to navigate. So far National has been able to use its strong political management skills to minimise its losses. But some contemporary challenges are suddenly making re-election less likely next year. Business reporter, Pattrick Smellie writes today’s must-read column about the state of the National Government, reporting that ‘As we approach the end of the year, widespread assumptions in the business community that there is no likelihood of the Government changing next year are fading’. He argues that National has to deal with a ‘clutch of complex issues’, which are suddenly looking very ‘dangerous’ due to a resurgent and dynamic Labour Party under David Cunliffe. Smellie outlines the four difficult policy issues as being housing affordability, the ‘ultrafast broadband kerfuffle’, environmental issues, and the Government’s partial privatisation programme – see: Tricky issues could haunt Nats. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 27 September 2013: Who's killing local democracy

A million eligible voters chose not to vote in the last general election, resulting in the lowest voter turnout in 126 years. Will we see a record low turnout in the current local government elections? It’s likely that up to two million eligible voters will reject the option of participating, which will raise further questions about the decline of democracy in New Zealand, especially at the local level. This poor regard for local elections is nicely satirised today by Ben Uffindell’s blogpost on The Civilian: Nation gears up for October practice elections. He mocks the low status given to these elections, suggesting they are little more than pretend candidates chasing after pretend votes and serve no other purpose than giving voters a chance to practice prior to the real (general) election next year. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 26 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour Party, John Key in the US, the Ruataniwha Dam, housing, the America's Cup, local body elections, and the economy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 25 September 2013: Where is Labour going?

David Cunliffe’s Labour Party could well be governing the country in little over a year’s time. Numerous commentators have pointed out that there is real momentum and dynamism in the party for the first time in ages. This is reflected in today’s remarkable opinion poll showing resurgent support for Labour at the expense of National – see Audrey Young’s Labour rockets in poll, and the Herald’s editorial: Labour does an Oracle in latest poll. So it’s important to get an idea of exactly what the newly configured Labour Party represents. Where is Cunliffe taking the party ideologically? What will it campaign on over the next year? What would a Cunliffe-led government do? What factions and divisions will have most influence under Cunliffe’s leadership? [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 24 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour Party reshuffle, local body elections, John Key in Europe, the America's Cup, education, and the economy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 23 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour leadership, the Christchurch by-election, the Meridan sale, John Key in the UK, the economy, local body elections, and the America's Cup. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 20 September 2013: Who Runs New Zealand in 2013?

Who runs this place? Who has real power and influence in New Zealand? These difficult, but important, social-political questions are tackled in a major feature in the latest issue of The Listener – see: The Influentials (free to view online.) Of the dozen or so articles, one of the most important is Rebecca Macfie and Ruth Laugesen’s Fixers, lobbyists and networkers. ‘People who have mastered the art of lobbying, fixing, and bringing others together’ are said to include Rod Drury, Philippa Howden-Chapman, David Farrar, Doug Martin, Wayne Eagleson, Mark Unsworth, Margaret Bazley, Jane Sweeney, Fran Wilde, and Traci Houpapa. These are the people working behind the scenes with government and corporate interests. [Read more below] 

NZ Politics Daily - 19 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Ruataniwha Dam & Nick Smith, Suffrage Day, Labour's new leadership, the UFB rollout, US-NZ info sharing, education, Christchurch, Snapper quota, inequality, the economy, and the local body elections. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 18 September 2013: Labour's war and peace

Peace is breaking out in Labour, with bitter factionalism melting away leaving only unity. That may be what Labour desperately wants us to believe, but beneath the surface there is turmoil and bloodletting. For a clever and very funny dramatisation of how some in the Labour Party caucus might be taking the election of David Cunliffe as leader, it’s well worth watching the 4-minute video of Trevor Mallard’s Downfall. It’s an old joke, and perhaps unfair to characterise Mallard in that way, but it brilliantly conveys the visceral feelings that some of the so-called ABC MPs might have about Cunliffe’s victory. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 12 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour leadership, the Resource Management Act, Fonterra, Maori TV, Christchurch, and the economy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 11 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour leadership contest, Maori TV, tertiary education, and the economy. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 9 September 2013: Labour’s leadership being influenced by media pundits

The Australian media elected Tony Abbott as prime minister in the weekend. Is the New Zealand media about to do the same here with the leader of the Labour Party? Critics of the so-called mediacracy allege the corporate mass media monopoly and its political journalists sway public opinion and, therefore, elections. This view is not without its problems but certainly the media plays a role in determining or influencing politics. The question is to what extent, and how appropriate is that role? [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 6 September 2013: Kiwi perspectives on the Australian election

New Zealanders could be forgiven for not realising that Australians go the polls tomorrow following a marathon, and sometimes farcical, election campaign. This is because there’s been very little coverage or awareness of the campaign in New Zealand, as was pointed out by one Australian newspaper report yesterday which said ‘The campaign noise that's been blaring at Australians for weeks doesn't ring quite as loud across the ditch - which could be a blessing for those voting in New Zealand’ – see Elise Scott’s Aussies cast their votes in New Zealand. Another Australian-based New Zealand blogger has also complained that ‘You wouldn't know an election was being held if you relied on the NZ media’ – see: Australian election ignored by NZ media. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 5 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour leadership, Pacific island issues, online voting, education, SkyCity, Fonterra, and the School Journal. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 4 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are the Labour leadership, asset sales, and the Dunne enquiry. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 3 September 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today were the Labour leadership, asset sales, Syria, and Kim Dotcom. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 2 September 2013: Labour's lurch to the left

Labour’s leadership contenders are tacking to the left in the primary campaign, but will almost certainly shift the party towards the centre for next year’s election campaign and, if they get into government, govern to the right. That’s the historical and international lessons about ideological positioning in order to achieve popularity. Certainly over the weekend – during which there were three public appearances by the contestants, two national television debates, and numerous media interviews – there was a significant shift to the left, at least in rhetoric. David Cunliffe declared that ‘The red tide is rising’, while Grant Robertson vowed there would be no ‘neoliberal or third-way’ agenda under a government led by him, and that ‘It's time to leave behind the dog-eat-dog free-market ideology’ – see Stacey Kirk’s New souped-up leadership race goes public. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 30 August 2013: Grant Robertson’s strong leadership appeal

The ‘Beltway’, ‘Bowen Triangle’, or ‘Thorndon Bubble’ - regardless of what you call the realm of the ‘political insiders’ in Wellington, it firmly favours Grant Robertson as the next leader of the Labour Party. Most notably, respected political journalist Vernon Small has come out decisively for Robertson in his column, Robertson best choice for Labour. Small looks at the strengths and weakness of both Robertson and Cunliffe, and concludes ‘On any cost-benefit analysis balance he is the party's best road to government in 2014’. Such journalistic endorsements are why Robertson’s opponents are trying to land him with the nickname ‘Beltway Grant’. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 29 August 2013

The main issues in NZ politics today are Labour's leadership, Fonterra, the Christchurch rebuild, industrial relations reform, the economy, and Nick Smith. [Read more below]

NZ Politics Daily - 28 August 2013: Cunliffe looks victorious

David Cunliffe looks victorious, in more ways than one. In the debate over who should become Labour’s new leader, the commentators continue to pick him as the most likely and suitable of the aspiring MPs. The problem is whether Cunliffe is already looking too victorious for his own good. The latest pundit to back him is Colin Espiner, who says Cunliffe ‘is by far their best – probably their only – chance of winning the next election’ – see: David Cunliffe is Labour's top dog. Espiner’s predicted outcome is ‘a leadership ticket of Cunliffe and Robertson’. This is in line with my prediction last week – see: Labour's new Cunliffe-Robertson combo. However, Espiner says he’d prefer to see Jacinda Arden as the deputy. Brian Rudman has also come out today to say Cunliffe ‘job ready’ and Labour’s obvious choice. [Read more below]

 

NZ Politics Daily - 27 August 2013

The main issue in NZ politics today is obviously the Labour Party leadership contest. [Read more below]