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General Election 2017: Labour's meteoric rise
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- Published: Monday, 04 September 2017 06:26
- Written by Miles Lacey & Graham Day
It is said that a week is a long time in politics. At a time when it seemed as if the National Party was going to sleepwalk to another victory at the polls. Andrew Little resigned as Labour Party leader in favour of Jacinda Ardern on August 1st, 2017, in an act initially seen as an act of political suicide. Then, in mid July, the Green Party performed an act of political suicide that has all but killed any prospect of them potentially staying in Parliament. On July 27th the opinion polls had the Greens polling at 15%, which was their highest poll rating in many years. Less than three weeks later the Greens had slumped to a mere 4.3%.
Let's Do This - or how to alienate voters and lose elections
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- Published: Tuesday, 29 August 2017 18:29
- Written by Miles Lacey
On August 1st, 2017, the Labour Party leader, Andrew Little, resigned in favour of Jacinda Ardern. The leadership change came as a surprise to media commentators and political pundits alike coming as it did within 60 days of the 2017 General Election.
Andrew Little decision to resign was primarily the result of the inability of the Labour Party to make any inroads in the polls with the party averaging around the mid-20s in the latest Colmar-Brunton polls. While Little's leadership was, at best, lacklustre, his biggest problem was the failure of the Labour Party leadership as a whole to come up with policies that were likely to encourage voters to vote Labour.
John Key resigns
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- Published: Monday, 05 December 2016 03:48
- Written by Graham Day
John Key has announced that he his standing down as Prime Minister on 12th December. This has sent shock waves through the National Party. He stated family reasons and getting out whilst he is ahead. These reasons are flimsy ones and bears no serious scrutiny.
No to raising age of Superannuation: Retire capitalism!
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- Published: Friday, 17 March 2017 22:40
- Written by Miles Lacey
Many Western countries are increasing the age at which a person can qualify for the pension. Generally, this has often involved moving the eligible age from 65 to 67. The argument for this has been due primarily to demographic considerations, as the baby boomer generation (those born between 1945 and 1965) reach retirement age, placing ever increasing financial burdens upon these bourgeois states and their taxpayers. At least, that has been the line fed by the governments’ concerned. While demographics certainly play a role, the real cause has been the neo-liberal (capitalist) policies pursued in the last thirty years, especially in countries like Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
New Zealand Perspectives 2016
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- Published: Wednesday, 15 June 2016 03:04
- Written by Miles Lacey
This perspectives document should be viewed as an addendum to the 2015 document. As the general processes outlined in the previous document are apparent in the present situation.
The New Zealand economy is still showing signs of weak growth of about 3% GDP per year in 2015. As previously explained the majority of the economic growth is a result of re-building earthquake ravaged Christchurch, property bubbles in both Auckland and Christchurch and economic growth not based on the productive sectors of the economy. Auckland's speculative property bubble is due to a shortage of housing and capitalist market failure to provide people with a basic human need – shelter. Auckland is not able to cope with population growth as a consequence of record inward migration.