The Unofficial New Zealand Politics Thread

[Flem274*]

Cunliffe was never going to get it. The media have painted him as a massive **** (which he is), so picking him would have been suicide.

Shearer deserted Goff as much as Cunliffe mind, but Cunliffe has a punchable face so it was more fun to stick it to him.

[_Ed_]

Originally Posted by Flem274*

Cunliffe was never going to get it. The media have painted him as a massive **** (which he is), so picking him would have been suicide.

True, but I wouldn't have put it past this current Labour administration. Wouldn't have been surprised at all if their thinking was, "Cunliffe's been a good servant for Labour for a long time - he deserves the honour." That's pretty much why Goff got it when the mighty Helen left.

So it's good to see them go for the leader with more potential and mainstream appeal.

[KiWiNiNjA]

Originally Posted by _Ed_

True, but I wouldn't have put it past this current Labour administration. Wouldn't have been surprised at all if their thinking was, "Cunliffe's been a good servant for Labour for a long time - he deserves the honour." That's pretty much why Goff got it when the mighty Helen left.

So it's good to see them go for the leader with more potential and mainstream appeal.

Yeah, if they could give it to Goff they could definitely have given it to Cunliffe

[16 tins of Spam]

Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

I'm really fed up of National supporters telling me that I either "didn't understand" their policies or I'm ill informed. I understand their policies a darn sight better than most National members and think that they're at best self-serving.

Haha, who are these feckless right wingers you know Heath? NZ must be awash with them but I guess I'm too far up my own limp-wristed, commie, Wellington hipster arse to know any.

Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

And as for MMP, I'm all for proportionality but MMP gives far too much power to the lunatic fringe in its current form.

The influence of smaller parties is greatly exaggerated: they usually get a few insignificant policy wins in exchange for selling their souls and their supporters punish them by not voting for them any more. Look what happened to the Alliance, to ACT and to the Maori party.

Also I think the 5% threshold should be canned altogether - keep it truly proportional by giving any party with at least 1/120th of the vote a seat. We still end up with lunatics like Peter Dunne and John Banks in parliament so what difference does it make if the crackpots get in via electorates or the list?

Originally Posted by _Ed_

The Greens ran a far more professional, respectable, focused and coherent campaign than Labour did this year. Not ashamed to admit they poached my vote from Labour this time.

Mine too, although I'll qualify that by saying that mine had more to do with Labour's piss-poor opposition and the fact that they still adhere to neoliberal economic theory (regardless of what Nat supporters think).

Originally Posted by NZTailender

Then there were the 50+ people who said things mostly like "you're joking" or "for a poorer New Zealand" and "work harder get poorer"

Baby Boomers are a joke. They've had everything handed to them on a plate: cradle to grave welfare, state housing, free health care, and education right through to tertiary level. They enjoyed plentiful jobs and high incomes, cheap fuel and real estate. They can also look forward to generous superannuation.

Now that they've made their piles they've taken all that away from our generation by making everything user pays, destroying the manufacturing industry, gutting collective bargaining powers, cutting benefits, hoovering up real estate for "investment" and holiday homes, sold off taxpayer funded assets to investment bankers and overseas interests and what's left they've abandoned to market forces so that we pay above the odds for electricity and telecommunications, and they have the cheek to look us in the eye and claim that we don't have what they have because we don't work hard enough.

The sooner the bastards die and leave the world to us, the better.

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Originally Posted by 16 tins of Spam

Haha, who are these feckless right wingers you know Heath? NZ must be awash with them but I guess I'm too far up my own limp-wristed, commie, Wellington hipster arse to know any.

In my line of work, my political views are generally the exception rather than the rule. And suffice it to say, I'm not averse to arguing with them about it!

Originally Posted by 16 tins of Spam

The influence of smaller parties is greatly exaggerated: they usually get a few insignificant policy wins in exchange for selling their souls and their supporters punish them by not voting for them any more. Look what happened to the Alliance, to ACT and to the Maori party.

Yeah, I get your point of view. I guess I think that with a very low percentage requirement, it doesn't necessarily mean that lunatic fringe policy gets enacted, but those people who are "out there" are given political oxygen and media coverage when in any other system they would be left on the fringes. Obviously, I'm all for open debate, but when there's a risk that either Ben Boyce or even worse, Jamie Linehan could have made it into Parliament (they would have been bloody close without the 5% threshhold), I think some questions need to be asked.

[16 tins of Spam]

Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

Yeah, I get your point of view. I guess I think that with a very low percentage requirement, it doesn't necessarily mean that lunatic fringe policy gets enacted, but those people who are "out there" are given political oxygen and media coverage when in any other system they would be left on the fringes. Obviously, I'm all for open debate, but when there's a risk that either Ben Boyce or even worse, Jamie Linehan could have made it into Parliament (they would have been bloody close without the 5% threshhold), I think some questions need to be asked.

Ah, but the beauty of free speech is that bigots or loonies can use all the oxygen they like being hateful or crazy, and the majority will knock them over with a hurricane of scorn and abuse.

[Flem274*]

Pretty glad Colin Craig isn't in Parliament tbph.

[Flem274*]

Originally Posted by 16 tins of Spam

Now that they've made their piles they've taken all that away from our generation by making everything user pays, destroying the manufacturing industry, gutting collective bargaining powers, cutting benefits, hoovering up real estate for "investment" and holiday homes, sold off taxpayer funded assets to investment bankers and overseas interests and what's left they've abandoned to market forces so that we pay above the odds for electricity and telecommunications, and they have the cheek to look us in the eye and claim that we don't have what they have because we don't work hard enough.

The sooner the bastards die and leave the world to us, the better.

Taking this as confirmation you murdered your parents.

[Chubb]

I had an interesting election at The Southland Times:


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