Archive for September, 2005

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  Green weekend reading

  
  
  
  A couple of frogblog readers have pointed me to two articles well worth reading for anyone with even a passing concern with the big environmental issues facing us. First: the end of cheap oil. Writes William Keegan, the Observer’s senior economics correspondent: Even the short-term optimists about the US economy are very concerned about the longer term. [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 12:16 pm - 3 Comments
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  Is Don Brash from the radical right?

  
  
  
  Well, Barry Gustafson – a political historian from Auckland University who’s an expert in the National Party and wrote the authoritative biography of Robert Muldoon – certainly thinks so. Speaking on bFM this morning (hattip, Russel Brown), he said: The National Party has always been a combination of pragmatists, conservatives and radicals, and largely dominated by [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 11:57 am - 6 Comments
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  One day to go…

  
  
  
  Chief electoral officer David Henry has been seemingly playing a game of cat-and-mouse with journalists about the specials announcement. Could it be Thursday? Could it be Friday? Could it be Sunday? Well, no, it’s going to be Saturday – the original target day for the final announcement of the election results. But, just to prove that [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 10:08 am - 4 Comments
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  Dunne over

  
  
  
  Peter Dunne has taken a beating at the hands of the media over the past two weeks. A man who staked his reputation on reasonableness and moderation has been slammed as petulant, ridiculous, arrogant, presumptuous, too-big-for-his-boots, and many more besides. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost. In any case, I’m very glad to see him [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 9:33 am - 7 Comments
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  Turning out

  
  
  
  Electoral Commission chief executive Helena Catt has called for citizenship education in schools, in an effort to halt the decline in turnout in our general elections. This year’s election had an 80% turnout, which was up slightly from the 77% in 2002 – our lowest turnout in a century. Globally, we do quite well when it [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 9:09 am - 16 Comments
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  A very different Parliament

  
  
  
  Vernon Small made the point in the Dominion Post yesterday that many of Parliament’s eight political parties could have leadership changes in the next wee while. Mixing Small’s suggestions (where he makes them) with my own guesses (where he doesn’t), the parties going into the 2011 election could look something like this: Labour: Steve Maharey/Phil Goff National: [...] read more
  September 30, 2005 8:44 am - 17 Comments
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  Of schools and high horses

  
  
  
  Labour’s decision that there will be no more school closures is a very good one. The Greens were staunchly opposed to Labour’s school closures (go here to see the fourteen press releases we put out in early 2004 about the issue). However, I find Bill English’s triumphalism on the issue rather disingenuous. He was on [...] read more
  September 29, 2005 10:42 am - 8 Comments
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  A spectrum (mark two)

  
  
  
  The Dominion Post has excelled itself today by providing the “other side” of the Green business meeting story that was missing from its edition yesterday. Having said on Wednesday that the Greens’ charm offensive with business failed, it is saying on Thursday that the Greens have found allies in business. Today’s story reads: The Greens [...] read more
  September 29, 2005 10:20 am - 22 Comments
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  Election tidbits

  
  
  
  Here are a couple of amusing articles to read about election day. First: Isaac Freeman was an election day worker in the Auckland electorate of Maungakiekie and has blogged a fascinating account of his experience. For example, about the counting process, he writes: At seven o’clock we closed the doors, put some cardboard tables together, and began [...] read more
  September 29, 2005 9:13 am - 2 Comments
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  A spectrum

  
  
  
  “They went in frightened, and they came out terrified.” That’s how Breakfast’s Paul Henry described his impression of business leaders meeting Jeanette and Rod last night. It is also the tenor of much of the media coverage of the meeting: the Greens tried to charm business; they failed. However, if you look at the media coverage (see, [...] read more
  September 28, 2005 10:01 am - 61 Comments