frogblog

Today’s Fairfax Media poll brings the theory that Labour was turning its fortunes around into serious question. I enjoyed this quote from the Dominion Post:
Prime Minister Helen Clark, who is in South Korea, could not be contacted for comment.
I guess she hasn’t given it much thought , eh?
The Greens are continuing along in or around […]

The folks at Forest and Bird have put together a lovely video of a rafting trip down the Mokihinui River. I commend them and their efforts to save the Mokihinui from destruction.

Should we damn the river and its environs by building a dam? Is building hydro power a reversible decision? I think everyone knows my […]

The Canadian Greens blog is seeking suggestions for a campaign theme song for their upcoming election.  The Canadian Greens are on a bit of high at the moment with their increasingly respected leader Elizabeth May and their song reflects that up beat North American ‘straight to the point’ sort of attitude - it’s ‘Your English […]

One of the Green Party’s high ranking new candidates may be a new face to many.  Luckily 26 year old Gareth Hughes already has a very significant internet presence so it’s easy to research a lot about him.  As well as the ubiquitous Vote Gareth website he is the blogger behind Climate Kiwi, Global Young […]

What started off as merely a flawed and highly complex system is getting progressively worse. After weeks of intensive hearings the implications are crystallising and the flaws becoming more apparent. At the same time the Government is engaged in a process of pandering to vested interests and watering down the scheme, notifying the select committee […]

One of the nice things about getting you candidate list out first is that you can sit back and watch everyone else’s list unfold, or in some cases rupture its way into the public.  The Greens, with a list that was decided on entirely by party member votes, didn’t face the type of tension that […]

Gordon Campbell’s interview of Russel on Scoop’s Election 08 yesterday is a fascinatingly read.  Campbell, with his background in the Green Party’s parliamentary team, knew the tough questions to ask and seemed determined that his interview could not be perceived as a patsy, or lacking journalistic credibility. 
The first half of the interview deals with a […]

The big media story from the Green’s party list announcement yesterday turned out to be Kennedy Graham.  The Herald opened with:
Ken Graham wears a subdued grey suit, loves opera, is a Fulbright scholar and prominent international lawyer, and speaks in a cultured accent courtesy of a career as a diplomat in Europe.
Dr Kennedy Graham is […]

The Greens have just announced their candidate list, as voted on by party members:

Jeanette Fitzsimons
Russel Norman
Sue Bradford
Metiria Turei
Sue Kedgley
Keith Locke
Kevin Hague (West Coast, DHB Chief Executive)
Catherine Delahunty (East Coast, activist and chairperson of the Tairawhiti Beneficiary Advocacy Trust)
Kennedy Graham  (Christchurch, senior diplomat and law lecturer)
David Clendon (Auckland, resource management lecturer)
Gareth Hughes (Wellington, climate change campaigner)
Steffan […]

Dene Mackensie has a go this morning at speculating on the election date in the Otago Daily Times [off line].  He suggests that there will be a 1 October introduction of tax cuts from the government.  This means it will want an election at least four weeks after that to ensure everybody has had a […]