united future Archive

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  Ohariu: deal or no deal? - by Gareth Hughes

  
  
  
  There’s been a lot of talk lately on electorate deals and I’d like to put myself on the record as the Green Party candidate standing in Ōhariu. read more
  July 24, 2011 7:51 pm - 15 Comments
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  Upton warns of a laughing stock - by frog

  
  
  
  Simon Upton writes a good critique of New Zealand’s climate change situation in today’s Dom Post. It must be amazing for the former National Party Minister who got us involved with the Kyoto process in the first place to watch as once again, we go back to square one in terms of our response to [...] read more
  December 2, 2008 12:01 pm - 23 Comments
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  NZ now a joke in Europe - by frog

  
  
  
  Thanks Rodney. Thanks John. From Scoop: Specialist news service Carbon News this morning reports broker Nigel Brunel, of OMF Financial, as saying New Zealand is “a bit of a joke in Europe at the moment” following the National-Act agreement to suspend the emissions trading scheme. “This was New Zealand’s opportunity to reinvent its financial markets [...] read more
  November 22, 2008 4:13 pm - 69 Comments
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  The Minister of Revenue walks again - by frog

  
  
  
  Like Rasputin Peter Dunne, the eternal Minister of Revenue, is back once again.  This time his pretence of sitting in the middle while actually belonging to the right of National is even more exposed now that he is actually in a cooperation agreement with National. In his agreement with National we can look forward to [...] read more
  November 17, 2008 2:40 pm - 21 Comments
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  Peter Dunne’s Green electorate - by frog

  
  
  
  Peter Dunne will have rightfully been celebrating having now returned his party to where he has wanted it to be for “nine long years” free of the annoying hangers on and ensconced back in the midst of a National-led government.  He may however be wondering about his decision to reject the Greens so firmly given [...] read more
  November 10, 2008 12:32 pm - 16 Comments
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  Dunne’s fish problem - by frog

  
  
  
  After Lockwood Smith swallowed his dead fish and Winston Peters suffered the ongoing accusations about taking secret donations from the fishing industry we find out now that Peter Dunne might have his own piscine scandal to deal with via the infamous Vela family.  That certainly makes an improvement from his previous funding scandals.  I wonder [...] read more
  November 3, 2008 3:04 pm - 12 Comments
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  Dunne adds his head to the National monster - by frog

  
  
  
  United Future has followed the Greens in assessing the two old parties policy platforms and letting voters know before the election which one it will be supporting.  It’s a bit harder to tell from it’s media release exactly what policies it based  this decision on, but I guess we know from past practice one issue [...] read more
  October 27, 2008 9:17 am - 39 Comments
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  More about donation returns - by frog

  
  
  
  Following on from my last post, the donation declaration rules are fairly simple and the main point in this context is that: That, when added to all the donation received from the same source in the preceding 12 months exceeds $20,000 a return of party donation exceeding $20,000 must be filed within 10 working days. [...] read more
  September 17, 2008 12:12 pm - 2 Comments
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  The official opposition - by frog

  
  
  
  Yesterday’s rightwing blog theme finally moved on from exclusively the Winston and Helen show to bring in the Greens to the discussion. The Hive began, With Labour today having committed suicide the Green Party will in all probability be the biggest opposition party in the next Parliament. Then Whaleoil: The Greens should now be making [...] read more
  September 10, 2008 9:05 am - 34 Comments
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  Introduced species - by frog

  
  
  
  The Kiwi Party spent the weekend wrestling with United Future over the scraps of the Outdoor Recreation Party vote. On the funny side, I like this statement from Baldock’s release (with the conflicting release dates on it) is: The conflict [within DOC between conservation and recreation] arose because some DOC managers believe deer and trout for [...] read more
  September 8, 2008 9:23 am - 11 Comments
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  What if? - by frog

  
  
  
  I wonder if the Prime Minister is looking back at the quiet issue-focused way the Greens have gone about getting their policy implemented over the last 3 years and is now ruing the choices she made putting together her governing arrangements back in 2005 with Winston Peters’ NZ First Party and Peter Dunne’s Untied Future [...] read more
  August 29, 2008 7:59 am - 34 Comments
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  The silent majority - by frog

  
  
  
  I see Peter Dunne reckons he is here for the silent majority. I’m not sure they’re here for him?  I really feel sorry for the silent majority the way everyone presumes to speak on their behalf. “Our pledge is to bring their voice to the government’s table, and to make sure it is reflected in [...] read more
  August 13, 2008 1:49 pm - 42 Comments
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  Big game hunting - by frog

  
  
  
  United Future has again proposed splitting the Department of Conservation (DOC) into two organisations: one “responsible for ‘conservation’ aspects such as…pest control”, and the “other responsible for ‘recreation’ aspects such as…game management”. Therein lies the rub and the reason United Future’s policy is bad: ‘game animals’ are both pest and resource. E.g. Deer, pigs, chamois [...] read more
  July 19, 2008 10:29 pm - 3 Comments
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  Ladies - by frog

  
  
  
  I enjoyed Hillary Clinton’s attempt to make a joke about Helen Clark.  Presumably her comment was premeditated and her motive for even bothering to name Helen Clark was to highlight that other countries had female political leaders.  I guess at least that is one thing we in New Zealand don’t seem to need to contest [...] read more
  April 22, 2008 8:28 am - 18 Comments
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  Beach cricket - by frog

  
  
  
  Dr Cullen’s beach cricket analogy is an interesting one. He told the Labour Party conference over the weekend that Helen Clark and the Labour Party have been batting so long that the New Zealand public thinks that even though she and they are doing a good job it would be only fair if someone else [...] read more
  April 14, 2008 10:46 am - 38 Comments
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  Keith at the Rally for Tibet - by frog

  
  
  
  I hopped along to Frank Kitts park at noon today to support the Rally for Tibet. Keith Locke spoke passionately about the plight of Tibet and the lunacy of giving preferential trade status to a country with such a poor record in so many areas. Peter Dunne spoke as well, and I must confess the [...] read more
  April 5, 2008 2:28 pm - 53 Comments