as Ben, above, has already indicated?

People have political journeys.

In the early 80's, the NZ Labour party was 'entryised' by socially liberal right-wingers like Roger Douglas, for whom the Muldoon National party was an unacceptable berth. More left-wing social liberals went along because they wanted social reforms and?

I just wonder how long it will take people to realize that a foreign-domiciled capitalist isn't going to be a better steward of anything because they were born in Auckland rather than Shanghai.

A case of " better the devil you know etc" for many I am sure.

It's called history.One could say about National, "I remember Muldoon and the damage done." or Richardson. It's history. In the scheme of politics.

Me too. I'd even go so far as to say I'd actually vote for that, on the proviso that policy specifics matched the rhetoric. But I definitely like the rhetoric, it pushed all of?

To be fair, it was billed as the first in a series of speeches. I'm genuinely interested to?

Yes, his quoting of Bernard Hickey was very interesting. Hickey has diverged substantially from the neoliberal consensus in some of his suggestions, and Labour even looking at some?

He's a thief. But he's our thief godammit!

I'd be a bit more charitable and say that he is suggesting this leader is open to input. To some degree I don't feel like that's been true of some previous leaders.

It would be a pity if these speeches were basically?

Precisely – in fact the one born in Shanghai is less likely to have established the borderline-corrupt?

I know ,I cringe at the sight of him { :). I guess amongst the interested parties, he was considered the best choice. Honour amongst thieves anat.

Well yes he is but we still have the old memories of Fay and Richwaite taking the taxpayer for one hell of a ride and it's a bit glum that he is collecting real?

Totally. I'd go with the charitable?

I might be biased but I didn't read any negativity in his speech, his Herald article or his intro on the Labour blog. As he notes, he has been out and about and doing his?

Fay?s the?

He actually says the opposite. He said his Party are plenty capable of expressing well their concerns and solutions and he didn?t mind where advice?

Quite. And I think it's?

I still haven't seen anyone explain exactly how. Bit of a waste, really.

People have said he's aloof and arrogant, but that's still too simplistic an explanation.

He is sharp in the House too. Very easy to listen to him rip strips off National.Although I missed question time, I think Shearer held his own on the Casino after question time. They are finding their boots as a new Party. The?

So did the acting Speaker today. What a woeful performance.

Just watching it now, he is struggling a bit but,
I like him. The guy never gets a chance in Smiths seat. He is getting on a bit?{ ;)
He seems genuinely interested in being fair. It?s giving everyone a?

He does rate himself highly but, to be fair, he has every right to. He is a?

But don't they work eh? I haven't seen proof of any gossip about the Labour Party. It's just gossip.

I don't mean he needs to change himself – I don't actually think he is smarmy – but he may need to make an effort to counter the perception that he is. As you say, Farrar's little gossip?

Communicating is a core part of the job description.

Mine too. Exact same words were used. "Smarmy" became a drumbeat, I think. It's a lovely word for that purpose, because its meaning is not that clear, but it has a negative connotation. It's one of?

NB: A lot of people ? including some of my own whanau?

Alternatively, the explanation — and it seems?

Also in the interests of fairness ... Key can do smarmy, and it?

And why the hell should he?

We don't ask Beatrice to pretend she isn't an athlete of the highest quality. New Zealanders really need to get their head around the idea that just because someone was born with a?

And that is all too likely. It's a different set of skills to learn, combined with a base aptitude. You can learn to be better at being a leader, you just have to realise that you need?

Indeed. If Shearer remains leader, Cunliffe would be the perfect foil for Prostetnic Vogon Joyce and Bulldozer Brownlee. Especially?

Key's brand of smarmy seems, unfortunately, to work very well on latent inferiority complexes.

Alternatively, the explanation — and it seems much more likely — is that?

I agree. Although, again, the big policy fiefdom would have made just as much sense. I'm not sure if Cunliffe is wandering off his turf already by?

And forget tall poppy syndrome, it's the exact opposite that threatens to split NZ right now, as alluded to in my earlier posts on?

Which is undoubtedly going to have to be done all over again in the broadcast and telecommunications sector. The parallels between Sky?

You know that once the engineers were allowed to talk to each other about this the guts of the technical solution was literally sketched out on some bits of A4 in?

Sadly we didn't get the option to vote for hamsters.

those backroom comms/strategy advisors still doing a sterling job.

(While I hate to defend the honour of the shadowy backroom advisors, it does strike me that most?

They don't manage their party's comms or strategy development.

People behind the visible front-people. Influential but nothing sinister intended.

I'm sorry but because New Zealand has no space industry all funding for rocket science has been terminated.

Lots of inflation.

Give us the skinny on this in 100 words or less.

I'll do it in 20. The money quote from the wiki article

...responsibility for avoiding inflation and depressions lay with the state because of its ability to create or tax away money.

No, it's not at all. In fact, it's the mainstream stuff that seems like rocket science. If making broken rockets is your bag. The idea that the government can't fix the economy takes years of indoctrination to accept, because it relies on outlawing practically everything that?

and the likely solutions to these problems.

??

North Korea?

I don't know who has ever proposed that it isn't. It's a tool, that can be used within constraints to produce inflation and control unemployment,?

I don't feel qualified to answer, my understanding is that MMT isn't a single policy, but rather a recognition of?

Brian Edward's reaction to David Cunliffe being banned from appearing on The Nation to discuss economic development

The absence of anyone from Labour on The Nation was explained by Garner at the very start of the show. The programme had invited Labour?s Spokesperson for?

Still true.

It seems a Catch-22 either way. Either they pander to "Waitakere Man" and risk selling out, or they swing left and potentially put off floating voters. Politically we've caught up with Dubya's America and Howard's Australia, and not in?