Posts by BenWilson
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to HenryB,
I doubt that the Greens would, in the end, go there: they would have to concede too much to National to make serious coalition partners for them.
They could stay outside of government but give confidence and supply then. There are many deals that could be cut.
If any of them think that one can have environmental justice without economic and social justice then they are on different planet.
I think that, and I voted Green. There's no necessary connection between the environmentalism and democratic socialism, and there's no connection between either of them and social justice. Furthermore, a central position gives them considerably more leverage on all three issues against both major parties.
-
But there is a consequence that Labour and National still have not grasped.
Indeed, even Jordan Carter isn't grasping it, if he calls it a hammering to have National in with a wafer-thin majority.
I have to say, I'm finding this leadership battle of Labour's profoundly depressing. Their policy is much more important to me than which rich white guy is calling the big shots. Everything I hear from Labour betrays FPP thinking and the sense of entitlement to power. It's all about how to grow their own vote at the expense of other parties - the non-voters don't seem to trouble them at all, and the idea of genuinely, and honestly forging links to the other parties seems virtually treasonous. Which is tactically and strategically very stupid.
Indeed, I think that outright stupidity is Labour's biggest failing, an inability to grasp the fundamentals of MMP. I can't make my mind up if the main problem is that they fundamentally do not believe in democracy. If so, therein lies why it is that democracy has punished them.
I won't speculate on who is the best leader for Labour. It's the wrong question for Labour to be asking themselves. It's a waste of my time to even think about it. It's a stupid way to organize a party, by choosing the leader first before working out what policy they stand for. Makes me think policy is the least firm idea they have.
-
Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Tom Semmens,
A broad spectrum party like Labour would be insane to openly concede a chunk of it’s vote to the Greens on the back of one average result for the Greens. Why would they? Why should they?
That's easy. Because they get all those voters in their coalition without having to campaign for them. Every vote they take from the Greens is coalition neutral. All it does, if Labour goes hard for that vote pool, and actually has success, is that it pushes the Greens dangerously close to the 5% threshold, at which point it's a huge loss for Labour when they go to look for partners in coalition.
Furthermore, such an openly hostile tactic will drive the Greens right, possibly seizing the coveted center position with a large bloc of votes, in which case they will be in every government from now on, left or right. The more I consider it, the more I actually want this to happen. The left/right governmental switcharoo that was how FPP was designed, is not a fundamental idea of democracy, and especially not of MMP. It creates the sense of entitlement to government that you are exuding right now, and has been pouring from the Nats as they scratch their heads about why getting a massive party vote hasn't given them the powerful government they have wet dreams about nightly.
So all the Green cheerleaders crowing about inheriting the earth seem terribly premature to me, especially as Green supporters cheerfully admit they have no real answers to class based economic issues beyond weak as piss water claims that they no longer exist or are not relevant anymore.
The Greens have always had economic policy that is actually to the left of Labour's. So they have no answers to the same extent that Labour has no answers.
Which, unfortunately, is a very large extent. There's a lot of that going around at the moment. The political right also has no answers, indeed they have no qualms about class war, so long as they're on the winning side of that war.
I have to ask: Do you have any answers? I don't. There is a huge shift of wealth away from developed economies going on at the moment. This is an inevitable outcome of globalization. As that happens, wages are at best being held level, at worst they will collapse. As that happens, owners of capital become considerably richer and more powerful - this is happening right now - all the land owners with low debt in NZ are becoming wealthier every day, in relative terms.
I very much doubt NZ's ability to do a damned thing to affect the world situation. So the question becomes, what can we do about our situation?
I'm asking you personally, Tom. Where do you see the economic future of NZ? What answers do you have?
-
Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Kumara Republic,
But I do get the feeling that the Waitakere Man thing is getting overblown, and trying too hard to chase it could prove counterproductive.
Yup. In Waitakere, Labour + Green beat National on party vote. Let alone the Waitakere men who aren't in the Waitakeres. National are keen to push their FPP thinking at every turn, saying how blue West Auckland is. It's not really that accurate.
-
I had to wonder if Banks realized that the primary angle of this billboard meant he appeared to be advertising that what he brought to parliament was a great big cheesy chicken burger.
-
>A viable coalition from Mana, Greens, Labour, NZ First, and Maori Party? You're kidding right?
No, I'm not. It would be a complex arrangement, sure, representing many interests, the way democracy is meant to.
-
I think they believe it makes their vote twice as powerful. Actually, it's like not voting at all.
-
Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Kyle Matthews,
It's not 'likely' it's electoral maths. We're just waiting to see if one seat shifts over, two if something really bizarre happens.
It's false electoral maths too. Because the Maori Party might switch sides if a viable coalition could be formed. Peter Dunne can always be relied upon to switch sides. That's why it's such a rush for the Nats to get these guys their pork.
-
His experience afterwards was a fairly stark demonstration of what happens to anyone who gets in the road of the Murdoch papers.
Bloody hell.
-
Hard News: Democracy Night, in reply to Kyle Matthews,
They know that at most National will lose one seat
They don't "know" that. It's simply likely. But with 10% of the vote still to count, and a large proportion of that coming from the one group of people who represent the average sentiment in NZ least - people who are not living in NZ, it does actually seem premature to call an election that is extremely tight. What if all the Maori in Australia actually chuck Pita Sharples out? What if the Greens and NZF pick up a seat each at the expense of National?
This can't stop them talking, of course, but the air of certainty wafting about is bizarre, in an election that the polls got so wrong.
Last ←Newer Page 1 … 473 474 475 476 477 … 1066 Older→ First