Insights From Social Media: Now It Gets Interestinger?

Gravedodger writes > Followers of T W Ratana a Maori Prophet who began a sect near Wanganui at what is referred to as the Ratana Pa destination for socialists who have been joined at the Hip for Labour and Ratana.

The “Pa” is the must go to celebration of T W “s birthday January 25th that sees the socialist faithfull and wannabees like Luxon trooping up to the Twin tower Ratana Church to seek to be recognised.

David Farrar: Labour and Te Pati Maori

Politik reports:

But Labour may have got the jump on ACT with its leader announcing that it is highly unlikely to go into coalition with the Greens or Te Paati Maori, but instead will simply do confidence and supply agreements with the two parties.

This will actually make any Government less stable, and actually make Te Pāti Māori more powerful.

Cam Slater: Labour’s NCEA Debacle - Hypocrisy, Incompetence and a Failing System

The Labour Party’s latest display of rank hypocrisy and jaw-dropping incompetence is a doozy. The New Zealand Herald dropped a bombshell, revealing that Education Minister Erica Stanford bent over backwards to get Labour’s Education Spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime up to speed on the Government’s plan to overhaul the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). Did Prime seize the opportunity to engage in meaningful cross-party collaboration? Nope. She either ghosted the invites or flat-out declined them, only to later cry foul about not being consulted. If this isn’t a masterclass in political cynicism or sheer ineptitude, I don’t know what is.

David Farrar: Labour always backs the crims

Stuff reports:

With a new trial for court bailiffs to seize cars if their owners haven’t paid fines, the Labour Party says innocent families could be left “stranded”.

The Government is trialling new technology for bailiffs to scan number plates as they search for people who have unpaid fines. They will then clamp or seize cars belonging to people with debt owed to the courts.

Dr Will Jones: London Falls Out of Top Five Wealthiest Cities as Millionaires Leave

London is no longer one of the top five wealthiest cities in the world after losing more millionaires than anywhere else, including Moscow. The Times has more.

An annual report on global wealth says the UK’s capital has lost 11,300 dollar millionaires over the past year, including 18 centimillionaires and two billionaires. A centimillionaire is someone who has at least $100 million, while a billionaire has more than $1,000 million.

Julian Mann: Is Labour Bending to US Pressure on Free Speech?

Labour’s General Election victory last July filled me with pessimism about the future of free speech in the UK. But has there been a change in the Government’s attitude to free speech as a result of US pressure? An unlikely statement from Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson this week suggests this may be the case.

Dr Will Jones: Save Free Speech or Face Trump Tariffs, Farage Warns

Britain is at risk of tariffs from Donald Trump unless it eases its restriction on free speech, Nigel Farage has warned. The Telegraph has more.

The Reform Party leader, a close ally of the US President, suggested that the nation’s free speech “problem” could put it firmly in the crosshairs of the White House.

Dr Will Jones: Labour U-Turns Over University Free Speech as it Brings Back Tory Law....

Labour U-Turns Over University Free Speech as it Brings Back Tory Law – But Removes its “Teeth”

Labour has U-turned over university free speech as it brings back a Tory law clamping down on ‘woke’ cancel culture – but removes its “teeth” by dropping the ability of academics to sue their institutions. The Mail has more.

Peter Dunne: End of year political parties observations

As a turbulent political year draws to a close some observations can be made about the state of the various parties and some of their personnel.

Within the National Party, this year has seen the emergence of Chris Bishop as not just one of the government’s key Ministers, with a range of new initiatives across his various portfolios, but also the go-to person when things do not go to plan. In that regard, he looks set to reprise the role of Minister of Everything, pioneered by Sir Bill Birch during the Bolger government, and developed to the ultimate degree by Steven Joyce in the last National-led government.

Sir Bob Jones: Our post-war political history

Since the first Labour government’s demise in 1949, thereafter came three successive National election victories, then the second Labour government for a single term from 1957-60.

This was followed by a 12 year Holyoake/Marshall National government, then again, a single one term Labour government.

Cam Slater: Labour, Where 58% Failure Is Fine by Them

Labour and the teachers’ unions are angry and upset because they don’t like the Government’s numbers on the number of kids failing at mathematics, preferring their numbers which still show 58% of year-eight kids are failing.

You have really got to laugh at the effrontery of Labour. They are ‘angry’ that the government is moving to change the mathematics curriculum because:

Peter Dunne: Grand Coalition

In the wake of last week's election some have asked why no consideration has been given to a grand coalition between National and Labour to limit the influence of ACT and New Zealand First. After all, they say, grand coalitions have worked in other countries, so why not in New Zealand, given that the differences between the two major parties often appear so wafer thin?

Peter Wilson: Week in Politics: Te Pāti Māori in spotlight as Luxon paints a picture of 'chaos'

Christopher Luxon rules out working with Te Pāti Māori and launches a "coalition of chaos" attack on Labour, Meka Whaitiri's controversial return to Parliament, National sets a donations record and ACT gains a high profile election candidate.

National's leader ruled out working with Te Pāti Māori after the election this week.

Thank goodness for that. No more "Poll shows Maori Party could be kingmaker" headlines, no more not quite ruling it out from Luxon, no more "leaving the door ajar" reports.

Cam Slater: The Curious Coincidence of Continued ACT Attacks on NZ First

On Friday in Howick, Winston Peters delivered his state of the nation speech to a packed and overflowing audience. Not long after, Newshub, the go-to media outlet for ACT Party attack pieces, was telling us that apparently Winston Peters was a liar regarding He Puapua.

Some commenters on Friday night were even running the same shabby lines without even bothering to understand the complexities of how Parliament committees operate, but they ran the lines anyway. This is the second time ACT has attacked NZ First after a key note speech.

Garrick Tremain: Lurching

 Here is Garrick Tremain's cartoon commentary on Labour chasing the Maori vote! 

Graham Adams: Besieged Ardern pins hopes on a managed retreat

Labour won in a landslide in 2020 but now favours a tactical withdrawal to minimise losses.

A tactical withdrawal is said to be the most difficult of all military operations. A commander has to take his troops backwards while maintaining contact with the enemy and not being pushed into headlong retreat. The challenge is to not lose discipline during the operation.

It can become necessary when the enemy is simply too strong and an army needs to leave the battlefield to avoid a crushing defeat, or it can be simply to pull back to reach an area that is easier to defend.

Trailing National in the polls, Ardern has decided to retreat and present a smaller target to opponents by postponing the implementation of contentious policies or reducing their scope.

Bryce Edwards: Labour needs Mahuta to go, but she’s too powerful

The pressure on Jacinda Ardern to sack Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta is building. But Mahuta is too powerful within the Labour Party to get rid of easily.

The Three Waters reforms have become one of the Labour Government’s greatest liabilities. While there is widespread consensus on the need for significant reform of water infrastructure, including from opposition political parties and local government, the specific reforms the Government have dogmatically pursued remain unconvincing to most, if not downright offensive to many.

Bryce Edwards: Labour’s version of conservatism is no longer popular

New Zealand now essentially has two conservative major parties for the public to choose from. Unfortunately for one of them – the Labour Party – the public increasingly prefers the more authentic conservative option, National. This can be seen in the latest opinion poll showing National continuing to storm ahead of Labour.

According to last night’s Newshub-Reid Research poll, National has nearly a third more support than Labour – 41 per cent compared to just 32 per cent. As a result, Labour is currently projected to lose something like 24 of its MPs at the next election, and be turfed out of power in what could be a landslide reversal of the 2020 victory.

Frank Newman. Straight talk: Mahuta and Three Waters racism, PM says no to joint press conference, and not all quiet on the Western front.

Another week, more lies and candy-floss spin from Labour. 

Nanaia Mahuta and Three Waters

When speaking to Waatea News this week about Three Waters, Nanaia Mahuta said, "some of the opposition seemed to be driven not about economics or effectiveness but racist tropes about co-governance."

The Minister may be right, but in a wrong way. Right that Three Waters is being driven by racist tropes, but wrong about who the racists really are. Perhaps the racists are a small trope of privileged people at the top echelons of Māori society who are using racial privilege to gain control of immense resources for their own benefit.

Peter Dunne: Labour’s self-congratulatory smugness being replaced by anxiety, anger, and desperation

There was a clear air of self-satisfied smugness within the Labour Party when Dr Gaurav Sharma was expelled from its Caucus. A stroppy young MP had been firmly dealt with and his political career destroyed because he had dared challenge the veracity of the Prime Minister on how Labour dealt with internal staffing issues. Most people probably saw him as a self-centred troublemaker, not suited to the rough and tumble of politics, who by virtue of his Caucus expulsion would be despatched to political oblivion at the next election. And that would be the end of the story.

At best, Sharma was considered by Labour and the commentariat as no more than a generally minor irritant, who, once starved of media attention, would become a nonentity. However, his calculated resignation to force a by-election in his Hamilton West seat before the end of the year will have changed that perception. The short-term irritant has now become a major problem that cannot be brushed aside and ignored. One way or another, Sharma has derailed Labour's short-term political recovery agenda.