Category: Uncategorized

Leadership Race Doomed to Fail

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While the rest of NZ would call this standard procedure in reforming a major political party, there are those in Labour who would think that John’s comments are High Treason.
For this those who think this (High Treason) are not truly fit to be participating in the democratic institute of New Zealand

Professor Mayhem's avatarSlightly Left of Centre

The Labour Party must change the way it elects it’s leader.

Unions are a part of the history of the Labour Party and its formation, and they are also a part of its past. Party members are the lifeblood that provide the bulk of the funds that run the party machine. But ultimately it is voters who are the most important.

I am a member of the party but I do not think that in itself qualifies me to choose the leader of the parliamentary team. I should have a say on who is appointed to the Presidency and the Executive Council but the caucus is a team that needs a leader on whom it can rely, and who can inspire confidence and have the support of a majority of the team that they are to lead.

Unions should not get a vote at all in my opinion.

Unions cannot…

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Rebirth of the Poll of Polls

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Bit soon for all these new polls and Poll of Polls

jononatusch's avatarOccasionally Erudite Publications

So, how did my Poll of Polls do? Pretty rubbish really… The rapid rise of NZ First and the Conservatives during the last half of the campaign didn’t come through in my results, and there certainly seems to be something systemic about the Greens’ ability to fall short of their poll results come election day.

So, I’ve been playing around with the numbers, and have messed with my algorithm to produce what should (hopefully) be a more accurate beast. The changes involve further front-loading of the weighting of new polls (so that the Poll of Polls responds more quickly to meteoric rises a la NZ First and the Conservatives), updating the in-house polling bias offsets, and introducing industry bias offsets (to hopefully deal with issues such as the systematic overly high poll results for the Greens or the lower on average results for NZ First, compared to election day results).

The Poll of…

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Unitary Plan Hearings to be Simplified

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End of October the simplified material is out

 

After quite a few Memorandum for Counsel letters appearing (see: Developments from the Unitary Plan Hearings ) the Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel is working through things to simplify the processes.

From the Unitary Plan Independent Hearings Panel:

Simpler hearings process tools being developed

 

Help is at hand for submitters to the Auckland Unitary Plan hearings who are having difficulties understanding and navigating the hearings process.

The Independent Hearings Panel considering the more than 9500 submissions – and a further 3500 further submissions – says it’s important that the process encourages everyone to be involved.

One misconception is that submitters can only take part in the hearings process if they have legal counsel, expert witnesses and evidence.

The chair of the Independent Hearings Panel, Judge David Kirkpatrick, said this most definitely is not the case and while this was explained in documents on the Panel’s website, it needs to be highlighted.

“Some feedback is highlighting the complexity of the process and the difficulties some members of the public are having getting to grips with the key information so we are addressing that immediately,” said Judge Kirkpatrick.

“We want it to be as simple as possible for submitters to participate. 

“The Unitary Plan process is big and complicated – it’s a complete review of the regional policy statement, four regional plans and seven district plans – but submitters can keep it relatively simple if they want to.”

Judge Kirkpatrick said Panel staff are:

  • producing a summary ‘How To’ guide
  • producing a YouTube video of the guide
  • having ‘Drop In’ clinics where staff can guide submitters through the process
  • redesigning the Panel’s website so it is geared more towards lay submitters, and
  • producing a new spreadsheet to more clearly identify for submitters which hearing topics their submissions are linked to.

 

This will all be available by the end of October.

The first Drop In clinic is at the Panel’s offices in central Auckland, another is being planned for Orewa and more will be organised around the region if there is demand.

The Panel may also consider holding a number of hearings outside of central Auckland and, possibly, outside normal working hours once more locally specific topics are being considered.

“It’s early days in a two-year process and as submitters get more used to the process and we make improvements, it will be much less daunting than some people have found it to be,” said Judge Kirkpatrick.

Panel staff are available to help submitters with questions and guidance through contact at info@aupihp.govt.nz or 09 979 5566

……….

 

This is a start. The Litmus Test will be the Regional Policy Statement, and the Rural Urban Boundary submissions working their way through the Hearings Panel now (where also the most anguish around the complexity of the Hearings process occurred as well).

I am not due to present and give my submission until next year.

 

A Contest of Ideas and the Fight Against Hysteria

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Interesting and gutsy call. However, one I would be willing to back even though Slater calls me and my own blog boring as it coverings mainly Local Government, and transport. Not that it bothers me.

Democracy only works when we have active contestation of ideas not hysteria by a small ultra-vocal minority on any side of the debate.

I am participating in that contestation of ideas tomorrow when I give yet another “boring” presentation to the “boring” Local Government that is Auckland Council.
It will be interesting to see how Slater goes with John’s said proposal. Your move next Cameron….

Professor Mayhem's avatarSlightly Left of Centre

In order to engage on truly global debate, one needs the Internet. A critical part of this debate is the “blogosphere.”

Personally I dislike the term.

Some people, like Cameron Slater have built their sites and, while some pretty off stuff is said on them, the material produced by Slater himself is often well reasoned and calmly out across.

On the left, as I see it, we have two main blogs; The Standard, and The Daily Blog. Neither of these can be considered reasonable and neither play a positive role in the online evolution of the left side of politics.

To this end, I have extended the hand of mutual respect to Cameron sSlater and asked him to get in touch if he wants to help me build a force on the left, which he and his readers can engage with in meaningful and reasoned debate with people of a…

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You’re cheating at farnarkling!

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In short?
Get it together Labour or allow someone else to do so

shakingstick's avatarCrankville

Jesus. The Labour Party made me start a damn blog.

Loads of people who I respect, and who are smarter than me, are arguing like mad on twitter today about the Labour Party and what ails it. ‘Blog Commenters’, apparently. At least for today.

These are smarter people than me and I really do respect them; but nope.

The comments on The Standard and at The Daily Blog do suck in many respects. But they are not the problem with the Labour Party. They would also suck if the party was doing well, but they would probably suck in different ways. They’d be railing against National for 90% of the time instead of about 60%.

The Party is in a sorry state. Everyone knows this. So of course the comments at the Standard are going to reflect that. The idea that if those damn guys would just shut the hell…

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Tinder Doesn’t Rape People

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As I reblog this I also caught this presser from MP Kelvin Davis:

Kelvin
DAVIS
MP for Te Tai Tokerau
Associate Police Spokesperson

10 October 2014 MEDIA STATEMENT

Rapists, not Tinder, the threat to women
Blame for rape and sexual assault should only ever be laid at the door of the perpetrator, not dating services or the actions of women themselves, Labour’s Associate Police spokesperson Kelvin Davis says.

“Tinder is not the problem and women being told to keep themselves safe is not the solution.
“We have got to stop blaming victims or today’s technology or any reasons other than the sick minds of perpetrators.
“It is time we pointed the finger fairly and squarely at the problem which is the unhealthy attitude of too many men who think it is okay to violate women.
“The simple mantra is ‘her body, her rules’.
“That is the message all men should be spreading amongst themselves in the home, at the pub, in the sports club and on the marae,” says Kelvin Davis.

I agree.

Professor Mayhem's avatarSlightly Left of Centre

While I completely understand the need for women, and men for that matter to be aware of the dangers of sexual violence the fact is, people should be able to go out on a date, or out with friends for a drink, or whatever it is that they want to do, and they should be able to do so without the fear of harassment or assault of either a sexual or violent nature. That’s it, pretty bloody simple.

The message seems to be, from the NZ Media and NZ Police, that people should be wary of things like Tinder and careful when going out on a first date. While caution is valid, people should not have to fear being raped when they go out and the overriding message from the Police should be “Don’t rape, assault or harass, or we will come at you, bro, and we will mess you…

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Housing Issue Not Confined to Auckland

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English was partially right but missed the wider Context National are known to miss. More needs to be fleshed out on the entire mess before we start playing with National Policy Statements, and National Environment Standards that are allowed under the Resource Management Act.

More on this later with hopefully a guest post as well

Professor Mayhem's avatarSlightly Left of Centre

Commentator and former National Party President Michelle Boag this afternoon tried to call the housing issue an Auckland problem. I can categorically state with 100% surety that this is a load of utter crap.

Yes, house prices are rising faster in Auckland than pretty much anywhere else, and yes some parts of the nation are experiencing stagnant or falling prices, this has always and probably will always be the case. This, however does not mean that Joe and Jane Bloggs can afford to buy their own home in Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin. Incomes in all of these centres is lower and the house price to income ratio is, while not quite as extreme as in Auckland, still pretty out of kilter.

Bill English blames councils for this issue, and he blames the Resource Management Act. He blamed Labour when they were in power too, but despite having had 6…

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Thoughts on the special votes and the Greens

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A few questions for the University Political Studies departments to work out. One question being: do we continue to pursue the non voter especially the youth non voter or just go OH #%^$ IT and chase the ones more likely to vote.
Food for thought – despite it being better food for thought