If National wins ...

[Daytr]

Yep I agree Craic, (think that's a first!)
In saying that its Euro that keeps giving them handouts & will provide more if the y reform.
They wont reform, so don't give them another cent & write the debt off.
Only way forward in my view & both parties will be better off. (in the long run)

Ididn't forget anything. I simply point ou that the Germans I saw at that time were a hardworkink crowd, intent on putting their country back together after the huge destruction of the bombing of the Rhine industrial areas - as in Wuppertal. All I am seeing of the greeks is protesters and beggars and "old" folks, some in their fifties, lining up for their pensions. They are a soverign nation. Why shouldn't the others step back and let them sort their affairs out. The money they owe is already lost but no one owes them more handouts.

[westerly]

Sure - if Piketty is saying it, than it must be true. I guess he tries to live off "Karl Marx's" fame and even copied the name of Marx famous book. Difference is - Karl Marx produced a lot of new and thought provoking ideas, even if history proved him wrong.

Piketty is of the same ilk and political stable as Tsipras. Hard-left. Interesting as well that they don't bring facts in this article, the article is only a collection of Piketty's views. Sure - he is entitled to his views as everybody else, but why is this newsworthy?

Describing Piketty as hard left would be an exaggeration but predictable. No doubt the right favouring “Economist” magazine would agree but he his ideas have attracted considerable comment which is why they are newsworthy.
But then Russia and Cuba etc. are far left communists countries are they not ?
But perhaps they should be called dictatorships a much more truthful description, something that seems to happen to most countries that fall into chaos. The US seems to have had a hand in most of the modern situations where this may happen.

westerly

[winner69]

EZ, Fiona Smith-Cutting just got me to do a survey. Apparently it's going to help her tell a story - "Wouldn’t it be great if we could tell the story of our movement? Of all of us working together – who we are, what we care about and what our hopes for New Zealand are?"

So EZ you team don't have that story yet and only 2 years before you start campaigning in earnest - not good

Must say pretty amateurish sort of survey. If the depth of the thinking behind the questions is indicative of where Labour are heading you guys in trouble

Obviously trying to pick on John Key is one strategy (question - what do you think of John Key?) and focusing on excessive (or ill targeted) government spending is another. Dangerous ground I fear

Glad that funding gardens in schools is on the agenda. They are great. I been involved in setting up a couple (like getting companies to supply the seeds, potting mix, fertilisers and mulch and such) - and seeing kids getting involved in growing veggies and fruit and then learning how to cook them or how to make salads is fantastic. Kids do eat fresh veggies and apples - a health initiative well worth it.

Anyway EZ just a rave ......might stay subscribed to this Labour thing to see what they come up with next, Fiona promised to stay in touch.

Annoys me when after being nice and doing her survey she asks me for a donation.

[elZorro]

EZ, Fiona Smith-Cutting just got me to do a survey. Apparently it's going to help her tell a story - "Wouldn’t it be great if we could tell the story of our movement? Of all of us working together – who we are, what we care about and what our hopes for New Zealand are?"

So EZ you team don't have that story yet and only 2 years before you start campaigning in earnest - not good

Must say pretty amateurish sort of survey. If the depth of the thinking behind the questions is indicative of where Labour are heading you guys in trouble

Obviously trying to pick on John Key is one strategy (question - what do you think of John Key?) and focusing on excessive (or ill targeted) government spending is another. Dangerous ground I fear

Glad that funding gardens in schools is on the agenda. They are great. I been involved in setting up a couple (like getting companies to supply the seeds, potting mix, fertilisers and mulch and such) - and seeing kids getting involved in growing veggies and fruit and then learning how to cook them or how to make salads is fantastic. Kids do eat fresh veggies and apples - a health initiative well worth it.

Anyway EZ just a rave ......might stay subscribed to this Labour thing to see what they come up with next, Fiona promised to stay in touch.

Annoys me when after being nice and doing her survey she asks me for a donation.

If you keep this up, W69, I'll have to see if we can send you a red-coloured badge You're right, Labour are getting organised a bit late. Better late than never I guess.

Interesting that these new Labour polling tactics seem a bit tentative, and possibly they are too public. National spends a bit more cash, and they have smaller private focus groups where they'll pose these questions. It's still the same technique, it's just done a lot better by Crosby-Textor. Then these findings or subliminal suggestions are put out through their social media, and again they have a lot of resources there.

Article on the dairy cheque, a looming disaster as far as regional business profits go.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ay+7+July+2015

[Daytr]

First it was the BNZ & now its the ANZ saying the NZ economy is potentially in trouble & that the Government needs to spend MORE to stimulate the economy. See this is the problem when all you do is spend & borrow in the good times, i.e. the Dairy Boom era, instead of putting away some money & create a surplus to pay down debt. Bad times come along & hey debt needs to rise further. The tax take is likely to take a massive hit at the same time as the Government may be required to increase spending to stave off a potential recession.
Remember this. John Key today has shrugged this off.
National is a train wreck. Jumping from one ill thought out policy to another.
Trebling the national debt, having the longest run of years in a row of deficits, eclipsing the previous record, again set by National.
They HOPE that dairy is going to recover in 2016. That is looking mighty unlikely as global dairy production has exploded & issues around the Chinese economy is having a massive impact on commodity prices. Any potential lift in wholesale prices will also take the best part of a year or more to filter through to the farmer. The lower NZD will help, but I don't think its going to be enough on its own.

[Daytr]

Seems we have a genius as a PM.
From Key's mouth. "yes, dairy prices are down a little bit"
Really John? LOL
Next he will be saying. Government debt has only increased a little bit !
Auckland property prices are only up a little bit...
I only like yanking ponytails a little bit... LOL

[tga_trader]

I'm still not sure what you think Labour coulda/should/woulda done differently. Maybe set up a fake Trademe account and shill bid on the dairy auctions?
You seem to have a lot of free time on your hands so maybe you should offer your expert assistance to the Govt. It's so frustration how much political time is wasted on on trying to attack the leading party. Isn't everyone working towards the betterment of the country? It shouldn't be red team vs blue team, the opposition (start with getting rid of that name) parties should be acting as a support role to the leading party.
/idealistic views

[Daytr]

tga trader, I'm not a huge fan of Labour either. Apparently if you criticize the government its straight away assumed you must be a lefty.
Bad assumption.
Although Labour reduced the government debt in its lengthy term in office & certainly didn't treble it.
What could be/have been done, by National or another party in regards dairy?
They could have put some money away in the last 3-4 years so if the bad times do come they have capacity.
Encourage further diversification of industry, pretty simple. They could have encouraged a solar energy industry for one, instead they protect the inefficient power generators from the South Island. They could be guiding the bourgeoning honey industry in IP and R&D.
Only in the last few weeks National (Simon Bridges I think) saying there is more room for dairy conversions !
They could have policed the swamp kauri mining even to the intent of the current flimsy law & encouraged an industry around it.
They should have not abandoned the regions like Northland and others.
I agree it shouldn't be blue vs red, but unfortunately it pretty much is & National are as guilty if not guiltier than anyone else in this with their ugly scenes in parliament.

[tga_trader]

No I never assumed you were a Labour supporter, just as I'm no devoted National supporter. Can't stand people who blindly vote red or blue solely because they/their parents always have. But given that they are (for now) the 2 majority parties if it wasn't national it would be Labour and co. giving it a crack, and I just can't imagine it having gone any differently. Past performances aside it's impossible to know (and we never will) how a different coalition would have performed under the exact same circumstances.
I do agree with your points though and would much rather parliament was dominated by meaningful discussion like that than schoolyard rubbish, though I do concede that National can be as bad, if not worse, than anyone else.
Dairy, and farming in general, over the boom was almost comical if not for being so frustrating. Every year it was;
Oh drought, we need help. And then without fail....
Oh flooding/frost, we need help. Followed closely by ...
Yipee record profit.
But no investment to deal with the entirely predictable events that happen every year.

[Daytr]

Unfortunately I think you only have two real leaders amongst the parties at the moment.
One is John Key, can't deny he's not a leader, I just don't like where he is leading us.
The other is Winston Peters, love him or hate him, he's a leader & an extremely durable one.
Little is starting to under impress me more by the day.
So much opportunity for Labour as an opposition but they don't seize it.
Little just doesn't come across as convincing & he really needs to work on his delivery instead of umming are arrring through every sound byte.
Haven't made up my mind about James Shaw, but either way I don't think the duel leader thing works.
I would be more than happy to vote National if they stopped selling & corporatising everything they can lay their hands on & start actively looking after the environment. The environment shouldn't be a left or right issue, but unfortunately its really only the left wing that wants to actively protect the environment & combat climate change. I like Gareth Morgan's idea of a Blue/Green party.