Is anyone else surprised that National devoted their launch to talking about asset sales, a policy that the Sunday Star Times tell us this morning only 14% of the population support? And to top that off, they tried to dress up a previously announced money-go-round as some kind of new fund. We have been saying asset sales is the defining issue of the election, good to see National making sure it is.
Red Alert
Posts Tagged ‘election’
Everyone’s talking about asset sales, including National
Posted by Grant Robertson on October 30th, 2011The news is crap #2
Posted by Clare Curran on September 3rd, 2010I want to believe in our media. I believe the craft of journalism to be an extraordinarily important thing.
It is a critical part of our democracy. And it distresses me that I am so critical and that it has so deteriorated.
I believe that most journalists believe in their craft. And many are good. The institutions they work for have morphed and twisted so much to adapt to a changing world without being able to catch up, that the quest for market share has become so much more important than reflecting back and challenging our society, our culture and the issues that beset it.
So I am heartened tonight to discover this piece, a speech written by Mark Scott, the managing director of Australia’s ABC TV and radio. He is reflecting on the Australian election and the role played by media. By social media. How it could change. For the better.
It gives me hope.
Though we have to focus on our media.
Here’s an excerpt. I urge you to read the piece
The ABC hosted Jay Rosen for a day while he was recently in Australia. He is always good value on the role of social media and the nature of politicaljournalism – in some ways quite a contrarian – and full of encouragement about things we could do better.
He had two suggestions for the ABC, which we are exploring and will likely pursue.
The first is to provide more background, detail and context for members of our audience who are coming fresh to complex stories: like an ETS, or the NBN, or the operations of a hung parliament. The ABC has a role as a patient explainer of these complexities, to help people catch up with the conversation, understand what is being said and to make a contribution if they wish. It plays nicely to our Charter role to provide an educational service to the community. It makes policy more accessible and can bring important issues into the mainstream.
And Rosen said we should plan more thoroughly and consult more widely around what national issues are at play in an election campaign. Long before the campaign starts, talk with the community, engage with experts, undertake polling, think about national challenges: the immediate and the far-reaching.
Charter? What’s that? Planning? Backgrounding, education? Explaining complex issues? making policy accessible? Conversation? Golly. Doesn’t really feel like our media.
Hat tip @abcmarkscott (twitter)
A Four-Year Term?
Posted by Iain Lees-Galloway on May 18th, 2010We’ve just passed the half-way mark of this term of Parliament. As a first-term MP I can tell you it has flown by and I can’t believe we will be back into election year next year.
A lot of people in my electorate have commented that our 3-year term seems incredibly short.
Most have stated a preference for a four-year term, but wouldn’t want to go as far as five years.
I guess under FPP we didn’t want to wait too long before we got to tell our MPs how they were going. But under MMP would we be better off with a slightly longer term?
(Not to say I don’t relish the chance to go back to the ballot box next year!)
The Waitakere Journey Begins…
Posted by Carmel Sepuloni on March 22nd, 2010Phew! That blimmon selection process was hard work – especially given who I was up against. To be selected from a line up of candidates like we had, is incredibly humbling. The reality is that the real work begins now – post selection.
Now what? Obviously I’m going to have to get on to the logistics – move office and deal with all of the complications that come with that. I’ve already started to schedule meetings with key people in Waitakere to further discuss the issues for the electorate. I’m going to have to sit down with our Waitakere Labour Electorate Committee to discuss our strategy. So much to do – but I’m really really looking forward to it!
The response from the Waitakere Labour members has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve received numerous texts, emails, facebook messages and phone calls – offering up their congrats and support. My family are obviously over the moon. They’ve seen how hard I’ve been working and knew how determined I was to be the Labour Candidate for Waitakere – there were tears of happiness from them on Saturday when the result was announced. They’ve been in ‘prayer overdrive’ for at least the past two weeks – so no doubt God will be hoping that they don’t stop contacting him now – just because they’ve gotten what they were praying for.
The medias political commentary has begun – mostly positive, some negative but I’m not worried – at the end of the day the 2011 election result is the only result that we need to concern ourselves over.
It was interesting to note Chris Trotters comments hahaha. Reading between the lines – apparently because I’m Pacific I won’t be able to roll with the people in Waitakere. Does Chris not know that 17% of Waitakere residents are Pacific; that 23% of Waitakere Private Dwellings, are sole parent households; that I am hard working class; that on my mothers side I am a 6th generation New Zealanders and have been known to ‘get down’ with non-Pacific people that actually reside outside of South Auckland. Come on Chris – your assumptions are weak. One only needs to look at the profile of the electorate and know the kind of person that I am – to see that I’m actually quite a suitable match.
I won’t be pulling on a pair of leopard skin tights but I figure that most Waitakere residents would prefer that I didn’t anyway and for those who do wear them – all power to you (unless of course you’re Paula Bennett)! As for my chances against her…I think I’ll be just fine:)
