Making It Stop: Taking stock of 4 February 2016, with some thoughts about the way forward
SOME TRIBUTES FIRST, then an apology
Chris Trotter
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For Independence and Freedom: March against the TPPA!
If protecting our national sovereignty and defending our democracy become the battle-cries of the 2017 General Election, then the entire neoliberal project will be threatened.
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“Show Me The Money!” Filling the hole in Labour’s policy framework
This is why it is strategically vital for Labour to set out its fiscal policies openly and honestly before releasing its key policies relating to education, health and housing. The party first needs to settle upon a revenue target, and then upon the fiscal instruments it will use to achieve it.
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Oh, Lucky Man! Phil Goff’s “dispensation” is as ill-considered as it is ill-deserved
The same Phil Goff who had voted to expel anyone who defied the will of Caucus has not only been extended the privilege of abstaining from voting against the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s enabling legislation, but also of actually crossing the floor of the House of Representatives and voting in favour of it.
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The 0.004% Mandate: Why opponents of the TPPA should boycott Real Choice’s “blockade” on 4 February
Real Choice’s very public threats will also, very likely, have prompted the acquisition of interception warrants by the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) who will, doubtless, be liaising with their colleagues at the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to set up comprehensive real-time surveillance of Real Choice’s members.
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A “Menu” Of Protest: Confronting Riot Police shouldn’t be the only protest option on 4 February
Some consideration should, nevertheless, be given to the problem created by the Police’s announcement that it has been engaged for some time in “Public Order Training” – a.k.a. Riot Control.
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Let’s Not Lose Our Tempers: If John Key wants a riot outside Sky City – don’t give him one
I’m suspicious. Because John Key is not prone to making tactical blunders. Which raises the worrying possibility that the readily predictable consequences of his decision – mass protest action outside Sky City, with a high probability of violence and property damage – may be exactly what he wants to happen.
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Not by “Bread And Butter” Alone: Making the case for a more inclusive Left
The past successes of the Left owe almost everything to honouring the emancipatory impulse, and its failures are almost all attributable to the fear generated by emancipation’s disruptive effects.
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Third Term Temptations
In 2016 Labour is in its third term of opposition, and it’s easy to imagine how desperately its caucus is looking for a way out. The party is heading into its hundredth year without a charismatic leader, shorn of just about all of the policies it campaigned on in the 2011 and 2014 elections; and as close to broke as any major party should ever be.