Posts by Rob Stowell
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Hard News: Five further thoughts, in reply to brin murray,
National have been a catastrophe for education. They fail to engage with professionals, have introduced National Standards which have resulted in a plummet in our OECD outcomes, and as you say push a business model which fails to recognise that the strength of our education system has always stemmed from collegiality and collaboration
The most terrifying thing I heard in the campaign was National's closing complaint they hadn't had a chance to push their key policies of reforming welfare and education.
As if beneficiaries haven't been kicked around enough.
As if they've had a single sound educational policy.
These two areas will be the crossfire for this govt. Worth keeping pressure on the MP and Dunne very specifically in these areas. -
Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to John Farrell,
Jason Ede has quit.
Interesting. Is that his role in the National Party, or his role in the beehive as well? (Because he was probably slated to quit the party role after the election, and resume working for the PM's office.)
He'd have an interesting story to tell, if he chose to spill it. The question is, has he quit in disgruntlement feeling abandoned, or has he resigned as a strategic move, possibly engineered, to pop up fairly soon in some cushy job-for-life? -
Hard News: A call from Curia, in reply to Euan Mason,
my answer phone yielded a pre-recorded call from JK 48 hours before the election.
That's a US tactic too. Must check the answer phone (we often leave it a week or so ...)
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Agree the coms on the CGT was poor. Because a/ you only pay when you sell b/ it only applies to the price difference and c/ it was never intended to be retrospective. So it'd only apply from the date of implementation. There aren't a lot of people saying there are big capital gains to be made in property. Far more talk of over-valued property. So the boomers who've made a pile get to keep it tax free- and if the market tanked probably claim loss against any future gain.
It's miles from a radical policy. -
The thing that strikes me about this private polling is you freely give your time but there's no public benefit. All the benefit goes to national.
Given the number of times 'strong stable government' came up in the closing stages it polled really well. It'd be fascinating to parse JK's utterances against Curia's polling but we'll never be able to. -
The split vote esp on Chch mystifies me. But it's probably over-thinking to call it anything more than -kinda like Labour and esp this local person who knocked on the door the other day and really seemed to care. But I really want the Rt Hon Key and his 'strong stable government. '
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NZ has voted for hungry kids. Dirty rivers and disgusting politics. More for the wealthy and unscrupulous. Unspecified 'reforms' for welfare and education.
I'm feeling a bit sick.
Bugger. Going to sleep in tomorrow. -
Thanks Jolissa. Something to keep thinking about. Because whoever win the election, we're going to have to work hard to change things - maybe starting by changing the narrative.
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Hard News: Time to Vote, in reply to Emma Hart,
those uni booths are one place where it might well make a difference.
Let’s hope. TEU ran a sausage-sizzle outside the library booth, where we gave sausages to voters any and all, totally non-partisan. They had to at least promise to vote, but most we made vote first. We went through approx 450 sausages, bread, 8 kg of onions, etc. and the queues were right out the door for a while.
Students and free food, eh? -
Hard News: Time to Vote, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
the table is to be a politics-free zone and the TV’s not going on until 10pm.
You're not shirking from the hard jobs, Craig :)
I suspect I'll be somewhat restless. A good family dinner - but then what? Definitely worth planning something to avoid those empty hours of mouth-flap between the first results, and anyone having anything meaningful to say.