Opo 182 Report post Posted July 20, 2014 5PM Newsletter 23 20 July 2014A WAR AGAINST THE INNOCENT Distressing scenes on television remind us daily of the troubled world we live in. Perhaps it has always been this way - or maybe we are now more connected than we have ever been - but the world seems more troubled now than it has been for a while. We are of course referring to the tragic shooting down of the Malaysian Airlines passenger aircraft over the Ukraine as a result of their conflict with Russian-backed insurgents, as well the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Both events are causing the loss of innocent lives. Even here on the other side of the world, we have victims in their wars........... FROM MAJOR INTERNATIONAL SKIRMISHES TO MINOR ONES AT HOME It’s been a busy weekend for minor party politics. Both NZ First and the Conservative Party have been holding their annual conferences. You could say it’s been a bumper weekend for cheerleaders and bunting retailers! The showdown between these two minor parties will be one of the interesting sub-plots of the election (which is only two months away!)..........POLL SIGNALS CRISIS FOR LABOUR Two polls out this week signal problems for Labour. The Ipsos poll has Labour at 24.9% and the 26.5% in the latest Stuff/DigiPoll, its worst rating for 15 years. Both polls put National at just under 55%....... INCENTIVE PAY FOR MPS It’s fantastic to see others picking up issues raised by 5PM. The NZ Initiative (what was the Business Roundtable) is, as part of its Next Generation Series of Debates, debating the notion: “Should New Zealand tie MPs and Ministers’ salaries to a multiple of the average national income?â€......5PM POLLS Last week we asked: Do you believe, in principle, that there should be a legal mechanism allowing the public to seek the removal of judges? On this readers were clear. 98% said YES, 2% NO. All comments are posted on our Facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 This week our poll asks: Would you like to see Winston Peters and Colin Craig go head to head for the electorate seat of East Coast Bays? To vote visit the www.5pm.org.nz website and look on the right hand sidebar. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE We are also interested in what 5PM supporters think of the leaders of the political parties. If you would like to help, please visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 to share your impression of the party leaders. In particular we are looking for the key words you would use to describe the leaders. AND FINALLY, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies of equal rights, binding referenda and all the rest, would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. You can see all of the 5PM policies > http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ Regards, Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to others!Read the full 5PM newsletter here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-23/ Website > www.5PM.org.nz Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted July 22, 2014 Over on the 5PM Facebook page they are asking for feedback on the leaders of the main political parties. If you would like to help, please visit their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uriah Heap 481 Report post Posted July 22, 2014 Hey Opo Your 5PM club appears to be a vehicle for knocking anything promoted by the Left or Liberal side of the political spectrum, while being generally supportive of anything promoted by the Right and in particular the National Govt. Now this would be the same National Govt which, in tandum with the Maori Party and led by that brave crusader and Minister for Waitangi Treaty Settlements, The Right Honourable Christopher Finlayson, has secured for Iwi millions of dollars worth of Treaty settlements. Settlements you have made it clear that you oppose. I am confused Opo. I have my voting paper in my hand ready to place my Tick/s, but you are sending me mixed mesages. Why don't you clarify where you stand in all this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted July 23, 2014 Hey Opo Your 5PM club appears to be a vehicle for knocking anything promoted by the Left or Liberal side of the political spectrum, while being generally supportive of anything promoted by the Right and in particular the National Govt. Now this would be the same National Govt which, in tandum with the Maori Party and led by that brave crusader and Minister for Waitangi Treaty Settlements, The Right Honourable Christopher Finlayson, has secured for Iwi millions of dollars worth of Treaty settlements. Settlements you have made it clear that you oppose. I am confused Opo. I have my voting paper in my hand ready to place my Tick/s, but you are sending me mixed mesages. Why don't you clarify where you stand in all this Uriah thanks for your comment. 5PM supports any idea if it’s a good one, regardless of its source. The left currently don’t have a lot of good ideas, hence they don’t get a lot of support from 5PM. National is not without its faults, Chris Finlayson being an example.†Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted July 27, 2014 5PM Newsletter 24 27 July 2014PRIVILEGE If there’s one thing that defines kiwi culture it is a sense of equality. Kiwis hate privilege. Be it a minister trying to short-cut an airport security check, or Maori royalty gaining an exemption from criminal prosecution. Anyone who thinks they are above the law or superior to others will receive a serious reality check...... MAORI PARTY OBJECTS TO PARTY LOGO The Maori Party has spent a good deal of time recently attacking the Conservative Party for its stand on the abolition of the Maori seats, saying this is a matter of agreement between Maori and the Crown only, and not something to be determined by the public at large. They also ran that line of argument in an objection to the logo registered by the 1Law4All Party with the Electoral Commission. The Party has reported the Maori Party objected as follows:.......CUNLIFFE SCORES OWN GOAL The best own goal of the week was David Cunliffe - again. This time it was for threatening to withdraw from TVNZ's election debate because of its decision to use Mike Hosking as the moderator. It was a silly thing to do,...... HIGHWAY NORTH One can only assume Labour has given up on seriously contesting the northern electorates of Rodney, Whangarei and Northland. Their opposition to the extension of the northern motorway is shallow and senseless......QUALITY OF TAIL-ENDERS QUESTIONED It was a very short political career for National’s list MP Claudette Hauiti. She became an MP in May last year when Aaron Gilmore resigned for his much publicised bad behaviour. Ms Hauiti has withdrawn from standing at the general election following publicity about the inappropriate use of her parliamentary credit card, and what seems to be a clear signal from the Party that she was to be demoted to an unwinnable position on the list......5PM POLLS Last week we asked: “Would you like to see Winston Peters and Colin Craig go head to head for the electorate seat of East Coast Bays?†On this readers were divided. 56% said YES, 44% NO.Comments included:......THIS WEEK’S POLL ASKS: “Who do you think should have the say as to whether the Maori seats are retained or abolished: Maori only or all voters?†To vote, visit the www.5pm.org.nz website and look on the right hand sidebar.THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE You can read all of the weekly poll comments on our 5PM Facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 We welcome your ideas and suggestions. And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand you can see all 5PM policies > http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ Regards, Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter Read 5PM's full newsletter 24 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-24/ Website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted August 3, 2014 5PM Newsletter 25 3 August 2014 NEW PLYMOUTH MAYOR AT IT AGAIN New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd is at it again. He is pushing on with his plan to give Maori privileged voting rights on council. In 2011 the council voted against establishing two Maori wards. Earlier this year councillors narrowly voted against appointing two iwi members (with full voting rights) to key council committees. Now the Mayor wants Maori only wards. Mr Judd justified his stance as. ‘‘Central government has had Maori representation since the late 1800s…Come on, how far behind are we?†It is not an uncommon argument used by pro-privilege advocates and adds a further imperative justifying the removal of the Maori roll and the seven seats in Parliament reserved only for Maori. The matter will come before councillors on the 23rd of September. We believe the public of New Plymouth need to realise what their Mayor is up to. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IN THE NEW PLYMOUTH PRESS PLEASE DONATE HERE > http://www.5pm.org.nz/donate/ REMOVING RACE BASED ENTITLEMENT Removing race based seats will be no easy task – reversing privilege never is. Ironically one can take heart from the courage of Rosa Parks who defied race based segregation on buses in Alabama because she was “tired of giving inâ€. New Zealander are getting tired of giving in to Maori who want race to be the basis of entitlement. Pro-privilege advocates say reverse discrimination is required to overcome Maori disadvantage. No question, many who identify themselves as Maori are at the wrong end of the social statistics, and for a host of reasons but not race. It cannot however be said that they are under-represented in public office. Maori are in fact over-represented in Parliament if one were to take a pro-rata approach. DAME SUSAN Race relations conciliator, Dame Susan Devoy, was a champion squash player. Unfortunately she is not proving to be champion of race relations. She does not seem able to comprehend the meaning of the comments made by ACT leader Jamie Whyte. After years of treading-lightly around the issue of race, ACTs new leader has clarified the party’s policy on racial equality. See speech here > http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1407/S00465/act-speech-to-waikato-conference-race-has-no-place-in-law.htm In a fiery retort, Dame Susan described Dr Whyte’s comments that Maori enjoy legal privilege “grotesque and inflammatory†and “incredibly naïve.†She says, “Accusations of Maori privilege are not borne out by Maori socio-economic statistics. Whether we like it or not the reality is that ethnicity and disadvantage are connected and found in damning statistics that on average sees Maori New Zealanders life expectancy, education and health outcomes lagging behind non Maori New Zealanders.†Dame Susan goes on to say, “Treating everyone exactly the same will not necessarily make everyone exactly the same and anyone who thinks so is incredibly naïve.†She misses that very point being made in the speech and the nuances of privilege. Dr Whyte is quite correct to point out the obvious – that Maori enjoy legal privileges and those legal privileges have not addressed the social disadvantage of Maori when measured as a collective (the Maori seats are an example). Dame Susan urged politicians to “stick to those major issues that will help make New Zealand a better place for all our children to grow up in.†By raising the issue of racial equality we think politicians are raising issues that will help make NZ a better place. It is encouraging to see a number of political leaders finding the courage of Rosa Parks and are now focusing on racial privilege. RACIAL EQUALITY BECOMING AN ELECTION ISSUE Last week Winston Peters said he won’t be part of a post-election coalition that includes race based parties – Mana and Maori. That’s significant in that Peters has drawn a line in the sand, contrary to previous statements that he will not state his coalition preferences until after the votes are counted. That commitment, assuming Peters remains true to his word, could be significant. Should NZ First become the King-maker it rules out Mana and Maori from being in government. Removed of their influence makes the chances of a future government addressing the Maori seats issue by general referendum a possibility. We are calling upon ACT and the Conservative Party to do the same – rule out giving confidence and supply to any Party that forms a coalition (loose or tight) with either the Mana or Maori parties. That is the true test of conviction. HARD ROAD FOR CONSERVATIVES Unlike ACT and Peter Dunne, the Conservative Party will receive no free pass into Parliament. National’s unwillingness to do a deal on the East Coast Bays electorate means if the Conservatives are to enter Parliament they will have to do it the hard way – by gaining 5%, or by winning a seat. We think National’s polling in East Coast Bays shows that Colin Craig is unlikely to win the seat, even if National were to campaign for the party vote only. Given that likelihood, the truth is National has nothing to gain from doing an ACT-type arrangement with the Conservatives in East Coast Bays. Withdrawing Murray McCully completely from the electorate would also be a step further than the concessions it has given to others, and would quite rightly open up National to accusations of MMP manipulation. Another factor in National’s decision would be their dream scenario that both the Conservatives and NZ First fail to win an electorate and fail to reach the 5% threshold. For example, should they both reach 4%, their 8% is wasted and National would need only 46% to govern alone. No doubt they would reach out to ACT and Peter Dunne, but they would in effect be puppets to a National majority. The Conservatives will need to campaign well to reach the 5% threshold. However, there is still an opening for the Conservatives to win an electorate. Standing the high profile Christine Rankin in Epsom is a smart move. Should the Conservatives go into the last week of the campaign polling higher than ACT, but still short of the 5% threshold, Epsom voters may well switch their vote from ACT’s David Seymour to Christine Rankin. That would be of greater benefit to National, which we have no doubt the Conservatives will be only too willing to remind Epsom voters. BILLBOARDS Scary, is how some describe the Conservative Party billboards. Given the Party has already (unfairly) attracted the “loony†label, scary is something they should have avoided (some have likened the image to a character from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.) They could have learnt this lesson from the Greens. The Greens truly are scary (and loony as the Prime Minister often states in Parliament), but their billboards communicate caring and cuddly. Many commentators believe the Party will need to improve its campaign livery to reach the 5% threshold, despite having a strong policy platform. 5PM POLLS Last week we asked: Who do you think should have the say as to whether the Maori seats are retained: Maori only or all voters? On this readers were clear: 98% said ALL voters,2% said Maori voters only. Comments included: “All voters should all have a say because Maori only will just retain the status quo of electoral privilege. Let us follow Sweden and eliminate race from all legislation.†Monica. “Allowing only Maori to vote would be extending the very racism we are trying to stamp out. Equality for all races.†Peter. “To confine this vote to Maori only is to imply that it has nothing to do with New Zealand, only a few select Maori voters, and not even all Maori people as a huge number of eligible Maoris vote on the NZ electoral roll.†Elizabeth. “As Maoris are a minority, it would only be fair that only they vote. Hopefully enough of them would see the sense it abolishing the seats.†Wayne. “The seats were established to help Maori so it is Maori who should decide whether to keep them or not.†John. This week we ask: Do you think the Conservative Party will take the Epsom seat from ACT? To vote, please visit www.5pm.org.nz and look on the RH sidebar. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE The hundreds of poll comments from last week can be seen on the 5PM Facebook page here > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies, see http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. Regards Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on. 5PM Newsletter 25 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-25/ 5PM website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted August 10, 2014 5PM Newsletter 26 10 August 2014 RABBLE ROUSING HATE SPEECH It’s personal, and very nasty. Mr Dotcom showed his true ugliness and vitriolic motivations when inciting an orchestrated and now well-publicised “F… John Key†chant at a party rally last week. The Internet Mana Party is using the video clip in its campaign advertising (a matter now before the Advertising Standards Authority). People are allowed to be idiots but what’s truly dangerous about Dotcom is that elements within society are joining his campaign of revenge....... NATIONAL AND GANGS Last Monday National released details of a new policy targeting gang crime. It included some interesting facts: There are 4,000 known gang members in NZ (there are about 9,000 sworn police officers). Gangs are responsible for: 25 per cent of homicide related charges. 34 per cent of class A/B drug offences 36 per cent of kidnapping and abduction offences 25 per cent of aggravated robbery/robbery offences 26 per cent of grievous assault offences Gang members average 53 offences in their lifetime. The 50 members with the highest number of charges average 229 charges each. Almost half of serious offences by gang members are family violence related. 74 per cent of gang children have been abused or neglected on multiple occasions. Corrections estimates the proportion of gang members in prison has increased from 15 per cent to around 28 per cent over the past eight years, with each prisoner costing the taxpayer approximately $100,000 each year. Five out of nine child deaths in New Zealand between 2009 and 2012 involved step fathers with gang connections. 55 per cent of gang members are dependent on welfare. 61 per cent have outstanding child support owing. 71 per cent of clan labs have links to organised crime The release had four new initiatives..... NAPIER CATCHES THE WRONG BUS Veronica and Belle have cost Napier’s ratepayers a lot of money – about $1.3m. That’s how much the Council lost on two art deco buses used to provide a tourist link between Napier’s seaside suburbs and the city centre....... CONSERVATIVES SCORE COUP The Conservative Party has scored a coup in attracting Sensible Sentencing Trust chief executive Garth McVicar as a list and electorate candidate. It’s no secret that Mr McVicar had been courted by a number of parties over the years, and for good reason – he is well known and well respected...... 5PM POLLS Last week we asked: Do you think the Conservative Party will take the Epsom seat from ACT? On this readers were divided: 51% said YES, 49% said NO. Comments included:........ This week we ask: Do you think ALL party leaders should refuse to enter into post-election deal with the Internet-Mana Party? To vote, please visit www.5pm.org.nz and look on the RH sidebar. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE The hundreds of poll comments from last week can be seen on the 5PM Facebook page here > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies, see http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. Regards Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on. Read the latest 5PM Newsletter 26 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-26/ 5PM website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted August 17, 2014 5PM Newsletter 27 17 August 2014 DIRTY POLITICS Dirty Politics has been the media discourse this week. Initially we thought Nicky Hager’s release was a bit of a fizzer – like a well publicised civic fireworks display that gets rained off. But, those looking to create sensation have managed to give it a life greater than the single day headline it deserved....... CELEBRITY GREENS It’s been a busy week for the Greens too. Not only have they been trooping off to the Police, Parliamentary Services, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, and the Privacy Commissioner, to report all sorts of alleged transgressions “revealed†in Hager’s book, they have been rolling out the celebrities......... EPSOM CLIFF HANGER A Colmar Brunton poll taken in the Epsom shows just how close the result could be and how critical it will be to determine the next government. The poll puts: National’s party vote at 60% (64% on election night 2011) Greens 16% (14%) Labour 14% (15%) NZ First 3.3% (2.6%) ACT 2.7% (2.5%) Conservative 2.1% (1.1%) Internet Mana 1.5% (0%) Maori 0.6% (0.5%) Only 6% did not know how they were going to vote. The interesting points are:...... TUHOE APOLOGY The Police have apologised for the Tuhoe raids even though terrorist-style training activities had been in operation and convictions were made. Police Commissioner, Mike Bush, said:....... It’s a shame they were not so forthcoming and apologetic over the planting of evidence to convict Arthur Allan Thomas. 5PM POLLS Last week we asked: Do you think ALL party leaders should refuse to enter into post-election deal with the Internet-Mana Party? On this readers were clear: 93% said YES, 7% said NO. Comments included:....... This week we ask: Do you think the publication of the emails by Nicky Hager will damage National’s party vote? To vote, please visit www.5pm.org.nz and look on the RH sidebar. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE The hundreds of poll comments from last week can be seen on the 5PM Facebook page here > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies, see http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. Regards Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on. Read the latest 5PM Newsletter 27 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-27/ 5PM website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted August 24, 2014 5PM Newsletter 28 24 August 2014MORE DIRTY POLITICS Looking at the headlines of the last week it’s pretty clear it's the media, not political parties, that are setting the election agenda. The media’s obsession with Dirty Politics means that politics, not policy, has continued to dominate the headlines.......... ............... MAORI SEATS When is a policy not a policy? Apparently, when it's the National Party policy to abolish the Maori seats. For some time now the National Party has had a policy of abolishing the Maori seats. It will therefore come as a disappointment to those who believe in one law for all, that National's policy is to abolish the Maori seats - but only if Maori want to!.............MORE TO KIA ORA THAN HELLO During the week there was a lot of fuss made about a young lady in Whangarei who resigned her job because she was instructed not to address customers with "Kia Ora". Apparently the store had a script to follow and Kia Ora was not part of it. Saying Kia Ora or Hello is an insignificant matter in our view, but we think it fair and reasonable that a business has every right to require its staff to greet customers or answer the phone in a certain way - most businesses have these sorts of protocols............DONATIONS Many thanks to those who donated to 5PM in support of an advertisement against race-based seats on the New Plymouth District Council. We are supporting the campaign to abolish the Maori seats and the Maori electoral roll, and the advertisement will appear in the Taranaki Daily News next week.5PM POLLS Last week we asked: Do you think the publication of the emails by Nicky Hager will damage National’s party vote? We had a big response to this poll, and a lot of passionate comment. 33% said YES, 67% said NO. Comments included:................... This week’s poll asks: Does the decision by National to allow Maori only to decide on the retention of the Maori seats make you less inclined to vote for National? To vote, please visit www.5pm.org.nz and look on the RH sidebar. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE The hundreds of poll comments from last week can be seen on the 5PM Facebook page here > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies, see http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. Regards Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on. Read the full 5PM Newsletter 28 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-28/ 5PM website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted August 31, 2014 5PM Newsletter 29 31 August 2014 COLLINS GOES It can’t be said that politics is not interesting! Judith Collins has resigned as a minister. It was the right thing to do, for Judith Collins personally and the National party generally. Both Collins and the PM did well fronting the media. They were straight-up and confronted the matter directly as they needed to be because it is serious..... ................ CAPITAL GAINS TAX WINNERS AND LOSERS One policy that has not seen a lot of light is Labour’s capital gains tax. A Breaking Views commentary reviews the winners and losers; There is an inescapable truism in tax policy that no rational person, and few politicians, would dispute: Money flows into the area of least tax....... LABOUR WORRIES The decline in the polls must be a worry for Labour. With just three weeks to polling day it should be gaining momentum – it’s not. We believe........... MANA MELTDOWN Hate chants against the Prime Minister one week, Pam Corkery totally losing the plot the next: “You puffed up little s@*^… when will you glove puppets of Cameron Slater just p!#* offâ€. The Internet Mana Party are showing their breeding............... THE RADICALISATION OF THE MAORI ROLL Tami Iti is now a list candidate for the Maori Party. He is #7 on their list. To be elected the Party needs to get just over 5% of the vote – unlikely given their miserable polling at under 1%. What it does demonstrate is how radical the Maori seats and indeed the Maori roll, has become. The truth is, the Maori seats don’t represent the views of most Maori........ COURAGE We had a big response to last weeks poll question: Does the decision by National to allow Maori only to decide on the retention of the Maori seats make you less inclined to vote for National? 79% said Yes. 21% No. Comments include:................. POLL Our poll this week asks: Do you think we there will be a National or Labour prime minister after the 2014 general election, or is the result too close to call? To vote, please visit www.5pm.org.nz and look on the RH sidebar. WATCHDOG WILL NOT HOWL AT THE MOON A few weeks ago the Greens laid a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner regarding the (former) Justice Minister Judith Collins supplying the name of a former Internal Affairs staffer and alleged whistleblower to Whale Oil. The Privacy Commissioner, John Edwards, rejected the complaint saying,............. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE The hundreds of poll comments from last week can be seen on the 5PM Facebook page here > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies, see http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. Regards Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on. Read the full 5PM Newsletter 29 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-29/ 5PM website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted September 7, 2014 5PM Newsletter 30 7 September 2014 13 DAYS TO GO National will be feeling very pleased that it has come through the cyclone of dirty politics largely undamaged, vindicating the PM’s position, that it was all of more interest to the media than the general public. It is now much less likely that Mr Dotcom will be able to alter the outcome of the election when he delivers his stage-managed “sensation†featuring live-streaming from a certain person holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The event is planed for five days out from the election, but there is a very real chance it could back-fire on the Internet-Mana Party – reinforcing the view that it is nothing more than a vindictive band of radicals with a hate complex against society in general and John Key in particular. If it does backfire, it is likely to draw more voters into supporting National........ QUOTABLE QUOTES Te Ururoa Flavell, “Let me be clear here – we [the Maori Party] are not a raced based party. We are a kaupapa-based party that believes in cultural diversity.†So says the leader of a party whose MPs come solely from race based seats. Peter Dunne when referring to the United Future Party, “We never set out to be spectacular†– and the reply from Colin Craig, “well you have certainly achieved thatâ€. OVERHANG MAY DETERMINE NEXT GOVERNMENT Although National is gaining in the polls, it’s still not plain sailing. The “overhang†may take the number of seats in our next Parliament to between 122 and 124. If the result is 122 seats, the majority to govern would be 62, not 61 seats. And if the overhang is four, the majority needed would be 63............. SMOKE SIGNALS OF DISSENT The absurdity of the Internet – Mana alliance was reinforced yet again this week with the announcement of their cannabis policy. Laila Harre and Hone Harawira say they both support decriminalising cannabis for medical purposes. That’s where their agreement appears to end....... FACEBOOK FACEOFF If “likes†on Facebook are anything to go by the Greens and the Internet Party are way ahead of all others at mining social media. Here’s their “likes†score:......... ACT LAUNCHES ACT is not short of ideas but it’s struggling to get sufficient traction to reach the 1.25% it needs to gain a second MP. To date it has been overshadowed by the battle between NZ First and the Conservatives....... KAPITI DISTRICT COUNCIL SHAME Readers may recall back in April we criticised the Kapiti Coast District Council for charging Diana and Peter Standen, aged 74 and 77 respectively, with the heinous crime of “modifying naturally occurring indigenous vegetation†(in other words cutting down their own trees on their own property). The maximum penalty for a conviction is two years’ imprisonment or a fine of $300,000........ CUNLIFFE SUFFERS FROM “SORRY FOR BEING A MAN†COMMENT Audrey Young in the NZ Herald makes some interesting comments about the declining support for Labour by men...... 5PM POLLS Last week we asked: “Do you think there will be a National or Labour prime minister after the 2014 general election, or is the result too close to call?†82% said National, 13% too close to call and only 5% for Labour. Comments include:..... TAX In contrast to parties on the left, which plan to increase taxes, on Monday, National is expected to announce a programme of tax reductions. Our poll this week asks: Do you expect National’s proposed tax cuts for low and middle income earners will be good for New Zealand? To vote, please visit www.5pm.org.nz and look on the RH sidebar. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE The hundreds of poll comments from last week can be seen on the 5PM Facebook page here > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies, see http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. Next week: True lies – the biggest lies of election 2014 Regards Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on. Read the full 5PM Newsletter 30 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-30/ 5PM website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted September 15, 2014 5PM Newsletter 31 6 DAYS OUT It’s going to be close. Three years ago we analysed the accuracy of the poling companies. We found the most reliable to be TVOne Colmar Brunton and Ipredict, and by a long shot. So we decided to see what they were predicting now, and averaged their polling to see what the result would be. Here it is....... THE BIG REVEAL The biggest loser out of tomorrows “big reveal†could be Mr Dotcom and the Internet-Mana Party. Dotcom says he will produce emails to show New Zealand is engaged in the mass surveillance of New Zealanders and collecting their electronic metadata...... MAORI PARTY ON JUSTICE In a press release dated 11 September 2014, the Maori Party says, “it will initiate a review into the entire justice system including the police and courts ensuring the system is aligned with tikanga Maori and will address institutional racism....... CGT QUESTIONS UNANSWERED The NZ Shareholders Association has written to David Parker to ask a question about Labour’s proposed Capital Gains Tax:....... PETERS SUPPORTS LABOUR’S CGT Winston Peters has clarified his party’s position on tax cuts – sort of. He says he is against National’s proposed signalled tax cuts for low and middle income earners....... QUOTABLE QUOTES “What scares me are the policies that we see in the…fringe parties…because a few of them, quite frankly, are quite mad… Most of the small parties are not pursuing policies that are good for New Zealand – they are pursuing policies that are good for a small constituency.†– Shamubeel Eaqub, NZIER principal economist TRUE LIES Unfortunately there are a number of lies being told in the election that have been repeated so often that they have become embedded as truth. Here are some of the ones that come to mind:....... LEADER DEBATES We disagree with commentators who say David Cunliffe has done well in the leaders’ debates. In every debate David Cunliffe has parroted scripted sound bites and repeated them whenever he has struggled with specifics......... MAORI SEATS ON LOCAL COUNCIL SPREADS We have recently learnt that yet another district council is looking at race based privilege around the council table, but they are doing so in secret. Last week the Whangarei District Council had a behind-closed-doors workshop to discuss appointing iwi representatives onto their standing committees...... 5PM POLLS Last week we asked: Do you expect National’s proposed tax cuts for low and middle income earners will be good for New Zealand? 84% said yes, 14% no. Comments include:..... THIS WEEK’S POLL Our last poll before the election asks: Have you changed your mind during the election campaign about who you will vote for? To vote, please visit www.5pm.org.nz and look on the RH sidebar. THE 5PM FACEBOOK PAGE All of the poll comments from last week have been posted on the 5PM Facebook page > https://www.facebook.com/pages/Five-Principles-Movement/220457384790044 And finally, please don’t forget to help us spread the message about 5PM! Our policies, see http://www.5pm.org.nz/policies/ would have a very positive impact on the future of New Zealand. Regards Frank and Muriel Newman P.S. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on. Read the full 5PM Newsletter 31 here > http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-31/ 5PM website > http://www.5pm.org.nz/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opo 182 Report post Posted September 21, 2014 NEWSLETTER 32 Election 2014 What an astounding election result! *The biggest winner was National. *The biggest losers were Labour, Internet-Mana, Act, and the media. Here are the talking points as we see them, and our thoughts about the future. *National’s success. National achieving an election night majority is a remarkable and historic achievement, as is winning a third term with an increased share of the vote. John Key’s election night speech showed how professional he and his top echelon are. They know what they need to do to stay in touch with the majority of the electorate. John Key is on the cusp of taking a place in history as one of New Zealand’s most outstanding politicians. Of all the parties in Parliament they are the only one not requiring a major rethink of their positioning. You can read the full newsletter here: http://www.5pm.org.nz/newsletter-32/ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
