Kiwiblog

Voting is now open in the 2008 Kiwiblog Awards. They close at 3 pm Friday 3 October. You can vote in the sidebar.

The most popular nominations in each category are:

MP of the Year

• Rodney Hide – not even a finalist last year but a popular nominee for his campaign to expose Peters, amongst other things
• Bill English – a repeat nominee – his year of picking apart the EFA was often cited
• Pita Sharples – has become the Maori MP, Pakeha love to love, and helped position the Maori Party as Kingmakers.
• Phil Goff – a China FTA plus a possible United States FTA endears Goff to many readers

Labour MP of the Year

• Phil Goff was nominated by many but disqualified as the 2007 winner
• Michael Cullen cited by many for his mastery of the House
• David Cunliffe also impressed several with his determination to improve the Health sector
• Winston Peters was nominated multiple times in this category, so who are we to stand in the way of the public!

National MP of the Year

• Simon Power had the most nominations, having impressed with his constant highlighting of law & order problems, and also superb Chairmanship of the Privileges Committee.
• John Key is still the country’s Preferred PM
• Bill English was disqualified having won this category last year
• Gerry Brownlee also often nominated for his take no prisoners methods in the House

Minor Party MP of the Year

• Rodney Hide a popular nominee for many
• Pita Sharples had 12 nominations in this category – will it be Minister Sharples in a few weeks?
• Sue Bradford has had a quieter year than 2007 when she was runner up, but still gained some nominations
• Hone Harawira also gained multiple nominations – the once reviled radical has been impressing a few people

Press Gallery of the Journalist

• Audrey Young – Winston still has not apologised to her, but she was a favourite nominee amongst Kiwiblog readers
• Duncan Garner – his “straight talking” doesn’t always win friends in Parliament, but has proven popular with some readers
• Guyon Espiner – cool, clam and collected – the most viewed gallery reporter has some fans
• Colin Espiner – the blogging journalist has many online fans

Public Servant of the Year

• Grant Liddell – the SFO Director was a multiple nominee for doing what was right, regardless of what the Government wanted.
• Owen Glenn – okay not technically a public servant, but many nominated him for having performed a public service.
• Helena Catt – the Electoral Commission CEO wins the sympathy and nominations of many for having to try and work out what the Electoral Finance Act actually means, and for her willingness to criticise the law she has to enforce.

Enjoy voting.

Tags: Audrey Young, Bill English, blog polls, Colin Espiner, David Cunliffe, Duncan Garner, Gerry Brownlee, Grant Liddell, Guyon Espiner, Helena Catt, Hone Harawira, John Key, Kiwiblog, Michael Cullen, Owen Glenn, Phil Goff, Pita Sharples, Rodney Hide, Simon Power, Sue Bradford, Winston First

From the Press:

Party co-leader Pita Sharples said he was no longer sure if he trusted Prime Minister Helen Clark, and said she was nearing the end of her time.

“She has been a great leader; she has done great things for the country,” Dr Sharples said in an interview recorded yesterday for TVNZ 7. “But maybe she is nearing the end of her time.”

Recent events in Parliament showed Miss Clark was clinging to power, he said.

“She is appearing quite desperate … she is behaving like someone who is really, really desperate to get back into Parliament at any cost.”

That is because she is desperate to retain power at any cost!

Tags: Helen Clark, Pita Sharples

Not only were Labour turning a blind eye to Peters corruption, they were threatening and lobbying other parties to do the same.

NZPA reports:

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples says a New Zealand First staffer and Government minister tried to put pressure on his party over how it would vote in yesterday’s censure motion against Winston Peters. …

“I personally had two separate phone calls from a senior minister urging me to vote in favour of Winston, and suggesting that there would be unpleasant repercussions from Maori people if I didn’t,” he said in a statement….

“Both (fellow co-leader) Tariana Turia and myself were disgusted with this kind of activity, aimed at perverting the course of justice and fair play.”

Labour First are quite simply a corrupt party, and they should go.

The Prime Minister’s hypocrisy is unmatched on this. She claims the outcome of the Privileges Committee was not credible because of partisan politics, and her own Ministers are trying to heavy and threaten the Maori Party to vote against, despite their belief in the evidence.

The same Prime Minister who has not even read a copy of the Privileges Committee report, yet says there is nothing in it that would casue her to drop Winston.

UPDATE: the full press release from Sharples is over the break

(more…)

Tags: Labour, Maori Party, Pita Sharples, Privileges Committee, Winston First

Craccum did some fun interviews with a few candidates this week. Some of the questions they asked are worth repeating here.

Wellington is burning down and you can take only one other MP with you, who would you take and why?

• Pete Hodgson (Lab) – Rodney Hide because he’s so full of piss, we could use him to put the fire out.
• Pita Sharples (Maori) – Tariana Turia or she’d haunt me if I left her there.

If you can define your life in terms of isms, what would it be?

• Aaron Galey-Young (UFNZ) – Antidisestablishmentarianism
• Pita Sharples – Dreamism
• Oliver Woods (RAM) – Social democratic left pragmatic nationalism
• Nikki Kaye (Nat) – Environmentalism, capitalism, compassionism, sportism, wineism

What would be your ultimate campaign song and why?

• Pita Sharples – ‘What’s the matter you ah shut appa your face’.
• Oliver Woods – ‘Crush ‘em’ by Megadeth

Greatest New Zealander, Garth George or Owen Glenn?

• Pete Hodgson – Tim Shadbolt
• Pita Sharples – Kupe
• Oliver Woods – The Mad Butcher
• Nikki Kaye – There are many great kiwis but if I had to choose between the two I would pick Owen Glenn because of his suggestion to hold international volley ball competitions if he became consul to Monaco – that’s gutsy.

If you were Jim Anderton, what would you ban and why?

• Pete Hodgson – Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
• Peter Taskhoff (ACT) – I’d ban toxic politics but then Jim Anderton would be left speechless.
• Aaron Galley-Young: Boy racers in public streets.
• Pita Sharples – I would ban Jim Anderton.
• Oliver Woods – Elderly, useless, conservative politicians.
• Nikki Kaye – If I was Jim Anderton I would need a completely new wardrobe and I would ban myself from wearing short skirts.

A pdf of the Craccum article is here – backpage.

Tags: Aaron Galley, Craccum, Humour, Nikki Kaye, Oliver Woods, Pete Hodgson, Peter Taskhoff, Pita Sharples

Family First has rated every party leader for their “family friendliness” as they see it. This is a great idea, as those who agree with Family First’s values can use it as a positive guide, and those who disagree can use it as a negative guide. More lobby groups should do this sort of stuff.

The overall ratings (in order) for each Leader is:

1. Winston Peters 77%
2. Peter Dunne 69%
3. Pita Sharples 57%
4. Tariana Turia 54%
5. John Key 54%
6. Jim Anderton 38%
7. Rodney Hide 31%
8. Jeanette Fitzsimons 15%
9. Helen Clark 8%

Winston is the poster boy for social conservatism which is why it is so hilarious that so many on the left are doing everything possible to defend him.

There were 13 issues or votes they judged the Leaders on. I list them below, along with how I would have voted on it if I was an MP.

1. Prostitution Bill- DPF support – 0
2. Civil Unions – DPF support – 0
3. Relationships Bill – DPF support – 0
4. Parental Notification for under 16 abortions – DPF support – 1 (I support notification, not approval)
5. Euthanasia – DPF support – 0
6. Care of Children – DPF oppose – 1
7. Marriage Amendment (define as man/woman only) – DPF oppose – 0
8. Anti-Smacking – DPF oppose – 1
9. Easter Trading – DPF support – 0
10. Easter Sunday Trading – DPF support – 0
11. Drinking Age to 20 – DPF oppose – 0
12. Street Prostitution (Manukau) – DPF oppose – 0
13. Electoral Finance – DPF oppose – 1

So if I was a party leader I would be scored 4/13 or 31% – the same as Rodney Hide.

Tags: abortion, civil unions, drinking age, Electoral Finance Bill, euthanasia, Family First, Helen Clark, Jeanette Fitzsimons, Jim Anderton, John Key, Peter Dunne, Pita Sharples, prostitution, Rodney Hide, Section 59, shop trading hours, Tariana Turia, Winston First

The Press reports:

Sharples said the Maori seats should go eventually, but the impact of the Maori Party showed it was important to retain them for now.

If the debate is about when, not if, that is a good thing. As I have said previously, I think a lower threshold, as recommended by the Royal Commission on the Electoral System, is a more appropriate way to deal with issues of Maori representation than keeping the seats.

What would be interesting would be to ask Dr Sharples what criteria he would use to judge when the time was right for them to go.

Tags: Maori Seats, Pita Sharples

It is no surprise that Pita Sharples wants reserved seats for Maori in Auckland local government. I disagree of course in implementing more Fiji style representation. Sharples said:

“Like most places, Auckland’s record of choosing Maori through the ballot box is abysmal,” he said. “I could name lists of Maori people, national figures in anyone’s eyes, sporting icons, former MPs, leading academics and jurists, people with all the requisite skills, who have stood for council and been rebuffed.

Sharples should go ahead and release that list. Then it could be debated in context.

At the last local body election two Maori candidates for Mayors were defeated – John Tamihere and Willie Jackson. Now I actually supported both Tamihere and Jackson, but I don’t think anyone has suggested they got rejected because they were Maori. Is this what Sharples is saying?

Tags: Local Body Politics, Maori Seats, Pita Sharples