General Debate 13 July 2026

Like this:

Like Loading…

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Comment6

Uncategorized
General Debate

Comments (6)

Login to comment or vote

Tomtoddy

The MSM continues to run a campaign for the Opportunities Party. In politics exposure is everything. The polls move according to the coverage a party is receiving – often, even negative coverage. Which tells you something about the average voters electoral IQ, by the way. Almost every day we have some coverage of the party, even if it’s in the form of questioning their policies or arguing where they sit between left and right.

That’s why single polls have limited use and polling trends are more valuable in determining a party’s chances. The gradual rise of Opportunity is linked to a new more likable leader and MSM coverage. Their policies haven’t changed.

Part of the MSM strategy is to paint the Opportunity party as centrist. All that tells you is how far the media have moved the whole spectrum to the left. If the Opportunity Party is a centre party then Labour is left of Karl Marx and the Greens are off the map. Any party proposing the amount of control they suggest via a guaranteed income and rising taxes is unmistakably on the left. End of story.

If Opportunity were to clear 5% or win a seat they will be helping return a left wing, big taxing government. The result is complicated by where the votes for them come from or whether they can induce new voters to support them, but the main proposition stands – they are, unequivocally, a left wing party.
17 1
Log in to Reply
Report
July 13, 2026 8:06am
- Gravelroad
  
  The far left activists will be noting the success that the communists in the US Democratic Party are currently enjoying.
  The Opportunities Party and their media cheer leaders, will quietly build on that for the support of the ignorant and entitled voters here.
  
  13 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  July 13, 2026 8:24am
  - Cassandra
    
    At least the Democratic Socialists don’t have the gall to call themselves centrist! They are what you see on the tin.
    
    0 0
    Log in to Reply
    Report
    July 13, 2026 9:07am
artemisia

In case anyone missed it, Oliver Hartwich and Bryce Wilkinson have published New Zealand by Numbers 2026 Edition . 137 pages of trend data from named sources. An excellent reference source with a lot of useful data in one place.

Download – free. Thanks guys.

https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz/reports-and-media/reports/
11 0
Log in to Reply
Report
July 13, 2026 8:14am
Gravelroad

I am not generally a big critic of Prime Minister Luxon.
But what was his public hugging and hand-holding of Indian PM Modi all about – as displayed on TV news?
I didn’t need to see that.
And Mr Modi is not as dopey as he may appear to look.
5 5
Log in to Reply
Report
July 13, 2026 8:36am
- rouppe
  
  Luxon doesn’t do it with anyone else. So I suspect it is more driven by Modi than Luxon.
  
  4 0
  Log in to Reply
  Report
  July 13, 2026 8:44am

Add a Comment Cancel reply

Login to comment or vote

« Think how Labour would have dealt with the fuel crisis?

Donations

You can now donate to Kiwiblog

Exclusive content from DPF on Patreon

Become a Patron!

Never miss a post

Email Address

Join 13K other subscribers

Highlights

Target achieved II
Good progress on attendance
Health Target 5 – elective treatments
Health Target 4 – Specialist appointments

Links

100 kg of Iranian gold to kill Trump or Netanyahu!
No Minister
Quotes of the week
Hompaddock
GUEST BLOG: Ian Powell – Hospital laboratory privatisation unsustainable; leaving with a “heavy heart”
The Daily Blog
Open Mike 13/07/2026
The Standard
Germany Needs Milei-ism but Is Getting Romney-ism
Utopia
A Guide to a Muscular Liberalism
Point of Order
Reminder: “Until August 1914 a sensible, law-abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the state, beyond the post office & the policeman."
Not PC
The bidding war on solar
No Right Turn
Parallel Societies
NZCPR
NRL Predictions for Round 19
Stats Chat
Pride Month, 250th celebrations, Supreme Court decisions, hot dogs!
Bob McCoskrie's McBlog
Refugee sponsorship
Offsetting Behaviour
Media Link: “A View from Afar” on Systemic Change.
Kiwipolitico
A central banker’s fiction
Croaking Cassandra
THE WORKING FROM HOME RACKET BY PUBLIC SERVANTS
No Punches Pulled (Bob Jones)
The Accidental Engagement
Imperator Fish
Legal Beagle: Election '23: The Special Votes
Public Address
Get Vaccinated Tomorrow Or Shut Your Pie Hole
Cactus Kate
Making this movie might have been a mistake
Liam Hehir
Why I am retiring from political blogging
Kiwi FireWalker