Robson-On-Politics 18 June

Progressive: positive about people and jobs

Labour stops talking about mysterious Led Party

Listening to some of my government colleagues in recent months, I've wondered who on earth they are talking about when they express confidence in the Led Party.

They praise the achievements of the Labour-Led Government and it always takes me a while to figure out that "Led" is their nickname for me and Jim Anderton.

I was relieved, therefore, when I got a taxpayer-funded letter in my mail-box the other day that had dropped the Led Party out of the equation altogether and simply referred to Labour, as per the Labour government and "our Labour Budget". http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1001

Labour's Budget didn't help my family, so I won't vote Labour As an aside, I did the calculations. There is no financial gain for my family in Labour' Budget so I won't be voting Labour at the next election, whenever that may be.

The Progressive Budget will get my vote, however. This is by far the most forward-looking, or progressive, of the five budgets delivered by the minority coalition government since we came into office five years ago. You could say it is a Progressive-led government in many areas.

This week saw four more excellent examples of the economic & social work of the Progressive-led coalition government this week: see http://www.progressive.org.nz and http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=990

http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=992

http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=997

http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1002

Labour isn't Progressive

Because Labour isn't Progressive, the Progressive Party is moving fast to select its priority candidates for the next General Election and have a healthy fighting fund in the local Kiwibank branch by the end of next month.

We are getting our first 20 candidates ready and I would like to see the names selected by the end of next month. To understand the Progressive-led Budget 2004, and why Progressive wants your vote, look at our website on why the economic transformation project is the real Budget headline. http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=991

Remember! Tune in Sunday 12 - 1 for the Robson Hour on 531 AM. Talking to Paul Swain on new settlers and police roadblocks, John Tamihere on the Maori Party (the Party didn't front up) and its feudal warlords, and lawyer Sione Fonua on the inquiry into relations with Tonga. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=3573332&reportID=55514

Why passport and citizenship changes are unjust

When due process is not followed, Labour finds itself wondering where it is going to get a majority for its latest pet proposals. Proposals for changes to citizenship and passport regulations contain some sensible, reasonable, stuff and some which is not. When this issue first came to public attention in March, I said then that Progressive had issues with a number of Labour's key proposals.

As a Progressive representative on the Cabinet Legislation Committee, I dutifully put up a flag in defence of our civil and democratic rights. And of course I itemized our concerns in a long memo to Labour. The Progressive Caucus hasn't yet taken a formal position on the final version of Labour's proposals but no one can be surprised that we remain committed to fighting terrorism from the fanatics who kill and maim.

Making residents wait five years for citizenship instead of three, refusing to count time on work or student permits, making spouses wait five years instead of two, and cancelling the passports of born and bred Kiwis on the say-so of the SIS, will strike no blow at Al-Qaeda. The changes will harm new settlers and dinkum Kiwis alike. I'm pleased, however, that our protest led to keeping alive citizenship for all babies born in New Zealand.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=3557607

Protecting the victims of the drug peddlers

Jim chaired a public forum last night in Tauranga on alcohol, P and other drugs. It came out of priority work that he has been doing as chairperson of the Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy since he became associate health minister in two years ago. 200 people turned out on a cold dark night for a useful meeting.

Good for politicians, both central and local, government and opposition, to find out what people in the field think about how we could do better to attack the harm drugs cause. Good for the public to hear what different agencies and departments are aiming to achieve with initiatives put in place by a Progressive-led government.
http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=999 http://www.progressive.org.nz/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1002

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>