They made the right decision considering the week that preceded it, Deborah has been a strident spokesperson against New Zealand’s woeful foreign trusts set up, her expertise in this area is of immense value.

One thing I've heard a lot recently from campaigners is…

I fear that might have had a place in getting Trump elected. Given neither he nor his family had served in government before, I think some Americans fed up with the corruption of government/governance, lobbying and lobbyists and Wall Street in general in America, voted…

Genetically modified food in China: time to reap what scientists sow?

The Economic and Social Impact of GMOs in China

Genetically modified foods in China and the United States: A primer of regulation and intellectual property protection

I see this in their current (2011) science policy:

The Greens see many potential benefits from the technologies derived from the science of genetics. We support the development of genetic technologies when…

I think Bart was primarily addressing the problem of eligible voters refusing to vote at all. And I agree: though it may feel like a form of protest, and though it may be a valid…

My point is that the motivation to vote (or "selling") is vitally important, if you want it to actually happen.

(and conversely, meeting John Key before he was PM made me not trust him as far as I could kick him)

I had…

You Which is what I said but not what you said. That was:

Me It's not about voting Little into…

I once had a Greens electorate candidate in the 00s knocking on…

Eh? That's got bugger all to do with it, Trev. People did protest-vote against Trump – almost 3 million more than actually voted for him. And despite those numbers, substantially fewer people voted…

Old White Guys?

Uh huh. So all those people who couldn't be bothered protest voting against Trump have been vindicated??

It's not about protest voting. It's about deciding that for all their faults (Greens believing in fake medicine, Labour believing in OWGs) they are still…

Not only that, but I'd say a couple of unforced errors from Little has been fudging details, timelines and costings for the sake of a snappy soundbite.... then getting pissy at journalists who read the fine…

Yes, and see it as a next step from…

Stop him…

Sure, and practically this is a perfect time and place to be doing some stress testing on a general election ground game. Turn Mount Albert into a giant focus…

Doesn't that also depend on how well the Greens make 'vote for our party at the general election' their main message as they knock doors and address meetings? They are used to campaigning in electorates for the…

great description of the guy in general.
#lazy #coddled

Yep, I think that's right, Jason – quite a few will be, given Labour's 25 point decline in the seat since 2005 and the Greens 13 point rise (not taking into account boundary changes). So, I'd guess up…

People who don't like 'criminals from south Auckland' in their suburbs...

Wrong. Protest voting has proved to be ineffective. If protest votes worked, national would have been out of office in 2014. Instead, they managed to persuade enough people that a) nothing would…

I wonder how many of those voters were former Labour Party voters. I live in Mt Albert and I voted for Shearer (electorate) and for the Green Party. I previously voted Labour.

I rate Jacinda and think it would be great for her to…

While National voters will disproportionately stay at home, I suspect a core of loyalists will hold their collective noses and strategically vote Green in an effort to help slash Labour's majority, humiliate them and sow a bit of discord on the Left.

Not necessarily a…

Considering trade, defence and immigration there are other NZ parties closer to Trump than National.

It really doesn't matter as long as they still give their party vote to National. Though who in their right mind would choose Melissa Lee as a local representative over Jacinda Ardern?

Not bother voting at all would be my guess

We will soon find out. My money is on Ardern winning it easily.

I’m a big Jacinda fan, but Labour’s performed so poorly for the last six years – maybe a nasty scare…

I rather think that we (the left) have just under a year to convince all those people who hate the kind of shit that just went down in the USA to actually…

I do get that, I really do. Despite, perhaps because of, not being good at it myself.

But I'm tired of Labour leaders, particularly the white male parade we've had, having no real policy in which they believe.

Yeah…

The guy not waffling and hedging like a lawyer when interviewed would be good to see. He has always seemed more confident with the prepared speeches.

Presentation is part of politics. As irksome as it may seem, Helen Clark's political stocks rose after she got styled.

But it's not only appearance: being able to speak and present your ideas engagingly is vital.

Sigh – clearly the most important thing is how he appears. Not content.

Yes. I’ve been to local Labour events that have had the distinct feel of God’s Waiting Room.

Jacinda had a team of mainly young people lined up to go doorknocking after the speech.

That…

Something else that was interesting was that there are a lot of younger activists getting involved. Jacinda had a team of mainly young people lined up to go doorknocking after the speech. I headed off to the…

Ha. Right. I meant, y'know, Labour MP, as they've all been.

Aren't those odds 100% now? Whoever wins the by-election will become the MP for Mt Albert.