Never one to let facts get in the way of a good…

Without accounting for the fact that where 16k was going offshore, now 20k is staying in the economy.

If my use of simple past/present tense there is a little baffling it’s because memeroll (this one feels appropriate):…

sorry I may have fuxt the maths there:

Thailand are around $16,000 and costs in a DHB could be around $20,000.

so accounting for:

three male to female surgeries and one female to male surgery every two years,

at current rates – which if we’re honest…

Hi Craig, given that this is neither a staffing nor a funding issue in that a qualified gender reassignment surgeon, Dr Rita Yang, has been [[https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12018636 |in the employ…

Thanks steven, that means a lot.

That a 50 year surgery waiting list seems to have been ruled out as a campaign talking point by all opposition parties speaks volumes…

Also, the actual advert is very effective. The graphics are simple and uncluttered, the words succinct and to the point.

Great to see someone competent back in the role at last.

Is it meant to pause for a couple of seconds with nothing visible but Jacinda's giant face, or is that just my…

This is a pretty big deal.

Similarly in…

I don't see that and it's not the only source of his randomness. I think his supporters are less centrist than Labour and National supporters. Only UF support is more centrist than they are. I think he's…

Not so huge mind you. When I saw him in the flesh I was surprised by how short he was. As for the randomness, Winston reminds me of the Narnia meme "the Dwarves are for the Dwarves!"

Only random if you can't see that he's operating from the political center. Think of it as a binary switch (left/right). Winston discovered that occupancy of the middle ground allows you to choose the next govt. Since Dunne failed in his…

..as in the huge random element in the room.

I pretty much don't even think of left/right in terms of any fixed set of views. It's just "the axis along which the bulk of the opinion of the population is divided". I like this…

Did they indicate anything about what she'd need to do to…

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/87164521/Andrew-Little-meets-larger-than-life-portrait

That has been debunked here many times over. Culturally-insecure white midlle class voters backed him, and a broken electoral system did the rest.

I'd say we're seeing a realignment globally (certainly US and UK) from left/right to rational/irrational.

You traditionally had poorer people supporting left…

Nope. But neither can I exclude him from a left coalition, and that's enough to win. Labour's chance of picking up enough votes in the next 7 weeks to be able to govern without Winnie seem close to zero…

In light of what went down very publicly (and here of all places) in 2014, this wins my nomination for euphemism of the year.

Well he's not in the right bloc that currently holds power.

I'm not sure where Winston himself sits, but his support is, IMHO, mostly on the Left (if we define position by political opinion and how the population differs…

Yes I just checked the last Colmar Brunton poll methodology. They are still calling land line only (page 2), effectively still using 20th century…

You're possibly right. But the point was, despite the presence of actual policy somehow Little had failed to communicate that and excite the public about any…

Bit late for that, Lynn! Are you saying that he should have stayed on? I completely disagree. If anyone's panicking it's the National Party. Jacinda as leader is a nightmare for them, which is going to lead to a much…

I really doubt there is any going to be…

Agree, reckon his capital gains policy was badly handled/sold by Cunliffe

Chops..attack dog; hopefully he will devour himself like some kind of west Auckland ouroboros.

Meanwhile the Herald has pieces today by Raybon Kan and Barry Soper. One of them is funny.

If that's the calibre of what they're up against, I suddenly have a wild sense of hope.

The problem Neil is society’s regressive attitudes towards women. That’s the tipple fortifying Richardson’s Dutch courage. This has become about more than just an election – regardless…

*(to forestall the pedants, yes I know what people actually vote for, but we're talking…

It's an important contingency to take into account given the significance of leadership in the campaign and governance.

But even RNZ Checkpoint, this evening, spent around 50% of its Labour leadership change coverage time (about half of 6.5 minutes)…

Thanks, Pete.

Also (unrelated), watching today's media, ugh. Hopefully Labour doesn't get too bogged down in the conversation about having a conversation about whether politicians can have babies. I bet that's exactly the type of distracting discussion that government campaign strategists would like…

Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister Gerry Brownlee today illustrated the sensitivity National has over coverage of Jacinda Ardern's elevation to the leadership yesterday.

On his way to Question Time Brownlee shook the hand of Newshub political editor Patrick Gower with an envelope marked "Cheerleader in chief"…

Thanks for that Craig, trans-inclusive antidiscrimination laws are a must but, if Labour cares, and that's a big IF, for Labour to restore credibility within the wider trans…

Paragraph B12 on p.150 in the appendices to the rules in the 2016 constitution (PDF):

__Should a vacancy in the leadership occur in the 3…

This has to be a big part of the thinking; engaging younger voters by giving them someone who looks and sounds like a contemporary.

I hope that ends. It's annoyed me since Goff did it, just when I was warming to the bugger, and it's been chaos since, stilled only by the competent but uncharismatic hand of Little, which has to go down as his legacy.…

I found the 2015 constitution on the Elections website at http://www.elections.org.nz/sites/default/files/parties/rules/labour_party_constitution_2015.pdf (pdf) and linked from the part's website at the end of http://www.labour.org.nz/party_resources .

On page 145…

I have been plumbing for Labour to make the change, but I also feel for Andrew Little, an intelligent, hard working…

Just rip that National Band Aid of in one vote
and let the sunlight stream in...
The healing has begun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXMwEsfUBUo

Surely that's only going to happen if the election result turns out even lower than the current polls.

(b) seems like a critical thing to me. For the past so many years I've felt as if Labour has, at most, been pointing…

Hoskings has complete control of that show, and the powers that be have abrogated any responsibility to be a…

Do you know why she didn't object to the Chinese sounding names business?

I tend to think of her as my sort of person, in that she went to Splore because she wanted to.

A couple of years ago at Splore, my buddy got separated from the rest of us when we moved…

They will. Labour's constitution now requires…

If you can predict what Winston is going to do, I'd like your advice on some investments I have.

Winston's tweet says a lot;

Politics is a tough business – those who understand that will feel sympathy for Andrew Little.
He’s fought the good fight, but at…

Unless Ardern has a…

… English always has Shingle, and Leg Shin
(General Leg Shin has a ring to it!)
While Little has the ‘gaul’ to also show…

Anyway ... I wish her all the best. I shifted some time ago from Labour to the Greens in my voting intention (not specifically due to Little, more an accumulation of facepalms since 2008) but in…

Ditto mine.

They weren't exactly missteps though, rather a deliberate strategy to compete with Peters. Ardern has a great many qualities but she along with all the other Labour MPs sat silent -…

good point. I have been a bit uncertain about Kelvin Davis…

Which is further evidence as Grant's consistently selfless approach to the Party, since he may well have been considering the deputy role himself.

Yes, she's always been just plain and simply – believable. Her honest, enthusiasm will wipe the floor of Bill in leadership debates. I suspect National's vote will plummet – more NZers than…

This gives Labour a good city / provincial, male / female, Pakeha / Maori balance.

He'll give Labour a lot more appeal in the provinces and to the middle-class bloke demographic that, rightly or wrongly, has trended towards National in…

http://ianpattison.co.nz/shout/2017/08/01/new-zealand-labour-leadership-crisis/

What do we know about Jacinda Ardern? In the New Zealand Herald, Nicholas Jones (01.08.2017) provided an excellent biography. Ardern was born in Hamilton in 198o. She primary and secondary school in Morrinsville and also spent some time living in Murupara, where…

It really is- and may end up being the most significant aspect of this change today. He also said, according to the Herald,

"Maori Party President Tukoroirangi Morgan immediately called for Ardern to be more open to working with the Maori Party than Little was.He…

Guyon Espiner was just about salivating this morning, you could hear him smacking his lips and…

For me the problem with Little is no matter what he presented as policy it felt like politics.

Contrast that with The Greens whom one always felt like they are willing to die in the fire to protect the environment and now thanks to Metiria…

but damn shame about Little, he was great for us during the great Herald strike of 2001. he held his own in the bar as well.

They do a lot right a lot of the time. But not since big-shoes Lange have they had a leader who people feel they _know_.

I've long felt Jacinda is that person. She oozes…

I loved the fact that they had obviously already decided on the 'tone' they wanted for the campaign. Aspirational and optimistic. She was beaming from the get go which was, initially, a little jarring given the circumstances but made…

Witty, composed, authoritative. The best media conference I've seen a Labour leader give in years.

I don't think Jacinda is underdone, but I do think she will need to get some good advice so she can make some good choices. The reality…

Or perhaps…

I had a conversation with a friend a little while ago, who expressed the view that Labour should adopt some Corbynesque policies like free tertiary education. They announced that policy a year and a half ago ...

I think they've probably doubled their votes in our household