Posts by George Darroch
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Interestingly, support for a Labour-led government is extremely high among 2011 Green voters, with 89.4% supporting the prospect. This compares to 93.1% of 2011 Labour voters.
The other figures show that National supporters are very confident of their side winning, Labour and Greens supporters are much less so. Bolstering those perceptions (filtered through the dozen or so people given license to shape their opinions) is essential for the left. Reinforcing the inevitability of a National win is its job.
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Interesting. In today’s Horizon Poll, two thirds of New Zealanders expect National to lead a potential coalition government post-election. A plurality of New Zealanders want Labour to lead a coalition government post-election.
"The survey starkly illustrates the difference between perceptions over which party might win and what electors would prefer, Horizon’s Manager, Grant McInman says."
There are a number of ways to explain this discrepancy.
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Hard News: Gower Speaks, in reply to BenWilson,
When someone says high, I always want to know how high.
I think that's called poll jumping.
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I'm saving these until I can get home and listen to these in all their glory, with crispness and clarity.
Perhaps the format allows the artist more choice. You're not trying to fill a record side, or the back of a CD, so you do whatever works. 60 second songs, 60 minute songs: if it feels good, do it.
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Hard News: Poll Day 2: Queasy, in reply to Kumara Republic,
Feel free to report to the BSA here
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I can see at least one good reason to – to become informed about how things are being reported on one of the more popular platforms.
As someone involved with politics, watching the news gives me next to no information about actual events. In many cases, if I was to take what I was told as true in the way I was told it, I would be less informed.
However, as a medium for understanding *why* New Zealanders think the way they do about a given issue, it is indispensable. The gap between reality and perceptions is otherwise murkier.
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I'm with the Problem Gambling Foundation, and am limited in what I can say today.
I will say however that this came as a complete shock to all of us. PGF has been around for two decades, created problem gambling counselling and then public health services in New Zealand. The organisation is widely recognised as a leader in innovation and practice nationally and internationally.
It is also by far the largest organisation doing this work in New Zealand. I mean no disrespect to the Salvation Army with this analogy (I get on extremely well with their Wellington staff), but it is like a python swallowing a buffalo - incorporation of services will be difficult and time consuming, and possibly painful.
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Hard News: Things worth knowing, in reply to Gareth Ward,
IIRC there were six priority measures implemented, all of which have done well.
Shorter stays in emergency departments, Improved access to elective surgery, Shorter waits for cancer treatment, Increased immunisation, Better help for smokers to quit, More heart and diabetes checks.
All of which are good things, but which don't constitute the entirety of a health system. Because of their important in funding, they've taken on a very high degree of importance, to the detriment of other effective interventions.
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More to the point though, Ryall resigned after being selected to represent the Bay of Plenty once again.
This is quite unusual, and he’s been able to slide away with his halo relatively intact, despite quite serious questions about his decisions not to refer potential Southland DHB fraud to the police. I’m surprised this has not gathered more attention. Perhaps if King had done a better job we'd have seen some movement.
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As an opposition, National made healthcare about one thing - elective surgery waiting-lists. As government, they've made remarkable progress on that score, while deprioritising investment in other things. The NZMA and most other major professional bodies have been onside, particularly as they know that National have no intention of reshaping the landscape in ways which would deprive their members of financial opportunity.
I've talked with Hague, and he doesn't see a fundamental reshaping of the sector, but any change of government will see a change in priorities.