NZ POLITICS DAILY: 23th January 2014

The main issues in NZ politics today are National and its coalition options, the Labour Party, the latest opinion poll, the Dotcom Internet Party, offshore oil and gas, and the Speakers conference.

Today’s links

National Party and coalition options

Claire Trevett (Herald): Goldilocks problem to the fore in election year

John Armstrong (Herald): Warring parties state terms of engagement in buildup to election

Dominion Post: Editorial: A desperate dance for power

Newswire/RadioLIVE: Key to give State of the Nation speech

Waikato Times: Key plays the numbers

The Press: Peters should show his hand

TVNZ: PM to make state of nation address

TVNZ: Winston Peters not grabbing John Key's olive branch

Grant Duncan (Policy Matters): Winston Peters' worst nightmare

RadioLIVE: Key + Peters = ??

Thomas Mead (TV3): NZF deal only a 'remote possibility' - Key

NBR Staff (NBR): Key's re-election chances improve, inflation surprise won't sway RBNZ – iPredict

Corin Dann (TVNZ): Key and Cunliffe won't be enjoying u-turns

Rob Salmond (Polity): The science of Key's 2014 coalitions

Mike Smith (The Standard): National’s first strategic mistake

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Do National’s aspiring candidates represent modern New Zealand?

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga

Radio NZ: Lotu-Iiga proud of appointment

Gordon Campbell (Scoop): On National’s election fling with New Zealand First

Michael Cummings (Stuff): Peters 'forgets' his own history

Left Estate: Winston

Audrey Young (Herald): National accepts the risks in going back to NZ First

Russell Brown (Public Address): All John's Friends

Dan Satherley (TV3): Election year battlelines drawn

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): 2014 Coalition Options

Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): Peters in the mix could be a massive mistake

Danyl Mclauchlan (Dim-Post): Winston Peters is not that unpopular

Rob Salmond (Polity): 2014: Key's personal gamble

Rob Hosking (NBR): Key looks to 2015 (paywalled)

Bayden Harris (Liberal Notes): The Six Headed Monster

Labour Party

Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Clearing the decks

Pattrick Smellie (Stuff): Labour's policy better be good to gain votes

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Will the Cunliffe compromises pay off?

Elise Scott (Newswire): Labour open to post-election deals

Michael Sergel (Newstalk ZB): Coalition situation means Labour could lose out

David Cunliffe (The Standard): David Cunliffe on the State of the Nation

Vernon Small (Stuff): Labour axes tax break policies

Simon Wong and Thomas Mead (TV3): Labour drops GST, tax policies

TVNZ: Labour dumps key policies

Adam Bennett (Herald): Labour ditches GST plan for fruit and veges

No Right Turn: “Clearing the decks”

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Labour dumps tax cuts

Radio NZ: Labour ditches two key tax policies

Business Desk: Labour drops tax cuts in favour of $1.5b of new spending

Will de Cleene (Gonzo): Taxing Times with Sticky Housing

Rob Salmond (Polity): Labour dumps some tax policies

Adam Bennett (Herald): Key: Labour's tax plan 'nothing new'

Ele Ludemann (Homepaddock): No bang, just recycled whimper

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Shearer gets it – partially

Carrie Stoddart-Smith (Ellipsister): Defending the Left-Right dichotomy

Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): There’s Plenty Left: Chris Trotter responds to Paul Buchanan’s critique of the New Zealand Left.

Don Franks (Redline): Labour’s GST and conventional weapons

Latest polls

Vernon Small (Stuff): Election too close to call – poll

Newswire: Left coalition ahead in latest poll

NBR Staff (NBR): Labour/Greens start election year with edge over National - Roy Morgan poll

Frank Macskasy (Daily Blog): Latest Roy Morgan poll bad news for National

Greg Presland (The Standard): Latest Roy Morgan – Labour + Green ahead

Pete George (Your NZ): Small party trends with Roy Morgan

United Future

Radio NZ: Dunne denies deal over reinstatement

Hamish Rutherford (Stuff): No Dunne deal on RMA reform

Kim Dotcom 

Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Head of Dotcom's company joins political party

Adam Bennett (Herald): Dotcom's Mega chief executive resigns to join Internet Party

Andrew Koubaridis (Herald): Police, spies seek recordings and transcripts from Dotcom author

Sean Plunket (RadioLIVE): Dotcom's Internet Party amateur and vain

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Dotcom issues

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Kumar resigns as CEO of Mega to get into politics

Chris Keall (NBR): Kumar - the meat in Internet Party's policy sandwich? (paywalled)

Colin James (ODT): Even if National loses Labour might not really win

Mike Hosking (Newstalk ZB): A summer of political headline-seekers

Tim Dower (Newstalk ZB): Internet Party has no chance of winning

Rob Hosking (NBR): The Dotcom Party balloon: empty, frivolous and ultimately fraudulent

Cameron Slater (Whaleoil): Alastair Thompson standing for internet NZ council elections

Offshore oil and gas

Radio NZ: Community fights for banner

Radio NZ: Cunliffe reiterates drilling stance

Newswire: Labour looks to Norway for oil drilling

Adam Bennett (Herald): Labour promises tougher deep sea oil exploration laws

Patrick Gower (TV3): Labour will honour deep-sea drilling agreements

Laura McQuillan (Newstalk ZB): Labour looks to Norway for inspiration

Radio NZ: Oil drilling stance no barrier for Greens

Speakers conference

Radio NZ: Speakers from around the world in Wellington

Katie Bradford (TVNZ): Speakers gather to tackle dwindling voter numbers

Dan Satherley (TV3): Speakers from around the world meet in Wellington

James Ihaka and Isaac Davison (Herald): Oz Speaker breaks with Maori protocol

Michael Fox (Stuff): Breach of contentious powhiri protocol

Isaac Davison (Herlad): Front row faux pas at powhiri

Len Brown

Fran O'Sullivan (Herald): Mixed result on mayor's performance

3 News Online Staff (TV3): Len Brown considers third term

Amy Maas (Stuff): Private prosecution against Brown pushes on

Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Dear Len, there won’t be a 3rd term mate

Inequality and poverty

Dan Satherley (TV3): Oxfam: It's time to tackle inequality

The Standard: UBI: Addressing Inequality

The Standard: Welfare profiteers

Deena Coster (Stuff): Beneficiaries going straight to get jobs

KJT: UBI (1). Memes and Paradigms.

KJT: UBI (2) Why should we push for a UBI? (Universal basic income).

KJT: UBI (3). Taxes, income and Welfare.

Education

Radio NZ: PM promising new education policies

Audrey Young (Herlad): Schools' principal pay carrot

Nicholas Jones (Herald): Taxpayers fund charter school ads

Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Nats plan financial lures to turn around struggling schools

Danyl McLauchlan (Dim-Post): Skinnnerrrr!

Economy

Herald: Editorial: Early move on interest rates best despite risks

Nelson Mail: Editorial: Long-slumbering economy awakens

RadioLIVE: Calls to fast track immigration for skilled migrants

Maori politics

Radio NZ: Ratana Pa prepares for anniversary

Marty Sharpe (Stuff): Psychologist reviews 'for Maori, by Maori'

Other

Felix Marwick (Newstalk ZB): Collins to report human rights findings to UN

Rosemary McLeod (Stuff): ACC is all take and no give

James Weir (Stuff): Seismic survey of Pegasus Basin to begin within days

Claire Trevett (Herald): MP vows no political spin in DJ stint

Audrey Young (Herlad): DigiPoll votes NZ to stay clear of East China Sea conflict

Natalie Akoorie (Herlad): Haka stirs up feeling of patriotism

3 News Online Staff (TV3): Collins to meet UK counterparts

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Why is Daljit Singh still an Immigration Advisor?

No Right Turn: Time to ban farm animals from our rivers

Eric Crampton (Offsetting Behaviour): Making an ass of the law

David Farrar (Kiwiblog): Some electoral tweaking

Stuff: Politicians flock to Big Gay Out

Radio NZ: Ryall defends elective surgery measures

3 News Online Staff (TV3): Govt gives more cyclone aid

Judith Guthrie (Stuff): Danone a little shaky on moral high ground

TVNZ: NZ frigate to support anti-piracy patrols

James Dann (Rebuilding Christchurch): Like rats from a sinking ship