http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz Grant Robertson - Wellington Central Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:15:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I know I said it last year as well, (and thanks to Clare who has held off putting up so I could), but there is nothing that says Christmas to me more than a drunken, somewhat off-key rendition of Fairytale of New York. There is ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/12/24/the-best-christmas-song-2/ For me this leadership contest is about putting together the team that can win the 2014 election. It is only through winning that election that we can put in place the programme that will see the Labour values of fairness, equality and opportunity for all become a reality. In my time ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/12/06/the-deputy-leadership/ Labour has released the major planks of our plan to get the economy working for New Zealanders; taking the tough decisions for the long term, keeping assets, addressing the spiralling cost of living, and giving kids the best start in life. But there has also been a lot ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/11/17/ten-policies-you-might-have-missed/ There is one issue that comes up at almost every meeting, in every town that I have visited in this election, and that is Jobs. Either the general lack of them, or the kinds of jobs that might bring home the children(and grandchildren) that have left, ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/11/15/its-about-jobs/ Interesting to read Jonathan Milne from the Herald on Sunday’s account of the cuppagate tape. Milne says But the potential disclosure of the contents of that conversation – held only a metre away from the closest reporters – could yet throw a rocket into this election campaign. It is a game-changer. And therein ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/11/14/cuppagate-game-changer/ What a curious circus act yesterday between John Key and John Banks. The thing that struck me was the nature of the “endorsement”. First, John Key appears to want National voters in Epsom to vote for John Banks, or so the media tells us. That is National voters except for him, ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/11/12/the-double-negative-endorsement/ There have been lots of reasons to feel proud to be a New Zealander lately. We have hosted what looks to me like a brilliant major sporting tournament (the debacle around the opening notwithstanding) where we have fulfiled the “stadium of 4 million” ideal. And what’s ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/10/18/foodbanks-and-the-underclass/ When I was doing Vote Chat with Bryce Edwards at Otago University on Friday he raised the good question of the political balancing act that surrounds how opposition political parties respond to a disaster, in this case the Rena. As an Opposition there is the ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/10/16/rena-and-leadership/ In Labour’s tertiary education policy announced by David Shearer earlier this week was a small, but very important commitment from Labour. If elected to government we will restore the Refugee Study Grant. This grant was canned by the National Government in the 2009 Budget ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/10/15/restoring-the-refugee-study-grant/ In the wake of the double downgrade, the debt blowout, and further afield the Occupy Wall Street movement, one thing keeps coming through for me. If we want to improve our lot economically, if we want to address the growing inequality in our society, we have ... http://www.grantrobertson.co.nz/2011/10/12/doing-things-differently/