Alliance Party co leader Kay Murray says that with the announcement that the Progressive Party will no longer be contesting elections, the Alliance Party would welcome any Progressive’s and others who do not wish to take Jim Anderton’s advice and join the Labour Party.

“To all accounts the Progressive Party is winding up. Progressive members who do not feel at home with the Rogernomics style, right wing economic policies of Phil Goff’s Labour Party will find themselves more at home in the Alliance.”

Alliance Party policies including free healthcare and education, affordable housing, progressive taxation, and a liveable wage or benefit, would appeal to those disappointed with the final merging of the Progressive Party into the Labour Party, a process that had long ago occurred in all but name.

“It would make much more sense to join a party that believes in the same things as you do, rather than, as Mr Anderton suggests, join the Labour Party and try to persuade them to adopt your ideas. Labour hasn’t listened in the past so why would you expect them to listen in the future?” Continue Reading

Canterbury Alliance Regional Chair, Quentin Findlay, said that Progressive Party Leader, Jim Anderton’s decision to be in a coalition with Labour in opposition, amounted to the de-facto ‘winding up’ of Jim Anderton’s Progressive Party.

“Jim Anderton has signalled that there really isn’t a difference between the two parties. In essence, Mr Anderton has announced the dissolution of the Progressive Party in all but name.”

Mr Findlay said it was one thing to work with the Labour Party over areas of common interest, but quite another to tie yourself completely to them. Continue Reading

by Sarah Campbell

I am running on the Alliance list this election. In the past few weeks I have encountered a lot of wry smiles, some open laughter, a lot of confusion, and some angry contempt. It’s the last one that bothers me the most of course, although it does make me sad and frustrated when people don’t know what the Alliance is, or think that we’re still Jim Anderton (he’s a party all to himself, I say).

What annoys me is people who say they are lefties too, and that we should be ashamed for splitting the left vote. Some of them seem more annoyed at me than at John Key. So I would like to put my case for why I am standing for the Alliance, and why that’s a move I will be proud of, no matter who comes out on top on November 8. Continue Reading

Alliance Party List candidate and Canterbury Convenor Quentin Findlay says that he is bemused by an attempt by the Council of Trade Unions and Jim Anderton’s Progressive Party to ‘airbrush’ the Alliance Party from New Zealand’s political history.

Recent pamphlets and announcements from both organisations had given credit to Jim Anderton’s Progressive Party for Four Weeks Annual Leave, Kiwibank and Paid Parental Leave.

Mr Findlay says that while Paid Parental Leave was mentioned in the CTU pamphlet as being a policy achieved by minority parties in partnership with Labour, it did not mention the party responsible – the Alliance.

Even more startling, the Progressive Party has awarded itself the full credit of these policies introduced during a 1999 – 2002 Government when it did not exist. Continue Reading

Name: Denis O’Connor

Candidate Profile:
Denis is a long time resident of Spreydon part of the Wigram electorate in Christchurch where Jim Anderton is M.P. Denis describes himself as “actively retired” – he doesn’t know how he had the time to go to work. He worked as an employment projects advisor for the last 10 years in NZES before it was gobbled up by Work and Income under a National Government.

Candidate Statement:
Denis says that over 60’s in Spreydon were recently told in a letter from Jim Anderton that nothing could be done about electricity, petrol and food prices. The Alliance party will stop such nonsense by eliminating GST on food and restoring publicly owned electricity generation. Denis is committed to letting people in Wigram know that there is a better way for them.

From the Gisborne Herald, Monday, 9 June 2008

By Iain Gillies

Almost destroyed by internecine strife several years ago, the Alliance is pitching itself as a voice for working class New Zealanders in this year’s election.

Under the co-leadership of Dunedin’s Kay Murray and Christchurch barrister Andrew McKenzie, it has already announced 12 candidates and is compiling its party list.

The Alliance has struggled in recent times since its dramatic split between former leader Jim Anderton and former president Matt McCarten.

But it has retained enough membership to be officially registered, and is gaining in numbers according to former co-leader Victor Billot who is now running the party’s campaign.

In a cheeky move this week, Mr Billot encouraged supporters of Mr Anderton’s Progressive party to desert him and join the Alliance. Continue Reading

Alliance Party spokesperson Victor Billot says that Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton’s rejection of calls for reduced prices for dairy products is “sour milk from a fat cat.”

He says that Jim Anderton has sold out on his supporters and should be turfed out at the coming election.

Mr Anderton’s statement in response to calls for reduced prices on dairy products has been that “the only sustainable way to price goods is by international markets.”

Mr Billot says this was fine coming from an establishment politician on a “full cream Ministerial salary.” Continue Reading

http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article.asp?aid=11266&iid=856&sud=41
by Iain Gillies
Friday, 19 October, 2007
Reduced to a mere blip on the political radar in the past two elections, the Alliance party is pinning hopes on its national conference in Dunedin over Labour Weekend helping regain some of its former image.
Four elections under MMP have witnessed a calamitous slump in Alliance support, exacerbated in 2002 by a serious split in which leader Jim Anderton quit to form the Progressive party.
The Alliance at present does not even have a leader, the organisation being held together by president Victor Billot.
But it is about to rectify this deficiency, has maintained a national structure as a registered political party, and has continued to represent — in Mr Billot’s words — “a consistent and principled voice for the genuine Left”. Continue Reading

Iain Gillies of the Gisborne Herald writes today that the growth of bureaucracy is becoming a concern at both ends of the political spectrum — from ACT on the right to the Alliance on the left — raising questions about how the term is defined.

Read the full story here.

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