The F word
It probably isn’t possible to have rational discussion about the F word. It has been trivialised by overuse as a meaningless term of […]
Guest post
Reaching out to the ‘No’ vote
I must confess that Key’s position on the repeal of s59 has puzzled me from the moment he started cooperating with the Labour […]
Snake oil
I’m surprised that the Maori Party have rolled over so easily on the issue of Maori seats on the Auckland council. I will […]
Time for Key to show some backbone
John Key thinks there’s no need to change the law in the wake of the smacking referendum, but he does think there’s a […]
First they came for Spongebob
One of the most powerful conservative Christian fundamentalist groups in America is Focus on the Family. This group has an impressive organisation, income, […]
Are we this stupid?
I got along to the Greens’ sold-out screening of The Age of the Stupid last night. It’s a powerful movie, perhaps a bit […]
Well done National
The polls are still fine but National are looking a wee bit crispy round the edges right now. Nice Mr Key has a […]
Will Key fold?
Interesting times for Key. Rodney is trying to wag the dog over Maori seats. He’s also trying it on over the “smacking referendum” […]
Punching below our weight
I’m proud to be a Kiwi, and I’ve always enjoyed celebrating the successes of our tiny country. It’s not often that I feel […]
The cost of doing nothing
The climate change debate is over (apart from a few luntatics of course). The debate is now about what to do, and the […]
Kohia te kai rangatira, ruia te taitea
For just a moment today, perhaps set aside a little time for reflection on, or to lift a glass and toast those New […]
Editorials blogs and anonymity
What is the difference between a newspaper editorial and a post on a popular political blog? I was pondering this question because I […]
Those who do not learn
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. National has learned nothing from the failure of the neoliberal policies […]
Someone give Rodney a Smack
Rodney Hide is increasingly becoming an embarrassment to the government. The perception that he has created is that he will back to the […]
Of witch hunts and solo mums
Frank Macskasy The recent witch-hunt against solo-mums would have done the old Salem village-elders proud. The fires, though, could have been stoked just […]
Taxing times
In my opinion Pundit is one of the treasures of the NZ news/blog space. The posts are frequently excellent, in a world where […]
Electoral finance – summary of submissions
The Ministry of Justice has released a summary of the submissions it got on its Electoral Finance Issues Document. They got 79. The […]
What a coincidence
So there I was, just a walking down the street, and $47,000 just fell out of the sky in tax free readies, bam, […]
Field’s guilt and Farrar’s shame
Over at Kiwiblog DPF has wet himself with excitement at the Field verdict. Sadly however, he doesn’t get two bullet points into his […]
Accountability then and now…
Then: Labour Minister David Parker accused of financial wrongdoing (filing incorrect returns). He resigns Ministerial portfolios and as Attorney General while the Companies […]
Section 59 and child abuse
Late last week households around the country received their referendum envelope that asks “Should a smack as part of good parental correction be […]
What goes around…
Paula Bennett appears to have broken the law in releasing private information on members of the public who were critical of National’s “ambitious” […]
Youth Court Judge speaks out, sky doesn’t fall
A couple of weeks ago Justice Minister Simon Power slammed Chief Justice Sian Elias for commenting on possibilities of change in the criminal […]
The Herald soils its pulpit
Thundering from the pulpit is a fine old editorial tradition, and The Herald has often held forth on the rule of law. Starting […]
Comfortable with bullying
John Key is “comfortable” with his Minister Paul Bennett releasing private information (in breach of the Cabinet Manual, Privacy Commission guidelines, and the […]
Memo to the Herald
Dear nzherald.co.nz, The opinions expressed in the Your Views section of your website are not an accurate reflection of public opinion in New […]
One small step for a man . . .
It took just a few seconds, it was reasonable and considered, yet, amazingly, a suggestion from David Slack of Island Life has achieved […]
What they’re really playing at
Business Roundtable chair Rob McLeod has a piece in today’s Dom Post motivating the case for amending anti-discrimination laws to allow “affirmative action” […]
Productive editorial
Interesting editorial on National’s new Productivity Taskforce in Saturday’s Herald. Australia’s Productivity Commission (independent, highly successful, and enjoying cross-party support) could have served […]
Dark visions
I still get the chills some times remembering how close the Left came to losing the 2005 election. If it hadn’t been for […]
John Key, centrist
IrishBill commented last night that “John Key the centrist” is a narrative we’re not hearing much from the commentariat any more. I thought […]
Closing the gap
I take it all back. Key really is a genius! I didn’t think he could do it, but I underestimated him. Under his […]
Winston rising
Like some bad horror movie, from beyond the political grave, it stirs again. Christine Rankin? Unbelievably – yes. Don Brash? Well yes, him […]
Talking shite
Right wing rhetoric can be absurdly stupid at times. IrishBill recently reminded us how crazy things were getting near the last election: One […]
Meme to Labour: Enough of the Should be, more of the Would be.
After 9 months of watching the rich get richer, with their triple dip cuts, first in taxes, then in private school fees, and […]
Secret moves to censor the net
Does it seem odd to you that on March 20th 2009 the Minister for IT & Comms, Mr Steven Joyce, said the following: “We […]