The Race for Tamaki
Normally the seat of Tamaki is won by the right but given a potential vote split, a Teal type response to the right’s culture war campaigns and an outstanding campaign by Labour’s Max Harris anything is possible.
Politics
Culture wars
The Government suddenly wants to limit the damage it has caused to our climate response
After spending all term undermining the Country’s climate change response the Government now wants to improve the country’s ability to meet the Country’s Paris Accord obligations.
Aotearoa’s very own Donald Trump
New Zealand First is peddling nonsense law changes straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. And engaging in obnoxious racist behaviour. And Christopher Luxon does not have the ability to stop them or control them.
The infantilisation of Western Grand Strategy – and the rise of Eurasia.
The greatest threat Russia poses to Europe is not that it marches west but that it turns its back and builds a brighter future to the east. We may be witnessing the emergence of a Eurasian World Order.
Shut up you dickhead
Chris Bishop has chosen to say loudly and publicly “what a load of crap” during a song celebrating Te Reo Maori performed during the Aotearoa Music Awards ceremony.
Culture wars and the Waitākere Ranges
Claims have been made that Auckland Council is giving away rights to the Waitākere Ranges to local iwi. But the claims suffer from that important characteristic of not actually being true.
Keep on Digging
The latest outbursts and brain farts from the great Kumara of the North…
Open to all today in Nick’s Kōrero – Shane Jones calls climate change ‘woke’ and says, ‘Send the Mexicans home’.
Labour’s Long-Sightedness and the Opposition’s Opprobrious Omniabsence
New Zealand is sleepwalking to an unmitigated constitutional, societal, and environmental disaster under the smokescreen of culture wars.
Culture wars are a diversion from addressing class struggles
Ditch the NZ culture wars if we really want challenge status quo.
Safer streets or unsafer streets?
The Government is planning to reverse Labour’s previous policy relating to permanent safe speeds around schools. The change will decrease safety and walking and cycling and increase car use. And the upside is?
It’s not a culture war, it’s a class war, and the left should be naming it as such
The culture wars exist, and they are a tool weaponised in the class war.
The Culture War Coalition
We have just had yet another week of the Government manufacturing culture wars and picking fights while ignoring the big issues. Like dealing with climate change, child poverty and homelessness.
News and New Zealand Democracy
How do we prevent the decline of broadcast tv news being a deep wound to our democracy?
Ratana and The Treaty of Waitangi
“My understanding is a guy came out as a prophet of his own religious movement in the 1870s. And politicians feel a strange obligation to be there every year. I’ve never felt that.” David Seymour is shallow as a birdbath.
About that Speech from the Throne
The new Government blows the dog-whistle like the pied piper.
Countering Conspiracy – the Green Party is not in a Civil War
Trust in academics is on a downslide, as is trust in general. This is exacerbated by academics hiding a personal-political agenda when they dabble in the public domain.
An appeal to Putin’s Apologists
Guest with a life of anti-fascist and anti-war activism in their rear-view mirror, alarmingly finds at fifty that they are staring at the green shoots of fascism in their headlights.This is not where any progressive expected to be. But for the left, there is also no discounting fascist action by offering up the reasoning of the aggressor.
If not now then when?
Yet another school shooting has occurred this time in Texas with 19 children and two teachers shot. And this weekend the NRA is holding its annual Convention in Texas and Donald Trump is one of the guest speakers.
He’s baaack
For the first time since the election Winston Peters has reemerged. But instead of talking about the country’s problems such as climate change, child poverty and recovering from the global pandemic he chose to concentrate on the “over” use of Te Reo, cycleways and gangs.
Bryce Edwards: The State of the political left (in the Age of Outrage)
What role has the political left played in helping create some of the changes to the current way politics is debated?
Reasons to abandon NZ’s Five-Eyed Folly
Wayne Brown’s recent suggestion “Is it time to sell our seat on FiveEyes?” is from someone well placed by experience to form an educated opinion. “Trade sanctions of the type Australia is facing are a weapon used by both USA and China. So let’s have a debate on whether we need Five Eyes, or whether it’s time for us to trade on independently.”
Who says cancel culture is a bad thing?
It may be that we have heard publicly from John Banks for the last time. If so this will be a good thing.
Tick Tock Tik-Tok
Trump has announced he will ban Tik-Tok from the United States. It’s Chinese-owned so there. Or maybe he will force it to be sold to Americans.Don’t think security is the issue; kids used it to stuff up his Tulsa rally. And it is good for mockery, as clips about Trump and Pompeo show. Don’t think that will stop if Americans own it.
White Riot
Love Music, Hate Racism? Here’s the film for you!
Looking the wrong way? The SIS in New Zealand
Richard Northey and Nicky Hager will discuss their experiences with the SIS over the past thirty-five years, what they reveal about the agency’s values and culture, and what we might want to see in the forthcoming review of the intelligence and security agencies post the Christchurch mosque massacre. St Andrews Church, The Terrace, Wellington, Friday 3 July 5:30pm. All welcome, register here.
Federated Farmers launches petition against its business model
Federated Farmers has started a petition against an educational resource that teaches about climate change and activism because it does not present their industry in a sufficiently positive way.