Yes, A Constitution
We are mature enough to have our own leader. Own our own shit.
Politics
Deep stuff
Where Is New Zealand Extremism Going?
I’ve worked my way through two books recently, both on extremist sects, one about New Zealand groups and one about those in the United States of America. It’s startling.
Poor Regulation Is Burning This Government Down
This government has within its power the ability to alter the crippling cost of living increases we now face. If they don’t do the political job they can do with prices, they will lose power at the election.
The Murdoch’s very bad week
The Murdoch family’s decision to pay record damages to Dominion Voting Systems and to capitulate in its defamation case against Cricky Media suggest that they have had a very bad and a very expensive week.
Really Small States in Really Big Conflicts
We didn’t need the Russian invasion of Ukraine to tell us that great power competition is back, since China and the United States and Russia had been going at it well before even COVID temporarily messed up the multilateral trade system upon which we had built our little country. But it’s made it worse, and so we’re picking a side, and that side is NATO.
We should have a chat about Artificial Intelligence
As we adjust to the advent of civilisation threatening climate change there is a new threat that is emerging, the unregulated development of artificial intelligence.
Why right wing media is bad for democracy and the planet
Newstalk ZB hosts have rightfully been criticised for minimising the danger posed by Cyclone Gabrielle. Which funnily is that they have been doing about climate change for the past few decades.
What Chat GPT thinks of the Standard
I thought that I would get Chat GPT to write 500 words on the Standard and this is what it came up with.
The importance of political narrative
Wayne Brown’s campaign techniques used in the Auckland Mayoral election are likely to be used by National in the election campaign this year.
The Standard’s political awards for 2022
It is that time of year again where the events of the year are reviewed and what was notable, noteworthy and notorious.
Meri Kirihimete
Even on the one day of the year that is meant to be a day of peace and calm and family some people get triggered by the use of Te Reo.
The one thing Jacinda Ardern can do is speak to our hearts
Mawkish sentiment running up to Christmas perhaps, but imagine Luxon or Willis speaking hours after the Christchurch massacre. Only Ardern of the entire Parliament has the ability to govern for calm in the name of the calm we all need.
What Is Labour’s Purpose This Term?
It is time to set out succinctly and without recourse to abstract nouns exactly what this Labour government has intended, is doing, and how it seeks to alter the country.
Can We Prepare for 2023?
2023 is going to hit New Zealanders hard. Since the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes New Zealand has been beset by a new major crisis about once every two years. 2022 was our year off and get ready we are in for a strange and hard recession.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Pause With Map In Hand and Scratch Their Heads
If 2020 was the worst year in my lifetime how does 2022 compare?
Minister Robertson, UK Pensions, and Risk
The political question is whether Kiwis currently losing money on paper can remember this: all investment involves risk and it’s entirely fair for our government to only manage so much of that risk and for the rest to fall on us the investor. Will irrational anxiety beat rational risk in our upcoming politics?
Too Old For Politics
Can you be too old to represent your people? New Zealand’s oldest person to first get elected was William Cargill at 71. Australia’ […]
A few notes on how to get out of this mess
“In an unstable complex system, small islands of coherence have the potential to change the whole system.” – Ilya Progogine.
Putin and Protest
Interesting to see how the Russian protest plays out over conscription. Odd things happen in gatherings with tyrants. Jan 6 was one. But Romania 1989 was one Putin will know well.
We Need A Proper Constitution
She’s in the ground and it’s time.
What is This We Feel?
When Queen Elizabeth is buried it will be the last time we say goodbye to her. More than her.
Transition at the Limits of What People Can Cope With
Many European governments now face a perfect storm of threatened energy security, rising inflation, war-propelled refugee crisis, and climate objectives. New Zealand be warned.
Crikey v Murdoch & News Corp
Australian news site Crikey has taken on Murdoch’s News Corp by reposting an article accusing the Murdoch family of being “Donald Trump’s unindicted co-conspirator” and then taking out advertisements in the New York Times inviting Lachlan Murdoch to sue them.
By Nature Unfair
You can be the most moral nation on earth and have no reward for it.
Was This The Change We Needed?
Crises that profoundly test a small developed state like New Zealand have required huge growth in state strength and policy power. But was it the change we needed?
Rage and the Woke
The past couple of years has seen a significant increase in far right activity and rapidly increasing racism.
Gang Control Policy Is Back Big Time
We are about to have a proper gang control policy contest. It’s about time.
Ukraine as a Multi-Year war
The Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine is now three months old. Prepare for a very long grind.
Truthiness or Ignorance*
The world is too complex and hostile, so why bother trying to learn and understand.
Who Will Protect Us From Media Power Now?
With RNZ and TVNZ now in full merger mode, we have yet another untested state megalith upon us. But where is the power that will hold it to account?
RNZ’s weird take on MIQ
RNZ’s recent shock horror reporting on a memo from November 2021 proposing a wind back of MIQ is severely deficient. The framing is one sided and ignores the subsequent emergence of Omicron as a variant of concern.
Why trust in the media is declining
A recent study into New Zealand’s media suggests that trust in what the media says is declining and that views of what is good and bad media is more and more dependent on the participant’s world view.
Water and Money
If the 3 Waters reforms can survive its attacks and be implemented, a consequence will be that we are going to have a most enormous nationwide economic argument about the price of water and who pays for it all.
Should We Just Settle?
New Zealand does not have to settle for being small, quiet, and weak.
The right to protest Christchurch version
Christchurch Council has billed Destiny Church for traffic management fees relating to recent protests. For once I am firmly if reluctantly on the side of Destiny Church. Exercising the right to protest should not attract Council bills.
Pick a side
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelinsky has made a direct appeal broadcast to the United States Congress. That will sort out the Putin supporters from the rest. And with climate change beckoning it is time to pick a side.