Written By: - Date published: 11:44 am, March 5th, 2026 - 39 comments
Trump’s attack on Iran, in cahoots with, or in support of, his regional proxy, Israel, is illegal, but also unconscionable in moral and political terms. It is a resurgence of the post-war experience, in which the development of the rules-based international order was qualified by the arbitrary actions of “big players” in Iran, Suez, Cuba […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 pm, January 16th, 2026 - 26 comments
To understand what’s going on in Iran, abandon what the Persians invented centuries ago: Manichaeism, black-and-white, political framing.
Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, December 19th, 2025 - 18 comments
the US administration stresses that countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan will need to militarise as never before in peacetime to keep China in its place.
Written By: - Date published: 5:46 pm, December 5th, 2025 - 6 comments
Many unaware as what we hold dear and for granted slips.
Written By: - Date published: 1:43 pm, November 22nd, 2025 - 28 comments
For all people who believe and stand for freedom & democracy, know thy enemy, who has a name and a platform.
Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, November 17th, 2025 - 5 comments
Government hits a NEW low today after hitting a previous record low in February 2025
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, October 12th, 2025 - 49 comments
The provisional Local Government election results have shown appalling turnout especially in Auckland and a voter reaction against large rates increases, potentially caused by the shelving of the Three Waters Reform package.
Written By: - Date published: 2:53 pm, July 27th, 2025 - 25 comments
If we are to renew the purpose of democracy after this current bunch of old people have had a crack at shrinking it, we need to turn this into something prospective voters can actually hope for: they can make change happen through the vote.
Written By: - Date published: 3:49 pm, July 25th, 2025 - 9 comments
You know a government is in trouble when it has to resort to gerrymander to boost its prospects. The coalition government’s decision to restrict voter enrolment is disgraceful.
Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, March 29th, 2025 - 27 comments
The Coalition is utterly disrespectful to the people.
Written By: - Date published: 4:52 pm, March 19th, 2025 - 73 comments
The world is in turmoil as political and economic uncertainty grow, and as conflict spreads. How the Left prepares for the next decade is a pressing challenge.
Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, November 21st, 2024 - 36 comments
We woke up last week to the post-mortem on the US election. How and why Trump won, and their implications for political alignments everywhere, are front and centre. A fundamental issue, explicitly identified when Trump won in 2016, is the presence of large sections of the working class vote into the Trump camp. So why has that happened – again?
Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, June 22nd, 2024 - 21 comments
Nuts and loose screws are holding together this callous coalition government.
Written By: - Date published: 7:27 pm, June 20th, 2024 - 59 comments
Like an auto-immune disease, democracy can attack itself with dire consequences.
Written By: - Date published: 7:33 pm, June 8th, 2024 - 35 comments
Only a fool insists on furiously flogging a dead horse to go faster on the track.
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, May 18th, 2024 - 16 comments
What is the antidote for our socio-economic problems and how do we deal with this coalition government?
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, April 17th, 2024 - 27 comments
There is a bill before Parliament right now that has the potential of blowing a rather big hole in our reputation as an open and transparent democracy.
Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, March 4th, 2024 - 44 comments
The New Zealand media sector has been in turmoil during the past week. But Broadcasting Minister has refused to publicly discuss what is happening or what her government proposes to do about it.
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 pm, February 13th, 2024 - 103 comments
Attacking leftists attempts to expose the Atlas Network of right-wing think tanks, Chris Trotter offers this gem “Morally speaking, is taking money from oil companies really all that distinguishable from giving money to oil companies every time we fill up our petrol tank?”
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 pm, February 13th, 2024 - 16 comments
We have remarkably little democracy left in New Zealand.
Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, January 19th, 2024 - 22 comments
The Independent Electoral Review Panel has recommended changes to the electoral system including the banning of any donations unless made by enrolled voters, a cap on the size of those donations and a requirement that third parties disclose all large donations that they receive.
Written By: - Date published: 12:15 pm, January 7th, 2024 - 115 comments
A George Monbiot article in the Guardian made me wonder what effect the Atlas Network is having on New Zealand politics through the Taxpayer’s Union. Publicly available information suggests considerable funding is being made available and that the current Government’s priorities are precisely those that the Atlas Network would approve of.
Written By: - Date published: 2:36 pm, December 21st, 2023 - 20 comments
The coalition government has hijacked the democratic process for its own partisan and nefarious agenda.
Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, October 2nd, 2023 - 116 comments
Jack Tame vs Winston Peters.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, September 20th, 2023 - 67 comments
ACT’s proposal to put the potential meaning of the Treaty of Waitangi up for popular vote in a referendum is absurd dog whistling of the worst sort.
Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, June 26th, 2023 - 22 comments
NACT’s Law & Order policies are a dog whistle and signs of proto-fascism.
Written By: - Date published: 1:53 pm, May 10th, 2023 - 54 comments
In 2005 the National Party went full on racist with attacks on supposed Maori privilege which almost won the party power. Looks like they are going to try this tactic again.
Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, September 20th, 2022 - 41 comments
She’s in the ground and it’s time.
Written By: - Date published: 8:43 am, November 10th, 2021 - 58 comments
As a principle the right to protest is important. But the freedumb protesters making outlandish claims and at the same time plagarizing the language of progressive protest movements deserves to be called out.
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, July 18th, 2021 - 41 comments
The Guardian has reported on claims of a leaked Russian Government paper which on the face of it confirms Russian support for the Trump 2016 election at the highest level.
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, July 13th, 2021 - 52 comments
In two separate leaks it has emerged that Judith Collins privately briefed Don Brash on National’s demand the debate campaign and that Brash wrote to wealthy donors seeking $300,000 for an Iwi Kiwi style billboard response.
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