No tears for Starmer
An MI6 plant in my opinion. A hollow man, deeply duplicitous, a Zionist warmonger whose only job was to expunge the Labour left. He will not be missed or regretted.
Politics
democracy under attack
In defence of the MP’s lot
Surging populist thinking is compounding neo-liberalism’s dislike of the public sector and our democratic institutions.
Smash Left populism, get Right populism
That’s Starmer’s achievement, as the local elections show. He always was a muppet puppet; his string-pullers are much more sinister.
Iran: Compounding Chaos
Trump’s attack on Iran, in cahoots with, or in support of, his regional proxy, Israel, is illegal, but also unconscionable in moral and […]
Iran in the vortex – what’s really going on?
To understand what’s going on in Iran, abandon what the Persians invented centuries ago: Manichaeism, black-and-white, political framing.
Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific. The White House National Security Strategy.
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.
New Zealand losing democracy rapidly
Many unaware as what we hold dear and for granted slips.
David Seymour’s Act Repeals Freedom and Democracy
For all people who believe and stand for freedom & democracy, know thy enemy, who has a name and a platform.
76% of Kiwis rate National Coalition poor to neutral
Government hits a NEW low today after hitting a previous record low in February 2025
The 2025 Local Government Election results
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.
Give Young People The Vote
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.
Gerrymander alert – Government running scared
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.
When Government does not want to listen to the people
The Coalition is utterly disrespectful to the people.
The World Turned Upside Down (again)
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.
The Left Trumped?
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?
When you remove nuts & bolts, things tend to fall over
Nuts and loose screws are holding together this callous coalition government.
Democracy in Dire Straits
Like an auto-immune disease, democracy can attack itself with dire consequences.
Fast-Track to Fast-Fail
Only a fool insists on furiously flogging a dead horse to go faster on the track.
Are we drifting away or falling apart?
What is the antidote for our socio-economic problems and how do we deal with this coalition government?
Towards Banana Republic Status
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.
Where is Melissa Lee?
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.
A sad lament from the serial left
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?”
National and the Gutting of Local Democracy
We have remarkably little democracy left in New Zealand.
The best Electoral System that money can buy
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.
Atlas smirked
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.
The New Zealand’s New Neo-Authoritarian Coalition Government
The coalition government has hijacked the democratic process for its own partisan and nefarious agenda.
Why won’t Winston Peters answer straight forward questions about NZ First policy?
Jack Tame vs Winston Peters.
Seymour’s bad faith Treaty policy
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.
NACT’s Law & Order Policies: Dog Whistle Or Proto-Fascism?
NACT’s Law & Order policies are a dog whistle and signs of proto-fascism.
Iwi Kiwi 2.0
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.
We Need A Proper Constitution
She’s in the ground and it’s time.
The Freedumb Protesters give protesting a bad name
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.
Trump and Russia
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.
Demand the debate
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.
America’s Democratic Decline Really Matters
With the United States Supreme Court allowing individual states to choke voting rights into bare consciousness, that country is accelerating its democratic decline. That matters for every democracy including ours.
Openness and transparency
On the weekend Andrea Vance gave the Government a bit of a serve about its record on openness and transparency. But a deeper dig into the issue suggests that the cause may have nothing to do with the Government’s preferences and everything to do with the volume of information requests made by the opposition.