More Anarchy in the UK
Boris Johnson’s reign as UK Prime Minister may be terminal after news of a Downing Street party held during lockdown was leaked to the press.
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
Is it time for the Greens to go their own way?
Climate, ecology, welfare, housing – we are now at the point for the Greens to go ‘fuck it, time to go back to our radical roots’.
What does Luxon do about Hipango?
Harete Hipango is in the news again, this time for posing with a group of anti vaxxers and posting a photo and making some pretty way out there comments on social media.
It’s Time.
In seven or eight days from now, the dutiful lackeys of the NZ government and the public health dept they direct, are set to come after every child in NZ between the ages of 5 and 12 with injections of m-RNA to hand.
Unwanted guests?
When I heard US Secretary of State Blinken’s take-away line from his D.C. press conference on RNZ’s news bulletin today on events in Kazakhstan ‘I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave’ I wondered what the Iraqis would think.
Book Review Helen Kelly: her life
The Helen Kelly biography by Rebacca Macfie provides a clear and intense overview of what has happened to New Zealand society over the past 40 years from a time of high union membership and equality to now where unions struggle and inequality is significant.
Australia’s Omicron problem
With over 61,000 new Covid cases reported yesterday Australia is in the midst of an infection surge that it has not seen before. What lessons can New Zealand learn from Australia’s handling of the pandemic?
A few random predictions for 2022
A few random predictions for 2022.
New Zealand 2 Covid 0 so far …
But Omicron may be loose.
On the death of Joan Didion
We need to remember Joan Didion, who died December 23rd, as perhaps the best defensive pessimist we’ve ever had. She nailed the feet […]
What Starts off in Support of Alabama’s Miners …
What Starts off in Support of Alabama’s Miners turns into a homily from Beau on the power of getting community change going when and only when you have the organisational power to pull it off month after month after month.
The Standard’s 2021 political awards
It is that time of year where nostalgia kicks in and the desire to review current events dims. So much has happened this year. It has truly been twelve months of the praiseworthy and the absolutely pitiful. And it is time to reflect on the personalities who made us smile, made us frown and made us raise our eyebrows to breaking point.
Die Hard is a Christmas movie
Here at the Standard we choose to debate the important issues of the day. What needs to be done about climate change, how the Country’s covid response is going (remarkably well and don’t believe the naysayers), and which National faction is leaking and undermining which leader. But there is one debate that is currently raging that has until now not been addressed …
Our Energy Upheaval
Ministers Wood, Shaw and Parker (Energy, Climate Change, and RMA reform respectively), must pull their eyes downward from the misty clouds of climate change and stuff multiple decades away and down into the jagged, shadowy deal-by-deal path of the transition to clean energy.
Can Labor Win Australia Back?
Coming up surprising quickly in 2022 is the Australian federal election – and Labor has a good shot.
No One Cares
I had reason to visit Waitara in Taranaki recently, and I don’t want to sound like there’s a different world still operating … […]
V Day!
Yesterday was Aotearoa’s V day, the day that we reached the goal of having 90% of the target population vaccinated against Covid.
The country’s books are in remarkably good shape
As the country rebounds out of partial lockdown the Treasury’s recently released half yearly Economic and Fiscal update suggests that the Country’s accounts are in remarkably good shape.
New Zealand moving Green
Long overdue, the recent Green upward trend continues.
Goodbye, Auckland
For the hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders who have decided to holiday at a town near you, just be careful: they may never leave.
Clearing the decks
The draft report into Nick Smith’s treatment of a young staff member that eventually saw him leave Parliament has made its way into the public realm, just in time to be lost in the pre Christmas media wash up.
Fair pay agreements – the employers fight back
BusinessNZ and Federated Farmers have this week attacked the Government for intending to implement policy designed to improve the plight of poorly paid workers.
Anarchy in the UK
Boris Johnson is on the ropes. Not because of the disastrous effects of Brexit which only passed because of some of the whoppers that he told, but because of a Christmas party held last year at 10 Downing Street at a time when the UK was under a strict lockdown.
The Freedom Bus is on the move *
But special entry conditions including being double vaccinated or having a recent clear Covid test apply.
Is National’s Luxon among the quick or the dead?
Simon Louisson has been observing Chris Luxon with a journalists eye over the last week, especially with regard to the Jack Tame interview. A bit of a mixed bag. Fast thinking but with baggage. It will be interesting to see whether the electorate will again suppress its egalitarian instincts and vote for a smooth-talking rich man.
Fonterra’s Capital Restructure
Fonterra is in the middle of a big restructure of its capital. It is still the case given its dominance over us that where Milk Supertanker Fonterra goes, we go.
National’s caucus reshuffle
The deckchairs have been reshuffled. And Chris Luxon is confident that reorganising the pecking order of a deeply dysfunctional caucus will make all the difference.
Some good news about Covid
In Auckland there ares welcome signs that the spread of Covid is declining and the Health system is holding up. And the Vaccination roll out has gone that well that Chris Luxon has described Auckland as having some of the highest vaccination rates of any city in the world.
Who will be the next Auckland Mayor?
Efeso Collins has announced that if Phil Goff does not stand as Mayor and Labour runs a selection process for the next Mayoralty he would be keen to nominate.
Chris Luxon is not National’s messiah
Two days into Chris Luxon’s reign as National leader and my initial impression is an overwhelming Meh.
National’s new leader is …
Chris Luxon is set to be the next leader of the National Party.
Wanted: a new Leader of the Opposition
National needs a new leader of the opposition. The Standard has been leaked a list of the necessary qualifications …
The US withdraws from Afghanistan and the inevitable happened
The withdrawal in August of US and allied troops from Afghanistan saw the return of the Taliban in control of that country. This sadly was always going to be the outcome once the US and its allies withdrew.
National’s factional problem
National’s basic problem is that it has three discrete factions, christian conservatives, urban liberals and the country grouping. And no coherent vision to reconcile these totally disparate groupings.
Class oppression and discrimination
A brief analysis of power.
What National Needs To Do
Since the left are experts at internal knifing, National should learn from the left about how to recover. What National needsto do to recover.