How To Get There 7/4/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
Politics
Posts on government and governence at national and local level, political parties,politicians, and political participation
This Is Who We Really Are
As we prepare for ANZAC Day, the Kapiti RSA has been viciously attacked for wanting to show solidarity with NZ’s Muslim community. Maggie writes about what that means and suggests who we really are.
Trump’s tax returns and the Mueller investigation
Donald Trump and his supporters have been celebrating Mueller’s finding as interpreted by William Barr. But with Congress formally requesting his tax records and with the Mueller report not being yet released the celebration could be premature.
Why we cannot afford to tolerate fascists
Inn the United Kingdom a neo nazi has been convicted of making plans to kill a female Labour Member of Parliament.
David is delayed
David Seymour has done something even more embarrassing than twerking on Dancing with the Stars.
Life and Death in Aotearoa – Debating Euthanasia
David Seymour’s Private Member’s Bill on euthanasia is back for debate in Parliament. Maggie looks at one of the great social issues of our time.
Brexit: May’s Remaining Options for Leaving
Theresa May is entering the Brexit death spiral. Her last real chance to get her own preferred deal over the line will happen in a Tory cabinet meeting overnight. But what are the other options?
UPDATE: May has now invited Jeremy Corbyn for talks on a soft Brexit. But will the Labour leader be in a mood to help?
Dumb as a plank
Pro gun lobby groups are making some outlandish claims about the Government’s proposed gun law changes.
Walking the Human Rights Tightrope in NZ Prisons
The question of prisoners’ rights has hit the news today. That’s rare because we don’t normally care.
A new Guest Post from Maggie puts the case that we walk a tightrope when we seek to simplify the complex issues at play in prison.
The benefits of a Labour led Government
Today marks the day that the largest ever increase in the minimum wage will occur.
Simon Bridges is seeking to join the Labour Party
The Standard understands from two reliable sources that Simon Bridges has applied for membership of the Labour Party. More news as it comes to hand …
James Casson and why YOU should Stand for Council
Hamilton City Councillor James Casson has been exposed as a bigot. You can help rid NZ of people like him in just a few months. Time to put your best foot forward, Standarnistas!
How To Get There 31/3/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
The gun lobby fights back
The Herald is reporting that Gun City the business that sold the military style semi automatic weapons to the Christchurch Mosque killer, has urged customers to sign a petition against banning military style semi automatic weapons.
Rooting Out Racism
TS regular Maggie with an excellent analysis of the challenges facing men in a society in transition and what that means for the fight against racism.
Xi-ing Jacinda
Jacinda Ardern will get a very warm welcome in Beijing based on immense respect for her and for New Zealand. Xi Jin-Ping has just returned from a very successful visit to Europe, joining Italy to the Belt and Road initiative and buying 300 jets from Airbus. Pepe Escobar outlines the implications for Eurasia. Much food for thought.
The Green Party on the Mosque murders
Recent criticism of Marama Davidson and Golriz Ghahraman over their drawing links between racism and the Mosque murders is misplaced.
Leading a feminist Pacific
It’s time to convert Ardern’s massive global symbolic capital into a lasting legacy for the Pacific. It’s time for a feminist international development policy.
The Repentant Right
The former leader of various NZ neo Nazi groups reckons the kiwi far right are being driven underground. TRP argues they will instead look for another home.
Did Hanson’s One Nation Party seek funding from the NRA and the Koch Brothers?
Pauline Hanson’s One Australia party is trying to defend claims that it should funding to oppose gun restrictions from the NRA and the Koch Brothers by stating that its chief of staff was drunk.
WTF Free Speech coalition?
The Free Speech coalition has attacked the Chief Censor’s decision to rule the Christchurch Mosque killer’s manifesto as objectionable as an attack on free speech. But the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has characterised the Censor’s decision as being entirely conventional.
We need more than capital gains tax to address inequality
The most important comment in the Tax Working Group’s Final Report is that even the reasonably comprehensive capital gains tax proposed is likely to have only a minor impact on addressing inequality — what is needed is a more progressive income tax system that lifts the top marginal tax rate
Trump: Nyet Collusion!
The Mueller report apparently clears Donald Trump of collusion. However, charges of obstruction of justice against his team remain possible.
Reform of the SIS
Following the Christchurch Mosque murders there are strong calls for an inquiry into the SIS. But should it be given more power or should it be reformed to remove a pretty clear blind spot.
The trouble with Facebook
The Government and some major corporations have called for changes to Facebook in the way it operates.
How To Get There 24/3/19
Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.
Terrorist’s Writing Banned
The terrorist’s published writing has been banned with immediate effect. This is a very good thing.
Mueller Report Complete
The Mueller report has dropped. The next few days are going to be crucial for the Trump presidency.
Adequate gun control and (almost) complete party support.
Now that I’ve had time to look through what has been implemented and what is proposed to happen with changes to gun laws and think about it. I’m almost satisfied. Since that so seldom happens that I suspect a gotcha, I’m now going to keep debugging until I am sure that it is actually as good as it looks.
Rambo has been constrained. Now about those other semi-automatics?
Jacinda Ardern has announced an effective ban by an order in council on the current sales of all military-style semi-automatic weapons and all assault rifles. There will be legislation passed to remove them from the hands of the public including a buyback and prison terms for possession. Not quite far enough yet. (Updated as I see other details)
Banning Rambo weapons not a knee-jerk
Passing stringent gun controls is far from a knee-jerk reaction to the Christchurch massacre – our politicians of all stripes have procrastinated over this ever since the 1990 Aramoana massacre. We already have the 13 recommendations of the 2017 Law & Order committee that were rejected. Let us at the very least now accept those.
Westland Dairy sale
Westland Dairy has done a deal to sell out to Yili industrial Group of Mongolia. This company is the third largest dairy company in New Zealand.
The power of compassionate politics
Jacinda Ardern has shown over the past week that she is one of the country’s best leaders.
National’s unfortunate misstatement about its migrant petition
National has been caught out in what is euphemistically called a misspeak about when it took its odious anti UN Migration pact petition down from its website. It said it was weeks before the Christchurch murders but it appears the petition was still live after the event.
DPF does the right thing
Kiwiblog comments have been turned off as David Farrar grapples with how to handle a crisis concerning hate speech.
Lets ban assault weapons – now
The Government needs to urgently change the law to ban the sale of military style semi automatic weapons.