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’ […]
International
australian politics
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.
Ardern’s Leadership Generates Pacific Results
New Zealand has been overdue to show strong results in the Pacific Islands. Not a moment too soon, this is what Prime Minister Ardern delivered.
Militarising the Pacific
The Solomons Islands security agreement with China led to paroxysms of ‘serious concern’ about militarisation of the Pacific. 3 days before the Pacific Island Forum convened, 4 US B-2 nuclear-capable stealth bombers deployed on rotation into Australia. I know what worries me most.
The benefits of Ardern’s recent overseas trips
Jacinda Ardern has just completed three overseas trips. The cumulative benefits for the country are extraordinary and I have never witnessed anything similar from another New Zealand leader. But local responses from sectors of the media have been muted. Why is this?
How Democracy Weakens
It’s pretty commonplace now to observe that Prime Minister Ardern is doing well overseas but tanking at home.
The Australian Election
Post for people to comment on developing news about the Australian election.
The Media and the Australian election
I cannot understand why in Australia Scotty from Marketing still has a fighting chance of remaining as Prime Minister. But the recent tightening in the polls suggests that this is a possibility.
Australien Government Ad: Election 2020
JuiceMedia have done their high quality opinionated but fact based satire Honest Government Ad describing the lowlights of the current Aussie shitshow. If you haven’t seen it yet, then be my guest.
Early voting opens in Aussie election
The early voting polls have opened in Australia, so the election there is nigh. Reading on the election there has been interesting. The weirdness of marginal seats. The burgeoning dissatisfaction and probable deciding impact of Aussie women on this election result.
The Natives are Getting Uppity
Jacinda Ardern is “gravely concerned.” Peeni Henare was ‘”caught off-guard.”. Barnaby Joyce feels “intimidated.” Solomon Islands PM Sogavare found it “insulting to be branded as unfit to manage our sovereign affairs.” I think he is right.
The world in 6 months
In six months time the world could be in a very precarious position.
The importance of proper mask wearing
With an Omicron surge appearing to be inevitable the importance of proper mask wearing has never been more important.
Omicron is coming
So far the country has fought back and eliminated the original Covid infection, won a couple of skirmishes and then and fought and quelled the Delta incursion. But it looks like Omicron is coming …
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.
Can Labor Win Australia Back?
Coming up surprising quickly in 2022 is the Australian federal election – and Labor has a good shot.
New Zealand’s New Low Carbon Economy Stays Difficult
Southland Mayor Gary Tong has justified felling a forest to construct a coal mine by saying “[w]e all want to make a cleaner, greener planet, but we can’t do it in five minutes.”
Even China is struggling with Delta
China, which has previously successfully suppressed the Covid virus, is struggling with a delta outbreak. And questions are being asked if suppression is still viable.
COP26 is on
The show is now on for Conference of Parties 26 (COP 26), where countries show each other how they will achieve the Paris […]
More Promises from Prime Minister Morrison
So, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is preparing for a November resumption of international air travel.
Goodbye Gladys
Mike Hosking’s go to female Politician Gladys Berejiklian has resigned in disgrace after the Independent Commission against Corruption announced a formal inquiry into her involvement in preferential grants given to organisations in her former boyfriend’s seat from which it is alleged he attempted to receive a commission.
China, Australia, and Coal Energy
China, which previously banned coal imports from Australia, is running out of coal. Will Australia uses the resumption of coal supply as a diplomatic play?
The Golden Ticket
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern claimed yesterday that a very high vaccination rate in New Zealand would represent a “golden ticket” and make level 4 lockdowns redundant. What could that mean that’s positive for New Zealand?
CPTPP V Nuclear Submarines
In a piece of incredible timing, on the same day as Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom announced their defence technology procurement pact and pissed off ally and competitor alike, China formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Porgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
No Nukes!
Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom have publicly announced they have formed a new security grouping that will assist Australia in the construction of nuclear powered submarines.
The Top 20 Biggest U.S. Military Interventions, Best to Worst
With the last flights coming out of Kabul, it’s time to review whether this US attitude to the world is a good idea.
Ardern Needs to do More Than Manage Crisis
For a country that has sought to form advantage for itself with strong and hard COVID-19 lockdowns, we’re not gaining any more advantage than yet another binge-purge cycle of supply tension and shortages, rapid economic downturn softened by tens of billions of subsidy, followed by unsustainable booms, over and over again.
The mysterious socialist hermit kingdom
Various commentators including Nigel Farage have claimed that New Zealand’s Covid elimination strategy is a failure. Our death rate and the possibility that we can again return to a normality that other nations can only aspire to suggests they are wrong.
China reports zero local symptomatic Covid-19 cases for first time in weeks
You probably won’t see this in our local media, as our pundits today debate whether it is time to ditch our elimination strategy and Australia gives up on it. China is also well ahead on ensuring its vast population is vaccinated as well.
The Covid vaccine may not be the nirvana
Claims that a comprehensive vaccination scheme will allow life to get back to normal ignores the experience of Israel, which despite having a large proportion of its population vaccinated is having a surge of new infections of Covid that is stretching its health system.
Advice from Oz for the anti-China media
There’s so many of them here – Guyon Espiner, Anna Fifield, Lucy Craymer, Sam Sachdeva, Laura Walters, John Daniell, Emile Donovan, Paula Penfold, reef fish with the same few sources. Australian Paul Strutynski provides the textbook in his “Guide for budding foreign policy journalists wanting to work for the Nine Network or Newscorp.”
Youtube punishes Murdoch’s Sky News for pedalling Covid misinformation
This will have the conspiracy theorists spinning. Youtube have stopped Murdoch’s Sky News Australia from uploading videos for the next seven days after the channel uploaded videos questioning Covid and advocating for the use of alternative medicines including Donald Trump’s favourite hydroxychloroquine
Citizenship is a human right
National has responded to the impending return to New Zealand of Suhayra Aden by hinting that they may follow Australia and breach human rights by bringing in laws allowing countries to arbitrarily remove rights of citizenship.
Letting private enterprise handle Covid quarantine is a really stupid idea
Leader of the Opposition David Seymour has proposed that private enterprise should provide quarantine services. The recent experience of Melbourne where private security firms failed dramatically to properly managed quarantine facilities suggests that this is a really stupid idea.