China, Huawei and us
It’s high time this government woke up to the intelligence gathering capacity and ambition of China in New Zealand.
International
Academic freedom and relationships with China
A number of prominent academics and researchers have signed an open letter to Jacinda Ardern urging her to take the allegations of Chinese involvement in crimes against Professor Anne Marie Brady seriously and to make a clear statement in defence of academic freedom in New Zealand.
Worrisome Centrist Clowns.
I don’t generally have a problem with clowns. But these clowns are dangerous. When mainstream media promotes centrist clowns promoting fascist clowns….
America First!
Actual press release from the Trump White House.
Political interference
China certainly has interfered in New Zealand politics, most notably by the offer of a free trade deal which delivered huge benefits to our economy. Party and government officials all stressed to us that they were grateful for New Zealand’s support for their accession to the World Trade Organisation, the rule-based trade body. The US and Australia in contrast want to build a military base on Manus Island north of Papua.
We’re All Penguins Now.
To jump or not to jump? Is “not jumping” about to mean “left behind”?
My civics – the New Zealand civil war
While looking at a missing post on Briefing Papers, I ran across some material on deficiencies in our current education regime looking at our civil war in the 19th century. So I wrote this post about why I personally think that it matters.
Auckland’s got a Bridge.
London’s bridges were closing down.
What happens if housing prices really go down?
So what if Labour decides to go ahead with its capital gains tax? What happens to the equity of the remaining middle class? What happens to the equity of those who were brought in under KiwiBuild?
Has Julian Assange been charged?
In breaking news it appears that the reason for Donald Trump’s grumpiness may have been the impending release of news that Julian Assange has had charges laid against him.
Climate Action Heating Up.
Yet another front opening up in the demand for action on global warming…
14 Million Yemenis and a Diplomatic Nightmare
In Yemen right now, children are living in the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in the last 100 years.
May’s Brexit
The unsolvable problem that is Brexit is reaching it’s denouement with Theresa May’s leadership on the line, talk of a no confidence motion, a very leaky cabinet, and no possible achievable resolution in sight.
Israeli Cabinet Resignation.
Avigdor Lieberman has resigned his position as Israeli Defense Minister because he can’t endorse the government’s “surrender to terrorism”.
The dirty politics of beating up on Karel Sroubek
You will be shocked to learn that the National Party has been less than honest about where it is getting its information regarding Karel Sroubek.
Tweet of the year
There is still seven weeks of this year left but it appears likely that the tweet of the year has been tweeted.
American midterms – revenge of young people and the decline of the NRA
In the midterm US elections a number of candidates supported by the NRA have lost out to opponents with strong anti gun views. And the youth vote surged. Were these events related?
All that is wrong with America’s democracy
In Georgia, despite the Repbublican candidate who oversaw the election process engaging in the mass disenfranchisement of Democrat voters, the removal of voting machines to make voting in Democrat areas more difficult and baseless smearing of the Democrat candidate, the result is on a knife edge and a second vote is a possibility.
Disestablish the establishment.
Politics can be soap, or politics can be real. This post comments on some of the soap and offers an example of something that’s real
Rude ‘n Terrible?
Trump’s…I don’t actually have words for this little escapade.
ILG, a Rock, and a Hard Place
The Sroubek beat up is still with us. Why won’t National tell us what they knew and what they agreed to?
Jeff Sessions resigns as Attorney General
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned at the President’s request and has been replaced by someone who thought that Mueller’s investigation into POTUS went too far.
ScoMo’s flying bus tour
In an effort to revive sagging support levels Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on a bus tour of Australia involving him flying and being picked up by the bus, drinking lots of beer, wearing different hats and saying fair dinkum a lot.
Why this mid term result?
What can we take from the US mid term election results?
Triumph the insult dog meets Beto and Cruz
If you have 10 minutes to waste and enjoy laughing uproariously I can recommend this video. Warning should not be watched while you are drinking coffee and the contents may be sprayed on your screen …
The United States mid term elections
The US mid term election results are due out today and should start to appear after 12 pm NZT.
Easy Climate Action
Another promising front is opening that might help encourage people to sit up, take notice, and act.
A Democratic Cakewalk.
Cenk Uygur might be said to have “skin in the game” when it comes to the US Mid-terms, and given that much of this post revolves around, or bounces from his commentary and analysis – which may not be quite as objective as he thinks – that should be borne in mind when reading this post.
Morongate
In America a young 20 year old Trump supporter has been branded with the hashtag morongate for the most inept dark op smear you could ever imagine happening.
Brazil, Brexit, Trump…with more to come.
When orders collapse, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We’re making it a bad thing.
Brazil turns right
Brazil has elected as its next President a 63-year-old former paratrooper who built his campaign around pledges to crush corruption, crime and a supposed communist threat.
Media Thriving on its Own Shit.
When purveyors of propaganda come to believe their own spin and start entertaining really quite idiotic conspiracy theories and abandoning any pretense of being in possession of rational thought, then we’ve got a problem.
Democracy and peace in the USA
In the land of the free and the brave there is news of voting machines changing votes from Democrat to Republican candidates, mass stripping of voting rights and closing of voting booths in Democrat areas, and right wing extreme violence caused by escalating rhetoric from the POTUS.
Green Growth
Shade it any colour you like…
Power and Knowledge.
We say that knowledge is power…
Australia’s refugee problem
The Liberal Party has potentially lost one of its safest seats to an independent who campaigned on doing something about climate change and the Nauru refugees.