Still in Denial.
General Tim Keating’s resignation.
International
Evidence-based foreign policy
In the second stage of a false flag attack, facts go out the window and the sole issue becomes “are you for us or against us.” Our media and National Party politicians are well into this stage in the Skripal affair. But as questions mount and skeptics proliferate from all sides, Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters may well be wiser than media advisers by not following blindly the western herd. 26 countries is not the whole world. Update: Porton Down unable to establish Novichok of Russian origin.
Love war, fear and hate.
Political power doesn’t respond well when those who are meant to be invisible decide to be visible.
“Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job”
Two speakers from yesterday’s March for Our Lives.
The Birds.
Yup. It’s okay to be a bit scared.
US Trade Tariffs against China
Make no mistake: this is the single biggest anti-trade act the world has seen since the Iranian revolution’s nationalisation program from 1979.
Facebook is in trouble
A whistleblower, Christopher Wyllie, has explained how Cambridge Analytica managed to secure the data of 50 million Americans and how it was used in the last US Presidential election.
Remember President Obama?
The world has changed dramatically since Barak Obama was President of the United States.
Democracy, Faux Democracy and Terror.
Facebook, Putin, poisoning and Ghouta have all given fairly extensive media coverage of late. Nothing much on Afrin. Afrin has just fallen to terrorists backed by Turkey.
Update: the photo used for this post is of the The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army (TQILA), who are part of the International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces fighting in Syria.
Sanctions. Weapons of War.
When elite’s tussle, shouldn’t we look after us and ours?
Russian to Judgment
The possible poisoning of Sergei Skripal and the consequent hysteria have all the signs of another false flag operation, as we saw before the second American invasion of Iraq. The chain of circumstantial evidence has more holes in it than a swiss cheese, and while attempted murder (if that is what it is) is a criminal act Winston Peters and Jeremy Corbyn are sane voices calling for evidence before any attribution still less action.
#MeToo
It’s been awesome to see feminist activists in New Zealand enable a new and fast liberation occur. It’s worth reflecting on the success of #MeToo and all its new forms.
Inevitably the crazy old morons remain
In his usual dignified way, Donald Trump announced that he was sacking Rex Tillerson, the American Secretary of State in a tweet. And so the round of musical chairs that marks the White House’s descent into even more incompetence continues. Meanwhile the farce of the Russian election proceeds in their background of state operated terrorism in the UK. But there is some light
Nicky Hager: Defence admits raid was located in same area as described in Hit and Run
“I believe that the impulse to hide the NZDF’s mistakes led the Chief of Defence Force knowingly to mislead the media and the public.”
The Overseas Investment Amendment Bill
Ad argues that the merits of banning overseas ownership of local land is not as simple or as virtuous as we may think.
Putting some steel into trade
Does anyone want to take a punt on where the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum will go?
Break Up Social Media Itself
It is time to regulate the power of cyber criminals and cyber monopolies.
Some Trash.
Being anti-plastic is all the rage these days. How might business respond?
Facebook Bullshit
A very cursory glance at Facebook, Palantir Technologies, Cambridge Analytica, AggregateIQ, click bait, targeted ads…and what the hell is the FBI playing at?
Joyce stands down as National struggles to find new leader *
* in Australia.
Arm me with
Teachers in America have responded to Donald Trump’s proposal to arm teachers in response to the Parkland School massacre with a request that they be armed with anything but guns.
Democratic burn
“I’m joining whatever political party those kids in Florida just started”
Tax Haven Man in Town
The Lord Mayor of the City of London is visiting New Zealand. Its not Sadiq Khan, Charles Bowman is a PwC partner leading London’s financial centre lobby. He’s here to talk to business and regulators. He’ll no doubt be talking up more deregulation.
US kids fight back: you are either with us or against us
Four days after surviving a shooting massacre at her school, student Emma Gonzalez gave this stunning speech at an anti-gun rally in Florida. Other students are organising the National School Walkout and March for Our Lives.
Mueller v Russia
Robert Mueller has laid an indictment alleging that thirteen Russians and three Russian entities illegally interfered with the 2016 American Election campaign.
Beetrooted
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s future in politics is on the line as he responds to allegations of infidelity, hypocrisy and misuse of Government resources.
TPPA-11 update and actions
The TPPA-11 is set to be signed on March 8. There are still huge problems with the agreement for NZ. Jane Kelsey provides an update.
Global Sharemarkets
Recent volatility in the U.S. stockmarkets has attracted calls that capitalism is facing a crisis. But the reality appears to be different.
Help for Tonga
Cyclone Gita has caused devastation across the Tongan islands, and is being called the worst storm in at least 60 years.
Bio-fuels.
Biofuels and fossil. The difference?
The Housing Crisis.
Can politics deliver?
Trickledown …
Over in America Republican intellectual genius Paul Ryan tweeted how a School teacher who will receive $1.50 extra per week because of Republican tax cuts was grateful for the increase. But it did not go down well …
Two Labour Governments, two coal mines
The New Zealand Government has rejected the OIO’s proposal to allow Bathurst to purchase DOC land for coal mining purposes. And in Australia the Queensland Labor Government is working out how it can back out of an agreement to permit the Adani coal mine to proceed.
Buttered Bread
What side’s yours buttered on?
Waihopai and North Korea
It’s worth asking ourselves what Goriz Gharaman was doing protesting at Waihopai. It’s the right place to protest.
Middle east Teenagers
In the middle east a Palestinian teenager is detained for a minor assault and for protesting the occupation of her country. And three Israeli teenagers are apparently trying to sue two New Zealand residents for exercising their rights of free speech.