The future of the USA
Left and right are used to predicting the accelerated decline of America, but are we now seeing it before our eyes and in our lifetimes?
International
The Alabama senate race
The Alabama Senate election results are starting to feed through with Democrat Doug Jones slightly ahead of Republican Roy Moore in the Republican stronghold after very early results.
Why Malcolm Turnbull is nearly right
Malcolm Turnbull is proposing law changes in Australia to try and minimise the effect that China is having on Australia’s democratic system. He may not be wrong in doing so.
Shaking the Tree
When an apple tree is shaken, pips can fall to the ground and germinate. And then things grow back more or less as before.
Brain Curdle.
If ever anyone needed a reason to insist on secularism…
Trump trashes chance of Middle East peace for giggles and a diversion
Donald Trump is expected to controversially announce the movement of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Australian Parliament votes to accept New Zealand’s Manus Island offer
The Australian Parliament voted yesterday, against the Government’s wishes, to accept New Zealand’s offer to take refugees from Manus Island. At least for a short time.
Flynn cuts a deal while Trump scrambles
Donald Trump’s response to news of the arrest of Michael Flynn suggests that charges closer to the office of the President may be close.
Tenancy Stuff.
How’s about private tenants in New Zealand were warm, dry and secure? Too big an ask?
The chaos of the Trump White House
From tweeting fake anti muslim videos to supporting the Senate race of an alleged child molester who was banned from a mall because he was so creepy to acting to remove his Secretary of State for thinking that he is a moron to passing a bill that will help the rich and hurt the poor while denying this is the case the Donald Trump White House is a chaotic place.
Key and Mass Surveillance: Was this the reason for the Golriz distraction?
David Fisher has written an in-depth article for the Herald that suggests that John Key’s promise, three years ago, that the Government had cancelled the Speargun project which would have allowed for the mass surveillance of New Zealanders was not actually correct.
Up the spout, round the bend and down the tubes.
It’s no longer really working out (kicking the AGW can down the road), but we seem to be hooked into a peculiar form of madness even as everything appears to be coming apart at the seams. It’s beyond me…
Right loses its shit after former criminal lawyer discovered to have acted for bad people
Elements on the internet have claimed that Green MP Golriz Ghahraman must be a genocide supporter because she once acted as a defence lawyer in a war crimes tribunal.
Why New Zealand should support the Tongan League team and forget about the Americas Cup
The Tongan national league team has invigorated Auckland in a way I have not previously seen basically for nothing. Meanwhile Team New Zealand and the Americas Cup are demanding hundreds of millions of dollars for economic benefits that the recipients should be paying for.
Social Democracy is still alive
With socialist governments in rapid decline right across the world, and just a very few social democrat governments re-emerging after many years out of power, it’s useful to remind ourselves of what governmental combinations are working well.
Friggit!
Frigate. Send one. Now.
Nett migration – still coming in fast and not going out.
Statistics NZ has released the latest nett permanent and long term migration figures for the year to date at October 2017. There is a slight fall from a few months previously. But it remains a sustained high putting major pressure on infrastructure and resources – especially in Auckland. We need to massively cut any new migration here for years to catch up with the work.
Queensland State Election and Coal
The Queensland election is turning into one of those rare and weird ones in which a large-scale environment-versus-economy fight looms largest.
National on the Manus Island crisis
Gerry Brownlee has surfaced on Radio New Zealand to criticise Labour’s handling of the Manus Island refugee issue. But he seems to have forgotten that the proposal offered by Labour is the proposal originally offered by National.
Zimbabwe
I suspect I’m in the same boat as most when I say my knowledge of Zimbabwe is neither broad nor particularly deep. But anyway. Here’s some initial thoughts on current developments.
Mugabe hangs on
Despite expectations to the contrary Robert Mugabe has refused to resign as leader of Zimbabwe.
The Rugby League World Cup
Something slightly different. Congratulations to the Tongan and Fijian Rugby League teams for playing out of their skins beating the Kiwi league team and for having the most passionate fans.
Labour’s home.
Scottish Labour leadership election concludes. And kangaroos.
The UK Social media political arms race
Robert Peston in the Spectator has analysed the social media performance of the two big parties in the United Kingdom and has concluded that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour had a significant advantage over Theresa May’s conservatives.
Ardern’s Manus Island offer
The Australian Government has this week been attempting to undermine Jacinda Ardern’s humanitarian request that the refugees on Nauru Island should be treated humanely.
Tampa, Ardern and positioning small countries
There are major similarities between Helen Clark’s decision to accept into New Zealand refugees from the Tampa boat and Jacinda Ardern’s pushing for New Zealand to accept refugees based on Manus Island.
The Yellow Peril?
What’s with the academic panic epidemic about China? Two in our media in the same week, referencing each other with vague warnings about the Chinese bogey. It’s not quite Lionel Terry in Haining Street again; more likely in my view a case of singing to someones else’s geopolitical tune. No prizes for guessing whose.
Australia supports same sex marriage
Australian electors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of allowing same sex marriages.
Election autopsies
US democratic activists have conducted a number of reviews on what went wrong at the last election. The conclusions they have reached could helpfully inform New Zealand political activists on what to do in 2020.
TPP: A slight improvement but deservedly still a zombie
Fortunately the TPP is still the dead walking. Now that the immediate rush for ‘momentum’ is over (a scam phrase), it is time to do some real analysis of the project. This government, if it wants to convince its own supporters to support it, needs to discard that hucksterism fostered by the John Key government. Because to me TPP is a still a crock.
Ardern has words for Trump and Turnbull
Jacinda Ardern has publicly criticised Donald Trump for idiot treating and Malcolm Turnbull for unacceptable handling of the Manus crisis.
The TPP11 negotiations: ISDS provisions are gone – almost
David Parker has confirmed that the TPP11 negotiations have resulted in a considerable minimising of the ISDS provisions. But will this be enough?
Can Ben Mack please make his mind up
Herald lifestyle columnist has published two recent opinion pieces, the first wondering if Jacinda Ardern will be able to address the many and varied problems the country faces and the second suggesting that the Government is under the control of the extreme right. Can he please make up his mind.
War.
99 years on from the end of World War I
Thank You Canada!
Is this the sound a trade deal makes when someone pulls the flush?
TPP11 close to being signed?
Mesia reports suggest that a possible TPP11 agreement is close to being signed.