This turkey is struggling cooped up in a bubble
Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas but Kiwis do, don’t they?
Social issues
Highway to the Danger Zone
I never thought I would see the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of the United States military essentially being a witness against the previous President of the United States. Yet here we are.
Government introduces law to assist tenants
Barry Soper and the Property Council are up in arms about proposals to ensure that all commercial tenants should only pay a fair proportion of their rental if their use of the premises has been affected by responses to the Covid pandemic.
About the latest Colmar Brunton poll
The latest Colmar Brunton poll confirms that National’s polling is in the doldrums and David Seymour’s preferred PM rating is twice that of Judith Collins.
Smug hermit king
John Key has doubled down on his claims that Aotearoa is a smug hermit kingdom and claimed that it is imperative that international travel is eased although he is fine with all other restrictions to stay in place.
Key’s baaaack
John Key is back and has described New Zealand as a smug hermit kingdom for daring to so far achieve something no other western nation has been able to accomplish, holding back Covid and preventing thousands of deaths.
Fearmongering or telling it how it is?
42 is not the meaning of life and 13 is not an unlucky number.
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?
The more difficult end to the vaccination programme
The country is reaching an interesting stage in the vaccination programme where reluctant vaccinees will have to receive the jab to make sure that we reach herd immunity.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Government has taken a ‘calculated risk’ with opening up Auckland somewhat tonight.
Lockdown decision – which way will it go?
Cabinet meets today to decide on the future of the lockdown levels in Aotearoa and more specifically on Tamaki Makaurau. Which way will it go?
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
Te Wiki o Te Reu Māori is coming to a close. The past week’s events highlight the resurgence of and dependance on Te […]
Where Is The Real Green Party?
Where’s the hairy knuckle-dragging woke when you need them?
Trump’s not so bad: the nuclear holocaust edition
An occasional series
What should we call the Vaccination bus?
The Prime Minister has sparked another national debate. What should we call the new mobile vaccination vehicles that will be rolled out over the next week or so.
COVID, We Need To Talk About Class
We’ve never seen a nationwide disease illustrate class and deprivation like the future of the country depended on it. Not like this. This should change us.
Delta Covid – the battle so far
As Tamaki Makaurau enters week four of lockdown things are at an interesting stage.
Dirty Politics does not work any more
Egged on by a shock horror smear campaign on Cameron Slater’s latest post Judith Collins has attacked Dr Siouxsie Wiles by fat shaming her.
Is this the post Covid world?
Just as we did with travel security after 9/11, we are about to get our next set of global regulations to control crisis.
Until all of us are safe none of us are safe
On Monday of this week David Seymour received a roasting after posting a confidential Health code that was to be used by Waitakere Whanau to receive priority vaccination slots. He has now doubled down on his effort and claimed that prioritisation is wrong.
New Zealand Superconductors
Just to note a little sadness at the sale of New Zealand’s High Temperature Superconductor business out of Scott Technology (a robotics specialist company based in Dunedin sold to a Brazilian meat company a few years back).
Terrorist attack – Law changes may not have helped deal
A proposed urgent change in the law concerning preparing to commit a terrorist attack may not have stopped the New Lynn attack from happening.
Seymour undermines vaccine roll out for Maori
David Seymour has publicised a code designed for West Auckland whanau to try and improve poor vaccination rates amongst Maori.
Can The Terror-Injured Citizens Hold the New Zealand Government To Account?
While Prime Minister Ardern is an empathic Prime Minister, good for the country in a crisis, and is genuinely caring, there’s also a time for citizens to say that the state must pay to right wrongs.
The politics of the New Lynn attack
Early days so far but the New Lynn attack will spark a debate about the adequacy of the country’s terrorism suppression laws and about citizenship rights.
Terrorist attack in New Lynn
News broke this afternoon of an attack at Countdown Lynnmall where the assailant was shot and six people injured, three critically. Jacinda Ardern and Police Commissioner have just given a stand up conference and have advised that the assailant was ISIS inspired.
National’s next leader?
As the damage caused by Judith Collins’ leadership of the National Party intensifies it is inevitable that there will be internal discussions about who should replace her, and soon. And I think the best candidate is clear.
Judith’s very bad two days
Judith Collins’ insistence that Parliament be reconvened even at a time that the country was in lockdown level 4 has backfired spectacularly.
Covid and the media
This week there has been some argy bargy between the Twitterati including the Waitakerati and the media on coverage of Covid in Aotearoa with elements of the media complaining that the criticisms are unjustified. A brief review of some of the offerings this week would suggest otherwise.
How Far Ought The State Go In A Pandemic?
Even in a time of crisis, people have human rights that must be upheld.
Gumming up the works
Last night it was revealed that National and Act had refused to agree to a proposed virtual Parliament sitting where questions could be asked, and instead wanted face to face meetings, even though this would mean a third of the country’s MPs travelling regularly to Wellington from a Covid delta hotspot.
Fuck-knuckles, cock and piss, balls does not breach BSA guidelines
The Broadcasting Standards Authority have ruled that the use of the words “Fuck-knuckles, cock and piss, balls” by student radio station 95bfm does not breach standards of good taste and decency.
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.
Matt King caught blowing anti vaccination dog whistle
Former National MP Matt King has been publicly posting anti vaccination propaganda under the ruse of only wanting a conversation.