Sack Him Christopher
After the 2005 election, the Chinese Embassy sent Zhang Wei to ask me if Winston Peters would follow Labour government policy. I said I didn’t know, but would ask.
Social issues
racism
Smash Left populism, get Right populism
That’s Starmer’s achievement, as the local elections show. He always was a muppet puppet; his string-pullers are much more sinister.
What does this Government have against Te Reo Māori?
Erica Stanford’s removal of te reo words from reading books is the latest of a series of attacks on te reo Māori by this Government.
Imported culture wars
Winston Peters is proposing to engage in a Nigel Farage Reform style circus relying on racial division to get him over the line at the next election.
Gerrymander alert – Government running scared
You know a government is in trouble when it has to resort to gerrymander to boost its prospects. The coalition government’s decision to restrict voter enrolment is disgraceful.
Seeing Is Believing
A video post, starring Christopher Luxon, Chris Hipkins, Nicola Willis and Winston Peters. Featuring Debbie Ngarewa-Packer as star prosecutor.
Culture wars and the Waitākere Ranges
Claims have been made that Auckland Council is giving away rights to the Waitākere Ranges to local iwi. But the claims suffer from that important characteristic of not actually being true.
Does the Government not like Māori and Pasifika?
Health officials advised the Government “significantly” more lives could be saved if it lowered the bowel cancer screening age for Māori and Pasifika further than the rest of the population. But it refused to accept this advice. Why?
Keep on Digging
The latest outbursts and brain farts from the great Kumara of the North…
Open to all today in Nick’s Kōrero – Shane Jones calls climate change ‘woke’ and says, ‘Send the Mexicans home’.
If Seymour succeeds what happens to Ngāpuhi’s Treaty claim?
If David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill is passed it may complicate Ngapuhi’s outstanding claim.
The Axis of Genocide
The West, “will stand by the Israeli regime until they exterminate the last Palestinian”, says Mohammad Seyed Marandi, an American-Iranian academic. Despite being appalled at my government, I winced as a New Zealander to hear my country described as part of the Axis of Genocide.
When a right becomes a wrong
The Free Speech Union is wanting an extremist right wing shock jock who the Christchurch Killer described as the person who most influenced him the privilege of visiting New Zealand to host a fundraising event.
Towards the abyss
Yesterday it was confirmed that Act’s Treaty Principles Bill had been approved by Cabinet for drafting and introduction into Parliament in November this year. Get ready for the circus to start.
Act plays the race card and the victim card
Yesterday in Parliament was pretty weird. Act MPs staged a show down event and expressed increasing dissatisfaction with their Government’s speaker Gerry Brownlee.
Peters gets knocked down but may not get up again
Chumbawamba have threatened legal action against Winston Peters for NZ First’s use of their song “I get knocked down” and have described him as having divisive, small-minded, and bigoted policies.
Which side are you on?
The Act Party is seeking to undermine te Tiriti o Waitangi and ferment racial hatred and division while nominally seeking unity. And National clearly has no idea what to do about the situation.
Should you be more worried about co-governance or the top 1%?
To the those voting ACT or NZF or National this year because you are worried about co-governance. I have a secret for you. You have been co-governed by the richest 1% for decades.
Hipkins goes on the offensive
Chris Hipkins has upped the ante in the election campaign by directly calling out the right’s use of dog whistle racism.
Seymour’s bad faith Treaty policy
ACT’s proposal to put the potential meaning of the Treaty of Waitangi up for popular vote in a referendum is absurd dog whistling of the worst sort.
Semour is more like Rimmer than Mandela
David Seymour reached more absurd levels of idiocy this week with a suggestion that if he was alive Nelson Mandela would be an Act supporter.
Rules-based cricket disorder
“It isn’t cricket” supposedly set the ethical standard around the British Empire for over a century. Last week saw Lords, the ‘home of cricket,’ validate a damning report about racism, elitism, classism and sexism in British cricket just days after it was issued.
Proper Race Politics In Your Face
Who has the better take on the Treaty of Waitangi? Julian Batchelor or Sir Apirana Ngata?
Winning ugly
Another week and another example of National using dog whistle racism to stir up hatred and try and gain political advantage. This time it is to attack the notion that our health system should be seeking to look after those most in need.
Blowin’ in the wind
National is blowing hard on the racist dog whistle by claiming that replacing signs with a Te Reo English version will affect the number of potholes that can be repaired.
Iwi Kiwi 2.0
In 2005 the National Party went full on racist with attacks on supposed Maori privilege which almost won the party power. Looks like they are going to try this tactic again.
Much ado about nothing
Right wing twitter thought it was onto something big yesterday after there were revelations that Human Rights Commissioner Meng Foon had donated funds and cheap premises to Kiri Allan’s election campaign in 2020. But there was one rather significant problem with this expose, he had also donated to the National candidate in the same election.
Will Australia Hear The Voice?
Australia’s Prime Minister Albanese is trying to get actual indigenous representation into the Australian Parliament with a referendum. Going to be tough.
Meri Kirihimete
Even on the one day of the year that is meant to be a day of peace and calm and family some people get triggered by the use of Te Reo.
Dog whistles and South Auckland garages
Chris Luxon has doubled down on a dog whistle attack on South Auckland garages by apologising if anyone was offended, thereby ignoring most of South Auckland who were definitely offended.
National has gone full woke
Remember this scene from the Tauranga by election? National has decided it will not be repeated by ensuring that it has no potential white male candidates for the Hamilton West by election.
Viv Beck going full Trump backfires
Recent leaks and publicity have caused huge damage to Viv Beck’s campaign to become Auckland’s next mayor. They also highlight the stark difference between the left and the right in terms of campaigning.
Ardern is apparently to blame for National having racist supporters
Yesterday on Morning Report Chris Luxon pivoted from a question about National supporters expressing distaste for Te Ao Maori to blaming Jacinda Ardern for not burning up political capital on co governance.
Act’s generous donors and its anti Treaty campaign
This has not had the media attention that it deserves but Act has raised, to use the technical term, a shit load of money recently. And it is using this money to engage in some good old fashioned racist dog whistling.
The difference between Black Lives Matter and the Anti Mandate protest
Claims that local Black Lives Matter protests and the Anti Covid mandate protest are different examples of the same thing appear to be very overstated.
The 2022 We Are Heading Towards
Most of us have been diminished by COVID in 2020-21 so it’s time for everyone to prepare 2022 as an honest accounting of damage to our whole society.
The Freedumb Protesters give protesting a bad name
As a principle the right to protest is important. But the freedumb protesters making outlandish claims and at the same time plagarizing the language of progressive protest movements deserves to be called out.