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Will the real leader of the Opposition please stand up

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 pm, May 20th, 2021 - 5 comments

Today’s budget debate suggests that the effective leader of the opposition may not be the leader of the National Party.

Ethnic Cleansing and New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 3:54 pm, May 6th, 2021 - 108 comments

If we want to be a part of retaining our human rights in the world supported by democracy – and stand with those countries who already see the damage of racist ethnic assimilation – we should continue to resist what China is doing in its north-west.

About the public service pay freeze

Written By: - Date published: 7:40 am, May 6th, 2021 - 45 comments

A few of us on the left have issues with the public service wage freeze announced yesterday. By setting the salary level so low, at $60,000 per annum, the threat is that previous gains for teachers and nurses will be undermined.

Collins’ really bad take on te Tiriti

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, May 4th, 2021 - 67 comments

Last weekend Judith Collins spoke to the Northern Regional Conference of the National Party and gave as crude an analysis of te Tiriti as you can imagine.

The problem with coal

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, May 1st, 2021 - 38 comments

New Zealand is about to enter a transition phase in energy that’s going to affect absolutely everyone.

The Most Blacks

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, April 30th, 2021 - 45 comments

The New Zealand Rugby Union is currently in the process of selling its soul to the devil, in this case a private equity firm called Silver Lake.  This made me reflect on what the NZRU is selling.

Biden is serious about climate change

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 am, April 24th, 2021 - 70 comments

One of the many regretful aspects of the Trump presidency was the United States open hostility to doing anything about climate change. It looks like Joe Biden will do his best to make up for lost time.

Oh Canada! – let us not follow you.

Written By: - Date published: 3:19 pm, April 17th, 2021 - 23 comments

Looking at the vaccination program in NZ, I feel that many people are focusing on the wrong things. The most dangerous period in pandemic life cycle – gaining a sufficient population immunity fast enough to stop the inevitable complacency that allows another wave of infections. Ontario appears to have managed to get a new wave of infection rising as they are trying to run their vaccination program. That is the last thing we need.

Government Control at Air New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, April 14th, 2021 - 67 comments

The New Zealand government has just increased its loan to Air New Zealand to a $1.5 billion total, and there’s a catch.

Click bait frenzy

Written By: - Date published: 8:04 am, April 8th, 2021 - 69 comments

Media has been awash with discussion about Mike Hosking’s recent interaction with Jacinda Ardern.  She was invited onto his show, agreed to appear, was grilled on isolation facility beds, and gave responses.  End of story you would think.

The biggest grifter

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, April 5th, 2021 - 17 comments

The New York Times is reporting that the Trump Campaign sucked in a whole lot of republican voters by asking for urgent donations but then treating them as regular rather than one off donations unless donors discovered and clicked on a well hidden check box.

What is Socialism – a primer for idiots

Written By: - Date published: 9:09 am, April 5th, 2021 - 163 comments

Merchant Banker Troy Bowker has accused the Government of engaging in Socialist wealth redistribution ideology by not extending to landlords a state supported loan guarantee scheme and by implementing relatively modest wealth redistribution measures.

 

Greta Thunberg is now 18

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, April 2nd, 2021 - 59 comments

Greta Thunberg is now aged 18.  And her activism is still strong.

National Party leadership spill under way

Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, April 1st, 2021 - 17 comments

Credible sources indicate that a Chris Penk-Simeon Brown ticket have the numbers for a National Party leadership spill and have started the process.  Stand by for developments.

The SIS is worried about foreign interference – so what’s NATO doing in our back yard?

Written By: - Date published: 9:28 pm, March 31st, 2021 - 26 comments

The SIS can’t help itself – it keeps getting involved in our politics, but stays resolutely one-eyed. As Sam Sachdeva of Newsroom reports, it has just released advice for politicians on how to avoid political interference. Maintaining ‘transparent’ secrecy, it uses its favourite journalists and academics to drop the necessary hints – look over here. […]

Resistance

Written By: - Date published: 3:24 pm, March 31st, 2021 - 50 comments

Chris Trotter recently asked the question about why there isn’t more resistance to the degree of inequality that we face in New Zealand. He’s partially right, we do spend an awfully amount of time arguing with each other about matters of smaller and smaller moment while inequality slides downhill from glacier to avalanche.  But intersectionalism isn’t the primary cause of activist cooling.

Ports of Auckland – time for change

Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, March 31st, 2021 - 5 comments

Auckland Council has released the Ports of Auckland Independent Health and Safety Report and the recommendations are damning.

National’s leadership problem

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, March 30th, 2021 - 42 comments

Chris Luxon’s maiden speech last week and another example of multiple leaks of details of a caucus meeting highlight how precarious Judith Collins’ tenure as National Party leader is.  But does someone have the numbers to replace her?

About Grant Robertson’s bright line tax statement

Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, March 28th, 2021 - 217 comments

Media has been abuzz with comment about how last election Grant Robertson has backtracked on a promise on not extending the bright line test.  Should politicians stick to their pronouncements no matter what?  Or should they change their minds if circumstances demand a change in course?

Doocey is taking the piss

Written By: - Date published: 7:49 am, March 26th, 2021 - 12 comments

Private member’s bills are an important feature of Parliament.  They give all MPs the chance to change the law to address real or perceived issues and problems.  So what does National MP Matt Doocey think is the country’s most pressing problem?

The housing crisis and the Government’s response

Written By: - Date published: 9:28 am, March 25th, 2021 - 163 comments

The Government’s housing policy announcements have been attacked by the right and landlords as being an attack on rights and business, and by elements of the left for being too timid.  Which suggests that the announcements are quite well pitched.

The Australian Parliament and Women

Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, March 24th, 2021 - 14 comments

To understand how power and misogyny and democracy all flow from the one stinking head, one need look no further than the Australian Parliament right now.

That’s No Moon  – It’s A Space Station

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 pm, March 22nd, 2021 - 9 comments

Did anyone notice Russia and China signing up to a treaty to form a common base on the moon?

Britain’s tin-ear ’tilt’ to the Indo-Pacific

Written By: - Date published: 5:39 pm, March 18th, 2021 - 14 comments

In its new integrated defence and foreign policy strategy, Britain intends  to raise its nuclear warheads on Trident from 180 to 240. What a waste. It also intends to “tilt” to the Indo-Pacific, sending the New HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier here later in the year to give a message to China. It should read its history.

New Zealand Service in Afghanistan Concludes

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, March 17th, 2021 - 44 comments

Did New Zealand military forces do good in Afghanistan?

About the latest poll

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 pm, March 16th, 2021 - 45 comments

Media claims that Ardern’s support have peaked and are tanking are way too premature.

Much ado about nothing

Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, March 13th, 2021 - 18 comments

Chris Bishop is claiming credit for Labour finishing a deal whereby the party rented premises to Parliamentary Services for the use of Gillian Anderson MP at a level well below market rates.

The trans Tasman bubble

Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, March 11th, 2021 - 72 comments

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said New Zealanders have an unfettered ability to travel to Australia for a holiday.  Reality would suggest that he is wrong.

Water Rights War Brewing

Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, March 10th, 2021 - 6 comments

Minister Parker is firing an 18 inch gun round that he’s ready to take on all with his call-in of the Otago water rights plan change.

She might have saved us from Covid but she does not drink beer with Soper

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, March 9th, 2021 - 99 comments

Newstalk ZB, Mike Hosking and Barry Soper are shocked, I tell you, shocked that Jacinda Ardern will no longer regularly appear on the Mike Hosking show.

How to Put A Stake Through Our Monarchy’s Heart

Written By: - Date published: 2:13 pm, March 8th, 2021 - 31 comments

The Monarchy’s attacks on Meaghan Markle may backfire spectacularly.