Muller goes, bring back Simon?
In breaking news Todd Muller has resigned for “health reasons”, effective immediately.
Time to bring back Simon?
Updated with some breaking links.
Social issues
uncategorized
The Christian Right and the 2020 election
A variety of Christian parties have attempted to gain a place in Parliament. What are the chances in 2020 of a conservative Christian Party succeeding in gaining seats?
Requiem for a smelter
New Zealand was always a odd place to have a aluminium smelter. Untapped hydroelectricity capacity at the bottom of the world. But thousands of kilometers from raw material sources. Tens of thousands of kilometers from the major markets. Now our ever rising electricity prices show that we really need that 13% of power in our electricity market rather than making aluminium.
Trashing the country’s Covid response for political advantage
As details emerge about Hamish Walker’s leaking of confidential information of Covid sufferers for political advantage, questions are being asked about Todd Muller’s leadership and if National is actually committed to assisting the country’s response to Covid 19.
Jacinda’s address to the Labour Congress
The text of Jacinda’s address delivered to the Labour Congress this afternoon.
National’s “intelligence unit” kicks into gear
A month ago a leak from National’s caucus said that they had set up an intelligence unit designed to dig up dirt on opponents. Yesterday Newshub ran a story based on a candidate’s seven year old tweets. It looks like the intelligence unit has been busy.
Caption contest
Keep it seemly.
Re-open New Zealand
It is great to see former Prime Minister Helen Clark join the debate about re-opening New Zealand’s borders. We need it. There is no better time for New Zealand to re-launch itself to the world.
National wants to open up our borders, unless you are Indian, Pakistani or Korean
National Backbench MP Hamish Walker has claimed that Queenstown is to be invaded by people from India, Pakistan and Korea when the reality is the Government is considering using empty Hotels for quarantining returning kiwis.
Minister Clark resigns
David Clark has announced his resignation as Health Minister.
The many and varied Covid reckons of Mike Hosking
A review of recent opinion pieces by Mike Hosking shows that he has adopted a series of contradictory positions with the one common feature that they are critical of the Government’s actions.
Bye bye Paula
Paula Bennett has announced that she is standing down from politics and will not seek re-election on National’s list at this year’s election.
Paora Goldsmith in fake news scandal
Paora Goldsmith has shown either that he is lacking in basic numeracy and literacy skills or that he is prepared to tell porkies for political advantage.
The new successful revolution we are seeing
A really successful and very modern revolution has already started in just the last few weeks. It’s not the revolution we expected.
Colmar Brunton poll – Labour can still form majority Government
The latest Colmar Brunton poll results have been released and Labour is still remarkably in a position to rule on its own.
The light rail delay is good
There is a solid silver lining to the delay in the Auckland light rail to the airport project.
Protesters, Anarchists, Agitators and Lowlifes
Donald Trump has planned to hold a political rally on the day used to celebrate the abolition of slavery at a place where one of the worst examples of white brutality on black people using advertising material containing nazi symbols. All in the middle of a global pandemic.
Things that will live
Despite downbeat economic predictions and an imminent global recession, the New Zealand recovery offers opportunities for entrepreneurial success that exceed anything we’ve seen for decades.
Responsible politics verses Gotcha politics
Michael Woodhouse has recently had a difficult ethical dilemma. He received information suggesting that there were major weaknesses in the Covid quarantine system. Should he do the responsible thing and point out these weaknesses to the authorities or should he play Gotcha politics?
A World That Just Doesn’t Need As Much Oil
BP yesterday sent a really big message that effectively now, Covid-19 is the break that tips the world away from oil dependence.
Covid really is a bastard
New Zealand’s outstanding daily run of ducks for new Covid infections was broken yesterday after it was reported that two visitors, here for the death of a family member, tested positive. Questions are being raised about why they were not tested before being permitted to travel within New Zealand.
National prepares to die in a ditch over racist American flag
In politics there are two general theories, the conspiracy theory where events are the result of deep Machiavellian planning, and the f*ck up theory where things just happen because of human stuff ups. Todd McClay’s decision to defend the use of the Confederate Flag is that much of a f*ck up there must be a deep Machiavellian reason for him deciding to do so publicly.
Things that will die
For three decades tourism has been the great tidal surge that has made many otherwise spiralling towns stablise, and in some cases expand. Post Covid we are going to see some of these towns die.
National has a discipline problem
Yesterday saw two back bench National MPs unintentionally set National’s position on the Government response to Covid 19 and on Hamilton City’s decision to take down a statute that was repugnant to Waikato Tainui. What has happened to their messaging discipline?
Chris Penk has been thinking
Chris Penk has written a book suggesting that the Government’s Covid 19 response has been terrible. Because it was not quite perfect.
Strike Force Raptor is no more
National has backed away from its policy of creating Strike Force Raptor Police Unit, a unit based on an Australian force dedicated to terrorising possible gang members.
Angry Ardern
A challenging post where Ad challenges Jacinda Ardern and the Labour Government to do more.
Black lives matter Aotearoa version
The Black Lives Matter movement is causing many countries to reflect on their history and practices. And the decision of the police to discontinue the Armed Response Teams Trial and the Childrens Commissioner’s scathing report on Oranga Tamariki’s practices in the uplifting of young children, mostly Maori, from their mothers are examples of the change that is happening.
Guest Post – Industrial Democracy for Air New Zealand?
To assist with the emergence from the Covid19 crisis it is time to build firms like Air New Zealand into social institutions of democracy, accountable to citizens and not subject to a takeover by the private interests of capital.
Protesters Say Statue Tripped, Fell Into Water
The toppling of a statute of former slave trader Edward Coulson has led to conjecture that the statute may have tripped and fallen rather than forcibly removed and deposited in Bristol Harbour.
Thanks Jacinda – Zero cases of Covid19 in Aotearoa!
Thanks to clear and decisive leadership, an intelligent government, the decision to go hard and fast, respect for science, and overwhelming commitment to local kiwis we can celebrate a milestone, Aotearoa has no current cases of Covid 19.
Babylon’s Burning
Nothing changes
Bunker boy Trump finally builds that wall
This week Donald Trump has hid in a bunker, used tear gas to move protestors away from a church so that he could have a photo opportunity with a bible, and has started to build his much vaunted wall. Although it is around the White House and not on the Mexican border.
How Covid 19 appears to be playing out
The politics of Covid 19 present difficulties for the opposition. They cannot fault execution of the plan so far and have been reduced to complaining that the restrictions are not being loosened quickly enough.
The four horsemen of the apocalypse
Ok so this is the worst year I can think of in my lifetime. But apocalyptopia it ain’t.
Stunned Muller
Todd Muller thinks it is up to Donald Trump to decide if Donald Trump is a racist.