Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, January 6th, 2020 - 112 comments
Australia is arguably no longer the lucky country. And if it does not resolve its addiction to coal it may not have a future.
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 am, January 4th, 2020 - 6 comments
We cannot know everything and our only option is to trust others who know stuff that we don’t.
Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, December 31st, 2019 - 123 comments
With the 2020 election just round the corner and recent complaints about the left’s treatment of the #TurnArdern campaign it is a perfect time to think about the importance of language and positive uplifting campaign themes.
Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, December 30th, 2019 - 22 comments
National has released a video of Simon Bridges talking about the trial he conducted against Tony Robertson and suggesting he is in politics to change the law. But the particular law he appears to be targeting was unchanged during the term of the last National Government.
Written By: - Date published: 12:33 am, December 28th, 2019 - 70 comments
Antagonistic personalities are an obstacle to effective politics tackling major present problems.
Written By: - Date published: 11:57 pm, December 25th, 2019 - 24 comments
What beats MMP? Open-list proportional representation with a low threshold would be a good option.
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, December 24th, 2019 - 22 comments
Social Media and the Internet are literally in our faces 24/7 but our political engagement is diminishing.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, December 23rd, 2019 - 128 comments
2019 has been a remarkable year for those wanting social, economic, and environmental renewal. The level of protest remains high, the idealism as strong as ever, but the ferment is not generating progressive wins, is weakening democratic reflexiveness to challenge, and is weakening pan-national institutions. It’s not that easy to get on the shelves here, […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, December 21st, 2019 - 76 comments
It has been a tough week for conservative leaders with Trump impeached and the evangelical magazine Christianity Today calling for his resignation, Johnson in the UK announcing voter fraud measures reminiscent of the American deep South, and in Australia Morrison being criticised for missing in action, upstaged by a 13 year old girl and pushing through protection for religious bigotry that Israel Folau would be pleased with.
Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, December 19th, 2019 - 18 comments
Simon Bridges’s twitter account has chosen to celebrate Christmas by engaging in a twitter spat with well known Media personality Nigel Latta. And has not fared well.
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, December 17th, 2019 - 154 comments
The UK election was won not by Russian bots but by older voters with limited technical skills circulating poorly designed ads. What can be done in New Zealand to counter what is clearly a right wing campaign tactic?
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 14th, 2019 - 180 comments
Let’s frame this in leftie terms: can you get in, do grunty policy moves, and stay popular?
Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 12th, 2019 - 2 comments
The island of Bouganville has just had a vote towards independence from Papua New Guinea. The result has interesting similarities with the Brexit vote.
Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, December 5th, 2019 - 85 comments
There are indications that Elizabeth the UK Queen may stand down from her office in the next two years. That may be the perfect time for Aotearoa New Zealand to cast aside constitutional provisions based on heredity and become constitutionally independent of the old country.
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, December 3rd, 2019 - 7 comments
National MP Joanne Hayes has provided a textbook example of the perils of Twitter.
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, November 28th, 2019 - 40 comments
National has proposed significant changes to the Criminal Justice system to create a Police group without evidence that it works, and that if enacted would make our prisons less safe and plug holes in our law that do not exist.
Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, November 27th, 2019 - 20 comments
National is proposing changes to the Youth Court system that show not only a disregard for working in the interests of young people but disturbingly show a complete lack of understanding about how the Youth Court works.
Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, November 26th, 2019 - 44 comments
Andrew Little has announced a review of prisoner voting rights to overturn National’s law change which the Courts have ruled to be in breach of fundamental rights and unjustified. Simon Bridges has announced that National will reverse any such law change. And he has topped this off by proposing that Tauranga City Council should prosecute and fine beggars and homeless people.
Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, November 23rd, 2019 - 46 comments
There is tremendous momentum within the Democratic Party right now with recent gains in Kentucky and Louisiana and Virginia. But in the battle to get rid of Trump they can still blow it.
Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, November 22nd, 2019 - 57 comments
National’s attacks on NZ First’s Foundation are hypocritical in the extreme given that it also has a Foundation and has used this foundation to hide the identity of donors who have collectively potentially contributed huge amounts of money to the party.
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, November 20th, 2019 - 74 comments
Simon Bridges has accused NZ First of engaging in the most significant breach of electoral law in New Zealand’s history. But has not ruled out working with NZ First in the future. And has forgotten about National’s neat partition of a $100,000 donation to hide it from the authorities.
Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, November 19th, 2019 - 98 comments
There has been recent media exposure on New Zealand First’s treatment of donations and the use of a trust to receive donations and avoid contribution disclosure requirements by making payments loans rather than gifts.
Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, November 18th, 2019 - 16 comments
Advantage is testing an idea out. What will a common accountability framework for the government look like?
Written By: - Date published: 9:50 am, November 17th, 2019 - 38 comments
The last week in US politics has seen the Trump Impeachment Hearing go public, Trump confidant Roger Stone convicted of lying to Congress, Alex Jones ask for the Presidential pardon to be used to free him, and details revealed of multiple meetings between Trump and Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas who are charged with campaign rule violations. Trump says he does not know them. Just another week in the Trump Presidency …
Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, November 14th, 2019 - 98 comments
David Seymour’s End of Life Bill passed through Parliament last night by 69 votes to 51. We are now facing a referendum at the next election.
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 12th, 2019 - 53 comments
While Australia burns its conservative politicians still refuse to accept the enormity of the climate crisis and are acting to hinder and prevent measures that need to be taken to address what is a clear threat to the country’s future.
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 am, November 9th, 2019 - 24 comments
National MP Jo Hayes has advocated for the reduction of poverty levels by making poor people even poorer.
Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, November 7th, 2019 - 66 comments
Jacinda Ardern has publicly slapped Shane Jones down for blatantly racist comments by requiring Immigration Officials to reverse a policy change that was adversely affecting Kiwis who have recently entered into arranged marriages.
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, November 5th, 2019 - 4 comments
Nick Kelly is a former NZ trade union leader and NZ Labour activist. He is a co director of Piko Consulting, and currently lives in London expanding Piko into the UK. The below was originally published on Nick Kelly’s blog
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 am, November 4th, 2019 - 15 comments
A guest post from Chrissy Thomas on Te Whare Pounamu, Dunedin Women’s Refuge.
Written By: - Date published: 11:13 am, November 3rd, 2019 - 50 comments
Despite its continuous failure to work over the past 40 years trickle down remains a favourite justification by right wing administrations for allowing unfettered greed.
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