Trump shot
In breaking news Donald trump has been shot in a Pensylvania. Film suggests that he is fine although suffered a wound to his […]
Social issues
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Code Pink at NATO: Negotiate for peace.
When NATO leaders meet in Washington, what they should be doing, apart from figuring out how to comply with Article 33(1) of the UN Charter, is conducting a clear-eyed review of how this organization that claims to be a force for peace keeps escalating unwinnable wars and leaving countries in ruins.
C Listers and tag alongs
Christopher Luxon has accused senior business leaders who travelled with a trade delegation with Chris Hipkins of being “C listers and tag alongs”.
While the gender/sex culture war rages…
Listen to the detransitioners.
Three waters lite
The Government has announced the reaching of an agreement with Auckland Council about Watercare which will over time be more expensive than Labour’s Tree Water alternative.
The Treaty of Waitangi and Oranga Tamariki
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has resisted attempts by the Waitangi Tribunal to get her to explain how removing requirements to improve outcomes for Māori children is not a breach of the Treaty.
What does this Government have against the environment
It is almost as if the environment was really cruel to senior members of the Government when they were kids. But whatever the reason this Government appears to be intent on wrecking the local environment with a degree of vengeance and stupidity not seen before.
The Liz Truss of the South Seas
Liz Truss’s short reign as UK Prime Minister foundered after her budget requiring borrowing to fund tax cuts was released. The budget tanked the UK economy and caused Truss’s resignation. This week amongst announcements of massive cuts it has emerged that the Government is also planning borrowing for tax cuts.
Forget this Trump trial
In the Trump felony trial now underway, there’s a yawning gap between media attention paid to this and the actual scale of the […]
Guest Post – I was wrong about rainbows
Guest post by Brian Tamaki where he shares his change of thinking about rainbows.
Tell Auckland Council don’t privatise the Port
The Maritime Union of New Zealand has set up an online petition urging Auckland Council not to privatise Auckland Port and also a very helpful web page allowing people to make submissions on Auckland Council’s draft long term plan, where the privatisation proposal is being considered.
Vale, Magista
Respects to the falling of the Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt.
“Deliberate nuclear use
in a war over Taiwan” is the title of an Atlantic Council paper produced last September. They mean nuclear weapons. These are serious people; Undersecretary Bonnie Jenkins addressed them last year about AUKUS.
What’s Left?
From Election 2023’s result through to February 2024 there has been massive loss and damage to the Parliamentary capacity of Labour and Greens. Who still has the capacity to lead? What’s left?
RIP Efeso Collins
Very sad news today with news of Fa’anana Efeso Collins’ untimely death.
Get ready for your water to be privatised
The National Government’s repeal of the Three Waters Legislation and its pursuit of “new forms of infrastructure funding and financing” suggests that privatisation of water is on the drawing board.
Which party are “we” bringing food to, Judith?
War with China? Or cocktails with the Colonels? I haven’t got the invitations, but I’m a no for both.
ACT’s performative FedFoke virtual signalling
Take your dirty boots off at the door ya numpties.
Does the Western World really want to starve Palestine?
Western Nations including New Zealand have suspended urgently needed aid for Palestine after revelations that a tiny minority of UNRHA workers may have been involved in Hamas raids and despite the UNHRA taking immediate action to address issues arising.
Economy improves dramatically thanks to Labour
This week there were two pieces of economic news showing a dramatic improvement credit for which should be given to the last Labour Government.
The Government is planning to cut tobacco excise duty
Hot on the heels of the Government’s walk back from the previous Government’s smoke free policies is the disclosure that the Government is considering halting increases to excise duties on tobacco. And the Government tried to hide this.
Labour and the Democrats
Both the US Democrats and NZ Labour need to take hard looks at themselves. Failure is not inevitable. But there is now only one English-speaking centre-left democracy left in the world: that is the state of where we are now.
Mood of the smokoroom – fearful
The Council of Trade Unions has completed its annual survey of workers and the mood is grim.
Dirty Politics 2024?
Some of the usual suspects… how would we know what is really going on?
Darkness Towards Peace
Can Israel lose a moral battle in Gaza and yet still win?
The Useful Rich
New Zealand’s rich are endlessly fascinating, but as wealth concentrates ever tighter we are poorer.
Repealing the Tax Principles Reporting Act is performative nonsense
National’s 100 days of action is frankly performative nonsense. But it did not include the repeal of the Tax Principles Reporting Act which National smashed through under urgency in the last sitting day of Parliament. What was it trying to hide?
Wanaka Has No Crime
The purpose of everyone in New Zealand is to keep Wanaka pure.
NZ policy is consistent about Russian invasion
Unlike Mike Smith and other noisy members of the imperialist cohort, I applaud that NZ foreign policy has remained consistent in upholding UN and ICC policies against invasions and forced annexations. Ardern, Hipkins and now Luxon have all said the same thing.Supporting the UN charter has massively reduced war casualties over the last 70 years. Clearly the Russian Federation finds this constraining.
National’s complete indifference to climate change
This is the only possible explanation. As well as celebrating all things car National has a pathological hatred of cycleways and walkways and public transport.
Who leaked the Fair Pay Cabinet Paper?
My initial impression was that the person who leaked the Fair Pay Cabinet Paper to the media was probably a disgruntled Public Servant but was it?
The inspiring Pope Francis
Pope Francis has been pope for a bit over 10 years. He’s made a difference.
Labour needs to open the military-political front
The new National coalition cares little about defence. Defence is surprisingly a large and under-appreciated strength for Labour.
Just One Term
There is every reason to believe National will be chucked out in 2026.
Gangs rejoice as Pseudoephedrine is back
For a Government that hates gangs you would think that they would be more circumspect with policies that may enrich gangs and increase illicit drug use. But this is exactly what the current Government is planning.
Nigel Haworth – Back to the Future?
“Labour should be as focused on production as it is on distribution. Labour’s job is not simply to distribute such resources as accrue to the state; it is to promote production and trade that underpin fairer distribution, but under particular conditions.”