If you want to understand what’s going on in Iran, abandon what the Persians invented centuries ago: Manichaeism. We use the term today to denote political framing which is simplistic, black-and-white, two-dimensional – a world of Angels (us) and Demons (them). This article recognizes multiple…
The attack on the NZ Reserve Bank is lock step with Trump. New Zealanders used to expect that if you got into real trouble there were true nodes of resistance to power. Somewhere you could turn to help you stand up to them. Now look…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
There's a really big merger in the state sector happening now. The merger of many functions of the central public sector concerned with cities, the environment, housing and urban development, and transport, was announced in the week before Christmas and is now underway. There's plenty of…
The United States of America is in a strange place. Just this year: Trump has ordered without Congressional authority the invasion of Venezuela. He continues to make threats to annex Greenland which has resulted in the extraordinary response of Germany and other European nations planning…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Luxon is back at work now. Only joking. The Prime Minister, who recently told RNZ that he is “working from home”, another "not-your-entitlement" that he is entitled to, has ordered his social team to up the socials, posting about his wedding anniversary and the latest,…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Simeon Brown & Megan Stiffler versus Firefighters Simeon Brown played politics yesterday again, attacking firefighters and the unions they are part of, for being on strike between 12 - 1pm after Auckland business “Pita House” burned in Pakuranga. FENZ Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler, who…
In the United States of America Renee Good, a 37 year old woman and the mother of three children including a six year old boy, has been shot dead in Minnesota. The assailant was an ICE officer. There is video of the incident from different…
Tim Shadbolt’s passing shows what it’s like when a bona fide radical activist gets into power for long enough to make a permanent difference. Tim Shadbolt in 1971 You can see the full life in pictures at The Post. Way back in the 1970s Tim…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Reposted from Richard Murphy Affordability has become the defining political issue in the United States. It will soon be unavoidable in the UK. But the way the problem is being framed remains fundamentally misleading. Most discussion of the cost-of-living crisis still revolves around prices: food,…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Regrettably the usual response by western leaders to the brutal invasion of a foreign nation by US forces was to express various levels of concern and an intent to monitor. Like Winston Peters for New Zealand: New Zealand is concerned by and actively monitoring developments…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Today is the deadline for the Manage My Health data breach ransom of USD$60,000. According to reports, some of the stolen files show Kiwis in various states of undress, including naked, clinical photos, passports, medication/diagnosis info documenting psychiatric and mental health concerns etc. Other data…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Looks like David Seymour has spent the Christmas break in South America. Not seeing the sights and enjoying the local culture. Such things are not in the Atlas how to have fun manual. Instead of this he has visited Javier Milei, President of Argentina. Milei…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
National will continue to use urgency to push through its preferred policy changes. And it will ask Labour to show bipartisanship especially around changes to the Resource Management system, despite repealing Labour's not dissimilar effort in as abject an example of lack of bipartisanship as…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
This is an excerpt from the Mountain Tui Substack post: Happy 2026 - Let's spare a thought. Post publication, it’s been confirmed banned agencies also include Save The Children, World Vision, CARE, and Oxfam. It’s officially a New Year, and it’s wonderful to be here,…
Happy New Year to all the readers, commenters, and fellow authors/mods at The Standard. Special shout out to Lprent who keeps the site running, and Micky who does the heavy lifting on posts. Great to have some new authors on board in the past year,…
