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National announced more subsidies in farming for capital gains
National and their minion parties just announced another massive $400 million R&D subsidy for agricultural greenhouse gases by taxpayers for the low profit industry of pastoral farming. This joins the other large and hidden subsidies levied on tax and rate payers to support rural and state roads capable of sustained heavy agricultural and forestry trucks.
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National MP *forgets* to declare $178,000 in donations
In breaking news New Plymouth National MP David MacLeod apparently *forgot* to declare $178,000 in declarations to the Electoral Commission.
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New Zealand Needs a Security Alliance Fast
Who will defend us when the military chaos now expanding in the world finally hits hard in our region, because that is what is really happening.
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National only wants to help tenants *
* get evicted more easily.
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What if climate collapse comes much sooner than we expected?
“It is simply mind-boggling,” said Prof Michael Meredith, science leader at the British Antarctic Survey. “In sub-zero temperatures such a massive leap is tolerable but if we had a 40C rise in the UK now that would take temperatures for a spring day to over 50C – and that would be deadly for the population.”
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The Culture War Coalition
act, Christopher Luxon, Culture wars, david seymour, national, nz first, paul goldsmith, politicans, same old national, winston petersWe have just had yet another week of the Government manufacturing culture wars and picking fights while ignoring the big issues. Like dealing with climate change, child poverty and homelessness.
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Dune 2 and Gaza
What if life followed fiction and Gaza was explained by Dune 2? Sigh. It isn’t.
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The week Luxon lost his moral mandate to lead
The last week has shown how Christopher Luxon has no understanding of New Zealand’s history and no appreciation about how dangerous Act’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill is.
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Are Road User Charges for every vehicle actually fair?
New Zealand is one of the most car-reliant and petroleum-reliant countries on earth. So how we are taxed to travel on land has huge equity implications.
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What If Trump Wins Again?
New Zealand has gained prosperity over 40 years within a free flow of trade under peacetime supported by minor attacks to shipping and planes, low international trade costs such as tariffs, and confidence that international trade disputes will be settled by law rather than by might is at risk: all of that required a United States President prepared to support that.
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The Coming Oil Crisis
An expanding Middle East war that puts the Red Sea and Suez tanker route at risk is a major risk to us because it could hit the global price of oil.
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Atlas smirked
act, Deep stuff, democracy under attack, election 2023, election funding, national, political parties, same old national, spin, tax, taxpayers unionA George Monbiot article in the Guardian made me wonder what effect the Atlas Network is having on New Zealand politics through the Taxpayer’s Union. Publicly available information suggests considerable funding is being made available and that the current Government’s priorities are precisely those that the Atlas Network would approve of.
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Darkness Towards Peace
Can Israel lose a moral battle in Gaza and yet still win?
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The Useful Rich
New Zealand’s rich are endlessly fascinating, but as wealth concentrates ever tighter we are poorer.
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Peak NZ Liberal
climate change, Deep stuff, Environment, health, jacinda ardern, labour, maori party, national, science, waterAs National dismantles with speed some of the institutional reforms made by the last Labour Government the concern is that we may have witnessed the peak in progressive influence.
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Why was Judith Collins appointed as a KC?
Judith Collins has been appointed a Kings Counsel even before she has had time to show her performance as Attorney General and even though previous highly respected lawyers such as David Lange, Geoffrey Palmer and Margaret Wilson were not appointed while serving as Attorneys General.
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How To Make Bad Law
The cutting of Regulatory Impact Statements is a very serious weakening of holding lawmakers and decision makers to account.
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The inspiring Pope Francis
Pope Francis has been pope for a bit over 10 years. He’s made a difference.
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Tobacco bans in NZ and the UK.
The decision in 2021 to introduce the smoking ban was a courageous one. Smoking causes many deaths each year and places a strain on the country’s health system. Smoking is addictive and we should do all we can to discourage young people from taking up this habit. This being said, putting a total ban on tobacco sales of people born after 2009 is well-meaning, but would likely have unintended and profoundly negative consequences.
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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.
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Just One Term
Environment, greens, health, labour, nicola willis, Shane Reti, simeon brown, transport, uncategorized, waterThere is every reason to believe National will be chucked out in 2026.
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Highlights quoted out of the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement
cost of living, crime, economy, education, health, national, nz first, tertiary education, transport, uncategorized, winston peters, workers' rightsSome of the more unusual policies from the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement.
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The long wait still continues
act, Christopher Luxon, national, nicola willis, nz first, political parties, Politics, winston petersOn Friday, three parties finally signed agreements to gain a slim majority in parliament. What this means is that some time on Monday Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro will be able to swear in the new ministers of the Executive Council. On Monday Labour and the Greens will have their constitutional muzzle removed. On December 5th parliament will lumber back into work. Then the fun begins for this political blogger.
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Green growth or degrowth?
There is growing scepticism among climate policy researchers about green growth, as concepts of degrowth go mainstream.
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Terror, human shields, and de-legitimising Israel
Hamas is deploying a set of tough ethical calculations as it planned its attack on Israeli civilians to kill, rape, and kidnap as it did.
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Mergers and acquisitions
act, Christopher Luxon, david seymour, national, national/act government, nz first, same old national, winston petersChristopher Luxon has always talked the big talk about his corporate experience with mergers and acquisitions. But the media are starting to ask questions and his positive rhetoric may not be well placed.
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What Is peace Anyway?
Deep stuff, International, israel, Palestine, Peace, Politics, Russia, uk politics, Ukraine, uncategorized, warWe are further away from peace in parts of the world than a decade ago. But pessimism about peace isn’t a foregone conclusion.
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Australia just made a high impact treaty with a Pacific Island state that puts a question on New Zealand about climate change
australian politics, climate change, Environment, global warming, International, Pacific, science, sustainability, uncategorizedAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano have announced a deal whereby Australia is offering permanent residency to Tuvaluans affected by climate change, and a security guarantee that will bind both countries close together.
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Nigel Haworth on Labour at the crossroads
Former Labour Party President Nigel Haworth: “Any decisions about leadership should follow a careful and comprehensive review of, first, the recent campaign, and second, the broader settings in which Labour has chosen to work in recent years”
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New Zealand’s response to the Palestine crisis
Nanaia Mahuta’s carefully crafted responses to the Palestinian crisis underlines that the Israeli response to the Hamas attacks by targeting civilians is disproportionate and completely unjustified.
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NZ Election result
In parliamentary politics, there are no final victories. After losing the 2023 election, Labour must now immediately focus on winning in 2026.
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Israel and Saudi Arabia
I don’t want to talk about Saudi Arabia but it’s time.
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New Zealand’s climate obligations and National’s climate policy
National plans to renege on our Paris Agreement pledge
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Why won’t Winston Peters answer straight forward questions about NZ First policy?
Jack Tame vs Winston Peters.
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Another Act candidate bites the dust
At this rate Act may not have enough candidates to fill its list of MPs in Parliament.
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Breathable air in Walthamstow
Back with family in London after Covid’s four years, much has changed. Most notably, the air in Walthamstow is breathable. Thanks to Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan’s emission zone tax, the change is remarkable.
