Ciao, Brooke Van Velden
ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden announced her resignation today. What did she achieve during her tenure? And how will history remember her?
covid-19
Managing Expectations: Community transmission of coronavirus in NZ was inevitable
The sad thing about the NZ COVID response is that overall it did deliver in that it protected the public health system and saved lives. But expectations about stopping all community transmission were set too high, and walking back from that politically has been challenging for Labour.
Boris Johnson – why he fell and can he come back?
It is risky to make predictions, but it is safe to assume we have not heard the last of Boris Johnson. And much like Berlusconi in Italy, the results will undoubtedly be bad both for politics and the country.
British identity and The Second World War
With regards to Johnson’s own leadership to date, his government’s apparent support of herd immunity as the response to COVID-19 in early 2020 had much more in common with Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement policy in the 1930s than the Battle of Britain.
What the recent elections tell us about British society
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s Blog In a nation that has suffered over 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, one may be somewhat taken aback to […]
How Covid may work out from here
The world may never get back to a pre covid state. Until herd immunity is achieved throughout large swathes of the world as well as in Aotearoa New Zealand our borders need to continue to be closely monitored. The anti vaccination movement and the failure to ensure equitable vaccine distribution may mean that our current messy dread filled reality will continue.
UK COVID-19 death toll hits 100,000 and The PM offers an insincere apology.
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s Blog In late March 2020, the medical director of the NHS Stephen Powis said that keeping the UK […]
Trump loses the presidency, but Trumpism lives on
The reality is that the United States is a poor example of a functioning democracy in 2020.
National’s many and varied Covid border policies
On Tuesday National announced the fifth variation of its Covid border policy this year.
TheY aRe onlY aSKing qUestiOns
Yesterday National suggested a wide based and interesting conspiracy theory involving the Government and the Ministry of Health and all of the Health Boards suppressing news of community spread of Covid 19 for political advantage while at the same time complaining that the Government should be consulting with them on decisions.
Will National politicise the new Covid outbreak? *
*Rhetorical question. Of course they will.
The Covid election
I normally do not do this, tempting fate and all that. But the forces behind this election are so strong that it would take a really dramatic event to change current momentum.
Never argue immorality with a Tory *
*they will drag you down to their level and beat you through experience.
We must welcome Kiwis home
With a new Immigration Minister this week, could we please get some reality to bringing our people home?
Some Random impertinent questions about Michelle Boag’s access to confidential medical information
Westpac Helicopter Trust’s claim that it had not breached privacy rights of Covid sufferers raises some serious questions about why Michelle Boag was provided with sensitive information. And who she has provided it to.
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.
Does National actually have any policy?
National has recently been upping the campaign rhetoric but there is a disturbing lack of policy detail.
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.
Muller is floundering
Todd Muller had a bad day yesterday with adverse confidential National polling leaked to the media and with Grant Robertson and Winston Peters showing in the house that Muller’s denial that he had proposed opening up the border with China was simply not correct.
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.
National is relentlessly negative about the country’s Covid response
You would think in the midst of a world pandemic that is threatening established countries everywhere that National would do the responsible thing and work constructively to resolve all of government issues. If you do think this you are wrong.
In defence of Ashley Bloomfield
National and elements of the media have gone full on attack on the Government’s and Ashley Bloomfield’s Covid 19 performance. Which is unusual given that there is still no examples of community transmission and all recent infections have been picked up through the quarantine system.
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.
Advising the country about Covid19 is unfair to National
National is complaining that a Government Covid19 media account liked Jacinda Ardern’s instagram page. And a National cheerleader wants all Covid 19 response advertising to stop.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What has the Government ever done for business?
Borrowing heavily from Monty Python’s Life of Brian Labour MP Deborah Russell sets out what the Government is doing for small business in these Covid 19 times.
How Africa has weathered the COVID-19 storm
Ramaphosa has no doubt learnt from his predecessor Thabo Mbeki’s abysmal response to the HIV crisis in South Africa where inaction by the government caused the virus to spread quickly. Sadly it’s through these sort of deadly mistakes that politicians learn the importance of prevention in public health.
Which industries are changing fastest?
All sectors of our economy are affected. But how are the post Covid changes affecting your industry and your job?
The International investigation into Covid-19
More than 110 nations have backed a call for the World Health Organisation to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 virus outbreak.
Should Parents and Teachers Defy the Government?
School’s back on Monday, but the medical community is still struggling to understand covid 19
Budget 2020: biggest and best from PM Ardern
Text of a pre budget speech given yesterday by Jacinda Ardern.
Jacinda is not like Muldoon
National has decided to play politics with Covid 19 and is opposing the Government’s attempt to pass legislation to secure level 2 arrangements. And has made the extraordinary claim that Jacinda Ardern is just like Rob Muldoon but with slogans.