Author Archive

One Virus to Rule Them All

Written By: - Date published: 2:33 pm, March 28th, 2020 - 37 comments

Trying to make sense of what’s happening is mindboggling.

Constructive Criticism and Team Work In Politics

Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, January 26th, 2020 - 34 comments

Team play is more important than ever in politics.

Known Knowns and All the Other Ones

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.

It Is the Thought That Counts

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 am, December 28th, 2019 - 70 comments

Antagonistic personalities are an obstacle to effective politics tackling major present problems.

MMP Mark II*

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.

Democratisation by Social Media and the Internet Is Just Meaningless Waffle

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.

Two Referendums Too Many

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, November 16th, 2019 - 50 comments

The referendums on two contentious issues could cloud and crowd out the General Election.

Smells Like Stale Male Spirit

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, August 18th, 2019 - 92 comments

We live in a rich and diverse society but this is not reflected in our local government.

Dinosaurs Fight Extinction Rebellion

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 am, July 17th, 2019 - 181 comments

Dinosaurs are speeding up our extinction.

Simon Bridges Going Blue in the Face Barking at Green Cars

Written By: - Date published: 3:48 pm, July 14th, 2019 - 51 comments

Simon Bridges is barking madly at green cars.

Toll by Stealth

Written By: - Date published: 4:17 pm, July 13th, 2019 - 52 comments

A tunnel is like a wormhole to another dimension. It changes people’s behaviour ever so slightly, ever so briefly, without them realising.

Politics is like a Traffic Jam

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 9th, 2019 - 45 comments

Traffic jams are frustrating, waste time and money, have no cause or purpose, and they are all the same.

The Attack of the Snowflakes

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 4th, 2019 - 119 comments

National is playing the innocent victim of Budgetgate whilst being the aggressive attacker all along.

Politicians Don’t Know Jack

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, June 3rd, 2019 - 63 comments

Politicians rely on information provided to them, not on an encyclopaedic memory and an IQ of a genius.

Beware of Truth Sayers

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, June 2nd, 2019 - 21 comments

We don’t all have to know all the facts and admitting ignorance is no shame but a virtue.

Same old dirty National

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 30th, 2019 - 179 comments

National is still embedded in Dirty Politics.

Hate Speech Is an Evitable Evil

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 19th, 2019 - 72 comments

Online behaviour like any other behaviour can be modified but this will not happen by itself.

This Could Happen To You

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 6th, 2019 - 58 comments

For some reason, this story struck a nerve. An 80-year old had his 59-year career terminated by an impersonal e-mail from a faceless manager. Ironically, the manager on his public LinkedIn profile likes a post entitled “Treat a janitor with the same respect as the CEO”. Isn’t it sad that we now treat people as […]

Everything Should Be Made As Uncomfortable As Possible, But No Less Comfortable

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 24th, 2019 - 26 comments

When providing a voluntary carbon-offset scheme, make it as simple as possible, but not simpler, and tell people about it.

Kiwi Cultural Cringe is Alive and Well

Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, April 22nd, 2019 - 75 comments

New Zealand is too small for high-achievers and star-performers and does not offer enough challenges and rewards.

Don’t Rock The Titanic!

Written By: - Date published: 2:41 pm, April 19th, 2019 - 31 comments

The pace of politics of transformation is glacial but it is unstoppable.

Reflections on Free Speech and Public Discourse

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, April 15th, 2019 - 119 comments

Silencing dissonant voices only leads to more and stronger dissonant voices and further radicalisation.

Are We Expecting Too Much Of Our Political Leaders?

Written By: - Date published: 11:12 pm, April 8th, 2019 - 122 comments

Political leaders must have expert knowledge on many topics and near-perfect recall. No naps allowed and no room for error.

Simon Bridges is rooting for the Greens*

Written By: - Date published: 4:12 pm, March 9th, 2019 - 28 comments

Simon Bridges makes a passionate plea for the environment and for a mate.

MAFS National Style*

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, March 3rd, 2019 - 61 comments

National is grooming the voters for another dirty ACT.

CGT as a Charitable Donation

Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, March 2nd, 2019 - 31 comments

Treat CGT like a semi-voluntary donation and give people a say in how it is spent.

The Big Operation

Written By: - Date published: 12:26 pm, February 23rd, 2019 - 19 comments

A life changing operation is a big decision and there are no easy answers.

The NZ National Party is the Wizard of Oz

Written By: - Date published: 2:57 pm, February 16th, 2019 - 32 comments

The National Party is a sad, confused, slightly dazed white old man behind the curtain.

Upset by Offset

Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, February 7th, 2019 - 52 comments

Life is not simply a zero-sum game in which bad behaviour can be offset with good deeds.

The Power of Anger

Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, January 28th, 2019 - 75 comments

Anger can be a great catalyst for change if used wisely.

An Ineffectual Opposition Is Bad News

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 28th, 2018 - 42 comments

An ineffectual Opposition creates a vacuum that will be filled by the Mainstream and Social Media as they will assume the role of unelected and non-representative opposition in effectuo.

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