Author Archive

Sage gets the money

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, March 5th, 2019 - 47 comments

Greens Minister Eugenie Sage deserves praise for securing some solid funding increases for her Conservation portfolio.

Venezuela, China and Russia

Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:41 pm, March 4th, 2019 - 54 comments

In the new world order of robber barons in which most states are collectively so weak that they no longer effective resistance against large corporations, we should start to view states as diplomatic fronts for corporations.

Digital Corporations: Pay Us What You Owe Us

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:17 am, February 19th, 2019 - 75 comments

The Government has indicated that it will seek to tax digital companies from overseas.

$58 billion verses democracy: Bouganville

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, February 14th, 2019 - 5 comments

There’s trouble on the horizon in Bouganville with its government proposing significant changes to its mining law to allow wide scale mining on the island.

Dear St Valentine

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, February 13th, 2019 - 25 comments

Deep in the perpetually joyous realm you inhabit, could you pop over and have a chat to St Francis? I am pretty sure that your spirit of spreading love throughout humanity is so necessary that if you did not exist we would have to invent you. But the speed and volume of the […]

Should teaching about the Treaty of Waitangi be compulsory?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:19 pm, February 7th, 2019 - 226 comments

It was sure refreshing to see the current head of the National Party saying on Waitangi Day that teaching of New Zealand history should be compulsory in the New Zealand curriculum.

I’m so tired of you America

Written By: advantage - Date published: 12:04 pm, January 28th, 2019 - 61 comments

Every day it’s getting harder to even wake up and hear of the latest outrage to political decency in the United States.

That federation campaign

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:50 am, January 24th, 2019 - 110 comments

There’s an ad campaign that says “New Zealand is doing Australia better than Australia is”, and recommends federation of New Zealand with Australia and Jacinda being the first Prime Minister. Maybe it’s time.

What Can This Government Really Do About the Economy?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:35 am, January 23rd, 2019 - 108 comments

Why is it that right now some countries can have weak governments and the economies just surge ahead? Why is political agency shearing away from economic change?

Is Brexit A Signal Of Decline?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:15 am, January 18th, 2019 - 103 comments

What if Brexit is not a threat to democracy as a system of government or a threat to liberal values? And what if it is an example of British democracy’s best modern exemplars to the world of institutionalised democracy and the rule of all under the law since universal franchise was first granted?

Emergency Wall

Written By: advantage - Date published: 11:30 am, January 9th, 2019 - 28 comments

President Trump is preparing the ground to use the State of the Union address to declare that the Congress delaying funding of the wall on the Mexican-U.S. boundary is a national emergency.

Elizabeth Warren and Foreign Policy

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:45 am, January 9th, 2019 - 17 comments

An analysis of recent public comments made by Elizabeth Warren and the possible implications for New Zealand of a Warren Presidency.

Movie Review – the Favourite

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:30 am, January 2nd, 2019 - 4 comments

The Standard is branching into new territory with a film review of the movie the Favourite.

Japan restarts commercial whaling

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, December 27th, 2018 - 10 comments

Japan have withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission and will resume commercial whaling.

Go Democracy Go!

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:19 am, December 26th, 2018 - 68 comments

It’s going to be a strong year for democratic politics.

Play day

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:29 am, December 25th, 2018 - 3 comments

This is the day to play.

Random 2019 predictions …

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, December 22nd, 2018 - 114 comments

What will happen in 2019?

Public Service meltdown

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:33 am, December 21st, 2018 - 55 comments

How much Wellington-political-economy damage can the Government sustain while pushing reform across so many Ministries?

COP24

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:59 am, December 17th, 2018 - 23 comments

Nearly 200 nations agreed to the accord in Poland over the weekend. And the goal is to seek to limit global temperature rises to below two degrees Celsius.

Brexit vote on Tuesday

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, December 10th, 2018 - 41 comments

With a vote on the Brexit deal soon and with defeat a distinct possibility both Labour and the Conservatives need a Plan B and they need it inside 48 hours.

The Reserve Bank Reform Bill

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:23 am, December 7th, 2018 - 11 comments

The Government is planning changes to the Reserve Bank Act to require it to seek full employment. Maybe it is time for a dramatic change to its powers so that it has the regulatory powers to properly deal with the Australian banks.

Child poverty reduction

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, December 5th, 2018 - 65 comments

It’s likely that Labour’s new Child Poverty Reduction Bill will get through its third reading by the end of this year.

New Privacy Law for 2019

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:55 am, December 1st, 2018 - 3 comments

A new Privacy law is in the process of being enacted. But in a world where privacy breaches are rampant and the consequences potentially devastating will it be enough?

China, Huawei and us

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, November 27th, 2018 - 50 comments

It’s high time this government woke up to the intelligence gathering capacity and ambition of China in New Zealand.

Twyford’s big announcement

Written By: advantage - Date published: 12:46 pm, November 24th, 2018 - 71 comments

The government has just announced the creation of the most massive and powerful housing and land development agency that we have ever seen.

What happens if housing prices really go down?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, November 17th, 2018 - 164 comments

So what if Labour decides to go ahead with its capital gains tax? What happens to the equity of the remaining middle class? What happens to the equity of those who were brought in under KiwiBuild?