Author Archive

Trump meets Putin

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:03 am, July 16th, 2018 - 116 comments

Some things that President Trump won’t do as when meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

Property price decline

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, July 13th, 2018 - 61 comments

What would happen if the house prices of Auckland, Queenstown, and other centres of very high debt went into substantial and long term decline?

The trade war

Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:56 pm, July 9th, 2018 - 27 comments

The speed of the growing trade war between the United States and China will hit New Zealand. Our long term diplomatic arc, such that it is, was to follow a modernist impulse set after World War Two: that economic growth and democracy matched deep human impulses for freedom and prosperity together. China has never assented […]

Russell McVeagh

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:11 am, July 6th, 2018 - 31 comments

Dame Margaret Beazley has concluded in her report into Russell McVeagh, New Zealand’s Goldman Sachs, that it has serious problems including instances of excessive drinking and in some instances crude, drunken, and sexually inappropriate behaviour, a failure of governance and pockets of bullying.

Petrol is going up, and up

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, June 30th, 2018 - 57 comments

Not all the current government’s fault, but the arrival of the fuel tax this weekend heralds a number of very sharp rises in what we have to pay in order to run a car.

Full retreat

Written By: advantage - Date published: 11:22 am, June 27th, 2018 - 13 comments

The United States Supreme Court decision to upheld Trump’s travel ban is but the latest example of bad news for international human rights we have had over recent times.

The All Blacks should give up

Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:45 am, June 24th, 2018 - 49 comments

The All Blacks keep winning everything and it is incredibly bad for the game.

Immigration Now

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, June 23rd, 2018 - 74 comments

Germany has one of the very few national-level consciences on world immigration, but that is now under threat. The Trump administration and his allies appear to be actively working to topple Germany’s Angela Merkel in favour of the hard right.

Trump will be President until 2024

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, June 21st, 2018 - 61 comments

It’s time to see the strong possibility of a second term of Donald Trump as United States President. What would The World Look Like?

Where have our rights gone?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, June 20th, 2018 - 49 comments

Great to see that the State Services Commissioner has widened the investigation into the use of private investigators hired by the state against its citizens. But. They should go further.

Coming up, Babies!

Written By: advantage - Date published: 12:37 pm, June 15th, 2018 - 68 comments

Jacinda’s baby is going to be big news soon.

This is a China Play

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, June 13th, 2018 - 36 comments

What was the game plan behind the Trump-Kim Jong Un meeting in Singapore yesterday?

The Carbon Zero Legislation

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, June 8th, 2018 - 43 comments

If you have useful thoughts on how we should deal with climate change, now is the time not to have defeatist or pessimistic thoughts. Now is the time to put pen to paper and get your thoughts straight to James Shaw and help shape this legislation before the first draft hits Parliament.

Who needs strategy?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:49 am, June 6th, 2018 - 39 comments

Perhaps the idea that it’s necessary to have national objectives and realistic plans to achieve them, is overrated. Seems to be working for Trump.

Reclaiming the Mountain

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:17 am, June 1st, 2018 - 19 comments

Central and local Government have announced new funding for projects to preserve and enhance the natural environment in Taranaki.

It’s Time for a Cost-Benefit Analysis of Dairy Farming

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:42 am, May 29th, 2018 - 166 comments

Not just, ‘we’ve got to make the good outweigh the bad’. I mean: why should dairy farming exist here?

New Zealand’s Energy Future

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, May 25th, 2018 - 53 comments

New Zealand has a low carbon energy future plan. What is the strategy to achieve this?

New Zealand trade negotiations with Europe

Written By: advantage - Date published: 11:00 am, May 23rd, 2018 - 7 comments

On Thursday 31 May at the University of Auckland, the Fabians are hosting Max Harris on the topic “Is it time for an independent foreign policy?” What would be the costs of a really independent foreign policy, over the benefits of salving our conscience with greater national independence? And where does Trade fit in?

Call for Royal Commission into Banking

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, May 23rd, 2018 - 13 comments

Sam Stubbs, a longstanding outspoken commentator in New Zealand’s financial industry, continues to advocate for a Royal Commission into banking and insurance.

Trump was right … and then …

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:53 am, May 17th, 2018 - 17 comments

Donald Trump has had a few months of being lucky with some luck Foreign Affairs wins and good economic news. But his wreckage-trail of his consequences is becoming longer and clearer.

Squeeze

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:17 am, May 13th, 2018 - 40 comments

This is as good a year as it is going to get to squeeze your employer for a fair wage.

Would you step into a driverless car?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 3:18 pm, May 11th, 2018 - 51 comments

And would you send your child off to a party in a driverless car?

Algorithms are threatening our democracy

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:00 am, May 9th, 2018 - 36 comments

Algorithms are a form of fascism – yet a fascism from data manipulation rather than from the state. Are they a threat to our democracy?

Is Karl Marx dead?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 11:38 am, May 8th, 2018 - 60 comments

2018 marks several anniversaries of Karl Marx whose significance for the critique of capitalist society is hard to diminish. But what now for his beliefs?

Australia and New Zealand budget days

Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:47 am, May 7th, 2018 - 23 comments

Isn’t it time we at least synchronized the New Zealand budget with the Australian budget?

Does this royal wedding mean anything?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:22 am, May 5th, 2018 - 38 comments

Royal marriages have changed dramatically over the years. Now politicians are not invited to the wedding ceremony.

The Australian banking system review

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:00 am, May 2nd, 2018 - 17 comments

The review into Australia’s banking system really matters to New Zealand and is doing New Zealand an almighty good service.

Does this Government have the money to deliver?

Written By: advantage - Date published: 9:51 am, April 30th, 2018 - 76 comments

I’m sure all revealed at Budget 2018, but the financial management of this government is not surefooted.

New Zealand Is all right, at the end

Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:30 am, April 28th, 2018 - 27 comments

Democracy’s permanence is not inevitable. Its imagining is not beyond imagining. And New Zealand is one of the shrinking number of democracies who really have it.

The Big Auckland Transport announcement

Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:30 pm, April 26th, 2018 - 39 comments

Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced the ATAP, the transport programme for Auckland for the next ten years. At $28 billion it is the largest civil infrastructure programme since World War II.