Author Archive

We Need A Proper Constitution

Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, September 20th, 2022 - 41 comments

She’s in the ground and it’s time.

What is This We Feel?

Written By: - Date published: 6:58 am, September 15th, 2022 - 52 comments

When Queen Elizabeth is buried it will be the last time we say goodbye to her. More than her.

Freedom is Not Guaranteed: Sometimes You Must Fight

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, September 11th, 2022 - 177 comments

If we fail to support Ukraine’s struggle we all lose far more than self rule for 44 million people.

Re-Nationalise Electricity Generators Now

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 8th, 2022 - 60 comments

This COVID era is the decade in which the state is back, bigger and faster than ever before. But the one area this government won’t let the state expand again is the one area in which New Zealand is the most vulnerable: electricity generation. It needs to change.

Transition at the Limits of What People Can Cope With

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 7th, 2022 - 39 comments

Many European governments now face a perfect storm of threatened energy security, rising inflation, war-propelled refugee crisis, and climate objectives. New Zealand be warned.

Labour’s Ardern and Democrats’ Biden: Learnings

Written By: - Date published: 7:47 am, August 28th, 2022 - 47 comments

For those fishing around for a progressive playbook in this fractious world, Biden and Ardern are pretty similar. But Biden appears to be turning the fortunes of the Democrats around but Ardern is currently unrewarded. Is there anything to learn?

Will We Go Down With China?

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, August 22nd, 2022 - 19 comments

Muchn’all as I try and stay positive about New Zealand’s economic direction, our reliance on China is getting much, much worse, and we need to move as China declines.

Not A Ripple of Difference

Written By: - Date published: 1:24 pm, August 19th, 2022 - 24 comments

The polls are out and the internal revolt last month to remove James Shaw as Greens co leader hasn’t made a ripple.

By Nature Unfair

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, August 18th, 2022 - 28 comments

You can be the most moral nation on earth and have no reward for it.

Bastards Versus Assholes

Written By: - Date published: 10:53 am, August 12th, 2022 - 47 comments

This post was written before Gaurav Sharma’s Herald article and should not be taken as validation of his comments.  There are necessary bastards in political life, and in developed democracies compared to everywhere else ours are gentle as lambs

Was This The Change We Needed?

Written By: - Date published: 1:07 pm, August 9th, 2022 - 11 comments

Crises that profoundly test a small developed state like New Zealand have required huge growth in state strength and policy power. But was it the change we needed?

Ardern’s Leadership Generates Pacific Results

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, July 28th, 2022 - 9 comments

New Zealand has been overdue to show strong results in the Pacific Islands. Not a moment too soon, this is what Prime Minister Ardern delivered.

Unthinkable Renationalisation

Written By: - Date published: 10:02 am, July 21st, 2022 - 57 comments

Europe is leading the global fight against climate change by rapidly shifting away from fossil fuels. This now includes fully renationalising energy companies and forced decreases in gas use. What could New Zealand learn?

Chinese Capital in the Pacific

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, July 19th, 2022 - 26 comments

It would be tidy for New Zealand and Australian leaders to blame China’s debt within Sri Lanka for its collapse, so that they could scare Pacific Island nations back into the fold. It would be wrong.

Predator Free Rakiura Stewart Island

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, July 9th, 2022 - 39 comments

If anyone’s keen on helping in a globally noteworthy epic conservation project, try the whole of Stewart Island.

How Can Labour Win in 2023?

Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, July 7th, 2022 - 213 comments

Right now Labour is preparing the ground for its run at 2023’s election with new policy. New policy must be wildly popular. What could make Labour popular enough to them back leading a third term in government?

Nonsense Auckland Council PR

Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, June 30th, 2022 - 19 comments

Sometimes the egregious spin gets too much.  And when developers who want a compact urban form are telling Auckland Council that its plans are not working you know Auckland Council has a problem.

Matariki and Prime Minister Ardern

Written By: - Date published: 10:16 am, June 24th, 2022 - 73 comments

Plenty of experts will tell you about what Matariki ‘means to us’. Here’s what it means to Ardern.

How Democracy Weakens

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, June 21st, 2022 - 31 comments

It’s pretty commonplace now to observe that Prime Minister Ardern is doing well overseas but tanking at home.

The 2022 Energy Crisis Is Right Here Right Now

Written By: - Date published: 4:56 pm, June 19th, 2022 - 44 comments

Every part of our energy-dense life from plastic to tarmac to food to clothes to building materials is about to get smashed like we ain’t seen.

Selling Henderson Film Studios is Actually Good

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, June 15th, 2022 - Comments Off on Selling Henderson Film Studios is Actually Good

In 2003 Mayor Bob Harvey drove the formation of Film Auckland and the construction of the Henderson Valley Studios. Now they are being sold.  But this is a good thing.

Rage and the Woke

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, June 14th, 2022 - 69 comments

The past couple of years has seen a significant increase in far right activity and rapidly increasing racism.

 Gang Control Policy Is Back Big Time

Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, June 12th, 2022 - 16 comments

We are about to have a proper gang control  policy contest. It’s about time.

Ukraine as a Multi-Year war

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, June 12th, 2022 - 20 comments

The Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine is now three months old. Prepare for a very long grind.

When Dumb Corporates Kill Thousands. Here.

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, May 30th, 2022 - 4 comments

New Zealand King Salmon has revealed that 42% of their salmon in warm water areas for the year ending January 2022 were just dead and chucked away. Salmon towed to cooler water had a lower rate of 37%. As SAFE points out if this had happened to a beef or dairy farmer they would be […]

Top Gun

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, May 27th, 2022 - 23 comments

The new version of Top Gun out now is sure to give rise to little think-pieces about how comparable the situation in the Ukraine is or is not to Desert Storm in Iraq or any other US-military led war. Or isn’t.

How Russia Loses

Written By: - Date published: 2:05 pm, May 26th, 2022 - 90 comments

Even after just four months it is time count what Russia has lost and will continue to lose.

Why Is New Zealand So Strong?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, May 25th, 2022 - 36 comments

As New Zealand signs up to another alliance to shore up our economic security in the face of fast retreats in economic globalisation, it’s worth taking stock of why New Zealand’s economy is so strong.

What If Roe v Wade is Really Reversed?

Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, May 10th, 2022 - 35 comments

It is no mere hypothetical to inquire whether States, as soon as the reversal of Roe v Wade is confirmed, start to aggressively go after kinds of contraception.

So What Happens To Russia?

Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, May 9th, 2022 - 57 comments

The commercial parts of Russia’s state will do very well with plenty of customers remaining for its oil and gas. It’s $3-$4 a litre 91 everyone. Everything else in Russia is ruined.

India Rises

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, May 1st, 2022 - 10 comments

Why is India such a world player right now?

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