democracy under attack
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We need more radicals coming here
Written By: - Date published: 7:31 am, August 9th, 2018 - 68 comments
We need more radical voices again here. But it’s like MMP has turned us once again into the passionless people. It always looks like “hate speech” when you hate it.
The difference between Don Brash and Southern & Molyneux
Written By: - Date published: 2:38 pm, August 8th, 2018 - 66 comments
What is the difference between Don Brash and Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern. And why should Brash’s right to freedom of expression be greater than Monyneux’s or Southern’s?
Guest post: The end of Neoliberalism – What went wrong?
Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, August 7th, 2018 - 172 comments
The Left predicted the death of neoliberalism after the global financial crisis of 2008. But since then inequality has increased and new right nationalism is on the ascendancy. How should the left respond?
Rally Against Racism in Auckland Tonight
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, August 3rd, 2018 - 190 comments
There are various protests against the visit of the two Canadian hate speakers in Auckland tonight.
BREAKING NEWS: The owner of the proposed venue, Eden Terrace’s Powerstation, has apparently pulled the plug on the event. And the event organiser’s website says tickets will be refunded.
PLEASE NOTE: The organised protests are still on. Celebrate at Aotea Square at 5.30!
VSM – why it needs to go.
Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, August 2nd, 2018 - 62 comments
In 2010 the ACT Party with the help of National managed to pass a piece of legislation that damaged student democracy, and blatantly ignored public opinion. Voluntary Student Membership or VSM sounds like a horrendous STI, and its impact has been to screw student democracy. Prior to 2010 students had a choice as to whether […]
Government with a plan
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, July 22nd, 2018 - 46 comments
The polls are great. Top work. But I’m getting worried about the entropy of this government already. Matthew Hooten and Karl Marx agree with me.
Happy birthday Nelson Mandela
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, July 19th, 2018 - 43 comments
It is Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday. Happy birthday to him. If he was alive today he would be 100 years old.
Trumputin
Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, July 17th, 2018 - 206 comments
Donald Trump has directly contradicted the collective decision of the United States Security agencies by denying that there was Russian involvement in the last US general election.
Free Speech Coalition’s litigation strikes a major snag
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, July 17th, 2018 - 138 comments
The free speech coalition’s desire to get the High Court to enforce the rights of Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux has struck a potential snag. A rather major snag.
Where have our rights gone?
Written By: - 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.
Bottom feeding fish redux
Written By: - Date published: 3:26 pm, June 18th, 2018 - 24 comments
Newsroom has released details of media emails sent to the police about the Clarke Gayford rumours.
Were Etu union delegates threatened at a select committee?
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, June 4th, 2018 - 133 comments
National MP Parmjeet Parmar has been accused of threatening to tell the employers of submitters to a Select Committee what they had said in evidence if they did not withdraw their statements.
Strange Democracy.
Written By: - Date published: 11:38 am, May 30th, 2018 - 30 comments
Quietly mulling on the difference between foreign interference (malign) and influence (benign).
Shouty Simon’s strange budget claim
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, May 19th, 2018 - 64 comments
National’s claims about Labour’s health spend suffer from the not insignificant problem that they do not make any sense when analysed.
Algorithms are threatening our democracy
Written By: - 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?
Police scotches dirty politics rumours about Clarke Gayford
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 2nd, 2018 - 209 comments
The police have publicly scotched rumours that have been circulating about Clarke Gayford by saying that Gayford is not and has not been the subject of any police inquiry and has not been charged in relation to any matter.
Is capitalism obsolete?
Written By: - Date published: 8:10 am, April 23rd, 2018 - 303 comments
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has given a speech where he has stated that capitalism is coming to an end because it is making itself obsolete.
The right to free speech
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, April 20th, 2018 - 105 comments
This week has seen a number of examples where right wing and religious men have said stupid things and then had their statements defended on the basis that free speech should be protected.
Finlayson found to have breached Dotcom’s rights
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, March 27th, 2018 - 59 comments
The Human Rights Tribunal has found that the last Government and Chris Finlayson breached Kim Dotcom’s rights in not providing him with information requested by him. And awarded him $90,000 for the breach.
“Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job”
Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, March 26th, 2018 - 32 comments
Two speakers from yesterday’s March for Our Lives.
Democracy, Faux Democracy and Terror.
Written By: - Date published: 11:27 am, March 19th, 2018 - 37 comments
Facebook, Putin, poisoning and Ghouta have all given fairly extensive media coverage of late. Nothing much on Afrin. Afrin has just fallen to terrorists backed by Turkey.
Update: the photo used for this post is of the The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army (TQILA), who are part of the International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces fighting in Syria.
Ardern bans government departments from using private investigator to surveil NZers
Written By: - Date published: 6:15 am, March 13th, 2018 - 31 comments
“Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has banned all Government departments from using a firm of private investigators for spying.”
March 8 2018: the TPPA and our nuclear free moment
Written By: - Date published: 6:17 am, March 8th, 2018 - 18 comments
As Labour picks up the pen to sign the TPPA, environmental critics argue that the new agreement has done nothing to allay fears of New Zealand being sued by corporations to prevent the government from taking action on climate change.
TPPA rally at parliament today
Written By: - Date published: 6:10 am, March 8th, 2018 - 10 comments
Protestors will gather outside Parliament at midday on Thursday 8 March to hear from a range of speakers in opposition to the TPPA signing ceremony in Chile
Reports from the TPPA protests this week (and please sign the petition)
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, March 6th, 2018 - 44 comments
The message coming out is hold the line, sign the petition, regroup, and protest on Thurs the 8th, the day Labour puts our name to the agreement.
Break Up Social Media Itself
Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, March 2nd, 2018 - 23 comments
It is time to regulate the power of cyber criminals and cyber monopolies.
Golriz Ghahraman in the House on the TPPA
Written By: - Date published: 6:04 am, March 1st, 2018 - 177 comments
“As Greens, what’s particularly chilling to us is that we know elsewhere in the world where ISDS clauses have been accessed to sue Governments, corporates have used them to stop environmental protection.” … “The Indonesian environmental Minister had to admit, ‘If we shut them down, they will need compensation and Indonesia can’t afford it.’ That is chilling.”
Facebook Bullshit
Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, February 26th, 2018 - 70 comments
A very cursory glance at Facebook, Palantir Technologies, Cambridge Analytica, AggregateIQ, click bait, targeted ads…and what the hell is the FBI playing at?
It’s Our Future: Complete U-Turn by Labour and NZ First on TPP
Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, February 21st, 2018 - 131 comments
The TPP might have been re-branded as the CPTPP but it’s still the same bad deal says Professor Jane Kelsey, New Zealand’s expert on international economic regulation.
“Calling it “Comprehensive and Progressive” doesn’t make it any better.
TPPA-11 update and actions
Written By: - Date published: 6:23 am, February 16th, 2018 - 70 comments
The TPPA-11 is set to be signed on March 8. There are still huge problems with the agreement for NZ. Jane Kelsey provides an update.
Nationwide public meetings: TPPA-11 update, and what we can do
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, February 14th, 2018 - 29 comments
Auckland 12 Feb – Wellington 14 Feb – Nelson 20 Feb – Christchurch 21 Feb – Dunedin 22 Feb
- Albanese flags radical changes to student debt – with a 20% overall cut and drop in payment rates
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Taoty/Shutterstock Over the weekend, the Albanese government announced radical changes to student loans, which would kick in after the next federal election. Three million Australians with student debt ...2 days ago -
Democracy Now! NERMEEN SHAIKH: Israel’s deadly siege on northern Gaza has entered a 30th day. Early week, the World Health Organisation managed to deliver some medical supplies to the Kamal Adwan Hospital, but on Thursday, Israeli fighter jets bombed the hospital’s third floor, where the supplies were being stored. Al ...2 days ago
- Palau Media Council condemns lawsuit as ‘assault on press freedom’
Pacific Media Watch The Palau Media Council has condemned a political lawsuit against the publisher of the Island Times as an “assault on press freedom” with the Pacific country facing an election on Tuesday. In a statement yesterday, the council added that the lawsuit, filed by Surangel and Sons Co. ...2 days ago
- New Campaign: No More Hiding For MPs’ Expenses
This campaign is to force MPs to justify why their spending should be a state secret when almost every other area of public spending is subject to public scrutiny. ...2 days ago - The MAGA Mindset: A sense of belonging
The North Carolina afternoon sun was taking its toll.Security had put truck trailers around the rally at Wilmington International Airport.This created a barrier against a rogue shooter, but it also had created an oven pit effect. There was no wind. The tarmac radiated heat. People were fainting.Trump was only 20 ...2 days ago - An Ode for .. Matt Doocey
The Psychopathology of Everyday GumbootsMinister of Mental Health Doocey walks into the counselling session.A shadowy figure in gumboots behind a cloud of cigar smokeMotions to the couch.“Welcome,” says Legendary Viennese Psychoanalyst, Sigmund King. “What seems to be the problem?”“I have this friend,” begins Minister Doocey, “But he only wants to be my ...2 days ago
- US election: Latinos hit back by showing up
A heady mix of barbecued meat, horse poo, and cattle welcomes Latino voters as they walk between the metal fencing and into the arena at Rancho Ochoa.Some of those making their way into the Mexican rodeo in southwest Phoenix are there purely for the action: the bull riding, roping, big ...3 days ago
- Parliament Library became haunted house for Halloween
Most people might not call Parliament a normal place, but some call it a paranormal place. ...3 days ago - Healthcare needs go beyond the physical
Opinion: Recent Census data highlights our increasingly secular and multi-faith context. More than half of Aotearoa New Zealand’s population does not identify with any particular faith tradition, and just 32 percent are Christian, down from 36.5 percent in 2018.For people whose spirituality is not associated with a faith or belief ...3 days ago
- The fascination with Katherine Mansfield
Inspiration to Compose Wellington based- singer-songwriter Charlotte Yates brings together some of New Zealand’s most talented musicians to create a unique concert Mansfield in Her Own Words. In this episode Yates explains her fascination with Mansfield.
https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.jsShe chooses poems for composers and performers including William Ricketts and Brooke Singer. We film Ricketts reflecting on Mansfield’s poem, A Sunset on a ...
3 days ago - Three reasons America’s democracy is under threat
For just a few weeks shy of eight years now, a certain class of Americans have been walking around in something close to a daze. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 blew to smithereens decades of conventional wisdom about the way many Americans view politics.The ensuing years have seen ...3 days ago
- Palau newspaper sued by president’s family company ahead of general election
By Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Palau’s largest newspaper is being sued for defamation by the company of President Surangel Whipps Jr’s father, just days ahead of general elections in the Pacific nation. Surangel and Sons alleges “negligence and defamation” by the Island Times and its editor Leilani Reklai for an ...3 days ago
- Cook Islands PM calls for easing of tensions in New Caledonia
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has returned from New Caledonia saying it is not a simple “black and white situation”. Brown returned from a three-day Pacific fact-finding mission in the French Pacific territory alongside the Prime Ministers of Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji. ...3 days ago
- Another Palestinian journalist killed in Gaza as Israel ‘suffocates the truth’
“In his message for the day, the secretary-general underscores that a free press is fundamental to human rights, to democracy and to the rule of law,” Dujarric said. ‘Alarming rate of fatalities’“Recent years have seen an alarming rate of fatalities in conflict zones, particularly in Gaza, which has seen the ...3 days ago
- Chris Penk lays foundations for self-certified building scheme
As the government sets about laying the foundations for tradespeople to sign off their own work, RNZ sits down with the minister responsible to hammer out the details. ...3 days ago
- Short story: 3rd place, Sargeson Prize
WinterI still think of Michael often. We first met at Grace’s thirty-first birthday party. I was sitting outside on the back deck when he came out through the sliding glass doors. He was pulling a pouch from his coat pocket.“You want a smoke?” he asked, planting himself on the bench ...4 days ago
- The Secret Diary of .. Mike King
MondayI sat in at a team meeting to discuss our suicide prevention fundraising event this Friday night in Dunedin and was told we were struggling to gain an alcohol licence from the council.“Tell them Mike King is behind it,” I said. “My name opens doors. Do you see that door? It ...4 days ago
- The making of Donald Trump
It’s taken six years, but The Apprentice, the film former US President Donald Trump didn’t want anyone to see, is finally out in cinemas, just ahead of the US presidential election.There was so much back-and-forth around whether or not the production would go ahead that by the time filming was ...4 days ago
- Where the brain goes, the gut will follow
Comment: There has been a growing understanding of the powerful two-way connection between our stomach and brain in recent years, suitably named the gut-brain connection. This link is so strong that the gut is sometimes nicknamed our “second brain”, highlighting how real your “gut feelings” can be. If you’ve ever ...4 days ago
- The Weekend: When the tide turns
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. The window in which to “have an opinion” on an unfolding news story is shockingly small. Just as large newsrooms know that being “the first” to publish a breaking news story is often more important than anything written in it – ever ...4 days ago - Let people respond to the haka how they want to
Cultural challenges are an integral part of sports, but how teams respond has been a point of debate for some time. Self-proclaimed “loose head” England prop Joe Marler called for the haka to be scrapped earlier this week, before “clarifying” what he meant, attempting to pivot his statement, and then ...4 days ago
- ‘I’ve never lived it down’: The Breakfast live cross that still haunts Jack Tame
The TVNZ broadcaster reflects on his life in television, including a full circle moment with David Attenborough, his favourite politicians to interview and why he’ll never watch Game of Thrones. Jack Tame spends most of his time grilling our own MPs, but at the moment his heart is somewhere else. ...4 days ago
- ‘So subtle, yet so chaotic’: Wiri Donna’s perfect weekend playlist
Wellington’s Wiri Donna shares her perfect weekend playlist. Bianca Bailey is the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter behind the chamber-pop project Wiri Donna, which recently released its second EP, In My Chambers. “I’m feeling a little vulnerable about it, almost like I’m about to out myself as an angry person. ...4 days ago
- How the Gen Z broccoli haircut became big business for a teen barber
Three teenage barbers in Mt Albert have capitalised on a viral haircut to build businesses on Instagram. Duncan Greive gets a haircut and a lesson in modern business. Photography by Jin Fellet. ‘When I first started cutting hair, I messed up my friend really badly,’ says Ali. I shiver involuntarily ...4 days ago
- A new novel imagines a New Zealand version of the conservative South Asian grifter
There’s little to like about figures like American politician Vivek Ramaswamy, but there is a lot to learn. Earlier this year, American politician and failed Republican candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, hosted notorious bagpipe, Ann Coulter, on his podcast. They talked for an hour, and frankly there’s no way I’m going to ...4 days ago
- The wild, exotic life of Katherine Mansfield
https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.jsKatherine Mansfield left New Zealand when she was 19 years old and died at the age of 34.In her short life she became our most famous short story writer, acquiring an international reputation for her stories, poetry, letters, journals and reviews. Biographies on Mansfield have been translated into 51 ...
4 days ago - Podcast: Giving employees what they want, when they want it
Fintechs are changing the way we spend and save, but they are also set to change the way we could be paid for work, or more correctly, how workers receive fringe benefits. As New Zealanders we’re used to having the bulk of our remuneration paid as an electronic payment ...4 days ago
- Albanese promises changes to HELP repayment arrangements to ease cost of living
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra People repaying HELP student debts would get cost-of-living relief under changes to repayment arrangements to be announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday. The minimum threshold for repayments to start would be lifted ...4 days ago
- Philippine Supreme Court orders ‘temporary protection’ for abducted environmental activist
By Jairo Bolledo in Manila The Philippine Supreme Court has granted temporary protection to an environmental activist abducted in Pangasinan earlier this year. In its resolution dated September 9 — but only made public this week — the court granted Francisco “Eco” Dangla III’s petition for temporary protection, and prohibited ...4 days ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: Bruce Wolpe says personal relations between Trump and Albanese would...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Days from the US presidential election, the polls are showing the outcome of the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remains a nail biter. With the United States our closest ally, the result ...4 days ago
- Indo-Fijian ‘listen to us’ plea to NZ over Pacific ethnicity classification
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific presenter/Bulletin editor Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian. While Fiji is part of the Pacific, Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific peoples in New Zealand; instead, they are listed under Indian and ...4 days ago
- Is thirst a good predictor of dehydration?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland KieferPix/Shutterstock Water is essential for daily functioning and health, and we can only survive a few days without it. Yet we constantly lose water through sweat, urination and even ...4 days ago
- US election: The world could wait a fortnight thanks to one Arizona County
Come next Tuesday, the world will be watching Nate Young and his team – literally. There are now 21 livestream cameras showing early voter ballot drop-off locations and the inner-workings of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.The 24/7 livestreams that capture election employees’ every move might seem like overkill, but ...4 days ago
- Te Arawhiti – the Office for Māori Crown Relations set to lose more than 50 roles
Two proposals were made to staff on Friday - one would see a transfer of functions to Te Puni Kōkiri - with 44 employees transferred. ...4 days ago
- Naked tennis, outback feuds and a chimp named Tonka: what we’re streaming in November
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Research Fellow, Media & Communication, RMIT University As I write this, people around the country will be recovering from last night’s Halloween shenanigans, perhaps even experiencing a candy-induced comedown. Luckily, this month’s streaming picks include a serial killer flick that’ll ...4 days ago
- Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s social media posts have had a ‘sudden boost’ since July, new rese...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Graham, Associate Professor in Digital Media, Queensland University of Technology On July 13, shortly after Donald Trump was targeted by an assassination attempt, Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter), tweeted to his more than 200 million followers: ...4 days ago
- Could Ukraine be heading toward a frozen conflict? Why so much is hinging on the US election
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Genauer, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Flinders University In recent months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing hard for the United States and European countries to double down on military support for his country until he can achieve his “victory ...4 days ago
- Australians love sport, but which ones do they actually play? National survey results paint a surpri...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Liderina/Shutterstock Sport and physical activity are an important part of Australian culture and society. But how do we know which sports have the highest participation rates in Australia? ...4 days ago
- Mike King: A timeline of ups and downs in mental health
The former comedian is back in the headlines, this time for making controversial comments about alcohol - but it's not the first time he's ruffled feathers. ...4 days ago
- ‘I’m coming home from a party, and I don’t want to end up getting arrested’: do driving apps...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Verity Truelove, Senior Research Fellow in Road Safety Research, University of the Sunshine Coast Vlad Ispas/Shutterstock Apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze can tell drivers when they are approaching speed cameras or random breath testing stations. Countries such ...4 days ago
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