political alternatives

Categories under political alternatives

Early voting opens in Aussie election

Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, May 11th, 2022 - 33 comments

The early voting polls have opened in Australia, so the election there is nigh. Reading on the election there has been interesting. The weirdness of marginal seats. The burgeoning dissatisfaction and probable deciding impact of Aussie women on this election result.

Big developments in Beijing

Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, February 7th, 2022 - 31 comments

The meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping is likely to set the geopolitical direction for the 21st century. If ‘divide and rule’ was the mantra for the US’s hegemonic rule in the 20th century, ‘unite and share’ looks like setting the tone for the 21st. Co-operation rather than competition is the mantra, and “friendship between the two states has no limits.” A truly remarkable turnaround.

Why did ACT reject Lisa Lewis’s membership application?

Written By: - Date published: 3:29 pm, June 1st, 2021 - 7 comments

Two political blogs have asked why ACT turned down Sex worker Lisa Lewis’s application for membership of the party.  Here at the Standard we have what we believe is the best answer.

Are Revolutions A Good Idea?

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, January 23rd, 2021 - 24 comments

Revolt? Revolution? Pain in the ass? Depends, like comedy, on timing. And which side of history you end up on.

Regulate big tech now

Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, January 18th, 2021 - 63 comments

If we had seen our Prime Minister fall from power because three companies decided that their dominance in society should be used to bring her down, we would be outraged. Yet that pretty much just happened in the United States.

Tranquillum

Written By: - Date published: 7:28 pm, December 6th, 2020 - 134 comments

Don’t expect a jellyfish to grow a spine, they just bob along on the current and keep moving, gently, slowly, kindly.

“Beyond Jacinda” – Colin James and Cr Tamatha Paul

Written By: - Date published: 1:45 pm, December 3rd, 2020 - 20 comments

Colin James and Councillor Tamatha Paul will discuss Colin’s paper “Beyond Jacinda” on Monday 7 December at 5:30pm at Baptist Church, 46-48 Boulcott Street Wellington. It will also be shown on Zoom and available on YouTube. Registration links below. All Welcome.

“Reds under the Bed”.

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, September 4th, 2020 - 78 comments

Everyone has recently had an education on  “Socialism” working in practice.

And a graphic illustration of the shortcomings, of under regulated “Free market” Capitalism, Globalism, tax cuts for the rich, and the mania for monetising everything in sight, and “running it like a business”.

The new successful revolution we are seeing

Written By: - Date published: 1:54 pm, June 28th, 2020 - 55 comments

A really successful and very modern revolution has already started in just the last few weeks. It’s not the revolution we expected.

Constitutions that build citizen power and joy

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, May 23rd, 2020 - 34 comments

Emerging from the current crisis, what kind of state can be envisaged that could do the opposite of this consciousness deflation, by enabling and encouraging an empowered citizenry, and harnessing public intelligence, creativity and ingenuity for the common good?

Nat Vote: And the Loser Is ….

Written By: - Date published: 11:50 am, May 22nd, 2020 - 197 comments

The Nation holds its breath as the dullest political leadership race in a generation snores to a close. Who will win by losing? Who will lose by winning? Who cares?

UPDATE: It’s Mullertime!

UPDATE: Bennett dumped!

No Exit.

Written By: - Date published: 5:25 pm, April 30th, 2020 - 22 comments

Reaction to Covid 19 has done more in a few weeks to blunt the drive behind climate change than anything the environmental movement has managed to do in over thirty years.

Time to Pivot?

Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, April 18th, 2020 - 11 comments

It would appear NZ and much of the rest of the world has made a first rather coincidental step on the AGW front.

Quick Snippets

Written By: - Date published: 6:04 am, April 3rd, 2020 - 7 comments

The joys of bread rising far to fast through a warm autumn night is…this post.

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.

An Early Christmas.

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, December 5th, 2019 - 23 comments

Christian tradition dictates Christmas falls on the 25th of December. This year though, if we simply view Christmas through a lens of ‘good things happening’, then Christmas is coming early.

Brittle cities

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, October 29th, 2019 - 10 comments

It is pretty hard to miss a variety of cities around the world going nuts for apparently minor offences.

National gather fuel for their political dumpster fires

Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, September 2nd, 2019 - 21 comments

Not so much Zero Carbon as Zero Shits. While National look set to monkey-wrench our climate legislation, we can remember that the real power in addressing the climate crisis lies outside of parliament.

Religion and the threshold

Written By: - Date published: 9:13 am, May 24th, 2019 - 59 comments

It has been pretty boring watching the coverage of religious conservatives trying to present a meaningful political presence for the next election. Haven’t the NZ Herald’s puff piece journalists ever read about the history of religious parties in this “no religion” state? They’re fractional parties incapable of getting to 5% without assistance, and they don’t grow the vote for the right.

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.

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.

How To Get There 16/12/18

Written By: - Date published: 6:55 am, December 16th, 2018 - 216 comments

Welcome to TS’s Sunday think piece. It’s a blank sheet, a tabula rasa, waiting for your thoughts on the future and How To Get There.

 

We’re All Penguins Now.

Written By: - Date published: 1:25 pm, November 19th, 2018 - 26 comments

To jump or not to jump? Is “not jumping” about to mean “left behind”?

Auckland’s got a Bridge.

Written By: - Date published: 11:53 am, November 18th, 2018 - 42 comments

London’s bridges were closing down.

Alaska or New Zealand?

Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, November 13th, 2018 - 71 comments

That’s the big question ‘big’ people are asking these days.

Disestablish the establishment.

Written By: - Date published: 6:04 pm, November 9th, 2018 - 29 comments

Politics can be soap, or politics can be real. This post comments on some of the soap and offers an example of  something that’s real

KiwiBuild doesn’t fly.

Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, November 2nd, 2018 - 215 comments

More than that, it needs to be torn down before it makes a serious bid at flight.

Brazil, Brexit, Trump…with more to come.

Written By: - Date published: 5:17 pm, October 30th, 2018 - 97 comments

When orders collapse, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We’re making it a bad thing.

Green Growth

Written By: - Date published: 11:20 am, October 26th, 2018 - 86 comments

Shade it any colour you like…

Will there be a Brexit?

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, September 19th, 2018 - 33 comments

In short, I think not.

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