Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 4:12 pm, March 20th, 2023 - 38 comments
On 20 March 2003 the US invaded Iraq, on the basis that it had and could use weapons of mass destruction. That was a lie. Australia joined President Bush ‘coalition of the willing’, New Zealand did not. The drums of war beat strong then, they are doing so again now. This time China is the target.
Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 7:13 am, January 24th, 2023 - 52 comments
It is too soon to say what Jacinda’s legacy will be. She will certainly be remembered for becoming a mother whilst being a world leader. For her presence on the world stage as a voice for feminism and progressive politics. She ushered in a generational and attitudinal change in New Zealand politics. While internationally she offered an alternative to the politics of Trump, Bolsonaro, Scott Morrison, and Viktor Orban.
Written By: nickkelly - Date published: 9:57 pm, November 29th, 2021 - Comments Off on The US withdraws from Afghanistan and the inevitable happened
The withdrawal in August of US and allied troops from Afghanistan saw the return of the Taliban in control of that country. This sadly was always going to be the outcome once the US and its allies withdrew.
Written By: advantage - Date published: 1:52 pm, August 20th, 2021 - 21 comments
Dr Michael Cullen has died, and with him goes a real standard-bearer for Labour for three decades.
Written By: advantage - Date published: 8:28 am, September 20th, 2020 - 27 comments
RBG’s death was an important event for women here because it happened on the anniversary of Women’s Suffrage Day 126 years ago. On this day in New Zealand we celebrate women being able to vote, the women who won further victories of political liberation, and many got together to recount our female heroes enabled by that right and all those rights that followed.
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 4:33 pm, September 16th, 2020 - 51 comments
The Prefu is out! And it is not as scary as National would have wanted.
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 7:44 am, August 5th, 2020 - 10 comments
Ruth Dyson has given a very funny very incisive valedictory speech in Parliament and will bow out of politics at this election. She deserves our thanks.
Written By: advantage - Date published: 10:23 am, July 3rd, 2020 - 82 comments
It is great to see former Prime Minister Helen Clark join the debate about re-opening New Zealand’s borders. We need it. There is no better time for New Zealand to re-launch itself to the world.
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:28 pm, January 3rd, 2020 - 104 comments
President Trump personally ordered the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite military Quds force. He was killed by rockets fired from US drones over Baghdad Airport. This is unlawful by any standards, as well as an act of war. Iran has promised retaliation.The doomsday clock just moved closer to midnight.
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:18 am, September 12th, 2018 - 65 comments
Business NZ has admitted that a poll that it ran was fundamentally flawed but has threatened to go to the ILO about Labour’s rather modest proposed changes to Industrial Relations law. And Radio New Zealand has reported on an industrial dispute involving Sistema plastics where union workers are working 60 hour working weeks without overtime pay on not much more than the minimum wage.
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 12:42 pm, August 23rd, 2018 - 32 comments
Jacinda Ardern is looking to repeat Helen Clark’s example of proposing to take refugees that Australia is refusing to take.
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 9:12 pm, January 31st, 2018 - 20 comments
At a Union/NDP conference in March 2002 in Ottawa I saw wall-to-wall US TV attacking Iraq in my room. My caucus report that America was going to war was instinctive. Helen Clark stood up immediately and said that we wouldn’t be following. The US war dogs are barking again, this time over Korea. A recent […]
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:03 am, January 23rd, 2018 - 29 comments
Jacinda Ardern has announced that she will spend five days at Waitangi leading up to Waitangi day to make full use of the time when people are gathered there to meet together as a government that wants to form open transparent relationships.
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:00 am, January 10th, 2018 - 201 comments
What does Labour do this year to make sure this Government is a success and its achievements something that progressives can be proud of?
Written By: tracey - Date published: 2:08 pm, December 4th, 2017 - 31 comments
“Ministers realised they had a device through which they could reduce the surprises they suffered. And, as it went on, the surprises ministers no longer wanted to experience became greater in number and smaller in significance.Increasingly, it placed on the public service a political imperative which it had never had to shoulder. “
Written By: advantage - Date published: 7:30 am, November 16th, 2017 - 41 comments
There are major similarities between Helen Clark’s decision to accept into New Zealand refugees from the Tampa boat and Jacinda Ardern’s pushing for New Zealand to accept refugees based on Manus Island.
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 6:20 pm, August 1st, 2017 - 65 comments
Matthew Hooton has been incinerated by a former leader of the Labour Party.
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:40 am, June 6th, 2017 - 21 comments
Helen Clark is as succinct as ever.
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:31 am, May 5th, 2017 - 29 comments
“We don’t have a written constitution so nowhere is it written down what are the powers of the Prime Minister. It’s partly your personality. It’s the skills that you’ve got and it’s how you use the office”.
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:26 am, April 16th, 2017 - 17 comments
Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:39 am, April 10th, 2017 - 5 comments
A rescued portrait of Helen Clark is raising money for Women’s Refuge via TradeMe.
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:28 am, March 23rd, 2017 - 32 comments
Compare and contrast Helen Clark’s and John Key’s valedictory speeches.
Written By: weka - Date published: 8:08 am, August 4th, 2016 - 181 comments
Vegemite and marmite taste the same, rugby is naff, John Clarke’s an Australian. What?
Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:04 am, July 14th, 2016 - 55 comments
Yesterday 10 of the candidates for the UN’s top job faced off in debate. For the first time this was a public event, hosted and broadcast by Al Jazeera.
Written By: te reo putake - Date published: 6:00 am, June 10th, 2016 - 191 comments
In a few months, the two most important leadership roles on the planet could be held by women. How cool is that? We’ve come a long way, world!
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 8:50 pm, May 12th, 2016 - 59 comments
John Key thinks that he was thrown out of Parliament straight after Helen Clark a few years ago. The only problem is that Hansard thinks it was Don Brash.
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:44 am, March 26th, 2016 - 124 comments
Attracting a fair bit of comment this morning – Duncan Garner on Key, Clark, and the nature of their legacies.
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:04 am, December 28th, 2015 - 99 comments
Helen Clark is considered to be to be a front runner for the position of next United Nations Secretary General. But Kevin Rudd is also being talked about as a candidate. And if his previous behaviour is repeated it could be an interesting contest.
Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:10 am, December 5th, 2015 - 48 comments
Good piece by Helen Clark on Huff Post: “Paris must be a catalyst for stepped up climate action. The world must move towards a zero-carbon future. There is no room for short-sightedness or a lack of ambition.”
Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:08 pm, October 2nd, 2015 - 89 comments
Someone once made an art-work of a brick with some ‘guy ropes’ attached to represent the ill fated R-101 airship…
Written By: mickysavage - Date published: 9:02 am, September 1st, 2015 - 58 comments
John Key has ruled out an emergency intake of refugees and claims that New Zealand is doing its bit and that bit is enough.
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