Social issues

Categories under Social issues

The inside story of National’s civil war

Written By: - Date published: 12:24 pm, July 25th, 2022 - 16 comments

Andrea Vance’s book Blood Bath provides an insider’s view of the carnage that erupted in the National Party from 2017 to 2021.  And while things have calmed down under Christopher Luxon’s his weaknesses, including his glossing over the importance of policy detail and his tendency to bag businesses has been noted.

Brian Tamaki really annoys Auckland by adding to traffic congestion

Written By: - Date published: 10:21 am, July 24th, 2022 - 53 comments

Brian Tamaki and Vision New Zealand supporters sought to improve levels of support by causing significant congestion in Auckland city yesterday.

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.

Another partial privatisation that has failed

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 am, July 18th, 2022 - 37 comments

I watched the Rugby test on Saturday night.  One side played with passion and vigour.  Their forward pack dominated and the defensive effort from the backs was superb.  The other side was the All Blacks who displayed all the passion and vigour of a National Party conference.

Wear your #$%^& mask properly

Written By: - Date published: 10:38 am, July 16th, 2022 - 90 comments

Although we still compare favourably to the vast majority of Western nations in terms of our Covid response our performance has been eclipsed by Japan and Singapore, two nations which strong mask mandates and cultural norms supporting the wearing of masks.

Luxon is still struggling to understand Mask rules

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, July 14th, 2022 - 28 comments

During January of this year Christopher Luxon described the traffic light system as confusing.  This week he described it as “very, very confusing”.  It is of concern that he appears not to have learned about what the rules require in the meantime.

Business claims crisis as country approaches full employment and wages increase

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, July 12th, 2022 - 124 comments

bertie ratu jobs that count

Anyone else getting tired of the media presenting the fact that New Zealand essentially has full employment is a very bad thing?

Complaint about RNZ use of Bryce Edwards article upheld

Written By: - Date published: 1:58 pm, July 11th, 2022 - 33 comments

The Media Council has upheld a complaint against a Bryce Edwards article published on RNZ’s website that incorrectly stated that Labour went into the 2020 election promising to break up the supermarket duopoly and bring down the cost of food and that the policy was essentially dead when the policy only promised to conduct a market study using the Commerce Commission.

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.

Luxon goes to London to get campaign ideas

Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, July 8th, 2022 - 19 comments

At the very time that the United Kingdom Conservative Government is imploding National leader Chris Luxon is visiting to get new ideas on how to run a country.

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?

The $11 billion man strikes again

Written By: - Date published: 8:41 am, July 7th, 2022 - 22 comments

Remember Steven Joyce who claimed there was a $11.7 billion dollar hole in Labour’s alternative budget? Another example of his negotiation prowess has recently received media attention and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that his ability to analyse crown accounts is matched by his ability to negotiate.

Anarchy in the UK

Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, July 6th, 2022 - 41 comments

In the United Kingdom Boris Johnson’s government has been brought to its knees because of a sex scandal, surprisingly not one involving himself.

Covid – time for red?

Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, July 5th, 2022 - 68 comments

Covid death rate July 2022

With a second wave of Covid infections starting and with new potentially more serious variants emerging it may be time for the Government to consider a return to the Covid red setting.

The benefits of Ardern’s recent overseas trips

Written By: - Date published: 12:34 pm, July 4th, 2022 - 69 comments

Jacinda Ardern has just completed three overseas trips.  The cumulative benefits for the country are extraordinary and I have never witnessed anything similar from another New Zealand leader. But local responses from sectors of the media have been muted.  Why is this?

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.

Mansplaining Luxon

Written By: - Date published: 10:10 am, June 30th, 2022 - 14 comments

Fresh from his attempt to alienate the female vote by being equivocal on if a National Government would move to restrict access to abortions yesterday Christopher Luxon compounded things by purporting to speak for all women.

Hey Free Speech Union, Simon O’Connor is being muzzled

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, June 28th, 2022 - 41 comments

Someone should send out the free speech police.  Simon O’Connor has been muzzled and is being stopped from saying what he thinks.

Christopher Luxon’s many and varied abortion takes

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, June 27th, 2022 - 103 comments

National leader Christopher Luxon who has been previously reported as believing that abortion is murder, issued three public statements over the weekend trying to distance himself from the controversy caused by the US Supreme Court overturning of Rowe v Wade.

The US abortion bans and women’s rights

Written By: - Date published: 12:22 pm, June 25th, 2022 - 103 comments

We have abortion rights by the grace of men.

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.

Luxon has been Susied on National Radio

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, June 22nd, 2022 - 68 comments

This morning on Morning Report Christopher Luxon was well and truly Susied as Susie Ferguson asked him how can we have tax cuts yet improved public services.

Should our future lie with NATO?

Written By: - Date published: 3:23 pm, June 21st, 2022 - 62 comments

Not content to stay in the North Atlantic, NATO is shortly about to reveal in Madrid its next ten-year plan to contain China. Jacinda Ardern will be there, who knows why. Are we nailing our colours to a flag at half-mast?

The dodgy Auckland Mayoralty Curia poll

Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, June 21st, 2022 - 104 comments

An Auckland Ratepayers Alliance Curia poll that was trumpeted as claiming that Efeso Collins and Leo Molloy were neck and neck in terms of public support has attracted criticism after it was disclosed that the poll of 500 persons had 53% stating that they did not know who they would vote for.

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.

Human rights, culture wars and the right

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, June 17th, 2022 - 39 comments

Christopher Luxton has proposed that social media posts showing gang members wearing bling should be censored.  And in the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has railed against a ECHR decision which has upset his efforts to illegally extradite refugee status applicants to Rwanda.  These are different examples of something the right is finessing, culture wars against minorities in breach of their rights for political advantage.

 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.

National’s anti gang policies and the Bill of Rights

Written By: - Date published: 4:09 pm, June 12th, 2022 - 33 comments

This weekend National threw out a few hunks of red meat to some of its more rabid supporters by going to its old favourite of gang bashing.

National needs better lawyers

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, June 8th, 2022 - 68 comments

Christopher Luxon this morning called for the police getting warrantless search powers for arms.  But the law already allows for warrantless searches where Arms Act violations are suspected.

China and the Pacific

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, June 5th, 2022 - 223 comments

National and it allies have this week attacked Nanaia Mahuta for not responding to China’s forays in the Pacific.  But they do not appreciate the quiet diplomatic work that Labour MPs have been doing in the background or the reasons why the Pacific rejected having a joint security arrangement with China.