Social issues

Categories under Social issues

Ardern is apparently to blame for National having racist supporters

Written By: - Date published: 7:58 am, June 2nd, 2022 - 273 comments

Yesterday on Morning Report Chris Luxon pivoted from a question about National supporters expressing distaste for Te Ao Maori to blaming Jacinda Ardern for not burning up political capital on co governance.

National’s policies don’t add up

Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, May 31st, 2022 - 48 comments

In 21 tweets Clint Smith has set out why National’s tax cut policies and its rhetoric are absurd and how the media is doing us a disservice by not asking the hard questions like what will be cut and how the promised tax cuts will be paid for.

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.

If not now then when?

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, May 26th, 2022 - 47 comments

Yet another school shooting has occurred this time in Texas with 19 children and two teachers shot.  And this weekend the NRA is holding its annual Convention in Texas and Donald Trump is one of the guest speakers.

Budget Day!

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, May 19th, 2022 - 50 comments

Today is budget day.  What surprises will Grant Robertson announce to address the country’s many and varied problems.  Will Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis be able to sound like they actually understand what is in the budget?  Stay tuned for 2 pm …

The Auckland Mayoralty campaign

Written By: - Date published: 1:22 pm, May 15th, 2022 - 9 comments

The Auckland mayoralty campaign promises to be a fascinating contest between a right winger promising to spend $1.5 million on the campaign and wants to turn sprinklers on the homeless and Efeso Collins who promises to run an inclusive respectful campaign.

Australien Government Ad: Election 2020

Written By: - Date published: 1:31 pm, May 13th, 2022 - 13 comments

JuiceMedia have done their high quality opinionated but fact based satire Honest Government Ad describing the lowlights of the current Aussie shitshow. If you haven’t seen it yet, then be my guest.

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.

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.

Paula Bennett’s rewriting of Pharmac history

Written By: - Date published: 9:29 am, May 9th, 2022 - 22 comments

Paula Bennett has forgotten history by advocating for a significant increase in spending on Pharmac while at the same time forgetting that under the National Government she was a senior member of Pharmac’s funding stagnated.

The politics of opposition to cycleways

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, May 8th, 2022 - 53 comments

Opposition to Auckland Council’s Cycling and Micromobility Programme Business Case appears to be motivated by the belief that plans to have more of the population walk and cycle instead of using cars will be unpopular.  Overseas experience suggests that not only can these types of projects contribute significantly to sustainability but they can also be very popular.

The end of Roe v Wade

Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, May 4th, 2022 - 149 comments

America’s status as a potentially failed republic is growing stronger with the highest court of the land having a draft judgment leaked in an apparent attempt to shore up a conservative majority position on overturning abortion rights.

Latest poll result – all steady but the Herald needs an English lesson

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 pm, May 3rd, 2022 - 109 comments

The latest Reid Research poll result has been released.  Basically it reflects other polls that have been recently conducted.  But the Herald have chosen to suggest it shows a dramatic change.

What Can Be Saved?

Written By: - Date published: 7:12 am, April 29th, 2022 - 157 comments

The tide of this government is running out. There’s 18 months left in the term. What would you save?

Who Will Protect Us From Media Power Now?

Written By: - Date published: 6:28 pm, April 26th, 2022 - 9 comments

With RNZ and TVNZ now in full merger mode, we have yet another untested state megalith upon us. But where is the power that will hold it to account?

Tame shows media how to interview Luxon

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, April 26th, 2022 - 45 comments

Jack Tame’s interview of Chris Luxon on Q&A suggests that the post leadership change honeymoon may now be over and that Luxon does not really understand how difficult a job being Prime Minister would be.

Anzac Day

Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, April 25th, 2022 - 13 comments

A more sombre and quieter Anzac Day today with planned ceremonies being pared back in this post Covid world.

UK government signals urgent inquiry into overmedicalisation of gender non-conforming children

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, April 24th, 2022 - 40 comments

This is a medical scandal affecting children and teens, and the left is still largely in denial of it.

Greens: Urgent action needed to soften inflation blow for low income NZers

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, April 21st, 2022 - 68 comments

The Green Party says that if the Government is concerned about fiscal stimulus, the best approach would be to broaden the tax base to cover untaxed capital gains or wealth of the richest New Zealanders… Alongside broadening our tax base, the Green Party proposes a suite of policies.

Green Party press release

RNZ’s weird take on MIQ

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, April 20th, 2022 - 93 comments

RNZ’s recent shock horror reporting on a memo from November 2021 proposing a wind back of MIQ is severely deficient.  The framing is one sided and ignores the subsequent emergence of Omicron as a variant of concern.

The battle lines for the next election

Written By: - Date published: 8:31 am, April 18th, 2022 - 79 comments

Despite Labour seeing the country through the biggest public health threat seen in the last century and despite improving numbers of houses and a reduction in child poverty some on the left are buying into National’s despair lines.  And the issues on which the next election will be fought are becoming clearer.

Why trust in the media is declining

Written By: - Date published: 2:09 pm, April 10th, 2022 - 47 comments

A recent study into New Zealand’s media suggests that trust in what the media says is declining and that views of what is good and bad media is more and more dependent on the participant’s world view.

Go well Ashley Bloomfield

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, April 10th, 2022 - 31 comments

With a sense of regret for many of us this week Ashley Bloomfield announced his pending resignation as Director General of Health.

Greens call for rent freeze

Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, April 7th, 2022 - 151 comments

The Green Party has published a reasonable plan to make renting more affordable for low income New Zealanders. There’s nothing extreme-communist-scary here, it’s well within the values of the NZ electorate.

Why in the middle of a pandemic an immediate change to Orange is magical thinking

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, April 5th, 2022 - 77 comments

National’s friends are in unison complaining that the Government should be announcing now when we will be back into Orange.  But our exemplary performance compared to other nations suggests strongly that the Government should continue to respect the medical advice it is receiving.

National still has a culture problem

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, April 3rd, 2022 - 37 comments

This week National found itself the centre of media suggesting that its treatment of women is still not acceptable. A couple of Young Nats were outed as being behind the trolling of Christchurch left wing female politicians. Christchurch city councillor Sara Templeton was on the receiving end of the trolling.  She did the very wise […]

Kia kaha Louisa Wall

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 pm, March 31st, 2022 - 10 comments

Earlier this week Louisa Wall announced that she is retiring as a Member of Parliament.  History will confirm that she was one of our best Parliamentarians.

Covid and political capital

Written By: - Date published: 8:28 am, March 28th, 2022 - 141 comments

Jacinda Ardern has burned significant political capital on dealing with Covid.  But it is something that a responsible Political leader, of which there are few, would do.

Act’s generous donors and its anti Treaty campaign

Written By: - Date published: 9:18 am, March 26th, 2022 - 65 comments

This has not had the media attention that it deserves but Act has raised, to use the technical term, a shit load of money recently.  And it is using this money to engage in some good old fashioned racist dog whistling.

Can This Government Be Saved?

Written By: - Date published: 5:43 pm, March 25th, 2022 - 118 comments

Can Labour win a third term? Here are some pathways up, and some pathways down.