Social issues

Categories under Social issues

Qanon is here

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, September 14th, 2020 - 132 comments

While a few in the media leapt at the opportunity to vilify a small evangelical community at the latest COVID 19 spread, the really big COVID 19-conspiracy story landed by the thousand this weekend. It’s overdue we woke up to QAnon here.

National’s infrastructure bank

Written By: - Date published: 7:24 am, September 11th, 2020 - 21 comments

National’s proposed Infrastructure Bank is an accounting trick, with very high risks that the entire power of our political order for anyone affected by these monster projects will weaken citizens’ rights.

Covid, the US President and the Evangelical churches

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, September 10th, 2020 - 123 comments

There has been disturbing local news that some members of a local evangelical church, influenced by American equivalents, refused to accept the threat posed by the virus. And in America a new book from Bob Woodward suggests strongly that Donald Trump knew how big a threat Covid would be but chose for political reasons to downplay the risk.

How has Conservation Fared Under This Government?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 10th, 2020 - 39 comments

I’m going to give this government just 5 out of 10 on the conservation front.

What did Brownlee know about Southern Response’s misleading and deceptive conduct?

Written By: - Date published: 4:37 pm, September 8th, 2020 - 27 comments

The Court of Appeal has ruled that Southern Response has engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and has potentially short changed thousands of Cantabrians hundreds of millions of dollars.

Will NZ First make it back into Parliament?

Written By: - Date published: 10:07 am, September 8th, 2020 - 43 comments

One of the most interesting questions about the current election campaign is will New Zealand First make it back into Parliament after the election, with polling and a slew of not dissimilar parties on the right suggesting that Winston’s time may be up.

Landlord lobby group hopes National Government will ditch warm flat requirement

Written By: - Date published: 8:49 am, September 7th, 2020 - 56 comments

The NZ Property Investors Federation has proposed to its members they should hold off on making flats warmer and drier just in case there is a change of government.

Covid – New Zealand has similar levels of freedom to Sweden

Written By: - Date published: 1:41 pm, September 6th, 2020 - 83 comments

Simon Thornley is claiming that New Zealand’s covid response is a failure and we should be more like Sweden. But it appears that in more recent times Sweden has toughened its stringency tests so that they are similar to New Zealand’s.

Will our cities revive?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 5th, 2020 - 43 comments

Our cities are the nation’s lungs; they recycle and accelerate external goods and transform them internally into faster circulation. Auckland and Christchurch have had tens of billions invested in them over successive local and central governments, but has this improved our strength or wealth as a country at all?

“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”.

What progressive housing policy for renters looks like

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 4th, 2020 - 17 comments

Currently your politicians do NOT represent people who rent. But you all have a choice to vote for solutions that do!

How Trump Has Changed New Zealand’s future

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 2nd, 2020 - 28 comments

Post Trump how is the world order looking?

The Herald’s idea of balance

Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, September 2nd, 2020 - 43 comments

The Herald yesterday posted a story suggesting that Aucklanders were split over the second lockdown when the actual reality was the vast majority were supportive.  And a subsequent article pointing out how positive the result was does not clear the perception of negative bias.

No Right Turn: If police think this is lawful and ethical, why did they try to hide it?

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, September 1st, 2020 - 42 comments

“The Privacy Commisisoner has said explicitly that any use of facial recognition needs a high level of scrutiny, which for a government agency, effectively means their approval. Police deliberately avoided doing that.”

Labour’s Hefty Carrot-And-Stick For Water

Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, August 31st, 2020 - 16 comments

New Zealand’s local and regional councils have been given until August 31 2020 to sign up to a ginormous fund that would help them improve their water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.  The implications for them doing this are significant and could see the end of Council control of the supply of water.

 

Kia kaha Greens

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 29th, 2020 - 304 comments

The Green Party is facing major push back from members relating to a decision to give shovel ready funding to a private school involved in education about the environment.

Everybody got together on that day as one brother

Written By: - Date published: 8:45 am, August 27th, 2020 - 32 comments

The sentencing of the Christchurch Mosque mass murderer was shaping up to be a circus and allow the person in the dock to spread his message of hate.  But so far it has been a cathartic event and has given the victims a chance to vent their feelings.  And it has provided a chance for us to reinforce our solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Should 16 year olds have the vote?

Written By: - Date published: 9:36 am, August 25th, 2020 - 54 comments

A current case before the High Court is asking the question should 16 year olds be permitted to vote.

The election campaign and the sponsored Herald article

Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, August 25th, 2020 - 58 comments

Radius Chair and NBR rich lister Brien Cree has a sponsored article in the Herald this morning that is critical of the Government’s Covid response.

Covid 19 catastrophisation

Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, August 24th, 2020 - 43 comments

Recent catastrophisation of the Government’s response to Covid by National is overplayed and overhyped, although some of the investigation by the media has been helpful in highlighting weaknesses in the response where improvement is important.

Is New Zealand or the United States the Covid cot case?

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, August 22nd, 2020 - 28 comments

This week Donald Trump has defended the US’s abysmal handling of Covid 19 by claiming that the disease is out of control in New Zealand.  And National’s rhetoric continues to match what he is saying.

Here comes the vaccine

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 21st, 2020 - 46 comments

Australian Prime Minister Scott Malcom has indicated he’s getting close to the deal of a lifetime for Australians with a letter of intent from Astra Zenica, who are in third stage clinical trials.  Will New Zealand benefit?

Yale does socialist medicine with new covid test

Written By: - Date published: 11:07 am, August 20th, 2020 - 15 comments

Yale have developed a covid saliva test that is not only effective but will be intentionally cheap and easily available.

The Covid Court Case

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 am, August 20th, 2020 - 30 comments

The High Court has ruled that for technical reasons during the first nine days of the lockdown statements that New Zealanders were legally required to remain at home were incorrect.

What Might A Democratic Party-Dominated U.S. Foreign Policy Do?

Written By: - Date published: 1:02 pm, August 19th, 2020 - 24 comments

Inasmuch as tiny, distant New Zealand need worry about the foreign policy of the United States, it’s worth a drill into what a Democratic Party dominated United States foreign policy might look like.

What does Judith do about Gerry?

Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, August 19th, 2020 - 113 comments

Gerry Brownlee has chosen to not only repeat his conspiracy theories involving Ashley Bloomfield but also claim that the media is against National.  Both claims have no factual foundation. 

A Stunt Scene from Mission Impossible*

Written By: - Date published: 3:52 pm, August 17th, 2020 - 16 comments

In NZ politics, the perception of fairness matters more than actual fairness.

What Now Phil Goff?

Written By: - Date published: 1:19 pm, August 17th, 2020 - 36 comments

The Chief Executive of Watercare Raveen Jaduram has resigned. With Auckland Council’s recent Council Controlled Organisation review having been concluded and the recommendations released is this the opportunity to require meaningful change of Watercare?

Why we need to get on with the election

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, August 17th, 2020 - 114 comments

A coalition of losers has appeared demanding that the election is be delayed.  Update:  Ardern has announced a short deferral of election day to October 17.

Covid-19 vs 1918 influenza

Written By: - Date published: 5:29 pm, August 15th, 2020 - 67 comments

Reading a number of articles in the NZ Herald in recent days calling for change in how we handle outbreaks of covid-19 in NZ. The implied precept is the damage covid-19 poses to the population of NZ over time is less than the immediate economic damage. That covid-19 is like the flu and results in herd immunity. However it is far worse than the influenza pandemic of 1918, much longer lasting and we probably won’t reach herd immunity naturally for generations. 

test post

Written By: - Date published: 5:10 pm, August 14th, 2020 - Comments Off on test post

https://twitter.com/TheAlanRichards/status/1304896549399547912