Social issues

Categories under Social issues

Royal Move

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, January 10th, 2020 - 28 comments

It’s great to hear Prince Harry and Meghan quitting as senior royals and going off on their own.  Maybe others in the Royal Family should think of doing the same.

Get out now

Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, January 6th, 2020 - 76 comments

General Soleimani was visiting Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss mediation between the US and Iran. Following his assassination by the US the Iraqi Parliament has voted to ask all foreign troops to leave the country. New Zealand’s remaining troops should bring forward their scheduled departure and leave immediately.

 

Australia is no longer the lucky country

Written By: - Date published: 9:57 am, January 6th, 2020 - 112 comments

Australia is arguably no longer the lucky country.  And if it does not resolve its addiction to coal it may not have a future.

Known Knowns and All the Other Ones

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 am, January 4th, 2020 - 6 comments

We cannot know everything and our only option is to trust others who know stuff that we don’t.

The power of positive campaigning

Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, December 31st, 2019 - 123 comments

With the 2020 election just round the corner and recent complaints about the left’s treatment of the #TurnArdern campaign it is a perfect time to think about the importance of language and positive uplifting campaign themes.

Bridges and the Robertson trial

Written By: - Date published: 8:53 am, December 30th, 2019 - 22 comments

National has released a video of Simon Bridges talking about the trial he conducted against Tony Robertson and suggesting he is in politics to change the law.  But the particular law he appears to be targeting was unchanged during the term of the last National Government.

What if Trump wins again?

Written By: - Date published: 8:30 am, December 29th, 2019 - 124 comments

We may as well prepare ourselves for Trump overperforming his popularity again and winning. We’ve had to deal with left’s retreat in most of the world in 2019. So let’s prepare and plot some likely accelerated changes in Trump’s second term.

It Is the Thought That Counts

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 am, December 28th, 2019 - 70 comments

Antagonistic personalities are an obstacle to effective politics tackling major present problems.

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.

Democratisation by Social Media and the Internet Is Just Meaningless Waffle

Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, December 24th, 2019 - 22 comments

Social Media and the Internet are literally in our faces 24/7 but our political engagement is diminishing.

The future of Capitalism

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, December 23rd, 2019 - 128 comments

2019 has been a remarkable year for those wanting social, economic, and environmental renewal. The level of protest remains high, the idealism as strong as ever, but the ferment is not generating progressive wins, is weakening democratic reflexiveness to challenge, and is weakening pan-national institutions. It’s not that easy to get on the shelves here, […]

Protection from the climate crisis ruled a fundamental human right

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, December 23rd, 2019 - 24 comments

In a groundbreaking decision, the Netherlands’ Supreme Court has ruled that the climate crisis is a human rights issue, and “the government must take urgent action on climate change to protect the fundamental rights of its people”.

What Cheeto, Bojo and Scomo are up to

Written By: - Date published: 3:56 pm, December 21st, 2019 - 76 comments

It has been a tough week for conservative leaders with Trump impeached and the evangelical magazine Christianity Today calling for his resignation, Johnson in the UK announcing voter fraud measures reminiscent of the American deep South, and in Australia Morrison being criticised for missing in action, upstaged by a 13 year old girl and pushing through protection for religious bigotry that Israel Folau would be pleased with. 

Bridges fights losing twitter battle with Nigel Latta

Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, December 19th, 2019 - 18 comments

Simon Bridges’s twitter account has chosen to celebrate Christmas by engaging in a twitter spat with well known Media personality Nigel Latta.  And has not fared well.

Having us squabble over the welfare pie

Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, December 18th, 2019 - 34 comments

When we hear a supposedly progressive economist talking about elderly people as decrepit, or rendering the elderly poor invisible, it’s time to revisit our moral compass.

How to counter angry boomer campaigns

Written By: - Date published: 8:15 am, December 17th, 2019 - 154 comments

The UK election was won not by Russian bots but by older voters with limited technical skills circulating poorly designed ads.  What can be done in New Zealand to counter what is clearly a right wing campaign tactic?

Is it better to deliver in Government or better to shine?

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 14th, 2019 - 180 comments

Let’s frame this in leftie terms: can you get in, do grunty policy moves, and stay popular?

Bouganville and Brexit

Written By: - Date published: 8:19 am, December 12th, 2019 - 2 comments

The island of Bouganville has just had a vote towards independence from Papua New Guinea.  The result has interesting similarities with the Brexit vote.

Then they came for public art

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, December 11th, 2019 - 6 comments

The conservative leadership in the United States and in Australia are both taking steps to attack the sustainability of public art.  Shame on them.

Rent increased over 40% under National (Key years)

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, December 10th, 2019 - 137 comments

Now Simon Bridges as a bridge to sell you.

Crash ‘n Burn

Written By: - Date published: 10:14 am, December 10th, 2019 - 17 comments

A chuttering PM and…well, I guess being left speechless.

ACC are bankrolling the climate crisis

Written By: - Date published: 10:35 am, December 9th, 2019 - 18 comments

Why is ACC dragging the chain on fossil fuel divestment, and why is Labour letting them?

Disarming New Zealand

Written By: - Date published: 12:26 pm, December 7th, 2019 - 39 comments

what are the connections between armed police patrols, gendered violence, and a gun lobby protest outside a school?

Time to become a republic

Written By: - Date published: 8:09 am, December 5th, 2019 - 85 comments

There are indications that Elizabeth the UK Queen may stand down from her office in the next two years. That may be the perfect time for Aotearoa New Zealand to cast aside constitutional provisions based on heredity and become constitutionally independent of the old country.

Why some MPs should not tweet

Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, December 3rd, 2019 - 7 comments

National MP Joanne Hayes has provided a textbook example of the perils of Twitter.

Labour Conference

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 30th, 2019 - 97 comments

It’s a weird moment for the Labour Party at Conference this weekend.

Strike Force Raptor for the win

Written By: - Date published: 8:14 am, November 28th, 2019 - 40 comments

National has proposed significant changes to the Criminal Justice system to create a Police group without evidence that it works, and that if enacted would make our prisons less safe and plug holes in our law that do not exist.

Submissions to upgrade Ihumātao Ōtuataua Stonefields heritage listing

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, November 28th, 2019 - 18 comments

Pania Newton and the Protect Ihumātao Team are asking New Zealanders to submit to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga using this process. Submissions close 4pm Friday.

National’s Youth lauranorda rhetoric

Written By: - Date published: 2:16 pm, November 27th, 2019 - 20 comments

National is proposing changes to the Youth Court system that show not only a disregard for working in the interests of young people but disturbingly show a complete lack of understanding about how the Youth Court works.

Little announces changes to Prisoner voting rights

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, November 26th, 2019 - 44 comments

Andrew Little has announced a review of prisoner voting rights to overturn National’s law change which the Courts have ruled to be in breach of fundamental rights and unjustified. Simon Bridges has announced that National will reverse any such law change. And he has topped this off by proposing that Tauranga City Council should prosecute and fine beggars and homeless people.

Never Trump

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, November 23rd, 2019 - 46 comments

There is tremendous momentum within the Democratic Party right now with recent gains in Kentucky and Louisiana and Virginia. But in the battle to get rid of Trump they can still blow it.