Clinton, Trump, Greeks and ideals
Written By:
- Date published:
10:00 am, October 5th, 2016 - 20 comments
Categories: International, us politics -
Tags: donald trump, hillary clinton
Back in 428 BC Athens was in a bit of a state and a good three years into a crappy war with Sparta. Athens had been used to being led by the bodaciously awesome Pericles. Pericles was like Obama and Lincoln combined and led for over thirty years: awesome orator, run the joint from 461 to 429, and could get up there at assembly and stitch together the ideals that all Athenians should strive, sacrifice and die for.
Unfortunately they’d just lost him to a big plague outbreak. And the Spartan war had dragged. And Mytilene, one of their key ally towns, had jumped over to the Spartan side. In revenge and in shock, the Athenians voted to have all male Mytileneans killed and their women sold into slavery.
Upon waking up the next day, however, and discovering that a ship had already departed to execute the city’s order, some horrified Athenians demanded that the assembly reconsider its decision.
Into this foment steps Cleon. Cleon had a massively wealthy merchant father who accelerated him into a political career. He’s portrayed by both commentators and playwrights at the time as a bellicose buffoon who uses and abuses the demos (the people) to rise to power. Furious with the weak-kneed Athenians and their moral qualms expressed at the assembly, Cleon declares that the “empire is a tyranny exercised over subjects who do not like it.” So if you don’t like it, he thunders, “surrender your empire … [and] go in for philanthropy.” His political point is that Athens’ security trumps justice: “A city is better off with bad laws, so long as they remain fixed, than with good laws that are constantly being altered.”
In response steps in Diodotus. He’s as calm and collected as Cleon is seething and strident, and he’s totally prepared for this moment. The good citizen ought to triumph not by frightening the people, “but by beating them fairly in argument.” Which is lovely but not a patch on Cleon’s superior realpolitik that national security requires brutal realism. So Diodotus argues that moral or legal right and wrong should be pushed aside. Instead the assembly must consider if the motion to rescind was simply to Athens’ advantage. National security is best guaranteed by showing leniency to the Mytileneans. Not because we are merciful or morally moist, but because we are pragmatists. Showing mercy is simply, according to Diodotus, the only way to avoid future rebellions against Athens.
So the assembly buys the rationale, reverses the decision, and sends a ship in all haste to overtake the first one. The second ship arrives just as the first one is about to execute the first order and spares the entire town. Whew!
Or not. The endless Peloponnesian War this is part of reached its real low point a few years later in the neutral city of Melos. The Athenians besieged and then devastated it to remind all other Greek cities that either you were a winner with Athens or a loser with Sparta. It was a massacre that Diodotus’ pragmatism had paved the way for. In a dialogue that preceeds the siege, an Athenian commander makes clear to the Melians (not Melons!) that the only matters he will discuss are expediency and advantage. The standard of justice, he announced, “depends on the equality of power to compel and that in fact the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.”
Justice and right are clearly for low-energy types. The Athenians have extrapolated from Diodotus that the sole law of human nature and thus of international relations is that of power. So since they are stronger than the Melians they have every right to expect them to bow. The Melians refuse and reveal another truth of human nature: Just as the will to exert power is all too human, so is the will to resist. Athenian hubris simply makes its competitors resist harder and harder, and less than a decade later Athens is decisively defeated in Sicily.
So let’s get to it. We have seen what the lawless tirades of the son of a wealthy father can bring out of people. But as we saw in the first tv debate, rather than rise rhetorically and morally to this challenge, Hillary Clinton has instead done a Diodotus. In the debate she regaled us with her practicality and the need for realpolitik. Her reply to Trump’s criticism of the Iran deal was that it had succeeded in “putting a lid” on the threat – makes sense in a narrow way but has none of the heroic sensibility we saw in Obama or in Pericles.
So, pragmatism. With Clinton as with Diodotus, political language undermines directness and transparency. The end of the Periclean era is marked by coldness and calculation. Both Diodotus and Clinton can’t bring “the vision thing”, because it’s just not in them. Sure they both seek the good in their own terms, but they both do so not by rousing their fellow citizens to rise to their nations’ ideals, but instead to lower themselves to matters of practical advantage.
This has been brought to you by the old Greek Thucydides. He had great 2,000 year old insights into the ties between language and democracy. Check out Pericles’ funeral oration yourself.
A big lesson is this: if we don’t grasp that words truly matter, for democracy’s defenders no less than its destroyers, it may spell the impending funeral of the best kind of democracy.
The next U.S. Presidential debate is a town hall style one within the polis or people. I’m looking for some ideals in there. Somewhere.
20 comments on “Clinton, Trump, Greeks and ideals ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
Recent Comments
- BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
* Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...51 mins ago - Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...2 hours ago - A miracle pill for our transport ills
This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here. A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...5 hours ago - The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...5 hours ago - The next Maori challenge
Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...7 hours ago - Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...19 hours ago - How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
20 hours ago - National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
National Party leader Christopher Luxon may be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but he could be tapping into a rich political vein in describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining, with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...21 hours ago - Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...22 hours ago - Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...22 hours ago - When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...1 day ago - Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...1 day ago - What the US and European bank rescues mean for usAlways a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...1 day ago
- Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...1 day ago
- It’s Raining CongestionYesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...1 day ago
- Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...1 day ago
- Good Friends and Terrible Food
Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...1 day ago - At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...2 days ago
- Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...2 days ago - This smellsRNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...2 days ago
- Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign MinisterForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is to meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang where she might have to call on all the diplomatic skills at her command. Almost certainly she will face questions on what role ...2 days ago
- Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy2 days ago
- Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. BushLooking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...2 days ago
- CHRIS TROTTER: Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quoChris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...2 days ago
- Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politicsFour out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...2 days ago
- Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards stepFeedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...2 days ago
- Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...3 days ago - More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...Buzz from the Beehive New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...3 days ago
- Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...3 days ago - The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcementJames Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...3 days ago
- This sounds familiar…RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...3 days ago
- Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”Nick Matzke writes – Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...3 days ago
- So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...3 days ago - Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...3 days ago
- Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...3 days ago - BRIAN EASTON: Radical UncertaintyBrian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...3 days ago
- Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq WarThis week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...3 days ago
- The motorways are finishedAfter seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...3 days ago
- Kicking National’s tyresNational’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...3 days ago
- As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...4 days ago - So much of what was there remains
The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...4 days ago - 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...4 days ago
- Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...Buzz from the Beehive The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...5 days ago
- Things that make you go Hmmmm.
Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...5 days ago - The hoon for the week that was to March 19By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...5 days ago
- Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...6 days ago - Radical Uncertainty
Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...6 days ago - Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...6 days ago - The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...6 days ago - Snakes and leaders
And so this is Friday, and what have we learned?It was a week with all the usual luggage: minister brags and then he quits, Hollywood red carpet is full of twits. And all the while, hanging over the trivial stuff: existential dread, and portents of doom.Depending on who you read ...6 days ago - This station is Karanga-a-Hape, Chur!
When I changed the name of this newsletter from The Daily Read to Nick’s Kōrero I was a bit worried whether people would know what Kōrero meant or not. I added a definition when I announced the change and kind of assumed people who weren’t familiar with it would get ...6 days ago - Greens don’t shy from promoting a candidate’s queerness but are quiet about govt announcement on...There was a time when a political party’s publicity people would counsel against promoting a candidate as queer. No matter which of two dictionary meanings the voting public might choose to apply – the old meaning of odd, strange, weird, or aberrant, or the more recent meaning of gay, homosexual ...6 days ago
- Ask Me Anything about the week to March 17
Photo by Joakim Honkasalo on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:PM Chris Hipkins announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but which blew up ...6 days ago - Slow consenting could create $16b climate liability by 2050Even though concern over the climate change threat is becoming more mainstream, our governments continue to opt out of the difficult decisions at the expense of time, and cost for future generations. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Now we have a climate liability number to measure the potential failure of the ...6 days ago
- THOMAS CRANMER: Challenging progressivism in New Zealand’s culture warsThomas Cranmer writes Like it or not, the culture wars have entered New Zealand politics and look set to broaden and intensify. The culture wars are often viewed as an exclusively American phenomenon, but the reality is that they are becoming increasingly prominent in countries around the world, ...6 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on firing Stuart Nash, plus a music playlistHere’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins, Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...6 days ago
- Gordon Campbell on firing Stuart Nash, plus a music playlistHere’s an analogy for the Stuart Nash saga. If people are to be forgiven for their sins, Catholic dogma requires two factors to be present. There has to be a sincere act of confession about what has been done, but also a sincere act of contrition, which signals a painful ...6 days ago
- Political Roundup: 17 March 2023STUART NASH Felix Desmarais (1News): Nash’s continued tenure far less tenable now Herald: Stuart Nash resigns as Police Minister: Almost faced contempt charge in 2020 over comment about cop killer’s arrest Felix Desmarais (1News): Revealed: Nash warned in 2020 on public comments on separate court case Amelia Wade (Newshub): Stuart ...6 days ago
- Weaponising Illegal Immigration.Human Destabilisers: Russia now has a new strategic weapon – migratory waves of unwelcome human-beings. Desperate people with different coloured skins and different religious beliefs arriving at, or actually breaching, the national borders of Russia’s enemies can wreak as much havoc, culturally and politically, as a hypersonic missile exploding in the ...6 days ago
- Bonus Content: James from Simply Fresh
Hi,After Webworm contributor Hayden Donnell wrote his latest piece, ‘RIP to Millennials Killing Everything’, he delivered this exciting and important bonus content.It will make more sense if you’ve read his piece.David. Read more ...6 days ago - RIP to Millennials Killing Everything
Hi,Before we get to Hayden’s column — RIP to Millennials Killing Everything — a quick observation.There was a day last week where it had suddenly reached 10pm and I hadn’t eaten all day. Hunger had suddenly gripped me with a panicky all-consuming force, so I jumped onto Uber Eats and ...6 days ago - Some new CMIP6 MSU comparisons
We add some of the CMIP6 models to the updateable MSU comparisons. After my annual update, I was pointed to some MSU-related diagnostics for many of the CMIP6 models (24 of them at least) from Po-Chedley et al. (2022) courtesy of Ben Santer. These are slightly different to what ...6 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2023Open access notables Jeongmin Yun et al. tag increasing acidifcation as a root cause of changes in behavior of CO2 fluxes below the equator, in Enhanced seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 by the changing Southern Ocean carbon sink. "The enhanced seasonal amplitude of atmospheric CO2 has been viewed so far primarily as a Northern Hemisphere ...7 days ago
- Is it time for Mr Wolf?
In a memorable Pulp Fiction scene, Vincent inadvertently shoots their backseat passenger in the head. This leads our heroes Jules and Vincent to express alarm about their predicament.We're on a city street in broad daylight here! says Vincent. We gotta get this car off the roads. You know cops tend to ...7 days ago - Labour’s austerity victimises teachersPrimary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are all on strike today, demanding higher pay and an end to systematic understaffing. While the former is important - wages should at least keep up with inflation - its the latter which is the real issue. As with the health system, teachers have been ...7 days ago
- Teachers Take Strike Action!
So the teachers are on strike, marching across Aotearoa today to press their demands for better pay and working conditions.Children remained in bed this brisk morning, many no doubt quite pleased about a day off school. Parents perhaps taking the day off to look after the kids, or working from ...7 days ago - The return to Big Wars.
After the Cold War the consensus among Western military strategists was that the era of Big Wars, defined as peer conflict between large states with full spectrum military technologies, was at an end, at least for the foreseeable future. The … Continue reading ...1 week ago - Dairy giant Fonterra posting a big lift in profit underlines the importance of the dairy industry ...Dairy giant Fonterra has posted a 50% lift in net profit to $546m, doubled its interim dividend, and is proposing a return of capital of 50c a share, injecting a note of optimism into the nation’s dairy industry. Fonterra’s strong performance is against a backdrop of market volatility. It ...1 week ago
- Latest BoP figures show NZ sinking deeper into the red, but O’Connor is doing his bit to put thing...Buzz from the Beehive The bothersome economic news today is that New Zealand’s GDP fell by 0.6% in the December quarter, weaker than market forecasts of a fall of around 0.2% and much weaker than the Reserve Bank’s assumption of a 0.7% rise. This followed the even-more-bothersome news yesterday that ...1 week ago
- Labour's climate policy bonfire just blew up the ETSOuch: Hipkins’ policy bonfire has resulted in an expensive self-administered removal of a Budgetary foot with an explosive device. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Bonfires can be dangerous things when they get out of control. They also create a lot of smoke and heat and burn the grass. ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Stuart Nash’s resignation shows our leaders need a lesson in ...* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – I teach a first-year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we ...1 week ago
- Bryce Edwards: Stuart Nash’s resignation shows our leaders need a lesson in civicsI teach a first year course at Victoria University of Wellington about government and the political process in New Zealand. In “Introduction to Government and Law”, students learn there are rules preventing senior public servants from getting involved in big political debates – as we have recently witnessed with Rob ...1 week ago
- Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Integrity issues at the heart of resignationAn issue of integrity has claimed the first ministerial scalp in Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ premiership. Police Minister Stuart Nash lasted mere weeks in the role after admitting in a radio interview this morning that he had called Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to ask him if police were going to ...1 week ago
- CRL’s COVID Cost ChangeFor some time now we’ve known that the cost and completion timeframe for the City Rail Link would increase. Yesterday we finally learned by just how much. Costs City Rail Link Ltd (CRL Ltd) today confirms it has submitted a formal funding request to its Sponsors – the Crown and ...1 week ago
- Greens ask Auckland MPs across party lines to speak up on Council budget proposals
Auckland Central Green MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to all Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland based Members of Parliament requesting their urgent attention to Auckland Council’s unprecedented slash-and-burn proposals. ...7 hours ago - Enough slow progress, 2023 is a fight for our futurePolitical parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised in their State of the Planet speech today. ...4 days ago
- Greens call time on slow progressPolitical parties that want to negotiate with the Green Party after the election must come to the table with much faster, bolder climate action, co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson emphasised today. ...4 days ago
- Green Party co-leader James Shaw's State of the Planet speech, 2023You will never truly understand, from the pictures you’ve seen in the newspapers or on the six o-clock news, the sheer scale of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Gabrielle. ...4 days ago
- More cost of living support for Kiwis
We’re boosting incomes and helping ease cost of living pressures on Kiwis through a range of bread and butter support measures that will see pensioners, students, families, and those on main benefits better off from the start of next month. ...6 days ago - Greens back teachers’ demandsThe Green Party backs the demands of the teachers’ strikers. ...1 week ago
- Greens will waste no time with Minister for Zero WasteThe error Labour Ministers made by stopping work on a beverage container return scheme will be reversed by the Greens at the earliest opportunity as part of the next Government. ...1 week ago
- Greens secure win for clean transportThe Green Party has made it easier for commuters to access e-bikes thanks to an amendment to tax rules. ...1 week ago
- Greens will always prioritise action on climate and inequality“Cabinet needs to do better - and today has shown exactly why we need Green Ministers in cabinet, so we can prioritise action to cut climate pollution and support people to make ends meet,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. ...1 week ago
- Bold action needed to help people eatBiggest increase in food prices for over three decades shows the need for an excess profit tax on corporations to help people put food on the table. ...1 week ago
- Another Green transport idea gets the green lightThe Government’s announcement today that it will improve Christchurch’s bus system comes after Green and NGO pressure. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens back teachers’ strikeThe Green Party stands with teachers in their request for fair pay and decision to strike. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens launch submission guide for Auckland Council budgetThe Green Party has today launched a submission guide to help Aucklanders give crucial input and prevent potentially disastrous Auckland Council budget proposals. ...2 weeks ago
- When even the Nats agree bank profits are out of control, it’s time for an excess profits taxWith calls growing for inquiries and action on bank profits, the Greens say the Government has all the information it needs to act now and put a levy on banks. ...2 weeks ago
- Climate action must remain priority in transport investmentAs large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, it would be a huge mistake for the Government to deprioritise climate action from future transport investments, the Green Party says. ...2 weeks ago
- Historic oceans treaty a wake-up call for AotearoaThe Green Party is celebrating the signing of a historic United Nations Ocean Treaty, and calls on the new Oceans and Fisheries Minister to urgently step up protection for Aotearoa’s oceans. ...3 weeks ago
- National would make life harder for peopleChristopher Luxon and the National Party are not telling the full story when it comes to childcare, the Green Party says. ...3 weeks ago
- Continued progress on reducing poverty in challenging times
77,000 fewer children living in low income households on the after-housing-costs primary measure since Labour took office Eight of the nine child poverty measures have seen a statistically significant reduction since 2018. All nine have reduced 28,700 fewer children experiencing material hardship since 2018 Measures taken by the Government during ...1 hour ago - Government investments boost and diversify local economies in lower South Island$2.9 million convertible loan for Scapegrace Distillery to meet growing national and international demand $4.5m underwrite to support Silverlight Studios’ project to establish a film studio in Wanaka Gore’s James Cumming Community Centre and Library to be official opened tomorrow with support of $3m from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery ...2 hours ago
- Government future-proofs EV chargingTransport Minister Michael Wood has today launched the first national EV (electric vehicle) charging strategy, Charging Our Future, which includes plans to provide EV charging stations in almost every town in New Zealand. “Our vision is for Aotearoa New Zealand to have world-class EV charging infrastructure that is accessible, affordable, ...18 hours ago
- World-leading family harm prevention campaign supports young NZersAssociate Minister for Social Development and Employment Priyanca Radhakrishnan has today launched the Love Better campaign in a world-leading approach to family harm prevention. Love Better will initially support young people through their experience of break-ups, developing positive and life-long attitudes to dealing with hurt. “Over 1,200 young kiwis told ...21 hours ago
- First Chief Clinical Advisor welcomed into Coroners CourtHon Rino Tirikatene, Minister for Courts, welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s appointment of Dr Garry Clearwater as New Zealand’s first Chief Clinical Advisor working with the Coroners Court. “This appointment is significant for the Coroners Court and New Zealand’s wider coronial system.” Minister Tirikatene said. Through Budget 2022, the Government ...22 hours ago
- Next steps for affected properties post Cyclone and floodsThe Government via the Cyclone Taskforce is working with local government and insurance companies to build a picture of high-risk areas following Cyclone Gabrielle and January floods. “The Taskforce, led by Sir Brian Roche, has been working with insurance companies to undertake an assessment of high-risk areas so we can ...22 hours ago
- New appointment to Māori Land Court benchE te huia kaimanawa, ko Ngāpuhi e whakahari ana i tau aupikinga ki te tihi o te maunga. Ko te Ao Māori hoki e whakanui ana i a koe te whakaihu waka o te reo Māori i roto i te Ao Ture. (To the prized treasure, it is Ngāpuhi who ...1 day ago
- Government focus on jobs sees record number of New Zealanders move from Benefits into work113,400 exits into work in the year to June 2022 Young people are moving off Benefit faster than after the Global Financial Crisis Two reports released today by the Ministry of Social Development show the Government’s investment in the COVID-19 response helped drive record numbers of people off Benefits and ...1 day ago
- Vertical farming partnership has upward momentumThe Government’s priority to keep New Zealand at the cutting edge of food production and lift our sustainability credentials continues by backing the next steps of a hi-tech vertical farming venture that uses up to 95 per cent less water, is climate resilient, and pesticide-free. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visited ...2 days ago
- Conference of Pacific Education Ministers – Keynote AddressE nga mana, e nga iwi, e nga reo, e nga hau e wha, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou kātoa. Warm Pacific greetings to all. It is an honour to host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Aotearoa is delighted to be hosting you ...2 days ago
- New $13m renal unit supports Taranaki patientsThe new renal unit at Taranaki Base Hospital has been officially opened by the Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall this afternoon. Te Huhi Raupō received around $13 million in government funding as part of Project Maunga Stage 2, the redevelopment of the Taranaki Base Hospital campus. “It’s an honour ...2 days ago
- Second Poseidon aircraft on home soilDefence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the country’s second P-8A Poseidon aircraft alongside personnel at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base at Ohakea today. “With two of the four P-8A Poseidons now on home soil this marks another significant milestone in the Government’s historic investment in ...2 days ago
- Further humanitarian aid for Türkiye and SyriaAotearoa New Zealand will provide further humanitarian support to those seriously affected by last month’s deadly earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta. “The 6 February earthquakes have had devastating consequences, with almost 18 million people affected. More than 53,000 people have died and tens of thousands more ...2 days ago
- Community voice to help shape immigration policyMigrant communities across New Zealand are represented in the new Migrant Community Reference Group that will help shape immigration policy going forward, Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Since becoming Minister, a reoccurring message I have heard from migrants is the feeling their voice has often been missing around policy ...2 days ago
- State Highway 3 project to deliver safer journeys, better travel connections for TaranakiConstruction has begun on major works that will deliver significant safety improvements on State Highway 3 from Waitara to Bell Block, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan announced today. “This is an important route for communities, freight and visitors to Taranaki but too many people have lost their lives or ...2 days ago
- Ginny Andersen appointed as Minister of PolicePrime Minister Chris Hipkins has today appointed Ginny Andersen as Minister of Police. “Ginny Andersen has a strong and relevant background in this important portfolio,” Chris Hipkins said. “Ginny Andersen worked for the Police as a non-sworn staff member for around 10 years and has more recently been chair of ...3 days ago
- Government confirms vital roading reconnectionsSix further bailey bridge sites confirmed Four additional bridge sites under consideration 91 per cent of damaged state highways reopened Recovery Dashboards for impacted regions released The Government has responded quickly to restore lifeline routes after Cyclone Gabrielle and can today confirm that an additional six bailey bridges will ...3 days ago
- Foreign Minister Mahuta to meet with China’s new Foreign MinisterForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for China tomorrow, where she will meet with her counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing. This will be the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019, and follows the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions between New Zealand and China. ...3 days ago
- Education Ministers from across the Pacific gather in AotearoaEducation Ministers from across the Pacific will gather in Tāmaki Makaurau this week to share their collective knowledge and strategic vision, for the benefit of ākonga across the region. New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti will host the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) for three days from today, ...3 days ago
- State Highway 5 reopens between Napier and Taupō following Cyclone GabrielleA vital transport link for communities and local businesses has been restored following Cyclone Gabrielle with the reopening of State Highway 5 (SH5) between Napier and Taupō, Associate Minister of Transport Kiri Allan says. SH5 reopened to all traffic between 7am and 7pm from today, with closure points at SH2 (Kaimata ...3 days ago
- Special Lotto draw raises $11.7 million for Cyclone Gabrielle recoveryInternal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds has thanked generous New Zealanders who took part in the special Lotto draw for communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Held on Saturday night, the draw raised $11.7 million with half of all ticket sales going towards recovery efforts. “In a time of need, New Zealanders ...4 days ago
- Government delivers a $3 million funding boost for Building Financial Capability servicesThe Government has announced funding of $3 million for providers to help people, and whānau access community-based Building Financial Capability services. “Demand for Financial Capability Services is growing as people face cost of living pressures. Those pressures are increasing further in areas affected by flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle,” Minister for ...6 days ago
- Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao – new Chair and memberMinister of Education, Hon Jan Tinetti, has announced appointments to the Board of Education New Zealand | Manapou ki te Ao. Tracey Bridges is joining the Board as the new Chair and Dr Therese Arseneau will be a new member. Current members Dr Linda Sissons CNZM and Daniel Wilson have ...6 days ago
- Scholarships honouring Ngarimu VC and the 28th (Māori) Battalion announcedFifteen ākonga Māori from across Aotearoa have been awarded the prestigious Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships and Awards for 2023, Associate Education Minister and Ngarimu Board Chair, Kelvin Davis announced today. The recipients include doctoral, masters’ and undergraduate students. Three vocational training students and five wharekura students, ...6 days ago
- Appointment of Judge of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the High CourtHigh Court Judge Jillian Maree Mallon has been appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and District Court Judge Andrew John Becroft QSO has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Mallon graduated from Otago University in 1988 with an LLB (Hons), and with ...6 days ago
- NZ still well placed to meet global challengesThe economy has continued to show its resilience despite today’s GDP figures showing a modest decline in the December quarter, leaving the Government well positioned to help New Zealanders face cost of living pressures in a challenging global environment. “The economy had grown strongly in the two quarters before this ...6 days ago
- Western Ring Route CompleteAucklanders now have more ways to get around as Transport Minister Michael Wood opened the direct State Highway 1 (SH1) to State Highway 18 (SH18) underpass today, marking the completion of the 48-kilometre Western Ring Route (WRR). “The Government is upgrading New Zealand’s transport system to make it safer, more ...6 days ago
- Briefings to Incoming MinistersThis section contains briefings received by incoming ministers following changes to Cabinet in January. Some information may have been withheld in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982. Where information has been withheld that is indicated within the document. ...6 days ago
- Teaming up for a stronger, more resilient FijiAotearoa New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta reaffirmed her commitment to working together with the new Government of Fiji on issues of shared importance, including on the prioritisation of climate change and sustainability, at a meeting today, in Nadi. Fiji and Aotearoa New Zealand’s close relationship is underpinned by the Duavata ...7 days ago
- Investment in blue highway a lifeline for regional economies and cyclone recoveryThe Government is delivering a coastal shipping lifeline for businesses, residents and the primary sector in the cyclone-stricken regions of Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced today. The Rangitata vessel has been chartered for an emergency coastal shipping route between Gisborne and Napier, with potential for ...1 week ago
- Next steps developing clean energy for NZThe Government will progress to the next stage of the NZ Battery Project, looking at the viability of pumped hydro as well as an alternative, multi-technology approach as part of the Government’s long term-plan to build a resilient, affordable, secure and decarbonised energy system in New Zealand, Energy and Resources ...1 week ago
- Statement from the Prime Minister on Stuart NashThis morning I was made aware of a media interview in which Minister Stuart Nash criticised a decision of the Court and said he had contacted the Police Commissioner to suggest the Police appeal the decision. The phone call took place in 2021 when he was not the Police Minister. ...1 week ago
- CPTPP Trade Ministers coming to AucklandThe Government’s sharp focus on trade continues with Aotearoa New Zealand set to host Trade Ministers and delegations from 10 Asia Pacific economies at a meeting of Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Commission members in July, Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor announced today. “New Zealand ...1 week ago
- Govt approves $25 million extension for cyclone-affected businesses$25 million boost to support more businesses with clean-up in cyclone affected regions, taking total business support to more than $50 million Demand for grants has been strong, with estimates showing applications will exceed the initial $25 million business support package Grants of up to a maximum of $40,000 per ...1 week ago
- More than 160,000 new Kiwis to call NZ home80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visas applications have been processed – three months ahead of schedule Residence granted to 160,000 people 84,000 of 85,000 applications have been approved Over 160,000 people have become New Zealand residents now that 80 per cent of 2021 Resident Visa (2021RV) applications have been ...1 week ago
- Scholarships propel Kiwi students to NASAThe Government continues to invest in New Zealand’s burgeoning space industry, today announcing five scholarships for Kiwi Students to undertake internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash congratulated Michaela Dobson (University of Auckland), Leah Albrow (University of Canterbury) and Jack Naish, Celine Jane ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to attend regional security meeting in AustraliaThe Lead Coordination Minister for the Government’s Response to the Royal Commission’s Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques travels to Melbourne, Australia today to represent New Zealand at the fourth Sub-Regional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Security. “The Government is committed to reducing the threat of terrorism ...1 week ago
- Health and safety action plan for portsThe health and safety practices at our nation’s ports will be improved as part of a new industry-wide action plan, Workplace Relations and Safety, and Transport Minister Michael Wood has announced. “Following the tragic death of two port workers in Auckland and Lyttelton last year, I asked the Port Health ...1 week ago
- Bikes and scooters to be exempt from FBTBikes, electric bikes and scooters will be added to the types of transport exempted from fringe benefit tax under changes proposed today. Revenue Minister David Parker said the change would allow bicycles, electric bicycles, scooters, electric scooters, and micro-mobility share services to be exempt from fringe benefit tax where they ...1 week ago
- Foreign Affairs Minister to reaffirm our close relationship with FijiForeign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji this week. The visit will be her first to the country since the election of the new coalition Government led by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sitiveni Rabuka. The visit will be an opportunity to meet kanohi ki ...1 week ago
- Child Poverty Data Shows The Continuing Need For Investment In Our Most Vulnerable Families
Child poverty numbers produced by Statistics New Zealand today showed the continuing need for investment in our most vulnerable families, said CTU Economist Craig Renney. Renney said “the number of children living in poverty has not moved significantly ...15 mins ago - National Party leader Christopher Luxon announces education policy
National leader Christopher Luxon is giving details on planned changes within the education system, if his party wins the general election. ...25 mins ago - Save The Children: Continued Government Investment Vital To Lift More Children And Families Out Of P...Save the Children is calling on the Government to "keep children in its sights" and continue investing in policies to lift more children and whānau out of poverty following the release of today’s latest child poverty statistics showed no real ...55 mins ago
- Scams Run High During Tax Time: Cyber Security Expert Warns New Zealanders Of Common Fraudster Tacti...Ahead of tax season, Avast , a leading digital security and privacy brand of Gen ™ (NASDAQ: GEN), is warning New Zealanders of increased scam activity as cybercriminals prey on taxpayers' vulnerability during a time when they are expecting their tax ...1 hour ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a ...1 hour ago - Housing Affordability More Challenging For Renters Than HomeownersIn the year ended June 2022, 1 in 4 households that were renting were spending more than 40 percent of their disposable income on housing costs, compared with 1 in 5 households that were paying a mortgage, according to figures released by Stats NZ ...2 hours ago
- Child Poverty Statistics Show No Annual Change In The Year Ended June 2022Child poverty rates for the year ended June 2022 were unchanged compared with the previous year, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. “Child poverty statistics have not changed compared with last year,” general manager social and ...2 hours ago
- Broadcaster turned conspiracy theorist Liz Gunn appears in court
The former broadcaster Liz Gunn, who has become a vocal figure within the anti-vaccination movement in New Zealand, has appeared in court today after an alleged airport altercation earlier this year. Gunn pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, trespass and resisting arrest over the incident at Auckland International Airport. ...2 hours ago - How to boost your backyard biodiversityYou don’t need to go to wildlife sanctuaries to see native birds, bugs and reptiles. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof brought to you by Electric Kiwi – sign up here. Recently I wrote a feature for New Zealand Geographic on weeds – it turns out, a ...2 hours ago
- ‘Tough news for tenants’: Rent prices soar to new record highRental costs have hit a record high, according to new statistics released this morning. Trade Me has reported that the national median rent was up to $600 in February – a jump of 4%, or $25, when compared with the same month in 2022. It’s not unusual to see rent ...3 hours ago
- Sense Prevails As Immigration NZ Chooses To Allow Free Speech Of British SpeakerThe Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by Immigration New Zealand to not suspend Kellie-Kay Keen-Minshull's NZeTA and to allow her entry into the country, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union. “The Free Speech Union envisions ...3 hours ago
- Finally A Political Party For The Farmers – HeartLandNZHeartLandNZ represents provincial New Zealand, the heart of the nation, the men and women, workers, contractors, businesses and farmers in the successful primary production sector. For over 30 years these voters have been economically ...3 hours ago
- Help Me Hera: How do you know when it’s time to quit?This week, Hera Lindsay Bird ponders whether it’s better to leave a party too early or too late. Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to [email protected] Dear Hera, How can you tell when something is over? A recurring theme through my life is sticking around way past the due date. There have been ...3 hours ago
- National’s education ‘rewrite’ to target years one to eightNational’s new education policy will focus on the first eight years of education – primary and intermediate – in an effort to prepare students for high school. The opposition will formally unveil their policy later today – coincidentally (or likely not) in the prime minister’s electorate of Upper Hutt. Erica ...3 hours ago
- Why is my loved one with dementia sometimes ‘there’ and sometimes not?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Monash University Shutterstock Dementia is an umbrella term to describe a progressive neurological condition that affects people’s cognitive abilities, such as memory, language and reasoning. Alzheimer’s is the most common form, but other common ...4 hours ago
- Fear and Wonder podcast: how scientists know the climate is changingSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Green, Host + Producer, The Conversation A comparison between two views of the same coral reef on Kiritimati, taken by University of Victoria scientists. Danielle Claar, Kristina Tietjen/University of Victoria Earlier this week, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ...4 hours ago
- The Great Southern Reef is in more trouble than the Great Barrier ReefSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graham Edgar, Senior Marine Ecologist, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Graham Edgar/Reef Life Survey, Author provided Marine heatwaves are damaging reef ecosystems around Australia, but while the tropical north has received the lion’s share of the ...4 hours ago
- ‘Some of them do treat you like an idiot’: what it’s like to be a casual academicSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Burch, Lecturer in Accounting, University of Tasmania Shutterstock One of the priorities of the federal government’s sweeping Universities Accord is to improve employment conditions in higher education. This is long overdue. Australia’s university sector once set the standard for ...4 hours ago
- Yes, the 1.5 million Australians getting rent assistance need an increase, but more public housing i...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Davies, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Image: David Kelly, Author provided Australia is in the grip of a housing crisis, with low-income households hit hardest by rising rents and falling vacancy rates. Social housing tenants were ...4 hours ago
- Why Lent is the perfect time to spiritually prepare for revolutionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristie Patricia Flannery, Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Francisco V. Coching’s Rendition of Gabriela Silang Charging on a Mount, 1986 (Ayala Museum). It was around this time of year back in 1763 that Filipino rebels ...4 hours ago
- Government eyes EV charging ‘hubs’ across the countryThe government’s planning to roll out dozens of new electric vehicle charging stations across the country in new “hubs” that would operate similar to existing petrol stations. The “charging our future” strategy has set a target of bringing in new hubs ever 150 to 200 kilometres along the state highways, ...4 hours ago
- The Bulletin: The fight to have a former All Black’s CTE recognised by ACCThis morning we bring you an exclusive on The Spinoff from Dylan Cleaver. Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) condition recognised and compensated for by the ACC after a five-year campaign. CTE is a brain ...4 hours ago
- Why governments are banning TikTok from phonesNew Zealand joins countries around the world by banning TikTok on government-issued devices as the US threatens an outright ban on the popular social media app, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...5 hours ago
- Warring building supplies firms tie up critical NZ land with 999-year covenants
Big building supply companies have fended off competition by wrapping desirable blocks of land in legal constraints on generations of NZers, alarming the Commerce Commission into issuing a far-reaching warning. Jonathan Milne reports. ...5 hours ago - Green Party Announces Environmental Lawyer Teall Crossen As Candidate For The Nelson ElectorateThe Green Party is announcing Teall Crossen as their candidate for the Nelson Whakatū electorate. Teall is an environmental barrister and activist with two decades of experience advocating for the rights of people and nature in the Courts in Aotearoa, ...6 hours ago
- Women refs rise with Aupiki
NZ Rugby wants to triple the number of female rugby referees - starting with the rise of Natarsha Ganley to Super Rugby honours, and handing a whistle to an Aupiki star player in a new scholarship. Suzanne McFadden writes. Natarsha Ganley loves rules. So during the week, she's on the lookout for ...6 hours ago - Inside the years-long fight to have a former All Black’s CTE recognised by ACCExclusive: All Black turned NZ First MP Tutekawa Wyllie and his wife Margaret have won a landmark battle that could open the floodgates for rugby-related head injury claims. Dylan Cleaver reports. Wellington rugby stalwart, one-game All Black and former New Zealand First MP Tutekawa Wyllie has had his probable chronic ...7 hours ago
- Shows of local strength deliver upsets in key Labour selection contestsDo the results in Mt Albert, Wellington Central and Christchurch East amount to thumbing noses at head office, or are they a sign of party strength? Across three Labour selection contests in three high-profile electorates over the last fortnight, candidates have succeeded from local foundations in seeing off rivals considered ...7 hours ago
- More 'how' less 'what' for social services
The Wellington City Missioner wants government agencies to move away from simply administering social services to the needy. ...7 hours ago - Book of the Week: Terfs, and other haters
This week's anti-trans rally is straight out of the right-wing playbook With strange and toxic prescience, a subject from the new study Histories of Hate: The Radical Right in Aotearoa New Zealand has leapt from the pages of the book into a major news story this week. The ...7 hours ago - Solomons PM joins Pacific push for NZ visa waiver access
More than half the visitor visa applications rejected by officials come from just nine Pacific nations ...7 hours ago - Healing te taiao: Moving on from peak pine
More than half of Aotearoa may need to be in native ngahere (bush) to merely blunt future worsening storms, but without such revolutionary change, Aotearoa could descend into a spiral of social, ecological, and economic damage Much of our land is without any trees, or is without the right trees, ...7 hours ago - Behind the story: Lobbying and the backdoor of our democracy
Unlike other countries around the world, New Zealand has no regulations about lobbying. Is change needed to ensure greater transparency about who's influencing our decision-makers? If you want to know who lobbies the Australian government on behalf of Air New Zealand, you simply go to an online register, type ...7 hours ago - How the Rakaia turned into a pipe for irrigators
Problems protecting NZ's biggest braided river were predicted years ago, papers show ...7 hours ago - China will test NZ's fence-straddling diplomacy as never before
NZ's likely Aukus involvement relating to technology will have far-reaching consequences ...7 hours ago - Disaster-in-waiting warn south’s farmers
Cyclone Gabrielle’s hammering of Hawkes Bay has ignited fears in Southland of bridges failing and farmland flooding through “mismanagement” of accumulated gravel Southland farmer Barry Taylor is frustrated gravel is being allowed to build up beneath a bridge on one of the country’s key tourist routes despite his years of ...7 hours ago - Daily crossword, Thursday 23 March
...8 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 23 March
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...8 hours ago - Throwing voting-age legislation onto the 'policy bonfire' only delays a debate that has to...Opinion - There's plenty of research supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Public debate and the law just need to catch up, Claire Breen writes. ...15 hours ago
- Word from The Hill: Reactions to AUKUS, next steps on the Voice, NSW electionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and ...16 hours ago
- Xi’s Moscow trip shows peace in Ukraine isn’t China’s main concernSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jingdong Yuan, Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific security, University of Sydney Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow this week has been more about reiterating China and Russia’s shared interests, and less about any concrete pathway towards ending the war in Ukraine. While a ...17 hours ago
- ‘Cultural expression through dress’: towards a definition of First Nations fashionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...19 hours ago
- ‘Cultural expression through dress’: towards a definition of First Nations fashionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Treena Clark, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Indigenous Research Fellow, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney This May, Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco and her label Ngali will be the first Indigenous designer to have a solo show at Australian Fashion Week. ...19 hours ago
- Yes, we see you. Why a national plan for homelessness must make thousands of children on their own a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...20 hours ago
- Yes, we see you. Why a national plan for homelessness must make thousands of children on their own a...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Robinson, Associate Professor in Housing and Communities, University of Tasmania Shutterstock Thousands of children end up being homeless in Australia without a parent or guardian. In 2021-22, 12,812 children (aged 10-17) were on their own when they sought help ...20 hours ago
- Credit Suisse is an anomaly: why Australia and New Zealand are safe from ‘bank run’ contagionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...20 hours ago
- Credit Suisse is an anomaly: why Australia and New Zealand are safe from ‘bank run’ contagionSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra There has been a lot of talk about the risk of financial contagion following the collapse of California’s Silicon Valley Bank. Perhaps too much talk. While the ...20 hours ago
- You Can’t Get Blood Out Of A Stone...20 hours ago
- Pacific needs to sit up and pay close attention to AUKUS, says Dame Meg TaylorA Pacific elder and former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders need to sit up and pay closer attention to AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific strategy and China’s response to them. Speaking from Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, Dame Meg Taylor said Pacific leaders were being sidelined ...20 hours ago
- Cyclone Gabrielle: Robertson warns of delays to rebuild decisionsThe government says it should have details on which weather-hit areas are high risk within three weeks, and can then make decisions about rebuilding. ...20 hours ago
- What to expect when you’re expecting an El Niño (the answer might surprise you)Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Tozer, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Dean Lewins/AAP La Niña and El Niño are well-known terms in Australia these days. Linked to them are certain expectations: we expect wet conditions in La Niña and dry conditions in El Niño. These ...21 hours ago
- Called it: The Game is not coming to New ZealandPromoters say The Game has pulled out of his upcoming appearance at two legs of a new New Zealand hip-hop festival, continuing the Compton rapper’s sketchy attendance record in Aotearoa. In an announcement made on Facebook today, promoters Room Service say The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, has “last-minute commitments” ...21 hours ago
- Te Whatu Ora reveals it has about 200 comms people, following criticism from NationalThe organisation has about 200 communications staff. The figure came in response to a Parliamentary written question from National. ...21 hours ago
- Counter-protests planned against anti-trans speakerCounter-protests are planned for this weekend as a controversial anti-trans campaigner speaks in two New Zealand cities. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into the country after Immigration NZ said the threshold to stop her had not been reached. In a tweet, Rainbow Greens, the group that released an open letter ...21 hours ago
- The magical world of restaurant staff mealsWe asked workers at some of our favourite food establishments to show us what they eat when the rush is over. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter The Boil Up. Last week was Work Week on The Spinoff, dedicated to unpacking our relationship with the world ...21 hours ago
- Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp? Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in ...21 hours ago
- New Norton 360 Platinum To Help New Zealanders Address Identity Theft Issues65 percent of Kiwis surveyed admit they would have no idea what to do if their identity was stolen Norton, a leading consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today announced the New Zealand launch of Norton™ 360 Platinum, which leverages the company's ...22 hours ago
- Throwing voting-age legislation onto the ‘policy bonfire’ only delays a debate that has to happe...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Breen, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images There might have been pragmatic political reasons behind the government throwing voting-age legislation onto its recent policy bonfire, but it remains a sadly wasted opportunity. The announcement reversed former ...22 hours ago
- Does public safety trump free speech? History’s case for banning anti-trans activist Posie Parker ...ANALYSIS: By Bevin Veale, Massey University The impending arrival of Kelly-Jean Keen-Minshull — aka Posie Parker — has put the spotlight on the tension between free speech and protecting vulnerable communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, it raises questions about Immigration New Zealand’s role in limiting who can visit ...22 hours ago
- Iwi Leading Urgent Housing Rebuild And Managed Retreat For WairoaWairoa has ready-to-go projects that could be accelerated to quickly get people back into homes following Cyclone Gabrielle, Minister Willie Jackson was told on a visit to Wairoa today. Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is seeking a Government commitment ...22 hours ago
- New Report: City Rail Link Project Throws Good Money After BadA new report published by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union exposes the bad decision-making that led to a 61% cost blowout in Auckland’s City Rail Link and shows that the costs of the project now significantly outweigh any benefits. ‘The City Rail Link: ...22 hours ago
- Immigration NZ allows anti-trans speaker into NZImmigration NZ has today confirmed that the controversial anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull will be allowed into New Zealand for her speaking events this week. You can read our report here – and the full statement from Immigration NZ’s Richard Owen to the media is below: “I can confirm that ...22 hours ago
- Confirmed: Anti-trans campaigner to be allowed into New ZealandImmigration NZ says it knows some people will be unhappy, but ultimately the threshold to bar Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull from New Zealand hasn’t been reached. The British anti-transgender campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, will be allowed into New Zealand this weekend, Immigration NZ has confirmed. Keen-Minshull’s ability to ...22 hours ago
- Antarctic ice age survival story: life seeking ice-free refuges imitates art in Ice Age, the movieSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Adelaide Antarctica is an icy place today, but the ice extended even further during past ice ages. The question of how and where life survived on land in the icy continent, through the ages, has ...22 hours ago
- The Tongan māfana energy takes centre stage in Red, White & BrassLike a Tongan Cool Runnings, with trumpets instead of bobsleds, Red, White & Brass is a feel-good movie based on an incredible true story. First-time film producer Halaifonua Finau tells Sela Jane Hopgood how he got it made. In 2016, promising new Tongan producer Halaifonua Finau was sitting in the ...22 hours ago
- Why do animals living with humans evolve such similar features? A new theory could explain ‘domest...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Thomas Gleeson, Doctoral Candidate, Australian National University Luz Rovira / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals: different species often developed similar changes when compared ...23 hours ago
- Popular fertility apps are engaging in widespread misuse of data, including on sex, periods and preg...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney New research reveals serious privacy flaws in fertility apps used by Australian consumers – emphasising the need for urgent reform of the Privacy Act. Fertility apps provide a number ...23 hours ago
- USP still the ‘bedrock’ for Pacific regionalism, says university chiefThe Fiji Times “The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been and continues to be a bedrock for regionalism. A resource owned by the region; for the region and a precious institution that needs to be protected in line with the vision of our forebearers.” This was the message ...23 hours ago
- PNG family kicked out of their home after 46 years – with 24-hour noticeBy Claudia Tally in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinean family who have been renting a property from the National Housing Corporation for the past 46 years have been served with a 24-hour eviction notice by a different owner who had obtained an eviction notice from the Port Moresby District ...23 hours ago
- Auckland Council contemplates quitting Local Government NZAuckland mayor Wayne Brown’s plans to cut back on spending could see the council quit Local Government NZ, the group that represents councils across the country. Stuff’s Todd Niall has reported that $400,000 would be saved by the move, with mayor Brown reportedly wanting to direct that money into other ...23 hours ago
- Does it matter what time I go to bed?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frederic Gachon, Associate Professor, Physiology of Circadian Rhythms, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Gregory Pappas/Unsplash Some of us love to be tucked up in bed by a particular time every night, ensuring a certain number of hours ...23 hours ago
- Love Better: Youthline relationship break-up support campaign launchesThe government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...1 day ago
- Love Better: Relationship break-up support campaign launchesThe government has launched campaign to help young people navigate break-ups with the long-term aim of preventing family violence, believed to be the first of its kind. ...1 day ago
- Giving trans kids a sporting chanceSports can be hugely beneficial for children but there are still many barriers for trans kids wanting to play, writes researcher Julia de Bres. There’s been a lot of talk recently about trans athletes in high performance sport, much of which derives from a broader anti-trans project rather than a ...1 day ago
- Watch: One woman’s battle to get back on the boardA new documentary follows Amber Clyde, skateboarder and founder of Girls Skate NZ, as she works to rebuild her confidence in the sport while juggling solo motherhood. Amber Clyde remembers being bullied as the only girl at the skate park in Birkenhead – but these days all the same bullies ...1 day ago
Clinton seems bereft of ideals…Trump at least seems to want detente and peace with Russia and in the Middle East ( if you look at his serious statements as opposed to his blowing his mouth off and making outrageous statements)
Clinton has form as a calculated warmonger…and seems bought off…a dangerous situation
Trump seems to be his own man and a skilled deal maker
Imo it is best to evaluate them by looking to see who supports them…in the military and amongst the USA oligarchy ( bankers eg Goldman Sachs, politicians eg Bushes)…and who has given funds to their campaigns from outside the country eg Saudi Arabia ? Israel?
Trump is clearly the outsider
If you want more of the same and worse , vote Clinton
…if you want to gamble on something new which could come up trumps, vote Trump
Trump does not claim to be an idealist , but a pragmatist and a deal maker
Thanks Chooky: I needed a laugh to go with my lunch time bagel.
And a piss poor businessman, too.
It’s worth taking a closer examination at just how awful this is for Trump. Setting aside the legal but shitty tax evasion for a moment, Trump lost nearly a billion dollars during a time when the U.S. economy was booming. Do you remember the ’90s? The GDP consistently grew each year. Unemployment was low. Businesses thrived. Snap bracelets were everywhere. Meanwhile, Trump consistently made a string of disastrous deals that tanked his casinos and airlines. Trump’s so bad at business, his losses in 1995 account for nearly two percent of the entire country’s.
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/305415/trumps-so-bad-at-business-1995-loss-was-two-percent-of-us/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11722967
I cannot find a better summation of what politically is happening, and here too, if you live in Auckland or Wellington you won’t realize the town in Ohio is exactly the same as every small town in NZ.
In NZ all it needs is someone to resonate what Trump tapped into, politics doesn’t matter, what people have seen is the neolib decimation of western countries, our manufacturing, empty shops etc, but unless you drive outside the main centre’s here you would think everythings great.
There was an even more perceptive Greek IMHO. Plato. He wrote extensively on the topic of different forms of governance. You can read about his 5 different regimes, Aristocracy, Timocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, and Tyranny here.
Essentially, according to Plato, all regimes decline and transform over time from the Aristocracy state the ultimate of which is ruled by the philosopher kings into tyranny. Note, democracy is listed second to bottom! i.e. next step along the line is tyranny.
It might be argued that the US is actually in a state of Oligarchy at the present time. That is a regime where the poor vastly outnumber the rich and in which the rich rule for themselves. However there are certain aspects of Plato’s democracy also very evident in the US – and in all western societies as well.
“The democratic man is consumed with unnecessary desires. Plato describes necessary desires as desires that we have out of instinct or desires that we have in order to survive. Unnecessary desires are desires we can teach ourselves to resist such as the desire for riches. The democratic man takes great interest in all the things he can buy with his money. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants to do it. His life has no order or priority.”
So essentially the US (and the majority of western nations) is in that juxtaposition between oligarchy and democracy.
In MHO Clinton represents the Oligarchy,
“Oligarchs do, however, value at least one virtue, that of temperance and moderation — not out of an ethical principle or spiritual concern, but because by dominating wasteful tendencies they succeed in accumulating money.
On the other had I fear Trump represents Tyranny
“Democracy is taken over by the longing for freedom. Power must be seized to maintain order. A champion will come along and experience power, which will cause him to become a tyrant. The people will start to hate him and eventually try to remove him but will realize they are not able.”
We have one such tyrant already in the western world. Duterte of the Philippines we don’t need any more.
The US is a plutocracy, which is a specific kind of oligarchy.
re “On the other hand I fear Trump represents Tyranny” (not according to all who know him…he is a warm human being and a deal maker, if a blowhard and given to politically incorrect bombast to lure in the Republican masses)
…actually I fear Clinton is the one who represents cold hard hearted tyranny
…just look at her secret email account (designed to circumvent the scrutiny of state and democracy)
…just look at how she dealt to Gadaffi…this really does end a chill down your spine
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-emails-reveal-true-motive-for-libya-intervention/
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/35222-exposing-the-libyan-agenda-a-closer-look-at-hillary-s-emails
look at her cold war statements and her warmongering aggressive statements towards Syria, Iran and Russia
🙄
The “secret” email account is nonsense and has been explained a thousand times – and indeed most of the documents had been declassified anyway. Also having myself been the recipient of many classified document the documents labelled “restricted” would be pretty common knowledge to anyone who had an interest in those things. If there was intentional breach of security on Hillary Clinton’s part you can rest assured that there would have been very positive action taken by Federal agencies before now! On a similar matter one could question the continued presence of Trump on the campaign trail following his obvious implied threat to Clinton at a rally where he was taking about her desire to limit guns. There has been more than one President assassinated by maniacs with guns.
As for Gaddaffi I can hardly imagine a better end for the man. “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword”. If you imagine Trump is going to be any less of a threat to world peace, I fear you are seriously deluded.
His statements with regard to the use/non-use of “nukes” are highly ambiguous as are almost all of his statements.
As for the welfare of the US. His intent to reduce taxes for the wealthy, will result in even more inequality in what is already one of the most unequal societies in the world – despite having one of the greatest per capita incomes. The US is already on its knees socially. If Trump is elected one can almost bet on rebellion in a few years.
re -“The “secret” email account is nonsense and has been explained a thousand times – and indeed most of the documents had been declassified anyway. ”
(…really!?…and I thought you were a liberal Greenie!?…the evidence does not seem to support you)
http://investmentwatchblog.com/wikileaks-drops-another-bombshell-on-hillary-clinton-and-the-fbi-and-the-latest-assange-interviews/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton_email_controversy
‘New York Times ‘What We Know About Hillary Clinton’s Private Email Server’
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/05/27/us/politics/what-we-know-about-hillary-clintons-private-email-server.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/10/fbi_agreed_to_destroy_evidence_in_clinton_email_investigation_immunity_deals.html
re- “As for Gaddaffi I can hardly imagine a better end for the man. “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword”
(…pretty spurious argument ..this does not justify Clinton or the USA interfering in another nations affairs and killing their leader …as her emails show)
‘Libya: How Hillary Clinton Destroyed a Country’
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2016/03/03/libya-how-hillary-clinton-destroyed-a-country/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riley-waggaman/hillary-clinton-turned-nation-into-isis-safe-haven_b_9571956.html
http://benwilliamslibrary.com/blog/?p=3666
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/22/how-west-broke-libya-gaddafi-national-unity
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-emails-reveal-true-motive-for-libya-intervention/
Well we shall just hope that Trump never gets his finger anywhere near the red button because it won’t be a country being destroyed it will be the whole world.
Timely. It was Thomas Hobbes who first published English language translations of Thucydides in an attempt to avert what he correctly identified as the slide towards Civil War in England. Right now, averting the slide towards war with Russia is the imperative, and key to that is the hope that Americans will look upon the words of those who are pushing it and ask, “why?”
Unfortunately, I believe Americas Periclean tendency died at Dealy Plaza.
Yes, it was a debate between a buffoon and an experienced orator, but the positions are slightly different from Cleon and Diodotus: Trump wasn’t arguing realpolitik, and Clinton wasn’t arguing purely from amoral national security.
Trump was arguing from petulance, with no consistency in any law. Clinton had a more consistent and coherent structure.
The only similarity is in the relative styles each used: Trump as Cleon and Clinton as more rational. Neither was a Pericles, but bear in mind that Pericles started the war that eventually destroyed Athens’ government and independence.
Yes. There’s only so great a politician you can be if at some point you decide war with Sparta is a good idea.
Does that make Bernie Sanders Socrates?
If he has an ounce of smarts he’ll go for HUD Secretary.
@ esoteric pineapples re “Does that make Bernie Sanders Socrates?”
hardly!…he now supports Clinton and discards his supporters…he is gutless…what a let down
Sanders …now supports Clinton and discards his supporters…he is gutless
In the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention, while some of Sanders’ supporters were throwing their toys and generally acting like petulant cry-babies, Sanders and his team were pushing the Democratic agenda to the left. He obtained massive policy gains by working within the structure of the party. If some of his supporters are too ignorant to see that, well… that’s on them.
http://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12281022/the-democratic-party-platform
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/07/the_democratic_platform_is_a_monument_to_bernie_sanders_campaign.html
What We Talk About When We Don’t Want to Talk About Nuclear War
It’s pretty much the same in all Western nations. The political discourse is so shallow that no one really knows what’s going on and what response is happening.
the USA candidates are what they are ….without trying to fit them into some classical ancient Greek role models and scenarios …this is an ill fitting glove imo…one could just as well try and fit them into a Shakespearean drama
REALISM is what is required and a close look at their personal histories…lets face it Hillary Clinton has form
http://theduran.com/support-donald-trump-president-united-states/
http://davidstockmanscontracorner.com/book-review-of-david-stockmans-trumped-a-nation-on-the-brink-ruin/