Open mike 08/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 8th, 2021 - 95 comments
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President Biden Reaches Out To Prime Minister Ardern
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Date published: 11:18 am, February 7th, 2021 - 42 comments
Joe Biden’s attempt to redefine the American role in International Politics has been exemplified by a message to Jacinda Ardern on Waitangi day congratulating New Zealand about Waitangi Day and noting that the signing of the treaty was witnessed by the first US Consul to New Zealand in 1840.
Escape Velocity
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Date published: 9:11 am, February 7th, 2021 - 93 comments
In this series so far I’ve examined three of the four terms in the Kaya Identity, population, economic intensity, and energy intensity. It can be conclusively shown that none of these factors can be reduced sufficiently to reduce CO2 emissions to zero – or even close enough to be useful. Let’s return to each one […]
Open mike 07/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 7th, 2021 - 26 comments
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Uyghur allegation escalation?
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Date published: 6:25 pm, February 6th, 2021 - 67 comments
Radio New Zealand carried a long story this week from the BBC of rape allegations in Xinjiang based on accounts from two Uyghur women Tursunay Ziawudun and Gulzira Auelkhan. Independent analyst Bernhard at Moonofalabama asks the question “Why do these Uyghur witnesses stories constantly change?
Simon Bridges, Conversion Therapy and free speech
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Date published: 12:54 pm, February 6th, 2021 - 22 comments
Simon Bridges has shown he wants to continue to fight the culture wars on the conservative side by claiming that preventing christian extremists from engaging in conversion therapy is a breach of their freedom of expression.
Open mike 06/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 6th, 2021 - 29 comments
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Open mike 05/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 5th, 2021 - 117 comments
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Reasons to abandon NZ’s Five-Eyed Folly
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Date published: 2:35 pm, February 4th, 2021 - 29 comments
Wayne Brown’s recent suggestion “Is it time to sell our seat on FiveEyes?” is from someone well placed by experience to form an educated opinion. “Trade sanctions of the type Australia is facing are a weapon used by both USA and China. So let’s have a debate on whether we need Five Eyes, or whether it’s time for us to trade on independently.”
Paora Goldsmith, Māori history and identity politics
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Date published: 9:36 am, February 4th, 2021 - 73 comments
Paora Goldsmith thinks that learning about Māori history is engaging in identity politics.
Open mike 04/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 4th, 2021 - 74 comments
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Open mike 03/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 3rd, 2021 - 85 comments
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Layers of Culpability
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Date published: 11:40 am, February 2nd, 2021 - 20 comments
The huge tyre fire near Amberley in North Canterbury last Friday is in an area with a high water table, extreme fire risk in summer, two kilometres from a town of 2000 residents, and on the edge of one of NZ’s premier wine regions.
National is obsessed with dirty politics
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Date published: 8:14 am, February 2nd, 2021 - 21 comments
National’s claim that news of a possible romantic engagement between a hotel worker and someone in quarantine was a political attempt to distract attention shows they are still obsessed with dirty politics.
Covid19 Vaccine Rollout and Global Inequality
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Date published: 7:46 am, February 2nd, 2021 - 24 comments
2023-2024 for a global rollout 0f the Covid vaccine will put stark lines of demarcation between which populations can trade and travel easily, and those who can’t.
Open mike 02/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 2nd, 2021 - 31 comments
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Twelve months of living with Covid
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Date published: 8:58 am, February 1st, 2021 - 21 comments
One year on from the declaration by the WTO that Covid was a public health emergency and with the benefit of hindsight it is interesting to see who heeded the scientific advice and how it worked out.
Open mike 01/02/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, February 1st, 2021 - 46 comments
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Having a say on how NZ transitions to a post-carbon society
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Date published: 6:11 am, January 31st, 2021 - 99 comments
Now is the time for people power. The government is about to ask us what we think about New Zealand’s plan on climate action.
UPDATED with links to the report and media analysis.
Open mike 31/01/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 31st, 2021 - 33 comments
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Trifold Politics and Boundaries
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Date published: 8:47 am, January 30th, 2021 - 34 comments
Over the past year I’ve outlined in the comments an alternative triplet political model to the standard left/right description that’s the usual default. It’s the default for a reason, it’s simple and most of the time it’s a ‘good enough’ approximation to reality, and nothing I’m going to suggest below is intended or expected to […]
Open mike 30/01/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 30th, 2021 - 141 comments
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The fascinating story about when some redditors took on Wall Street
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Date published: 7:26 pm, January 29th, 2021 - 22 comments
The world has been watching, mostly with amusement, as some redditors have brought a Wall Street merchant bank to its knees, by buying stocks in a company, GameStop who has seen better days and whose business model is antiquated.
UK COVID-19 death toll hits 100,000 and The PM offers an insincere apology.
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Date published: 6:11 am, January 29th, 2021 - 21 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s Blog In late March 2020, the medical director of the NHS Stephen Powis said that keeping the UK COVID-19 death toll to under 20,000 would be a good result. Ten months later, almost to the day, the UK’s official death toll from COVID-19 hit 100,000, a few days after an […]
Open mike 29/01/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 29th, 2021 - 59 comments
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Who says cancel culture is a bad thing?
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Date published: 8:32 am, January 28th, 2021 - 84 comments
It may be that we have heard publicly from John Banks for the last time. If so this will be a good thing.
Open mike 28/01/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 28th, 2021 - 74 comments
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Queue jumping the Covid vaccine rollout
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Date published: 7:52 am, January 27th, 2021 - 96 comments
National and ACT are concerned that New Zealand is not at the front of the queue obtaining Covid vaccine supplies. Even though our Covid status is still outstanding with no community transmission having happened for months, and even though to realistically open our borders every country in the world will have had to achieve herd immunity.
Open mike 27/01/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 27th, 2021 - 106 comments
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Is New Zealand’s The Best Little Economy In The World?
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Date published: 7:23 am, January 26th, 2021 - 53 comments
New Zealand is the best-managed country in the world. And currently has one of the best economies.
Open mike 26/01/2021
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 26th, 2021 - 18 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
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