Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 2:24 pm, March 19th, 2024 - 3 comments
Categories: class, discrimination, employment, human rights, jobs, law, Unions, wages, workers' rights
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Uber Drivers are in the Court of Appeal today. Uber is appealing against Employment Court decision they they are employees with worker rights. Its a no-brainer, so they are and should have them. John Campbell covered the issues well in this 1News story …
I have many American friends who like me believe in cooperation rather than competition and peace rather than war, and who oppose anyone or any institution that advocates deliberate first use of nuclear weapons.
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:38 am, March 9th, 2024 - 18 comments
Categories: AUKUS, gaza, Judith Collins, uncategorized, us politics
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in a war over Taiwan" is the title of an Atlantic Council paper produced last September. They mean nuclear weapons use. These are serious people; Undersecretary Bonnie Jenkins addressed them last year about AUKUS. The Atlantic Council paper's conclusion …
For a balanced view on China, it's worth having a listen to New Zealander David Mahon. He has lived there for nigh on forty years.
That's another Mike Smith - there are lots of us. I agree he has done a brilliant job
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 8:21 pm, March 3rd, 2024 - 32 comments
Categories: AUKUS, australian politics, China, defence, don brash, helen clark, jobs, Judith Collins, Pacific, Peace, tech industry, Ukraine, winston peters
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US Undersecretary of State Bonnie Jenkins is in Wellington this week with a hard sell for us on a promise of AUKUS Pillar 2 wunderwaffen maybes. The US's real intent is to tie us to their wheel for the next fifty years. We should say tai hoa. China is the…
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 9:28 pm, February 17th, 2024 - 38 comments
Categories: AUKUS, australian politics, China, defence, Diplomacy, Pacific, Peace, us politics
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Testifying to the Defence Select Committee last week, Air Marshal Short said Australia was "reshaping" its Defence Force for "a singular threat from a singular direction." This was described as being an oblique reference to China. AM Short went on to say:…
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:39 pm, February 13th, 2024 - 103 comments
Categories: act, climate change, community democracy, Conservation, democracy under attack, democratic participation, global warming, journalism, labour, Left, Propaganda, taxpayers union, thinktank, us politics
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Attacking leftists attempts to expose the Atlas Network of right-wing think tanks, Chris Trotter offers this gem “Morally speaking, is taking money from oil companies really all that distinguishable from giving money to oil companies every time we fill up…
the US is not a democracy, it's a gerontocratic, oligarchic plutocracy.
Lee Siegel has an excoriating piece on Biden and Trump in the New Statesman. Far from being the embodiment of stable and stabilising American values, Biden is the hologram president – a fabricated mirage of American idealism and strength. Postmodern Trump,...
@ Binders It was a very good thesis. I would encourage you to read it. It is in the Victoria University Library.
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 5:25 pm, February 6th, 2024 - 10 comments
Categories: Culture wars, david seymour, history, labour, Maori Issues, Maori seats, Parliament
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"My understanding is a guy came out as a prophet of his own religious movement in the 1870s. And politicians feel a strange obligation to be there every year. I've never felt that." David Seymour is shallow as a birdbath. With the Bible in one hand and …
Oh for God's sakes this is patronising crap. Leftist peace activists and I happily count myself one do read history, lots of it. We also read maps, and primary sources from all sides. And we are not unaware of military capability, with so many examples of ...
That's precisely the point - we are being forced to pick a side. That means we do not have an independent foreign policy. Like most of the rest of the Asia Pacific, we would rather not have to do so. And for the US, AUKUS has other benefits besides ...
US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has just been in Kyiv in the last few days. The Kyiv Independent reported: U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland arrived in Kyiv on Jan. 31, said U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget ...
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 3:10 pm, February 2nd, 2024 - 27 comments
Categories: uncategorized
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War with China? Or cocktails with the Colonels? I haven't got the invitations, but I'm a no for both. Speaking to Radio New Zealand about the prospect of New Zealand joining the AUKUS nuclear submarine-related deal, Defence Minister Judith Collins said: …
The Iraqis have formally asked the US to leave now. Trump didn't get the US out of Syria - remember "we took the oil." They are still there as invaders and occupiers in an illegal operation in eastern Syria, still taking the oil.
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 12:38 pm, January 25th, 2024 - 31 comments
Categories: defence, FiveEyes, Free Trade, gaza, israel, Peace, us politics, war
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CNN reports that the US has named the ongoing operation against Houthi in Yemen “Operation Poseidon Archer, suggesting a more organized and potentially long-term approach." New Zealand has joined it – cue the slippery slope. New Zealand is sending six …
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 1:13 pm, January 13th, 2024 - 14 comments
Categories: exports, Free Trade, gaza, helen clark, Jeremy Corbyn, Peace, Peace, trade, us politics, war
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But the ones that run US foreign policy are. Matthew Hooton in a typical smear wants to label Helen Clark as anti-American because she warned that involving us in attacking Houthis was a ''slippery slope." She's not and he's wrong. And the downward run has…
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 8:49 pm, January 7th, 2024 - 57 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, gaza, israel, Joe Biden, Judith Collins, law, Palestine, Peace, Ukraine, winston peters, Zionism
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South Africa has taken a case that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza to the International Court of Justice. A group of prominent New Zealand lawyers have asked the New Zealand Government to join South Africa in support of their application. I think we …
Fantastic post Mickey. I agree with Anne; a very important piece of work.
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 9:35 pm, December 22nd, 2023 - 32 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, Peace, Russia, Ukraine, us politics, war, Zelensky
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It is not clear exactly who persuaded Luxon to put Zelensky on his Xmas calling list. It might have been Albo or MFAT, no doubt on orders from the US, who are desperate to keep the illusion of victory alive until after the US Presidential election. Luxon …
Possibly a wee bit over the top Darien? It's not about arguing over entrails or getting a thrill from losing, it's about trying to learn from mistakes and not repeating them expecting a different result, to quote Einstein. The basic foundation of any good ...
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 9:37 pm, December 14th, 2023 - 40 comments
Categories: campaigning, Chlöe Swarbrick, chris hipkins, Christopher Luxon, democratic participation, election 2017, election 2023, elections, labour, national, nz first
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A notably different approach to sequencing political comeback was on show at the VUW post-election seminar last week. Luxon put rebuilding the party first, Hipkins put it last. On policy Luxon was bottom-up and early, Hipkins was top-down and late. Luxon …
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 12:35 pm, November 20th, 2023 - 19 comments
Categories: gaza, israel, Zionism
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RNZ's flagship Morning Report was particularly bad today, especially in this 8-minute item, titled on its website "UN expert on Palestinian rights cries for children killed." The headlined expert is Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Human rights…
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 2:01 pm, November 16th, 2023 - 43 comments
Categories: israel, Palestine, Russia, uk politics, us politics, war, Zionism
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56 UK Labour MPs including 8 front-benchers defied the Leader and the Whip and voted for a SNP amendment to the King's speech calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. Karma for Starmer, who previously had to row back from saying Israel had a right to …
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 8:02 pm, November 7th, 2023 - 53 comments
Categories: campaigning, capital gains, Carmel Sepuloni, chris hipkins, election 2023, labour, leadership, tax
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It was never going to be anything else, but two positives emerged. All policy options are back on the table, including tax, and there are the beginning of a realisation that the main task ahead is to rebuild a strong and progressive party. A very big …
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 4:43 pm, November 2nd, 2023 - 18 comments
Categories: activism, campaigning, capital gains, chris hipkins, community democracy, democratic participation, election 2023, labour, leadership, Parliament, tax
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In 2021, I voted against Labour's conference proposal for midstream leadership change to be determined by Caucus alone, saying that it risked Labour becoming a cadre party. A friend liked what I said, but thought few would understand what I meant. A series…
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 2:59 pm, October 31st, 2023 - 57 comments
Categories: FiveEyes, israel, Palestine, Peace, United Nations, war, Zionism
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Unlike the other four Eyes, New Zealand voted for a UNGA resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza. The US had previously vetoed a ceasefire resolution. Finally on RNZ, Ben Strang asked whether Israel's response to HAMAS is also a "war crime?' …
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 10:17 pm, October 25th, 2023 - 22 comments
Categories: aid, Diplomacy, FiveEyes, israel, Palestine, Peace, United Nations
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The new government is leaving it to the old government to carry the ball on Gaza. Both governments have dropped it. The 5Eyes formula of "Israel's right to defend itself" does not extend any right to the indiscriminate bombing, and refusal to allow any …
Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 8:31 am, October 5th, 2023 - 7 comments
Categories: AUKUS, australian politics, China, defence, Diplomacy, FiveEyes, Pacific, Peace, Russia, Ukraine, us politics, war
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Alexander Gillespie complains that kiwis are not being given answers on foreign policy in the election. Given the state of flux in the world, and the questions he poses, it is probably just as well. The answers might all be dangerous. Will New Zealand join…
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