Search Results

1. 

   Citizenship is a human right

   Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 9:40 am, July 29th, 2021 -  81 comments
   Categories: australian politics, Gerry Brownlee, human rights, International, jacinda ardern, Judith Collins
   Tags:

   National has responded to the impending return to New Zealand of Suhayra Aden by hinting that they may follow Australia and breach human rights by bringing in laws allowing countries to arbitrarily remove rights of citizenship.

2. 

   “We have to talk about sex. It’s important”

   Written By:  weka -  Date published: 10:55 am, July 28th, 2021 -  145 comments
   Categories: feminism, gay rights, gender critical feminism, Left
   Tags: Daphna Whitmore, Free Speech Union, Kathleen Stock, Redline, why we debate

   British philosophy professor Kathleen Stock being interviewed by Redline’s Daphna Whitmore on gender critical feminism and the sex/gender wars. Also, why being able to debate matters.

3. 

   The many and varied takes of Des Gorman on covid

   Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 3:05 pm, July 25th, 2021 -  32 comments
   Categories: covid-19, health, jacinda ardern, social media lolz, the praiseworthy and the pitiful
   Tags:

   A review of Des Gorman’s comments about Covid over the last 15 months, pretty well all of which have been negative, makes you wonder how it is possible that we have been able to maintain an effective Covid free status in Aotearoa New Zealand.

4. 

   The problem with English Soccer

   Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:38 am, July 16th, 2021 -  13 comments
   Categories: Pacific, racism, rugby league, uk politics
   Tags:

   Last week’s final between England and Italy showed that there is still an ugly racist underside to what should be a beautiful game.

5. 

   Demand the debate

   Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:13 am, July 13th, 2021 -  52 comments
   Categories: democracy under attack, don brash, Judith Collins, labour, national, racism, racism, same old national
   Tags:

   In two separate leaks it has emerged that Judith Collins privately briefed Don Brash on National’s demand the debate campaign and that Brash wrote to wealthy donors seeking $300,000 for an Iwi Kiwi style billboard response.

6. 

   About the Hate Speech law changes

   Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 12:06 pm, July 6th, 2021 -  94 comments
   Categories: act, human rights, labour, making shit up, national, same old national, spin, United Nations, you couldn't make this shit up
   Tags:

   The debate about the Government’s consultation on proposed changes to hate speech laws continues, with the level of heat increasing, but the level of actual understanding of what is being proposed in critical shortage.

7. 

   Judith Collins is not John Key

   Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:52 am, July 2nd, 2021 -  168 comments
   Categories: blogs, internet, Judith Collins, Media, twitter, you couldn't make this shit up
   Tags:

   I honestly am not sure what Judith’s game plan.  Supporting someone who on twitter called for the lynching of a person with a contrary view is not a way to reach to the middle of New Zealand politics.

8. 

   Communist Party of China turns 100

   Written By:  Mike Smith -  Date published: 11:59 pm, June 30th, 2021 -  59 comments
   Categories: China
   Tags:

   July 1^st this year marks the 100^th anniversary of the foundation of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai in 1921. It is a date worth commemorating as while the Party is not well understood, its positive achievements have been outstanding.

9. 

   Make the film and be damned

   Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 8:58 am, June 18th, 2021 -  23 comments
   Categories: Deep stuff, film, Media, religion
   Tags:

   A company wants to make a film about the Christchurch mosque massacre on 15 March 2019. Maybe it should do.

10. 

    What local food can look like (and why)

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 6:05 am, May 21st, 2021 -  10 comments
    Categories: business, economy, food, sustainability
    Tags: how change happens, local food, longwood loop, resiliency, Riverton, robyn guyton, rural, south coast environment centre, southland

    The South Coast Environment Centre is creating a local food network that connects growers and customers directly, creates food resiliency, and keeps money in the local economy. This is an exemplar of climate, economic and community sustainability.

11. 

    Housing, an update of sorts

    Written By:  notices and features -  Date published: 6:05 am, May 18th, 2021 -  31 comments
    Categories: class war, cost of living, housing, human rights
    Tags: tiny house, tiny housing

    Anarkaytie writes about the history of the housing crisis in New Zealand and how tiny housing provides some of the solutions.

12. 

    What the recent elections tell us about British society

    Written By:  nickkelly -  Date published: 11:31 pm, May 17th, 2021 -  35 comments
    Categories: Brexit, electoral systems, First Past the Post, Jeremy Corbyn, leadership, local government, uk politics
    Tags: Andy Burnham, covid-19, jeremy corbyn, Kier Starmer, nick kelly, Sadiq Khan, scottish nationalist party

    Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s Blog In a nation that has suffered over 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, one may be somewhat taken aback to see the latest YouGov Poll where The Conservative Party enjoy a 15% lead over the Labour Opposition. 17 months after the Conservatives won the 2019 General Election, it would be easy to […]

13. 

    C’mon National!

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 1:27 pm, May 17th, 2021 -  20 comments
    Categories: crime, human rights, jacinda ardern, john key, Judith Collins, national, same old national, tax
    Tags:

    Forlorn for now though they may be, this is the advice National MPs need right now.

14. 

    National’s very bad day

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:44 am, April 22nd, 2021 -  86 comments
    Categories: Christopher Luxon, health, health and safety, Judith Collins, minimum wage, national, Parliament, religion, same old national, Simon Bridges, wages, workers' rights
    Tags:

    Yesterday was a day where National focussed on dog whistle racism, supported religious extremists and moaned about workers receiving a modest increase in the minimum wage.

15. 

    The European Super League – a proposal that has united Britain

    Written By:  nickkelly -  Date published: 9:13 am, April 20th, 2021 -  28 comments
    Categories: boris johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, news, sport, uk politics
    Tags: Boris Johnson, britain, football, jeremy corbyn, nick kelly, Premier League, sport

    There are few issues where UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Labour Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn see eye to eye, yet this proposal has achieved just that. Rarer still to have the Second Heir to the Throne comment on such matters saying it would be “damaging.”

16. 

    The Problem with Personification in Politics

    Written By:  Incognito -  Date published: 7:00 am, April 19th, 2021 -  12 comments
    Categories: activism, Deep stuff, democratic participation, education, politicans, Politics, public services
    Tags: anthropomorphism, metaphor, personification

    It is a grave mistake to treat Ministries as if they are real persons.

17. 

    Oh Canada! – let us not follow you.

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 3:19 pm, April 17th, 2021 -  23 comments
    Categories: covid-19, health, uncategorized
    Tags: canada, lockdown, ontario

    Looking at the vaccination program in NZ, I feel that many people are focusing on the wrong things. The most dangerous period in pandemic life cycle – gaining a sufficient population immunity fast enough to stop the inevitable complacency that allows another wave of infections. Ontario appears to have managed to get a new wave of infection rising as they are trying to run their vaccination program. That is the last thing we need.

18. 

    Well done John Edgar

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 9:41 am, April 10th, 2021 -  11 comments
    Categories: auckland supercity, Conservation, Deep stuff, Environment, supercity
    Tags:

    I’d thought I’d take a moment to celebrate the life of John Edgar, who passed away a few days ago.

19. 

    Resistance

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 3:24 pm, March 31st, 2021 -  50 comments
    Categories: blogs, uncategorized, Unions, workers' rights
    Tags: chris trotter

    Chris Trotter recently asked the question about why there isn’t more resistance to the degree of inequality that we face in New Zealand. He’s partially right, we do spend an awfully amount of time arguing with each other about matters of smaller and smaller moment while inequality slides downhill from glacier to avalanche.  But intersectionalism isn’t the primary cause of activist cooling.

20. 

    Doocey is taking the piss

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:49 am, March 26th, 2021 -  12 comments
    Categories: health, health and safety, national, same old national, uncategorized, workers' rights
    Tags: matt doocey

    Private member’s bills are an important feature of Parliament.  They give all MPs the chance to change the law to address real or perceived issues and problems.  So what does National MP Matt Doocey think is the country’s most pressing problem?

21. 

    Much ado about nothing

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:39 am, March 13th, 2021 -  18 comments
    Categories: chris bishop, parliamentary spending, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, uncategorized
    Tags:

    Chris Bishop is claiming credit for Labour finishing a deal whereby the party rented premises to Parliamentary Services for the use of Gillian Anderson MP at a level well below market rates.

22. 

    Dirty politics denouement

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 10:27 am, March 4th, 2021 -  29 comments
    Categories: blogs, Dirty Politics, the praiseworthy and the pitiful
    Tags:

    Another chapter of dirty politics has reached its conclusion with Carrick Graham offering an abject apology to Doug Sellman, Boyd Swinburn and Shane Bradbook for smearing their reputation via the Whaleoil website.

23. 

    Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi …

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 7:30 am, February 17th, 2021 -  144 comments
    Categories: Andrew Little, australian politics, jacinda ardern, scoundrels
    Tags:

    Yesterday Jacinda Ardern chose to use decidedly undiplomatic speech to address Australia’s removal of its citizenship from a Jihadi bride leaving her as New Zealand’s problem, even though her link to New Zealand was tenuous and she was for all intents and purposes Australia’s problem.  And even though Ardern had previously asked Scomo to be careful with the issue.

24. 

    Pandemic to endemic covid-19

    Written By:  lprent -  Date published: 9:30 am, February 13th, 2021 -  84 comments
    Categories: chris bishop, covid-19, health, International, Politics, Social issues
    Tags: endemic, pandemic

    Back in May, I wrote a post “Covid-19: may be endemic“. That is looking like it is more and more likely. The depth of infection in world populations means that recombinant variants are likely. Vaccines and previous immunity will reduce the death rates and infection rates. But won’t stop reinfection. Human behaviour will keep covid-19 as an endemic disease.

25. 

    Reasons to abandon NZ’s Five-Eyed Folly

    Written By:  khaki -  Date published: 2:35 pm, February 4th, 2021 -  29 comments
    Categories: australian politics, China, Culture wars, defence, economy, Free Trade, john key, spin, Spying, surveillance, telecommunications, trade, uk politics, us politics
    Tags:

    
    

    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.”

26. 

    Layers of Culpability

    Written By:  Guest post -  Date published: 11:40 am, February 2nd, 2021 -  20 comments
    Categories: climate change, community democracy, disaster, Environment, local government
    Tags: Accountability Action, Amberley tyre fire, ecan, FENZ, Hurunui District Council, pollution, Te Whare Whero

    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.

27. 

    Who says cancel culture is a bad thing?

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 8:32 am, January 28th, 2021 -  84 comments
    Categories: culture, Culture wars, john banks, Media, racism
    Tags:

    It may be that we have heard publicly from John Banks for the last time.  If so this will be a good thing.

28. 

    Are Revolutions A Good Idea?

    Written By:  advantage -  Date published: 8:30 am, January 23rd, 2021 -  24 comments
    Categories: China, democratic participation, Donald Trump, political alternatives, Politics, Revolution, Russia, uk politics, uncategorized, us politics
    Tags:

    Revolt? Revolution? Pain in the ass? Depends, like comedy, on timing. And which side of history you end up on.

29. 

    The Parler purge

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 9:04 am, January 12th, 2021 -  87 comments
    Categories: Donald Trump, Media, social media lolz, uncategorized, us politics
    Tags:

    Parler, which attracted right wing extremists because of its refusal to apply any rules to what people said, has had its application banned by Google and Apple and Amazon has now refused to host its data.  But it has also had all of user’s data downloaded and archived and made available to everyone, including law enforcement authorities.  Think Dirty Politics but on industrial scale.

30. 

    How low will Bridges go?

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 11:00 am, January 2nd, 2021 -  24 comments
    Categories: drugs, making shit up, national, same old national, Simon Bridges, spin, you couldn't make this shit up
    Tags:

    Simon Bridges has spent the last week casting aspersions on people who have tragically died at Music Festivals in an attempt to score culture war inspired political points and undermine the Government’s new pill testing law.

31. 

    Parihaka

    Written By:  mickysavage -  Date published: 11:09 am, December 30th, 2020 -  8 comments
    Categories: history, Maori Issues, racism, uncategorized
    Tags:

    A post reflecting on the history of the Parihaka settlement, how local Taranaki Iwi were treated appallingly by the Crown and the Government, and how the settlement amount paid is but a miniscule amount of the damage actually caused.