On the mainstream media, and the expanding war in Yemen
Safe to say the mainstream media and the blogosphere do not hold particularly positive views of each other. Its like a family affair. In general, […]
Articles
On the government’s selective targeting of young drinkers
Frontispiece of Hobbes’ “Leviathan”. How times change. Only a couple of years ago, New Zealand was allegedly beset with Nanny Statism because the Clark government […]
On the Aussie election stalemate
As the Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter Hartcher says, there’s a rough justice to the Australian election outcome, given that both major parties ran essentially […]
The ACT horror show, and the Ground Zero mosque
Images, Audio & Report: Hide Ducks Questions on ACT Leadership Coup There’s one way for the ACT Party to solve its current financial problems – […]
On the Heather Roy coup, and the liquor vote
Image & Audio: Hide Ducks Questions on ACT Leadership Coup The entire Act caucus would fit comfortably into a small rowing boat. If Rodney Hide […]
On Labour’s money problems and looming by-elections
If Labour and its leadership didn’t have enough immediate problems, the party’s capacity to mount an effective election campaign next year is certain to come […]
On the government’s hostility towards women
Image: Pay equity campaigners want “no stone unturned” Once again, the Key government has shown it doesn’t give a stuff about issues that primarily affect […]
On welfare bashing, and driving up a dead end in Afghanistan
The government’s welfare working group has dutifully delivered the findings the government wants to hear. To Paula Rebstock and her colleagues, being on welfare is […]
On the appointing of Zaoui’s tormenter to investigate complaints against the Police
There’s no success like failure, as Bob Dylan once pointed out, and failure is no success at all. A reward for failure is the only […]
On our first combat death in Afghanistan
The first fatality in the New Zealand deployment in Afghanistan has occurred on the same day the Dutch ended their deployment in Uruzgan province, as […]
On the Gaza inquiry, and new twists in the Carter affair
It may seem ‘too late’ to announce the appointment of a UN inquiry panel into the Gaza flotilla raid. Whether it is also ‘too little’ […]
On the Chris Carter fiasco
Click for big version If Chris Carter’s recent trip to Tibet was in search of spiritual enlightenment, he will have come back with a ready […]
On the despicable decision on blood alcohol driving limits
Yesterday’s non-decision on the alcohol limit has underlined once again that the Key government is not interested in governing for the benefit of New Zealand […]
On Haiti, as the hurricanes arrive
Six months after the Haiti earthquake, only a trickle of the $10 billion in aid that had been pledged by dozens of countries and multilateral […]
On the mining backdown
The government’s formal capitulation ( due later today) on the mining of Schedule Four conservation land is a smashing victory for the public – one […]
On the making of The Hobbit
Given that successive governments have identified the film industry as a prime catalyst of the knowledge economy, you might have expected more local media attention […]
On the Waihopai ‘Claim of Right’ Defence, and Arming the Police
Jump to ‘Reduce Violence : Arm the Police. Yeah, right.’ Usually when the public feels outraged by an acquittal in a high profile trial, the […]
On the ideology behind state spending cuts, and the Bethune aftermath
Clearly, the cuts to government spending are being driven by ideology and not by the state of the economy. Yesterday’s figures revealed a government deficit […]
On John Key getting us mixed up in Australia’s problems with asylum seekers
Click for big version Asylum seekers? We’ve been here before under a National-led government. In 1999, the then-Immigration Minister Tuariki Delamere used the spectre of […]
On why our business leaders continue to believe in the confidence fairy
(Also: On Vincent Ward) Given the poor economic data from the United States in June, the Reserve Bank obviously needs to halt the upward march […]
On The Jackson Film Commission review
So the long awaited, year-in-the-making blockbuster review of the Film Commission has finally been delivered by Sir Peter Jackson and David Court, and is now […]
On Julia Gillard, and Simon Power
Julia Gillard’s ascent to the top job in Australia will face its first major policy test in the next fortnight, as she will have to […]
On the World Cup, and the media’s buy-in to the national mood of elation
Well, New Zealand made a splash in the Fifa World Cup coverage yesterday – and I don’t mean via the draw with Italy. No, the […]
On our costly and futile efforts in Afghanistan
Routinely, we are told that the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province has been doing a great job – and maybe […]
Gordon Campbell on the foreshore and seabed deal, and Gaza blockade
By Gordon Campbell The Maori Party seems to have won few immediate and tangible benefits from its long awaited deal on the foreshore and seabed […]
On a solution for the Ministerial spending scandal, and for child poverty
The litmus test in the Ministerial expenses scandal is what would happen to an ordinary employee who repeatedly misused the company or departmental credit card […]
On the Green Party conference
The Greens held their party conference last weekend – the first for some years not dominated by an actual or pending leadership change. This time, […]
On the rugby apology to Maori, the Gaza blockade and lying about Kiwibank
Isn’t there something truly weird about any Maori Party request to government for an apology over the exclusion of Maori players from tours to apartheid-era […]
On the need for New Zealand to condemn the Gaza blockade
The Israeli attack on the Turkish aid convoy to Gaza, and its subsequent slaughter of the civilians on board is being condemned around the world. […]
On the international aid flotilla now approaching Gaza
Some days ago, a flotilla of nine ships left a port in Turkey bound for the Gaza enclave, laden with medical and building supplies and […]