What Arthur Taylor’s journey tells us about crime and rehabilitation
When Arthur Taylor was eleven he was sent to the Epuni Boys Home for skipping school. It was a brutal institution (and Arthur later received a government apology and compensation for being mistreated there). Like most such institutions the Epuni Home was a school for crime, so it was no surprise that Arthur committed his first crimes, for burglary and car conversion, after he escaped from the Home. He was in and out of prison from that time on and has spent two thirds of his life, around 40 years, behind bars.
Read More →Government right to scrap plans to base Singaporean F-15s at Ohakea
There are several reasons to be pleased the government has scrapped plans to base a squadron of Singaporean F-15 jets at Ohakea.
Read More →SIS persecuting foreign students with allegations of WMD research
The SIS has been causing grief to some foreign students by delaying or denying visas on the grounds that their research could help produce weapons of mass destruction. It has been happening for years but we have never been told publicly how any New Zealand course of study is making it easier to produce WMDs, or what students are involved.
Read More →NZ visa requirements too tough on former “criminals”
In the world today, restrictions on political speakers visiting other countries affect left-wing speakers more than conservative speakers. But we should also defend the right of conservatives, like Canadians Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux, to speak here. Otherwise we undermine our case.
Read More →Defence policy statement edges NZ closer to Trump’s America
So much for New Zealand’s independent foreign policy. The Strategic Defence Policy Statement, released today, puts New Zealand firmly in the American camp. It portrays China as a threat, warning of China’s “ability to quickly deploy a range of additional capabilities in and around key international shipping lanes.”
Read More →Misreporting the war in Yemen
UN officials are doing their best to achieve a political solution, but are not helped by a blatant misreporting of the nature of war.
Virtually every article in the Western media describes the opponents of the Saudis as “Iranian-backed Houthi rebels” and tries to portray the conflict as a “proxy war” between Iran and the Saudis.
Read More →Reducing the prison muster rather than building a new prison
I am heartened by the way Labour and the Greens are talking up justice reform and the need to reduce prison numbers. Justice Minister Andrew Little told TV3’s Nation last week that everything is on the table, including reform of the bail, parole and sentencing legislation.
Read More →Ardern wrong to “accept” US-led air strikes on Syria. The Greens get it right
Prime Minister Adern has made a serious mistake in saying that she “accepts” why the US, UK and France have bombed Syria.
Read More →Why Green MPs shouldn’t give their parliamentary questions to National
There are several reasons why it is wrong of the Green caucus to hand over some of their Parliamentary Questions to National.
Read More →Why NZ should withdraw its troops from Iraq
Prior to the last election Labour, NZ First and the Greens all opposed the current deployment of New Zealand troops to Iraq. Labour specifically promised to withdraw them, but nothing has happened yet. Now Australia is leaning on our government to extend the deployment beyond its current end date in November. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop made that plain during her visit here last week.
Read More →Jim Anderton played a critical role in changing our electoral system
Jim Anderton made a great and irreplaceable contribution to our society and democracy. Without his leadership of NewLabour and the Alliance – and his support of MMP – we might still be stuck with a narrow, two-party, first-past-the-post political system – like Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States. We owe Jim a lot.
Read More →$639 million upgrade poses question of whether we need frigates
The frigates Te Mana and Te Kaha are a huge drain on the taxpayer. They cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year in running costs and regular upgrades. The current electronics upgrade is now priced at a whopping $639 million.
Read More →Kiwi prominent in ICAN, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner
New Zealand has a long history of active anti-nuclear NGOs, several of whom are involved in ICAN via their international parent bodies. These include the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Pax Christi – all of whom are represented on the ICAN international steering committee.
Read More →Golriz Ghahraman has answered her critics well
In summary, Golriz has never hidden her defence role in the Rwanda and former Yugoslavia Tribunals. She has spoken about those experiences many times, and put them on her LinkedIn CV. It has been good to see the legal experts such as Andrew Geddes and so many progressive people coming to her defence.
Read More →Pitfalls for the Greens and NZ First in coalition discussions
One thing the Greens and NZ First won’t want to repeat is the Alliance experience in coalition with Labour from 1999 to 2002. With Ministers inside the Cabinet, committed to Cabinet solidarity, they had difficulty differentiating from Labour. This frustrated the party’s support base.
Read More →Let’s make sure the Greens get well over the threshold
The Greens hold the key to this election. If the Greens don’t get 5% and leave Parliament its unlikely Labour will be in government. If the Greens get 5% (or 6%, 7%, 8% or 9%) a Labour/Green government is likely.
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