Political analysis and commentary shaping the progressive debate in Aotearoa New Zealand, focused on power, policy, and accountability.
Placing Huo in charge of what has turned into the effort to track, monitor, and where possible, to *counter* PRC malfeasance within our polity – is not entirely unakin to asking a mosquito to go off and find the cure for malaria.
BACK IN THE DAYS when I boasted much more hair and carried far fewer kilos, I was right into (as we said back then) writing songs. One of those songs, The Other Side of Town, opened like this:
Well, the street has been my teacher
And poverty my nurse
Oh dear, how my family and friends chortled. “You wouldn’t know how to live out on the street if your life depended on it!”, snorted one.
So earlier this evening, a terrorist attack took place in Jammu; hospitalizing at least 28, of which I’m told, some have already died. This attack was carried out in a similar manner to other such outrages over the past ten months – with a hurled grenade.
“…No ifs, no buts, no caveats, I will repeal this CGT as Prime Minister of New Zealand ” – a statement so categorical that it made John Key’s 2008 commitment never to raise GST, look timid;
“National is not going to be raising GST.National wants to cut taxes not raise taxes.”
Except, he did.
In October 2010, Key’s National government increased GST from 12.5% to 15%.
WHAT IS IT? This weird, emotionally energetic style of politics that promises “transformational” change and then, mysteriously, fails to deliver…
Get into the lift at work in town with 3 other people.
On the ‘knowledge’ panel at the hui in October 2018 on What an Alternative and Progressive Trade Strategy for New Zealand, Professor Jane Kelsey explained how trade rules on ‘e-commerce’ would cement the dominance of Big Tech and close off our ability to shape the digital domain in the public good.
For some time now, I have been writing upon the strong viability of Indian-Iranian geopolitical co-operation; particularly in light of shared security concerns, and a most unfavourable ‘short schrift’ from the Americans meted out towards both on matters economic.
Successive Governments have encouraged the pretence of ‘local control’, while ensuring the control strings are firmly kept in the hands of both Wellington and their private sector health partners, such as the drug and medical equipment supply companies and, in many cases, the insurance companies.
Jacinda has said that this is the year when the fixes will begin. We should see this as a sort of home renovation job. Part by part, room by room, the house, which has been left neglected to weather the storms of neo-liberalism, must now be fixed up, so that the rotten bits are replaced, and the worst bits are brought up to the standard of the best.