Political analysis and commentary shaping the progressive debate in Aotearoa New Zealand, focused on power, policy, and accountability.
This week New Zealand Commerce Commission released its final decision to refuse the proposed merger of two of the countries biggest newspaper networks: NZME and Fairfax. This is a decision worth celebrating, as the proposed merger would have seriously weakened an already diluted quality of news and diversity of voices in New Zealand media.
I warmed to Jim Bolger considerably after his Mea Culpa moment. His government indeed was responsible for the unfortunate gutting of the unions and the massive redistribution to the wealthy under National’s failed trickle down theory.
While I was walking 4 kms around Hamilton Lake on Saturday, in the company of 500 other citizens aiming to draw attention to the high and worsening rates of suicide in New Zealand, a press release from Health Minister ‘Dr’ Jonathan Coleman arrived in my in-box.
New Zealand’s reputation in Japan has been damaged by revelations that our GCSB has been spying on its government communications. “New Zealand spied on Japan to help US at 2007 whaling confab” read the 26 April headline in the Japan Times.
IT IS NEVER ADVISABLE, when writing political commentary, to get angry. Powerful emotions distort our judgements and make the already difficult job of political analysis even harder. Sometimes, however, giving vent to our anger is the right thing to do. Sometimes, maintaining a calm and dispassionate analytical posture serves only to give despicable behaviour a free pass. Some people are only deserving of the most forthright and unequivocal condemnation.
Jenny Shipley is one of those people.
Ever been at the bank and they tried to upsize your loan or hassle you to bring your Kiwisaver to them? Ever been cold called to see if you want a credit card? Want life insurance with that??
If so, you have been on the receiving end of the insidious sales targets culture in the banking industry.
Every political party is lying about migration.
They do this by fudging the numbers.
Most importantly the fail to distinguish between those being admitted as permanent residents, those who come as students or temporary workers and those who come and go on a permanent or long-term basis.
I’M A BIG FAN of Rachel Stewart’s writing. Her column in the NZ Herald has quickly become one of those “must-read” contributions to the national conversation. She’s to be admired for her courage, too. Anyone who takes on Big Dairy in this country knows exactly what to expect – and it usually arrives. This weeks contribution, however, on the subject of democracy, was not one of her best.
Nobody goes to work expecting to get hurt, sick, or killed. But in New Zealand, far too many people do. Every year 50-60 people are killed in a work incident and 600-900 more die early deaths as a result of work-related ill-health.
Anzac Day is important to remember because of the utter futility of being part of an imperialist military alliance. New Zealand casualties in that war, killed or wounded, were 58%. That is equal to one-quarter of the adult male population. Our death rate of those who served at 16.6% was higher than that suffered by Germany!