Political analysis and commentary shaping the progressive debate in Aotearoa New Zealand, focused on power, policy, and accountability.
John Key’s resignation just made the 2017 election a battleground that Labour and the Greens can win on. Forget the National Party spin that it’s business as usual. John Key just took a big breath and blew away the house of cards.
Understandably, most of the New Zealand Left is giddily euphoric as the result of yesterday’s bolt-from-the-blue-brigade news. Some of us have spent virtually the entirety of our adult lives awaiting this moment – so a certain level of enthusiasm is to be anticipated.
RELINQUISHING POWER holds almost as many dangers for a political leader as the risky business of acquiring it. If John Key had chosen December 2015 to announce his intention of retiring from politics in December 2016, then the past twelve months would have been a messy combination of House of Cards and Game of Thrones.
I was disappointed that the mass media largely bought the National Party’s spin on the Mt Roskill by-election. National said a loss would be catastrophic for Labour (and Andrew Little would be toast) but a loss for National wouldn’t mean a thing.
Fundamental rights – the right to food, education and health – need to come before a narrow Western concept of human rights.
THE AGED DEFENDERS HEARD THE MOB before they saw it. The rhythmic chanting of “Die Boomers, Die!” and “Fee, Fi, Foe, Fum – we smell the blood of Boomer scum!” Moments later they were shielding their eyes from the sun-bright twinkle of a thousand smart-phone flashes. The Millennials were advancing up the road, taking selfies as they came.
Probably the most important revelation to be had from National’s drubbing is that the “Ethnic Strategy” which the Blue party has pursued for quite some time now … is rapidly reaching its limits.
Universal Basic Income is neither an idea of the political left nor of the political right. The principles of liberté and égalité are not principles of partisan politics.
In New Zealand, however, we are taxed to death and then when we need help we get denied our entitlements by a brutal system that seems dedicated to stopping people gaining access to help when they or other members in their family have an accident or are unemployed, sick, or are born or become disabled.
The US is facing at least two major problems at the moment. One is that Donald Trump doesn’t care about the fact that he has persistently been blatantly disrespectful to Muslims, immigrants, the LGBTIQ community, women, people with disabilities, and other minority groups.