Political analysis and commentary shaping the progressive debate in Aotearoa New Zealand, focused on power, policy, and accountability.
A new poll conducted for cannabis campaigners shows New Zealanders want the law changed now. What may be surprising to some is that most people want herbal cannabis sold at health food stores for therapeutic purposes.
Accept no imitations. The only time National’s generally serious about bolstering the number of ‘boys in blue’ is when they’re out electioneering to increase their Caucus.
The key question of Robertson’s FoW inquiry has been: What must Labour do to guarantee employers a steady supply of productive workers as New Zealand and the rest of the world enters the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution”?
How much oppression is justified to enforce liberty? That’s a question arising from the ban on Burkhas and ‘Burkhinis’ in France and Spain. And when does mandatory secularism become an excuse for bigotry, racism and sexism? We’ve also seen some answers to that.
It’s become a well-accepted fact in Christchurch that wealthier areas of the city received a better deal from government agencies and quicker responses to the disastrous earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 than poorer suburbs.
“The issue of student debt is often cited as a deterrent, but perhaps a greater barrier to tertiary education is the immediate financial hardship while undertaking study.”
National has come up with many “reforms”, proposals, policies, and ideas that eventually fail, or create unforeseen (or often foreseen; pre-warned; and ignored) problems. On this occasion, the proposal to increase spending for under-fives children with special needs, at the expense of older children, is short-sighted madness that beggars belief.
In defiance of police, priest and prude
Frenchwomen go sunbathing nude.
They are free to get tanned,
But Burkini’s are banned,
It’s illegal to let Islam intrude.
Politicians lose respect when they know something needs to be done but won’t do it for fear of losing a few votes.
Last week, retirement-savers from around the country were shocked to discover that their hard-earned investment funds were potentially going towards funding the invention, sale and distribution of land mines, cluster munitions, and other nefarious products. Nuclear weapons are also apparently on the portfolio-books.