Political analysis and commentary shaping the progressive debate in Aotearoa New Zealand, focused on power, policy, and accountability.
Congratulations and kia kaha to all those who stood against the signing of the Trans Pacific Agreement, in Auckland and elsewhere around the country, culminating in creative, positive and powerful protests on Thursday.
On 18 January 2016, US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro told a conference, attended by Israeli politicians and military officials, that Israel needs to halt settlement expansion and control settler violence.
SOME TRIBUTES FIRST, then an apology
Negative interest rates – as in Europe and Japan – stabilise the debt accumulation process that gave us, for example, the 2008 global financial crisis.
If protecting our national sovereignty and defending our democracy become the battle-cries of the 2017 General Election, then the entire neoliberal project will be threatened.
Bernie Sanders’ campaign for the US President is well and truly launched. The media are now treating him as a serious challenger after he held Hillary Clinton to a draw in Iowa yesterday.
I watched 2015’s last Republican Party presidential debate and counted, in absolute amazement, as the word ‘Iran’ was mentioned about 25 times while the word ‘economy’ was mentioned only 9 times. ISIS was mentioned a staggering 108 times!
The explosion in information available about the extent of inequality in the world naturally raises the next question – what can be done to combat it.
This is why it is strategically vital for Labour to set out its fiscal policies openly and honestly before releasing its key policies relating to education, health and housing. The party first needs to settle upon a revenue target, and then upon the fiscal instruments it will use to achieve it.
This means only those children aged under seven now will get the maximum three years fully funded tertiary education when they leave school in 2025.