The Right Time for the Wrong Left
Poor old Labour doubles-down on identity politics, just as democratic-socialism comes back into fashion.
Chris Trotter
Known principally for his political commentaries in The Dominion Post, The ODT, The Press and the late, lamented Independent, and for "No Left Turn", his 2007 history of the Left/Right struggle in NZ.
This Is the Logic of Israel’s War
Indeed, it decided to eliminate not just Hamas, but their regional ally, Hezbollah. Then they asked themselves: ‘Why destroy the puppets but leave the puppet-master unscathed?’
The Worst Case Scenario, Really
Like a possum in the headlights of a fast-approaching SUV, the world would stand frozen as the two other serious nuclear powers contemplated their next move.
Labour Plays the Politics of Aspersion
This is where the Politics of Aspersion have led us. No wonder Winston Peters held his head in his hands as Brooke van Velden read out Vance’s words on the floor of the House.
Red Pill, Blue Pills and the Matrix That Is Capitalism
So many right-wingers continue to make the same, fundamental, category error. They truly believe that the people winning all the battles are communists. Even when they’re capitalists.
We Need Adults in the Room
NZ will not move towards a new economic dispensation unless it is convinced the politicians offering it are serious, responsible and competent individuals. Men and women who know what men and women are and refuse to divide their fellow citizens along ethnic lines.
Why Winston’s Right and Corin’s Wrong
More interviews of the sort broadcast by RNZ on Wednesday, 23 April 2025, and it’s a pretty safe bet that JMAD’s 2026 survey will be delivering even worse news.
This Woke War on Capitalism`
To build a better world, the woke are convinced that this one must first be burned to the ground. They can only be countered by the rest of us proving them wrong.
Not So Much ‘Annihilated’, Just Delayed
Kicking the can down the road is a time-honoured political strategy in New Zealand. What’s more, it usually works. Right up to the point where the politicians finally run out of road.
Can’t Make It There Anymore
Trump’s tariffs are his way of saying to the world: We are strong enough. We can make it here. Donald Trump’s tariffs have stopped globalisation in its tracks.
Stop and Search
Tamatha Paul should investigate the consequences of what happened to her party’s electoral support in 2017 – the last time a young(ish) wahine Māori gave Green voters cause to doubt her party’s attachment to the rule of law.
This Won’t Work
Why challenging Donald Trump’s executive authority in the courts is unlikely to end happily.
The Ebb and Flow
The War on Woke in the United States, and here in New Zealand, is starting to get tricky.
Trump and the US Gravitational Pull
A determined American president does not need to retreat before the angry objections of globalisation’s defenders: not when he commands the economic and military resources of the world’s most powerful nation state.
These Are Just Impossible Things
The collective memory of the average Kiwi voter warns them that although the promise of a good life for everybody sounds wonderful, the Greens would never entrust the ordinary people of New Zealand with the power to make it happen – and neither would their bosses.
Making Sense of King Donald
Kings, dictators and populist presidents don’t look at the world that way.