In a past life, I was a literary buff and Rebecca, written by the brilliant Daphne du Maurier, was one of my favourite books. There is something particularly haunting about a novel whose main character is already dead; that sets the scene for a major backstory as well as the
I was having a chat with a longstanding friend about the election result. She is a Labour supporter who is enormously optimistic about the future and believes Labour will build thousands of houses and lift people out of poverty. This was not the time to mention words like Kiwibuild or
There are quite a few people on this site who do not like Damien Grant. Personally, I only came to hear of him relatively recently, probably over his refusal to cease setting off fireworks at his rural Auckland home. That has angered some of his neighbors, and given him a
For the last 3 years, we have solidly accused Jacinda Ardern of being nothing more than the queen of slogans. And it has been absolutely true; she develops a slogan for every situation. Just think about it. “Let’s Do This” (we didn’t), “The Year of Delivery” (it wasn’
We have seen this happen all over the business and sports world. Think about the famous Gillette advert that basically insulted and emasculated all men. Their sales went down. Think about Kellogg announcing loudly that it will stop advertising on Breitbart. Their sales went down. Think about the NBA, with
In the most important election in a century, New Zealand fell for a celebrity. They voted in an airhead of Kardashian proportions. In spite of the last government failing on all of their promises, they have just been re-elected in a landslide. Did those who hoped to buy a Kiwibuild
Judith Collins has raised the spectre of Labour supporting the Greens’ idea of a wealth tax; so much so that Labour will implement the tax if they win the election. Labour’s response is that they have denied this many times and that National is “desperate”. Labelling the opposition as
Driving from the Hutt Valley to Wellington on Friday afternoon, I was listening, as usual, to Newstalk ZB. It wasn’t the usual Bro Show (Phil Gifford and Simon Barnett); instead we had Tim Roxborogh. I have often found Roxborogh to be a bit left-leaning for my taste, but each
We travelled back to Wellington on Sunday, amid sunny skies and a very full ferry. My husband has a lifelong habit of listening to RNZ. Never mind. Each to his own. But it is possible that Red Radio will be able to do for me something that I have not
The howls of glee from haters at hearing the news that President Trump has caught the virus were as predictable as they were vindictive. Never mind the fact that many high profile people, including the British prime minister, have caught the disease, the vitriol has been prolific. I find it
The media are talking about Winston as if he has gone already. The man whose political career spans nearly 50 years has reached an ignominious end. Everyone is treating him as irrelevant. Judith Collins, in promising funding for the racing industry, has just made an attempt to steal his last
I am bitterly disappointed with John Tamihere. He used to be a rational, reasonably well-balanced sort of guy. It is hard to believe that only last year he was running for the Auckland mayoralty, without a feather cloak in sight. What a difference a year makes. Now he has become
Try as the government likes, they just can’t keep a good landlord down. That is because there are so few of them these days: they are a rapidly dying breed, exiting the market in droves and taking their tax free capital gains with them. But those that remain in
Whatever the outcome of the election, it seems the political landscape in New Zealand will be changed forever. The media is treating NZ First as if it has already gone, which is a death knell to a man who has been on the political scene for over 40 years. Regardless
We all hope fervently for a Judith Collins-led National government after the election, but the polls still indicate otherwise. It ain’t over until it is over, but Labour, led by Jacinda Ardern, still have a strong lead, and Jacinda’s personal ratings are still through the roof. If the
National has received some very loud criticism for suggesting that they will reduce taxes if they are elected into government next month. The intention of the policy is stimulatory, of course, aimed at encouraging people to spend their extra money within the economy. In many ways, this policy is likely
