Dear Mr Kirkness As you are the editor of the NZ Herald I am writing to you just in case you might be (although probably are not) interested in why I am not a premium subscriber to your daily publication. If I did subscribe my main reason for doing so
I have never seen a more pathetic attempt at self-inflicted commiseration than that shown by Stuff. These people must have more time on their hands than they know what to do with. To troll through more than a century and a half of reporting on native affairs so you can
A hard-hitting letter written by Prince Philip providing a withering critique of New Zealand following the 1954 state visit has recently been auctioned in England. The letter was expected to fetch £300. It sold for twelve times that, reaching £3,600. The comments in the letter made for interesting reading
Kelvin Davis, the Associate Minister of Education, is in something of a lather. He says Maoris deserve nothing less than achieving at the highest levels in the world whatever they do. Quite right Kelvin, but what is the best way to achieve this? Davis said among some teachers there was
Two key speeches were presented to the National Party Conference last weekend from people outside the political wing of the party. One was from Sir John Key, the other from Party President Peter Goodfellow. To me, they were of contrasting styles. One reflected on taking ownership of the many disasters
“Thorny path to National victory”. So ran the headline to Claire Trevett’s article in the Weekend Herald. It was worth reading just to prove it wasn’t worth reading if that makes sense. The article failed to impress. The left-wing journalists are so predictable. Like their political heroes, they
Keith Quinn has got himself into hot water recently for having the audacity to tell kiwi blokes to harden up. Harden up! You can’t say that in 2020. Sam Cane is also in hot water for having the absolute hide to tell kiwis they don’t understand the game.
As I pointed out in my previous article there is a primary reason why this Government is one of the worst achieving in a lifetime. They have gone from a transformational narrative to a govern for all narrative. Governing for all simply results in nothing getting done as in practice
It is interesting to reflect on the changing philosophy of Jacinda Ardern. I guess a good place to start is early 2008 when she was elected as the President of the International Union of Socialist Youth. This is the organisation Ardern was addressing when the managed to utter the infamous
We are told the latest coronavirus case is linked to the Defence Force cluster. That’s as may be but the real cluster in all of this appears to be the Government itself. From the ‘hard and early’ joke, its handling of the virus has been hopeless. This latest case
I have listed ten key portfolio areas and looked at the backgrounds of those MPs who are involved in each. It is pretty much a case of ability versus inability. Prime Minister: Ardern vs Collins Jacinda Ardern — Post university she worked as an adviser to Helen Clark and in London
Covid in this country has become a comedy on so many fronts. It’s a comedy primarily because there are a bunch of clowns trying to run it. From the get-go these idiots haven’t had a clue how to handle it. What has let this ship of fools off
I thought I’d have a bit of fun picking a shadow cabinet for the major roles. Here goes. See how close I get, probably not very. Finance – Christopher Luxon? Education – Nicola Willis Health – Shane Reti Agriculture – Andrew Bayly Transport – Michael Woodhouse Defence – Gerry Brownlee Foreign Affairs – Simon Bridges Trade
A new business case released this week by the NZTA (New Zealand Tossers Association) recommends a new $5 billion rail tunnel be built within the next twenty years and before any additional roading network. THIS IS INSANE! What planet are these people living on? They don’t seem to have
In my final article on Simon Wilson’s fears, I will look at his thoughts on Ihumatao and neoliberalism. Along with climate change, Simon sees inaction on so many fronts. He says we’re preparing long-term aspirational plans because that’s how our decision-making processes work. But while we talk,
I’ll start by continuing Simon’s Pollyanna approach to what is happening at home and abroad, tinged with a little optimism. The optimist Simon believes a crisis brings out the best in us. He believes with little steps we can walk a long way. In this country, Simon believes
