Reproduced with permission
A Free Bus Would Be Cheaper
We would be nuts to spend $4 billion to divert freight from rail to road to create a heavily subsidised passenger rail service.
I Wrote This in 2008 and Wouldn’t Change a Word
I wrote this column about MMP 18 years ago and wouldn’t change a word. Some of the references are dated (United Future, the Tight Five, Alamein Koopu) but the system remains as flawed now as it was then.
Luxon: Gone by Morning Tea
Racism and sexism have not gone away. They have just learned which way to point.
Bristol and the Slave Trade
Perhaps because they were not Africans, modern society seems to be uninterested.
Merging Activists With New York City Government
The insiders win, the outsiders lose, and socialists stay in power whether the people want them to or not.
We Live In a Two-Tier State
The locking down of Gosport to protect illegal migrants shows beyond doubt that Britain is a two-tier state, says Paul Birch, where locals must produce ID while illegal migrants are escorted away in luxury coaches.
Does Winning the Leaders’ Debate Matter?
We learnt almost nothing about who will form the next government. The people who will decide that were not on the stage.
A Double Cliffhanger for New Zealand
NZ voters are in a unique situation. MMP rules and consistent polling indicates we may get a hung parliament or a coalition with the slimmest of margins - but will it be red or blue?
The Five-Letter Word Media Won’t Say
From a failed airline hijacking to riots in France, our inability to name causes and motivations is undermining our ability to respond to reality.
There’s the Bloody Ball. Use it!
The Nats still have a chance but they have to change tactics.
The New Face of an Old Hatred
It is the raw, ignorant hatred that expelled Jews from medieval kingdoms, burned them in pogroms, restricted them from universities, and fed them into gas chambers. It requires no reason. It will simply endure unless, finally, good people stop it.
Why Does Anyone Still Take Socialism Seriously?
A devaluation of one’s fellow humans based on irrationality and sheer ignorance is the dark truth underlying socialism’s appeal.
NZ Shows How Not to Run a Census
Two millennia ago, Augustus counted his empire because he wanted to know what he ruled. In 2028, New Zealand will count itself because the parties could not agree on how to stop.