As one journalist recently noted, Australians in NSW went to bed one night and woke up in the morning in a police state. Overnight, the state’s government, in lockstep with most other Australian states, had passed “emergency laws” restricting citizens to their homes, except for…well, nobody’s exactly
Socialist police states always have their nomenklatura – the privileged elite who fancy themselves above the law. As New Zealand turns into Stasiland-with-Sheep, its own nomenklatura are emerging. Simon Bridges commuting the length of the North Island, and David Clark jaunting off to his favourite walking and cycling spots,
As usual, Dieuwe de Boer and Tim Wilms discuss the latest news and developmens on both sides of the Tasman. Due to the lockdown, Tim does not have access to his usual studio and we’re only streaming on The Unshackled’s channel. There has been some other news other
Alan Jones is not, it seems safe to say, Mr. Popularity inside the Canberra Bubble. Not that he ever was: the public service (which is almost half of the entire population of Canberra) is notoriously left-leaning, so the right-wing radio firebrand nicknamed “The Parrot” is guaranteed to send
Orwell described what he called “negative nationalism”, a “derisive and mildly hostile attitude” to their own country. It was, he wrote, a “more or less compulsory…[but] unfaked in many cases” attitude among the left-intelligentsia. Put simply, the left-intelligentsia enjoy kicking their country whenever they can. So when
I guess you could award Australia Post an A for business savvy and adapting its model to a rapidly changing commercial environment. On the other hand, they surely deserve an F for their tin ear. Public anger is running white-hot at revelations that Beijing-backed businesses quietly stripped essential
As Australia rapidly descends into what seems indistinguishable from a police state*, the rozzers are out in force, ready to hand out fines for any defiant souls daring to poke their noses out of their doors without a state-sanctioned excuse. Some of the police actions seem excusable, such as
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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said today that the state will not consider easing restrictions for at least six months. As the winter of viral discontent grips us ever harder, Australians and New Zealanders are starting to ask, rightly enough, just when will the lockdowns end? What’s the exit
It’s a common story right now: ‘stranded overseas travellers’ begging the Australian and New Zealand governments to ‘rescue’ them from their plight. We might be inclined to take them more seriously if it weren’t that so many of them appear to be victims of nothing more than their
Australia and New Zealand, along with much of the Western world, have been plunged almost overnight into a state of seemingly endless lockdown. In scenes not witnessed even in the depths of wartime, Aussies and Kiwis are practically confined to their homes – with police and even the army patrolling the
Responding to a groundswell of public anger the Queensland government hurriedly shelved its planned pay rise for its swollen army of public servants. After all, a guaranteed annual pay rise well above the inflation rate, plus a generous cash bonus, was just too much for ordinary taxpayers struggling through the
Editors note: Due to technical issues yesterday that prevented our articles from being viewed by most of our audience I have made the decision to republish them today. Celebrities relaxing in their hot tubs in their multi-million-dollar mansions. Publicly-funded journalists at the national broadcaster. Politicians with eye-
Celebrities relaxing in their hot tubs in their multi-million-dollar mansions. Publicly-funded journalists at the national broadcaster. Politicians with eye-watering allowances. For us ordinary working stiffs slogging through the Xi Plague and its associated disruptions, being hectored to “stay home” by people with guaranteed jobs, income and
Update The Queensland premier has announced that the pay rise is “on hold”, as public anger mounts. Note that: “on hold”. As soon as she thinks it’s politically safe to do so, they’ll get their fat pay rise – almost certainly backdated. During the Blitz, the Queen Mother famously
Dieuwe de Boer and Tim Wilms continue live on The Unshackled channel only during the lockdown. Tune in for a recap and discussion of the week’s news in New Zealand and Australia.
