Maria O’Sullivan Monash University Prime Minister Scott Morrison took many people by surprise this week when he said a COVID-19 vaccine would be “as mandatory as you could possibly make it”. Although he later backtracked on the use of the word “mandatory”, he made clear the government is aiming
Dr Bryce Wilkinson nzinitiative.org.nz For those who care about New Zealanders’ wellbeing, the central issue is if the benefits of any given level of lockdown plausibly exceed the costs. About four months ago, I calculated it might be worth sacrificing 6.1% of one year of New Zealand’
Pretty sure I’m preaching to the converted on this subject and on this site but a word of warning: if you rely on the MSM (or Chloe Swarbrick) for accurate information on the overseas experience of legalizing commercially grown cannabis you are being misled. John Lord is an ex-New
Dr Oliver Hartwich nzinitiative.org.nz The Prime Minister has declared this year’s election, now postponed until October, a “COVID election.” That is an unfortunate framing. Though dealing with COVID is crucial for the country’s short- to mid-term future, there are plenty of other attention-deserving issues like education,
I think I’ve got my finger on why the government fails at everything they touch with the exception of PR where, to the country’s detriment, they excel. The government is understaffed. We know it because Chris Hipkins is swamped with four ministerial portfolios, three select committees and the
Chris Hipkins has admitted that he hasn’t yet bothered to read the Ministry of Health’s testing strategy. Wait! What? There are two strategies for testing? How can there be a Government testing strategy that is different from the Ministry of Health’s testing strategy? So, let’s get
There are few things that bring down governments faster than incompetence, arrogance and hubris. When all three are in evidence the downfall is assured. We’ve now had a second week of spectacularly bad headlines for the government. Never before has this Government had such a long streak of bad
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James Farmer QC jamesfarmerqc.co.nz LEGALISATION OF CANNABIS SUPPLY AND USE WILL ELIMINATE THE BLACK MARKET The short answer to this proposition, based on North American experience, is no. The longer answer, however, is that there are two effects of legalisation, both of which make the present effects of
WHO told him to wear a mask. I don’t know. Who told him to wear a mask? WHO told him to wear a mask. I don’t know who told him to wear a mask! Why don’t you tell me who told him to wear a mask? Sigh…
I hope Mr Hipkins doen’t tell me off, but some things about our ‘South Auckland family’ don’t add up. Is it alright to talk about it? After all, the repercussions are destroying the livelihoods of many of our Auckland friends and costing the country billions, so everything should
James Farmer QC jamesfarmerqc.co.nz MEDICINAL CANNABIS IS NOW LEGAL AND SO CANNABIS FOR RECREATIONAL USE SHOULD BE ALSO In a separate article from her Herald piece (published in The Irish Times, 16 September 2019), Professor Cannon refers to a book written by a former New York Times journalist,
You’ve got to love how civil servants fight back when they are being maligned by their political masters. When faced with mounting embarrassment and public discord over the failures at the border both Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern said that their “expectations weren’t met.” Ignore for a moment
James Farmer QC jamesfarmerqc.co.nz I have consistently believed that cannabis is a harmful substance and that people who use it for “recreational purposes” would be more sensible to choose a healthy form of recreation that doesn’t put them and those dependent on them, i.e. their children
