On Prisons and Popes
A few thoughts on the government's recent decision to rescind prisoners' voting rights and the passing of Pope Francis. What a combo! Plus, a preview of my trip to Israel.
NZ Politics
Is National the Red Under the Bed?
Remember, anarchists never sleep and Minister Potaka has made his anti-democratic intentions for local government very clear.
Auckland Uni Students React to Treaty ‘Indoctrination’
How long taxpayers will agree to support universities which dedicate themselves to ‘decolonisation’ and the overthrow of ‘Western knowledge’ – and boast about it as Auckland University’s newsletter has done – is an open question.
News Briefing: 2 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR, WEEK IN POLITICS Lillian Hanly (RNZ): NZ Initiative 'absolutely delighted' Seymour wants to slash ministerial line-up Adam Pearse (Herald): David Seymour proposes abolishing some portfolios and cutting minister numbers Craig McCulloch (RNZ): ACT's David Seymour wants
Malcolm Turnbull’s Relevance Deprivation Syndrome: A Pompous Lecture from a Failed PM
Turnbull’s RNZ sermon is just another chapter in his long history of self-important drivel. He’s a failed PM who couldn’t hack it at home, so now he’s preaching to the Kiwis like he’s some elder statesman.
Willis Wants Budgets to Be ‘Lolly Scrambles’
Her pre-budget speech is out-of-touch Wellington jokey silliness.
Is MMP Serving Us Well?
It has become increasingly necessary for the centrist parties to garner the support of the fringes and therefore have been forced to adopt positions on matters that they would otherwise consider incidental to their main priorities.
News Briefing: 1 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards BUDGET, ECONOMY Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government not ruling out cuts to its $521 a year KiwiSaver contribution Gordon Campbell: On Our Austerity Fixation Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: What could be cut as Government slashes operating allowance for Budget 2025 Bernard Hickey (The Kākā)
Judge Ema Aitken’s Disgrace: A Judicial Scandal That Demands Accountability
How can the public trust Aitken to preside impartially when she’s shown such blatant disregard for judicial decorum?
Face of the Day
Goldsmith said allowing prisoners to vote was “typical of the previous government’s soft-on-crime approach”.
Here Comes the Politics of Kindness
Over the proceeding years, Kiwis would come to learn that there was nothing kind or empathetic about her leadership and policies.
Did They Die in Vain?
What is happening in New Zealand right now, is NOT democracy. It is not what those 30,000 Kiwis died for.
They Have Created a Fiscal Crisis
There’s only one way out. Here it is, in joint work with former Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas
Claire Bleakley on the Gene Tech Bill
She is asking for the bill to be withdrawn and rewritten or amendments put into existing legislation: the Hazardous Substance and New Organisms Act 1996.
Why Is Doyle Allowed Anywhere Near This?
This man should not be anywhere near discussions about our children’s education – and it’s disgraceful that he still holds office.