Everything about politics
Michael Bassett Political historian Michael Bassett CNZM is the author of 15 books, was a regular columnist for the Fairfax newspapers and a former Minister in the 1984-1990 governments bassettbrashandhide.com In case you are in any doubt, the New Zealand Herald, with TV1 in hot pursuit, has taken
It is ironic that Labour’s colours are red, the same colour as the sea of red ink in the Government’s books left by arguably the worst Finance Minister in New Zealand’s history, Grant Robertson. Grant Robertson should be ashamed. The books are in much worse shape than
The parliamentary summer break surely couldn’t have come soon enough for Anthony Albanese. The last months of 2023 have been a constant bludgeon for the Australian PM. The discontent that simmered for most of the year over spiralling cost-of-living, driven largely by both “Net Zero” and a
I’m not the world’s biggest Elon Musk fan: the fellow does some great things, some awful things, and a whole lot of very silly things. But, he was absolutely correct, when he said, What I see all over the place is people who care about looking good while
Kurt Mahlburg Kurt Mahlburg is a writer and author, and an emerging Australian voice on culture and the Christian faith. He has a passion for both the philosophical and the personal, drawing on his background as a graduate architect, a primary school teacher, a missionary, and a young adult pastor.
The most important thing centrists and conservatives need to remember about the left is that they never, ever take “No” for an answer. No matter how many times they’re democratically told to shove off, the left scream and stamp their feet and hold their breath until they get their
Bryce Edwards Dr Bryce Edwards is the Political Analyst in Residence at Victoria University of Wellington. He is the director of the Democracy Project. Victoria University of Wellington democracyproject.nz Political commentators and journalists are dismayed by what has happened to the Kiwirail Interislander ferry upgrade project. Ever since the
The most effective censorship is one where the authorities don’t have to do anything at all: everyone pre-emptively censors themselves. Which, as George Orwell pointed out, was the whole reason for NewSpeak: anti-Party thought would be literally unsayable, and thus un-thinkable. In a remarkable but lesser-
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Chris Trotter Victoria University of Wellington democracyproject.nz SURVEYING LABOUR’S savagely diminished caucus, only two MPs stand out as credible future leaders: Keiran McAnulty and Ginny Andersen. Before such a combination could accede to the leadership, however, both the Labour caucus and the Labour Party would have to undergo
If there was one left-wing politician I’ve always had a lot of respect for it was Roy Jenkins. He was a UK Labour MP, albeit on the right wing of the party, a cabinet minister in the Wilson Governments; Home Secretary, and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was
Don Brash Don Brash was Reserve Bank Governor from 1988 to 2002, and National Party Leader from 2003 to 2006 bassettbrashandhide.com When the new Coalition Government was announced little more than three weeks ago, those of us who believe that a democracy where every citizen has equal political rights
Writing serves as a vital form of communication, enabling the transmission of ideas, information, emotions, and knowledge across distances and time. Its purpose extends beyond mere transmission; it allows for the preservation of thoughts, cultures, and histories. Through writing, individuals can articulate complex concepts, express creativity, educate, persuade, document events,
Labour is in the doldrums in the last poll of the year. It is the Roy Morgan though, but it does show how much Kiwis have fallen out of love with Labour. Today’s Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll for November 2023 shows new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and the
Democracy is, above all else, the art of compromise. Short of the sort of hive-mind that the left can only dream of, citizens of a polity are going to have very different and often opposing needs, wants and opinions. You can’t, to paraphrase FDR, please all of the
Do what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life. That old saying is true even for whores: and there are no more willing whores than the mainstream media. When the NZ media indignantly denied that taking the government’s money influenced them to be favourable
