Bring back the hard stick
More and more I’m gravitating to the view that perhaps those countries that use the rattan cane as a form of punishment might well be on the right track.
Politics
Everything about politics
News Briefing: 18 March 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards HEALTH Paula Penfold (Stuff): ‘Quite frankly nonsense’: $2m contractor responds to Stuff investigation Georgina Campbell (Herald): Health NZ refuses to release rent costs for Lower Hutt sick baby unit that doesn’t exist Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: Government criticised for ‘pathetic’ bowel cancer
You Stepped on a Landmine and Now You Are Whining About It
The school lunches debacle was a landmine left by the teacher unions and Labour and David Seymour decided to play hopscotch in the minefield.
The ‘Stab in the Back’ Myth
This narrative of Jewish betrayal, based on centuries-old religious prejudices, was heightened in the Nazi era and was fused with political and racial ideology. Christian leaders, both Catholic and Protestant, did not just passively accept this new antisemitism – they supported it.
News Briefing: 17 March 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards CONSERVATION, ENVIRONMENT 1News: Q+A: Shane Jones: Cameras on fishing boats is 'state surveillance' Andrea Vance (Sunday Star Times): The orange roughy and a ‘cautionary tale of over-exploitation’ (paywalled) Julia Gabel (Herald): Law firm Russell McVeagh says Mt Messenger wildlife permit
The Violence of Te Pāti Māori
Another violent episode and the silence of the lambs to challenge it.
The Difference Between the Left and the Right Regarding NZME
One seeks ownership, the other seeks control without ownership.
‘You Can’t Make This Up’
Pfizer has been named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by the Ethisphere Institute for the fourth year in a row, sparking criticism due to the company’s history of corporate fraud and legal violations.
Where There Are Smokes, There Is Crime
There is nothing in this puritanical list of new restrictions that will deter people from continuing to smoke tobacco or switch to illegal vapes. It will send them away from legal retailers that comply with tobacco laws to illegal, gang-controlled retailers.
News Briefing: 14 March 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards INFRASTRUCTURE SUMMIT, FOREIGN INVESTMENT, PPPs RNZ: 'Public institutions' like schools and hospitals shouldn't be owned privately - Chris Hipkins Thomas Coughlan (Herald): PM Christopher Luxon finds his happy place, courting investment to New Zealand (paywalled) Luke Malpass (Post): Urgent but not
Could Nicola Willis replace Luxon?
Obviously Nicola Willis does not want to make a coat out of Dalmatians or dress as well as Miranda, but Labour cannot see this, any more than they cannot see that Willis is far more presentable and politically adept than Luxon.
Does Chippy Know Trump’s a Fighter and a Winner?
Chris Hipkins’ attack on Winston Peters makes him look like a fool and a political retard.
Integrity Briefing: Public Service integrity under Brian Roche
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards The appointment of Sir Brian Roche as the new Public Service Commissioner was met last year with predictable endorsements from the political class. With a career spanning the private and public sectors, Roche has been a go-to “fix-it” man for governments of