This is edition 2025/18 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Welcome back. It's 2025 and 20 years since I started writing about politics and anything else that took my fancy. Thank to my VIP members for making this site what it is today. In July we will be having a 20th birthday celebration. Stay tuned for more announcements.
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. Why the Treaty can't be and isn't supreme law
David Farrar
- 📜 Te Pāti Māori proposes a Treaty of Waitangi Commissioner with veto power over Parliament, alarming for its undemocratic implications.
- 🏛️ The idea suggests an unelected authority akin to Roman Empire practices, not suitable for modern democracy.
- 🤝 Coalition partners' non-rejection hints at negotiating away parliamentary sovereignty for government formation.
- ⚖️ View sees Treaty as supreme law, akin to US Constitution, but lacks amendability, crucial for constitutional legitimacy.
- 📝 Treaty's brevity and lack of specificity prevent it from functioning as a comprehensive constitution.
- 🇳🇿 Should honor Treaty as a foundational, visionary document akin to US Declaration of Independence, not as supreme law.
- 🚫 Pushing for Treaty as supreme law risks backlash, undermines its moral and aspirational value.
